The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Novel

Chapter 438

"Urk… What the hell is this?!" Monmider shouted as he dashed forward after crouching on the ground and vomiting.

It seemed as if the man wanted to attempt to unravel this terrible and hideous artwork that had pieced several bodies together. However, Monmider couldn't help but frown upon realizing that they had been sewn together using a hard and sturdy reinforced steel cord, his hands reaching for his sword.

Swoosh!

"Hand it over!"

However, before Monmider's sword could make contact with the reinforced cord and sever it, Milpieu materialized, snatching the sword away while her other hand restrained him.

"What's the meaning of this? Vampire, I might have accepted your presence at the command of my liege, but I won't tolerate anything more than that," Monmider retorted, his tone icy.

Milpieu remained expressionless despite Monmider's demeanor. "It's a trap."

At Milpieu’s warning, Rinne instantly directed her eyelight toward the ceiling. Simultaneously, particles of light began coalescing in the palm of her hand.

“Rinne assesses this as a lowly provocation, deeming it a manifestation of fierce and violent rage.”

"G-Goodness," Monmider stuttered, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

If his sword connected with that reinforced cord, he would likely already be dead. Bewildered, Monmider retreated several steps away from the contraption.

"The reinforced cord is poisoned. Furthermore, it will cause everything above it to collapse, including the warehouse's ceiling, at the slightest touch," Milpieu explained.

Milpieu had detected the trap thanks to her specialized and acute vampiric sense of smell. The reinforced cord had been rigged to trigger a collapse when forcibly cut, and deadly poison had been smeared across both the ceiling and the cord.

"I'm not well-versed in human psychology and mental states, but based on research data…"

"Provocation. Rinne clearly perceives this as a provocation."

"You swiftly discerned it," Milpieu said.

Rinne slowly regarded Monmider, realizing that this macabre and disturbing scene was an overt attempt to provoke them.

"What should I do?" Monmider muttered, his expression resolute and determined, evoking memories of how Davey would act.

"Report this to the territory's administration. Then, investigate whether the victims were residents of the territory or not. Rinne would greatly appreciate it."

"We'll handle it according to the Lord's instructions. I understand."

Rinne's judgment was accurate. After watching Monmider hastily exit and leave them behind, she attempted to construct a particle gun to demolish the entire warehouse. However, Milpieu stepped forward and intervened.

"Allow me to handle this," Milpieu said, gesturing lightly.

Incredibly, bright red blood began to trickle from her fingertips. The blood coalesced and transformed, extending like the branches of a colossal tree to support the entire warehouse. Then, the blood shifted and neutralized the poison covering the trap.

"I've disarmed the traps."

Rinne stared silently at Milpieu before drawing her lightsaber and severing the reinforced cords.

"While the corpse may appear gruesome and terrifying, I believe it's a vital clue for your investigation."

"Rinne acknowledges this fact. Rinne disapproves of unnecessary interference."

The two of them truly didn't get along. Nevertheless, it was somewhat amusing since Rinne and Milpieu's destinies had been oddly intertwined from the very beginning.

As the supports were finally removed, the corpse descended slowly. However, just as Rinne was about to reach for it, Milpieu stepped forward and silently claimed the body.

"It appears you can't reach it properly due to your stature? You might be interesting, but your height is not."

"Rinne finds this behavior highly disagreeable and identifies it as fierce and violent rage," Rinne muttered before turning away.

As for Milpieu, she simply surveyed the now empty warehouse and nonchalantly shrugged before following suit.

As previously stated, Rinne's judgment was correct. After hearing everything, Perserque summoned Amy and Attendant Bernile and issued a command: “Do not remove the barrier protecting the territory.”

“Why? That terrifying murderer could still be lurking in here.”

“That's precisely why I instructed you not to remove it,” Perserque declared as she gazed at the horrifying amalgamation of flesh, sewn together, with a grave expression.

Vwoooooong—

She couldn't help but furrow her brow deeply after examining the corpse, detecting a faint trace of demonic energy emanating from her body.

"If we do that, they won't have any chance to escape," she commented.

"Miss Per, Rinne asks for your interpretation. Did you discover anything?" Rinne inquired.

"It's rather peculiar. I couldn't discern much. However, all of them are residents of our territory. And... there are two outsiders, mercenaries, who came here."

A somber silence filled the room.

"From what I could gather, they had amputated and sewn body parts while the victims were still alive. There's nothing more gruesome than this."

Perserque highly valued life, which made this act particularly abhorrent to her. Shortly after, Elder Golgouda expressed his disapproval with a click of his tongue, while the elf, Yuria Helishana, closed her eyes in silent contemplation after examining the corpse.

"The spirits are screaming. It's a testament to how terrible their ordeal was. Such occurrences are rare," Yuria added.

