The Max Level Hero Has Returned!
chapter-315

A three-week-long vacation was announced right after the end of the Magic Festival. Since the Magic Festival was a large event, Shakuntala Academy had always given a holiday of three to four weeks to the participating students.

It was like giving carrots to the students who had been subjected to the stick. After all, they had all worked hard in preparation for the Magic Festival.

Just as promised, the Class F students were now entering the Red Tower to meet with the being who every mage dreamt of meeting, Great Sage Hellison Valestia.

“Hoho. What would these students think if the boy of their age, who they had fought with and bickered with for nearly half a month, was a mage that this old man could not compare to?”

Just the thought of it alone brought a smile to Hellison’s face. He grinned at the dozens of students who approached the Red Tower cautiously.

“Everything has been prepared for the private meeting, Great Sage.”

“Hoo. Right. Since we have already seen our dear buds arriving, we should go and welcome them quickly. I can’t be called a Great Sage if I can’t even give blessings and advice to our mages with budding talents. Hoho,” Hellison said with an expression of interest on his face.

He tossed his ride robe and walked toward the students with a spring in his steps.

Creaaaaaaaaak! Clack!!!

Not long after, Hellison arrived at the drawing room where the students had been led to. He could not help but burst into laughter when he saw the nervous and jittery students sitting around and waiting for him.

“Hohoho. Make yourself at home.”

“We, we are meeting the Great Sage!” Timmy was the first to jump up, greeting Hellison and bowing nervously.

The rest of the students followed suit except for one. It was Josiah Frances, who only looked at Hellison with a strange expression on her face.

“Ho…”

‘What a strange child. I don’t think I have ever seen a child like her before,’ Hellison thought to himself.

With a soft smile on his face, he moved to sit on the chair that had been prepared for him. He said to the students, “Now, now. Just think of me as your friendly grandpa and relax. Otherwise, we would not be able to hold a conversation at all.”

“T-That…”

“Oho. It’s fine, I don’t mind. Hoho. Right. That’s that,” said Hellison gently.

Timmy, who was still bowing, slowly raised his head. His eyes were glistening from excitement.

Great Sage Hellison Valestia was hailed as the greatest mage in the entire continent and was the absolute idol of all of the student mages. His existence could be said to be a dream of everyone, who aspired to be as powerful and wise as he was.

Hellison waved his hand lightly, commanding the mana in the surroundings to heed his wishes.

The tables, which seemed to have already been prepared in advance, slowly floated forward to settle in front of the students. At the same time, teapots and teacups appeared and set themselves in front of the students as if they were alive.

“Goodness… He’s controlling mana without chanting…”

“This is very surprising!”

The students were in shock, their eyes sparkling as they watched the spectacle in front of them. However, there was one student who watched everything with a calm gaze.

‘Instructor.’

Instructor Devy was the one who had given Josiah useless anxiety. She feared that she would never see him again. Even though he was only her age, he had jumped up to her rescue and had saved her from her kidnapper. He appeared to be more mature than his age, and he also gave off an awe-inspiring feeling.

But for some reason, Josiah felt that Instructor Devy was different from Great Sage Hellison Valestia.

‘It feels wrong… In the first place, Instructor gave off the feeling that he did not need any chants when using magic. If the Great Sage feels like he’s seeing through the flow of mana and manipulating it by inducing its movements, then…’

Instructor Devy, who had come to save Josiah, appeared to be directly manipulating the mana around him. It was as if he had become the mana itself. It was a strange feeling. It was as if he had gone beyond the concept of manipulating and controlling the mana… He had seemingly transcended.

The fact that Josiah could not feel the same sensation from the Great Sage made her wonder about the true identity of Instructor Devy, the boy who had taught them for a very short time.

‘Perhaps Instructor is a dragon that only appears in fairy tales.’

Dragons were known as the race that had created magic. They were very much common in fairy tales, but nobody knew whether they truly existed in real life or not. That was why everyone dismissed their existence as nothing but a simple legend.

“Hohoho. Don’t let it get cold. I originally wanted to meet separately with each of you. However, due to our current situation, we have been twisted into a knot and forced to meet like this.”

“…It’s not a big deal! It’s already an honor for us to meet with you like this!” Timmy shouted.

Hellison smiled from his seat and said, “Right. You have learned under the teacher who this old man had recommended.”

“Ah… That lunatic…”

“Hmm?”

