The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Chapter 1098

The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Chapter 1098

Chapter 1098
Davey sat calmly after returning to his neglected administrative tasks, listening to Aeria’s briefing.
- Hmmm. According to the intel from Grand Duchess Carabella, not only is the eastern continent—including the Lyndis Empire—closely monitoring the situation, but several nations in the western continent, like the Contas Empire, are as well.
Aeria smiled over the video call as she delivered the from Heins Territory.
- Don’t overdo it, Davey.
“Yeah, I’m sorry for getting back to you so late. I’ll be sure to return home as soon as I wrap things up here.”
- Oh, it’s okay. Besides, you know, a good opportunity for Illyna and...
“Illyna?”
- N-No, it’s nothing!
Aeria quickly waved her hands and gave a sweet smile. Her teal ears perked up before she turned her head in a hurry, almost as if to flee the scene.
- Oh, and Grand Duchess Carabella has apparently broken through to another level recently.
“Grand Duchess Carabella did? That’s impressive! Do you think I should send her a letter of congratulations or something?”
- Actually, she said she’d like to challenge you again sometime...
“
Ha!
Tell her I don’t listen to anyone weaker than me.”
- Oh, and not long ago, Hero Reina visited the Lyndis Empire.
Reina had initially allied herself with the Lyndis Empire.
Although her true homeland was the Pallan Empire, destroyed in the parallel world, she had begun roaming the continent doing humanitarian work, keeping in line with her title as the Hero of Light that was granted by the International Federation. At least, that was the official narrative. In truth, she acted more like an international investigator, working on behalf of the Three Empires to handle global conflicts in a capacity functioning similarly to an intercontinental police officer.
She was, after all, someone acknowledged and endorsed by Goddess Freyja.
Frankly, there was no real reason for her to continue maintaining distance from Davey. Still, it seemed she enjoyed traveling the continent, helping those in need, and watching over the peace of this world.
“Reina?”
- Yes. As I mentioned before, Illyna says Alberta and Vatan are practically the powder keg of the central continent. No one knows how many nations would get dragged into war if conflict breaks out between the two.
Davey figured Reina’s actions made sense. Frankly, it would be more unusual for someone hailed as a hero of continental peace
not to
show up wherever there were signs of a potential world war.
“This whole situation is a lot more complicated than it was supposed to be.”
Tsuna’s revival meant that the worst-case scenario could probably be avoided, but lunatics who dreamed of insane plans never knew how to take a step back for the bigger picture.
- Do you think... war will break out?
She had an anxious face as she sought Davey’s reassurance.
There was already a war with the demons, as well as frequent attacks from the undead immortal legion. Given the many threats they collectively faced, most countries had long started to put aside their differences and cooperate.
If a new major war broke out at that moment, all the unity and progress the continent had achieved would come crashing down in an instant. Even worse, their war would also be a direct obstacle to Davey’s own peaceful life.
While speaking with Aeria, Davey looked silently at the nearby Tsuna as she silently reviewed documents by a window on the other side of the room. Despite not losing the memories of her father, she still held her ground and carried her weight. If anything, the fact she hadn’t lost those memories probably made her all the more resolute.
“Still, if war does break out, we’ll take a serious hit too.”
Heins Territory was especially vulnerable to such consequences. When Davey first started building it up, he had stimulated its growth by trading in cultivated resources. Specifically, he had relied on moon grass to grow its economy.
As a material, its utility and importance were similar to that of oil on Earth, being something that could easily make money and be used in all kinds of ways. Davey had wisely used it to rapidly boost their power, but it was inherently risky to use valuable farmland for the cultivation of inedible plants. If war erupted and their external supply chains broke down, they could lose their ability to sustain themselves.
Sure, if food ran low, they were able to bring some in from Earth or the Heavenly Central Plains, but no one could guarantee how long that would last. Such uncertainty was why Davey hadn’t expanded the moon grass fields any further, instead investing a large portion of the land into growing basic food crops.
In addition, he was already engaged in trade with developing areas like the Demon Realm and the Yurgian Continent, which had yet to achieve self-sufficiency. That left him with little free time to dedicate to the additional diplomacy and transportation of goods that a war would require, and meant that the implications of Heins Territory’s potential shortages would be far-reaching.
