The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Chapter 1121.2
Chapter 1121.2
As far as Davey remembered, just about forty individuals from the Great Empire of Ming had undergone such changes. While twenty of them were members of her royal guard, the rest were commoners, people with little influence. Still, something about it all felt like it had gone too smooth.
“I’ll try to make contact with the Emperor first, to prevent the war from escalating. But before that...”
It might be meaningless in the grand scheme of things, but she needed some reassurance and support. In such times, the best way to deal with fear and anxiety was to divert it in another direction.
‘I wonder if Evangeline was able to calm down and come to her senses.’
If Super Ribbon hadn’t stepped in, Davey might’ve slapped Evangeline across the face to discipline her. She was so precious to him, and he couldn’t bear to watch his beloved daughter go astray.
When she was just a little baby crawling around, he’d already resolved to discipline her when necessary, regardless of how cute she may be. However, watching her grow up made him realize how difficult that was.
He came to understand why Emperor Deorte of the Lyndis Empire had doted on Aeria so much.
“Daughter of Heaven, please remember this well. If someone punches you first, like on your left cheek—”
“
Huh?
B-But no one’s hit me! Look! I’m perfectly fine!” She hurriedly thrust her left cheek toward Davey in a flustered gesture. Fresh out of a bath, her soft and fair skin looked almost adorably delicate.
“You’ve already been struck once before. When someone hits you, don’t offer them your other cheek—knock their pearly whites out instead.”
She tilted her head in confusion. “W-What are pearly whites? Jewelry?”
“Yes, and watching their pearly whites scatter is quite entertaining. I’ll bring some soon, but in the meantime, why don’t you have a chat with Rinne? I’m going to step out for a little bit.”
* * *
A shabby pub in a dark alley.
No matter how developed the Heins Territory had become, not all old buildings could be completely eradicated. Most severely run-down structures had been torn down and rebuilt, of course. Still, those on the very outskirts, far from the center, had been left as-is.
“Damn! Look at this haul.”
Seven platinum coins! That was the equivalent of at least fifty gold coins, a top-tier currency and a symbol of serious wealth. For common pickpockets who were usually lucky if they managed to scrounge a few copper coins on a good day, seven platinum coins were enough to live the rest of their lives in luxury.
“Can you believe that little brat was carrying this kind of money?”
“Right? I told you the moment I saw her that she was some pampered young miss, no doubt.”
“
Hmph.
If we’d just nabbed her and sold her off, we’d be rich.”
“Watch your mouth! We’re just small-time crooks. We’re not trying to make it big, especially not by human trafficking. Hey, I’m missing a card. Brooks! Go check the door. The night breeze feels a little too sharp.” The boss grinned as he dealt another round of cards, and his underlings snickered. “You really don’t know, do you, rookie?”
The young man inquired, “Know what?”
“There used to be a human trafficking ring here in Heins Territory.”
“Really? From what I’ve seen, I didn’t think anyone around here messed with that sort of thing.”
“Of course not! They all got chopped up and fed to the wolves.”
The rookie’s face turned pale. “A-All of them?”
“Yeah, from the boss to the underlings. Not a single one was left.”
The rookie looked dumbfounded, his expression practically begging for more details.
One of the lackeys just shrugged. “That can’t be true. Not even the Empire could purge crime that thoroughly. There must’ve been some guys that slipped away.”
“Nope. Not here. Not a single one.”
“What?”
“They snapped necks from the top down. Every single one of them. Here in Heins Territory, human trafficking, drugs, murder, armed robbery, rape, arson... all of it gets cut down. No exceptions. Don’t tell me you didn’t know?”
“No way... Is that even possible?”
“It is,” someone chimed in.
As the men chuckled among themselves, one of them, focused on his cards, suddenly felt a strange sense of déjà vu and looked up at the unfamiliar voice.
Then he went silent.
“
Aw,
come on, boss. That’s impossible! What, you think the guards in Heins Territory walk around with built-in detection magic or something? There’s no way.”
“Why not? I mean, look around you.”
At those words, the youngest, who had been laughing moments before, wiped the smile off his face and turned to the person he had just been talking to.
“Now that I think about it, I’ve never heard—wait,
huh?!
”
The people nearby were already frozen in fear with pale faces. The only one still smiling calmly while holding a card slowly pulled back his hood.
Black hair. Crimson eyes, instilling fear.
The youngest couldn’t take his eyes off the figure.
“I’m pretty sure I told you all not to cause trouble when you moved to Heins Territory.”
Goosebumps ran down his body, as the man spoke in a tone that made it clear he remembered every single one of them.
“My words must’ve sounded like a joke to you.”
Crash!!
The next instant, every thug in the room sprang to their feet, knocking over chairs as they bowed their heads and trembled uncontrollably.
“Y-Y-Y-Your Highness!!”
“Your Highness! We’ve committed a grave crime!”
Terrified by the sight of his senior thugs screaming, the youngest of the crew reflexively bowed his head and began trembling as well.
The man in the hood, Davey, slowly rose from his seat.
“Pickpocketing... sure, fine. I’ll admit I haven’t had the time to deal with petty crimes like that,” he said calmly as he knelt down and grabbed the gang leader’s hair, forcing the trembling man to meet his eyes.
“Hey,” he said in a low and quiet tone, carrying a weight that chilled the room.
“Y-Y-Yes, Your Highness?” The massive fear drained the strength from his body, nearly bringing tears to his eyes.
“I told you not to cross the line, didn’t I?”
“Y-Your Highness! P-Pickpocketing is... a common crime, found everywhere!”
