The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Chapter 1233.2

The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Chapter 1233.2

Chapter 1233.2
Josiah’s voice called out, “What’s with that face? You thinking about the past or something?”
“
Oh.
You’re here.” Mit quietly lowered his head.
He promised himself that he’d make things right. Even if he had to spend the rest of his life atoning for his sins, he’d only offer a proper apology once he had truly become someone worthy of giving it.
“You never finished what you were saying earlier. So? What happened to the maid?”
“There wasn’t much I could do. Still, I found out her younger sibling has an incurable disease, so I left some herbs behind along with a few gold coins.”
He didn’t think that was even close to making up for anything, though. His heart still felt unbearably heavy.
“What about after you returned? That was right after the incident, and you’re trapped here now because of it.”
“When I returned to the estate a week later, the first thing that greeted me was my father’s icy stare. My brothers were no different. Of course, it made sense. To them, I was nothing more than a walking disaster.”
Everything that happened was his own doing. He had caused the incident, burying the family in massive debt, and Count Chayde had nearly executed him on the spot. However, his half-sister and only sister, Berah Chyde, had pleaded for his life.
That was the only reason he still lived.
“Given the misunderstanding, it’s not surprising your father lost it when he heard you were messing around with a woman.” Josiah clicked her tongue. “Don’t expect sympathy from others. What you did was wrong, no excuses.”
“I know.”
“Still, I can help you. If you really want to change, and you truly want to make things right, then I’ll help.”
Mit gave a bitter smile. “But... Why are you helping me, Teacher? Our contract was half-assed at best, and you were furious when you first heard about my past.”
Josiah gave a faint smile. “Did I ever tell you how I met my own teacher?”
“No, I haven’t heard much.”
“I was just like you–a fool. It was only after I met him that I changed. So, your situation doesn’t feel like someone else’s problem to me.”
“Did you trample on others too?”
“No, I didn’t trample anyone. I ignored them.”
They were similar, in a way.
“That’s why I understand how much it takes to change. I know how hard it is, and that’s why I’m helping you.”
There was no evidence to clear him, no way to reverse what had happened. To the world, the incident at the academy was already set in stone as being his own personal handiwork.
“I want to train my mana control. Can you help me?”
“
Hmph.
You think a chimp like you can keep up with my skill?”
“I have to! Though I’ve kept quiet until now, once my suspension is lifted, I’ll be summoned to a disciplinary hearing. They’ll question me again about what happened. I need to figure out as much as I can before then, like what exactly happened at that museum and how it even went down."
He had only been caught off guard by what happened because he’d known nothing. That’s why he had to learn.
In truth, his obsession with magic came from that very reason.
“What about Prince Davey?”
“That psycho? He already left, of course. Since your father’s clearly such a stickler for rules, I’m sure it didn't take long to realize that a deal wouldn’t happen. He may love exploiting loopholes, but he doesn’t trample people’s convictions.”
“You’re just saying that for my benefit, aren’t you?”
“Busted.” Josiah grinned, then pulled out a whip formed from blood.
Crack!!
“
Aghh!!
”
“What are you doing just standing there? Focus! This whip isn’t just painful—it also disrupts your mana flow. Your assignment is to ignore that interference and circulate your mana anyway.”
“What kind of absurd training difficulty is this...?”
“You’ll be fine. People don’t die so easily. As long as you’re serious about becoming a better man and making things right, I can help you.”
Their whole situation had only started because she’d been practicing contract magic to be able to drink Davey’s blood whenever she wanted. Yet after all was said and done, Josiah couldn’t help but feel some sympathy for Mit Chyde. He was finally trying, at long last, to change.
“So, what ended up happening with the maid?”
“The maid? Isera?”
“Yeah.”
Mit averted his gaze, face slightly red. “There’s nothing I can do for her now. I just... I just want her to live without worry, both her and her siblings. I want them to have peace.”
He was desperate to anyone, ensuring that she, who had been forced into such a cruel life, wouldn’t have to suffer anymore.
“
Hmm.
Is that really all?”
“I don’t know what else to tell you! That’s something for later, anyways. Right now, I need to figure out how to refute the charges they'll slap me with when I get back to the Academy.”
If he couldn’t clear up the incident, the Chyde family would be forced to pay a massive fine. It would be the end of them.
Knock knock.
The cold voice of a maid sounded through the door, “Excuse me.”
“What is it?” Josiah asked before fading into the mist.
Mit rose and quietly opened the door.
