The Max Level Hero Has Returned!

“Uh… Prince?”

“Yes, Antonio?”

As Al Hajat sat by the hotel window of his accommodations, looking down at the cityscape, Antonio called out to him.

“Are you sure this is a good idea? It’s a high-risk area with frequent monster appearances…”

“Yes, it is. And perhaps there may be even more losses ahead.”

Currently, monsters were appearing irregularly in different areas of Earth. In certain areas, they were appearing more often than usual, seemingly ignoring their own abnormality. Even though the Malicious Spirits had disappeared, monsters continued to appear.

"Beyond the cost, we could be in for heavy losses…”

“Antonio.”

“Yes, Your Highness?”

“The savior and friend, who saved our country and people, had only asked for a simple favor in return—nothing more than helping him build something.”

“…”

“So what else could I possibly give to someone like him? Should I introduce him to a beautiful woman even though he already has a lovely wife? Offer him a rare gift?”

He knew none of them would amount to much.

“No matter the cost, it’s fine. My friend desires this, and his daughter wants to visit. Being able to return a favor to a friend is a privilege.”

Al Hajat wasn’t usually so generous. But he believed that what Davey had done for him was worth far more than anything he could spend.

“You seem in high spirits, sir.”

At his remarks, Al Hajat chuckled in amusement.

* * *

Al Hajat poured a massive amount of money into Alfland. Those who had been keeping an eye on him wondered why he’d suddenly taken interest in such a place. But as Alfland, which had been on the verge of closing down, showed signs of revival, the internet buzzed with jokes of the ‘Middle Eastern miracle’ and ‘oil miracle.’

Through it all, Davey noticed that his name hadn’t been mentioned, not even once. He assumed Al Hajat made sure to keep him out of the limelight.

‘Money really will get you anything…’

Meanwhile, Aeonitia, clinging tightly to her seat on the roller coaster, looked frozen with fear.

“I’m fine… I’m fine…” she muttered with a pale face.

Next to her, Tiara was glowing with excitement, her red hair whipping around in the wind.

Clink! Clink!

The roller coaster climbed endlessly before coming to a rest, and Aeonitia’s face turned ghostly white as she looked down.

“This… This is a mistake! I need to get off this thing!”

“Your Highness! It’s dangerous, so stay seated!” Tiara said, trying to calm her down.

Just then, a voice came from the speakers below.

- Welcome aboard the Hellbound Express! Keep those seatbelts tight and get ready to scream, little miss in the front row!”

“This is wrong! Can we go back?!”

Clank!

“Kyaaa! I take it back! Please, save me!”

“Don’t worry! You’re not going to die! Just hang on!”

“I think my heart’s going to burst!”

Others on the ride looked at Aeonitia with affectionate smiles as she squirmed and panicked. Then, with a final clank, she froze. The roller coaster rocketed downward from its frightful peak. �

“Aaaahhh!”

Her scream just added to the ride for everyone.

“Urgh… Blegh…”

After stumbling off the infamous Hellbound Express coaster at Alfland, Aeonitia could barely keep herself upright, clutching at her stomach.

“My dignity as a princess…”

While Aeonitia cried her eyes out and looked ready to fall apart, Tiara was begging to go again, thrilled with the whole experience.

They said money can solve anything, and that certainly proved true here. Once Al Hajat stepped in, acquiring Alf Land and covering its expenses, the struggling staff at Alfland eagerly welcomed him, doing all they could to help. The media had buzzed about its possible revival, and now the park was bustling with people flooding in.

Davey had originally hoped to enjoy a quieter, private visit, but Super Ribbon had wished for a lively amusement park packed with people.

“Yaaaaay!”

Super Ribbon screamed excitedly, throwing her arms up in the air. Watching her, Davey felt his decision to have been well worth it.

“Davey.”

He saw Perserque approaching with a pair of animal-ear headbands on, looking utterly joyful. Super Ribbon was walking beside her, now with a physical form thanks to Davey infusing mana into her.

Nearby, Aeria and Illyna, both dressed to the nines, looked around in admiration. Although Illyna tried to play it cool, she was sporting face paint on her cheek and a helium balloon in hand, clearly enjoying herself.

“Davey, here!” Illyna came over with a cheerful smile and placed a headband with rabbit ears on his head.

“Why a rabbit, though?”

“I thought it’d suit you best. Oh, Super Ribbon! Perserque! Let’s go try that one next!”

Originally, Davey had come to enjoy himself as well; after all, he’d never experienced a place like this in his previous life. For that reason, he’d even considered building an amusement park back in Heins Territory. But now, he thought it wasn’t too bad of an idea to just see everyone else enjoy themselves instead.

“No… We should go again! I can’t leave it like this!”

“You’ll just cry halfway up again! Be glad you didn’t wet yourself.”

“Ugh!”

Aeonitia shouted for another round as she pointed furiously at the Hellbound Express while Tiara simply laughed at her.

Davey then wandered the park with Perserque, Illyna, Aeria, and Super Ribbon, enjoying treats, dressing up, and finding endless ways to have fun.