“Common? Are you out of your damned mind?”
The leader instantly realized he’d made a terrible mistake.
“Well, looks like you’re not grasping the situation, so let me make it simple for you. Contemplate those seven platinum coins you’re holding onto. Who do you think that little girl was?”
‘No way... is she related to him?!’
The gangsters exchanged panicked glances, but they quickly realized that couldn’t be right. There would be no way a noble young lady, someone who should be in the lord’s manor, would be wandering the back alleys in a ragged robe. Even more, the red-light district was just a bit further down the road.
The gang leader, staring into Davey’s emotionless face, felt as if his heart might stop any second.
“You pickpocketed a sovereign. Do you understand now?”
Davey knew they couldn’t possibly grasp the implications of their actions.
The crew went completely pale as he continued, “So, what kind of punishment do you think is fit for people who pickpocket a sovereign?”
“S-Spare us, Your Highness!!”
“If you let us live, we’ll do anything!!”
Tears and snot streamed down their faces as they pleaded for their lives.
Pickpocketing was a relatively minor crime. Normally, the perpetrator would just be tossed in jail for a bit. However, if the victim was royalty—especially a sovereign from a major power whose treatment could lead to diplomatic incidents? Even ten lives wouldn’t be enough.
“Do you want to live?”
“T-That is...” The gang leader hesitated, unable to answer right away.
Davey chuckled softly. Then, while still holding onto the boss’s hair with one hand, he curled the fingers of his other and held them just in front of the man’s front teeth. He was preparing for a finger flick, but the aura around it suggested something more extreme.
“Brace yourself.”
Crack!!
“Gwaaah!!”
Davey blew out one of the man’s front teeth with a sickening sound, then casually pulled it toward himself using telekinesis.
‘This guy’s a god damned psychopath!!’
The gangsters screamed in their minds, but no one dared voice a word.
“I’m only going to ask once more. Do you want to live?”
“P-Please spare meeeh! I-I won’t do it again, I sweer!!” His words slurred because of his missing tooth, but his desperation was unmistakable.
“Good. Rudel.”
Ssss
A young man with red hair silently appeared behind Davey.
“Tie these scumbags up and toss them in jail. A month should do.”
That was a long time for a minor offense like pickpocketing.
Shocked, one of the men asked, “You’re letting us live?”
“If you’d tried to traffic the Daughter of Heaven, I’d have torn you to pieces. Unlucky,
huh?
”
His last words carried a bone-deep chill, and the gangsters shuddered. They finally understood exactly what message Davey was trying to send.
His territory was no place for shady business. The saying that where there was light, there were shadows didn’t apply there. In Heins Territory, even the shadows were too terrified to move. It was a sanctuary of light, utterly devoid of shadow.
A holy land, complete with a goddamned Saint in it.
“
Oh,
and one more thing.” As Davey turned to leave, he paused and spoke without looking back, “Rudel, watch over Evangeline. If she ever runs away from home again, I’m not just killing you—I’m killing everyone.”
“
H-Haha.
She’ll listen, no need to even say that.”
“Good. I’m counting on you.” With that, Davey departed.
The moment he vanished, the gangsters collapsed as if all of their energy had been drained out.
“That psychopath! Venting his stress all because the little lady didn’t like the smell of alcohol...”
It was painfully obvious what it was really about.
Of course, what Rudel voiced was only a halfhearted complaint. His expression didn’t show any real annoyance.
* * *
“This concludes the letter that human sent.”
Having quietly read the contents of the letter, the bronze-skinned man glanced at the blue-haired one beside him. “So what did you say your name was?”
“I am Sapphire of the Blue Dragon Clan, human,” the blue-haired man—no, the dragon Sapphire—replied calmly.
At his words, Emperor Contas let out a short, amused chuckle. “Unbelievable. He can even command dragons now? A little territory no bigger than a fingernail somehow has the military might to go up against the entire continent and win? What a joke.”
Master-level beings and 6th Circle mages were considered strategic weapons, valued above all else. Yet even if they gathered every last one of them, Emperor Contas wondered if they could really defeat Heins Territory.
He figured likely not. That man’s position had long surpassed anything that could be toppled by conventional force.
“Command is a laughable word. I simply serve Lady Evangeline.”
“Don’t make me laugh, lizard. Anyone can see that you’re lending that little punk Davey... no, calling him a punk doesn’t even feel right anymore. You’re lending that prince your strength.”
Sapphire’s expression grew visibly displeased. Still, he did not unleash his race’s signature pressure, Fear. “He treated the young ones of our lair while rendering us aid, and we dragons do not forget our debts. The same goes for our grudges.”
His steady response made Emperor Contas close his eyes for a moment. They then reopened with a colder glint. “So... he wants me to stop the war?”
“He asks only that you reconsider. Carefully.”
“Go back and tell Prince Davey this, lizard: Don’t talk like you’re the shit.” Emperor Contas growled, rising from the throne where he had been lounging. His bronzed muscles rippled, Sapphire instinctively raising a fist in response.
Boom!
His heavy fist collided midair with Sapphire’s, causing the very air around them to compress with pressure.
Sapphire, who had caught the Emperor’s fist with his own, winced slightly at the unexpected strength behind the blow.
“No matter the circumstances, even if the Daughter of Heaven is alive... the citizens of my empire that those bastards killed aren’t coming back. Don’t mock me with your nonsense. Get lost!”
The consequences of the rules of the world forcibly changing people had left scars deeper and more widespread than anyone had anticipated.
Chapter 1121.2
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