The Max Level Hero Has Returned!
chapter-242

The eventual desperate scream was the price for something very valuable.

Davey ignored Tanya’s pleas of admitting all of her wrongs and telling him that she would quit it. He quickly moved to untie and release the clumps that blocked Tanya’s flow of mana.

Unlike the cases of Baris and Illyna, Tanya would feel the effects a lot quicker thanks to her situation and body condition.

“How is it? Does your body feel lighter?”

“That’s amazing…” Tanya said in amazement.

She had just been crying from the tremendous pain that coursed through her veins earlier on, but she was now feeling completely light and refreshed.

“You can do it now, right?”

“Yes! Thank you, Big Brother! I will definitely pass the test!”

Those who passed the Bow Test were certain to break through their levels. This test was not only important because of Tanya’s promise with the Hyeon Kingdom but also because of her own life and future.

Thump…! Thump!!!

Vwoooooooooong!

The heavy drumming and a low-pitched trumpet majestically resounded in the entire area.

Tanya, who was wearing Hyeon Kingdom’s traditional ceremonial dress, knelt silently under the altar and closed her eyes in prayer. Although she remained silent, it was obvious to Davey that his sister was very nervous.

—Taking a test even without their vision…

Tanya was not the only one who was taking this Bow Test. A total of five people were taking the test, and Davey did not recognize three of the five people. The one he did recognize and find slightly familiar was the little girl with a thick blindfold covering her eyes, Princess Maria.

—Archery is a skill that is heavily influenced by vision and eyesight.

Perserque was right that archery was almost reliant on vision. However, Maria was unlike an ordinary person and could live daily life without much difficulty even with her minimal vision. Her eyes could barely see the figures in front of her on regular days.

Princess Maria’s ability to distinguish the objects and the people surrounding her was somewhat similar to the Mind’s Eye. However, it was a completely different power altogether. In a sense, she had the power to make a clearer distinction on these objects than most people.

—Is that really possible?

‘An Attributed Ability User.’

Perserque nodded in awe after hearing Davey’s answer.

It had been a long time since the two of them had last heard the title: Attributed Ability User. An Illusionist and a Recall Summoner were some examples of people with this title.

—But Davey, the business that you have to deal with is already done, right? Aren’t you neglecting your work with the Alpha Reinforcements too much?

“It’s not easy to always send a set amount of supplies to them, you know?”

Every single one of Davey’s acts could not be of much help to the Alpha Reinforcements right now. However, Davey believed that he had already done enough.

Even though their inner workings were very messy and cluttered, their purpose was noble and lofty.

In fact, after the apprentices became knights of the Alpha Reinforcements, the Anchor Knights had sent Davey several letters. And now, they were piled up in Davey’s office. The letters were all simple news about their daily lives. Someone had an accident today, someone had gone through something yesterday… There was no grave news in particular. However, it could be said that no news was good news. That was more appropriate for their case.

Not long after, the King began the ceremony that would connect the competitors to Hyeon’s leader, or perhaps an existence that could be called a Divine Beast, the Mountain’s Guardian Deity.

No one could interfere once the test started, but that did not mean that no one would be able to intervene at this point in time.

The Bow Test was an event that was held every few years or so in the Hyeon Kingdom. It was a big event and was considered to be a special one. This test played a key role in the kingdom. In fact, it was also famous for the beautiful and bright ceremony that honored the Guardian Deity through the presence of the wind spirits. It was worth noting that countless people would come to take the test but only a few would pass.

While they were busy preparing for the fancy ceremony, Davey glanced at the Ming Empire’s Empress Dowager, who was having a conversation with a man who appeared to be wearing a military uniform.

After watching the Empress Dowager act like that for quite some time, Davey finally stood up.

“Ah! Prince Davey! Where are you going?” The naive Emperor asked Davey.

Davey could understand a child of that age being pure and innocent. However, thanks to the Emperor’s question, everyone else also turned to look at Davey.

“I’m going to go and get some fresh air. I will be right back.”

“Ahh. You’ll be back. Then, this Emperor will be waiting for your return.”

Winley and Baris tilted their heads in confusion as they watched Davey disappear from the ceremonial hall.

Left behind, the Emperor muttered quietly in regret.

However, Davey left the hall without any hesitation, disappearing in a cloud of black smoke.

***

‘Where is my brother going?’

Tanya thought sadly when she found out that her older brother had left before the ancient ceremony started. She did not know why, but she just could not concentrate for some reason. It did not matter that the most important part of the ceremony was having a pious and reverent mind.

“Princess.”

Recently, a lot of dear and happy things had happened to Tanya.

“Princess.”

Tanya had met her twin siblings, the people who she thought she would never see again.

