The Lowest-Ranked Hero Has Returned

Chapter 114: Final Evaluation (4)

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Chapter 114: Final Evaluation (4)

“This is…”

The party members gathered around, looking at the door revealed among the wreckage of the golems.

“Is this the door that leads to the secret space?”

“Yes.”

I nodded as I looked at the door, its surface etched with complex patterns.

‘This is the first time I’ve seen it myself.’

In my previous life, our party had

I spread my arms wide and grabbed the heads of the two golems that had come down to my eye level.

And.

“Hrrgh!”

Crack!

I ripped their heads off, and they rolled across the floor.

‘What about Yuren and Camilla?’

I turned to check on Yuren and Camilla, who had charged to the left.

“Tsk, we were a bit late.”

Two neatly decapitated golems lay at Yuren’s feet as if cut by a precision saw.

On Camilla’s side, a golem lay in a crumpled heap, as if it had been smashed with a blunt weapon rather than cut by a sword.

“W-Wow.”

Albert, slack-jawed, stared at us, having dispatched the golems in a flash.

“Th-Those golems are difficult even for active heroes to defeat. How on earth…”

Albert trailed off, his disbelief evident.

Well, of course.

I didn't take down the golems with the help of the party working together, I just rushed in and smashed six of them in an instant.

It's no wonder he's shocked.

"Is anyone hurt?"

Leaving the stunned Albert behind, Iris walked over to us.

"I'm fine, and so is Dale, but Camilla's a bit injured."

"...This kind of wound is nothing to worry about."

Camilla flinched, her shoulders trembling slightly as she averted her gaze.

Iris frowned as she looked at Camilla.

"I'll be the judge of whether it's nothing to worry about or not. Let me see the wound."

"......"

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Camilla hesitated, then removed her armor and lifted her clothes slightly, revealing her side to Iris.

A long gash oozed with blood.

Thankfully, no internal organs were damaged, but it wasn't the kind of wound that could be ignored.

"It might hurt a bit, but bear with it."

"Nngh...!"

As a soft white light flowed from Iris's hand and seeped into the wound, Camilla's expression twisted slightly in pain.

"All done. There won't be any scars, so don't worry."

"I'm not concerned about scars."

"Hmph. How can a girl say something like that? Especially with such smooth skin."

"D-Don't touch me!"

When Iris teased her by tickling her side, Camilla jerked away in a panic, twisting her body.

As her clothes rode up, her stomach was briefly exposed.

"Oh..."

Her abdomen was firm, the muscles well-defined.

Just like Iris said, it was surprisingly smooth...

"Dale."

Suddenly, Yuren appeared next to me, glaring at me with eyes as cold as ice.

"Huh, yeah?"

"There's another door over there that seems to lead to the next room..."

He smirked.

"Instead of sneaking peeks at Camilla's stomach, wouldn't it be better to check out that door?"

"......"

Overwhelmed by Yuren's inexplicable intensity, I didn't have time to come up with any lame excuses and quickly rushed to the door.

"Hm?"

As I approached the door, glowing letters appeared before me.

[What is a place you can never leave?]

"What is this?"

I frowned at the cryptic message displayed in front of the door.

'A place you can never leave...? What does that even mean?'

A riddle suddenly appearing here, of all places.

Puzzles and riddles protected ancient ruins, but I never expected to encounter such a thing during our school final exams.

"What's wrong, Dale?"

"There's some kind of riddle written on the door."

"A place you can never leave...? Where could that be?"

"I have no idea."

I glanced over at Yuren and Camilla, but they only shook their heads, just as puzzled as I was.

'I can't just smash the door open either.'

If this were a real ancient ruin, I might have just broken down the door instead of bothering with riddles.

But this was part of our 'final exam.'

Solving the riddle was probably part of the test too.

"A place you can never leave... maybe a swamp?"

Beep-

[Incorrect answer.]

[You have 2 attempts remaining.]

The door flashed red, and the number '2' appeared.

"It looks like we only have two more chances to get it right."

"Ugh..."

Just as the entire party was on the verge of panic over what to do—

"Uh, the answer! Baldness!"

Albert raised his hand and shouted.

"What? Why would the answer be baldness?"

"Because... it's a place with no 'hair'!"

"There's no way that kind of dumb answer could—"

Beep-

[Correct.]

"...You're kidding."

That was actually the right answer?

[Second question.]

[What is the name of the witch's beach?]

"...Albert, do you know this one too?"

"Y-Yeah. I really like these kinds of nonsense riddles."

Albert nodded confidently.

I grinned and clapped him on the back.

"Haha! I knew picking you for our party was the right choice!"

"I got in by random draw..."

"Anyway! I'm counting on you, Albert!"

"..."

Albert glanced back at me as I massaged his shoulders, then nodded resolutely.

"Leave it to me!"

He boldly stepped up to the door.

[What is the name of the witch's beach?]

"Sandwich!"

[Correct.]

"Ohh, nice!"

[What kind of swearing is allowed at the beach?]

"Swimming!"

Yeah! Good job, Albert! That's the way to do it!

[What should you never look at or touch?]

"Soup!"

Huh?

[What is the blue blood of the old Republic's citizens called? They were once known as 'Koreans.']

"KOSPI!"

What the hell?

[You have solved all the riddles.]

Kroom! Thud, thud!

With a heavy rumble, the door finally opened.

A faint smell of cigarette smoke wafted through the crack.

"This smell..."

I frowned and stepped through the doorway.

Inside was a wide chamber with jagged rock formations rising like spikes.

And at the center, sitting quietly—

"So, you finally made it, rookies."

—was Professor Elisha Baldwin.

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