The Lowest-Ranked Hero Has Returned
Chapter 305

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Chapter 305: Epilogue – Graduation (3)

One month later.

The white cathedral built on a quiet hill near the school was bustling with wedding preparations.

Its official name was “The Blessing of the Seven Gods.”

As the closest Seven Gods Church cathedral to the Hero Academy and boasting breathtaking architecture, it was also a popular wedding venue.

A cathedral on a picturesque hill, the kind you’d only see in fairy tales.

And the glorious couple getting married today was—

[Groom: Berald Ryu]

[Bride: Sophia Evergreen]

Looking at the familiar names written outside the cathedral, I slowly moved forward.

Or rather, to be more accurate—

I had no choice but to walk slowly in the state I was in.

“Hey! Brother Dale!”

Berald came dashing toward me.

“Wow, it's been so long since I’ve seen you—huh?”

His expression froze the moment he got a good look at my face.

“B-Brother, are you okay? D-Don’t tell me the Primordial Flame went berserk again…?”

“No… It’s not that…”

“T-Then why do you look like some dried-up undead with only skin and bones left?!”

“……”

Naturally, my gaze drifted to the couples.

Unlike me—dried out like a barren desert—they were bright and radiant, like freshly bloomed spring flowers.

“…There was… nothing.”

“S-Still, even if you say there was nothing… in that ragged state…”

“Haaah. Anyway, Berald.”

I splashed cold water on my face mentally and looked at him in his tuxedo.

“Congrats on your wedding, man.”

“Ah…”

As if only now remembering what today was, Berald let out a quiet sigh.

“Who would've thought you’d get married right after graduation?”

“Heh. That’s how it turned out.”

Berald grinned.

“Still, the only reason this wedding could happen safely today is all thanks to you, Brother.”

“What the hell did I do?”

All I really did—or rather, endured—was being locked up in the party house for a whole month, being squeezed dry by ravenous beasts (figuratively speaking).

“I made a promise with Sophia. That if you didn’t wake up by graduation, we’d postpone the wedding indefinitely.”

“Huh? You made a promise like that?”

“What’s the point of a wedding without you, Brother?”

He shrugged.

“I was half-giving up already, but then you woke up exactly the day before graduation! Heh, if that’s not a miracle thanks to you, then what is?”

“You little drama queen.”

“Anyway—”

Berald extended his hand.

“I’m glad you’re back, Brother.”

“Yeah. And again, congrats.”

“Hehe. Well, I’ve got to get going—lots to do!”

“Sure.”

Berald wandered off toward the other guests.

“Well then…”

Since I was already here, I thought about checking out the bride’s waiting room.

But—

“Kyaa! Sophia, you look so beautiful!”

“Wow, where’d you get your hair done?”

“S-Sophia… You’re getting married before me… I-I can’t forgive you…”

“Ugh, can you all be quiet for a second? Agh! Lanez, where do you think you're touching?!”

“No wonder they looked big… It was padding, wasn’t it?”

“I-It’s not padding!”

“Then?”

“I… grew.”

“……”

“……”

“……”

Silence fell upon the waiting room.

“Ugh! You… You guys just don’t understand how I feel!”

Sophia suddenly yelled and glared at her bourgeois(?) entourage.

‘Yeah… not the kind of place I should be stepping into.’

I took a peek into the waiting room and quietly walked over to the guest seating instead.

Sitting down, I slowly scanned the crowd of wedding guests.

“Lucas… Do I really have to get married after my student?”

“C-Cough! W-Well, marriage is something you should be cautious about…”

“Shut up and book a venue.”

Professor Lucas and Professor Bianca.

“Julian—wait, Juliet. There you are.”

“Y-Yeah. Long time no see, Albert.”

“Juliet. I have something to say.”

“…What is it?”

“After finding out the truth about you… I thought long and hard, but… I realized… it doesn’t matter if you’re a man or a woman—as long as you taste good, that’s all that matters.”

“…What.”

Juliet and Albert.

“Sigh. Seeing them makes me think my student should start looking for a partner too…”

“I have given my soul to the Seven Gods and the Holy Saint. I have no time for trivial emotions like love.”

“…You sure it’s not just because you can’t find a partner?”

“Kkh!”

Camilla and Johann.

“Sophia better handle that troublemaker well…”

“You speak as if Sophia’s your daughter or something.”

“There’s a saying that the bond between professor and assistant is like that of parent and child.”

“…That’s the first time I’ve ever heard such a saying.”

Even Professor Jade and Principal Lionel were there.

“……”

The pristine white cathedral on a serene hill.

A groom and bride dressed to perfection.

Guests chatting and laughing at their seats.

Laughter ringing from all around.

If “happiness” could be captured in a single scene, it would probably look like this.

‘So much has changed.’

