The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Chapter 1274

The world’s laws were an inseparable pillar bound to Goddess Freyja. Even if Davey held complete divinity, that did not give him the right to tamper with it as he pleased, especially over matters that were not objectively wrong.

As Davey approached the great orb of radiant light in his physical form, the Goddess, already present, watched him silently.

“You’re aware of the situation, right?”

Goddess Freyja didn’t answer.

Annoyed, Davey pressed again, “You said the future wasn’t fixed. So then, Abel goes back in time?”

She quietly closed her eyes and nodded.

[If he were bound by fate, he couldn’t have pulled off a reversal like that.]

She really had a knack for leaving him speechless.

“I noticed that you imbued his name with authority. You used it to grant him freedom over his future, didn’t you?”

Another nod, then she tapped her floating tablet lightly.

[This ordeal will let him carve out a future of his own.]

Reversing time to rewrite his fate was no different from defying destiny. Once Abel resolved the event, the same tragedy wouldn’t repeat.

She sure was good at talking, but they were nothing more than shameless excuses in Davey’s eyes. He simply just sighed and slowly placed his hand on the core of the world's laws.

In order to negotiate extra time eluding judgment from the rigid, unbending world’s laws, he’d have to pay the price.

Maybe his future self had known, and then sent him here deliberately.

Or maybe...

“Failing to prevent the incident with Kouna... is that the price I already paid for this?”

No one, not even Davey, could fully understand the dynamics of time, aside from Goddess Freyja. Nonetheless, it was plausible that the price he paid now would create consequences for his future self.

Of course, that too was a long shot.

“I’d really prefer if this was cheaper.”

If it were anyone else, Davey wouldn’t have cared, but Abel was his son. The same son he had longed for, the one who came after endless struggle. Davey was the one who had sent Abel back in time, despite the overload he’d face.

Seeing his son’s resulting broken body weighed heavily on him.

“Goddess,” Davey spoke without looking away from the core. “Abel’s body... It’s been destroyed in the gap of time, to the point where I wouldn’t be surprised if he dropped dead tomorrow. I’ve tried healing him, but all I can do is buy him time—I can’t fix what’s been broken.”

Goddess Freyja simply watched him.

“Can you heal him?”

In response, she lifted her tablet.

[He’s a child who carries authority. Once he returns to his rightful time, his timeline will resume. His body will begin healing then.]

So long as he didn’t die, and made it back, he’d recover. That was different from Davey’s case, so it made sense for him not to know.

“Alright. Then take the price. My condition is that Abel remains in this timeline under temporary suspension. I’ll pay for it,” he said in a voice mixed with divinity.

He could never do it if time travel were to be a repeatable thing. However, it was just this once. His son had risked everything on a gamble. As a father, he could offer support.

The world’s law stirred, resonated, and crashed into him. Its power flooded into his body and pressed down.

Crack!!

His arm then twisted unnaturally, bursting open in a gush of blood. He figured that was only the beginning. If things went as expected, he might lose the use of an arm, or even a chunk of his divinity.

Anxiously waiting, Davey braced himself.

Yet it wasn't long before the wildly resonating core fell silent.

“Huh?”

‘That’s it? Just an injured arm?’

The abrupt end left him baffled.

Then the Goddess finally gave him the bigger truth.

[After this, any alterations to the timeline of this world will not be permitted. The law will absorb the authority.]

In other words, events like what he did for Perserque in the past, or what Abel had done, would never be allowed again.

Strictly speaking, Davey himself was already unable to use time travel.

He already knew what she really wanted to say.

“You’re saying the authority imbued in Abel’s name will vanish?”

The Goddess nodded.

[Tampering with time puts too much strain on the world.]

Just like that, he had wiped out one of the authorities of the Goddess.

It wasn’t simply a case of Abel losing a power he couldn’t handle. It was the great creator giving up a portion of her unique omnipotence to another side of her.

Davey understood how massive a sacrifice that was. To relinquish a piece of omnipotence as a creator was no small matter.

“Giving up omnipotence for just me and Abel feels... excessive.”

[It was a power I planned to seal away eventually, anyway.]

Knowing that it had happened simply because she’d entrusted that authority to Abel, Davey couldn’t help but feel weighed down by the burden.

As he stood there with a hardened expression, Goddess Freyja tapped her cheek lightly.

He knew what that gesture meant.

A kiss. She wanted a kiss on the cheek.

He leaned in and did as she asked.

“Is this enough for you...?”