“Ah! No, it’s nothing! It’s no big deal! Hahaha!” Timmy hastily covered his mouth. He felt embarrassed at blurting out his inner thoughts, so he quickly showed an awkward smile.

“Are you talking about Instructor Devy?”

“Right, Devy. That’s his name. Yes. So, what kind of person is Instructor Devy in your eyes?”

The students answered Hellison’s question as if they were possessed.

“A lunatic.”

“A psychopath.”

Helllison’s expression turned blank for a moment. Then, he burst into boisterous laughter. He found the students’ answers to be funny and interesting.

***

The children initially had a difficult time talking with Great Sage Hellison Valestia. However, once the topic of Instructor Devy had been breached, the students talked about their experiences with fervor. In the end, Hellison, who nodded silently and listened carefully, was able to learn about what the students had experienced under the tutelage of Instructor Devy.

“Goodness, did you know what the instructor told us back then?”

“Run or die. If you want to survive, then run as fast as you can. If you leave everything to your instincts, then you will be able to avoid the bombs.”

Timmy and Alyssa Yosefov both grunted in assent.

“My goodness. He even told us that the universe would come forward and help us as long as we desperately hoped for salvation…”

“What a truly irresponsible teacher!”

When even Loisa Foren and Ellie Taysha nodded in agreement, Heliison could not help but grin. He could tell the students were complaining and feeling dissatisfied, so he thought, ‘I’ve lived for a very long time, but this is the first time that I have heard of a class being held like that. Hoho…’

Although the process had been hellishly crazy, the results were clearly outstanding and undeniable. It truly was shocking.

Hellison, who was listening quietly to the students, saw Josiah raise her hand. He said, “Ho. You’re Miss Josiah Frances, no? Alright, do you have any questions?”

“What in the world is that instructor’s true identity? No matter how much I think about it, I don’t think he’s a human at all.”

“Hmm. What do you mean by that?”

“About that… I think the Great Sage knows exactly what I mean.”

When Josiah spoke so rudely to the Great Sage, Timmy freaked out. He immediately spoke up to stop Josiah, “Jo-Josiah! How can you say such words to the Great Sage?!”

“Hoho. It’s fine, it’s fine. So, Miss Josiah Frances, can I ask you why you thought of asking such a question?”

“I thought… I thought that the Great Sage would be aware of what Instructor Devy is hiding from us. To be honest, I still can’t bring myself to believe what I have witnessed from him. That’s why I’m willing to show disrespect just to ask this question. Who the hell is…Instructor Devy?”

Hellison Valestia fell silent. With a slightly troubled expression, he said, “If Instructor Devy decided to hide his identity until the very end, then we have to respect his choice.”

“But…”

“Miss Josiah Frances. You know, in this world…”

“…”

“…There are all kinds of people. Let’s see… Right. Do you know about Heins Territory?” Hellison asked as he gazed at all of the students.

“If you’re talking about Heins Territory, then…you’re talking about the place where the First Prince of the Rowane Kingdom and the Saint, Prince Davey O’Rowane, is living?”

“That’s right. He’s an amazing person who has turned the barren territory into the richest land in the continent in just a year. On top of that, the First Prince is also still young.”

The students looked indifferent and unimpressed.

“Well… To be honest, the Saint is someone who has received the love of God. That’s completely different from receiving and undergoing long hours of training.”

“Of course, I still think that he’s a very wonderful person, especially after word got out that he ended the undead situation in the Pallan Empire.”

This was the students’ overall image of Prince Davey. They thought of him as someone who had saved countless lives as the Saint, someone who had saved plenty of commoners from an unidentified epidemic, and someone who had made brilliant contributions in the fight against the undead corps that could have devoured the entire continent and turned it into a battlefield. He was also the prime example of a living and breathing deity who had brought an end to the large-scale monster invasion in a maritime city.

“They might be of similar age, but comparing such a great figure to that bully of an instructor… Heup! I’m sorry! I have spoken out of line…”

“Hohohohoho!” Hellison laughed, finding the students’ responses to be very funny. He then asked, “Alright. Then, let me ask you this. In your eyes, is the Saint, Prince Davey, a great man?”

“Of course. A Saint who has saved so many people can already be hailed as a hero.”

“That’s right. He could be said to be the living and breathing deity! From what I heard, there were already talks of his marriage with the Pallan Empire’s Sword Princess.”

