The Max Level Hero Has Returned!

Chapter 1404

The ruins were only a day’s worth of travel away. While reaching the area would be a breeze if they rode Megalodria, getting to the specific spot would pose a real problem.

It wasn't just a small ruin, instead massive and stretching across the horizon.

The local lord had already sent in a bunch of survey teams to scope out the sudden appearance. Sure, Megalodria was a common sight in Heins Territory, but bringing it anywhere else would only cause panic. A draconic Evil Beast King wasn’t exactly a purple dinosaur telling kids ‘I love you, you love me, we’re a happy family,’ after all.

Davey knew people were just trying to go about their lives, and he didn't want to create unnecessary trouble.

Boom!

[It feels strange. It’s exactly like that first time I showed up in this world.]

“When you first came to Tionis?” Davey asked Megalodria.

[Yes... It feels like I’ve come to some alien planet, there’s no other way to put it. Not that this is a problem. Anyway, it’s that way. If I’m picking up on the energy this far out, its influence must be pretty extreme.]

“Anyone else feeling anything?” he asked the others.

“Hmm. Nope.”

Most of the group, Yuria included, couldn't sense a thing.

Perhaps Megalodria was just more sensitive to it since it was a summon.

[If it were up to me, I’d steer clear of this place. Honestly, the air here feels like it’s actively rejecting me. It’s irritating as hell.]

“Alright, you can head back,” Davey relented. “You did good.”

[Be careful, Contractor. I’ve got a bad feeling about this place.]

Letting out a final snort, it slowly took off into the air.

Davey activated the unmanned transport carriage that was commonly used in Heins. The prototype was first developed in Heins, and high-ranking mages had recently begun copying and reverse-engineering it, resulting in similar models appearing.

It didn't require horse feed or any of the usual upkeep concerns, though its maintenance costs were high enough that few places actually used them.

The one in front of him, however, had been made in Heins. It was fundamentally different from the ones with crude imitations made elsewhere.

He figured using it probably wouldn't cause any major problems, but it’d inevitably draw attention. When he arrived at the road leading into the forest where the ruins were located, a noble recognized him and approached.

He called out, “Welcome, Grand Duke! We heard the news from Heins.”

“It’s been a while, Viscount Berto.”

“Oh! For you to remember a low-ranking noble like me... I’m truly honored.” He reported with a servile smile, “His Majesty ordered an urgent investigation, but things have been dragging. It’s a huge relief that you’re finally here.”

Davey was surprised. “Didn’t the survey and exploration teams start already?”

“Well... things are more complicated than we expected. Regardless, please, don't stand out here in the open. Come into my tent, and I’ll fill you in.” He ushered them inside smoothly.

“You’re stationed here?”

“Yes. His Majesty ordered the royal family to supervise the reports directly, so here I am.”

While he might come across as excessively submissive, Davey could already tell that the man was actually quite competent when it came to administration. Then again, he didn't expect much from most nobles to begin with, so someone at that level was merely exceptional.

“Go ahead and fill me in on the details,” Davey requested.

“Right. Well, reports show that the forest where the ruins appeared used to be a dense woodland. Monsters would show up occasionally, but nothing out of the ordinary ever happened. That is, until a red lightning bolt struck.”

He unrolled an old map he had prepared in advance, continuing, “This is how the forest looked before the event. Generations of herbalists managed this land. It was my ancestors' life's work.”

“Hmm.”

“But...” he began. He swapped it out for a second one, printed on different paper, before finishing, “this is the current map.”

“Oh?”

Although it was the same area, the terrain shown on the map was different. Instead of seeming as if the land had been flipped upside down, terrain that should’ve taken thousands or even tens of thousands of years to change had somehow changed seemingly overnight.

“The entire region changed,” the man said with a gulp.

“And this happened in three days?” Davey found it hard to believe.

“Well... His Majesty ordered it kept under wraps, but this actually started a few months ago,” he mumbled. “The red lightning that caused the ruins to surface had been spotted a few times before. It looked... ominous, so we kept it quiet to prevent any panic. The changes started right after its first appearance.”

The terrain had shifted months before, yet the ruins had only recently surfaced. There must be a reason for the odd timing.

“The ruins only appeared a few days ago. When I reported it to the king, he ordered me to run a secret investigation first, so...”

Davey didn’t want to sit through a long-winded self-serving explanation longer than he had to. He interrupted and asked, “So you’ve been poking around the forest for a couple of months? What about the ruins themselves?”

“We believe they’re here.” He pointed to a building-shaped sketch on the corner of the new map. “We’re just not done searching yet.

We kept the forest off limits after the lightning first appeared. We discovered that the ecosystem was completely flipped around and shifted. There are animals, fruits, and even mushrooms that we’ve never even seen before, let alone in the local area. We were keeping people out and suppressing the news because of potential danger, but that was rendered pointless once the ruins actually showed up.”

The rumors had immediately started leaking out. Unable to keep a lid on it anymore, Viscount Berto had decided to make the investigation public.

