The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Chapter 965. Wicked Vany

Krukta, a student at Heins Academy, was the son of Great Orc Chief Tsu and a promising candidate for the position of the next Great Chief—or so he evaluated himself.

“Ugh, that meathead. Even his brain is made of muscle.”

This was how others assessed him.

“Whew... How long has he been at it, President?”

“It’s been three hours already.”

“Goblin! Don’t you dare move! I’m creating a once-in-a-lifetime masterpiece right now!”

The goblin standing frozen in a bizarre pose before him didn’t dare budge, Krukta nodding in satisfaction as he smeared paint onto a paper.

“Hm? Maybe this isn’t it.”

“Hey, Krukta. If you keep wasting supplies and end up using everything, Myuu is going to be furious.”

“Hold on, Vice President! I promised Myuu I’d present her with a proper painting!”

The incident had unfolded as such.

Krukta, a musclehead fighter whose life had been entirely detached from anything resembling art, found himself becoming a member of the Art Club. This unlikely turn of events was thanks to Myuu, a half-elf under the care of Yuria Helishana, who was the High Elf leader of the Moon Forest.

When he’d seen Myuu diligently sketching the academy’s second clock tower with paints and a sketchbook from Earth, he wanted to give it a try himself.

Naturally, Krukta—famous at Heins Academy for living a life completely detached from tranquil hobbies like art—was terrible at painting. When Maribel, the Student Council Vice President and a fellow Art Club member, saw his attempts, she burst into laughter.

Infuriated, he’d borrowed Myuu’s paints and giant canvas sketchbook to prove them wrong. That was how he ended up in the situation, far from Heins Territory and capturing a wild goblin to serve as a model for his artwork.

Though his artistic skills were clumsy at best, his determination was on another level. After burning through ninety percent of the sketchbook, he finally finished a drawing he was satisfied with.

It wasn’t well done by any means, but given his lack of talent, it was certainly passable.

As Krukta stood abruptly with a triumphant smile, Maribel let out a sigh.

“Well? Satisfied now?”

“It’s perfect! I’ll go show Myuu right away!”

Without looking back, Krukta dashed off, his massive figure disappearing into the distance. Watching him go, Maribel drew her sword.

Then, she skewered the goblin that was trying to sneak away without hesitation.

“I’d love to let you go, considering all the trouble he put you through, but I can’t risk what you might do later.”

“Hahaha! Ruthless as ever, Vice President.”

“You’re the one being naive. Goblins are far more dangerous than you think.”

Maribel narrowed her eyes seeing the papers scattered across the ground. Despite Krukta’s lack of innate talent, his sheer persistence had clearly led to some level of improvement.

But...

“Isn’t this a bit much?”

She was positive that Myuu had been saving the sketchbook, because it was her last one...

* * *

“Ooh... It’s amazing!”

Myuu’s eyes sparkled as she innocently admired the drawing.

“Krukta, you’re incredible! It’s so well done!”

His cheeks flushed red at her compliment, and he quickly averted his gaze.

“Kmph...! This is nothing for a person like me!”

“Wow... It feels so alive! Like you used a live model while drawing!”

Of course, that was exactly what he had done.

Vice President Maribel and Duke, the President who had followed her, both awkwardly avoided making eye contact.

Sometimes silence was gold. If the result was good, the process sometimes didn’t even matter.

Then, Myuu tilted her head in confusion.

“Huh? But...”

She made a puzzled face as she held up the sketchbook and shook it lightly. It seemed as if her soul had escaped her body.

“That’s strange. Why is there only this much?”

At her words, the other Art Club members froze.

“Strange... I could have sworn there was so much more before...”

Her body began to tremble as she flipped through the sketchbook, which now only had three or four pages left at most.

Krukta immediately turned pale.

“Ah... T-That’s because I used a lot while drawing...”

“Alright, that’s totally okay. Illyna said she’d buy more once we ran out.”

She mumbled weakly, her voice trailing off. But then, she looked at the paint box Krukta was holding and widened her eyes.

“T-This...”

Krukta flinched guiltily.