The Goddess nodded gently.

[That’s more than enough.]

At first, Davey had believed the Goddess was merely curious about him, and that affection had no place in her heart.

Yet, somewhere along the way, she had come to care for him surprisingly deeply.

* * *

Even with the delay granted, the more the word spread about Abel’s existence, the heavier the burden would become.

So, aside from a few who were already aware of the situation, the plan was to keep it secret from everyone else.

When Davey returned to the Saint Sanctuary, he silently watched Perserque wrap a bandage around the wound on Abel’s arm from a distance.

“Does it hurt a lot?”

“No. It’s bearable.”

“It hurts me to see your body taking this much strain until you go back.”

“I’m okay, Mother.”

Like a guilty puppy avoiding her eyes, Abel turned his gaze away.

His eyes, once dark, had gone completely pale. The bloodshot lines hadn’t cleared, and his body was covered in scars and burn marks.

There’d be no mother who could look at her child in that state and stay composed.

In the end, Perserque couldn’t hold back her tears. She covered her mouth with one hand and sobbed.

“I... I’m really okay, Mother!”

“It must’ve... hurt so much... I’m sorry... I’m so sorry... I couldn’t be of any help to you...”

“I’m alright. It was my choice, and once I go back, time will revert, and I’ll recover. You know that. Scars like these heal quickly.”

Perserque hugged him tightly. Abel, on the other hand, didn’t know how to react. Watching the two, Davey felt it wasn’t the right moment to step in.

“Davey. Do you know why Abel feels so familiar to me?”

Noticing his presence, Illyna and Aina walked over to him.

“Why?”

“Abel loves games. But Perserque doesn’t really enjoy playing them, so he ended up gaming with me instead.”

As they played together, they’d bicker and banter, growing even closer than he had with Perserque.

Illyna chuckled as if the whole thing was ridiculous. Then she lifted the ordinary mithril longsword she carried instead of the divine sword and said,

“You’re heading to Haetan, right? Take Abel with you. Perserque and I will investigate the surrounding area with the Shadows.”

Davey nodded in response.

He figured it was the first time they worked on something together as father and son.

* * *

“Don’t ever push yourself too hard.”

As soon as dawn broke, Perserque finished preparing to leave and pulled Abel into a tight hug.

“Don’t worry. Father’s with me.”

“Davey, I’m counting on you to look after Abel,” she sternly told him.

“Of course.”

Even though Abel was already a grown man, Perserque couldn’t hide her concern for him. Her expression stayed stiff. “Davey, don’t forget that Abel is still a recovering patient. It wouldn’t be strange if he collapsed at any moment.”

Abel reassured her, “Don’t worry, Mother. No matter how bad my condition is, I can still protect myself.”

Even though he was weakened, he was still an 8th Circle mage at the end of the day.

“Abel, won’t you give me a hug too?”

When Illyna spread her arms, Abel glanced around awkwardly, then stepped in and gave her a hug. “I’ll be back, Mom.”

“Alright. Davey, we’ll go on ahead. Let’s meet back at the territory once you’re done with your thing.”

Illyna, wearing her robe deep over her head, left with Aina. Perserque, still full of worry, looked between Abel and Davey before following after her.

She clearly wanted to come along, but letting her identity be revealed during such a time, as when all kinds of rumors were already swirling, would only cause unnecessary complications.

On the other hand, Davey had already exposed himself openly within the Haetan Kingdom, and Abel was sticking by his side to search for clues.

“Alright, let’s get going.”

“Um, Father. This face blindness spell... It feels different from the one I know.”

“Don’t worry about it. No one will notice.”

Davey had modified Abel's appearance to look completely fine. Realistically, he looked like a corpse not even twenty-four hours prior, but Davey had cast holy magic to reinforce his condition and used illusion magic to cover the wounds.

Perhaps, that was why Abel now looked the way he had before the injuries, clean and healthy.

“Damn, whose kid are you again? You’re too handsome.” Davey said jokingly, and Abel looked at him, surprised.

“But you always teased me for being ugly.”

“I was probably joking.” Davey slapped him hard on the back with a smirk. Abel gave him a strange look before nodding.

The royal capital of the Haetan Kingdom was modest, even compared to the Rowane Kingdom. It was only natural, considering the harsh conditions of the region and the fact that Haetan was a minor kingdom.

When Davey approached the gates, the knights standing guard bowed respectfully.

“We’ve been expecting you. Please come in,” one of them politely said. “And this gentleman?”

