The Lowest-Ranked Hero Has Returned

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 130: Summer Vacation (2)

A wide road.

Gray buildings lined up in a perfectly measured distance, like they were drawn with a ruler.

“So this is… the Republic.”

Iris’s eyes sparkled with curiosity as she glanced around.

As expected of the Republic, a country known for its technology, the buildings here were taller and more structured compared to those in the Holy Kingdom.

‘Though everything looks a bit too similar, making it feel a little bleak,’ she thought.

Swallowing the thought in her mind, Iris followed Dale’s footsteps closely.

“Did you grow up in a place like this, Dale?”

“No.”

Dale shook his head slightly at Iris, who had come so close they were almost touching shoulders.

Honestly, it had been so long that he could hardly remember his childhood in the orphanage.

“The place I grew up in was much more rural.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. There wasn’t even a warp gate, so it would take days to get there from here.”

“That’s too bad.”

“What is?”

“Hehe, I was hoping I might find a picture of you from when you were younger at the orphanage.”

Iris grinned mischievously, her eyes sparkling.

“And what would you do with a picture of me when I was younger?”

“Well… Ah, come on! How can I say something so embarrassing out loud?”

“No, really.”

What exactly was she planning to do?

Dale gave Iris a wary look, but she just smiled sweetly.

With a sigh, he turned his head toward Berald.

“Is your house near here?”

“No. We need to take the train out to the outskirts of the city.”

“Then we should head to the station first.”

“Haha. Follow me.”

Berald strode ahead, leading the way to the train station.

After taking the train and heading toward the city's outskirts, the view of the gray building forest gradually turned into open fields.

After about an hour on the train:

“This is our stop.”

Stepping outside with Berald, they were greeted by a peaceful rural scene that was hard to believe was part of the same Republic they had seen earlier.

“It’s surprising how much of a difference just a little distance from the city makes.”

“Haha. It’s the same in the Holy Kingdom and the Empire, isn’t it?”

“That’s true.”

“Come on, we’re almost there. Follow me.”

After walking down the quiet country road for a while, a large mansion appeared.

“This is my house.”

Though it was just a branch family, the Ryu family’s mansion was clearly on a different scale from the other houses around it.

“I’m back!”

Berald called out loudly, his voice echoing, and soon a warm-looking middle-aged woman hurried out.

“Oh my, Master Berald, you’ve returned?”

“Ahem. Didn’t I ask you not to call me ‘Master’?”

“Hehe, but I can’t help it. Are these your friends behind you?”

“Yes.”

The middle-aged woman turned toward us and bowed politely.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, heroes. I’m Anna, the housekeeper of this mansion.”

“I’m Dale.”

“I’m Iris.”

After exchanging brief greetings, we followed Anna into the reception room.

The mansion was so large and quiet that it almost felt deserted, as if there were no other servants besides Anna.

“I’ll bring you something to drink, please wait here for a moment.”

“Actually, I’d like to see my father first.”

“…The Master?”

Anna’s expression darkened.

Berald gave a bitter smile and nodded.

“…He’s in his bedroom on the second floor.”

With her head lowered, Anna cautiously stepped aside.

“Follow me.”

Berald climbed the stairs with heavy steps.

After walking down a long hallway, he stopped in front of the door at the farthest end and closed his eyes tightly.

“Hoo.”

After taking a deep breath and gathering his resolve, Berald knocked gently on the door.

“Hmm? Is it already mealtime?”

The voice from inside was innocent, but it was not a child's voice.

It was a deep, adult voice.

“I’m coming in.”

“Hey! It’s the big guy!”

The moment the door opened, they were greeted by a large middle-aged man, almost as big as Berald.

The man, who had been lying on the bed, broke into a wide smile as soon as he saw Berald’s face and jumped up.

“Hehe! Long time no see! How have you been?”

The man beamed brightly at Berald.

Berald clenched his fist so tightly it seemed as though it would break, biting his lip hard.

“…Father.”

“Huh? I’m not your father. My name is Gilbert.”

Gilbert tilted his head, sucking on his finger.

“……”

Berald looked down at the floor, suppressing a surge of emotion.

With a shaky voice, he managed to speak.

“…Right, Gilbert.”

“Yeah! I’m Gilbert! Nice to meet you! Um… What was your name again?”

“I’m…”

The words of introduction he had repeated so many times left his lips once again.

“…Berald. Berald Ryu.”

“Oh, that’s right! Berald! Hehe, you told me before, but I forgot.”

“…It’s fine.”

Berald gently placed his trembling hand on Gilbert’s shoulder.

His hand trembled slightly as it rested there.

“I’ll tell you again… as many times as it takes.”

“Hehe! The big guy is so kind!”

Gilbert nodded with a bright smile.

“So, is your body feeling okay? Are you in pain anywhere?”

“Hmm… Sometimes, it hurts here.”

Gilbert pointed sadly to the top of his head.

“It feels like someone’s poking me with a needle.”

“…Does it hurt now?”

“No, it doesn’t.”

Gilbert smiled bashfully at Berald.

“Maybe it’s because I’m with you.”