“Why are they all empty?”

When she had lent him the supplies, the paint packs had been full. Now, however, each and every one of them was completely empty.

“Haha. Hahaha. That just sort of happened too...”

“It just ‘sort of happened’ to them?”

Her eyes turned hollow.

“How could this happen?”

“Um. Uh...”

“How could you let this happen?”

“M-Myuu! I’ll... I’ll buy you new paints myself...”

“These were rare paints Per brought back from far away. And she said they were extremely valuable...”

The sourc𝗲 of this content is freēwēbηovel.c૦m.

Per. There wasn’t anyone there who didn’t recognize her name.

Myuu eventually began to cry. Seeing this, Krukta grew even paler.

His eyes darted around in a panic before he suddenly yelled, “I-I’ll get you them! I’ll get the paints and sketchbook for you! Just wait!”

“Hic. Sniff.”

“Don’t cry! I, the great warrior Krukta, always keep my promises!”

He then bolted out of the room.

Maribel sighed deeply and pulled a small rabbit out from her arms, handing it to Myuu.

“Huh? What’s this?”

“It’s a little one I brought along on the way back here. It followed me, but I think you’ll take better care of it than I could.”

“A snow-white rabbit...”

As Myuu muttered, Maribel suddenly shuddered as she remembered the monstrous muscle rabbits she’d encountered in the past

‘No. I’m just resurfacing trauma. It's not good to think about the muscle rabbits seeing this adorable rabbit.’

Maribel handed the rabbit over to Myuu, who gently nodded as she held it.

Bang!

“Myuu! I said I’ll find replacement paints and sketchbooks! Follow me!”

Krukta burst in and interrupted the two. He had come back to get Myuu.

Maribel let out another deep sigh.

“Should we go with him?”

Myuu tilted her head and looked up at her adorably. Maribel resisted the overwhelming urge to hug her tightly and simply nodded.

* * *

"Hey. Krukta. How far are we going?"

The group following Krukta consisted of four people: Myuu, a member of the Art Club; the one whom she admired the most, Tadia; Student Council Vice President Maribel; and Duke, the Student Council Vice President who had tagged along with Maribel for fun.

"Krukta, how far are we going?" Myuu asked while holding the snow-white rabbit close to her chest.

They had already traveled deep into the forest.

"Just a little further!"

Despite his words, they felt like they should have already gone far enough into the forest.

"Hey Krukta. This area’s been the source of some pretty bad rumors lately. We should head back before it’s too late,” Duke cautioned.

"A strong warrior isn’t swayed by silly rumors! Besides, we’re here!" Krukta puffed.

He eventually stopped and pointed ahead.

There, a massive field of flowers bloomed in a kaleidoscope of colors.

"Wow..."

"Oh my, how beautiful," Myuu and Maribel exclaimed, their eyes widening in awe.

"I think I once heard that the dyes from these flowers can be used as pigments for colored paints," Duke mused.

"Exactly!" Krukta exclaimed. "So, I’ll use these to make new paints for you!"

Of course, compared to Earth’s modern technology, the paint quality on Tionis was somewhat primitive. The flowers themselves were, nonetheless, of exceptional quality.

"Wow, Krukta! How did you even find this place?" Myuu asked, her voice filled with excitement.

"I stumbled upon it while hunting monsters!" Krukta said with confidence as he puffed out his chest.

Excited, Myuu ran into the field. She carefully picked flowers and put them into a leather pouch, her eyes sparkling.

"These dye flowers can produce a significant amount of paint from just one bloom. With this many, we can make high-quality paint to last us for a while. Not bad," Maribel commented, nodding approvingly.

"Hmph! I, Krukta the son of the Great Chief, always keep my promises!"

At that moment, Tadia, who had been silently observing, spoke up.

"Wait a second. Did you say you found this place while chasing a monster?"

"Ah, yes! It was a massive troll!"

"I don’t recall hearing that trolls inhabit this area.”

"I don’t know why it was here," Krukta replied bluntly.

Tadia twitched her eyes at his nonchalant response.

