The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Chapter 961

A cold silence hung in the air.

“Why are you all looking at me like that?”

At Davey’s nonchalant question, Rudel asked hesitantly.

“Uh... Why did you attack Elder Kaiser...?”

At his question, Davey glanced over at Elder Opal and chucked.

“I wonder how much hell you usually give him, to make him react this way.”

“Th-that’s not... Hey, human! What are you talking about? Why would you suddenly attack Elder Kaiser?!”

“Because he’s a traitor. Do I need any other reason?”

His blunt response left everyone dumbfounded. Their faces clearly showed that they had never even imagined such a possibility.

Of course, Davey could tell why they were reacting that way. From what he had observed over the past few days, Elder Kaiser had always come across as warm and compassionate, constantly checking to ensure his kin were comfortable and working tirelessly to improve their conditions. He was the complete opposite of Elder Opal, who would berate others relentlessly, blaming them and calling them lazy.

Naturally, such kind conduct had earned the trust and support of the other dragons.

The thought of him being a traitor wasn’t something they could accept so easily.

“I heard that dragons prioritize protecting hatchlings above all else. Who would’ve thought a dragon would be the one to do that to their own kin... let alone to a hatchling.”

“Don’t spout nonsense! Elder Marin! Who is this insane human?!”

At his outburst, Elder Marin turned to Davey with a serious expression.

“Could you explain your reasoning?”

At his polite request, Davey calmly responded.

“Reasoning, huh? Sapphire.”

“Yes?”

“When you fought that Felius guy, didn’t he use a power that wasn’t his own?”

“Yes... that’s correct. It was... definitely the power of the monarch.”

“Are there any moderate dragons who wield that power?” Davey questioned.

“No, there aren’t. Only those who swear a binding oath of loyalty to the monarch can use it.”

In other words, Elder Kaiser, who had that power, was undeniably the culprit. However, even if Davey brought this up, he could easily come up with excuses or deny it altogether. There was no solid way to prove it outright.

So, the only option was to take a more direct approach.

“Rudel, the oath of dragontongue—what are the requirements for performing the formal version, and not the simplified one?”

“The oath... of dragontongue?”

“Yeah, that.”

“There’s only one requirement. It involves a ritual where the dragon places their heart on the line before the lord. But currently, the lord has yet to awaken from slumber, so...”

Which meant the formal oath of dragontongue couldn’t be performed. The problem with the simplified version was that elders could easily conceal the penalties of it, so there was no risk of being exposed.

This was likely why Kaiser had dared to betray them so openly.

“So, it’s essentially impossible to go with that method.”

“Is there any particular reason the lord must preside over the oath?”

“The lord is the only one who has grown closer to the Primordial Dragon through the ritual.”

So, a Primordial Dragon was the requirement.

Updat𝓮d from frёewebnoѵēl.com.

In that case...

“Evangeline.”

When Davey called her name and gently stroked her hair, her eyes sparkled with curiosity.

“Is there something I can do?”

“Yes.”

“Your Highness! Surely you’re not—!”

Rudel, who had been adamant about keeping Evangeline’s true identity hidden from both the moderates and the fallen ones, raised his voice in panic.

But Davey couldn’t have cared less.

“You can swear the oath in front of Evangeline. She isn’t just close to being a Primordial Dragon—she is one. Or rather, she’s a direct descendant of an ancient dragon.”

Davey’s statement left the dragons around him utterly dumbfounded.

“What... What are you saying?”

“Don’t believe me? Then try it and see for yourself,” he said as he shifted his gaze to Elder Kaiser. “If you’re truly innocent, it won’t matter whether Evangeline is a Primordial Dragon or not.”

After all, if he was innocent, nothing would happen. The issue was that the oath of dragontongue, while effective, had too many loopholes.

“Now, repeat exactly what I say, word for word, and swear on it.”

[I found out Runia’s eyes were taken after Saint Davey O’Rowane did.]

At this command, Elder Kaiser’s face turned pale. The very situation he feared—being forced to make the oath—had arrived. There was no way out.

“Evangeline might or might not be the Primordial Dragon you folks revere. I say she is. But if it’s hard to believe, you don’t have to. Even so, surely swearing to something this basic shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

“Ha... a Primordial Dragon, you say? What a ridiculous joke to hear coming from a mere human.”

“What’s up with all this talk, Elder? Are you going to do it or not?” he said while glaring at Kaiser coldly.

The dragon’s pupils trembled.

“Having second thoughts? Why the hesitation? Do I look like I’m lying?”

Elder Kaiser now had to risk his life on whether or not Davey was lying about Evangeline’s identity. It seemed like he was desperately trying to convince himself that Davey was lying. His unshakable confidence only cornered Kaiser further.

“Elder Kaiser? Why... Why can’t you do it?” Elder Opal asked, his voice tinged with disbelief.

Kaiser, as though pushed to his limit, finally exploded.

