The Lowest-Ranked Hero Has Returned

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Chapter 184: Field Trip (3)

One of the Five Great Heroes.

The Thermal region, famous for being home to the tomb of Grace, the Light of Life, one of the Five Great Heroes.

Having the tomb of a great hero alone would be enough to make this place a renowned tourist destination.

On top of that, the Thermal region also boasts warm hot springs that bubble up across the area.

A place with a historically significant tomb and hot springs perfect for relaxation—it didn’t take long for the Thermal region to become one of the most popular tourist destinations among the Three Nations.

Among the accommodations in Thermal, the hot spring inn known for hosting the largest number of guests stands out.

Its main building wasn't particularly beautiful as a facility designed to accommodate large numbers.

However, the annex, built a short distance away, told a very different story.

Unlike the main building, which was packed tightly like a chicken coop, the annex was surrounded by a naturally crafted landscape that made it feel like stepping into the middle of a forest.

“Wow…”

Yurina—or rather, Yuren—let out a gasp of awe as she looked around the room.

The view of the beautiful garden and pond outside the window, the subtle sulfur scent wafting in the air, and the clean, well-maintained interior—all of it left her impressed.

Even someone like her, who was born into a noble family and accustomed to luxurious accommodations, couldn’t help but admire the place.

“Hehe, all that hard work fighting the Demonic Beast Legion finally paid off.”

As soon as Yurina entered the room, she threw down her bag along with her pendant, transforming back into her female form.

Her face lit up with excitement as she scanned the room.

The view outside the window and the pristine interior were appealing enough, but what excited her the most was...

“Isn’t it nice, Dale?”

Dale entered the room after her and responded,

“Yeah, it’s clean and comfortable.”

Watching Yurina hum a little tune with a cheerful expression, I gave an awkward smile.

We’d lived together briefly before, but back then, at least we had separate rooms, so it wasn’t as awkward.

‘For a “deluxe room,” it’s not particularly spacious.’

It made sense, of course—how could you expect separate rooms in a two-person room at an inn?

At least the beds were separate, which was a small consolation.

“…Sorry. I didn’t ask you beforehand, so this must’ve caught you off guard,”

Yurina said, noticing my less-than-cheerful expression.

Her tone and demeanor reminded me of Lanez, which made me chuckle softly and shake my head.

“No, it’s fine. In fact, I’m grateful you invited me. Otherwise, I’d be stuck sharing a room with Albert or Berald…”

I could tolerate Albert, but sharing a room with Berald?

Absolutely not.

‘After all, I’ve already suffered enough in my past life because of his snoring.’

Not even joking—Berald’s snoring once scared off a demonic beast that was approaching our campsite.

“Hmph. So you’d rather not share a room with another guy?”

“Huh? No, that’s not it…”

“Dale, you’re such a flirt.”

Yurina blushed, giggling shyly as she moved closer to me and gently took my hand.

Her silvery hair cascaded down her shoulders, carrying a faintly sweet fragrance.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

“Well, isn’t it lucky? You ended up sharing a room with me, who’s really a girl inside.”

“……”

Where did she even learn to act this coy?

Her playful smile and the way she lightly brushed her fingers against mine had my heart pounding erratically.

“Should we ask the inn for something?”

“…What?”

“A single bed.”

“……”

This is dangerous.

I’m reaching the limits of my self-control.

“…Dale.”

“……”

Our gazes locked.

Our faces drew so close that I could feel her breath when—

Ding!

[A notification to all candidates: Please gather at the dining hall after dropping off your belongings.]

The clear chime of the Hero Watch interrupted the moment.

“Oh, right! Food! We should eat first!”

“Ahem. Y-yeah, put your pendant back on already.”

Hurriedly stepping apart, we both tried to regain our composure.

“Let’s go, Dale.”

Yurina returned to her male form as Yuren by putting her pendant back on, and together, we headed to the dining hall.

“Oh, there you are.”

A familiar voice stopped us.

“…Professor Elisha?”

“Deluxe room guests are to dine at a separate hall in the annex, not the main building.”

“Oh, I see.”

Nodding, I approached her.

“But what brings you here, Professor?”

“You’re award-winning candidates. I can’t very well leave you unsupervised, can I?”

“Ah, that makes sense.”

So, she was serving as a sort of supervising professor.

“My room is also in the annex, so feel free to stop by if you’d like, Candidate Dale.”

With a seductive voice, Professor Elisha tugged lightly at the tie around my neck.

“Isn’t it against the rules to invite students of the opposite sex to your room, Professor?”

Yuren scowled at her, pulling me back as he glared daggers at Professor Elisha.

Elisha merely shrugged off the hostility with a smirk.

“Professors have their own privileges, you see.”

“Hah. That’s a piece of information I really didn’t need.”

“Then again, Candidate Yuren, you seem to be enjoying your own privileges as well, don’t you?”

“Well, I have unavoidable circumstances, that’s all.”

“How very convenient those circumstances are.”

The two stared daggers at each other, the tension between them growing colder by the second.

At that moment—

“Ah, so this is where everyone is.”

Iris and Camilla appeared in the hallway, breaking the icy atmosphere.

The tension eased slightly as the two approached, and we waited in the corridor for the other deluxe room candidates.

“Deluxe candidates eat separately in the annex dining hall?”

“Yeah, that’s what I heard.”