“We authorized the investigation immediately after the ruins appeared. That's why so many people have gathered here. As for the survey of this forest, I'm personally responsible for a large part of it, so I've been stationed out here myself.”

Yuria walked forward and began, “Ummm, Gracious Savior?”

“Hmm?”

“Can Rinne and I check out the plants and mushrooms in the safe zones?”

Come to think of it, that had been her goal from the start.

With Rinne’s combat ability and Yuria being capable of protecting herself to some extent, Davey figured they’d be fine. He advised, “Don't go in too deep. Just look around the area and be careful. If it looks dangerous...”

“Don't worry, Gracious Savior,” Yuria assured him.

Davey turned back to the man. “Viscount, I’d like to check out the ruins.”

“Forgive me, Grand Duke, but may I ask why?” He was clearly worried that his presence would complicate things.

“There’s just something I need to confirm,” Davey vaguely offered.

“If you insist, I’m not in the position to refuse,” the man said with a wry smile.

Davey sat back, crossed his legs, and gave him a cold smile that wiped the color right off his face. “Viscount, is there something you want from me?”

“Th... That is...”

“Are you worried that if I go poking around, the advantages your people are drawing from this place will vanish?”

His eyes darted around nervously before he lowered his head. “As you know, Grand Duke, our territory doesn't have any major exports. We’ve always been struggling financially. This is the first real chance we’ve had to turn things around and stimulate our economy.”

He definitely didn't want to lose the money all the visiting newcomers brought in.

When Davey’s expression turned slightly cold, he hurriedly tried to explain himself. “Ah. Of course, I understand how dangerous it is to prioritize my own interests when this could truly be hazardous...”

Then he bowed deeply. “Please... Please spare us. Our territory has been enjoying an unprecedented boom for the past several days. I don't know how long it’ll last, but please leave us at least this little opportunity!”

Davey gave a smirk. “You don't need to worry about that, Viscount.”

“Please, forgive... Huh?” He looked up, stunned.

“You said the ecology of the forest changed, right?”

“T-that’s right,” he confirmed.

“I’ll need to test the samples to be sure, but if this works out, your territory will be the only place on the continent that can export these goods,” Davey advised with a smile. “You’ll all be better off before you know it. That is, provided you aren't too greedy about it.”

The viscount stared at Davey, dumbfounded, before bowing again with a terrified yet relieved expression. “T-thank you for your mercy!”

“And I’m here for a personal investigation,” Davey informed him with a smirk screaming ‘quid pro quo.’ “If you were to refuse, I won't have the right authority to move around.”

The man immediately picked up what Davey was putting down. “What are you saying?! If you want to go in, I’ll clear the way for you—even if it costs me my life!”

Davey waved his hand. “Save that kind of respect and favor for Baris. I'll follow the rules and limit myself to my own business.”

“Understood!” He was a bootlicker, sure, but he wasn't malicious.

That was all that mattered to Davey.

* * *

Surprised by what she’d just witnessed, Josiah curiously asked, “Why do the nobles of Rowane start trembling whenever they see you, Teacher?”

Since Yuria and Rinne were moving separately, the only people with him were his disciple Josiah and Kouna. When he said he was taking Kouna with him to investigate the place, Reina looked extremely displeased. Yet once he assigned her a task, she left with a bright smile as if she'd never been upset in the first place.

He couldn’t tell whether she was simple-minded or blindly devoted.

Of course, from his perspective, Reina wasn’t the only problem.

“Could you step back a little?”

“Ah... Sorry.”

The bigger problem was Kouna.

Josiah finally couldn’t hold back and said, “Ummm. If you stay that close, Teacher can’t react properly if something happens. This place is still unknown territory.”

Kouna didn’t look offended at all. If anything, she seemed to be hiding how pleased she was.

Plants Davey had never seen before grew everywhere, along with glowing mushrooms. He had traveled across the Central Plains, Yurgian, Peslisa, and many other continents, but he had never encountered an ecosystem quite like what the ruin had created.

Oddly enough, it still felt surprisingly stable.

He reached out and touched one of the mushrooms, then frowned. “Wow. This thing is packed with poison up the wazoo. Definitely not edible.”

Kouna, who’d been about to touch it herself, flinched and pulled her hand back.

‘Surely those lunatics won’t go trying to eat everything they find here...’

Davey trusted they’d figure things out on their own.

“Teacher, there aren’t any dangerous animals around, but I can’t seem to find the ruins. Either the map changed or something.”

“The viscount did say the smaller terrain features constantly change.”

The major landmarks remained unchanged, but a path that had existed a couple days ago could suddenly be filled with dense trees.

The forest was such a mess that it was a miracle anyone had managed to make a map of it at all. It must have taken an expert cartographer.

“If it’s gonna be like this the whole way, maybe I should’ve brought Yuria along with us instead of letting her roam around. She’s a forest elf, after all.”

Surprisingly, there weren’t any nature spirits there, which made it difficult to ask spirits for directions.

