The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Chapter 1265

"Rinne, today isn’t April Fool’s." Davey rose from his seat, voice cold and sharp.

Her joke had gone too far. The newborn had shown no issues!

He had used Sacred Grass to help the baby control his innate demonic force, and he had even monitored every single step throughout the birth to prevent any side effects for both Perserque and him.

Yet Rinne was suddenly claiming that the baby wasn’t breathing.

“Master Davey...” Yet, Rinne didn’t seem to have the energy to joke around. She rushed toward him, showing the baby she had been holding.

Davey and Perserque instantly went pale—they could feel instinctively that the baby wasn’t breathing.

“Ah... Aah...” Fear overtook Perserque. She grabbed at her own face, trembling violently, eyes darting madly. “Davey... Davey! Please...!”

He was the only one she could trust in that moment. He also had no intention of letting the situation spiral into abject tragedy.

Newborns were so fragile that any pressure, even the slightest, could potentially injure them severely.

He immediately moved to check the baby's condition and prepare emergency treatment.

“Hsshh! Pahh!” Suddenly, the baby gasped in a deep breath. Yet, oddly enough, his eyes were still shut like he was dead.

The thick tension in the room snapped all at once.

“Ahh...” Everyone exhaled at once in relief. Breathing meant the worst had passed.

What disturbed Davey was that he hadn’t done anything to fix it. The baby had simply recovered on his own. While that might initially seem like a relief, on the flip side, it meant he still had no idea what had caused the issue in the first place.

The baby was healthy, and his soul was fine as well. That only made the mystery more unsettling.

Perserque clutched the baby as tears streamed down her face, her hands trembling. Her face had gone completely pale.

“Davey... what did you do?” Illyna asked softly. She was the only one brave enough to break the silence and ask the question everyone was thinking.

“He’s fine,” Davey answered in an odd tone.

“Huh?”

“Sometimes newborns have trouble breathing at birth. He’s one of those cases. Don’t worry.”

Perserque stared at the baby in concern, then slowly closed her eyes and let a single tear fall with relief.

She had waited so long for the day she had a child. Davey understood how much the moment meant to her, and that was exactly why he couldn’t tell her the truth about what had just happened.

Since the baby had seemingly returned to perfect health, saying anything without evidence or certainty would only cause unnecessary anxiety. Considering how difficult the conditions were for the child to be born, the one who was most exhausted and worn out at that moment was no doubt Perserque herself.

Given that things weren’t certain yet, the priority was making sure she didn’t worry about any of it anymore.

“Still, just to be safe, I’ll run a proper exam. Aeonitia, lend me that over there,” Davey requested.

“Ah! Here.”

They gently laid the baby in the transparent incubator sitting on the large cart.

“We’ve run extensive clinical trials on the device. It won’t put any strain on his body,” Tiara explained.

Davey nodded, saying nothing more. Whether it was his attitude or his tone, Perserque noticed and hesitantly asked in a weak voice, “Davey... is there something wrong with the baby?”

“Nope! It’s just like how hospitals keep newborns under observation for two weeks. Since we’ve got an incubator right here already, we may as well use it. You can see him anytime you want.”

That seemed to finally reassure her. She gave a faint, relieved smile before abruptly falling asleep. While her body may have been healed, her mind and spirit were still incredibly exhausted from the ordeal.

Aeria offered to stay by her side, so Davey quietly stepped away from the bed.

* * *

Physically, there were no issues to be found.

Illyna suddenly asked Davey, "You lied, didn’t you?"

"Hm? What are you talking about?"

"Davey. Turn and look at me for a second."

He turned to look at Illyna, who had followed him. Her gaze was steady and unwavering.

"You lied, didn’t you?"

She must’ve picked up on one of the subtle habits he showed when lying.

“Other people might not notice, but when you lie, I can just tell,” she said gently with a soft, almost melting expression as she looked at the sleeping baby inside the incubator. “He’s too cute... It’s your other mama, little one...”

She then turned toward Davey again. “So? What’s wrong with him?”

“Honestly, I don’t know. He’s fine now, but I still can’t find the cause of what happened earlier.”

It wasn’t as simple as a rare or incurable disease. Davey wasn’t even sure if it belonged in the realm of medicine at all.

Illyna was surprised to hear that. “There’s something you don't even know?”

“That’s what makes this so frustrating.”

