The Lowest-Ranked Hero Has Returned

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Chapter 108: Legally Blonde (3)

That evening.

The children at the orphanage, tired from playing energetically all day, went to bed earlier than usual.

After all the children had fallen asleep.

"Sob... Why... why am I doing this..."

The sound of quiet sobbing could be heard coming from the orphanage bathroom.

Click.

Soon, the door opened, and Juliet, fully dressed in women's clothes, stepped out.

"Wow."

"Th-that's impressive."

Seeing Juliet step out, both Iris and I couldn’t help but let out quiet exclamations.

I had thought it suited him well enough from the photos, but seeing it in person, he looked so natural that you wouldn’t immediately think he was a man.

‘Well, he’s pretty handsome to begin with.’

There’s a reason why newly enrolled female cadets used to follow Juliet around everywhere.

‘Though... if you look closely, you can tell he's still a guy.’

The thick neck, broad shoulders, and the line of his waist and hips made it clear he was a man.

But—

‘It won’t be easy to distinguish that in the dark streets of the slums.’

No matter how superhuman heroes were compared to regular people, they couldn’t see through the darkness like it was broad daylight.

“It’s lucky Camilla's clothes fit.”

“Well, Camilla is quite tall for a woman.”

The clothes Juliet was wearing were originally bought by Father Antonio as a gift for Camilla.

Camilla had refused, saying she didn’t wear such frilly skirts, so the clothes had remained in the orphanage, and now Juliet was wearing them instead.

“What about your chest, though?”

Camilla asked, looking at Juliet with a complicated expression as she took out some leftover bread the children hadn’t eaten.

“If you stuff some bread in there...”

“No, the chest area of the clothes isn’t much different from men's, so it should be fine.”

Juliet shook her head, adjusting the snug fit around her chest.

"...!”

Crunch.

The bread in Camilla’s hand was crushed mercilessly.

"...Dale."

Father Antonio approached me with a concerned expression.

“I truly appreciate your willingness to jump into such an unsettling case. But...”

Father Antonio trailed off, his voice filled with hesitation.

“This case is simply too dangerous for a cadet to handle.”

Father Antonio shook his head as he spoke.

“Of course, I know how skilled you are from the last sealing ritual, but the criminal in this case is a powerful hero that even Power Man couldn’t catch.”

Father Antonio’s concern was understandable.

‘Power Man, Raskal Joe.’

A hero from the Republic, ranked 86th in the hero rankings across the three nations, and a formidable one at that.

‘And even more famous than his ranking.’

He might not be as well-known now, but in a few years, the name Power Man Raskal Joe would be known across the continent.

‘He’s a particularly unique hero.’

Despite having the skills of a high-ranked hero, he didn’t belong to any organization, instead wandering around hunting down vicious criminals on his own.

‘He always insisted he was a hero, not a hero, despite the terms being almost synonymous.’

While "hero" and "hero" may be the same by dictionary definition—

In practice, they represented very different things.

‘In fact, the word "hero" has drifted far from its original meaning nowadays.’

For 500 years, the tradition had been to call those blessed with Stigma by the seven gods “heroes.”

But in reality, not all of them were heroic figures who protected the weak and fought against evil.

Most were just ordinary humans, more focused on fulfilling their selfish desires, like you’d find anywhere.

‘But Raskal was different.’

Raskal was a hero, or rather a hero, who roamed the streets at night, expecting no reward as he protected the weak and fought against the wicked.

‘Though there were rumors he was a bit unhinged.’

Naturally, the ridiculous title Power Man wasn’t something the gossipers came up with.

No matter how poor the gossips were at naming, they wouldn’t attach such a ridiculous moniker to someone.

‘Apparently, he wore a full-body suit and called himself Power Man.’

Honestly, he wasn’t someone I was eager to meet.

Anyway—

“You don’t need to worry too much about that.”

I shrugged my shoulders as I spoke.

“I’ve grown a lot since the last sealing ritual.”

I could easily go toe-to-toe with the archbishop, so there was no reason to be scared of some deranged sexual predator.

“But...”

Despite my reassurance, Father Antonio couldn’t hide his worried expression.

Well, considering how he had seen me slice through dozens of demonic beasts in an instant, it was hard to believe that a mere cadet without an official hero license had grown strong enough to rival an archbishop.

“Dale will be fine.”

“...Saint?”

“Dale is much stronger than you think, Father.”

The deep trust in Iris’s eyes as she looked at me was clear.

“Hmm. If the Saint herself says so... very well.”

Finally, Father Antonio nodded and stepped back.

“Well then, shall we head out?”

I gave Juliet a nod.

“We’ll be following from behind, so if anything happens, send the signal immediately.”

“Haa... got it.”

Juliet sighed and nodded.

Just as he was about to leave the orphanage, he turned his head and asked.

“Dale, is there any alcohol here?”

“Alcohol? Why alcohol all of a sudden?”

