The Max Level Hero Has Returned!
chapter-367

The hallucination that suddenly struck Davey was too difficult to express merely as a magical phenomenon or a physical abnormality. The feeling closest to it was when he first acquired the ember in the capital of the Lyndis Empire. It was very similar to when Goddess Freyja, who had created a virtual human from Earth resonating with Davey’s memory, called him into her world.

However, it was slightly different this time. Back then, it was a holy, graceful, and quite beautiful view of the cosmos. Now, what Davey saw was a world covered in pitch-black clouds.

Whisper, whisper...

Every time Davey looked down at the ground, the rapidly changing worlds were scenes he had never visited before, yet was familiar with. Those from the Hall of Heroes often turned their memories into reality based on their imagination, engraving direct battle experience onto Davey.

The continent of Berdel, where Demon Lord Yurg lived; the Yurgian continent, where the alchemist master Eva resided; the magical civilization of Atrellia, where Odin, the so-called God of Mages, made her home; the world of Hypocria, on the verge of an apocalypse with numerous diseases and strange illnesses; the continent of Borde, the homeland of Astrea, the master of spear technique who boasted himself as the Conqueror and great Emperor of the Paladia Empire; both Death Lord Rho Aias and Mute, who taught Davey the art of being a bard; the continent of Peslisa, the hometown of Muse; the continent of Lux, the homeland of Shane Scrift, an elemental summoner with a unique ability, who controlled three grandmaster-level absolute elementals just like Shandra Minea; and a place presumed to be Earth, the world of Davey's previous life.

All were different, but one thing remained the same. The divine blessing that covered those worlds began to wobble and crack. What did this imply? As the abyss began to move properly, the protection of the gods that had been guarding numerous worlds began to weaken. And there was no need to contemplate what would happen when that protection shattered. Goddess Freyja, who weakened her influence to strengthen Davey, mustered her strength and conveyed a single message: The situation was growing increasingly serious.

As the sky turned dark and a thunderstorm began to gather, someone swiftly approached Davey from within. It was an angel whose face Davey could not see. However, unlike before, this angel was not a graceful and beautiful figure. They appeared to have engaged in a long battle and were covered in wounds. All this represented the state of the gods. Even for a god, the price this time was not light.

‘So why did they provoke it carelessly?’ Davey thought.

Goddess Freyja and Davey had a business relationship, so Davey knew she was trying to use him, and he just played along. Apart from that, it was none of his business.

The silent angel who approached Davey soon opened his left hand and placed something golden in it, carefully closing his hand around it. And then, everything around Davey changed in an instant.

"Davey... Davey."

The quiet voice was warm and comforting.

"Davey, are you conscious?"

As Davey opened his eyes to the soft touch on the back of his head, he soon saw a familiar face. "Perserque."

Upon his murmur, Perserque displayed a relieved smile. "You... You suddenly collapsed. Do you know how shocked I was?"

"Were you worried?"

"...Yes, I was worried."

She shyly acknowledged it with a slight blush, and Davey found himself without words in response.

"Congratulations on returning to your original form, Davey."

"What?"

There were still two weeks remaining until the transformation would be complete. Yet Perserque said Davey had returned to his original form?

With a sense of confusion, Davey slowly got up and realized he had indeed reverted to his original form, not the small figure from before.

Davey silently clenched and unclenched his hand, attempting to reawaken his senses. The movement felt strangely familiar, as if he had been doing it for a long time. He was puzzled as to why such a change had occurred when he hadn't even paid the full price. Perhaps something had changed without his knowledge.

Amidst this, he noticed a foreign object in his other untouched left hand. Slowly opening it, he recognized a golden key, somewhat plain but with a unique shape.

"Davey? What's that?"

"I don't know either, Perserque. Can you check it out?"

"...No, I can't see anything."

Davey let out a sigh. It was unclear whether he couldn't yet reveal its use or if it served an unknown purpose, much like the previous jewel. Regardless, he soon deduced who had given it to him—the faceless, battered angel. It was evident that Goddess Freyja had presented it to him during their communication. Silently turning the key this way and that in his hand, he closed his eyes quietly.

"Let's just hold onto it for now."

"Isn't that...?"

"Don't worry about it." Davey stood up slowly, displaying nonchalance. Previously, the height difference between him and her was almost nonexistent. However, now that Davey had returned to his original form, she was petite enough to fit in his arms. By Earth's standards, Davey supposed he would be considered tall. "What about the horns?"

"I didn't want to inconvenience anyone, so I hastily removed them." In response to her answer, Davey silently nodded.

"How long has it been since I fell asleep?"

"It's been three days. Do you realize how worried we were about you not waking up all that time?"

Davey wore a bewildered expression. Three days remained, still sufficient time for the transformation.

"How are the patients?"

"Thanks to you collapsing after revealing the treatment method, the treatment itself is progressing smoothly."

That was all Davey needed to know. If things were going well, there was no need for him to involve himself.

Perserque stood up after him, gazing up at him, then closed her eyes and became enveloped in light. She transformed into a small figure and climbed onto his shoulder. "This is definitely more comfortable."

"How long are you going to maintain that form? Are you only going to utilize the body I worked hard to create?"

"What difference would it make? This body is just a boundary dividing whether I'm dead or alive," Perserque said indifferently.

Davey released a deep sigh. He then glanced at the situation outside the tent. Compared to three days ago, the scent of death was noticeably fainter.

"The treatment process is going smoothly under the guidance of Chief Researcher Penicillin and Baron Gorneo," Perserque explained.