“Princess?”

Even her older brother, who had been in a deep slumber for a long time, had awakened and had come to see her.

Just being able to see the faces of these three people was enough for Tanya. They had given her a source of strength. Even if Tanya had to marry the Hyeon King and officially become a queen who was bullied and ostracized by the other wives in the future, she believed that she would be able to endure it.

Because of that, Tanya had prayed dearly that Consort Yeon would not come and bother her while she was spending time with her older brother and two younger siblings.

Unfortunately, Consort Yeon had not cared about her wishes. On that day, she had come to find Tanya and had played devil’s advocate with her. Tanya had not wanted her siblings to see her in that state, so she had wanted them to leave. However, her older brother had witnessed everything.

A series of surprises then greeted Tanya. Her older brother, who had witnessed the humiliation and disgrace that she suffered from, had suppressed Consort Yeon with a scary and eerie look that Tanya herself had never seen before. Then, the entire palace was turned upside down.

‘All of those who dare to touch my younger sister should be prepared to pay the price.’

Davey’s words remained at the back of Tanya’s mind for a long time. If she were honest, she felt both worried and embarrassed. However, she would not deny how grateful she was for her cool older brother.

Her older brother was no longer the weak and frail young man who had been left rotting in bed, the comatose young man who she had last seen before leaving.

He was now very strong and reliable, a young man who could fight the entire world just to protect her. The reassurance and safety given to her by Davey, which she had never felt from her own father, was now deeply imprinted in her mind.

“Princess Tanya?”

“Ah… Ah?”

“Are…you alright?” Princess Maria asked, stretching her hand out to wipe Tanya’s tears.

Tanya nodded blankly. She said, “Ah…yes. I’m fine.”

“It’s time. We have to enter the forest now.”

“Please, I hope the other two, no, everyone passes the test. You want to see the wide, wide world, right? Princess Maria?”

“Let’s do our best.”

With a soft chuckle, Tanya reached for the bow that was kept inside an antique box.

There was originally no reason for Tanya to take the Bow Test. In fact, not everyone from the Hyeon Kingdom had to take the test. However, countless tribes used this method to keep each other in check.

Given the kingdom’s situation, it was only natural that they would oppose an uninvited guest, an outsider, from becoming the new queen.

With the situation developing in such a way, the Hyeon King had no choice but to disclose the prophecy that the temple had preached. Everyone was dissatisfied with this fact, but they had no way of openly refusing Tanya’s existence. It was a prophecy, after all.

So, they forced a condition on Tanya. If she passed three of their tests, then they would accept her wholeheartedly.

The conditions were made on the pretext that Tanya should be able to pass these tests without any difficulty, since she was someone who would help the Hyeon Kingdom prosper in the future.

Perhaps the King, who had been pushing for Tanya’s rights alone, found their proposal to be somewhat reasonable, because he ended up accepting their terms.

Tanya had already finished two out of the three tests. She had passed the tests for filial piety and righteousness. Her final test was the bow, a weapon that she had loved since young. The Bow Test was the only one left.

However, the situation was different now.

With Davey’s intervention, the political marriage had unilaterally been canceled and broken off. Simply put, no one could force Tanya to take the Bow Test any longer.

Nevertheless, Tanya wanted to take the test. It was so she could keep the promise that she had made with the few friends who had done her a favor in this palace. It was also for her to act on her desires for once and achieve her dreams. After all, the bow had been her friend since she was a child.

Thud!!!

Thud!!!

Not long after, Tanya and Maria began to walk forward again. Both girls sported nervous looks on their faces as the Mountain’s Guardian Deity began to awaken.

Thud…

“Huh?”

At that moment, Tanya, who was about to enter the forest, felt something odd.

“What’s the matter? Princess?”

“No… It’s nothing…”

Despite the suspicions that lingered in her heart, Tanya shook her head to get rid of those thoughts. She entered the forest.

She had stopped after feeling a subtle sense of fury and anger coming from somewhere the moment she entered the forest. However, she had quickly dismissed that suspicion as mere nerves.

***

Once the ceremony began, a huge transparent barrier appeared to cover the entire forest. The test should be completed by the examinees alone, and they had to show how competent they were as individuals in this trial.

Following the promise and oath of the First King, they had to pay tribute and honor the Mountain’s Guardian Deity, who protected the forest, every year. In return, the Mountain’s Guardian Deity would take care of the examinees, giving them the Wind’s Test and offering them the opportunity to make a great achievement. This way, the examinees could reach a realm that was beyond their current skill levels.

Although only a few people could pass the test, the Bow Test was still considered to be the biggest test in the Hyeon Kingdom. This was mainly because the test was a way to open another path for the successful examinees.

