The Lowest-Ranked Hero Has Returned

Chapter 67: Elixir (3)

The silence in the room was overwhelming.

A silence so intense that even death itself would seem noisy in comparison.

Yuren spoke quietly, breaking the stillness.

"So…"

His cold gaze turned toward me.

"You were practicing a play for the kids at the orphanage where you sometimes volunteer on weekends?"

"Exactly."

"You expect me to believe that?"

"No, seriously! Right, Iris?!"

I turned to Iris with a desperate look.

"Y-Yes, of course! It was just a play, a play!"

Iris, standing next to me, nodded frantically, her face flushed as if she might explode any moment.

"Hmph."

Yuren, still suspicious, stared at both of us with narrowed eyes.

"By the way, you seem really close with the Saintess. You even invited her to your dorm room."

Yuren was displeased as if something didn\'t sit well with him.

"Well…"

"Of course! Dale and I are really close."

Before I could answer, Iris smiled brightly and chimed in.

"He even cooked ramen for me here once!"

"Ramen…?"

"It\'s a popular food in the Republic. Dale is so good at cooking it... Ah~ If you haven\'t tried it, you wouldn\'t understand how good it is."

"……."

The more Iris bragged, the stiffer Yuren\'s expression became.

"...You\'ve never made anything like that for me."

He muttered in a small voice, lowering his head.

"Yuren, you said you\'re friends with Dale, right?"

"Ah… yes, that\'s right, Saintess."

"Don\'t call me Saintess. Speak comfortably. We\'re in the same grade, after all."

"...Okay."

"So, how did you two become friends?"

Iris asked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

Yuren glanced at me briefly before answering.

"I approached Dale first, asking if he wanted to spar."

"...You approached him first?"

"I saw him sparring with Assistant Vincent."

"Ah."

Iris nodded, letting out a soft sound of understanding.

"Yeah, Dale was really cool back then. He took down an assistant who no one had been able to defeat with just one strike!"

Iris shouted excitedly, like a proud mother boasting about her child.

"Yeah. So, we sparred, and naturally, we became friends."

"Ah~ I see. I’ve heard that it\'s common for candidates from the Warrior Department to bond after sparring."

"And, well… Dale has a great personality."

"Oh, you know that too! Hehe, right? He might look a little intimidating, but once you talk to him, he’s so kind and caring."

"Yeah, that’s true. He\'s totally different from his first impression."

Hey.

What\'s wrong with how I look?

"Haha. Anyway, it feels nice to meet Dale\'s friend. Dale… honestly, doesn\'t have many friends, does he?"

"What? No, I have friends! Why would you say that?"

"Hmph. Aside from Yuren, do you have anyone else?"

"Well, there\'s... Juliet or something."

Juliet or something.

Juliet or something.

Julie— oh, crap.

"See?"

Iris patted my back as if to comfort me.

"Hmm…."

Yuren, watching the scene, narrowed his eyes and spoke.

"Dale doesn’t have many friends? I don’t think so."

"Excuse me?"

"I’ve never heard of Juliet, but there are other friends besides her and me, right?"

"Oh, Dale has more friends?"

Iris looked surprised, her eyes wide.

Yuren nodded slowly and raised her hand, pointing at Iris.

"Iris, you’re one of them."

"...What?"

"Dale told me before that you two aren’t dating, right?"

"Ah… Yes, th-that\'s true."

Iris\'s face showed visible discomfort.

As he continued, Yuren’s eyes gleamed sharply, like a predator spotting its prey.

"If you’re not dating, then aren’t you just ‘friends’ with Dale?"

"That’s…."

"Oh, don’t worry. I’m not going to say something old-fashioned like \'men and women can’t be just friends.\'"

Yuren finished his sentence with a sweet smile.

"I believe men and women can be purely ‘friends’ without any romantic feelings involved. Just like how you and Dale are."

"……."

Silence fell once again.

Yuren and Iris locked eyes in midair.

"Oh my, we seem to have different views. I, on the other hand, don’t believe that a pure friendship between men and women can exist."

"Really? That’s surprising. From what I see, you and Dale seem like very good friends."

"Hahaha."

"Hohoho."

The atmosphere in the room grew tense, sharp enough to cut.

\'What is this.\'

How did things turn like this?

‘Didn’t these two just meet today?’

I briefly wondered if there was some unknown history between them, but as far as I knew, Iris and Yuren had no particular connection during their cadet days.

‘Then why are they acting like they can’t stand each other?’

The two suddenly turned to me as I stood there, completely baffled.

"What do you think, Dale?"

"Yeah. I’m curious too. What do you think, Dale?"

Suddenly, the focus was on me.

"Wh-What…?"

"Do you think a pure friendship between men and women is possible?"

"People use terms like \'female friend,\' right? Isn’t that exactly what you and Iris are, Dale?"

"……."

I could feel both Iris and Yuren’s eyes boring into me, waiting for my answer.

A shiver ran down my spine, and a flash of realization struck me.

\'No matter how I answer, I’m screwed.\'

Without hesitation, I turned, gripping the purified magic stone in my hand.

“Sorry. I just remembered I had an appointment with Professor Jade.”

“What?”

“W-wait! Dale?!”

“I have to go right away, so let’s talk later!!!”

Leaving the two of them behind in the room, I dashed out of the dormitory and sprinted towards Professor Jade’s lab.

* * *

In the farthest corner of Reynald Hero School’s vast campus stood a decrepit building.

At its entrance hung an old sign that read “Stigma Magic Research Lab.”

