The Last Place Hero's Return

Chapter 254: Summit Conference (1)

Inside the lounge on the second floor of the party house, a chill like that of a winter night had settled into the air. Sitting beside me, Laneige clung to my arm and shot a ferocious glare at Camellia. Her eyes brimmed with killing intent, releasing a frost-sharp aura of her Blessing. Thankfully, perhaps due to her sense of restraint, the worst-case scenario—her launching herself at Camellia without warning—did not come to pass.

Camellia glanced sidelong at Laneige, her trademark languid smile playing on her lips. “Hm, I see. The information that you’re involved with several women really was true. The sweeter the flower, the more bees it attracts. Such is the law of nature. As expected of a man who caught my eye.”

I looked at Camellia and let out a quiet sigh. “I believe I already gave you my answer back then.”

Camellia shrugged as she replied, “Hehe. I remember.”

For an instant, a bitter emotion flickered across her eyes. However, she immediately returned to her usual arrogant expression and looked around the room. “Still, is it proper to welcome a guest without offering even a drink?”

“You’re a guest we never invited,” I replied.

“Hm. And yet, I personally came to visit this cramped little room. Do you intend to offer me nothing?”

“Understood. Please wait a moment.”

With another sigh, I stood up and rummaged through the cupboard. I took out some instant coffee from the Republic that I had stocked up on for breaks and poured it into a cup.

Laneige scurried after me and pulled a small bottle filled with an unidentified liquid from her chest. “D-Dale, t-this, s-should I secretly p-put it in?”

“What is that?”

“Uh, it-it’s a medicine that makes you sleepy.”

“Why are you even carrying something like that?”

“I-I was planning to, um, u-use it on you later, D-Dale.”

I see. Thanks for the honest answer, Laneige.

I replied, “For now, we’ll just throw this aside.”

“N-no!” Laneige exclaimed.

I forcibly took the sleeping potion from Laneige and poured it down the sink. “Even if you put it in, it wouldn’t work anyway.”

There was no way a mere sleeping drug would affect a hero who had stepped into the demigod realm.

Laneige looked at me. “T-then how about a medicine that makes you feel good, ah. N-no, I guess this one shouldn’t be used either.”

Where are you even getting all these drugs?

“No. Just wait a moment. Laneige. Our guest is the Empress of the Empire. I get how you feel, but you absolutely cannot cause an incident.”

Biting her lip, Laneige nodded reluctantly. “Ugh, o-okay.”

Leaving her behind, I handed the cup of instant coffee to Empress Camellia. It was cheap coffee, surely not to the taste of someone accustomed to only the finest blends.

“Thank you.” Camellia took a small sip, a faint smile forming at the corner of her lips.

“By the way, is it truly all right for you to be walking around without any guards, Your Majesty?” I asked.

“Hehe. And who would dare presume to guard me?”

I had no words. She wasn’t wrong.

Changing the topic, I asked, “You said earlier that you came because of a summit conference.”

“Compared to that, my desire to see your face again was the greater reason.”

No. Please, Your Majesty. Enough. If you keep that up, I won’t be able to hold Laneige back.

Camellia leisurely drank her coffee, clearly enjoying my reaction. “Hehe. I’m joking.”

“Hah. So, what exactly is this summit conference?”

“It’s a gathering of the heroes ranked within the top five, those commonly called Masters.”

“Masters?”

Master was a title bestowed upon heroes ranked within the top five of the Tri-Nation Hero Rankings. The current members, ranked in decreasing order, were the Empress, Camellia Padsha; the Pope, Marianne; the Thunder God, Lionel Ryu; the Sword of the Holy Empire, Johan Basilio; and the Falling Petal Sword, Khalid Han.

This was not a position one could reach through strength alone. Only those who possessed enough authority to move an entire nation could earn the title of Master. Among them, Empress Camellia represented the Empire; Marianne and Johan Basilio, the Holy Empire; and Lionel Ryu, the Republic. As for Khalid Han, the Falling Petal Sword, he was said to be the leader of the largest mercenary corps on the continent. A gathering of these powerful figures did deserve to be called a summit.

I asked Camellia, “You’re saying that a meeting will be held here?”

“The Hero Academy lies at the very center of the continent. Is there a place more convenient for everyone to gather? Besides, one of the Masters currently serves as its headmaster.”

“That does make sense.”

Still, having all the Masters converge on the Hero Academy was a big matter. Something similar had happened in my previous life as well.

“For what purpose are you all gathering?” I asked.

“It is confidential, but in any case, I suppose I should tell you.” Camellia shrugged and continued, “The reason the Masters are gathering is to form the Tri-Nation Alliance.”

“Ah!”

In my previous life, the Tri-Nation Alliance had only been formed after the demons launched their large-scale invasion. The future really had changed. Since the assassination attempt on Camellia had failed, the formation of the alliance had definitely been brought forward considerably.

“Have all your questions been answered now?” Camellia asked.

“Y-yes. Thank you for explaining,” I replied.