Soon, a priest, who carefully carried the offering to the Mountain’s Guardian Deity as a very precious treasure, climbed up the altar and slowly lifted the huge statue-like gift. Then, he began to chant a spell quietly.

“From what I heard, the test will truly begin once the gift has been offered and the spell has been chanted.”

Without Davey having to ask, the Emperor was already explaining the entire procedure.

“What do you think? This Emperor thinks that this Bow Test is very amazing.”

“Ah… Yes. It’s a very interesting test.”

“Haha. Is that so? Of course, of course!”

“Your Majesty,” Davey called out calmly. When the Emperor turned back to look at him with big round eyes, he asked, “Why are you so invested in me?”

The question was a simple inquiry, but the Emperor turned bright red upon hearing it.

The Emperor said, “This Emperor thinks that you are cool.”

“Yes?”

“This Emperor has always been sickly since my childhood. Because of that, I feel great envy towards those who can walk around outside, wield their swords, ride their horses, and even rule over the entire continent.”

“Ahhh…” Davey nodded in understanding.

The Emperor smiled bitterly, then said, “Whenever this Emperor looks at you, I feel this vicarious satisfaction.”

“Your Majesty will be able to run as much as you want someday.”

“Hehe. Thank you for those words!”

Davey’s words were mere pleasantries but the Emperor truly took them to heart.

Davey looked at the Emperor with a complicated expression before turning back to look at the forest. Then…

Thud…

The statue-like figure in the priest’s hands suddenly vibrated fiercely. An ominous red light began emitting from the depths of its eyes.

“Ah… What?”

Before the priest could say anything, the light shooting out of the statue’s eyes shot up and pierced through the skies. It was similar to a flare. Then, after the light pierced through the skies, black clouds rumbled into existence. They covered the sun entirely.

“Head Priest! What is going on?! Tell me the details!!!”

“That… That… Your Majesty…”

The King widened his eyes in shock after realizing that the priest also did not understand the situation. He could see just how flustered the priest was.

Vwooooong… Thud…!

At the same time, several gigantic red crow statues of several meters in diameter and tens of meters in height fell from the skies. From what Davey could see, they were forming a hexagram.

With the sudden appearance of the ominous statues and the bizarre changes in the skies, everyone cried out in utter confusion and panic.

Amidst all of this chaos, Davey caught sight of two people silently leaving the area. They were none other than the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, with the mother dragging the child as far away as she could.

“Mo… Mother? Where are we going?”

“Shh. Your Majesty, just trust Mother. I will protect you.”

Davey silently closed his eyes. He listened to what the Empress Dowager had told the Emperor as they were disappearing from this chaotic situation. He then clicked his tongue and reached his hand out.

Crack, crack, crack, crack!!!

A crack quickly split open in the skies, the very same skies that had received the shot of light from the statue’s eyes. From within the crack emerged the vicious eyes and creepy faces of strange monsters.

Not long after, the monsters reached their hands out of the crack and began tearing it apart. They were expanding the torn space and releasing killing intent. Their faces expressed their determination to kill everyone present here.

Everyone turned pale once the hideous monsters appeared. Starting to panic and feel frightened, they soon filled the entire hall with screams.

“Kyaaaaaack!”

“Mo… Monsters!!!”

“Protect His Majesty!!! By all means, do not let those monsters approach His Majesty!!!”

Even the soldiers and military officers were flustered and panicked. However, they were able to quickly regain their sense of reason. They immediately unsheathed their weapons and moved to protect the King.

Davey looked at Blue Ribbon, who was in his hands, after seeing the first crack completely get torn apart. He asked, “Blue Ribbon, can you do it?”

The blade did not answer, but Davey did not need one. He simply wanted to slash apart the huge crack. To be exact, he wanted to destroy the flow of power that was maintaining the crack.

If Davey cut them down with Red Ribbon, the monsters would just continue to come out. The best way to deal with many enemies was to cut off the bridge.

Davey closed his eyes and stepped forward without any hesitation. He still had Blue Ribbon firmly in his hands. He muttered, “If you’re going to gate crash this great event, then you should have brought some red envelopes.”

[Transcendental Long Sword]

…Shwaaa!!!

Davey was just about to slash the crack apart, but…the opponent appeared to understand him quite well. They had seemingly placed some countermeasures before they let this situation unfold.

Red chains suddenly popped out of the statues to bind Davey in an attempt to suppress him.

“Fu… Fufufufufufufufu! I finally caught you, you human bastard!”

With an eerie voice ringing loudly in the air, human-like beings appeared in the air to surround Davey. They had a disgusting fishy odor and looked so cold on the surface.