That was why it was much more stable to keep the deal with Alberta going as long as possible. Heins Territory could likely endure the economic hardship and come out relatively unscathed, but its developing trade partners would experience nothing but harsh losses regardless of who won the war.
Both the Alberta Kingdom and the Vatan Kingdom had their own justifications for the conflict, however valid they may be. With Alberta’s Chancellor Tsuna having edly been murdered as a result of Count Trink’s machinations, they were understandably furious. Vatan instead claimed that their border fortresses had been attacked an “unknown force,” denying any collusion with Count Trink as they focused on their own losses.
Once communication between the two sides broke down, war would be the only option left. If, by any chance, the worst-case scenario happened and it escalated into a world war, Davey knew that there would only be one thing left for him to do.
“I guess I’d have to ask Isildi and Verdandi to make a move.”
It was the last thing Davey wanted to do, but there’d be no other choice. He was left wondering how such a thing would be any different from what a Demon King would do. Well, it was true Davey was both the Antagonist and the Demon King, so he couldn’t really say it wasn’t fitting behavior.
Isildi, a powerful being that even the Princess of the Abyss Sleesia wouldn't dare cross; and Verdandi, someone who had gone beyond the limits of a princess of the Abyss to glimpse at truth itself.
Though they belonged to Davey’s faction, the world hardly knew they existed, essentially making them hidden forces. They were more than capable of forcibly stopping the course of a war without anyone noticing their involvement. Of course, their statuses as Princesses of the Abyss could raise a few concerns with their presence.
“Prince Davey?”
“So you’re not calling me ‘Instructor’ or anything like that anymore?”
“I don’t know what memories I’ve lost, but... were we really that close?”
“
Hmmm.
”
“I understand the help you’ve given me, I really do. Still, I’d prefer it if you didn’t create misunderstandings that could result in rumors circulating.” She had clearly lost all memory of herself, having already acted in a way that fueled those misunderstandings. “This won’t do, I can’t just wait around here. I should probably head back to the capital right now—”
“That’ll only make the chaos worse. The protagonist is always supposed to appear late for maximum effect. I’d advise against messing with that now.”
Davey walked back what he’d told her when she first woke up. He no longer wanted to see her heading to the capital. While he recognized that her sudden return could help calm the disorder, he also knew that it alone wouldn’t be enough. They needed to bring change on a fundamental level.
Were he a complete stranger, she would’ve brushed him off and left, thinking he was just talking nonsense. Instead, she seemed to be carefully analyzing his suggestions.
“Shouldn’t I at least explain that I’m alive? The capital is stepping up war preparations because they think I’m dead.”
“You probably know, just as well as I do, that your death is just an excuse. Do you really think anything will change just because you show up?”
Not a chance.
She frowned at his sharp, biting words, but couldn’t say anything in response.
“The crux of resolution starts now. Since you’re supposedly dead, the bastards who were lying low will start poking their heads out.”
“Who do you mean?”
“I’m talking about the maniac trying to use this opportunity to crush Vatan, the pro-Vatan faction trying to provoke a war, and the merchants who sold out their integrity just to push war supplies.”
Her eyes widened. “You’re using my death as a trap just to flush out some bad actors? Do you even have a reason to go that far for this country?!”
“As you know, the Alberta Kingdom is one of the reverse scales of the continent. If this place explodes, we’re going to see something real entertaining. We’ll have a world war on our hands.”
“I’m aware.”
“If scumbags like that end up bringing the war to fruition, the damage dealt on my end will be too big. That’s why... you’re going to help filter them out.”
Doing so, she’d be able to purge the traitors in her kingdom, while Davey would be able to remove the bastards trying to drag Heins Territory into war—all done without lifting a finger.
Running a single territory was already stressful enough. He couldn’t imagine taking on the throne of a whole country with all its restrictions and responsibilities, thankful that he had passed on those obligations long ago.
It was the perfect mutually beneficial plan. A win-win textbook example of killing two birds with one stone.
With her feelings for Davey having vanished, her pink eyes gleamed only with political sharpness. “If something goes wrong, and this drags on long enough for war to actually break out, what are you going to do?”