Sophia appeared from the far end of the hallway, with Lanez trailing nervously behind her.

“Ah, Dale!”

Spotting me, Lanez hurried over like a puppy reuniting with its owner.

“How’s your room?”

“I-I like it. The view is beautiful, and… um…”

She glanced nervously at Sophia.

Not yet comfortable with her, Lanez’s eyes held a hint of fear when looking at Sophia.

Sophia, noticing this, turned away sharply, crossing her arms.

“…If I make you uncomfortable, feel free to switch rooms.”

“N-no! It’s not that! Not at all!”

Shaking her head frantically, Lanez moved closer and timidly tugged at Sophia’s sleeve.

“I… I know. Sophia… used her invitation ticket… for me.”

[Translator - Night]

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For Lanez, sharing a six-person room with strangers would have been akin to torture.

Understanding this, Sophia used her invitation ticket to bring Lanez into her room.

“I know… Sophia may seem scary… but I’ve always known… she’s been looking out for me.”

“…Looking out for you? Who says I ever did that?”

Sophia turned her head away brusquely, but guilt was written all over her face.

Before Lanez had been rescued by Dale, Sophia had been aware of the bullying but chose to ignore it.

She had turned a blind eye, telling herself it wasn’t her problem.

"...No, when we first entered school... I tripped, and you helped me up, even gave me a handkerchief because my clothes got dirty."

"When was that? I don't remember doing anything like that..."

"Even if you don't remember, Sophia, I do."

Lanez tugged gently on Sophia's sleeve.

"It's just... I'm still not used to this thing called 'friendship'."

"...Hmph."

Sophia snorted, feigning indifference as she toyed with her hair.

"By the way, where's Berald?"

"Here we are, all gathered!"

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.

Berald waved as he walked over.

"Haha! The suite is amazing—no wonder it's called a special room!"

"Berald! Wait for me!"

Walking alongside Berald was a delicate-looking blond man.

"Juliet?"

"Ahaha. Hey, Dale."

"Are you sharing a room with Berald?"

"Uh, yeah. I didn't do much during the war... I feel kind of bad about it."

"Haha! Juliet, don't forget the favor you did for me during summer break!"

Berald laughed heartily and slapped Juliet's shoulder.

"So, that leaves... the rest of the candidates, then?"

"This is everyone."

"Hmm? What about Albert and Aaron?"

"Aaron isn't attending the trip due to personal reasons, and Albert refused to use the suite and opted to stay in the shared six-person room with the others."

"Oh."

Albert, that guy.

Looks like he gave up entirely after dealing with the other candidates.

"Alright then, let's head straight to the hot springs."

"Huh? Not the dining hall?"

"They said the dining hall in this annex has a different schedule than the main building. We'll eat later."

"Ah, I see."

Following Professor Elisha, we headed toward the hot springs.

"See you all at the entrance in an hour."

"Understood."

The path split between the men’s and women’s baths.

Heading to the men’s side were me, Berald, Juliet, and...

Yuren.

"Hold on."

Thunk.

Iris grabbed Yuren by the back of the neck.

"Where do you think you’re going?"

"I... uh..."

"Oh my, how convenient. Looks like everyone here knows your little secret, Yuren—or should I say Yurina?"

Iris smiled sweetly.

Yurina clicked her tongue and turned toward the women’s bath.

And so, Yurina joined the women’s side.

As expected of an annex hot spring, no one else was there except those of us staying in the suites.

Scrrrk. Scrrrk.

In the changing room, as everyone was undressing before entering the hot spring, their gaze naturally turned toward one person.

"...Why are you all staring at me like that?"

Iris crossed her arms over her chest, noticing how everyone's attention was focused—no, to be precise, directed at her chest.

Squelch.

It was futile, of course.

Her arms couldn’t possibly conceal the massive presence, which only seemed to emphasize itself further as she pressed against it.

"...It's always so overwhelming."

"Professor Elisha, you're no slouch yourself."

"Haha, hardly a match for you, Iris."

Elisha shrugged off her clothes casually, followed by Yurina.

"Oh-ho, I don’t often see you like this, Yurina. Quite impressive."

"Ah! D-Don’t touch me!"

Amid such a cheerful atmosphere of banter between the "blessed," in the corner of the changing room...

"Ugh."

"Kh..."

Those "not blessed," like Camilla and Sophia, quickly hid their bodies in towels, their resentment brewing as they glared at the others with eyes full of revolution.

"Hehe. It feels like a dream, all of us together in a hot spring."

"Lanez, come here."

"Huh? Why?"

"This area belongs to the blessed ones."

Sophia pulled Lanez by the arm.

Lanez tilted her head in confusion as she began undressing.

And then...

Boing.

An unacceptable sound reverberated in the ears of the "not blessed."

"L-Lanez... w-what is that?"

"Huh? What do you mean? Is something wrong with me?"

"N-No..."

Normally hunched over in loose-fitting clothes, no one had noticed.

But hidden beneath the thick layers, two ample fruits lay waiting, their size more than enough to mock the unblessed.

"Y-You traitor!"

Though not as enormous as Iris, they were likely comparable—or even superior—to those of Yurina or Professor Elisha.

Sophia glared at Lanez, her eyes burning with betrayal.

"You said we were friends...! Friends, you said...!!!"

As the chill of the season swept through the air, the tears of the unblessed soaked the earth.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

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