The Lowest-Ranked Hero Has Returned-Chapter 278

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Chapter 278: War (2)

[We don’t know why the demons suddenly began gathering under the Archbishop of Destruction.]

As Professor Elisha trailed off with a troubled expression,

Empress Camellia’s signature languid voice echoed through the room.

[If that is what Elisha suspects, then I believe it right to follow her judgment.]

“…Your Majesty?”

Perhaps she hadn't expected Camellia to speak in her defense.

Elisha looked back at the Empress with a surprised expression.

[Isn’t it the deduction of none other than the ‘Spider with the Cursed Eye’? It's far more credible than the words of those who merely wave their hands from behind desks.]

With a look that seemed to say, “Don’t you agree?” she turned to Principal Lionel.

“…That’s unexpected. I never thought I’d see the day you’d listen to someone else’s words.”

[Hmph. Did you think me a foolish monarch who doesn’t even heed the advice of her own retainers?]

“No, that’s not what I meant…”

Lionel held back the words, Since when has Professor Elisha been your retainer?, and let out a deep sigh.

“War…”

Since last year’s Sealing Festival, the demons had suddenly become more active, and it had been anticipated that such a day would come.

But now that war felt imminent, the weight on his shoulders grew heavier.

“First, we need to evacuate the candidates.”

If Elisha's theory was correct, and the demons were gathering under the Archbishop of Destruction, then there was no need to think deeply about what their target would be.

The Hero Academy.

More precisely, the abyss beneath the Hero Academy.

They would march toward the place where the five great heroes had sealed the Demon God five hundred years ago.

[We’ll prepare a temple in the Holy Kingdom where the candidates can stay.]

[If needed, there are plenty of empty rooms in the Imperial Palace as well.]

As everyone prepared to evacuate the candidates from the Academy—soon to become a battlefield—

“No.”

I quietly shook my head and continued.

“If we evacuate the candidates right away, the damage might actually be worse.”

Normally, a mere candidate shouldn’t dare speak in front of the leaders of each nation.

But now wasn’t the time to worry about such formalities.

“What do you mean by that?”

“They’re not idiots. If they find out all the candidates have been evacuated, they’ll realize we’re on alert and avoid launching a full-scale assault.”

“…And then?”

“They might instead target the Empire, the Holy Kingdom, or the Republic. They’re well aware that the main fighting force of the heroes is concentrated at the Hero Academy.”

[So, you mean to say that in order to disperse the heroes’ power, they might attack other nations first?]

“Yes.”

If that happened, it would result in mass slaughter in the Empire, Holy Kingdom, and Republic—regions left practically undefended.

That’s exactly the tactic they used in my past life.

The Allied Nations had gathered their forces at the Hero Academy to face the demon army, only for the demons to exploit that and attack other regions, forcing the heroes to split their forces.

The heroes were caught in a dilemma: if they left the Academy, the demons would charge the abyss, but if they stayed, they’d have to watch as their people were massacred.

That internal division it caused was devastating, too.

In any case,

They couldn’t afford to repeat the same mistake.

“We need to lure them into the Academy and wipe them out in one decisive blow.”

To do that, the enemy must not realize we’re preparing for war.

“So what you’re saying is…”

Principal Lionel narrowed his eyes sharply.

“You want to use the candidates as bait?”

“…Yes, that’s right.”

“You…!”

Crackling—!

Blue sparks erupted around Principal Lionel’s body.

“How can you say something so outrageous…!”

[Calm yourself, Lionel.]

“Do you expect me to calm down right now?!”

[It’s not as if he said something wrong.]

Empress Camellia narrowed her eyes as she spoke.

[As Dale said, the more we prepare, the more cautious the enemy will become.]

“Ha. You’ve been showing some interest in Candidate Dale lately, but have you gone mad? How could you even consider sacrificing the candidates?!”

[So then, are you saying it’s fine if other people die instead of the candidates?]

“That’s…”

Flinch.

Lionel found himself at a loss for words.

[If we focus all our forces on the Hero Academy, and the demons attack elsewhere, will you just sit here guarding the Academy while citizens of the Republic are slaughtered?]

“……”

[For the record, I will not do that. As the Empress of the Empire, I have a duty to protect my people.]

“Camellia, you…”

Lionel trailed off with a complicated expression.

[What if we use the warp gate?]

Pope Marianne, who had been silently listening, finally spoke.