“How dare you mock me?!! I’ll kill you!!”

He eventually dug his own grave.

Boom!

At the same time, Elder Marin and Elder Opal stepped in, crushing Elder Kaiser’s rising aura and pinning him down with overwhelming force.

His actions were as good as a confession—admitting that he had harmed Runia and betrayed the moderates.

“Well, I had other evidence lined up, but this makes things much easier,” Davey said with a cold smile, his gaze fixed on Kaiser after the two elders subdued him. “You’ve put a hatchling in such a state—you probably won’t be dying peacefully.”

Elder Opal gritted his teeth, his body trembling with suppressed fury. “Elder Kaiser... Say it ain’t so... Tell me why... Why would you do this?”

“The tide has already turned, Elder Opal! I simply recognized that and focused on how to keep my own neck attached.”

At his outburst, Opal made a face of despair.

“So... it’s true. You really were a traitor... Why?! How could you betray us?! Didn’t you understand that your actions could bring down everyone here?! And all this time, you’ve been pretending to be kind and caring?”

“Shut it! What would a blind fool like you know?! You can’t even see the bigger picture!”

Opal inhaled sharply, his breath ragged and trembling.

“Oh... Primordial Dragon... please, watch over us...”

His face was a mix of shock and grief.

* * *

“An elder's been subdued?”

The plan was unfolding smoothly. Kais, an elder from the reformist faction, grimaced at the intel that had just reached him.

“The bio-golem by that human’s side wielded that much power...”

“So... my instincts weren’t wrong, after all...” muttered Felius as he gnawed on his claws in frustration.

“Surely, it’s a lie. There’s no way a mere golem could subdue an elder.”

The other dragons dismissed the idea as impossible by any reasonable standard. However, Felius was different.

“Felius, why the grim expression?”

“The thing is...”

“Is it because of the golem?”

“I’d like to believe it’s just a misunderstanding, but... it seems that the report about Elder Kaiser being subdued might not be entirely baseless.”

An unforeseen, overwhelming force had entered the political fray—a golem powerful enough to crush a dragon elder. The revelation was troubling, raising complications that could not be ignored.

“What should we do now, Elder?” another dragon asked.

The traitor who had been feeding them information, Elder Kaiser, had been completely subdued by Elders Opal and Marin. His mana was sealed entirely, and he was now trapped within a dragon cage.

“He must be expecting us to rescue him, so what should we do? Do we retrieve him?”

Kais pondered for a moment, but before he could respond, another elder chimed in coldly.

“No. A dog that has outlived its usefulness should be put down.”

No one found his statement surprising. After all, it had been Kaiser’s negligence—his failure to deal with Runia properly—that disrupted their plans.

“Tsk. He should’ve burned the body. Why did he have to leave it?”

Of course, Kaiser had likely refrained from doing so because of the risks of being discovered. But in hindsight, his actions had been a dangerous gamble.

“But she was still alive.”

“From what I’ve heard, her heart was damaged. If that’s the case, even if she’s alive, it’s as good as being dead.”

The remark, though cutting, was accurate—and likely infuriating, if Kaiser ever heard it.

“Now then. Since our objective has been achieved, we’ll cease all operations and begin our withdrawal. Execute the diversion.”

With that command, massive explosions began to erupt throughout the Dragon’s Nest.

The ritual for the Primordial Dragon was still important to the fallen ones, of course. However, it could wait.

After all, it wouldn’t be too late to perform the ritual after destroying the entire area and wiping out their opposition.

* * *

Elder Kaiser had been subdued and sealed within a dragon cage in the underground chamber of the Dragon’s Nest. For the moderates, who had never suspected him of treachery, the revelation was nothing short of a mental blow.

“Now, there are only seven of us left in our faction...”

Just seven dragons would have to fight against dozens of others. The disparity in numbers was overwhelming, leaving little hope for victory.

“To complete Rudel’s ritual... we’ll need more time...”

The biggest issue was that their final strategy—using Rudel’s heart, imbued with traces of the Primordial Dragon bloodline—required time to prepare.

Time they might not have.

“Kaiser was unmatched among dragons in barrier magic. But even he betrayed us...” gold dragon Hovana muttered bitterly.

“Human, how’s Runia’s condition?” Hovana asked Davey.

“She’s alive, but barely. The situation isn’t looking good.”

Though she could get her lost eyes replaced with artificial implants, they were still her dragon eyes—an irreplaceable part of her as a dragon. It was likely that she would never fully recover from it.

After her dragon eyes had been taken and stashed away by Kaiser, their whereabouts had become a mystery.

“Damn it... that poor child... What could he have been thinking...” Hovana clenched her fists in frustration.

Kaiser, having been discovered as a traitor, now sat in a cage, hollow and defeated. When Elder Opal questioned him, he’d confessed that Runia had seen the fallen ones conspiring within the dragon lord’s lair. To silence her, he had tried to kill her—but he had failed.

