The Lowest-Ranked Hero Has Returned

Chapter 251

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Chapter 251: Bitter Cold (6)

Whooosh!

A fierce blizzard raged over the frozen city.

The sheer cold was enough to make one's lungs feel like they would freeze just by breathing.

Snowflakes swirled violently, and in the blink of an eye, the ground was transformed into a vast, white expanse.

‘…Ah.’

It was an all-too-familiar sight for me.

I had seen this scene countless times in my past life, wandering for thousands of years in

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I’m the one who burned your faded memories to ashes.

"Lanez."

I wiped away the tears trailing down her cheeks.

The timid, hesitant girl who always worried about others’ opinions—seeing her now, trying to stand on her own with nothing but her own strength, was admirable.

I had cheered for her from afar.

But.

"You don’t have to carry everything on your own."

She doesn't have to shoulder everything alone.

“…Dale.”

Lanez burst into tears, throwing herself into my arms.

She buried her face in my chest, sobbing uncontrollably.

And then.

"L-Lanez…?"

A frail, almost broken voice.

Seria, impaled through the chest, stared at Lanez, blood trickling from her lips.

"Mother…?"

"Haha… I’m… glad."

Seria smiled faintly.

"You’re… alive."

"M-Mother! Mom!!!"

I realized it instantly.

The Seria before us now was not the rampaging Archbishop of Frost, the one who had slaughtered countless people.

She was the mother Lanez remembered.

'Did the ashen flames burning her heart somehow restore her sanity?'

I widened my eyes as I saw the light return to the once-empty void of Seria’s gaze.

The power of the ashen flames that burned stigmata.

That power had stopped her rampage.

Which meant…

‘Someone tampered with Seria’s stigma.’

Her stigma had been corrupted by another’s power from the very beginning.

And the most likely culprit…

‘The Leader of Eternity.’

I closed my eyes, recalling the one whose name I didn’t even know.

"M-Mother…!"

Lanez’s face went pale as she stared at the sword lodged in Seria’s chest.

"J-Just wait a moment…! I-I’ll call Iris! I’ll ask her to heal you…!"

“…No."

Seria gently shook her head.

"There’s no need. I already… died a long time ago."

"B-But!"

"It’s… okay."

Seria reached out a trembling hand, caressing Lanez’s cheek.

"Just… being able to see my daughter… one last time… is a miracle beyond words."

"…Mother."

"Lanez… come here."

Seria carefully pulled Lanez into an embrace.

"You’ve grown so much."

She gently patted her back.

"Hic… Hngh…! Mom…!"

How long had it been since she last felt such warmth?

The emotions she had been suppressing burst forth, and her tears fell uncontrollably.

"Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom!"

"Yes."

Seria smiled softly, holding Lanez closer.

After holding her daughter for a long time, Seria turned her gaze toward me.

"You’re Dale… correct?"

"…Yes."

"Thank you. Because of you… I was able to return to my senses, even if only for a moment."

"……."

"Heh. You’re wondering who did this to me, aren’t you?"

I silently nodded.

"Well… I don’t know who they are either. They always hid their face behind a mask."

Seria’s voice grew weaker, struggling with every word.

"The only things I know… are that they were a man… and that they had hair as black as the night."

A man with black hair.

The number of possible suspects was too great for it to even be considered a clue.

"Heh. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help."

"…No, it’s fine."

"If I had more time, I could tell you everything that happened after I met him… and maybe you’d find a new lead."

Seria glanced down at Lanez, still sobbing in her arms.

"But… I don’t have much time left."

"……."

"I know it’s selfish of me to ask… but could I spend my final moments with Lanez?"

"…Of course."

As important as gathering information on the leader was, I wasn’t heartless enough to press for answers in a moment like this.

I nodded and stepped back.

Giving Seria and Lanez their time together.

"…Lanez."

"Hic… M-Mom… I-I’m sorry… I’m so sorry."

"Why are you apologizing? I’m the one who should be saying sorry."

Seria let out a soft sigh, pulling Lanez into a tighter embrace.

"Now, now. No more crying."

"M-Mom."

"Lanez, you look so much prettier when you smile."

"……."

Lanez bit her lip, holding onto Seria even tighter.

"Haa."

Seria let out a slow, fading breath and smiled warmly.

"I’m glad… I got to come back."

She knew the leader had revived her only to use her as a tool.

Even so.

She felt grateful.

Because he had given her this brief, precious moment.

A moment to say the words she had once left unsaid.

"Lanez."

She smiled as she gazed at her tearful daughter.

"I love you."

"Mom…!"

"I may have been a terrible mother who failed to protect her own child… but giving birth to you… was the greatest miracle of my life."

She kissed Lanez’s forehead.

And held her as though cradling the most precious treasure in the world.

"So warm… my sweet daughter."

Though her body grew cold, warmth radiated from her embrace.

A warmth strong enough to melt even the harshest of winter storms.

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