The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Chapter 993

"It's fine, but I would appreciate a heads-up next time."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Still, no matter how one looked at it, a situation like this, entrenched in international affairs, could hardly be considered normal.

"Ugh..."

Congressman Park groaned in pain. Davey remained silent, staring at him so coldly that it made him twitch slightly.

"Don't tell me... you did this to him?”

"A complete coincidence," Davey replied indifferently, then dropped into an empty chair. "Would you like to hear what this man has been up to?"

The president nodded tensely.

Davey proceeded to reveal everything—what Congressman Park had done over the years, his most recent misdeeds, and even his final words before he was incapacitated.

But as he shared the man’s wrongdoings, he couldn’t help but wonder if the president really hadn’t known.

More likely, he knew but lacked the evidence to act. Or perhaps he had chosen to turn a blind eye completely.

"Sigh. Of all the people to cross..."

"Korea should handle its own matters, of course. But if this gets publicized, it'll be quite a headache, won't it?"

Normally, Congressman Park would’ve controlled the media and swept the scandal under the rug, destined to be drowned out by other news.

But Davey had no intention of letting that happen.

"This man, right here. Make sure he can no longer do anything.”

“Anything...?”

"As I mentioned, there's a detective who fell victim to him and his machinations. That detective even gathered evidence over a long period of time, so you should know what to do next. You’re supposed to be good at this, aren’t you? Handling politicians?"

Destroying everything they’ve built up.

"But why...?"

"For those who believe having power gives them the right to trample over others. Someone needs to remind them that there's always someone stronger than them, a sky above the sky."

Davey smiled faintly.

"Hmm, I guess I’ll give you three months."

"And after three months... what do you plan to do?" the president asked in a tense tone.

"We'll see when the time comes."

Dragging this man away for punishment wouldn't accomplish anything. He needed to remain here and suffer a fate worse than death.

"Sigh. Prince Davey, you do realize Congressman Park holds significant influence in the National Assembly?"

"I do. That’s precisely why I’m telling you first, Mr. President."

"Without proper incentives, no one will move."

"Then how about this?"

Davey grinned.

"Along with this world, there are many places that are in dire need of food supplies."

Like the continent of Yurgian—home to the alchemists—or the continent of Peslisa.

"In return, I'll provide periodic shipments of rare minerals and specialty goods from those places—things that don’t exist on Earth. You can simply frame it as a trade deal with Tionis. I’ll arrange the transactions through the Sacred Group."

Sacred Group had been struggling against the increasing pressure from rival corporations, and he had heard that Hyun-Ah and Yeon-Hee were growing exhausted from dealing with it all.

He couldn’t stand the thought of them, who should be living their own lives, being shackled to business matters.

At those words, the president widened his eyes in astonishment.

It wasn’t even a matter of calculating benefits—it was an obvious win.

"I won’t undercut the prices. What’s rare on Earth but common there, and vice versa—I’ll think of it as both sides helping each other out. What do you say? Do we have a deal?"

The source of this c𝓸ntent is freewebnøvel.coɱ.

"Well...”

"You’re free to refuse, of course. But if you do, I’ll hand all this evidence over to that detective and make sure Congressman Park experiences exactly the same false accusations and suffering that my wife endured. I also have friends in the Middle East. And in Japan, there’s someone with considerable influence among the Awakened, known as the Prophet."

"Surely you wouldn’t..."

"Mr. President, I’m not Korean. And to be honest, I don’t particularly care about this country—or any other, for that matter."

From the very beginning, he never had a real choice.

"Mr. President."

"Yes, Prince Davey?"

"Shall we make this a win-win? Or would you rather let this turn into an all-out brawl?"

"Haa. Can you provide more details about the trade goods?"

"If too much enters circulation, it could disrupt Earth's economy. I’ll keep it to a minimum."

"That... That would mean—!"

"Yes. Mass popularization won’t be possible. But how you use them is up to you."

The president tilted his head, intrigued.

"Such as?"