“……”

Berald’s eyes quivered slightly.

“By the way, who are those people behind you?”

Gilbert’s gaze turned to us, standing at the door.

“……”

“……”

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

As we hesitated, unsure of how to answer, Berald spoke up.

“Didn’t you say your head sometimes hurts? They’re doctors who came to help.”

“D-doctors?”

At the word “doctors,” Gilbert recoiled in shock, taking a step back.

“I-I don’t like doctors… They always make me take bitter medicine!”

“There’s no need to worry about that this time.”

“…Really?”

“I swear on my name.”

Berald smiled reassuringly.

Relieved, Gilbert slowly walked back toward him.

“O-okay… Ah, but wait… What did you say your name was again?”

“Berald.”

“Oh, right. Haha. I already forgot again.”

Gilbert said as he approached me.

"So, doctor, what should I do?"

"...For now, just lie down on the bed."

"Okay!"

Gilbert dashed to the bed, pulled up the blanket, and lay down.

"Ah... Now that I'm lying down, I suddenly feel sleepy."

Not even 10 seconds after he lay down, Gilbert mumbled in a drowsy voice and soon began snoring softly.

"Phew."

Berald sighed deeply and turned his head towards us after confirming Gilbert was asleep.

"This is the state my father is in now."

"...Berald."

Iris looked at Berald with sorrowful eyes.

"I've heard about it, but I didn't know it was this serious."

"...It must have been tough all this time."

Yuren and Camilla also gazed at Gilbert, who had fallen asleep on the bed, with complicated expressions.

"Let me check his condition."

Iris crouched beside the bed and placed her hand on Gilbert's forehead.

Wooooooong.

A soft white light flowed from her hand and seeped into Gilbert’s forehead.

Her blue eyes turned to a rainbow-like hue.

“Haa, haa.”

After a while.

Iris wiped the sweat from her forehead, breathing heavily.

“How... how is he? My father’s condition?”

Berald asked anxiously.

“His Stigma itself is damaged.”

“The Stigma?”

“Yes. The Stigmas bestowed by the Seven Gods contain not just mana, but also parts of the soul and mind. Gilbert's Stigma is damaged right now.”

“T-then, is there no way to heal it?”

Berald's face hardened.

Iris withdrew her hand from Gilbert's forehead and spoke.

“With my power alone, it's not enough.”

“Ah...”

Berald let out a low sigh.

“But.”

“…But?”

“If we have a suitable offering, healing might be possible.”

“An offering?”

“She means magic stones or enchanted artifacts.”

Before Iris could respond, I spoke up.

“Holy magic can amplify its effects by offering something in exchange.”

“Exactly. Like Dale said, if we have an offering, we can use stronger healing magic.”

“So, if we find a magic stone, we might be able to heal my father?”

“We can try, but I can't guarantee it will work. And...”

Iris continued, her face clouded with concern.

“We'll probably need at least a high-grade magic stone.”

“Ah...”

Berald sighed again.

Unlike mid- or low-grade magic stones, which could be mass-produced, high-grade magic stones could only be obtained by hunting demonic beasts.

And not just any beasts, but at least 8-eyed demonic beasts.

“A high-grade magic stone…”

Berald pressed his hand to his forehead and sighed deeply.

Catching an 8-eyed demonic beast wasn’t easy, and even if they managed to, there was no guarantee it would drop a magic stone.

Moreover, buying one would cost millions of gold, far beyond what the support from his family could cover.

“Hah.”

At that moment.

A small chuckle escaped from my lips.

“…Brother?”

“I didn’t think things would connect like this.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Berald looked at me with a puzzled expression, and I grinned widely.

“I told you I wanted to go on a ruin expedition this summer, didn’t I?”

“You did, but...”

“We’ll find one there. A high-grade magic stone.”

“…!”

Berald’s eyes widened in surprise.

* * *

After we decided to go on a ruin expedition to find a high-grade magic stone, a problem arose.

“Hmm. You said we’re heading to the Iron Gorge?”

“Yeah.”

“There’s no warp gate to get there... and no regular transportation either, so we’ll need a magic vehicle.”

Yuren said, looking troubled.

“I don’t have a magic vehicle license... Dale, do you?”

“Nope.”

I knew how to drive one, but I didn’t have a license.

“Iris, Camilla, do you have one?”

“I don’t have a magic vehicle license yet…”

“Neither do I.”

“Ugh. Berald, you don’t have one either, right?”

“That’s correct.”

Sigh.

A deep sigh escaped Yuren’s lips.

Not only did we not have a licensed driver, but we didn’t even have a magic vehicle.

“So we’ll have to walk, huh? It’ll be quite a trek.”

“I’ve got something in mind for that.”

“You’ve got something in mind?”

I smirked as I turned on my Hero Watch.

“Just wait. You’ll see tomorrow.”

And the next day.

Vroooom!

Early in the morning.

The heavy sound of an engine roared in front of the mansion.

A sleek, black magic vehicle rolled up, and a blonde man wearing sunglasses stepped out.

“Ah, Dale! I brought the magic vehicle you asked for!”

Juliet, spotting me, waved with a bright smile.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]