“Hehe. There is no need for thanks. Are we not close enough to spare these words?”

What exactly are we, anyway?

Camellia, who had been sipping her coffee, turned her head toward Laneige. “By the way, was it Laneige, you said?”

Laneige glared back at Camellia with wary eyes, like a wildcat whose tail had been stepped on. She clung tightly to my arm as if it were her most prized possession, grinding her teeth. “Eek! If you’re thinking of taking D-Dale away from me, then even if you’re the Empress, I-I won’t forgive you!”

Camellia’s eyes widened slightly as she tilted her head in puzzlement. “Hm? Why would I take Dale away from you?”

“Huh?”

Perhaps she hadn’t expected that answer, Laneige turned to Camellia, clearly flustered. “B-but before, you told P-Professor Baldwin to b-break up with Dale, didn’t you?”

“Ah, yes. I did.” Camellia shook her head with a bitter smile. “At the time, I was flustered by emotions I’d never experienced before. It may sound like an excuse, but even now, I still regret what I did.”

“Then...”

“I have no intention of taking Dale from you, so put your mind at ease.”

Laneige’s expression softened slightly, though only for a moment. Still not fully convinced, she narrowed her eyes suspiciously and tightened her grip on the arm wrapped around me. “Y-you think I’d just believe something like that?”

Though Laneige had grown up in a remote city on the outskirts of the Holy Empire, she had heard plenty of rumors about Camellia. Empress Camellia, the hero ranked first, was said to have reached the realm of a demigod. Hailed as the most powerful ruler in imperial history, she was a woman who stood above all others. She was also infamous as a voracious conqueror who would obtain whatever she desired, by any means necessary.

Camellia replied, “I don’t know what rumors you’ve heard about me, but I am not the shameless plunderer you imagine.”

Indeed, she had obtained everything she had ever wanted. But that wasn’t because of greed; it was simply because her power and authority were overwhelming enough to claim anything and still have more than enough left over.

Biting down hard on her lip, Laneige cried out, “B-but, Dale told me himself!”

“Hm? What did he say?”

“H-he said that Y-Your Majesty is r-really beautiful!”

Honestly, Camellia indeed looked so stunning that even another woman would gape at her in awe. Platinum-blonde hair like molten gold, alluring eyes, and an undeniable nobility that couldn’t be concealed even beneath plain traveling clothes. Above all, she had a tall, graceful figure, a slender waist, and long limbs, a physique that rivaled even Professor Baldwin’s.

Laneige let out a groan. Compared to Camellia, she felt like nothing more than a neighborhood kid. To put it simply, there wasn’t a single thing in which she surpassed Camellia, whether it was strength, power, or looks.

Laneige gnawed irritably at her fingernails, her eyes sharp with frustration. “T-that’s so unfair.”

She had felt similar emotions when facing Iris, Yurina, or Professor Baldwin, but Camellia was on another level entirely.

However, the very object of that jealousy, Camellia herself, stared wide-eyed, as if she had just heard something utterly unexpected. “What did you say? Oh? Hm. Heheh. Is that so? Dale really said that?”

Camellia’s shoulders trembled as she fought desperately to suppress the upward curl of her lips. But the next moment, regaining her composure, she hurriedly cleared her throat and turned to me. “A-ahem! And yet, knowing that, you still rejected the position of my consort?”

“Well, Your Majesty, your being beautiful and my becoming your consort are two entirely different matters.”

After all, a romantic relationship wasn’t formed based on looks alone.

“Hm. Still, it’s hard to say they’re completely unrelated, wouldn’t you agree?”

“That’s...”

She wasn’t wrong. Appearance played a far greater role in human relationships than people liked to admit. Even among the same sex, it mattered, so between men and women, it went without saying.

Camellia grinned. “Hehe. I would like to hear it directly from your own mouth, not through someone else.”

“Hear what?”

“That you find my appearance beautiful.” Camellia gazed at me with sparkling eyes, her face brimming with anticipation.

I replied, “I refuse to—”

Before I could finish, Camellia said, “Come to think of it, for all the bragging Lionel did, this party house feels a bit lacking in facilities.”

“Hah! Are you trying to buy me off with money right now?”

If so, you’ve got the wrong man.

“You could renovate the lounge entirely, and downstairs, was that a training hall? That could use some work as well.”

I will never give in to mere money.

“Oh, and Lionel was boasting about having built a hot spring underground here, but isn’t it just a glorified bathhouse? If you wish, I can build you a real hot spring right next to the party house.”

I w-won’t give in.

“Of course, one suitable for mixed bathing.” She had added the final blow.

I immediately replied, “Empress Camellia, you are breathtakingly beautiful.”

Camellia closed her eyes gently, savoring the words she had just heard. Her lips twitched upward, then she shivered a little. “Yes. I... I’m beautiful.”

Wearing the most dazed, lovestruck expression I had ever seen on her, Camellia smiled blissfully, in an utterly dazzling manner.