"I’m not too aware of the industries on Earth, but introducing materials that don’t exist here could lead to new innovations. For example..."

Davey smiled.

"Neutralizing and recycling nuclear waste."

"Hmph!"

"Or perhaps materials that allow for more efficient research into the underwater resources buried in the East Sea. Of course, this is assuming Korea has the capability to develop such things. But if you deliver satisfying results..."

"If we do...?"

"I’ll send over a couple of my best gearheads."

Davey knew he’d understand what ‘gearheads’ meant.

After all, President Cho had a background in engineering himself.

Now then, was this a bad deal for the president?

Not a chance.

Relevant industries would experience rapid, unprecedented growth. And when it came to nuclear power, neighboring Japan would no doubt scramble to get involved.

At his words, the president shot to his feet.

He gripped Davey’s hand tightly.

"Please, I beg you! Within a month, I’ll make sure this miserable bastard is completely out! Just make sure this deal goes through!"

The negotiation didn’t take very long at all.

* * *

In a dimly lit room, a girl anxiously bit her nails, her face filled with unease.

She had killed someone—by accident.

Seo-Na, whom she regularly bullied, had ignored her and gone out to meet a friend. That defiance was enough of a reason for her to gather her usual followers and go after Seo-Na.

She took it as a message that Seo-Na still didn’t understand her place, and that she needed to be reminded of their hierarchy.

That was all she had intended.

She never meant to bully her to death.

It was that while at school, maintaining her position as part of the upper class required her to establish power, and bullying someone to turn them into a misfit had simply been one way to do it.

But then something unexpected happened.

Seo-Na had managed to escape, which stung her pride.

So she lashed out. She had no idea Seo-Na would die so easily. Really!

She, of course, panicked at what had happened. Her followers, who had been complicit in tormenting Seo-Na, never expected her to die either. Everyone went crazy and began blaming one another, desperately trying to pass the buck.

But she wasn’t like them—she had too much pride.

She boldly declared that she would take care of everything.

After that, she went to her father—Congressman Park.

She knew her father would be able to handle the situation, as he always listened to what she asked for.

And despite his initial discomfort, he quickly took care of the situation.

He made sure the blame fell on someone else—on the girl who had helped Seo-Na escape.

The new culprit had a name that sounded foreign. Being naive, she believed that made things easier.

But, just when she thought it was all over, her father suddenly began to change.

He became restless, as if something was hunting him.

At first, it was just irritation.

But soon, that irritation turned into abject terror.

It was as if he was being haunted by a ghost.

He started being wary of his surroundings, whispering to himself. And then, one day without warning, he disappeared—without even telling her.

Her father was the only family she had. His sudden absence threw her into a complete panic.

"This isn’t right. I need to go out and take my mind off this... Maybe to the club. There’s no way he’s in trouble. He’s the most powerful man in this country. There’s nothing he can’t do."

Desperate to push the anxiety away, she changed into a revealing outfit and headed for the door.

But just as she was about to leave—

"Hooh? Heading out for a night of fun, are we? My, aren’t you looking fancy?"

The voice had a fickle tone to it.

But the emotions behind it were anything but.

"Hmph?!”

"First time meeting, huh? Well, allow me to introduce myself."

A man stood before her, pulling a badge from his pocket.

Seoul Metropolitan Police, Violent Crimes Division.

"...!"

Her face instantly drained of color.

She had no clue how and why the police, particularly a detective from Violent Crimes, was at her doorstep.

"I never thought I’d get reinstated after everything I’ve done. Life sure is full of surprises."

"You... who are you?"

"Not that it matters anymore, I suppose. Hm? You’re curious about who I am? Just call me Detective Oh."

“...”

She instinctively took one step back. Then another.

"So? What business do you have with me, Detective?"

"Oh, nothing much. I just have a few questions regarding a recent murder case I’ve been working on."

As he spoke, he placed a cigarette between his lips and stepped closer.

"You know a girl named Seo-Na?"

"Yes... I know her."

"She was murdered, and I’ve been investigating it."