“Young Master Taph has come to see you.”
“Taph came... for me?”
* * *
Taph was the eldest of the Chyde family’s four children, the only one to share a mother with Mit.
“You made it. Take this.”
Taph, standing on a cold, misty training field, spun his practice sword through the air before tossing a blade toward Mit Chayde.
“Brother...” Mit began.
“
Hah!
What’s with the sudden change of heart, calling me brother? Weren’t you the one who used to call me a crusty old geezer?”
“I...”
“Forget it. I didn’t come here to hear your sweet little lies.” His voice was cold and sharp, leaving Mit speechless. Turning to look at Josiah, who had emerged from behind Mit, he continued, “And you, young lady—it’s not proper for you to be here at this hour, either.”
“I appreciate your concern,” Josiah replied calmly, “but I am currently in a binding contract with your brother Mit Chyde. I can take care of myself, so you needn’t worry. Also, I’d prefer to be addressed as Assistant Professor Josiah, rather than young lady.”
Taph looked at her silently. “Rumors will spread. You’re not unaware of that, are you? Then again, I suppose we can judge your character by the fact that you chose to associate with this disgrace.”
His expression hardened.
“Not many people know the truth, anyway. Still, aren’t you being a little too harsh on your own brother? Are you even really family?”
“Harsh? If that boy had any value, I might consider it as such. Young lady, if you know how to tell right from wrong, you should cut ties with this delinquent before it’s too late.”
There was a hint of frustration behind his cold words.
“Brother...”
“Draw your sword,” Taph commanded.
“I don’t fight with a blade.”
“Whatever, have it your way. Regardless, this sparring was just an excuse. Only one of us will be leaving here alive,” he said as he drew his sword.
The blade radiated a killing aura, making it all too clear that he may actually follow through with his words.
Mit’s expression tensed, though he didn’t draw the sword he'd been given. Instead, he reached for the wand fastened at his waist.
“You’ve always been a disgrace to this family. In just a few short years, you’ve already turned the Chyde name into something people fear to associate with.”
Mit didn't know what to say.
“I already heard about the incident from Father. So, did it feel good to live however you wanted? I hear you managed to rack up an insane amount of debt.”
“Brother—”
“How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?! Whether or not you try to avoid it, the Chyde family is already shaken to its core. The royal family will likely reduce the debt, but they’ll tighten their grip on us in return.”
Clang!
Taph suddenly advanced, swinging his sword with brutal force.
Mit clenched his teeth and quickly raised a barrier, barely managing to block the strike.
“You killed our mother when you were born, yet I never held that against you.”
Taph kept pressing forward with relentless force.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
There were plenty of chances for Mit to counter, but he didn’t. In fact, he didn’t even defend properly.
“Our mother loved you! Father didn’t know how to treat the son who took her life, but I didn’t blame you for it. You were my poor little brother, after all. Batem and Berah cared about you too, even though they’re not from the same mother.”
Clang!
“
Grr!!
”
Taph shattered the barrier in an instant and kicked Mit across the field without hesitation. “And yet, this is what we get for caring?! You betray every bit of trust we gave you as siblings and live as a damned delinquent?!”
Taph had been deployed with the royal military long before Mit caused the incident at the Academy. As such, he had no way of knowing how Mit had changed recently.
“I thought long and hard. Even when I was on the front lines, I constantly thought about how I could fix you.”
Mit was speechless.
“Not that it mattered. You would’ve never turned out this way if you were capable of listening from the start. So just die here. I’ll explain everything to Father myself,” he said in a disappointed voice as he channeled blade energy into his sword.
Judging from the density, he was already at a high Expert level.
“Brother! Please stop!”
“Why aren’t you fighting back? Are you scared? You lived your life thinking you were invincible, yet now that your life’s on the line, you can’t even move?!”
Clang! Clang!
His attacks only grew more violent. Mit began to suffer cuts and bruises, barely maintaining a defensive stance.
Mit eventually faltered, and a large opening formed in his stance, one of his arms being deeply wounded as a result.
“I’ll kill you, then follow after.” Taph stepped on Mid, pinning him down. He shifted his sword into a reverse grip and pointed it at his heart. “Let’s go apologize to Mother... together.”
Then, a deafening clang of metal rang out across the field.
“What do you think you’re doing?!” screamed a cold and harsh voice.
Josiah looked to be barely in her twenties at most! As the woman that his disgraceful brother had brought along, she was clearly not worth his time.
