SSS-Ranked Trash Hero: I Was Scammed Into Being Summoned-Chapter 91: Back to Ashfen

Lena woke up in a guest room in the main manor. Her body felt heavy, as if she were made of lead, but her mind was strangely sharp.

She sat up, her movements slow, and looked at her hands. They were pale and steady, showing no signs of the black claws that had been there before.

Then, a flicker of blue light appeared in the center of her vision.

[NOTIFICATION]

[Target Slain: Royal Worm Queen ]

[Enemy Rank: 189]

[Status: Extreme Threat Exterminated]

Lena stared at the screen. Rank 189. No wonder the protectors had been so strong. She had been fighting a royal-blooded creature.

In the novelkisss she used to read, Rank 189 was the kind of boss that usually required an entire party of high-level players. She had done it with a mysterious beastkin and a hundred exhausted soldiers.

Another screen popped up, flashing a deep, royal purple.

[ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: REGICIDE]

[REWARD GRANTED: SPECIAL BOX (????)]

Lena’s eyebrows rose. The system—the strange, silent force that had governed her life since she arrived in this world—had never given her a "reward" before.

Usually, she just got stat points or skill unlocks. A physical box was something new.

She felt a weight in her pocket. She reached in and pulled out a small, ornate wooden box. It was cool to the touch and carved with symbols she didn’t recognize. She looked at it for a long moment, then tucked it back into her pocket.

Not now, she thought. I don’t know what’s inside, and I don’t want to find out in the middle of a mission.

Finally, a third screen appeared, glowing with a bright, aggressive gold.

[NOTICE: EXPERIENCE OVERFLOW]

[LEVEL CAP REACHED]

[STATUS: ASCENDANT (THRESHOLD)]

[WARNING: BREAKTHROUGH REQUIRED TO PROGRESS TO THE NEXT RANK]

Lena leaned back against the headboard. She could feel it. Inside her chest, the mana she had drained from the Queen was swirling like a trapped storm.

It was more power than she had ever held, but it was blocked. It felt like her body was a glass bottle that was completely full, and if she tried to add one more drop, it would shatter.

She had to reach beyond the "Ascendant" rank.

A knock at the door broke her concentration.

"Come in," Lena said, her voice sounding raspy.

Ollen stepped inside. He looked like he hadn’t slept at all, but the expression of constant worry that had been on his face for weeks was gone. He looked ten years younger.

"Lena," he said. "How are you feeling."

"Good."she replied. "How is the situation?"

"The men are finishing the sweep. The forest is... well, it’s ash. There isn’t a single worm left on the grounds. Captain Vane says it’s a miracle."

"It wasn’t a miracle, Ollen," Lena said, swinging her legs out of bed. "It was a combined effort. Is everyone alright?"

"We lost five of Vane’s men and three of my guards," Ollen said, his voice lowering. "But without you... we wouldn’t have survived the night. None of us. I never thought that if we left the Worm Mother alone for a few more months, she would grow strong enough to destroy all of Veth."

Lena nodded.

"Thank you." Ollen said. "Your carriage is being prepared. Captain Vane wants to see you before you leave. She’s... she’s a bit intimidated, I think."

Lena gave a small, tired smile. "I’ll be down in twenty minutes."

The courtyard was a hive of activity, but it was the good kind. Soldiers were cleaning their armor, guards were laughing as they shared a meal, and the servants of the estate were finally venturing outside without fear.

Lena walked through the yard, her uniform perfectly pressed and her hair back in its professional bun. She looked like the perfect butler again.

Captain Vane was standing by the gate, her copper skin glowing in the morning sun. When she saw Lena, she stood at attention and saluted.

The hundred soldiers behind her did the same, a sharp, metallic clank of hands against breastplates.

"Butler Lena," Vane said. Her eyes were still full of wonder. "It was an honor to serve the Demon Prince and fight beside his trusted aide."

"You and your men held the surface, Captain," Lena replied. "Without your Iron Phalanx, I would have been buried. You have my gratitude."

