The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Chapter 1061

Though they had survived the assault, the demons were still grieving from the devastating damage.

At that point in time—a period when Sword God Ares was still alive—it seemed the great war between demons and humans hadn’t completely broken out yet. Whether the two races as a whole got along was unclear, but at the very least, the living Ares didn’t seem to harbor any hatred toward the demons.

“Hurry up and move that! Put it over here!”

The surviving demons were busy restoring their village. Watching them from a distance, Ares scratched at his disheveled hair.

“We’ve come all this way. It must’ve been tough on them. Time to head back,” Ares said as he lightly tapped the neck of a brown-coated horse. With a soft whinny and a shuffle of hooves, the horse gently lowered its body to his level before he continued, “I need to go deal with whoever’s behind this mess. What about you?”

“Weren’t those soldiers official troops?”

“There are always scumbags like that in the ranks of large militaries. The only real difference is a little horn on their heads and the kind of power they wield. It's a shame, really. We’re all living beings, yet everyone’s desperate to tear each other apart.”

Demons and humans had a uniquely antagonistic relationship. It wasn’t like elves and dwarves were always on friendly terms either, though, so it wasn’t something exclusive to demons.

“Come to think of it, in this era, orcs are also...” Davey pondered aloud.

“Hm? What did you just say?”

“Nothing.”

Though tempted by the chance to settle the score with Ares, Davey turned in a different direction. His priority was to find someone named Aria. Besides, if Davey messed around and went back only to have that Sword God throw a fit, he knew he’d be a pain to deal with.

“To be honest, it’s hard to fully trust you just yet. I don’t even know where someone like you could have dropped in from.”

“I understand.”

“There is no way someone with your level of power would’ve escaped my notice.”

“I came from a pretty remote place. Not many people have heard of me.”

Ares scanned Davey briefly before handing over a small note. “Take this.”

“She wanders the continent, so I couldn’t say exactly where she is. However, I’ve last heard that she was headed toward the Arbute Kingdom.”

Arbute. Davey could hardly recall hearing the name before, so it must have been some long-lost kingdom.

“Arbute, eh?”

“So you say you’re a traveler, but it doesn’t look like you’ve got any luggage. Do you even have enough gold for travel expenses?”

“Are you offering to cover them?” Davey smirked.

“Well, I almost killed you, didn’t I? It’s the least I can do.”

Ares still hadn’t fully grasped Davey’s abilities—he just assumed Davey had an unusually large amount of power. He figured it was strange enough that he was wielding both magic and blade energy in their era.

“By the way, how’ve you been proving your identity to others all this time? You part of an adventurer’s guild or something?”

“A guild? Nah.”

“Then what?”

“Just been wandering around.”

Ares frowned. “How long have you even been traveling?”

“Today makes four days.”

“Goddammit,” he grumbled, throwing Davey a badge. It was made of silver, its rarity readily apparent. “Take it.”

“Looks valuable.”

“It’s my official badge. You won’t get treated poorly anywhere as long as you show them that.”

“What about you?”

“I’ll just get a new one. Someone in my position doesn’t have to stress over a single badge.”

He was giving his badge to Davey simply because he’d almost killed him—even though Davey himself had instigated it.

“If you head east out of this forest, you’ll come to a massive fortress. Once there, you can then catch a fast-travel carriage. It should only take about two days to reach the Arbute Kingdom,” he said while giving Davey a light push on the back. “Just as a heads-up, don’t go around talking about this village out there. If word gets out, I’ll have to assume it was you who leaked it.”

“Understood.”

‘Seriously, this asshole.’

Davey watched the village hustling and bustling about with repairs as Ares rode off on his horse. Even in the modern era Tionis where he lived, it was hard to say if there’d ever be true peace between demons and humans. Stopping a war might be possible, but stopping racial hatred was a different matter.