“Huh? I heard something else. It’s said that he’s already engaged with the Lyndis Empire’s Imperial Princess.”

The students began to share their opinions about Davey one by one.

“Then, what kind of person is Instructor Devy in your eyes?”

“A psychopath.”

“A lunatic.”

Although they said such disparaging words, they all agreed to one fact.

“A mysterious teacher who can change someone in a way that’s beyond one’s imagination.”

“To be honest, I don’t want to admit it. However, it’s true that he has helped us improve our skills tremendously in just 15 short days.”

All of a sudden, Josiah thought of something as she listened to her classmates speak. ‘Instructor Devy… Prince Davey… Don’t tell me!’

Although a possibility popped up in her head, she quickly shook that thought away.

Prince Davey was the Saint, someone who dealt with holy mana. On the contrary, Instructor Devy was a mage, a mage whose level was hard to measure and had gone beyond the determination of circles. Besides, Josiah had never felt a shred of holy mana in Instructor Devy’s body.

Above all, it was not a laughing matter to suggest that their instructor had been Prince Davey, a Saint, a living and breathing deity and a hero who had saved countless lives. Josiah was also sure that Prince Davey was someone who had a soft and kind smile, not the sneer and infuriating smirk that their instructor had always shown them.

Perhaps Prince Davey was even a prince who always rode on a white horse, just like in the fairytales. This was something that Josiah believed to be true.

It had to be said that rumors were not a true reflection of reality. As for Prince Davey’s image, it was just something that Josiah had envisioned and imagined.

‘If that guy is Prince Davey, then I’ll torch my hand with a fireball,’ Josiah thought, shaking her head.

The thought of that alone was enough to bring disaster and despair to everyone here.

In the first place, the premise that Prince Davey and Instructor Devy could be the same person just felt wrong. After all, how could a Saint who used holy mana also be a mage? Sword mages existed, but there had been no instance in all of history that anyone could use both magic and holy mana at the same time.

“Speaking of Instructor Devy. Since he did not reveal and tell you his identity, it’s only right that you don’t hear it from me. Maybe he’ll tell you himself. Or you might find out about his identity by accident. We have to show a modicum of respect.”

“R-Right,” Josiah mumbled bitterly, clasping her hands together.

‘I want to see you again. His… I want to suck his blood again.’ Josiah quickly shook her head. ‘What, what am I thinking?!’

Josiah, confused by her own thoughts, cautiously turned to look at Hellison.

“Hoho, alright. Well, I think I can still give you a bit of news about Instructor Devy.”

“Really? Where can we see him?!”

“Right! That instructor disappeared without even saying goodbye!”

Hellison chuckled at the students’ outburst. His smile was filled with interest, as if he was a child who had found a new toy to play with.

“That’s right. He said that he’s going to the Rowane Kingdom’s Heins Territory. Perhaps he has some business there.”

Hellison’s words drew the attention of the students in the room.

“Perfect timing, no? Experiencing the world is just as important as studying. We can’t just keep ourselves locked up in the academy, can we? So, what do you say? Would you like to go on a holiday to the Heins Territory?”

“Heins…Territory?”

“Yes. This old man happens to have a bit of a relationship with Prince Davey. How about experiencing the big wide world and meeting the living and breathing deity, the Saint? At the same time, you can also take this opportunity to find Instructor Devy. Isn’t this killing two birds with one stone?”

“Ah! I heard that the Watch Princess also lives in the Heins Territory! She’s an alchemist who has made several great inventions even though she’s just in her early teens…”

“Goodness! There truly are a lot of amazing people in the world!”

Once these students had experienced the world, they would realize that the stereotypes and misconceptions that they had built for themselves were useless before reality.

This was what Hellison intended for them to learn.

‘A picture is worth a thousand words.’

It was better for them to see and experience it themselves than hear thousands of words from him.

Prince Davey’s actions had led to the incredible growth in these students in just 15 days. Hellison could not help but wonder how much more these students would grow once they had broken out of their own misconceptions and stereotypes.

Hellison also believed that the students would receive great enlightenment once they saw the boy, who had broken through common sense by having both holy mana and elemental mana in his body.

So what if Prince Davey would eat some shit in the process? That would be very interesting. Perhaps it would even trigger some huge chaos in the Red Tower. However, Hellison believed that the Prince Davey who he knew was not so ruthless that he would resort to doing something like that.

The saying that “ignorance is bliss” was very apt for this situation.