Juliet’s sudden request made me tilt my head in confusion.

“There’s a bottle of wine in my room.”

“Could I have it, please?”

Juliet received the wine bottle from Father Antonio.

“Gargle... Spit!”

Juliet gargled the wine and spat it on the ground.

Then, he spread the wine over his neck and wrists.

The strong smell of alcohol filled the air in an instant.

“Whew.”

Juliet took a deep breath, tousled her hair, and unbuttoned a few buttons of her shirt.

In that state, she walked out of the orphanage and strolled along the darkened streets of the slums.

“Ah...!”

Whether by accident or on purpose, she let out a nasal moan and staggered as she walked.

“Haah, haah.”

Rough breathing.

Messy clothes and hair.

And the strong scent of alcohol wafting from her.

From the outside, she looked exactly like a drunken woman who had lost her senses.

And in a lawless area like this, a drunk beauty is the easiest target for crime.

‘What the hell, this guy.’

Trailing behind Juliet from a distance, I couldn’t help but marvel internally.

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‘Why is he so good at acting like a woman?’

The performance was so convincing that for a moment, I doubted if Juliet was actually a man.

Tap tap tap!

Perhaps his sincere acting paid off.

After about 30 minutes of wandering the slums, footsteps echoed from a dark alley.

“Heh, heh heh heh!”

A voice filled with sticky desire.

A figure in a black robe rushed out from the alley, staring at Juliet with bloodshot eyes.

“Hee, heehee! Blond... blonde woman...”

Drooling and letting out a mad laugh, the figure approached.

“Ah...?! Kyaa, kyaaah!”

Upon seeing the figure, Juliet ran toward where I was hiding.

“Help me! Somebody, please help!”

Even without any magic to alter his voice, Juliet imitated a woman’s scream almost perfectly.

“Stop, you... pretty... heeheehee!”

The figure in the black robe stammered and chased after Juliet, kicking off the ground.

“Run... harder... more desperately!”

Like a predator hunting its prey, the figure pursued Juliet.

As expected, judging by his strength, he was likely a rather skilled hero. His speed was as quick as that of a wild beast.

“Got you, bastard.”

I jumped out from where I was hiding between the alleys, lunging at the figure.

‘Berald’s Martial Arts.’

Mountain Breaker.

Fwoosh!

A fist infused with Ashen flames aimed at the figure.

“Guh?!”

Thud!

The figure, hit by my punch from the blind spot, was violently flung backward into the wall.

“Who... are you...?”

“Who do you think, bastard?”

I grinned as I walked toward the figure.

“I’m here to catch perverts like you.”

“......”

I could see the corners of the figure’s mouth twist beneath the deeply pulled hood.

“Catch me... if you can!”

The figure kicked off the ground, throwing a punch toward me.

Voooom!

A storm of mana swirled around.

The blue aura on his fist flared up fiercely.

‘He’s definitely got some skills.’

The power in that punch was strong enough to make a chill run down my spine for a moment.

‘But.’

Even so.

He wasn’t at a level I couldn’t handle.

“Hup.”

Dodging his punch lightly, I grabbed his wrist and pulled, driving my knee into his solar plexus.

“Guh!”

A choked scream escaped the figure as the impact shook his insides.

“Let’s see who you are.”

As I held onto his wrist and reached for his hood, bent low from the pain—

“Heh, heh heh... heeheehee!”

The figure, laughing maniacally, twisted his wrist violently.

Crack!

His wrist twisted in a grotesque direction, slipping out of my grasp.

The figure, having gained some distance, kicked off toward Juliet.

“Kyaaah!”

“Don’t move!”

The figure grabbed Juliet by the nape of her neck, glaring at me with a twisted smile.

“Hee, heeheehee! Take one step closer... and I’ll snap her neck right here.”

Saying that, the figure buried his nose into Juliet’s hair and took a deep breath.

“Sniff. Ahh! Yes, this is the scent...!”

The figure shuddered as he inhaled the scent of Juliet’s hair.

“Blondes really are the best... heeheehee!”

“Do you like blondes that much?”

“Of course! Hair other than blonde shouldn’t even exist!”

“Is that so?”

I stifled a laugh and nodded.

“Even if it’s on a guy?”

“...What?”

“No, I just wondered if you’d be okay with blonde hair even on a guy.”

“Don’t be ridiculous! It has to be a woman! I have no interest in men’s hair!”

The figure shouted in a firm voice.

“Oh, really? That’s strange. From where I’m standing, it seems like you wouldn’t mind a man.”

“What are you...”

For a moment.

The figure, cutting off his words, looked down at Juliet.

He felt around Juliet’s neck and shoulders with his hand, then slowly lowered his gaze.

“Huh?”

A voice filled with confusion escaped his lips.

“Why... is this here?”

The figure’s eyes began to tremble as he stared at something that shouldn’t exist.

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