"There's a high probability that the culprit used dark magic, injecting it into their bodies while cutting their flesh while they were still alive. It's a very blatant tactic, to the point where it doesn't pique my interest at all. However, I can say that they were meticulous in their work. One could argue the killer takes pleasure in extinguishing human lives—a sadistic killer," Milpieu stated matter-of-factly.

Perserque silently nodded in agreement with Milpieu's assessment. "Sadistic killers show no mercy."

As she uttered those words, a familiar voice resonated in the dark basement.

"What's this? What's happening?"

In an instant, all the grim gazes that had been focused on the corpse shifted toward the source of the sound. There, they saw a tear in the fabric of space as a black-haired boy, carrying a beautiful turquoise-haired girl in his arms, casually entered the basement.

"Davey!"

"Your Highness!"

***

Returning to his territory was a straightforward task for Davey. After all, he had perfectly memorized the coordinates for his return.

Davey was aware that the Heins Territory was in disarray because he had ordered them to raise the red alert before crossing dimensions. However, even upon his return, they hadn't lifted the red alert. In fact, they were patrolling even more rigorously.

"What the hell happened? That monstrous woman that attacked us..." Grand Duchess Kathryn rushed to Davey the moment she learned of Aeria's survival.

Davey simply glanced at the girl and replied, "She suffered for a bit but she's unharmed."

"Your Imperial Highness," Kathryn bowed her head and knelt, clutching Aeria’s hands tightly. She couldn't let go of the guilt she felt for being powerless to protect and support her princess. "I'm sorry... Your Highness. I'm very sorry... I couldn't protect you."

Of course, the people of the Lyndis Empire were the most relieved by Aeria's survival.

"Her Highness' condition...?"

"She's just a bit exhausted. I've resolved all the problematic issues, so she'll be fine when she wakes up," Davey assured them.

Tears welled up in Kathryn's eyes as she bowed even further after hearing Davey's words. She said, "Thank you. We're very grateful for the grace you've shown us, Prince."

"That's enough. I didn't do it to earn your gratitude."

"Nevertheless, I must thank you."

However, Davey responded indifferently despite Kathryn's sincere expression. "Then go ahead and express your gratitude."

"Thank you."

Kathryn's swift expression of gratitude caused the gazes of the people around her to subtly change. Their looks clearly conveyed, 'What are these humans doing?'

In the room were the Holy Empire's Archbishop Alice, Elf Yuria, Dwarven Elder Golgouda, a rabbitfolk maid from the lord's castle, the captain of the guards Monmider, and Princesses Tanya and Maria, along with Dan-Goong, who had returned from the Moon's Forest.

"What's going on? How many of you are here? Did you all gather because of me?" Davey asked.

"Isn't this just a testament to how extensive your connections are, brother?" Tanya retorted, her green bobbed hair gently swaying as she spoke. She had the look of an upset and petulant child.

"Tanya? Why are you upset?"

"Her beloved older brother vanished without a trace. Any younger sibling would worry, right?" Princess Maria chimed in, her demeanor more lively than when Davey had first met her.

Davey coughed at Princess Maria's words, realizing she looked much more energetic now.

"Me too..." a short girl piped up from the crowd.

"Aeonitia."

Seeing Aeonitia reminded Davey of her older version, who had two children of her own in the other world. The memory left a slight bitterness, as he couldn't even recall their names.

When Aeonitia suddenly appeared in front of Davey, he realized that this brilliant young alchemist princess was the same person who had been desperately trying to survive in the other world. Aeonitia shrunk her head but didn't resist Davey's silent gesture to pat her head.

Tanya then took Aeonitia and left, while Yuriana mentioned that she had to go as Myuu was waiting for her. Afterward, most of the others departed. Finally, Davey had the chance to speak with Perserque, who had been observing him silently.

"Perserque."

"As long as you're back safe and sound, everything's alright, Davey," Perserque replied as she buried her head in his arms.

Davey didn't say anything but continued to hold her and pat her back.

"The Princess of the Abyss... her power was overwhelming. I thought you were truly gone."

Davey could sense the sadness in Perserque’s voice.

"As long as you're back, that's enough for me. You..."

"Don't worry. I didn't cross over just to come back empty-handed."

Davey had acquired metamorphosis stacks and valuable genetic information. He had significantly increased his overall power thanks to the synchronization he had experienced in the other world. However, it also meant that things had changed on this side.

"I'm sorry, but we need to address matters concerning the territory first. Imperial Princess Aeria is well, but what about the people of the Lyndis Empire?"

"They need a bit more time, but they'll recover sooner or later."

"That's more than enough," Davey said before turning to Rinne and Milpieu, who stood silently to the side. He then asked, "What about the monster?"

