The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Novel

Chapter 409: Why Are You The Dark Lord?!

The Princess of the Abyss, Urd, found herself trapped in a gigantic fissure. The overwhelming pressure threatening to disassemble her body at any moment felt suffocating, leaving her no choice but to endure it.

The space where she had previously fought with the human did not exert such pressure. But when she deviated from her orbit due to his attack, when she was swept away by the rapidly changing current, and left alone in this place, she slowly realized that even with her sturdy body, it was becoming increasingly difficult to withstand.

It was not that she had not resisted. She had released her power fiercely, shaking the entire fissure. However, due to the backlash, she found herself being pushed even further toward the outskirts of the fissure's orbit. Her lack of knowledge on how to navigate such spaces was a hindrance.

Unlike Davey, who had expected that she would soon escape, her situation was severe. In a reality where she had no choice but to succumb, she found herself silently deteriorating. The skin on the back of her hand was cracking like parched earth, and her body was fracturing as if it were a shattered glass bottle.

Urd, seemingly on the brink of death, maintained her silence.

When the fissure in her body grew to an extreme size, the unexpected happened. With a ripping sound, space tore open, revealing a woman with fiery red hair.

"Stupid girl," the woman said, her voice filled with scorn.

Urd, however, said nothing, slowly raising her gaze to meet the woman's. She found herself unable to speak, left weak from the struggle. She had shaken the entire fissure with a simple release of her power, but power released without a clear purpose was nothing more than a waste.

The red-haired woman, who had grabbed Urd by her throat, casually opened the space and cast her aside. She sneered, "Get lost, you shameless wench. No wonder you're at the bottom of the pecking order.”

"Sleesia..." Urd tried to speak, but was swiftly cut off.

"Don't call me with that lowly mouth of yours, wretch." The red-haired woman watched as Urd disappeared, clicking her tongue in disdain. She went on to mutter, "How ignorant, to make such a mess of the fissure.”

Although Urd's experience and intelligence were lacking, her power was astonishing. The red-haired woman surveyed the entire fissure before reaching out to open the crevice again.

"Even if she is useless, I can't ignore a fellow species being treated like this," she admitted to herself.

A decision was made, to make the human pay in blood for reducing Urd to such a state.

"This way it is," she said, before casually opening a portal to the Tionis Continent, where the human was believed to be.

The red-haired woman, born with considerable power over dimensional fissures, could move more easily and quickly to the Tionis Continent than anyone else, especially when the influence of the god in the forefront was weakened.

With a loud spark, she emerged from the fissure, dusting off her alluring outfit, and slowly looked up at the sky. The two moons, boasting red and blue colors, were faintly visible even in the middle of the day, casting an eerie gloom over the land.

"It's oddly annoying, but since it's not the world given to me to destroy, I can only endure it," she muttered, her eyes scanning the horizon.

Suddenly, something caught her attention.

"Move faster!" she heard in the distance. A group of demons was relentlessly whipping humans, who were weakly walking in their shackles. The sight, and the smell that accompanied it, stirred something within her.

"But first, I need to create a little piece of art," she decided, a sense of anticipation flickering dangerously on her lips.

* * *

Instinctively, Davey widened his eyes and raised his hands, making desperate efforts to calm her down. "Please, calm down, Princess Aeria."

"Who, who are you?! And where is this place...." Aeria stammered, her eyes brimming with tears. She could not comprehend the emotions that were causing the tears to flow incessantly.

"Don't panic. I'm not going to hurt you," Davey reassured her.

Despite Davey’s words, Aeria could not erase the wary expression on her face. Having forgotten all her memories of him, she had flown here with Davey, probably completely forgetting that she had once died. It was only natural that she would be on guard, suddenly finding herself here.

Yet, the fact that she did not resist heavily showed how little desire she had had for life when she was ill. Even her desperate cries, clinging to Davey, were all forgotten. If she had forgotten everything about him, it could mean that she was safe from the characteristics of her kind, which might be a relief for Davey. But, as with everything in the world, things did not just roll on understanding and compassion.

"S-Stay away! If you come any closer, I'll kill myself!" Aeria yelled at Davey, not even thinking to wipe away her own tears.

The unfamiliar sight of her, different from the usual Aeria who was friendly and relied on Davey, brought a fresh yet bitter feeling.

"Huh? What's that?" Davey pointed to one side with a flustered sound.

Aeria followed his hand with her gaze. In that moment, he quickly moved in, lightly knocked away the dagger she had been holding, and snatched it from her.

"Ah!"

"It's okay."

Before she could widen her eyes in surprise, Davey held her to calm her down. He said, "I'm on your side. I have no other goal than to cure you. Don't be afraid."

At the sound of his voice, Aeria struggled, not knowing what to do. She yelled, "Get, get away from me! Whoever you are, I'm a hideous creature that should not have contact with others!"

"What?"

"I have... I have a terrible curse on my body! Even with this mask, my face has been transformed hideously... Stay away! If you're not careful, you too...!" As she cried out, she touched her own face with her hands and froze. "T-The mask!"

"Looks like you've completely forgotten."

The situation was serious. From the time Aeria had recovered, it seemed that most of her life had been related to Davey.

"No, no, no!"

Panicked and flustered, she was strongly held by Davey so she could not move, and he whispered comfortingly, "It's okay. You're fine. You're not hideous at all."

"Let me go. Please...!" Aeria sobbed, not believing until she saw it for herself.

