The Max Level Hero Has Returned!

Chapter 923: Judgment

The dozens of mercenaries darted their eyes nervously as they silently exchanged glances.

"Didn’t I say not to worry about it? I’m not petty enough to hold a grudge over something like that."

Despite his smile, the mercenaries were pale.

"T-Then could you, uh... ease up on the killing aura?"

"Oh, my bad. Guess I slipped up."

They all gazed at him, giving him a look as if he had emitted the aura intentionally. Still, for someone like Davey who typically wouldn’t let insults to his face slide without reaction, he was already being more forgiving than he usually was.

"So, uh... What exactly do you want from us?"

One of the mercenaries finally mustered the courage to raise a hand and ask the question for everyone else.

The world of mercenaries operated on the law of strength. They feared and respected Davey not because of his title, but because of his overwhelming power.

Davey closed his eyes briefly, then chuckled.

"I have three requests in mind. I know that I shouldn’t be looking for honor or a sense of justice when I’m making requests to mercenaries. Am I right?”

The mercenaries exchanged uncertain glances. They believed that a Saint was supposed to be the epitome of justice and honor. In fact, some nobles looked down on mercenaries because they believed money made them do everything.

"That’s why I’m not going to make any of those promises," Davey continued.

"Then... What are you offering?"

"If you want mercenaries to take on a task, you need to offer fair compensation."

Davey smirked as he pressed his thumb and index finger together, making a gesture for money.

"This is a special request. Once you accept, you won’t be able to back out. But here’s the deal: if you take it on, I’ll pay you one platinum coin in advance. Complete the mission, I’ll give you another one. Also, just to ease any concerns, the job won’t last longer than two weeks."

"T-Two platinum coins in two weeks?!"

"That’s insane!"

The mercenaries gasped in disbelief.

"But," Davey added calmly, "one of these missions could be extremely dangerous. If you’re still willing to proceed, let me know."

The task was dangerous—the platinum coins essentially acted as hazard pay. Even then, such a lucrative reward being given was unheard of.

After a period of silence, a mercenary raised his hand hesitantly.

"Are there... any restrictions on who can take this job?"

"Two of the tasks are specific to those who have worked alongside Evangeline. However, the last one is open for anyone.”

Hearing this, the mercenaries whispered among themselves.

"Do you find us pitiful? Or do you think we’ll just wag our tails and follow for that kind of money?"

An older, dignified mercenary stood up, his tone calm but firm.

"I’ll accept the request. But, Saint, you’ve just violated an unspoken rule among mercenaries."

"An unspoken rule?”

"Yes. It’s natural for mercenaries to negotiate terms with clients. But what you’re offering is outrageously excessive, disrupting that balance.

"I didn’t expect complaints of being offered too much.”

“A hefty offering is nice and all, of course. However, if it disrupts the balance within the mercenary industry, it could lead to future conflicts between clients and mercenaries. Such a precedent cannot be allowed.” RA????ꝊbЁⱾ@@@@

Davey closed his eyes briefly, then reopened them, fixing his gaze on the speaker.

"What’s your name?"

"Vank. My name is Vank."

"Alright, Vank. I understand your point. You’re saying that by setting this precedent, other mercenaries might expect clients to pay more for future jobs. Correct?"

“...”

"But isn’t that something clients should worry about, not mercenaries?"

"We’re not particularly concerned for ourselves. However—"

"You’re worried about the conflicts it could cause with clients."

“Yes...”

Davey thought his concern was something Vank shouldn’t be worrying about, as such situations were bound to arise regardless of precedent.

"Let’s be honest. Even you know that’s just an excuse. You’re not some noble idealist, and neither is the mercenary trade built on principles of honor. You don’t actually expect me to believe that ‘goody two shoe’ reason is your real concern, do you?"

His words made Vank close his eyes in silence. After a pause, the man admitted, "I find it suspicious."

"That’s a fair and reasonable suspicion. I’ll grant you that," Davey acknowledged.

"In most cases, even when mercenaries risk their lives in a warzone, they’re paid in gold coins, not platinum.”

If ten thousand mercenaries were hired and each paid a single gold coin, the cost would already reach ten thousand gold. Offering rewards of two or three gold coins—at most, five—would make it impossible to afford hiring a large force.

But Davey was offering platinum coins. And not just one, but two. It was only natural to find him suspicious. Vank knew such excessive compensation and the seduction of luxury clouded judgment.

"There’s a misunderstanding here that I need to clear up," Davey said.

"Pardon?”

"You’re absolutely right, and your reasoning is sound and flawless. Well done."

"Th-Thank you?"

"But the misunderstanding comes from my vague explanation of the task."

"What exactly are you saying?"

"The job I’m offering is one where even two platinum coins might not be enough compensation."

The room fell silent as an icy chill atmosphere settled over.