Davey nodded in response. "That's all I needed to know. There's nothing left for me to do now."

A sense of leisure washed over him. From the beginning, these issues were meant for others to handle, not him. Taking charge of everything from start to finish would not have been beneficial for anyone.

Rising from his seat, Davey made his way toward the tent where Chief Researcher Penicillin was, intending to gain a brief overview of the situation. He noticed people here and there who widened their eyes upon seeing him, but he paid them no attention.

Upon entering Penicillin's tent, Davey spotted a person he had never seen before quietly leaving. The individual was dressed in the same attire as Penicillin, an alchemist's outfit, and wore a gloomy expression.

As their gazes met, the person silently bowed their head. It appeared that they didn't recognize Davey just yet. After all, not many people knew Davey's face; they only knew his name.

Continuing past the person into the tent, Davey could see Penicillin hastily organizing some documents.

"Oh! Your Highness! I heard you had woken up! I was just about to come and see you."

"No need. I'm not sick or anything. But what are all these things?"

"Oh... These are...nothing significant."

They were clearly alchemical academic books and a golem design.

"Alchemical academic books and a golem design?"

"Oh, you recognize them. Yes, that's correct. The man who left earlier was an elder from the golem school. In fact, he gifted these to me."

‘He came all the way to the quarantine area to hand over designs and academic books?’ Davey had a strange feeling.

"The thing is... Actually, I was supposed to review the designs based on the academic books but I played hooky and ran away. So the elder of the golem school came looking for me to hand them over."

It was a bit surprising that an alchemist with a major in human anatomy was given those things.

"Truth be told, he has a keen interest in creating golems that closely resemble humans. As a result, he frequently seeks assistance from alchemists specialized in human anatomy," Davey nodded in understanding.

"Chief Researcher Penicillin! Please come in!"

Penicillin was startled by the apprentice's loud call as he entered the room.

"Oh my! Please have a cup of tea in the meantime. The treatment is progressing well. All we need to do now is observe the situation," Penicillin reported.

"It's all thanks to you, Prince. Now I can focus on this task with ease," he continued before leaving the room.

Davey quietly nodded. Left alone, he leisurely surveyed the laboratory, enjoying the relaxed atmosphere. Traces of his passion for alchemy were scattered throughout the space.

While looking at the academic books in silence, Davey chuckled, "Quite impressive."

The books demonstrated the amount of passion he had poured into his work. However, from Davey's perspective, they seemed somewhat clumsy. After all, right beside him was the pinnacle pursued by the elder alchemist of the golem faction—a golem with self-awareness, Rinne, the essence of a super-ancient civilization golem with Deus Ex Machina, the god of machinery, at its core.

"Davey, is this a golem?"

"Yes, just like you."

"It is of very low quality. I analyze that it's not worth comparing with Rinne, whom Davey created."

"I suppose. If they knew that, would the alchemy skill on this continent have stagnated?"

The world where Davey's alchemy master, Eva, had lived was distinctly advanced in alchemy. Despite Tionis' complex development, it couldn't match that level.

"Davey, what about Rinne's successor?"

"Wait a bit for Dirro. And soon, a new youngest member will be born in the Decepticon Fleet."

"Youngest!"

Her eyes lit up at Davey's words. Then, Rinne exclaimed, "A name! Rinne wants to decide on a name!"

"A name? Alright, go ahead." Davey gave his approval.

Pondering for a moment, Rinne tapped his lips with one hand before saying, "Starscream!"

"...do as you please."

With Davey’s approval, Rinne was extremely pleased. Her eyes sparkled.

"Davey? Davey?"

In the midst of Davey's conversation with Rinne, he suddenly felt Perserque tugging at his cheek and asking, "Why are you like this? You can't focus at all."

Puzzled by her remark, Davey looked down, and a frown formed on his face. He had doodled all over the golem design that the elder of the golem faction had given him, using his pen. He had crossed out mistakes and added comments. Not only that, he had also pointed out errors in the academic books brought by the golem faction and attached comments to them.

It was as if he had unconsciously marked them. Normally, he would not have shown such a disheveled appearance. Perhaps due to losing consciousness, his concentration had been scattered, and something felt off.

"Oh, my..."

Since there was only one sheet, it felt too awkward to throw it away. Without uttering a word, he glanced at the design and stood up from his spot. "Well... I actually made improvements, so it should be fine. If I keep quiet about it, they'll think that Researcher Penicillin did it."

Even though Davey carelessly added comments that went beyond the technical skills of this era, it didn't really matter. Moving almost hastily, he left his spot and headed outside the tent.

* * *

Immediately after Davey's departure, Elder Francis, who had brought designs and academic books seeking the assistance of Penicillin, silently approached Penicillin's tent.

Penicillin was a genius but preferred to utilize his alchemical skills in the healing of people. However, Francis, also known as a puppeteer, understood that Penicillin had the potential to excel in the art of humanizing golems.

While trying to persuade Penicillin with convincing materials, Francis had momentarily left the area out of frustration. It was during this interval that Francis encountered a peculiar young boy, although he held no interest in him.

"Listen, Penicillin..." As Francis reentered the tent, he soon realized that Penicillin had disappeared as if he had fled, causing him to sigh.

He would have to engage in a lengthy argument once again. Just as he was contemplating this, he reached out to tidy up the academic books and golem designs he had brought, or so he attempted to do. However, what he saw were scribbles drawn with colored ink.

"What is this…?" His words ceased.

Silence enveloped the space so deeply that even his own breath could not be heard.