Davey snatched up a nearby wine glass and downed its contents in one go.
She instinctively reached out, then hesitated in surprise. “I-I was drinking that...”
Ignoring her flustered tone, he set the empty glass down and stared coldly at her. “You’re asking what I’ll do if war breaks out and the whole continent turns into a dumpster fire?”
She didn’t know what to say.
“Why do you think I haven’t meddled much in this continent? Why do you think the other continental powers avoid messing with me? More importantly, how do you think someone like me will respond after watching this ridiculous theater play of war unfold? Think about it.”
* * *
Stopping the war in Alberta actually wasn’t all that difficult. After all, the King of Alberta had no desire for a war with the Vatan Kingdom, simply lacking the pretext to put a halt to things. Still, if he was determined and truly wished to, he could stop everything in its tracks.
The real problem was the Vatan Kingdom. Alberta had entered a wartime footing because of Vatan’s military movements, as well as the rats stirring things up from within Alberta itself.
In other words, if Vatan withdrew its troops and admitted its wrongdoing, and if the evil war pigs who had the power within Alberta were purged, then the situation could be resolved with surprising ease. That was precisely why Tsuna hadn’t immediately revealed she was alive. She needed time to weed out those war-hungry bastards from the inside who wished death and hatred on mankind, poisoning their subjects’ brainwashed minds.
Unfortunately, Vatan was beyond her reach. The Vatan Kingdom had denied any involvement with Count Trink, pretending as if they’d never used him. They figured Alberta wouldn’t be able to go to war anyway, choosing to poke the bear out of spite.
However, in the midst of all of that, a third force had attacked Vatan. Regardless of who was responsible, the incident had presented Vatan with a golden opportunity.
“
Huh.
This is truly a tragic affair,” Vatan’s King murmured to himself.
An attendant assured him, “Worry not, Your Majesty! The vile forces of Alberta will be brought to their knees by our elites and special units!”
“Still, if this goes wrong, it could spiral into a world war. If that happens, the Prince Davey who is rumored to be staying in Alberta might step in.”
Though the King of Vatan voiced concerns, there was no real urgency or worry on his face.
“There is that possibility, yes, but there’s no need for concern. After all, our cause is being backed by none other than Marquis Alka of the Lyndis Empire.”
With the Lyndis Empire holding firm, the king knew the Contas Empire wouldn’t be able to act rashly either. As far as they were concerned, the situation wouldn’t escalate into anything close to a world war.
“However... Do we know anything about those monstrous entities that attacked our fortresses?”
“No, Your Majesty. By the time the investigation team arrived, the place had already been reduced to ruins. Still, what's important is that those creatures vanished! There’s no evidence, which frankly works out better for us. Doesn’t it feel like Goddess Freyja herself lent us a helping hand?”
“
Fufu.
As long as the Lyndis Empire and Goddess Freyja are with us, there’s nothing to worry about.” He spoke to his other advisors, “Don’t you all agree?”
Many lives had been lost in the monstrous attack on the fortresses, but for the king and his inner circle, the victims were of no concern. In fact, those deaths had created the perfect excuse to unleash their ambitions.
The king’s eyes widened with a flash. His face was filled with both conviction and madness, showing his burning desire to invade the Alberta Kingdom.
“There truly is no issue at all. Once the war begins, those who agreed to back us will keep sabotaging its escalation from behind the scenes. If we can take Alberta swiftly enough, the other nations won’t even have a chance to intervene.
Hahahaha!
” The King laughed heartily, clearly pleased, and a few of the nobles around him let out shallow chuckles to match.
“Your Majesty!!!” A sudden shout rang out as several knights burst into the room in a rush.
“We’re in the middle of a Royal Council session! How dare you barge in so rudely!!”
“F-Forgive us, but—”
The king waved it off with a forgiving laugh. “Now, now, that’s enough shouting. What’s the matter?”
Someone walked in from behind the knights. “I beg your forgiveness for the suddenness, but there is an urgent matter for Your Majesty to hear.”
The King narrowed his eyes, only to frown as he spotted the figure confidently striding into the hall. “And who might you be? Who dares act so discourteously before me?”