An army of thousands of monsters surged forward. It was an enormous horde whose sheer numbers defied logic; it advanced relentlessly toward the territory. Normally, such monsters would’ve turned on each other in a storm of chaos and bloodshed, but these somehow moved in coordination.

Screee... Boom!!!

The ground shook and interrupted their advance. The monsters turned around to see a young girl dashing toward them from the other side of the forest.

Holding two swords, she approached while muttering to herself with a tense face.

"I can do this. Daddy taught me. Evangeline, you can do this. You can."

Facing thousands of monsters, some capable of casting magic and others of overwhelming strength, was a challenge even for a Swordmaster.

They wouldn’t simply die from just one or two attacks, considering their monstrous durability. However, holding them back was an entirely different challenge compared to careful guerrilla warfare.

Evangeline had not yet reached the level of a Master—she was still an Expert. To confront such an overwhelming force head-on with her current abilities was nearly unthinkable.

But she clenched her fists tightly around her blades and shouted, "No! I can do this! Red Ribbon and Blue Ribbon are with me!”

[Cry out! Fire Bolt!]

She roared with her swords on her side. At the same moment, tiny sparks began to flicker around her.

Fire Bolt was a low-level spell. It was effective against goblins, perhaps, but far too weak to take on larger monsters like trolls, ogres, cyclopes, or high-magic creatures. However, the simple spell was only the beginning of her preparation.

Whooom!!Crackle!

A massive magic circle materialized beneath her feet. At the same time, a staff appeared before her, pulsing with brilliant light.

‘I won’t let anyone get hurt! I’ll hold them off with everything I got!’

The region she’d been fighting in was a small walled territory. In the few weeks she’d spent there, Evangeline had grown attached to its people, fueling her determination to protect them from harm.

This was what the hero she aspired to was like—her father, Davey O’Rowane, and what she learned from him.

"Grow!!"

Chiiing!!

The tiny Fire Bolts transformed into an enormous Fireball, a spell of near-catastrophic scale.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The bombardment began. She further supported herself with artifacts—Red Ribbon, Blue Ribbon, and the Transcendence’s Demise. They were no mere weapons; they were divine artifacts, unmatched by any treasure or armament on the continent.

The Transcendence’s Demise, in particular, was a legendary artifact of Atrellia that only the worthy could wield.

But Evangeline, unaware of its true nature, wielded it without hesitation.

* * *

The deafening sounds of combat reverberated endlessly. Evangeline was worked to the point of panting in exhaustion, yet the monsters kept coming.

"This... this is impossible..."

She had slashed the monsters with Red Ribbon, cleaved with Blue Ribbon, but there was no end to the enemies. Both weapons amplified her power, and still the relentless flow of monsters had worn her out.

On top of this—

‘Something’s wrong... My body... feels so heavy...’

Since the battle began, the number of monsters she had cut down and burned was staggering—far beyond what a single Expert should be capable of. Even so, the horde seemed to only grow over time.

It was as though someone was deliberately reinforcing their numbers.

Huff... huff...

Swoosh!Clang!

A massive iron ball hurtled toward her side. Evangeline instinctively crossed her blades to block it, but her exhausted body couldn’t absorb the impact. The force sent her flying through the air.

"Ahhh!"

She had avoided a fatal blow, but the sharp, searing pain on her side made it nearly impossible to move.

Her hands were torn, and she was bleeding everywhere. The shock of the earlier impact had sent Red Ribbon and Blue Ribbon flying out of reach, too. In fact, she didn't even know where they’d landed.

"I can’t... die here... I haven’t even apologized to Daddy... There are still so many enemies left..."

Despite seeing blood, she didn’t cower in fear. Davey O’Rowane, her father, had asked her repeatedly if she was certain about wanting to learn swordsmanship. It was only when he’d seen her determination he had stripped away the illusions and preconceptions she had about swordsmanship, teaching her its harsh truths with unrelenting discipline.

Without the strength to back lofty ideals, they were basically just empty words. That was precisely the reason why she had sought power.

To protect the world her father had fought to save; to live and see the future of it.

But she wasn’t powerful enough.

Half a year of training, though certainly accelerated, was insufficient for her to stand against such overwhelming odds.

She then felt someone watching her. She lifted her head, and through her blurred vision stained with the violet hue, she saw a couple of figures in the distance.

They were beings in black priest robes.

They were humans.

‘Why... would humans be here...?’

It seemed as if they were murmuring something as they stared at her. She squinted, focusing on the movements of their lips.

[In... quisition... In... quisition... Judge...]

"Ahhh!"

An invisible force suddenly pressed down on her even harder. She gritted her teeth, resisting the innate nature trying to surge within her.

‘If I lose control... If I become a monster... then it’ll prove I’m not Daddy’s daughter after all...’

As she trembled in fear, a monster lunged at her, weapon raised.

Then, at that precise moment—

1. Secrecy is key. Keeping “mum” is being quiet. ☜