"That’s strange. I thought that case was already closed."

"It was. But there are still some inconsistencies that I need to clear up. Some missing pieces."

Her hands trembled. She quickly hid them behind her back.

"I already told the police everything I know. Yes, I bullied her, but I didn’t kill her. I was with my friends when she died."

"Oh, I know your story all too well. That’s exactly what’s written in the case files."

"Then I’ll be—"

"Hold on."

Detective Oh narrowed his eyes.

"Careful now, miss. You don’t want to mess around with a detective."

"..."

"That day... Why did you kill her?"

The girl widened her eyes in shock, her entire body trembling.

"W-What are you talking about? I don’t understand..."

"Relax, miss. I’m not here to scare you. To be honest, I had already decided to step away from this case. I wasn’t planning on bothering you either... But then I remembered something."

There had been an incident where a group of minors had caused a disturbance at a funeral, only to be caught by a certain someone.

"If you choose to be honest with me, I’ll give you the chance to receive fair punishment."

He wasn’t going to let her go.

He wasn’t going to help her.

He wasn’t going to give her a way out.

He was going to give her the punishment she deserved.

It was a ridiculous thing to say, like getting a toddler to fess up, yet the girl trembled even more.

She knew exactly what he was referring to.

It was the story of a foreign prince who had completely shattered the juvenile protection laws—an incident that had once enraged the entire nation, when a group of monstrous children had committed atrocities beyond forgiveness.[1]

"Listen, miss. Just tell me the truth, then I’ll make sure you’re punished according to this country’s shitty justice system. You know that the law changed, right? Juveniles don’t go to detention centers anymore. It’s straight to prison now."

"..."

"Someone who commits a crime needs to be punished. But me? I don’t want to see anyone else die."

She scoffed.

"Hah... I have no idea what you’re talking about. If you keep spouting nonsense, I’ll go straight to my dad about this. Do you even know who my father is?"

"Oh, I know him very well. Congressman Park, one of the most powerful politicians in the country. Am I wrong?"

"..."

He then completely changed his bitter smile to a calm smirk.

"This is your last chance, miss. Don’t forget—I’m not just threatening you personally. I’m a detective."

"Y-You’re ridiculous! I-I didn’t kill her!!"

She screamed at the top of her lungs and turned around to run.

"Hey, miss. It seems like you don’t understand the severity of the situation yet. Do you even realize—”

"You should leave it at that, Detective Oh."

A calm voice cut through.

It was youthful, yet carried a weight of authority that no ordinary young man could possess.

"Tsk.”

"What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Stepping out from the shadows was a young man in his early twenties, dressed casually in a black T-shirt and jeans.

Jet-black hair. Crimson eyes.

For a moment, she thought he had colored contact lenses on.

But no.

She knew exactly who this person was.

"T-The... Saint of Tionis."

"Nice to meet you for the first time, miss."

"..."

Her body froze in sheer terror.

She felt like even the slightest movement would make her die.

"A crime deserves a resulting punishment."

"W-Why are you here?"

"Why else? The person you framed happens to be important to me. Want me to elaborate?"

‘This is a nightmare. How did it come to this?’

Her body trembled uncontrollably and she forced out a desperate scream.

"Haa... This is exactly why I told you to turn yourself in right away."

The detective sighed, rubbing his forehead before turning to Davey.

"Hey, Saint of Tionis."

"What is it, detective?"

"She’s still just a kid. You’re not planning on giving her some... excessive punishment, are you?"

Davey chuckled.

"Excessive punishment, huh? Are you perhaps asking such a thing because of that incident from before?”

"Look, I’m all for punishing criminals... But at least let it happen through this country’s legal system."

"Detective. You quit being a cop and went on a rampage for revenge. Now you’re here trying to play by the rules?"

"Ugh. You got me there."

Detective Oh took a step back.

"Yeah, maybe I’m being nosy. After all, she’s no innocent kid—she’s a monster who took a life without a second thought."

"..."

His words left no room for doubt that she was the murderer.

