The Max Level Hero Has Returned!
chapter-467

The sudden passing of the King. All that was found in the tower where the King had been alone was the cold body of the deceased King. The sharp end of a fallen candlestick had pierced his heart. Though it seemed an accident, it made no sense.

"Ah... Oh, dear heavens!"

As Davey watched the Crown Prince cling to the body, wailing, his gaze shifted to Lena, a candidate for the Holy Saintess, who was staring coldly at the body. The reason for summoning her was clear. When it came to witches, the church was the most knowledgeable authority. Thus, the church's word held immense weight.

And when the one speaking was a candidate for the Holy Saintess, of equivalent stature to a prime minister, her words held a gravity too heavy for a small Kingdom to counter.

"Davey! What on earth happened? Why the King?"

Everyone knew the King was a sacred monarch. All this time, he had protected his subjects and had tried to make a better country. Despite the recent unrest due to the witch, he remained respected.

"Please, open your eyes! Father!"

The sight of Prince Greid wailing in despair was unbearable. The shock of suddenly finding his father dead was palpable. The son had loved his father dearly. The father had loved his son and wife profoundly. The son detested his grandmother. The grandmother, though indifferent to the son, desired to protect him for the sake of her son. Quite the complex relationship.

"What... What happened?"

After a long bout of crying, Prince Greid approached Davey, gasping for breath. Grabbing Davey by the collar, he yelled, "Tell me! What happened?!"

To his outcry, Davey calmly replied, "Why do you think the witch was captured so easily?"

At Davey's words, Greid froze. "The power of a witch is different from any other. The remnants of her curse linger. For a long time now, within the Kingdom of Briouk, the remnants of the witch's curse have been slowly killing people."

Greid's face contorted with hatred and a thirst for revenge. "Where is she? That damned woman! I'll kill her!"

"Kill her? You're free to try, but can you?"

At Davey's question, Greid stiffened.

"Davey..." Lena, who had been sadly looking at the King's body, turned to Davey.

"Suppose you do kill her. How will you purify the remnants of the witch? Just killing a witch won't dispel the remnants. They will either have to be recalled by the witch herself or purified using holy power."

Davey's words left Greid looking defeated.

"With the King gone, you're next in line. What will you choose? To let more of your subjects die? Or hand it over to us to save even one more life?"

At Davey's words, Greid clenched his fist, grinding his teeth, his eyes fiery with determination as he looked up at Davey. "Is it possible?"

"..."

"Can you save the people of the Kingdom of Briouk?"

"I promise, in the name of the Saints."

At Davey's assurance, Greid closed his eyes, trembling, and then quietly said, "Take her."

His decision was made amid bitter pain. A horrific accident had occurred on the day of the witch's execution. With the King's death, the Kingdom of Briouk was immersed in sorrow. The depth of the love and respect for the King, who had governed so well, was evident.

Though the sudden passing of the King was tragic, the throne could not remain empty. Prince Greid immediately went through the coronation and ascended to the throne, holding a solemn funeral for the late King. With that, the King's forbidden act was buried deep beneath the earth.

"Is my work here done?"

"Thank you, Holy Saintess Candidate."

"Hehe, it's nothing. I was so happy when you asked for help. Don't worry about the rest. I'll write a report and announce it as soon as I return to the Kingdom."

Lena staggered and stepped onto the magic circle. She then asked, "But... If what you said is true, isn't it a very serious situation? The witch is trying to kill all the Kingdom's citizens.”

"That? Don't worry about that," Davey said, flashing a smile.

Then, Lena disappeared. Soon after, Davey turned his head toward the silver-haired woman approaching him with a stern face.

"I brought them? But, is that true?"

"Of course, it's a lie."

"What?" Reina, looking flabbergasted, and the two shadowy figures she brought turned their hoods.

"Damn."

Reina's face showed shock as she recognized them. One was the King of the Briouk Kingdom, Greid Malon Briouk. The other was none other than the witch responsible for the chaos.

Davey, standing with his back turned, calmly said, "I've burned everything related to the taboo."

"You..."

"I don’t know where you learned such a thing."

Davey spoke dispassionately, turning his head. "Don't ever think about doing that again. I caught you before the taboo crossed the line, but had it crossed, I would have killed you and purified the entire Kingdom."

He admitted he did not even know how many would die in that purification process. Turning his gaze to Verdandi, who looked at him with an incomprehensible expression, Davey asked, "We're back at the beginning, aren't we?"

Verdandi snorted at his question. "Heh, if you're going to kill me, hurry up."

"What are you talking about? Take this." Davey threw to Verdandi a magical tome that had been in the palace treasury.

"Huh?!" Verdandi caught the book in surprise, hugging it to her. "This is..."

"It's your magic tome that was sealed in the Kingdom's treasury. The one there now is just a similar replica."

"Why are you doing this? Didn't you say you should kill me?"