“Father! Come play with us!” Super Ribbon called out eagerly.

“I think I’ll just watch from here…”

But for some reason, Davey felt worn out.

“No way! Come on, let’s go!”

Her persistence made him nod in agreement.

Vroom! Thud!!

“Hehe. Welcome to the thunderdome. I'll send you straight to the underworld on a one-way express.” Perserque taunted with a smirk.

“No way I’m losing at this!”

An all-out bumper car war began between the two speed demons. Super Ribbon, unaccustomed to driving, clumsily crashed here and there, drawing the attention of onlookers.

Though, technically speaking, all of them were attention-grabbing. Their striking appearances and unique hair colors were hard not to notice.

Apparently, Tiara and Aeonitia had even been approached by some people for their number.

Crash!

Davey was leaning back and casually steering his bumper car when someone rammed into him from the side. He turned to see Rinne intensely squinting at him with a hint of pride.

“Rinne evaluates the t-bone hit as very effective.”

“Oh, really?”

“Rinne evaluates her ambush skills higher than Master Davey’s.”

Bam! Bam!

Rinne reversed and charged again, repeatedly slamming into his bumper car and making Davey laugh.

“Rinne, I’ve driven before, you know. If you keep ignoring the rules like this…”

Vroom!

“That leaves me no choice but to go full throttle!”

[6th Circle Lightning Overdrive]

Crackle!

The bumper car, its motor now firing at an incomparable rpm, whipped around the track at top speed. Realizing the danger, Rinne quickly tried to block him and match his speed.

Thud! Thud!

Before long, Davey had her cornered, repeatedly slamming into her car.

“Hmph. Thought you’d just mess with me, did you?”

Thud! Thud!

Even though they were gathering curious stares from everyone around, Davey couldn’t have cared less. Thanks to the spell that made him and the others unrecognizable, no one knew he was the Saint of Tionis. He knew it was a necessity—otherwise, he and Perserque would’ve been noticed.

The high-level magic hadn’t changed their appearances; it had made it so that the crowd couldn’t associate him and Perserque with their public identities.

“Rinne evaluates Master Davey’s ruthless driving tactics lowly,” she muttered.

After bumping/smashing her car into the wall several times, Davey nodded in satisfaction. Afterward, Super Ribbon pointed excitedly to the haunted house. Illyna and Aeria both flinched at the sight, and even Aeonitia widened her eyes in dread.

“Um… I think I might need to sit this one out.”

“Same here. I’ll take a break.”

Suddenly, Davey felt an all-too-familiar mischievous urge begin to creep up. Perserque, catching his grin, chuckled bitterly.

* * *

Even with Alfland’s whimsical, fairyland theme, it was inevitable—no amusement park was complete without a haunted house. And thanks to Al Hajat’s generous funding, the haunted house in Alfland, the Depths of Hell, was famous for being particularly terrifying.

It was styled like an abandoned, haunted hotel, renowned for its horrific interior designed by top professionals.

Davey wondered why the attractions had such hellish names despite the park's dreamlike setting.

“The name Hellbound Express along with the bumper cars that seemed so apocalyptic… so is the overall theme like having a contrast or something?”

It was two people per entry for the haunted house. Davey and Rinne ended up entering the haunted house together. Honestly, he felt a bit disappointed at the fact that he wouldn’t be able to see the others scream. Surprisingly enough, everyone was wary of being partnered with him. He saw it in their eyes and thought their trust in him was extremely low.

“Kyaaa!!”

He heard someone scream echo from afar.

“Let’s go,” he said, walking down a dark corridor. Rinne silently nodded.

Just as they took their first steps—

Ssss…

Something ghastly briefly appeared in front of them, enough to make anyone scream just by their appearance. But Rinne, with her usual blank expression, stared at the creature and then followed him without even flinching.

“Wow… Your reactions are no fun at all,” Davey muttered.

“Rinne determines that her heart is beating extremely fast.”

“That surprised face of yours probably kills the mood for the person trying to scare you.”

The two calmly continued their way through the attraction. Although they were only at the entrance, neither he nor Rinne were the type to react much to the scares in haunted houses.

“Hm?”

Suddenly, Davey felt a slight disturbance of the devil mana he had let out as a precaution.

“What was that?”

“Master Davey, there’s a ghost in front of you.”

“Right, one moment,” he said, raising a hand apologetically toward the actor.

‘I’m pretty sure that one of the devil mana threads I’ve laid out got severed…’

His reaction apparently threw off the actor, who awkwardly went past him.

“Oh, by the way, there’s a person over there. You should go that way since there’s no good in anyone getting hurt,” Davey said to the ghost passing by.

The ghost stared at him in confusion then promptly disappeared into a puff of mist.

“Master Davey…? Was that just…?”

“A real ghost, yes.”

Rinne then squinted at the spot where the ghost had disappeared.

“Rinne, systematic error.”

Davey couldn’t help but think how bad her reaction was.

ChubbyCheeks & FriedNook's Thoughts

Editorb’s Thought

They really do be spookin’