“I apologize for appearing without formal notice. However, given the circumstances, I have invoked my right to request an audience with the king.”
With those words, the woman slowly lowered her robe. As she did, snowy white hair cascaded down her shoulders. The king soon saw the face of a breathtakingly beautiful woman.
“S-She is—?!”
* * *
The fortress in the Vatan Kingdom that was said to have been attacked no longer held a single trace of life. Not even the smallest animals or insects remained. There was nothing. Absolutely nothing left alive.
Ssss.
Belga moved through the silent forest, strange violet veins having begun to crawl across his body like twisted roots. Though a spiritual entity, he was no longer able to maintain full rationality.
“Tsuna’s... enemy.”
He could only think of one thing. Tsuna’s enemy, Vatan. He had to destroy the Vatan Kingdom!
He had no understanding—or even any interest in understanding—why he was helping Tsuna, why he was attacking Vatan, or why the totrias were obeying his commands. He simply moved, dedicated as if driven by instinct engraved deep within him.
Though the Belga hadn’t attacked anyone directly, it was indeed him who was guiding the totrias. In contrast to his past self, who had insisted he’d never harmed a single human being, the Belga walking through the forest was visibly and deeply broken.
It was hard to believe he had changed so much all because of a single action.
“Fire!!”
A sudden shout rang out, followed by a hail of arrows flying toward him and the totrias surrounding him. The totrias moved like a whirlwood, swiftly rushing to shield Belga and block the arrows with their bodies.
The arrows lodged in their flesh before beginning to melt off, dissolving completely as if the totrias were digesting them.
“W-What the hell is that?!”
As the attackers stood in stunned horror, Belga slowly turned his head toward them.
He then reached out his hand. “Tsuna’s... enemies.”
The ground beneath them began to twist. The totrias clung to his body, and his form began to grotesquely contort, transforming into something massive and monstrous.
The investigation team from Vatan, sent to examine the damage at the fortress, could only watch in stunned silence as he morphed.
Boom!!!
Belga transformed into a gigantic monster in an instant. He then took a step forward and used his translucent arm to swallow several of the investigators whole.
“W-What?!”
Trapped inside the massive slime-like body, the victims struggled to break free. Some of them tried to provoke the slime, hoping they’d be spat out, but they didn’t understand just how catastrophic the totrias were. The tentacles were entirely different from the slimes.
Psss.
In the blink of an eye, several soldiers who had been flailing inside were reduced to puddles of blood as the remaining investigators froze in place. It took time for their brains to comprehend that the comrades they had lived and suffered alongside had vanished so meaninglessly.
Thud.
“T-This is...” One of the humans collapsed to his knees, mumbling in fear.
They’d heard their own Vatan Kingdom had its own mutated elite units, but what they faced was something entirely different. It was an abomination on another level!
The monster that used to be a boy just moments before had already transformed into a massive being, seemingly having fused with the translucent purple worm-like creatures.
“F-Fire at will!!” someone ordered in a panic.
Weapons and spells rained down, but the monster only continued to grow larger. Once his body reached a certain size, Belga slowly extended his hand toward the remaining investigators.
“D-Dammit!! R-Royal capital, this is the investigation team!! Emergency! We have an emergency, and the situation is critical! We need backu—”
The team was obliterated with a thunderous crash, gone before they could even understand what had hit them. The ground where Belga’s massive fist had struck was left perfectly clean, as if it had been completely devoured bare.
Belga, already twisted and enormous, twisted once more and retched up a grotesque mass of slime. From that vomit-like lump, new totrias began to spawn. Everything he devoured was turned into more of them. Their boundless vitality made them nearly indestructible, far worse than cockroaches. Their reproductive rate was terrifying, as well.
Totrias weren’t originally known for such aggressive reproduction. In fact, they were once considered a low-population species. Unfortunately, human greed knew no bounds, and history kept repeating the same mistakes. Having been transformed into weapons of war, the totrias consumed genetic material and turned it into strength.
Ssss. Psss.
One by one, the initially worm-like totrias began to transform. Their translucent bodies remained, but their forms turned into something with smooth backs, long antennae, six legs, and flat brown bodies.

Chapter 1098