"This forest... There’ve been bad rumors about it lately. The headmaster was even planning to report it to His Highness, Davey.”

"Hah! If any monsters show up, I’ll deal with them myself! That’s all there is to it!" Krukta declared, patting the hand axe hanging at his waist.

"I, Krukta, fear no monster!"

Despite his boldness, Tadia couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable. However, nothing happened as Myuu and Maribel gathered as many flowers as they wanted.

"We got so many! With all of these, we can draw whatever we want!”

"Hmph! I’ll even buy the paper to replace the sketchbook myself!"

"Thank you, Krukta!" Myuu grinned brightly, making him blush before letting out a triumphant shout.

"Alright, let’s head back! Follow me. I’ll make sure everyone gets back safely!"

"Hm... Even if his brain is made of muscle, he’s surprisingly useful," Maribel remarked dryly.

Duke chuckled at her comment, only to get smacked by her moments later. It was a common occurrence—she often complained about him driving her up the wall, but the two got along better than most would think.

"The sun’s already starting to set. Look how much darker it’s getting.”

“Kyuu.”

The little rabbit in Myuu’s arms let out an adorable squeak as she happily skipped along. The group began descending the mountain, following the same path back.

"Huh? I think I hear something.”

As Myuu, who had the most sensitive hearing, stopped in her tracks, the rabbit in her arms perked its ears and looked around as if it sensed something as well.

"Myuu?" Tadia called out, stopping behind her.

"It was a loud noise. This feels... ominous.”

At that moment, a powerful gust of wind swept through the forest as the sky suddenly darkened completely.

It wasn’t time for nightfall yet—while the mountains tended to get dark at an earlier time of day, this level of darkness was unnatural.

Instinctively, Duke leaped to shield Maribel, while Tadia grabbed Myuu.

Boom!!

A deafening explosion shook the entire forest.

“Krukta!!!”

Unlike the others who were fortunate enough to avoid the blast, Krukta was caught off guard. He was struck by a massive force and sent flying.

It happened so fast that there was no time to react.

The group shouted for him in desperation, but there was no response.

[Is this not the place?]

[It’s farther north, in a human kingdom of the Lyndis Empire.]

[Ugh... Damn it. I made another mistake.]

“W-What? What is that?”

Maribel, frozen on the ground, stammered in shock as two massive figures emerged from the shadows. It was only natural, as the figures standing before them were beings that only existed in fairy tales.

Two massive dragons, their scales gleaming a brilliant blue with each bearing two pairs of wings, stood tall over the group.

They weren't undead lich dragons—they were real dragons. There was nothing mere cadets could do against such overwhelming entities.

“Stay quiet, Maribel. Dragons are wise creatures. If we don’t provoke them, they’ll leave,” Tadia whispered, crouching down protectively around Myuu.

[Hmm? Humans... and a half-elf?]

[This is human territory. It’s not surprising.]

[What a nuisance. Let’s just ignore them and go. We’re short on time. If we’re late, Elder Kais will throw a fit.]

[Kaina already left ahead of us. If we delay any further, we’ll have to endure more of that bitch’s smug remarks.]

The dragons talked to themselves, seemingly uninterested in the group, and prepared to leave.

But as one of them stepped forward, it nearly trampled Krukta, who laid unconscious and bloodied on the ground.

“No!!” Myuu shouted.

The dragon paused and turned its massive head to look at her.

[What’s this? The half-elf?]

“Don’t step on Krukta!”

Tadia quickly clamped a hand over her mouth, but it was too late—the dragons’ attention had already shifted to her.

[And what’s this? An orc?]

[Heh. What a mess. Hey, should we have a little fun with them before we leave?]

[Don’t be ridiculous. We don’t have time for this.]

[We’re already late. Might as well enjoy ourselves.]

As one dragon stretched out its claw toward Myuu, she flinched in terror. Tadia immediately drew her sword and stepped in front of her.

[Oh?]

The dragon looked at Tadia with eyes full of amusement.

Then...

Boom!!

An invisible force struck her, sending her flying and crashing into the ground.

