The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Novel

“A week…”

After seeing Reina grow silent, Davey turned to his magic circle once again and said, “If you haven’t done something so useless, you would have lived for another year.”

In front of Davey was a small table with a lump of mysterious flesh lying on top of it. The flesh was none other than a piece of the bastard that Davey had struck from the other side of the world also known as the Abyss.

Despite being separated from their main body, the piece of flesh still moved constantly in search of Perserque. Also, as if on instinct, it was showing hostility to Davey, who was blocking its path to its target.

Under the influence of Davey’s power, the flesh began contracting as if it was being crushed.

Davey’s entire power had disappeared along with the power of the jewel. However, as an after-effect of a complete awakening, the mana in Davey’s current body had drastically increased.

As of now, Davey could use the 9th Circle of elemental magic. As for dark magic, he could use its 9th Circle around once or twice. How about establishing a circle? The moment Davey established his first circle, the most difficult circle to establish, he could easily summon the other circles without any issues.

Davey needed something from the bastard on the other side of the world. What he needed the most was their power to materialize Perserque; nothing more, nothing less.

Perserque’s soul was not an ordinary one. She had the soul of the Demon Lord. In fact, she was in her soul form now.

With their power, it would not be impossible for Davey to materialize Perserque in this world. However, it would still be a bit tricky.

For some reason, there was a seed that connected Perserque to the Abyss. Although those with power that broke the common sense of this world would have no idea about this, the seed connecting Perserque to the Abyss could actually materialize her in this world. And it was not just on a simple materialization level where she could only be visible to the world. Just by touching this piece of torn flesh, Perserque’s figure would materialize in this world.

However, that was not enough. Davey had ripped off this piece of flesh from his enemy. He could not just use it on Perserque without verifying how dangerous it was. From what he could see, he still needed a lot more time to dig deeper into what it could and could not do. But even so…

—I absolutely hate it, Davey.

Perserque firmly resisted, nervously stepping away from the fleshy tentacle.

—It’s creepy! I feel like my skin is crawling whenever it touches me! I absolutely don’t want to do that!

Perserque had never flinched or lost her composure when Davey tied her up with his Mana Stem before.

—You know that this is a different situation! You should’ve known that I would feel disgusted physiologically!

The Mana Stem was simply a rope made of mana. As for this fleshy tentacle…it was quite a different thing.

Perserque even made a decision to threaten Davey in her own way.

—I’ll stick my arm in your ear and make sure to shake everything inside.

“Oh my…”

Seeing Davey smile, the woman who stood near him with a blank expression, suddenly asked, “Who are you talking to?”

“Curious?” Davey asked as he snatched Perserque, who was hiding nervously behind him.

—Wh-What?!

Then, Davey immediately brought some of the unidentified flesh that he had ripped from the Abyss to Perserque’s cheek.

—Huh?

Usually, the things that Perserque did not intend to touch would simply pass right through her soul form.

However, this was not the case. The shameful figure of the former Demon Lord, the one who had thrown away her dignity, immediately appeared to the world.

“Ah…”

—Kyaaaaaaaack!!! You crazy bastard, what are you doing?!

Perserque, losing her usual gentle and soft expression, slapped Davey on his cheeks without any mercy. She was completely pale. Because of that, the piece of flesh fell from her cheek and landed on Davey’s hands once again. Of course, her body, which had materialized, also disappeared once again.

“Did you see?”

“That woman…in front of you just now…” Reina asked tersely, “I did not understand at first… But was it you?”

“Did you realize it?”

“I will never forget that face. That’s Demon Lord Perserque, the Queen of all of the demons that started the continental war!!!” Reina shouted furiously as a blade of aura appeared in her hands. “Answer me, what kind of situation is this?!”

Davey snatched Perserque once again.

—I… I don’t want to! Let go of me!!! Davey! Let go of me right now!

Davey placed the piece of flesh on the struggling Perserque’s wrist for a moment. As he materialized her once again, he said, “Don’t you see that she’s a different person from the one that you know?”

—…

“This is not the world that you lived in. If someone took a different action in this world, that action would completely change the future of this world. In the world that you lived in, Perserque had become a helpless Demon Lord who had been manipulated by others. In your world, she had done whatever they had wanted her to.”

Unlike what had been mentioned in the legends and myths, the Demon Lord Perserque of this world was a woman who loved peace. She was someone who promoted and emphasized the importance of life.

In fact, this was one of the most important theories that the mages studied. But in this regard, the priests who entrusted everything to the Goddess’ will and the mages who pursued the truth through their learnings were at complete odds.

Of course, Davey was fully aware that even if the flow of fate changed because God had made contact with it, the general framework would eventually stay the same.