Davey cast a simple mirror magic and showed it to her. "Look for yourself. And listen to what people say."

The flustered girl looked at her reflection in the mirror and widened her eyes. Then, she blankly reached out to the mirror. Her turquoise ears flickered and her eyes opened wide. This was because the girl in the mirror reached out and touched the mirror's surface in the same way.

"This, this is me..."

"That's right. There's no longer anything like a rapid fusion virus in your body."

At Davey’s words, Aeria remained silent for a long time, her face confused, as if she did not know what to say.

* * *

Having completely lost her memories of Davey, Aeria reverted to the memories before she had recovered from her illness, and she looked quite crestfallen. The vivacious personality that had somewhat developed over time seemed to have disappeared, leaving her looking gloomy.

"Method."

Davey gave Aeria, who was confused, some time alone and looked out at the coast of Balkas, where the ship was moored, from the top floor of the cabin of the huge ship.

[Haha, as long as you keep your promise with me, it is possible for her to remember.]

"..."

[But I have a feeling that you're not going to do it.]

"Sometimes it's good not to remember."

Davey did not feel capable of taking responsibility for Aeria. In the Tionis Continent, it was common and normal for royal and noble families with great influence to have multiple wives. That was what political marriages were about. But did Davey need to be tied to something like a political marriage?

The main person, Perserque, seemed to want him to take care of Aeria, though.

[It's up to you to solve it. I can help the girl, as promised. But there's something you need to do first.]

At the Observer’s words, Davey nodded with a somber face.

"Let me hear it for now."

[The balance in the current world is extremely unstable. From the manager's point of view, neither side can be taken... But balance is important.]

Bit by bit, Davey began to grasp what he was trying to convey in his explanation.

[Find the hope that has vanished from the Observer’s eyes.]

Davey responded to that proposal with silence.

[Regardless of the side, every life is precious. This world, I suspect, has a vastly different atmosphere from the one you know. Am I wrong?]

"You're correct," Davey answered.

The Observer’s voice cackled with satisfaction at Davey’s response.

"So, you're telling me to not interfere with this world any longer, but to find hope? The only way I know to bring hope to some of the races in this world, including humans, is just one. Overturn everything. Crush the balance that is overwhelmingly in favor of demons and remind humans of the word 'hope'. It's quite a ludicrous proposal.”

[You're sharp and quick-witted, yet remarkably stubborn in unexpected areas.]

"Thanks for the compliment, but do you have any solutions at all?" Davey retorted, clearly annoyed.

[Never underestimate the Observer’s eye. Demons, unlike humans, have a hierarchy ingrained in their blood. If you promise, I'll gladly assist you.]

"How do you plan to help?" Davey asked.

[Firstly, I need to explain the forces that have been exerted on you and the girl from the perspective of the Observer.]

His voice, though formless, resonated clearly.

As Davey ventured into the serene line, he slowly reached out his hand when he heard a crawling noise, which signaled the presence of a remaining foe. A massive roach, with a large sac on its back, rushed toward him, its sharp jaws gleaming. However, before it could get close, it was hit by an intensely heated fireball, turned pitch black, and disappeared.

"Roaches should be burnt," Davey commented.

[The power exerted on the girl in the Observer’s eye is a bit peculiar. It's neither divine nor transcendental.]

"What does that even mean?"

[Hmm… Let's see. What's your name?]

"Davey, Davey O’Rowane."

[Ah… so you're the long-deceased First Prince of the Rowane Kingdom. The presence or absence of a single person can change the future. Most people wouldn’t know that your name is Davey O’Rowane, but it doesn’t change the fact that you possess that name.]

He was referring to the alchemical hypothesis of turning a minuscule influence into reality, or a yet-to-be-proven logic. It seemed far-fetched, but there was one possible way.

"The rules of the world..."

The world was underpinned by the transcendental will of 'God' and 'the rules of the world'. In fact, the rules of the world had erased the alien substance, Reina, from its place.

[So, the same rules apply to your world and this mirror-like world, but they also have side effects that can redirect the course. If we find a solution within the boundaries of this world, we can twist the process. Everything that exists in this world is made within the limits allowed by the world's rules.]

Unlike the force that the massive transcendental would forcibly fix, there existed a solution to the penalty. It seemed like the reason why Goddess Freyja granted Davey the power of the title and its related powers was because of the existence of this detour.

The Observer urged Davey with a bitter murmur. [Summon that creature with the massive feathers. As long as you don't mess with the upper demons, there shouldn't be a big problem. It's better to see it for yourself.]

The potential to restore Aeria’s condition. If Davey considered her future, it would probably be right to erase her short-term memory of less than a year. However, his pride as a doctor wouldn't allow it. Instead, he would restore her memories to the fullest extent possible, and then he would make sure she did not face the threat of death due to the limitations of her race.

‘Cruel? Medical arts are fundamentally cruel.’

[By the way, remember this. The Observer can see the present and fragmented future. Well, not as much as that great Dark Lord who's rampaging right now.]

"Speak clearly, old man."

[You know, even for your dear son, breaking your stubbornness could be a noble thing. Or do you want to become the Bride of God, just like the destiny carved into your body? Ha ha ha!]

"Nonsense."

The World Tree and all-knowing beings had all said such things, and it was utterly infuriating.

‘This goddamn bride nonsense.’

Davey’s footsteps were markedly heavy.