Davey responded, “He’s my attendant. That shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

“No, not at all. Please, go ahead.”

Publicly, Davey introduced Abel as his attendant. Claiming him as a son would only cause confusion and bring no real benefit.

In the oddly quiet atmosphere, Davey sent a telepathic message to Abel.

[Do you sense any of the traces you mentioned?]

[No, I don’t have much to go on either. I think we’ll need to get deeper inside.]

Abel was the only one who had seen the traces of the disaster that had swallowed up Kouna. Naturally, he was the one most sensitive to tracking the flow of mana related to it.

However, they had yet to find any real leads.

[But since this is a foreign kingdom, I’m not sure we’ll be allowed further inside...]

Still so green.

He spoke up, “Son.”

“Yes?”

“If you hit a wall, you just have to knock it down.”

One of the attendants announced, “Your Majesty! Prince Davey of the Rowane Kingdom has arrived!”

A weary, worn-out voice responded from inside. “Send him in...”

As the doors slowly opened, a middle-aged man appeared. His tired face locked eyes with Davey.

Davey wasn’t surprised with his conduct—after all, Davey had caused the entire mess. There was no reason for the man to be thrilled to see him.

The hall was lined with knights on either side, trying their best to exude a sense of pressure. At best, they were Expert level. There wasn’t a single Master in sight.

Unlike the Rowane Kingdom, which had a surplus of Swordmasters, it was common for smaller kingdoms to be entirely without one.

Their intention was obvious. They were enacting a last-ditch effort to keep up appearances and not seem weak.

Davey smiled slyly and whispered low enough for no one else to hear, “Abel.”

“Yes?”

“Watch carefully. This is how your dad handles diplomacy.”

“What? W–Wait a sec—”

Davey walked forward boldly.

At the same time, formless energy poured out from him, instantly crushing the pressure the knights were putting out.

“Quite the welcome, Your Majesty. I am Davey O’Rowane, First Prince of the Rowane Kingdom.” He offered a shallow nod with proper courtesy, and the king turned pale.

Even if Davey held no direct grudge against the Haetan Kingdom, they were responsible for putting Abel in that condition, as well as for Kouna’s coma. There was no way they would have a friendly meeting.

The mysterious, formless pressure pressed them down. Not knowing what was going on, the knights and the king broke out in cold sweat.

“Welcome, Prince Davey! I trust you’re aware of why I requested your presence at the palace.”

The king’s already weary face twisted even further. He wanted to make Davey pay for what he had done—to teach him that no matter how powerful you are, you can’t just do whatever you want and get away with it. Davey noticed this, and figured that the king was trying to pressure him and get something out of him.

In terms of politics, the king was going with the standard strategies. Yet Davey had no intention of playing along.

He intensified the pressure, then answered shamelessly, “Yes, Your Majesty. Actually, I heard something pretty interesting. Word has it that someone in this kingdom is spreading a rumor that my wife is a demon.”

Davey’s smile deepened.

[Listen up, son. Diplomacy starts with overwhelming your opponent.]

[Who does diplomacy like this? This is just headbutting without thinking of the consequences. Can’t you see his face? He looks like he’s about to pass out! You and Darian both... seriously.]

Abel’s stunned voice came through telepathically, slightly frustrating Davey.

‘What, he doesn’t trust his dad? This is chapter one of the diplomatic playbook.’

Giving a stern glare, Davey declared, “I caused a stir because I found the bastard. Normally, I’d have requested cooperation through formal channels. But here’s the thing, I heard that when he spread this information, the Haetan royal family bought it. Surely you weren’t trying to frame my wife as a demon, right?”

“That's absurd! And your current actions clearly violate international—”

“Yes, under normal circumstances. But guess what? I also heard that your royal family tried to contact the man who sold that information.”

That intel came straight from Abel. The seller had been Abel himself, but no one there suspected that.

Davey was now steering the attention away from his own actions and pinning the blame on someone else. In such cases, the one who shouted louder won. That was the start of what you'd call dogfight diplomacy.

“Your Majesty. How tragic. Haetan Kingdom, our fellow ally during the war against the demons, resorted to stabbing me in the back like this... I never saw it coming.”

“W–What are you saying?! That’s not...! Absolutely not true!” The king, thrown off by the formless pressure, was getting pulled into Davey’s pace.

He couldn’t help but smirk while Abel, standing beside him, looked utterly horrified.

[Seriously... you and Darian...]

[Quiet, son. This is how your father does things.]