"Besides, you don’t have to worry. I don’t plan on taking her anywhere, and I won’t be acting personally either."

The detective raised a brow.

"You’re handing her over to this country’s shitty justice system? Well, now that’s unexpected to hear from the Saint of Tionis."

"I’m going to show just how vicious that shitty system can be when properly utilized."

Then, he stepped closer.

"I told your father the same thing—just think of this as bad luck on your part. You thought having power meant you could step on others without consequences? Then, you should have no complaints when you get stepped on."

"W-Why are you doing this to me?"

She whimpered as she continued to shake in fear.

"You know, the thing you guys are best at—media manipulation."

He couldn’t even imagine how much of a public beating she was about to take.

"You’ve spent your whole life trampling on others. Now it’s your turn to experience what that’s like. That’s all I have to say today.”

Davey was basically giving her a heads-up on what her future was going to be; he made sure she felt the fear of tomorrow coming.

And with that, she fainted on the spot.

* * *

- Prosecutors have obtained records detailing all of Congressman Park’s hidden crimes, including numerous instances of bribery and other serious offenses. Investigations are now underway...

"This... This can’t be happening..."

- Additionally, it has been revealed that Congressman Park's daughter was involved in a murder case. She not only committed murder, but also framed another innocent individual to evade law enforcement’s scrutiny.

- Authorities have begun a full-scale investigation into all businesses and governmental departments connected to Congressman Park. Alongside efforts to re-open cases where innocent individuals were wrongfully punished, they have also launched a rigorous inquiry into Miss Park’s involvement in the murder.

- We interviewed people familiar with Miss Park’s everyday behavior.

- Her? Oh, she’s ruthless. If you don’t do what she wants, she calls people over to beat you up. Even the teachers at school couldn’t do anything against her.

"T-This... This can’t be happening!!"

[No exceptions will be made. No leniency. No privileges. As you crushed those who never even had a chance, it is your turn to face the consequences.]

She now understood what it meant to become famous overnight.

The media, the government agencies, and the corporations that had once benefited from her father—all of them turned their backs in an instant, severing ties to avoid being dragged down with the two. Even the so-called friends she once controlled had abandoned her without hesitation.

She learned firsthand what being discarded was.

Watching from a distance, Davey turned to Illyna as she approached.

"What do you think will happen?"

"She’ll get crushed. Her entire life just got obliterated."

"Yeah, probably. But even so, I don’t intend to let it end here."

Humans only realized the value of what they had after they lost everything.

After losing their power, their privileges, and every opportunity they once took for granted.

Being killed outright would’ve been a mercy for such a person.

"Goodness, Davey... So this is why you went straight to the leaders of Korea and the reporters?”

"There might be no remaining video evidence, but there are still people who saw me there. That’s enough to start rumors."

He knew he had given a fair warning—a reminder of what would happen if they did the wrong thing.

For even a brief moment, the world had to acknowledge that the Saint of Tionis had returned to Earth. Even if some dismissed it as a baseless rumor, it’d serve as a massive psychological barrier—one strong enough to keep the Earth’s ne’er-do-wells in check.

"Honestly, what she did seems to have been a genuine mistake, but since it already happened, I might as well make use of it as an example."

"So in the end, you had said you wouldn’t get involved with Earth, yet here you are making an official visit."

"Well, I have a trade deal with Korea now. That means I have to visit in an official capacity."

At that moment, a new voice chimed in.

"U-Um, Davey... So why did you call us here?"

Turning around, Davey saw Aeonitia O’Rowane and Tiara, the granddaughter of the Technical Advisor Edison, staring at him.

"I know you two have been bored with slow research lately. Now it’s time to get to work.”

For them, those words marked the beginning of a very different kind of hell.

1. For reference, they are referring to those asshole teens who hit and killed that man with their car while drunk (immediately after hitting Rinne lol), got off with a slap on the wrist because of their parents’ connections, then showed up at the funeral and shit-talked his children and grieving relatives about it. They’re talking about THOSE cartoonishly evil rapscallions. ☜