[The moment war breaks out, we evacuate the candidates using the warp gate in Valhalla City.]

“The warp gate in Valhalla City…”

Lionel’s gaze grew heavy.

“The Valhalla City warp gate will become the demons’ top target the moment war begins.”

Just because the demons were driven by the destructive impulse of the Demon God’s stigma didn’t mean they had completely lost their intellect like beasts.

The warp gate in Valhalla City, connected to the capitals of each nation, would undoubtedly be seized first.

“Besides, we’d have to get the candidates outside the school to even use that warp gate, wouldn’t we?”

The Hero Academy and Valhalla City were farther apart than most people realized.

Getting the candidates through the demon army to the gate would be harder than just defending the Academy itself.

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On top of that, if they kept the candidates near Valhalla City from the start, the whole bait strategy would fall apart.

“There’s also a warp gate inside the Academy, isn’t there?”

“Inside the Academy?”

Lionel frowned and let out a bitter laugh.

“Surely, you’re not talking about that proposal from the summit?”

“Yes. I heard construction has already begun.”

“It has, but it’ll take at least a few more months to complete.”

The pinnacle of magitech, capable of transporting users instantly regardless of distance.

A warp gate wasn’t something that could be built overnight, no matter how absurdly powerful it was.

At the shortest, it took months.

At the longest, years.

“You don’t have to finish it. Just one use—enough to evacuate the cadets from the academy.”

“You mean… a disposable warp gate?”

“Yes.”

“…Come to think of it, you were part of the Warrior Division.”

Haa…

President Lionel let out a deep sigh and shook his head.

“A warp gate is essentially a tunnel between two points in space. Whether it's for single use or long-term operation, the effort required is about the same.”

“But it’s not impossible to make, is it?”

“No, it’s not. In theory, anyway.”

Imagine trying to dig a tunnel through a massive mountain.

Skipping all the months of digging, excavation, and reinforcing the ceiling to prevent collapse—just doing it all at once—how much ridiculous energy would that even take?

“If you were transporting just one or two people, maybe. But to move thousands of cadets? You’d need a literally astronomical amount of mana.”

There’s a reason warp gates were only found in capital cities or major urban centers.

Building even one warp gate required an almost incomprehensible amount of manpower and mana.

“Astronomical mana… Can you be more specific?”

“Let’s just say even if the Empress poured out all of her mana, it wouldn’t come close.”

Lionel sighed and shook his head.

[Hmph. How dare he compare anything to my mana. How arrogant.]

Empress Camellia, watching through the hologram, frowned at the remark but didn’t argue.

Even she knew just how outrageous the mana cost was to create a warp gate in a short time.

“Even if we started gathering all the mana stones on the continent right now, it’d take at least a month to build.”

The shorter the construction time for a warp gate, the more mana it required—not linearly, but exponentially.

With war looming on the horizon…

There was no way to complete one in time.

“Unless we have infinite mana, using a warp gate inside the academy is out of the question.”

“Infinite, huh.”

I smirked.

Fwoosh!

Ashen flames burst forth, wrapping around my body.

Mana surged from my stigmata, filling the room.

“…What are you doing?”

“I’d like you to see for yourself just how much mana I have.”

“Hah.”

Lionel let out a scoffing laugh, clearly thinking this was absurd.

“For a cadet, your mana is impressive… but it’s nowhere near enough.”

“Really?”

Then how about this—

FWOOOOSH!

The ashen flames blazed even fiercer, consuming my whole body.

Thick gray smoke poured from my pores and filled the room.

“How about now?”

“You… what the hell…”

Lionel’s eyes widened in disbelief.

He knew Dale was far from an ordinary cadet, but he had no idea he possessed this ridiculous level of mana.

However…

“…You’d still need more to activate a warp gate.”

“Is that so?”

Then I guess there’s no choice.

FWOOOOOOSH!

“No.”

FWOOOOOOOOOSH!!!

“W-Wait! You’ll bring the ceiling down!”

FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!!!!

An endless torrent of mana exploded outward.

The entire main building where the president’s office was located—no, the entire academy—began to shake as if an earthquake had struck.

“What the hell is this guy?!”

Lionel’s eyes were filled with shock.

“Well?”

Dale, now entirely wrapped in ashen flames—or perhaps become the ashen flames themselves—glanced back at Lionel with a grin.

“Is this enough for you?”

“……”

Silence fell over the room.

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