“What…does that have to do with the situation right now?”

“If you want me to tell you the results, then yes, Nyx has been completely destroyed. And Demon Lord Perserque, the one who you are concerned about, would not be resurrected in this world the way you thought it would go.”

“Fate is not so sim…”

“I made it so. I’m someone who does what I want to do.”

Davey was a creator or designer. If there was a future that would become unfavorable to his position, then Davey would not hesitate to change it and modify it until it was to his taste.

“…”

“You can’t tell anyone what happened to you and your world. That’s the penalty that you’ve received, no?”

When Reina fell silent, Davey walked away and also ignored Perserque, who pulled his cheeks and ears. Then, he asked, “Let me ask you a question. Why would I know something like that?”

Davey was not completely included in the flow of fate that Reina was worried about. If there were plenty of parallel worlds, worlds that were similar to the world that she had come from, then Davey was sure that he would not exist in those worlds. The curse that Rho Aias had placed upon Davey worked with such a system.

“You…”

“I don’t know what kind of world you’ve lived in, but this is what it's like here. At the very least, Illyna de Pallan and Davey O’Rowane are acquainted with each other in this world. That’s why I asked you why you had that sword when we had met each other for the first time.”

“…”

“To be exact, I was the one who awakened Caldeiras before Illyna could even do so.”

Did Reina think Davey would not recognize the sword just because it had changed forms?

“…”

Reina asked cautiously, “The masked man that we met in the Boltis Kingdom…was you?”

“That’s right.”

“Then, what were you doing there…?”

“I went there to save my people. What, you have complaints about that?”

Reina remained silent, as if she had been rendered speechless.

“Why do you think Goddess Freyja had sent you here?”

Reina froze before saying, “To… stop Nyx’s unsealing…”

“Do you think that’s even possible? The enemy in this world is far more dangerous and powerful than the world that you lived in.”

—Don’t be ridiculous! That’s just like saying that you’re an editor or something!

How ridiculous did Reina think the Goddess was for her to come to such a conclusion?

“However, if it wasn’t for my existence, you would not have even thought of Nyx’s unsealing! If that’s the case, then…”

“It’s just all part of the process. At the very least, Goddess Freyja did not send you here to do something that you can’t handle. In the first place, if the bastard’s seal had truly been a problem, everything would have been over with just a single revelation from her. Your appearance is not needed at all.”

If it had just been about dealing with the awakening First Lich Nyx, who had been slumbering in the Island of Tranquility, then it should have ended with that. However, Goddess Freyja had made a deal with Davey and had even brought Reina to this world.

“Then…it’s because the Goddess wants to give me a second chance…”

“Just forget about that one. Live the life that you have lost unfairly.”

In fact, Goddess Freyja hadn’t brought Reina here as a Warrior. It had been Reina’s choice to use the position of the Warrior. Since Goddess Freyja had already shown favoritism toward Saintess Candidate Alice, then she could also give her favor to Reina. That was the only reason that Davey could think of.

—Daveeeeeeeeeeey!!!

“Everything happened because of your stupid choice.”

“You keep on speaking informally to me… Don’t you know that I’m a part of the Imperial Family? How old are you?”

“Seventeen.”

“I am ten years older than you. You’re speaking to me as if I am a mere child. This is awkward.”

“Considering the period of your transformation, it seems like none of your previous appearance has been preserved.”

“My appearance has been a curse to me. You are clueless about the humiliation and disgrace that I have suffered because of this face I have.”

“Do you think I don’t know? I have seen your life.”

Although he actually had no intention of doing so, Nyx had been revived from the collusion of the demon race and the vampires. Then, he had started a continental war using his magic and his monsters. With his revival, the war against the humans had accelerated rapidly with countless nations disappearing.

The continent had been engulfed in tears and blood. Even the countless strong and armed men hoping to protect the humans had collapsed with grievous injuries.

Betrayed by the alliance of humans, the Pallan Empire had been struck down. This had forced Illyna to become the demons’ prisoner of war. That was when her hell had begun. First noticed by Nyx, the Demon Vanguards’ Commander, she had been subjected to countless of his experiments.

“Was it the Unrivaled Angel Project?”

“How…do you know something like that…?”

“I know about something similar. I have done a few experiments of my own.”

“…Unrivaled Angel Project. It was a project that the demon race had started to create the most faithful and loyal servant to Demon Lord Perserque. The one who started the experiment was Astaroth, a Grand Duke and the Second-in-Command in the demon race.”

Astaroth was the one who had an ability similar to that of an adapting animal. Due to that ability, Davey could now pull out teeth with ease after having had a long time to practice.

The black wings that appeared on Reina’s back when she had fought against Nyx was due to the changes that the project had done on her body. As of right now, she was so experimented on that she could no longer be considered human.