Having finished his conversation with Ares, and with no reason to return to the village, Davey began heading slowly in the direction Ares had pointed out. The destination was, of course, Arbute Kingdom. If Davey had been there even once before, he could’ve set the coordinates and warped without a problem, but Ancient Era Tionis was a world he had never visited.

The most efficient option available was to use short-range teleportation within his line of sight. Honestly, Davey didn’t even know if the Aria that Ares mentioned was the same mage he was looking for. Just like how Earth had countless people named John, Lee, or Jane, Aria was an incredibly common name in Tionis.

Keek!! Ki! Kiek!!

Monster cries echoed from somewhere deeper in the forest.

Davey silently observed the sounds before letting out a sigh and loosening up his body, “Right. Not like this is a sightseeing trip.”

It would've been nice to take his time traveling the land, since he likely wouldn’t ever come back, but he couldn’t afford to be relaxed.

He reached into his Pocket Plane and pulled out a small cube. It was a Decepticon Fleet golem.

Megatron and those types who focused more on raw power than transformation didn’t change much in mount formation. The one in his hand, however, was different. Its main purpose was transport, not combat. As such, a large portion of its magic stones had been allocated for mobility purposes rather than offense.

“Glad I made this thing back then.”

Clack! Clunk!!

Responding to his mana, the cube began to shift and transform into a specific shape.

“Nice.”

It turned into the sports car of Davey’s dreams.

Clang!! Vroom!!

Of course, it didn’t look exactly like a real sports car. It was based on the automated vehicles from Heins Academy, originally created by the cooperation between Aeoninia and the dwarves of the Yellowstone Tribe. Still, it had the feel of a modern sports car.

“Well then, let’s take it for a spin.”

The forest path was insanely rough, but he figured part of the fun of ridiculously fast cars was blasting through off-road terrain like a madman.

“Hyperion, first test drive. Power up the main engine, and let’s roll out!”

[Command acknowledged.]

Vroom!!! Boom!!

With a deafening roar, the new golem shot forward at a speed on a whole different level from anything Aeonitia had made before. He figured it must’ve been solidly built, seeing it smash apart any obstacle in its path without slowing down.

“Kueee!!!” At one point, a four-legged monster leapt out and blocked the road.

Still seated, Davey simply pressed a button on the console. With a heavy clank, a massive drill popped out from the front of the vehicle.

“Outta the way, you freaks.”

“Gyaaa!!”

The vehicle barreled straight through them, leaving Davey with a satisfying sense of relief.

“Yeah, this thing was definitely worth building.”

The forest’s brutal terrain didn’t affect the vehicle’s driving in the slightest.

* * *

The path to the Arbute Kingdom that Ares had described required exiting the forest, arriving at a fortress, and then taking a carriage for two long days. That length of time also took into account that horses, being living creatures, needed rest and food. They couldn’t come close to the speed of a vehicle, especially on rough terrain where they tired out easily, making it impossible for them to maintain the same consistent pace.

The grand city of Arbute was surrounded by a sparkling, beautiful lake with towering outer walls and elegant water bridges. Taking in the city’s sight, Davey couldn’t help but smile before he tucked Hyperion back into his Pocket Plane.

“Hmmm. It still has some issues here and there. I’ll have to make some tweaks when I get back.”

Even though it was a hobby project, Davey had crafted it with care. Still, the problems were apparent. Particularly, the power system was practically drained dry after just one test run.

“This new golem’s still got a long way to go.”

If it had an ego, it’d probably be yelling something like, “Try treating a car like that and see how long it lasts!” But that wasn’t his concern.

“Halt! State your purpose!” a guard suddenly yelled at him.

“I’m a traveler. I’m guessing you’ll need some form of identification? Hm. Will this do?” he asked as he handed over the badge Ares had given him.

The soldier blinked before his eyes widened in surprise. “M-My apologies, sir! Turns out you’re the adventurer endorsed by the Grandmaster himself. Welcome!”

‘Grandmaster, huh? That word doesn’t exactly suit him, at this point in his life.’

