The Max Level Hero Has Returned!
chapter-414

"Ah, ahh..." Aeonitia gasped for breath in pain, desperately reaching out for Davey. "My... my children..."

"Yes, they are here."

As Davey calmly showed her the two children nestled within his arms, tears welled up in her eyes. The emotions reflected in her gaze were a mix of awe, complexity, and relief. She asked, "Are they healthy?"

"Yes."

In fact, these children were more than just healthy; they had been intimately familiar with mana since birth. Subsequently, Davey withdrew the children from her arms.

"Ahh..." Aeonitia's expression darkened with dismay.

"You'll see the kids later! You are in the middle of surgery right now."

At Davey's words, Aeonitia fell silent, seemingly realizing her condition.

Davey then gently placed his fingers on the children's foreheads, infusing them with a light touch of mana before handing them over to Aeria. "I'll leave them with you for a while."

"Yes! Leave it to me!" With her face flushed with excitement, Aeria cuddled the two children and smiled. "They're so cute."

‘Come to think of it, these kids are my nephews.’

Davey was struck by a strange feeling. He thought that he was not of age to see his nephews yet. However, considering that this world had moved on by more than a decade, it was perhaps to be expected.

Davey did not ask Aeonitia about Winley, Baris, or Tanya. If the Observer was correct, the three of them would not be alive in this place.

In the silence, Davey began the operation once again. Although the children were born safely, Aeonitia was still in a dangerous situation. However, it was a difficult situation, not an impossible one. He had saved people in worse hellish conditions before and had succeeded in operations in more severe situations.

To Aeonitia, Davey would have appeared as an ordinary man. With a tearful face, she reached out her hand laboriously and grabbed his, asking the question, "Haah, haah. Can I live? I can't... I can't leave the children alone..."

Seeing her plead with such effort, Davey couldn't help but admire the motherly instinct that Aeonitia had grown upon giving birth to these children. He said reassuringly, "Don't worry about anything else and get some deep sleep..."

Aeonitia did not say anything further and slowly relaxed her grip on his hand.

* * *

The twin siblings, who had erupted into a robust cry, seemed to instinctively recognize their mother, and with a cozy expression, snuggled into her bosom and fell soundly asleep.

Davey found himself involuntarily smiling at the striking resemblance among the three peacefully asleep, clearly showing they were indeed related by blood.

Thinking about the culture of the Tionis Continent, unlike Earth where names were confirmed upon the registration of birth or deciding of the name, it was common here to name a child immediately upon birth.

However, Davey did not have the right to name these children. The same was true for everyone else. The only person with that right was their birth mother, Aeonitia alone.

Perhaps it was due to Aeonitia's peaceful expression, seemingly passed out but sleeping soundly, that the villagers seemed somewhat relieved. Some felt relieved by the fact that the children were born naturally, while others were surprised by the unexpected surgical method that had saved both the children and the mother.

However, there were those with a gloomy expression upon seeing the children born safely. The reason was evident – they were in a desperate situation. As individuals who had lost hope to the extent that the Observer would assert, they grimly determined and lamented that the future the newborn children would face would be cruel.

Given that they were already pushed to the edge, their feelings were not incomprehensible. The prevailing thought among them was that they could not return to the way things used to be.

"Thank you. And I'm sorry. I regret that we could only treat our benefactor this way..." An elderly man handed Davey a few potatoes with a bitter smile. "I'm sorry, this is all I can offer you. Our food situation isn't very good."

At first glance, he appeared to be nothing more than a frail old man, but it seemed he was the head of a noble family from the Central Kingdom.

Aeria, who had heard once about the dark future of a world completely different from her own, seemed to feel a sense of alienation with every word the old man said.

"Just ten years ago, it was a world we couldn't have imagined. Although it wasn't completely peaceful, the frequent wars on the continent ceased when the ban on continental warfare proposed by the emperor of the three empires passed."

Davey fell silent.

"However, we didn't anticipate it because we had been soaked in peace for too long. Those who couldn't sense danger because they were immersed in peace couldn't properly counter the demons that crept in from the darkness."

"Internal division must have occurred as well."

It was premature to simply assume that humans had been overwhelmingly defeated in the continental war. The reason likely stemmed from internal division. There were those who wanted to align with the demons and those who dreamed of wealth and honor amidst the chaos. With such factions rising, there was no way to effectively oppose the unified demons.

"Indeed, you're correct. Davey, was it? Despite your young appearance, you have deep insight," the old man remarked with a bitter smile. "Here we have former nobles, slaves, and commoners. Aeonitia, whom you rescued, was once the youngest princess of a small kingdom."

"Is that so?" Davey could not reveal the connection between her and himself.

"Poor child. Everyone gathered here is the same. They hold onto their pain, and that's why they can't easily trust outsiders."

With half-closed eyes, the old man cautiously revealed the story about Aeonitia. The turmoil had begun, and the empire had started to shake. It was only natural that the small kingdoms would be shaken as well. After the Kingdom of Rowane was destroyed in the upheaval, Aeonitia managed to escape the immediate crisis, thanks to the careful plans of Queen Lynesse. She spent a few years as a fugitive, enduring a difficult journey.

