The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Novel

“Listen, Yuria. Do you know what that bastard did in front of everyone?” Illyna complained to Yuria Helishana, the leader of the elves in the Heins Forest, all the while chuckling and enjoying her tea.

“Lady Illyna, overdrinking is known to decrease the efficiency of metabolic processes.”

“Aw, Rinne. You’re the only one who worries about me.”

“Rinne, highly rates Illyna’s ability to recognize that.”

Unaffected by the peculiar tastes of food cooked by Yuria, Rinne nonchalantly popped sof it into her mouth and looked over at Red Ribbon and Blue Ribbon, who were sleeping, and at Myuu, the half-elf whose cuteness was becoming more pronounced. This group had grown quite familiar with each other. Yuria Helishana and Rinne, along with Illyna, had gathered together comfortably, as they often had before, to chat idly.

After downing her wine, she buried her head in her arm that rested on the table. She then murmured, "It's a strange feeling."

"You're in pain?" Yuria elegantly savored a sip of her cup of tea, set it down, and then smiled softly at Illyna.

"Me? Oh, that can't be."

"But you’re lying. The eyes of the elves can see deceit," Yuria spoke with elegance.

"Lies," Illyna mumbled wearily. "If that were true, the elves would not have fought with Davey."

"That's right. Only a handful of elves can truly see through lies. But since I am one of them, it’s no concern."

Still gazing at Illyna, Yuria went on, saying, “What exactly is troubling you so much?”

"I'm not sure... Just... Just feeling suffocated."

"Since when?"

Illyna becquiet at Yuria’s question, pondering about when exactly she started to feel this way.

"Is it too difficult to talk about?"

"No... It's just..."

"I think I know."

The corners of Yuria’s lips tugged upward in a typical sadistic smile. She then confidently said, “It was when Davey and Perserque were expressing their longing for each other, wasn’t it?”

Illyna jumped up, frantically gesturing her denial. “Ah... Not at all! That’s not true!”

“Indeed, a lie. If only you were more honest about your feelings like the princess of the Eastern Empire.”

"Don't speak carelessly.and Davey-"

"Davey?"

There was silence as Illyna buried her head once more.

“I don't know... I really don't.”

“If that is what you say, then I won't press any further.”

Looking away from the beautifully smiling face of Yuria, Illyna buried her face, looking utterly gloomy. She had never been like this before. Her promise was to protect Davey, who protected everyone else but had no one to protect him.

As warmth flooded her cheeks, she shook her head vehemently, blaming the flush on the alcohol. But she was unable to control the increasingly unsettling feelings within her.

* * *

“Prince Davey is back?”

“Yes, Your Highness, the Crown Prince. It is believed that calls to address Prince Rendos’ issue will rise shortly.”

"Hmph, such fearless souls. What about Kain?"

"It seems he remains the sas per the reports."

"Hmph, that foolhardy boy."

His apprehensive expression was mixed with relief, since Kain, who would sometimes show odd behaviors but fawn over like a child, was surely loyal to Illyna.

“Patrick, how is the task I assigned to your daughter going?”

"She's handling it well. Recently, with the increasing checks and pressures from others on her, I've had to hide her away."

"Assign trustworthy individuals including Alyssa to Illyna’s side. Make sure she’s looked after in the Academy.”

"Ha, if the Princess was to see your concern...”

“No. She must remain unaware,” said Sullivan decisively.

This made Patrick smile bitterly.

"By the way, Your Highness, there is interesting news afoot."

"Interesting news?"

"Yes. The Boltis Kingdom has surrendered to the Rowane Kingdom, but smembers of its nobility seem to have other intentions.”

“Have they created an independence movement?"

Independence movements made sense given how Rowane was in the position of an invader. But such movements lacked a noble cause. Boltis also had little hope of garnering international sympathy since they had been distributing a brutally cruel drug known as Moon Honey.

“So?”

“They seem to view Prince Davey as a potential threat if they want Boltis to gain independence.”

“Foolish men, they wouldn’t dare send assassins.”

"If they did, Boltis would lose even the nof a state," Patrick replied with a laugh.

This man, Davey O’Rowane, was more than just a prince with a forsaken claim to the throne. He was a man who had ctoo far, becoming a single force capable of shaking the continent. Even the Three Empires would build friendly relations with him, since they believed they could not preserve their powers if they made an enemy out of him.

And while it was a laughable notion that a simple human could frighten the Empire, his existence made it possible. The ripple effect of a giant rock cast upon serene waters couldn’t be underestimated. Of course, with his wisdom, he always left behind a pretext for his actions—a pretext for the Three Empires to support him.

But even with the efforts of the Continental Alliance, many countries and guerrillas continued to rise despite their claims to be striving for continental peace. All because they believed a war with the other two empires was viable with Davey's support.

"It's unfortunate to rely on an outsider from the country's perspective, but... As long as he's a solid ally before he loses his power, he's a sure card to play."

All of the Three Empires knew this.

Just then, an attendant approached Patrick and whispered into his ear. But the news that was relayed to him caused his expression to turn sour.

“What's the matter?”

“That is...” Patrick grimaced.

“It seems the independence group of Boltis has sent an assassin to the Heins Territory.”

"Those madmen," Sullivan voiced in utter shock.

If they had resorted to employing an Assassin Guild, there was a real chance their organization would end up being destroyed.

"Boltis is finished then."

"Yes. It is said that Prince Davey has becoutrageously angry."

They poked the eye of the lion, and so what awaited them was nothing but their doom of being torn and shred to pieces by his razor-sharp teeth and claws.

"Let it be," Sullivan replied, expressing his initial stance on the matter.