Vane shook her head. "We did our jobs. You did the impossible. If you ever find yourself in the capital and need a drink, or a sword, look me up."

"I will," Lena said.

She turned to Dren and Tok, who were standing nearby. Dren gave her a slow, respectful nod, his tusks gleaming.

Tok, the grey-skinned man, stared at her with his solid amber eyes. He didn’t say anything, but he tapped his chest twice, the mercenary’s sign of a life-debt.

Lena looked around, her eyes searching the crowd. "Where is Skall?"

Ollen walked over, looking confused. "The beastkin? He left about an hour ago. He didn’t even wait for the rest of his pay. He just grabbed his pack and walked into the woods toward the main road."

Lena felt a pang of disappointment. She had wanted to talk to him.

She climbed into her carriage. The horses were rested and eager to move. Ollen stood at the door, holding it open for her.

"Safe travels, Lady Lena," he said. "The estate is yours whenever you wish to return. We will never forget what you did here."

"Goodbye, Ollen." Lena said.

The carriage lurched forward, moving out of the courtyard and onto the road that led back to Ashfen.

The journey was quiet. Lena spent the first hour staring out the window at the disappearing ash-forest. As the carriage reached the border of the estate, where the gray dust turned back into green grass, the driver slowed down.

A figure was standing in the middle of the road.

The driver pulled the horses to a halt. "Ma’am? There’s someone blocking the path." 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Lena opened the door and stepped out.

It was Skall. He was leaning against a tree, a piece of long grass in his mouth. He looked exactly like the lazy, bored mercenary she had first met in the courtyard, Not counting the Ashfen.

His pack was slung over one shoulder, and his brown fur was ruffled by the wind.

"I figured you’d be along eventually," Skall said, pushing himself off the tree.

"You left without your gold," Lena said, walking toward him.

Skall shrugged. "I’ve got enough. Besides, I think I got something better than gold out of this job. I got to see a Demon Butler go beyond ’Ascendant.’ That’s a story I can’t even tell at a tavern, because no one would believe it."

Lena stopped a few feet from him. "Who are you, Skall?"

Skall grinned, and for a second, his eyes flashed with that ancient, predatory light. "And your Mana Drain isn’t exactly ’butler’ work, is it? We all have our secrets, Lena. That’s what makes this world interesting."

He stepped closer, his voice dropping to a whisper.

"You’re at the wall, aren’t you? The peak of Ascendant rank. You’re buzzing like a beehive."

Lena didn’t deny it. "I am."

"Don’t rush it," Skall advised. "The breakthrough will come when you’re back at the Prince’s side. The city of Ashfen is full of mystery. You’ll find your catalyst there."

He turned away and began to walk down the road, his hands tucked into his pockets.

"Wait," Lena called out. "Will I see you again?"

Skall stopped. He didn’t turn around, but he raised a hand in a wave.

"In a world this small? Of course you will," he said. His voice was light, but there was a weight of certainty behind it. "But next time, I might be the one hiring you. Or maybe we’ll be on opposite sides of a battlefield. Either way, it won’t be boring."

He kept walking, his silhouette fading into the morning mist.

"We’ll meet again, Lena. The Queen was just the beginning. The world is getting restless."

And then, he was gone. He didn’t leave a footprint, and he didn’t make a sound.

Lena stood in the road for a long time, the wind whipping her skirts. She thought about the Worm Queen, the Rank 189 notification, and the mysterious box in her pocket. She thought about the Prince, waiting for her back in Ashfen.

She realized Skall was right. The world was getting restless. She had come to this estate to fix a simple pest problem, and she was leaving as a peak Ascendant-tier demon.

The game was changing.

She climbed back into the carriage and knocked on the roof.

"To Ashfen," she said.

The carriage rolled forward, leaving the land of veth behind. Lena closed her eyes and began to meditate, feeling the massive, stolen power of the Worm Queen pulsing inside her, waiting for the moment it could finally be unleashed.

Lena voss was going home. But she wasn’t the same woman who had left.