Of course, given how advanced his abilities were compared to the average person, it wasn’t wrong to call him that. In terms of raw power, he was already comparable to the Fire Fox Kathyrn Carabella, Grand Duchess of Lyndis Empire. Just being on her level—widely regarded as the empire’s strongest—made him almost superhuman. Still, in terms of fame, Ares hadn’t quite reached that point yet.

“You may enter.”

“Alrighty then.”

First order of business was to loot—no, visit—an information guild and dig up everything on the name Aria. Unfortunately, that was quickly derailed.

“Let go of me!” a feminine voice screamed.

“Hold it! You can’t enter without a permit!”

“I’m telling you, I was here just a little while ago!”

Everyone in the surroundings quickly turned toward the commotion with interest.

It was a young woman, probably in her mid-twenties. She had long, sky-blue hair and wore light gear befitting a ranger. In contrast to her outfit, she carried a staff that clearly marked her as a mage. She looked like the typical adventurer.

Her looks didn’t quite scream mercenary or adventurer, however. They were closer to the attributes of a royal or noblewoman. Then again, appearances meant nothing in the end. After all, Illyna who did all kinds of rough work didn’t have any calluses to show for it.

Interestingly enough, the young woman also came off as even younger than she probably was.

“Doesn’t matter. No permit, no entry. If you’ve got a problem with that, go to another territory and get your ID reissued,” the guard said with a shake of his head.

“Ugh, are you serious right now? I lost it in the middle of a quest! Don’t even get me started about how inefficient this whole damned system is, either. It’d take a whole day of walking to get to the next territory!”

“Not my problem.”

“Wow. Real nice. Seriously, this guy,” she harrumphed.

“Now stop holding up the line. Either move aside, or find someone to vouch for you. Don’t just grab any random wanderer, either. They have to be credible.”

She looked around for help, and it wasn’t long before her eyes met Davey’s. In that brief instant, she seemed to come to a realization, while Davey instinctively sensed trouble and turned his back.

“Hey!! There you are!” She suddenly rushed over and latched onto his arm. “Haha, do you know how long I’ve been looking for you?”

Her bright smile had the guards turning their eyes to Davey, eyebrows raised as if asking him for confirmation. Being an adventurer endorsed by a lofty Grandmaster, his vouching for her would be enough to get her in even without identification.

Her cheerful grin made Davey feel like he wanted to help her. Feeling generous, he responded with a big, friendly smile of his own. She smiled back, even more brightly, thinking she’d pulled it off.

Contrary to her expectations, he replied, “I don’t know her. She must be out of her mind. Kids these days, haaah.”

Davey decided to go with complete ignorance.

“Wh— Ahh?!” She staggered back, visibly flustered and stunned by the one-two blow of a cold shoulder after his friendly smile.

The soldiers chuckled in response. Just as they were about to drag her away...

[What you desire. The foundational structure of that magic.]

A voice rang in his mind, startling him. The woman was still struggling in the guards’ grip, but her gaze was locked onto Davey. For the briefest moment, her expression had turned blank, all emotion stripped away. There was something oddly familiar about it. A sense of deja vu.

Davey quickly recognized the power of mind remnants in her message to be divine power.

He immediately switched gears without hesitation, giving a sheepish laugh before saying, “My mistake. This actually is the person I’ve been looking for.”

“Didn’t you just say she wasn’t?”

“Yepp. That’s my bad, bro.” Grinding his teeth in embarrassment, Davey forced a bright smile and sent a thought back to her using the same divine power.

[Good thing we won’t have to play a game of hide-and-seek... Goddess.]

Once she saw that everything had gone according to her plan, her earlier lively demeanor vanished, looking back at Davey with a completely expressionless face.

* * *

Davey watched her expressionless walking beside him.

She was Aria,the one Goddess Freyja had told him to find; the same woman Ares had mentioned; and the 5th Circle mage who had cast the memory-erasing spell on Perserque.