"However, Your Highness…" Patrick trailed off, his hesitance evident in his voice. "It seems the assassin attacked Princess Illyna.”

Heavy silence enveloped them as Sullivan shot up from his throne.The nearly suffocating silence was then dispelled by Sullivan’s steely voice, saying, "Spread the word through Whitebird."

"Your Highness?"

"By the end of the week, remove the nof the Boltis Kingdom from this land. Send a message to meet with Prince Davey. Let it be official. We'll roll them dead."

Patrick couldn’t help but wonder where the bystander Sullivan had gone. His face was full of bewilderment, seeing how his lord, who valued peace so dearly, had transformed before him. After all, Sullivan was always too kind and too wise.

But unlike the former Crown Prince, he was a man who was dreadfully obsessed with his sister in a different way.

* * *

"Please... kill... me."

Edison was on the floor, laying against the hard, cold surface, while a lady renowned as one of the six beauties of the continent was stretched over a chair, her beauty unmarred despite being exhausted to the bone.

Tiara, the beautiful lady, looked on with a nauseated expression.

"I have dealt with many golems, but such a magical mechanism..."

Davey should have been giving them periodic support with their tasks. However, with the prolonged matters in the Central Plains, including Isildi, they took on the bulk of the work without his support. And due to their stubbornness and pride as engineers, they neither sought his assistance nor requested support. Instead, they doggedly tried to resolve matters on their own.

That was why, having succeeded in their tasks, they were so worn out.

"You’ve worked hard," Davey commended as he entered the workshop located within the Heins Territory’s underground facilities, a place designated for large-scale projects.

“More remarkable than I thought,” he commented, observing a massive mechanical apparatus that appeared to be their creation.

“How did you ever conceive of such a thing?” asked the redhead lady, whose beauty was unaffected by her fatigued and disheveled state.

"Knowledge borrowed from places far from here."

Using raw materials from the Yurgian continent and powers plundered from demons, Davey created a massive reactor that, while still incomplete, resulted in the creation of a few derivatives.

"This cannot be mass-produced. It must be treated as a specialized weapon of the Heins Territory."

Theft of the technology was a possibility, but recreating it was impossible.

"Are you planning to conquer the continent with this?"

"No," Davey answered calmly. "Just a hobby."

The scale of Davey’s hobby was utterly ridiculous, but it was only befitting for someone like him, who was a disciple of heroes.

"I was thinking about testing it, and this might be the perfect opportunity,” Davey said as he lifted a giant magic cannon nearly the size of a person.

"Testing it?"

"If there's a flaw in the parts, they'll need to be remade."

"I hope not,” Tiara muttered, her face pale with fear.

"But this is already a powerful weapon capable of immense destruction. Where are you going to use it?"

"Against those who dare to encroach upon the Heins Territory."

Davey’s target had been determined from the start: Rembus, the Count of Boltis. If he indeed sent an assassin into the Heins Territory, his activities for independence would not see the light of day.

* * *

On the outskirts of Boltis Kingdom, there was a small city that brimmed with tranquility.

Originally, it was a place drained by corrupt officials’ policies, but peace unironically returned after Boltis’s surrender to the Rowane Kingdom, and Baris had punished the lord. And so the place was now peaceful in its ownerless state.

As they were exhausted from what the city had gone through, the people received permission to move away. This left the area virtually uninhabited and perfect as a hideout for those aiming for Boltis’s independence.

"Rembus, this was a hasty decision.”

The count remained silent as several anxious men expressed their worry.

"Sending an assassin? You should’ve sent one when he was unguarded."

"He left his territory empty. We had no other choice but to kidnap his beloved to restrict his movement."

"If we fail, we’ll suffer greatly.”

"And we will all be doomed."

To this, Rembus shook his head. "Fortunately, the Three Empires will no longer interfere. Everything will be overturned by the returning informants who successfully completed their mission."

“Is this all frivolous...”

"Believe and follow me. Someday, you’ll understand my intentions."

Raising his wine glass, Rembus proclaimed, "To the independence of the Boltis Kingdom."

"To everlasting glory."

"Cheers to Imperialism."

They whispered their unified resolve, but they were oblivious about how the assassin attack went and whose ears received the news about it. They also didn’t know about how a monstrous human, who had just returned to the Heins Territory, had gone berserk.

But they should’ve at least known that there was a right and wrong way to provoke an adversary. Excessive provocation was proven to often backfire. Yet Rembus believed that humans, no matter how extraordinary, had weaknesses. In his judgment, Davey's weak point was the safety of those around him. It's impossible for one human to protect two or three people at once. But what he did not know was that Davey could extract souls, bending the cycle of reincarnation and conversing with advanced necromancers.

"I swear," someone murmured solemnly in the empty sky above. "To never give a second chance to those who forget their mistakes and engage in unforgivable human actions."

Puzzled, Rembus looked up to the sky. Then his comrades followed suit, tilting their heads up to see what Rembus was looking at.

"That's a line I've always wanted to say."

The young man, who was hovering above and looking down at Rembus, was terrifyingly cold.

"Forgiving the sin of terrorism is Goddess Freyja’s will. And while I cannot do anything about it, I can still send the damnable terrorists to her for judgment."

At that moment, the high skies flashed with clouds.

Energy beams, akin to dozens of giant tentacles, accurately rained down on Rembus’s lair.

"As for the Boltis Kingdom, I had considered honoring even the slightest of entitlements, but for those terrorists who dared to throw that away, there will be no negotiations."

“Da... Davey. Prince Davey!”

"Surrender quietly. Only then there will be no bloodshed."

Please bookmark the website to access chapters of s early and in the highest quality.