He had learned medicine directly from the Divine Physician Hypocria for a long period of time. Not only had he studied all existing knowledge, he’d internalized entire algorithms for diagnosing unknown illnesses.

Yet the anomaly that his newborn showed had broken all those algorithms and cause-and-effect structures of analysis.

“What if it’s serious?”

“I can’t even say for sure yet if it’s bad. I’ll need to investigate further. So don’t worry, just wait a little while.”

Illyna looked at the baby with a gloomy expression, then gave a small nod. “If I couldn’t trust you, who else would I trust?”

“Thanks.”

She gave a small, satisfied smile and gently ran her hand along the surface of the incubator. “Our little one... stay strong. Mommy will pray for you.”

Even if they didn’t share blood, it didn’t seem to matter to her at all.

After Illyna left, Davey stood silently for a while, looking down into the incubator.

The baby had black hair with soft silver strands mixed in. At first glance, it looked like premature graying, but the color was far too vibrant for that.

The child was so small and delicate that it seemed even a bit of pressure might shatter him. Davey felt short of breath in his presence. His hand even trembled slightly.

It had been the same with Darian and Evangeline. The moment a child entered the world, it was overwhelming for a parent. That was also the moment that one truly understood how devastating it could be to see their own child in pain.

Unlike Darian and Evangeline, who had both been strong and mischievous from the start, this one had been born with some kind of hidden issue.

“I’ll heal you right up, bud,” he murmured softly while gently holding the baby’s tiny hand. They were small enough to wrap with just two of his fingers. “So don’t you worry about a thing. Just grow up healthy.”

* * *

Davey was unable to find any medical explanation for the event, which meant it was time to consider other factors. He figured consulting his mentor to be the best option to start with.

“Ah? Hey, Davey.”

He had arrived in the Saint Sanctuary, a place where the heroes of the Hall were granted their authority and roles to maintain the balance of the world.

There, he met his mentor in medicine, the Divine Physician Hypocria.

“Hey, Sis.”

“It’s been a while. How goes it?” she asked. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

“Have you been well, Sister?”

In response to his polite question, she reached out and gave him a light smack on the head. “Acting all serious now that you’re a dad? You’re still just a reckless kid in my eyes.”

Regardless of his level of power or medical skill, it seemed she still saw him as her little apprentice.

“You look like you’ve got something on your mind.”

“I do,” he confirmed. Since he had planned to ask her about the current situation anyway, he explained what had happened with the newborn.

Once he had caught her up, he said, “I’ve seen a lot of cases, but I’ve never encountered one like this. Newborns not breathing immediately after birth isn’t uncommon, but...”

“You don’t think this is one of those simple cases, do you?” she wondered.

“No.”

Hypocria gave a gentle smile and walked over to him. She pulled him into a hug and softly patted his back. “It’s okay. It’s all going to be alright.”

“Do you have any guesses?” he asked with hope in his eyes.

“Is he that precious to you?”

“If my own child isn’t precious, then what is?”

There was a time when he couldn’t understand paternal and maternal love. Even though people talked about how strong those bonds were, he had doubted whether they were real.

However, now that he’d gone through it himself, he realized just how different the world became with a child.

“That’s why I still say you’re inexperienced. You haven’t faced something like this before.” Instead of an answer, she only offered comfort. Normally, he would’ve argued that they didn’t have time for this. Yet, this time, he stayed quiet since he knew every one of her gestures was an act of care.

She finally told him, “And I’m sorry, but I’m not much help this time.”

“No, don’t be. I’ve studied medicine under you for hundreds of years, after all. It’s not like I expected some miracle answer, especially when we’re not even looking at the patient for a direct examination.”

“True. I’m just a lowly medical scholar who happens to have divine powers, not some almighty god.” Even if she held divine authority. “But Davey, think carefully about your child.”

“What do you mean...?”

“Is your child human?”

He reflexively started to nod, then stopped himself.

Perserque wasn’t human. Even without horns, her origin was unmistakably demonic. Still, even among demon-human hybrids, this kind of case was unheard of.

While he hesitated in thought, she threw out another hint. “Is your wife a demon?”

“Well, of course she—Ah!” He stopped mid-sentence.

The premise itself had been wrong from the start. The Queen of the Abyss. A side of Thanatos. Perserque wasn’t just a demon.

“Even though she metamorphosed her false body and claimed a new one, she’s not just a simple demon. When Thanatos vanished, the power of the Abyss disappeared with her, yet traces of that power likely still remain inside Perserque.”