He’d heard from his father that there was a woman from Heins Territory accompanying Mit. He hadn’t been told anything about who she was.
However, the woman had just caught the blade of a high Expert-level knight with her bare hand!
He stood stunned and watched the blade corrode, it turning red and crumbling apart in her grip.
What shocked him even more was the fact that he hadn’t noticed her approach at all! Not until she was right in front of him.
In his entire life, Taph had never seen someone her age wield power so skillfully.
Josiah, still holding the crumbling blade, flicked it aside with a glowing hand tinged in red. “Still, you must really love your brother.”
“This is none of your concern. I warn you—stand down! This is a Chyde family matter—”
“Sorry, can’t do that. If he dies, I can’t fulfill our contract.”
“What?” His eyes widened with rage.
Josiah suddenly froze, shivering at an eerie chill brushing her neck. She turned her head sharply toward the darkness.
For a second, she had thought a pair of eyes was locked on her.
Ignoring his threats, Josiah moved swiftly toward the spot where the cold presence had been. There, she found a single tree towering in a clearing. At its base, she could see broken branches.
She turned her head again. “
Kyaa?!
”
Standing there in the darkness, smiling brightly, was someone she knew and hadn’t expected at all.
“R-Reina...?”
“I just came to check how things were going.”
“
Huh?
”
“Looks like you’re doing well.”
“W-What do you mean by...” Josiah blinked, clearly confused.
“Oh, right. Lady Josiah Frances.”
‘Why is she talking like that...?’
Josiah forced a smile, but something felt off. “Yes?”
“I was just curious about something.”
“Go ahead.”
“What do you think... of Davey?”
It was an abrupt, random question that made no sense. However, Josiah answered honestly, without overthinking it, “A psychopathic teacher who torments people for fun.”
Reina had no response to that.
“But I will say, he’s not actually a bad person. I can lean on him when it counts, though he’s a really annoying teacher. Well, he is my savior after all.
Oh
,
and his blood tastes amazing. That’s a bonus.”
Reina’s smile deepened. “Is that so?”
“Yeah, is there a problem? You scared the crap out of me by showing up out of nowhere like that.”
“Sorry, I was just curious. I hope your feelings stay that way. Oh, and by the way, an annoyingly sly little stray cat in the Nacha Empire received a stigmata not long ago. We’ll need to discuss it later.”
“
Huh...?
”
Ssss.
Reina vanished in an instant.
Peering into the darkness, Josiah also saw a black dragon disappear at staggering speed, before her eyes could fully recognize its form.
She assumed it to be the black dragon Megalodria. She had no clue what Reina was doing there, or what her question was really about.
Unable to make sense of any of it, Josiah tilted her head, confused.
Then, remembering the earlier confrontation, her eyes went wide and she hurried back to the training field.
There, she found Mit Chyde back on his feet while Taph Chyde stood silently, looking at him.
Taph had clearly intended to kill his brother. Fortunately, Josiah had gotten in the way and brought that plan to a halt.
Taph wasn't aware of what kind of decision his brother had made. Yet even so, Josiah thought it wouldn’t help if she stepped in again.
However, that’s when she heard Mit talk.
“Brother,” he said, his voice trembling slightly but firm with resolve. “I... I can’t die yet.”
“Pathetic.”
“Yes, I am. But if I die like this, I can’t make anything right.”
Taph didn't know how to respond.
“I’m going to change. It may already be too late to earn back your trust, but from now on, I’ll change completely.”
“What did you say?”
“I’m not asking you to believe me. I know I was nothing but a disgrace. I’m not asking you to understand why I became the way I did, either.”
Josiah knew the reasons behind him turning into a delinquent. In her eyes, they were just complicated excuses.
“Mit.” Taph Chyde stared at him with trembling eyes, like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. His gaze was filled with disbelief and shock.
“So please... just watch me. That’s all I ask.”
For the first time, Mit Chyde revealed his change to his family along with his resolve.
At the same time, Josiah couldn’t help but think about what she could do for him, and if she had even been teaching him properly.
Expectations and fears tugged at her from both sides.
Davey had believed in her, sure. Still, for Josiah, it was her first time standing in such a supportive role. That made her nervous.
She slowly parted her lips. “Young Master Taph, how about a little bet with me?”
“Bet...?”
“Nothing serious, just something fun. Watch him, and I’ll show you a different Mit Chyde in no time.”
Josiah quoted one of Illyna’s favorite phrases of referencing how drastically people or things could change.

Chapter 1233.2