“The side effects were also terrible. I couldn’t sleep for years because of the terrible pain. And in the darkness of the underground prison, both the wings and the madness in my mind kept on flaring up!”

Davey had seen Reina’s memories where her entire body twisted as she scratched the walls and screamed until her throat went raw. And that was not all. Her appearance had remained beautiful despite her exhaustion and madness, but… The demon race had a similar appearance to humans, so this made her an even more valuable prisoner for the demons. Unlike male prisoners of war, the female ones often lived a more miserable life.

“Do not show me the light. I am a woman whose spirit and body have been broken. I am not the Illyna de Pallan that you know. I am no longer that clean and pure girl. In the first place, I have abandoned that name for a long time now. I am someone unworthy of your attention…”

“I don’t know about that.”

Social constructs and customs varied from one world to another. The perspective of the people of this world varied greatly from the perspective of the people from modern Earth.

A victim like Reina, who had experienced something like that, would not view the world in a beautiful light. Of course, that was none of Davey’s business either.

“You’re no longer Illyna just because you’ve experienced something bad?”

Reina was just a name that she used to refer to herself. However, her real name was Illyna de Pallan. The Illyna de Palan who had lived through a dark life filled with countless hardships for all 28 years.

Falling silent, Reina appeared to be choked up by the words Davey had uttered. She balled her hands into fists.

“And your face?”

Unlike her body, Reina’s face was covered in grotesque scars. It was as if someone had slashed her with a heated knife.

“When I ran away from Nyx, I only had a piece of clothing and my bare body. I sustained these injuries during that time. Ha… It’s a relief that the mask that Nyx had made for me to control my madness was able to hide my hideous face,” Reina said with a crestfallen expression.

She then asked, “Who are you?”

“The First Prince of the Rowane Kingdom and the Seigneur of the Heins Territory.”

“That’s not what I want to hear!” Reina shouted. Running toward Davey and grabbing him by the collar, she questioned him desperately, “Your true [self]…”

What did she want to say? Her face, which had been cleaned up after the treatment, expressed a strange anxiety and longing for something.

“That’s enough,” Davey muttered briefly as he shook away Reina’s grip and walked by her. He commented, “Once it gets dark, I’ll be taking you somewhere good. So, make sure to leave that time free.”

The night sky was dark, but the countless stars littering the blank canvas above made it such a beautiful sight. Unfortunately, the Heins Territory was not in the northern hemisphere, so they would not be able to see that level of beauty when it came to stargazing. However, the scenery was still beautiful compared to the scenery on Earth.

The Heins Territory had not yet been fully developed. Only a part of it had been developed. Although most of the land remained bare, it was large enough to be a fiefdom. And since its size was considerable, it was a bit risky to develop it without any thought.

The citizens of the territory had increased to 10,000, so land and housing prices had increased. But since they had expected this to happen, they had already established policies to counter fraudulent increases.

Davey, who came out with Reina alone, silently walked along the bustling streets of the Heins Territory.

“H… Hey. What are you thinking of doing…?” Reina mumbled as she followed Davey.

Her eyes darted around nervously. It was as if she was feeling bare and naked without the mask on her face.

“I told you. There’s something I plan to show you.”

Reina looked around uneasily. She hadn’t even had a good rest. She had been nervous since the beginning, wondering where the enemy was going to pop out next. Perhaps her unfamiliarity with this relaxed and peaceful environment made her quite uneasy.

“Don’t be afraid. No one here will come to eat you.”

“…”

Startled by what Davey had said, Reina continued to follow him in silence.

Not long after, Davey stopped walking to take in the sight of the active night market. Then, he said quietly, “Boss. How much for one?”

“Oh? Wise, Wise Teacher! You… You came again?”

The dwarf who was manning the stall looked happy to see Davey. When his eyes drifted to Reina, his eyes widened.

“A human’s growth is truly amazing. You were just a young lady when you came here before.”

“She’s a different person. How much for one?”

“It’s the same as usual. As a special service, I’ll give you a buy one get one free deal today,” the dwarf said with a laugh as he held out a chicken skewer to Davey. Then, the dwarf leaned forward and whispered to Davey, “This is stronger than the ultra violence that you previously tried. How about it? Want to try?”

“Sure, I’ll take one then. Let’s go.”

“Fufufufu. Excellent choice.”

Reina still had no idea of what was going on. Davey thought that it was necessary to show her the spiciness of this dish. In fact, Reina did not know how her body had changed. And it seemed like she also did not want what she wanted yet.

As they moved to try the dish, Davey could see that the deal with Goddess Freyja had not yet been fulfilled. This meant that the Pitiful’s Salvation was not yet over.