“Tadia!!” Maribel and Duke screamed, rushing to her side.

Trembling with fear but maintaining his composure, Duke knelt before the dragons, bowing his head deeply.

“O’ great and noble beings, forgive us, insignificant mortals, for standing in your way. We humbly beg for your mercy!”

[Hmm. I see one of you humans still has decent manners.]

“Thank you! Please, forgive us insignificant beings for our ignorance and show us mercy just this once!”

Duke had concealed his usual playful demeanor completely. He kept calm, fully aware of the stakes. He knew that if they provoked the dragons further, there’d be no chance of survival.

[Shall we grant them mercy, then?]

“Thank you—”

[However, that half-elf... she’s intriguing. There’s an unusual spirit energy within her.]

Duke and Maribel widened their eyes in shock.

“Your Excellencies?! What do you mean...?”

[We’ll take the half-elf with us. In exchange, the rest of you may live. Understood?]

In response, Duke bit his lip so hard it drew blood.

He knew the ordeal wasn’t Krukta’s fault. It was a sudden disaster—a calamity beyond their control. He couldn’t even figure out why there were dragons there, of all places.

His mind raced, searching desperately for a way out of this nightmare.

But there was no clear solution.

"Maribel."

At last, Duke spoke quietly, as if he had made up his mind.

"P-President...?"

"When I give you the signal, take Myuu and Tadia then run. Got it?"

Her eyes widened.

And then—just as the dragon reached out toward the terrified Myuu—

Duke suddenly narrowed his eyes and drew his sword.

"No one lays a hand on an academy student without my permission!!"

Boom!!

In an instant, he unleashed blade energy, striking the dragon.

His speed was nothing short of incredible—far beyond what anyone would expect from a boy his age.

But alas.

Thud.

The one who collapsed while spraying blood was not the dragon, but Duke himself. He was thrown to the ground, rolling several times before coming to a stop.

Everyone could only watch in horror with pale faces.

[Arrogant human. You dare try to wound me?]

The dragon let out a sinister wave of Fear, crushing the surroundings. The ones who had barely managed to stand trembled violently and fell to their knees.

[Soon, the second wave will arrive. It’d be troublesome if they face any obstacles. Should I just kill them all?]

[Kill them.]

The dragon prepared for a breath attack. Myuu squeezed her eyes shut and curled up in fear.

But then, the rabbit in her arms started to squirm and wriggle free, leaping out of her embrace.

She wondered if it was trying to escape. The rabbit, now separated from Myuu, lifted its small head and stared at the dragon.

[What is this?]

The dragons shifted their attention toward the rabbit. At the same time, everyone who had been crushed under Fear turned to look at it.

But then, the tiny rabbit no bigger than a forearm began to twitch and stretch.

Everyone was at a loss for words.

The once-small rabbit suddenly grew larger—far larger than a human. Its body shifted into a hulking, bipedal form.

It was a form that all of the students recognized.

"Hic..."

Maribel hiccupped in shock.

But the rabbit paid no mind. Its massive, snow-white body was packed with bulging muscles. And for some reason, it was wearing nothing but a single pair of red briefs—nobody knew where it had retrieved them from.

Its small, beady red eyes gleamed.

Crack. Pop.

Veins bulged across its arms as it clenched its fists, joints creaking audibly.

Its biceps swelled to the point that they were larger than Myuu’s—no, even Maribel’s—head. Its veins looked on the verge of bursting.

After lightly stretching, the rabbit stepped forward.

"Kyuu?"

It growled cutely.

However, what followed left everyone in stunned silence.

The rabbit clenched its fist and moved in a flash, driving a devastating punch straight into a dragon’s abdomen that bent its massive body backward from the impact.

“Kyu.”

Its quiet cry echoed through the forest.

* * *

Meanwhile, a blue light gathered near Davey, who was busy clearing out the Dragon’s Nest.

[Human! Human! It's bad! Really bad!]

[Friend Myuu! Myuu’s in danger! The big lizards are attacking!!]

At those words, his gaze brimmed with murderous intent.

"Where?"