She was Goddess Freyja herself.

“Honestly, I really don’t understand how you’re here right now,” he said with confusion.

She hadn’t shown up through possession or descended with an avatar or manifestation—she was actually there, walking around like a regular person. Davey couldn’t remember if she had ever done so before. From what he knew of the rules of the world itself, he knew it shouldn’t even be possible. Yet there she was, completely fine, standing right in front of him.

She didn’t respond to his expression of confusion. She just quietly sat on a bench with a blank look on her face as she let a few birds sit on her hand. Her earlier attitude during the scuffle seemed like a total act, being dazed at heart.

“Well, I guess it’s good that I found you, but... now what?”

She turned to look at him with hollow eyes. Truly, she just stared at him like a child who didn’t know what to do next, blinking at him in silence.

Unable to take the awkward tension any longer, Davey forced a strained smile and frowned. “Hey, Goddess. You of all people should know what kind of chaos it causes when you come down here, right? Also, how do you even know me?”

She remained silent. Technically, since she was a being that transcended time and space, it was plausible that even her past self could recognize Davey through some future connection. In practice, however, she was the past version of Freyja, and he figured there was no way she’d be able to recognize someone like Davey, who had only received her authority far in the future, so easily.

He still had no clue what she was up to. She had impossibly sent him traveling through time, all because of the memory-erasing spell she had cast in the past. If she'd simply wanted to show him the foundational structure of the magic, she could’ve just demonstrated it right in front of him, with no need to throw him into the past. Goddess Freyja had ample opportunity to do just that.

Davey figured it couldn’t have been because she was asleep unawares. After all, he had definitely heard her voice before coming to the past, telling him to go there and find Aria. He knew that only she, with her power beyond time, could’ve sent him there. It was as if she’d stored up so much power just for that moment, giving it to him with no resistance at all. If she still had that much power to spare, there was no reason to go through all the trouble of sending him to the past in the first place!

Honestly, he had a bunch of unanswered questions, knowing there had to be important reasons for her actions.

Though Davey pressed for answers, she blankly blinked at him, then reached for a pouch at her waist and pulled out a small notebook.

‘Such a pristine paper notebook is probably pretty valuable in this time period.’

She took out a portable quill and quickly scribbled something down before showing it to him.

[I’ve been waiting for you.]

So, she really was the Freyja from the past timeline.

[Here. Buy food. Feed me.]

“Sorry, what now?” Davey blinked in confusion. “Buy food and feed you? What are you even talking about?”

She paused, then clapped her hands softly like she’d just remembered something and scribbled again. Even though she could speak, she for some reason chose to stick to the notebook.

[Feed me directly.]

That only confused Davey even more, so she pointed at a street vendor selling steamed potatoes.

Davey looked back and forth between the vendor and her, bewildered. Giving a final sigh, he reached into the coin pouch Ares had given him along with the badge and pulled out a few coins before walking up to a spud hut of sorts.

“One steamed potato, please.”

“Coming right up!” The vendor grinned. “You two a couple?”

“She's my boss.” ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom

“Haha, lucky you. Here you go, but be careful, it's hot! Blow off the steam a bit before you eat.”

Davey nodded half-heartedly and walked back toward Goddess Freyja, who was still sitting with a blank face. When he really looked at how quiet she’d become, and how blank her expression was, it all started to make sense. He figured it could be what Rinne would look like once she grew up. He knew they wouldn’t be exactly the same, though they’d surely have similar vibes.

He held out the steamed potato without a word.

She blinked up at him, then scribbled something down again.

[Blow on it.]

“What the hell are you doing right now...”

She held up the notebook again, pointing insistently at the words.

Davey sighed, gave in, and blew on the potato a few times to cool it down. When he handed it over, she hesitated before her eyes slightly widened with anticipation. She parted her lips gently, asking to be fed.

‘Yeah man, I have no fucking clue what she wants.’

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