It almost felt like everything from my previous life had just been a nightmare.

Everything had changed.

‘Well, except for my grades.’

A faint chuckle escaped me.

I’d reached the level where I could overpower even the Demon God with brute strength… and yet, I was still scraping the bottom academically.

‘No, I haven’t officially confirmed that yet.’

I hadn’t checked since I’d spent the last month in virtual confinement.

But I’d been asleep for a year and a half—so failing the year was almost guaranteed.

“1 year… no, maybe 2 years of repeating?”

That meant I’d have to start again from my fourth year.

‘If I pushed hard enough, I could probably graduate immediately though.’

I am the hero who saved humanity, after all.

If I went to Principal Lionel and asked for a diploma, he’d probably hand it over gladly.

‘Not that I even need to graduate at this point anyway.’

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When one of your lovers is the Empress of the Empire, it’s not like you need to worry about making a living.

Even if I couldn't get my diploma and couldn’t act as a Hero, I still had five lovers who’d take care of me.

And each one of them was powerful enough to influence the entire continent.

‘Does that make me a complete freeloader?’

Somehow, the thought left a bad taste in my mouth.

Like a soup stain on a clean shirt, maybe?

None of my lovers would probably complain if I ended up living off of them, but still, it just bugged me.

“Graduation… huh.”

As I continued to mull it over, I made a decision.

‘Fine, whatever. I’ll just go to school for another year.’

It wasn’t just that I didn’t want to be a freeloader sucking the life out of my lovers.

More than anything, it was the lingering label of being last place that bothered me.

That label was the first thing in my life to make me feel the sting of defeat and frustration—and I wanted to erase it with my own hands.

‘Honestly, at this point, whether I’m last or not doesn’t even matter anymore.’

The one thing I hadn’t been able to change after turning back time.

That label—last place—was the stain that remained on the future I had crafted with my own hands.

Erasing it would be the one true way to sever my ties with my past life completely.

‘Might as well go all the way and graduate as valedictorian.’

Dale Han, valedictorian.

A title I could never have even dreamed of in my previous life.

Just imagining it made me smile like an idiot.

“What are you smiling about?”

My lovers, who had come out from the bridal waiting room, approached the row of seats where I was sitting.

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

“Hmm, you do want to get married too, don’t you?”

“Huh? What?”

“Marriage.”

“Oh.”

Marriage, huh.

Yeah, I did plan on it eventually.

‘But right now... feels a little dangerous.’

After being missing for a year and a half—and with the others all excited over Berald and Sophia’s wedding...

‘If we get married now, I won’t survive even a month of it.’

I had already brushed shoulders with death more times than I could count recently.

If I added marriage to the mix, it would be the start of a life where even my soul would be squeezed dry.

“I’ve actually been thinking we should start looking at venues.”

“D-Don’t you think we should take it slow?”

“Hm. But isn’t there also no reason not to rush?”

“Well, you see… there’s still a whole year until graduation and all.”

Just as I was trying to use school as an excuse to delay marriage—

“Huh? Didn’t you already graduate?”

Elisha tilted her head as if confused.

“What?”

What is she talking about?

“Oh right, I totally forgot to give this to you.”

Elisha gave a faint smile and pulled a piece of paper out of her handbag.

“This is…”

“Your diploma, Dale.”

“W-Wait! I thought I failed and got held back?!”

“Well… considering you were asleep for a year and a half, technically yes. But I spoke with the Principal and requested the diploma myself. I mean, it’s not like there’s anything left for you to learn at school anyway, right?”

“I mean… yeah, but still…”

Wait a minute.

What about my grades…?

“Oh, and your graduation ranking was based on your final evaluation.”

“……”

If that’s the case—no way—

I quickly looked over the diploma Elisha had handed me.

[Diploma]

Name: Dale Han

Origin: Republic

Department: Warrior Division

Final Evaluation Rank: 470 / 470

“One student failed and Maurice dropped out, so out of 470 students, you graduated 470th.”

“…Ah.”

Plop.

The diploma slipped from my hands and fell to the floor.

“C-Can I… fail the year… again?”

“Graduation’s already been processed. You can’t fail.”

“T-Then how about re-enrolling?! I’ll start over from year one—!”

“Do you hear yourself right now?”

“……”

So that means… for the rest of my life…

“Congratulations on graduating, Dale.”

“Congratulations on graduating!”

“Congrats, Dale!”

“Now that you’ve graduated… we can get married right away, can’t we?”

“Congratulations on your graduation.”

Surrounded by the heartfelt cheers of my lovers,

I stared down at my diploma—at that cursed label of last place—and muttered quietly.

“…Son of a bitch.”

Dale Han, the Last-Place Hero.

I had a bad feeling this label was going to stick with me for the rest of my life.

—The End—

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