“What’s wrong?” Davey asked, noticing Rudel silently listening to the full-fledged dragons’ conversation.

While he remained contemplative, Davey grabbed the honeyed drink that Hovana had generously offered earlier and took a big gulp.

“Hm, this is good!”

“Delicious, isn’t it? Amazing, right?! Here, have some more!” Hovana enthusiastically offered more of the drink.

Among the dragons still able to fight, the black dragon siblings, Siller and Arti, were showing a surprising amount of friendliness toward Evangeline, repeatedly offering her that same honeyed beverage.

“Rinne evaluates this as a revolution for the taste buds!”

Meanwhile, Hovana firmly attached herself to Rinne, continually offering her food. Together, they made quite the entertaining pair—Hovana offering, and Rinne eagerly nomming.

“Your Highness... thank you,” Rudel said quietly.

“It’s just an act of kindness,” Davey replied nonchalantly, brushing off Rudel’s gratitude.

Rudel fell silent for a moment, then asked, “But I am curious. What exactly are they planning to do here, right now of all times?”

In response to his question, Davey formed a circle with his thumb and index finger. “From here on out, this is a paid service, dear customer.”

Rudel frowned at his cheeky response but quickly let it go, his expression softening. “I’ve conducted a lot of games as a dragon, but... due to certain circumstances, it’s hard for me to view my kin and other races on the same level.”

“It certainly seems that way.”

‘And you’re also extremely stubborn for no reason, too.’

“However, even if we wanted to proceed with the ritual, the situation has become much more precarious.”

The ritual required more time, but with what was going on with Elder Kaiser, the time they had left was running out.

“What will you do if I ask Your Highness to assist us?”

“Give me an answer first.”

At his words, Rudel fell silent.

“I may not be able to adapt easily,” Rudel admitted.

Davey nodded. “That’s my responsibility to handle, not yours to worry about.”

Rudel let out a small, defeated laugh at that. “You’re a human, and yet you put me, a dragon, to shame.”

“Dragons are simply living beings just like everyone else.”

That response seemed to lighten his burden. He glanced at Evangeline, who had stepped closer to Davey. With a relieved expression, Rudel sighed, “It seems I’ve been needlessly worrying about things that don’t matter.”

“You have.”

“From now on, as Rudelite of Heins Territory, I pledge my loyalty to you and Lady Evangeline until the end of my life.”

“Not loyalty.”

Rudel made a face of confusion. “Then... what do you mean?”

“You’re simply becoming my neighbor. Do you understand what that means?”

Davey then rose from his seat, making Rudel momentarily flustered. “Your Highness?”

“Prepare yourself.”

And then, as if on cue, explosions began to echo from all directions.

“An... an attack?!” Rudel exclaimed, wide-eyed. “These lunatics are now launching a surprise assault in broad daylight?!”

The fallen ones had no reason to uphold the truce any longer. With their objective complete, they intended to crush the weakened moderates post-haste.

However, things weren’t the same as before.

Davey, who had until now stayed on the sidelines, had no intention of waiting any longer.

The space around them began to twist and warp. When the magic cleared, Davey was no longer standing with Rudel, but instead with Evangeline and the hatchlings.

“Daddy!!” Evangeline shouted, rushing to him in a panic.

“What... What happened?! What’s with the spatial distortion?!” The startled hatchlings chattered nervously as they gathered around Davey.

Davey calmly snapped his fingers, creating a protective barrier around them. Without a word, he turned his attention toward the direction of the explosions.

“They’re planning to split us up and take us down one by one,” he muttered.

‘An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.’

If they wanted to use ambush tactics, Davey would give them a taste of their own medicine.

“Rinne,” Davey called through the communication link he shared with her.

"If you spot the enemy, crush them without mercy."

Turning his head, Davey saw a dragon walking toward him at a leisurely pace. It was a fallen dragon with striking red hair.

"Heh, heh. So you all are my target, eh? No monstrous golem in sight, just kids everywhere..." The dragon chuckled bitterly.

"I don't particularly enjoy harming hatchlings," the dragon said as he began to gather magic. "But don't hate me for this, human. I'll make this as painless as poss—"

Thwack!!

Before he could finish, Davey moved in an instant, grabbing the dragon’s face with one hand.

And then—

Crash!!!

Davey slammed him into the ground with brutal force. He didn’t even have time to scream before his eyes rolled back in his head, blood and foam bubbling from his mouth as he lay flat on the ground.

“...”

“W-Wow...”

The hatchlings stared in awe as they watched Davey take down a full-fledged red dragon with ease.

“Don’t come out from there.”

He nonchalantly kicked the unconscious dragon aside, sending his limp body flying across the room. He then began moving again, his expression cold and focused.

‘Ready or not, here I come. The moment I see you, you’re dead.’

At that moment, he remembered how Anabelle loved playing hide-and-seek.