He then thought about trying for the sky. Just as he was about to look for a clearing, Josiah suddenly sniffed the air and frowned before heading off in a certain direction.

“Hey? Josiah?”

“Teacher, I smell blood.”

Recognizing the oddity, he followed her deeper into the forest.

According to the viscount's map, there wasn't supposed to be a path. Granted, they'd already gotten lost since the terrain no longer matched the map in the first place.

It almost felt as if something was interfering with their detection magic.

Since carelessly smashing through things could cause problems, they’d started with carefully investigating the area. If there happened to be stranded explorers nearby, he knew helping them would be the right thing to do.

Yet, it didn’t take long to realize they weren’t dealing with innocent people who’d been stranded. They came upon an active crime scene almost immediately.

“Oh? We got spotted,” someone remarked.

Several figures holding bloodstained daggers looked at Davey, Josiah, and Kouna with strange expressions.

“What do we do?” the tallest among them asked.

One of the men beside him responded, “What do you mean, ‘what do we do?’ Why are you acting like this is your first time?”

The tall man shrugged and licked his lips.

The people on the ground appeared to be a young man and woman. Judging by their clothing, one was an explorer while the other was a mercenary. They’d already suffered fatal wounds, and were barely hanging on.

“Teacher? Looks like a fight broke out over some loot,” Josiah observed.

He nodded. He had heard too many stories of such things happening among mercenaries and adventurers.

While the group didn’t seem to know who Davey’s group was, their behavior looked far too practiced.

“What should we do?” Josiah asked.

In response, Kouna reached for the longsword at her waist. “I’ll—”

“Wait,” Davey interrupted, putting his arm in front of her. “Let’s confirm a few things first.”

He addressed the people he assumed were the murderers, asking, “Did you all come from the ruins?”

One of the men raised his sword threateningly. “And what’s it to ya? You still don’t understand your situation, do you buddy?”

“Alright, alright. Just relax,” one of the others advised his companion. “Let’s show a little mercy for people who are about to die anyway. Yeah, man, we wandered around for days and stumbled across the ruins by chance. The stuff in there sells for quite a bit, so we were bringing it back.”

“You managed to find the way?” Davey asked, surprised by their capability.

The apparent leader grinned as he answered, “The lord probably doesn’t know this, but there’s a pattern to how the paths change.”

‘Then I just need to use these guys to get to the ruins. Very nice.’

Just as Davey was about to tell Josiah to beat them up a little bit—

“Heh. Must be nice for a pretty boy to drag around two women everywhere you go. What are they, your whores? Looking at them, they’re pretty cute. Though, honestly... the girl with the staff looks way better than the flat one with the sword—”

Sling.

Thin red vertical lines abruptly appeared across both of the man’s arms.

“Huh?” For a moment, he didn’t understand what had happened.

Then both of his arms fell to the ground.

He rolled across the ground as blood sprayed everywhere, screaming, “ARRRGH!!!”

The others immediately drew their weapons, wary of the sudden attacker.

Yet, Kouna simply turned and looked at Davey.

“Hmm? Kouna?”

With an expression colder than a snow witch, she flicked the blood from her longsword and quietly said, “Flat girls can be charming too.”

Her words carried an almost frightening level of intensity. Davey didn’t know how to respond, and Josiah muttered, “Was she always like this?”

“I have no idea...”

“You broke her, Teacher. She wasn’t even this bad when she liked Abel.”

He gave Josiah a noogie. “Be quiet.”

* * *

A mushroom that emitted blue light and deadly poison ran away from Yuria using its roots like a bunch of legs.

“Catch that thing! I can already tell it’ll be good, just by the way it’s running away!!” she shouted excitedly.

A basket overflowing with fruit hung from her back. In both hands, she held strange rabbit-like creatures with sharp fangs by their ears. Whatever she had done to them, they looked utterly terrified and trembled despite looking like aggressive creatures themselves.

Nonetheless, Yuria remained completely carefree.

Rinne charged forward at incredible speed while carrying her dark-colored crowbar, quickly catching up and smashing the fleeing mushroom’s head, effectively decapitating it.

Crunch!!

The mushroom collapsed with a bizarre sound and poof.

Yuria practically drooled once she reached it.

“Yuria, Rinne evaluates that it contains deadly poison. Rinne analyzes as inedible.”

“Rinne, listen carefully. If you eat pufferfish poison the wrong way, it can kill you.”

Rinne didn’t even have a response.

“And snake wine can seriously injure people if prepared incorrectly.” Yet, despite her words, her eyes sparkled. “You think that kind of weaksauce will do anything to us? You’ll never discover the finest flavors without a spirit of adventure! Of course, I don’t care for dishes that are visually horrifying or excessively cruel.”

Davey’s concerns had absolutely no effect.

After being thoroughly brainwashed by Yuria, Riine thought about it for a moment before tearing off a piece of the mushroom's cap and chewing it.

Then her eyes lit up. “New flavor registered in database. Supreme flavor. Rinne evaluates this highly.”