Davey just shrugged. "Just observing for variables."

King Greid chuckled bitterly. Then, he knelt down and bowed his head to Davey. "I'm sorry... And... Thank you..."

"You're not sorry for your son? After breaking his heart?"

Perhaps due to a similar experience, Davey's voice turned particularly cold, silencing the King.

"If that reckless child had lived, it would have only been a matter of time before the experiment involving the taboo was discovered. Greid is a wise child. He may resent and hate his foolish father, but he wouldn't abandon his people."

The King, who had ruled for a long time and regretted his position the most, looked relieved, even as a middle-aged man with a messy beard.

"Mother..."

"Heh, like mother like son." Verdandi, still clutching the magic tome, snorted as she looked down at the kneeling King. "Get up already. My neck hurts!"

Usually, people complain about neck pain when looking up, but she said the opposite.

"What will you do now?"

To Davey's question, the King quietly responded. "I must atone. I plan to go deep into these woods, where no one can see, and live peacefully. This time, with my mother."

The story unfolded as a young boy, consumed by revenge, defied his mother's wishes and unleashed a wave of bloodshed, crossing a point of no return. His actions, capable of either crowning him as a king or shattering the kingdom, ultimately ensnared him. His mother, a mere girl at the time, bore the entire burden of blame, falling into a long slumber.

Years later, the devastated young man, realizing his mother remained in an unbroken slumber due to his curse, dared to break a forbidden taboo in a desperate attempt to awaken her. However, his efforts proved in vain. Were it not for Davey's reincarnation, she might have slept forever. Upon awakening and witnessing her son's wrongdoings, the dark-haired woman once again tried to assume all the blame.

"To think the Abyss Princess became so weak she could die from mere mana-enhanced fire. That's laughable."

"Heh, I don’t want to hear that from someone like you."

The cost of violating the taboo made it ambiguous to address her as the Princess of the Abyss at this point.

"Davey? I don't understand," Reina said with a trembling expression.

Davey just lowered his head silently.

"Mother, I won't leave your side now. I'll serve and protect you until the moment of my death," said Greid, who was once the ruler of a Kingdom.

He was now more devoted and modest than ever before.

"I will resolve everything that has troubled you, Mother."

"Hmph, your troubles don't affect me in the slightest. Hey, don't come any closer!"

"Mother..." The middle-aged man embraced the girl.

To an outsider, the scene might have appeared perilous, but for those acquainted with their relationship, such as Reina and Davey, it conveyed a different story. It depicted a girl who, despite her irritation, warmly embraced Briouk, and a middle-aged man who wept passionately within her comforting embrace.

After a while, the former King Greid slowly got up and lifted Verdandi. "Let's go, Mother."

"Where do you think you're going?"

Then, it was Davey's turn to intervene.

"Prince Davey?"

"Who said I'd simply let you go? Apologies, but you are the only trace of the taboo, and that woman has the potential to cause immense harm to this continent."

At Davey's words, both Verdandi and Greid fell silent.

"Even so, I can't just leave you be. Follow me. There's one place where you can live without ever leaving, and I can keep an eye on you."

"So, you brought them here for that reason?" The Divine Tree, Al, rubbed her forehead in frustration, addressing Davey.

"There's an empty house, right? Just monitor them."

The only entity capable of effectively monitoring the Princess of the Abyss in this world was the Divine Tree. Even if the current Verdandi was not as dangerous as others, her essence had not disappeared.

"Ugh, even so, humans... The children of this forest aren't familiar with human life, you know?"

"You're lying." Davey chuckled. "There are elves who still defy the words of the Divine Tree, even risking their lives."

Al threw the fruit she had in her hands at Davey. "Oh, you naughty thing. There’s never been a ticking time bomb like this."

Davey caught the fruit Al threw, turned around, and said, "Then, I'll leave it to you."

He then took a big bite from the fruit. "Hmm, this tastes better than I thought. Nice aroma too."

"Wait! What are you eating right now?" Al asked, looking puzzled.

Davey, still chewing, looked back at Al in confusion. "Isn't this edible?"

Al, with a stiff expression, replied, "That's... from that creature."

She pointed to a creature that looked like a beautiful deer standing not far away.

"The fruit came from…that?"

"When those creatures exchange organs, they vomit that ‘fruit’ out. It's their stomach."

At the same time, Reina, who was beside Davey, took a few steps back in shock. Even Perserque, who was perched on Davey's shoulder, quickly flew away.

"Perserque... Reina."

"Stay away."

"I've eaten some weird things, but this is... quite something," Reina exclaimed.

Davey, not minding the looks of the others, took another bite and said, "It's tasty."

New foods were always welcome. Everyone around Davey looked horrified.

"You're still eating that?!" exclaimed Reina.

"It's delicious. You should try it."

After all, was Davey not the same person who chewed on insect legs as if they were steel bars?