But how far could she, a royal without any physical training, have really run from the demons? Eventually, she was captured by demon scouts and witnessed her knights being brutally torn apart and killed. This traumatic event left her with a speech disorder, and she endured severe suffering at the age of fourteen while being dragged away by the demons.

It was the human resistance that saved her. A young commander from the guerrilla squad led by the Grand Duchess Kathryn Carabella of the Lyndis Empire rescued Aeonitia from the underground dungeon of the demon outpost where she had experienced hellish days. At the time, she was nineteen, and a young nobleman who was smitten with her at first sight brought her back, shared his warmth, and showered her with love.

After his tireless efforts, Aeonitia overcame her speech disorder and fell in love with the man who had so affectionately cared for her. A few years later, she conceived a child with him. Everything was fine until then. However, a disaster occurred, and the resistance was completely destroyed just as she was about to give birth. All hope was lost when the owner of the divine sword, the last hope, was defeated by Nyx, the most powerful force of the demons.

In an attempt to allow Aeonitia to escape, her lover gathered the people in the shelter and sent them out of the fortress late at night. From then on, all communication was cut off. There was no way to know if he had been captured or executed. The only thing left for Aeonitia was the two children in her womb.

"A single person like you can make a huge difference. Many humans died, but so did many demons who had families. Many young demons, both male and female, died. They were all precious lives, a tragic situation indeed," the bitter voice of the old man resonated as Davey quietly closed his eyes.

"You don't have the will to drive out the demons and find the light again, do you?"

"How could we? Our only hope has crumbled, and all that remains is to hide and live like this. Human survivors are scattered. Most of the remaining humans have probably become slaves, with a small number still holding onto futile hopes and resisting."

In the old man’s words, Davey could sense the oppressive atmosphere enveloping the entire village. They survived. While it was a blessing, the future remained unchanged. They had come to humbly accept the extinction of humanity.

"And then you appeared. The villagers are honestly confused. They are startled by the emergence of a human with enough power to drive out a demon, especially one with immense strength."

"Do you think I'll become a savior?"

The old man gave a bitter smile. "All I've gained with age is discernment. You seem to possess immense power. I don't feel anything from your body. Yes, I've heard before that entities that are overwhelmingly powerful often don't exhibit any noticeable energy."

He gave a bitter smile again. "Are you the hope for humanity?"

Davey quietly shook his head. "Everyone has to find hope for themselves."

"Is that so?"

"If humans just wait endlessly for someone to help them, it would be better for them to perish cleanly."

At his harsh cynicism, the old man gave a bitter laugh. "I suppose so. But we have already lost too much to stand up again. Isn't it the reality of this world that we don't even have a pillar to lean on?" After a moment of silence, the old man cautiously opened his mouth. "We are a people with nothing, but even if we've lost hope, we haven't forgotten about our sanctuary. Is there something I can do to help you?"

Davey quietly held out his hand and said, "Someone here must have something like this."

"That is..."

What Davey had created with mana was a small necklace, which had a peculiarly shaped jewel at the end.

"Someone in this village should have it. It's quite important. Please hand it over to me. It's the only way to heal the person who came with me."

The old man fell silent and closed his eyes. Then, he put down his teacup and opened his mouth. "Hmm, the pattern does indeed look a bit unusual, I remember it. I'm not sure if it's the right item, but… Euris, come in here."

"Why? Sir." A woman carrying a bow on her back strode in from outside, as if she had been waiting.

"Haha, please forgive her rudeness. Despite her harsh words, she's a kind-hearted girl."

"Sir, don't talk nonsense to an outsider. Did you…?"

"He says he needs your necklace."

The woman's face hardened instantly. "What are you talking about?"

Then, she glared at Davey and asked with caution in her voice, "Do you need my necklace?"

"Yes."

"This is important to you?"

The woman’s question, filled with caution and suspicion, was understandable. However, Davey had no intention of complicating the situation by explaining why he needed it.

"Although it may not look like much, it's quite an important item."

At Davey's calm response, the woman silently glared at the Village Chief. Then, she sighed.

"Give it to him. Do you want to die as an ingrate, even though we live in such deprivation?"

"Ah! Who said that? I just wear it because it’s pretty. If I can pay off a debt with it, it's a bargain. Here, take it! Did I say I wouldn't give it?" Even while grumbling, the woman roughly tore off the necklace she was wearing and handed it to Davey. "There you go. I don't know what you're going to do with it, but you helped Aeonitia, so I guess I can let it slide..."

As the woman grumbled gruffly, Davey did not take the necklace and instead remained silent. The woman then approached him and placed the necklace in his hand, asking, "But what are you going to use it for?"

"It's a key. The only key to enter the ancient royal vault,” Davey said quietly while holding the necklace that emanated an odd aura. He rose from his seat.