Bang!

The rusty door to the lab swung open roughly.

“Huff, huff…”

“…Dale? Is something the matter?”

Professor Jade looked at me startled as I caught my breath.

I waved my hand, still panting heavily.

“No, nothing’s wrong. I just finished training, so I’m out of breath.”

“Hmm.”

Professor Jade stroked his beard with a doubtful expression.

I glanced around the lab, which I hadn’t visited in a while.

Matching the worn-down exterior, the inside looked like a haunted house.

Research materials and reagents were scattered about, covered in a thick layer of dust.

“How long has it been since I cleaned up? And you’ve already turned this place into a mess again?”

“Ah… C-cough. I’ve been so busy with research that I haven’t had time to clean.”

Professor Jade averted his eyes awkwardly.

With a sigh, I started tidying up the lab.

“It’s been a while since you’ve been here.”

“I’ve been busy with things too.”

“Haha, well, the midterm exams were just around the corner after all.”

“……”

“Did you do well on them?”

“Ugh.”

The mention of exams made me groan involuntarily.

“…Hm?”

Perhaps sensing something odd in my reaction, Professor Jade checked my midterm report through his Hero Watch.

“Huh. A zero?”

“…I had my reasons.”

“Hmmm. I don’t know what those reasons are, but with your abilities, why would you purposely fail?”

“……”

If I had failed on purpose, I wouldn’t feel so bitter.

I genuinely aimed to rank first.

“…Let’s talk about that later.”

I didn’t have time to explain my situation in detail.

“So, what brings you to the lab?”

“I came to ask for a favor.”

I pulled out a small pill, barely the size of two fingers, from my pocket.

“This is…”

“It’s an elixir that enhances mana.”

“I see. But isn’t this the elixir that was given to last year’s top student?”

His gaze questioned how someone at the bottom of the class had such a thing.

“I received it as a gift from a friend.”

“…A friend?”

Professor Jade tilted his head, then widened his eyes in realization.

“Don’t tell me… you’re talking about Yuren Helios?”

“Yes, Yuren.”

“Hah.”

Professor Jade chuckled in disbelief.

“The top student and the bottom student are friends…”

“Is there a rule that says friendships must be based on grades?”

“Not at all, I’m just surprised. Honestly, it’s not a picture that fits, is it?”

“Well… I suppose not.”

Even though the authority of the Helios family had diminished somewhat recently, no one could deny they were still one of the top three noble families in the Empire.

Yuren, who grew up as an elite in such a prestigious family, and I, who grew up in a republican orphanage without even knowing my parents’ names.

We didn\'t exactly fit together even without looking at our class rankings.

“But don’t worry.”

“Worry about what?”

“If you have the recommendation of a professor, you can become an assistant regardless of your background or grades!”

“……”

He still hasn’t given up on that, huh?

“Haah. Anyway, let’s set that aside for now.”

I pulled out a magic stone I had carefully kept in my pocket and placed it on the table.

“This is… a magic stone?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm. Judging by the amount of mana and purity… It must be a high-grade… no, top-grade magic stone.”

Without even touching the stone, Professor Jade accurately assessed its grade with just a glance.

‘So he’s not called the heir of the Great Sage for nothing.’

Recognizing the grade of a magic stone just by its appearance without infusing any mana into it was no easy feat, even for a skilled appraiser.

“I’d like you to combine this elixir and magic stone to enhance its effects.”

“The effect to increase mana?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm.”

Professor Jade stroked his beard as he stared at the elixir and magic stone on the table.

After a brief moment of contemplation, he nodded quietly.

“Alright. I’ll give it a try.”

“I’ll pay you later…”

“No, no payment needed.”

Professor Jade held the elixir and magic stone in his hands, swallowing hard.

“An opportunity to combine such a fine elixir and top-grade magic stone is rare even for royal alchemists.”

His eyes sparkled like stars as he chuckled to himself.

‘…Are all magicians like this?’

In my past life, Senior Sophia would also get that look in her eyes whenever she came across rare magical materials.

“Haha. Well then, time to show my skills.”

Jade Bastian.

One of the five great heroes of 500 years ago and the descendant of Julius Bastian, known as the “Great Sage,” was about to display his true abilities.

* * *

Three days after leaving the elixir in Professor Jade’s hands, I received his message and headed to his lab.

“Huff, huff… It’s done. Hehehehe… It’s finished.”

As I opened the lab door, Professor Jade greeted me with dark circles under his eyes and chuckling eerily.

“…Did you really not sleep for three days straight?”

“Hehe. How could I sleep during such a joyful process?”

“……”

My resolve became even firmer.

‘I’ll never become Professor Jade’s assistant.’

With this resolution etched into my heart, I took the elixir he handed me.

The elixir, emitting a faint blue light, radiated an aura of mysticism.

“Ugh. Well, I’m off to get some sleep now.”

As soon as he handed me the elixir, Professor Jade staggered into the back of the lab, exhausted from his three sleepless nights.

I took the elixir and returned to my dorm room.

“Phew.”

I held the elixir in my palm, trying to calm my racing heart.

“…I don’t think I’ve ever had an elixir this potent, even in my past life.”

An elixir given only to the top student of the year.

A magic stone purified by the saintess of the Holy Nation, using the power of the “Seven Eyes.”

And the alchemy of the Great Sage’s descendant to combine them.

Even I, who had returned from the future, couldn’t predict what kind of effect the combination of these three would have.

“Well, I’ll find out once I take it.”

I placed the elixir on my palm and gulped it down.