The Max Level Hero Has Returned!

Chapter 925

Davey held Evangeline’s hand firmly as they walked alongside the knights.

“You should consider yourself fortunate,” one of the knights said in a stern tone. “The young master is merciful—if he deems the circumstances reasonable, he may even forgive you by allowing you to serve under him.”

Evangeline tilted her head in innocent confusion. “Daddy, what does he mean by serving under him?”

He smiled softly in response and patted her head.

“It’s nothing important. It just means these men want to give me some work to do for them.”

“Work? Why?”

“Maybe they think I’ve done something wrong.”

“Hm... But you didn’t do anything wrong!”

“If Evangeline says so, it must be true.”

“Hehehe. So, Daddy, will you really travel with me?”

“We’ll head back to the territory first.”

“Boo...” Evangeline pouted, puffing out her cheeks.

Ever since the two had begun talking, the knights kept exchanging looks.

“Are you, by chance, a nobleman?” one of the knights asked cautiously.

“What do you think?”

The knight sighed heavily with a perplexed expression. “Forgive our impudence,” he said, bowing his head. His demeanor shifted entirely, from suspicion to deference.

“You don’t seem too thrilled about doing this,” Davey said as he swirled his finger in a big circle.

“I am not. But I am a vassal of my lord, and I cannot ignore his orders.”

In the distance, a mansion gradually came into view.

‘I smell blood...’

“To be honest, our young master is an ambitious man,” the knight explained. “He seeks to gather strong individuals under his command to bolster his forces by any means necessary.”

Davey closed his eyes. The concept wasn’t entirely unheard of; it wasn’t unusual for nobles to enter the service of other nobles. In fact, most royal attendants and maids came from noble backgrounds.

“So, he plans to use the fact that I destroyed the forest as leverage to put a leash on me?” Davey asked.

“Essentially... yes. But I ask for your understanding. The young master may be ambitious and a bit foolish, but he’s not cruel.”

“Hm?”

“He accepts anyone with talent, be they mercenaries, commoners, or nobility. While his methods can be aggressive, he still protects those he considers his own till the end.” РἈΝỘᛒËS

The knight made a faint smile at the thought. Davey figured that was likely why he was following his master.

“If he realizes you are a noble, he’ll surely do his best to treat you with respect.”

“That seems unlikely.”

As they approached the mansion, Davey moved Evangeline behind him and extended his hand.

“Wait, what are you—”

“Stay back.”

[Dispel]

The entire mansion seemed to shatter as the illusion broke, and a grotesque scene came into view. The sound of glass shattering reverberated in their minds as the mansion’s true state was revealed.

“What in the world...”

“The stench of blood still lingering in the air suggests this happened not long ago,” Davey replied calmly. “They cloaked the mansion to appear intact, but the inside is already a disaster.”

“D-Don’t just stand there! Find the Count and the young master! Second squad, locate whoever is responsible for this atrocity!”

“Yes, sir!”

The knights sprang into action, hurriedly storming into the mansion.

“Daddy...” Evangeline said as she wrapped her arms around his with a shocked face.

“Evangeline... The world isn’t as beautiful as you might think.”

“...”

“If you want to become a hero, you can’t turn away from sights like this.”

He wanted to let her know that a true hero couldn’t avert their eyes from horrors and filth; that they faced them and still held fast to their convictions.

In that way, Reina was someone to be respected. She had vowed to dedicate her life to the continent’s peace, pouring everything she had into her dream of tranquility.

For ten years, her resolve had never wavered.

That was the weight of the title, The Continent’s Sole Hero.

“Are you scared?” Davey asked.

“No. I’ve made up my mind: I’ll be someone just as amazing as you, Daddy. Even if I’m not a hero, I’m still your daughter.”

“Good girl.”

Though he remained strict in his teachings, it was done in the hope that his methods would help Evangeline grow.

“The back garden...” he murmured.

With his hands in his pockets, he silently began to walk toward the garden. The faint, nearly imperceptible traces were something even most high-level mages or elementalists wouldn’t be able to detect. He followed the traces and slowly began to see what they were leading to.

He could tell that the individuals clad in embroidered robes had fled using the path he was walking.

Just then—

Shoosh!! Boom!!

From the forest, a burst of pure white flames erupted, followed by an ambush. Several figures dressed in black priest robes emerged, attacking him without hesitation.

They had aimed for the throat. The speed and precision were remarkable—enough to overwhelm ordinary Expert knights and cause Master knights to flinch. But their weapons and massive axe, as large as a man, never reached him.

Davey, with his hands still in his pockets, calmly lifted one leg, stopping the giant axe mid-swing simply by stepping on it.

“...”

Despite realizing their attack had been effortlessly blocked by the enemy before them, the attackers pressed on relentlessly, showing no fear. One of them began chanting rapidly.

[Bless us with your light, oh benevolent primordial Goddess Freyja—]

"A Lord’s Prayer? That’s crossing the line. You bitches," Davey muttered, narrowing his eyes.

Crack!!

The priest went down before they could finish their chant, blood spraying all over the place as they collapsed lifelessly to the ground.

Davey hadn’t even lifted a hand to render their life forfeit. Even so, the rest showed no signs of retreating.

“Hmph.”

‘They were expecting me from the start.’

"Fine. I’ll play along."

Whoosh!

The woman wielding the axe ignited it with blazing white-hot flames once more, charging toward Davey with furious speed hoping to catch him off guard.

Thud!!

But the next moment, she found herself immobilized, with Davey holding her head firmly in his palm.

Boom!!

He took her out in one single, sickening blow. Her entire body shattered, blood pooling beneath her as her body fell lifelessly to the ground.

Of the three attackers, only one remained.

He figured he needed to leave one alive if he needed to extract information from them.

Still, something gnawed at his thoughts.

"This doesn’t add up. If they’re this weak, there’s no way Josiah would’ve been taken down by them.”

Josiah wasn’t someone who’d fall easily, even in the worst of circumstances. It would seem these attackers were more like puppets—mere facades of power. He figured something or someone was hidden beneath the surface.

In other words, it should’ve been impossible for them to kill Josiah—there had to be something Davey wasn’t aware of.

And then it happened.

Zzzt...

A sudden distortion rippled through the air. A clear voice resonated in his ears.

- I will utterly destroy you, Davey O’Rowane.

"..."

- Submit yourself to judgment.

The tone was mocking, laced with seething hatred.

- I bet you’re wondering who we are. Don’t worry. We’re united under one will. We are the judges born from the lives you’ve so carelessly ended.

"Care to elaborate?" he replied, his tone icy.

- We are the karma of the lives you’ve taken. Did you think the beings you slaughtered had no families of their own?

Davey paused at that, his expression darkening.

“...”

- You’ll never understand us, just as we’ll never understand you. Whatever your reasons, you’ve stolen our loved ones, and for that, we’ll destroy you.

"Now what kind of bull—”

But his words were cut off by an explosion.

“...”

As the voice disappeared, Davey made a bitter smile, realizing what the voice had been talking about.

"This... fucking bitch."

His anger swept the surrounding area in an instant.

"Fucking bitch? Daddy, what’s a fucking bitch?” Evangeline asked, peeking up at him innocently.

Davey froze for a moment, realizing his slip.