It was, after all, part of what made up her foundation. Much like how Isildi had remained alive even after the Abyss was erased, Perserque too must still carry remnants of it.

The newborn was not just a demon-human hybrid. He was also a hybrid of the Abyss.”

That hint struck him like lightning. “Thank you! I think I see the path now.”

If he stopped thinking of the baby as just a hybrid of human and demon, and instead considered the child’s mix of human, demon, and the lingering Abyss within Perserque, it seemed he could find the answer.

“There we go! That’s my student. Oh, and it looks like the goddess wants a word with you too.”

At her words, Davey turned his gaze to Goddess Freyja.

Barefoot and expressionless, she approached him silently, then looked up into his eyes. She gently placed a hand over his chest.

At that moment, his clothes transformed, and he suddenly wore a crisp white medical coat. As Davey stared blankly at her, the goddess gave him a thumbs-up and then held up her tablet.

[Nice. Very cool.]

Then, shivering slightly, she suddenly covered her nose and mouth and turned her head away.

“I have no idea what that goddess is thinking,” Hypocria muttered. “Even after all those years of studying psychology, she’s still a mystery to me.”

Davey couldn’t have agreed more.

Watching the goddess so blatantly indulge her own desires, he asked, “You said you’d give our youngest a name, didn’t you?”

She paused for a moment and looked at him. Then, she moved her lips silently to convey her thoughts.

Davey repeated the name quietly under his breath. “Abel...”

Then she gently pushed a hand against his chest again.

[That name carries a lot of weight. Whether you choose it or not is up to you.]

Her expression seemed to tell him not to worry. Without saying another word, Davey left the room to return home.

* * *

He quietly approached the incubator where his youngest lay sleeping. “Hey, little one. Do you like the name Abel?”

Of course, the baby couldn’t answer.

Giving him the name Abel wasn’t difficult. In terms of origin, it wasn’t bad either. It was a name blessed by a goddess, after all.

In some of Earth’s mythological texts, Abel was known as the first human. There was nothing problematic about the name’s background. Also, just like the goddess had said, the weight of the name could later on become a powerful asset.

Yet, what Davey was more concerned about wasn’t Earth’s origin. Instead, he had to consider the historical context of the name Abel in Tionis.

Abel the Womanizer King, an infamous emperor and legendary playboy who had fifty wives. He was a real king recorded in the ancient history of Tionis. Historians generally classified him as a benevolent ruler rather than a tyrant, and while he had brought a lot of changes to Tionis, his behavior was extremely eccentric as well.

Regardless of which version the name referenced, the fact that the goddess had chosen it meant the name might carry some sort of inevitable consequence or fate.

“No matter what, though... I’m not letting you go around chasing women. Even if you don’t care, your partners will end up crying blood waiting for you.”

‘If you actually grow up to be a womanizer... I’d probably break your legs to stop you or something.’

Of course, just because the baby shared a name with the infamous Abel of Tionis didn’t mean he’d follow the same path. Nonetheless, it made Davey feel a bit odd.

The final decision would come later. Refocusing on the matter at hand, Davey used an artifact linked to the World Tree to summon Isildi.

She might act a bit foolish at times, but if anyone could help confirm the baby’s current condition, it was her.

However, Isildi didn't arrive alone. Verdandi showed up as well.

“I heard what happened. Is this the little one?” Isildi walked slowly over to the incubator and peered at the sleeping baby, her mouth slowly falling open. “He’s so cute...”

She ignored Davey’s request entirely and instead gave a gooey smile at the sight. “I want a baby too...”

Her whole face turned affectionate, making Davey scowl. “So? What do you think?”

“What do I think? Well, it doesn’t look like anything’s wrong.”

“Check more thoroughly.”

When he pressed her again, she quietly observed the baby. “There really doesn't seem to be anything wrong.”

“What?”

“Literally. It’s definitely not something related to the Abyss. It’s probably related to some other potential this child has.”

Davey glanced over at Verdandi, seeking confirmation.

She nodded as well. “There’s no trace of the Abyss or any remnant energy you’re worried about. But... I will admit that it’s strange. It feels like he’s resonating with something from somewhere.”

The baby seemed fine for the moment, but that made Davey even more frustrated without answers.

“So are you saying he’s fine or not?”

“If we’re only talking about the conclusion? He’s fine. Looks totally okay to me.”

That was good enough. At the very least, it meant it wasn’t an urgent problem.