"She escaped. She's likely in hiding for now."

"You defeated that monster?"

"For the time being."

Davey's remarks surprised Milpieu.

"You're a very interesting human."

"Let's not dwell on that now. There's a far more pressing and dire matter at hand."

Davey was bound to return anyway, but there was a gruesome case of serial killings taking place in the territory.

"Report everything to me."

Rinne fell silent at Davey's words and then slowly began her report. She described how Milpieu had detected the scent of blood and how they had stumbled upon the horrifying state of the corpses inside the abandoned warehouse. She painted a grim picture of the gruesome lump of flesh that Davey had encountered upon his return to the territory. Since then, they had maintained a barrier covering the entire territory to prevent the criminal from escaping.

"The First Movement: Delight?" Davey mused after hearing Rinne's account.

Perserque, who had shrunken down and now sat comfortably on Davey's shoulder, spoke up. "The corpses were stitched together, yet they were mutilated while still alive. Davey, more than half of them were residents of our territory."

"They harmed my people, not someone else."

"Davey, I can't say if this will be of any help, but... It's much more reminiscent of something than I initially thought."

Davey turned his head to pay closer attention to her words, and those in the room also perked up.

"This brings to mind an incident from my time in Caldeiras. There was a notorious serial killer in the Pallan Empire."

"Please, tell me more."

"The methods employed by our current culprit might just be similar, or it could be a case of someone emulating the original killer, but... I can't shake this feeling of grim familiarity," Perserque explained as she shared the story of the serial killer.

She described a lunatic who had orchestrated numerous vicious and horrifying tragedies, effortlessly eluding pursuit by countless Sword Masters, intelligence guilds, and even entire empires. The killer's spree began on the western continent, then continued to the central continent, eventually reaching the eastern continent where the Heins Territory was situated.

"I wasn't able to delve too deeply into the investigation, but from what I heard, hundreds of lives were claimed by this madman."

A chill seemed to descend upon Davey as he absorbed these words. Davey had just returned after annihilating hundreds of thousands of beings from the other world, leaving him with a haunting feeling that his very touch was tainted and ominous.

‘I was contemplating returning home to rest after orchestrating something on a grand scale, manipulating the world at will, but what's this? A notorious serial killer?’

“This f*cking bastard chose the wrong place to do his art.”

He had to demonstrate to this devil, who relished in the agony and torment of others, what genuine suffering truly meant.

***

Inside the dim underground warehouse, a desperate scream was stifled by a gag forcibly thrust into someone's mouth.

"Hmph! Hmph, hmphhh!"

Dressed in tattered rags, a woman and several unconscious men had their limbs tightly bound while their bodies were secured to sturdy pillars. And the one responsible for bringing them to this dreadful place? A figure cloaked in a black coat.

"You needn't be overly frightened. Art is noble and sublime. So, there's no need for such trembling. After all, you shall become the materials for such art, won't you?"

However, with a strange mask covering their face, it was challenging to discern whether they were male or female, young or old. Those who beheld this eerie figure had no choice but to quiver even more, their tears flowing as if in supplication.

For the residents who had enjoyed a peaceful and normal life, as well as the mercenaries who had arrived to chase their dreams, the abrupt and terrifying circumstances they found themselves in were nothing short of nightmarish.

The monstrous and horrifying figure, wiping a bloodied saw with a cloth, smiled and remarked, "This territory is quite renowned. It's tranquil and secure. The people who reside in places like this are content and often wear smiles on their faces. That's precisely why I chose this location. It's the perfect setting to reveal and showcase my art."

Clang!!!

Then, the man frowned when he heard something fall and uncoil, accompanied by a loud scream echoing through the space.

"Once the prince returns, he will kill you! He will ensure you pay for your crimes! You monster!"

"Ah, the gag came undone," the man remarked calmly as he brought the saw to the shouting man's neck. In his chillingly monotone voice, he continued, "A work of art need not possess a voice. It's pointless."

Despite the earlier outcry, it was impossible not to feel fear, especially when faced with a sharp blade so perilously close to one's neck. The individuals detained in this horrific place had already witnessed the gruesome deaths of others before. The man knew that it wouldn't be unusual for this monster to saw his neck while he was still alive, and fear flickered in the young man's eyes.

The masked monster merely stared at him, emitting a low chuckle. "Indeed. The lord... indeed. But that can only happen if he manages to find me and prevent me from pursuing my art."

He stowed the saw away and continued in a composed, soft tone, "It appears they've already discovered my 'gift.' Tomorrow, we shall witness their reaction."

Despite being in an extremely precarious situation where the guards could arrive at any moment, it was clear that the man was relishing this situation. A gruesome and deranged smile adorned his face.