Reincarnated Hero System - Chapter 1256 - 1256: New Management, Old Rules

Besides having Zara spread the false news that Rathal was the one who killed the ADM, Evan decided to lay out his new rules for how Zeraxes would be managed going forward, now that he was technically the true ruler of the Archipelago.

His new rules were that there wouldn’t be any changes to how things were run.

Despite his talk about ‘new management,’ he ended up just telling Zara to continue running the Archipelago the same way she had been for decades.

The only difference was that she worked for him now, so if he needed her influence, authority, or forces, he would send down orders.

After that, he went on to have some more friendly spars with Leoniel while they waited for the rest of the ocean to be cleared of corpses, and for the remaining monsters to be dealt with, all to open a path for the Voyager to safely continue its journey to the Beta Continent.

This took several weeks to finish, and during that time, the ADM’s appearance and quick death became the talk of the world.

Many were curious about how such a monster had even come into existence, and there were those who feared that if such a creature could come from Solen’s dungeon once, then it could appear from there again.

Some nations on the Alpha and Beta Continents that had nobles on the Voyager tried to use this situation to pressure Zara into allowing them to place their forces for the sake of ‘security of the nobles who passed through her archipelago,’ but Zara didn’t budge at all.

As for the matter of the ADM’s death, people accepted Rathal as the one responsible without much doubt.

Unlike the Elven Emperor, Smith King, Beast King, Dragon Lord, and even the Master of Dragondune, Rathal didn’t rule any country and was always wandering across the world, so it was believable that he could have sensed it, come over, killed it, and then disappeared before anyone could realise what had happened.

By the time the Voyager finally departed Zeraxes on the 28th of February, it was already widely accepted that Rathal was the one who ended the ADM’s life.

Close friends and associates of Evan who knew he was in Zeraxes at the time, however, didn’t believe for a moment that Rathal was responsible.

His fellow Heroes didn’t believe it, and even Kolvar called the story ‘bullshit’ when a report about it was brought to him, even before Zaos came over and told him that Evan was the one responsible, before raising questions about Evan’s irregular existence.

◇　◇　◇

Oceanview Port

Jeflor

Beta Continent

March 16th

Year 1056

The Voyager’s arrival was met with quite a crowd, a large number of whom were worried friends and family of the guests aboard the ship who had heard about the dungeon break and the ADM’s appearance.

The Beta Continental nation of Jeflor was a coastal nation that made much of its profit through sea imports and exports, and when the Voyager was launched, they partnered with Lyria to build the Oceanview Port, where the cruise liner would dock upon crossing the ocean, outbidding all the other nations that wanted a share of the opportunity.

As a result, Jeflor experienced an increase in tourist activity whenever the Voyager docked, and this brought benefits to the nation’s economy.

That was the information Evan read on the pamphlet he received shortly before stepping off the ship, and after skimming through it, he tossed it into a bin.

Lifting his gaze, he scanned the port, ignoring all the eyes on him, Eliza, and Leoniel, before exhaling.

“The Demonic Hand is already watching me, huh?”

His mutter nearly made Eliza and Leoniel frown, but they kept their expressions under control in time.

“From where?” Eliza asked, and Evan turned to the north and pointed. “Opposite the direction I’m pointing. There’s a fairly high-level Demonic Human mixed in with the crowd, likely a Senior Member of the First Division.”

While Evan would have preferred to erase that Senior Member from existence, he couldn’t do so without civilian casualties, given how many people surrounded them, so he chose to leave them alone.

‘I’ll put my plans for Vuwhax aside for now.’

With that in mind, he looked at Leoniel and said, “I plan to head to the Elven Empire after we visit Isolon. I already have an appointment with Emperor Zaos.

Since I’ll be discussing important matters you’d be interested in, I’d like you to join us. It would also save me the trouble of repeating myself.”

Leoniel raised an eyebrow as soon as Evan finished speaking.

“That last part is the real reason you want me to follow you, isn’t it?”

“No comment,” Evan replied, turning his head away as he whistled loudly.

Leoniel chuckled at his reaction before turning to Grace and Gideon to issue them instructions.

In the meantime, Evan took Eliza by the arm and eagerly pulled her toward a nearby attraction, though before they could reach it, one of their acquaintances called out to them, the Aelum Kingdom’s Princess, Sharon.

“Sir Evan, just a moment.”

Evan stopped and turned to the princess with a raised eyebrow as she quickly approached him, her expression as calm as ever as she made her request.

“May I ask you and your companions to accompany me back to Eblor? His Majesty has expressed his intent to meet with you as soon as possible to discuss your request.”

“Oh, really? Well, that’s good to hear, but…”

Evan trailed off, his expression changing slightly as he glanced at Leoniel before returning his attention to the Princess.

“Unfortunately, I don’t think I can accompany you, your highness.”

Before Sharon could question him, Evan continued speaking as he summoned several items from his Inventory, one being a flat, folded board and the other a phone, both of which he handed to the Princess.

“Here. That’s a Mobile Teleportation Waypoint, the Exit Waypoint. When you get to Eblor and King Taher is ready to see me, contact me with this phone, then place the waypoint on the ground and unfold it.

I have the Entry Waypoint, and I’ll use it to get to your location in seconds.”

He paused for a moment before adding, “Do place it in a location that isn’t teleportation-restricted, please.”

Sharon looked at the items Evan held out, then turned to one of her maids, who accepted them on her behalf. After that, she faced Evan again and asked, “May I ask what’s keeping you from following me?”

“Marquis Franco and I have a small investigation to handle, one related to the skywhale that emerged from the Solen Dungeon.”

“!”

Sharon’s expression darkened at the mention of the skywhale, recalling the oppressive pressure it released upon its emergence and how close she’d come to losing consciousness because of it.

“You’re… investigating that thing?” she asked, her face still dark, and the response came not from Evan, but from Leoniel.

“Yes. There’s a possibility that the monster I fought 52 years ago was of a similar kind to that skywhale.”

“You mean the volcanic eruption incident?” Sharon asked, her surprise barely showing in her tone.

When Leoniel nodded without speaking, Sharon was silent for a moment before responding.

“Very well, then.”

“Thanks for your cooperation,” Evan replied. “Just let me know when you’re in Eblor, and I’ll come over as soon as possible.”

Travelling from Jeflor to the Aelum Kingdom’s capital city of Eblor would take quite some time, as Sharon would need to switch between multiple trains and teleportation waypoints before reaching the Aelum Kingdom’s borders, where a waypoint linked directly to Eblor awaited.

During that time, Evan planned to inspect the Hauhull Region of the nation of Isolon, which Leoniel ruled.

Getting there didn’t take long, as Jeflor was closer to Isolon than it was to the Aelum Kingdom, and upon arriving in Hauhull’s Capital City, Oradiff, Leoniel received a joyful welcome.

As Leoniel’s open carriage rolled down the main street from the city gates, civilians lined both sides, cheering and waving the moment they recognised the crest and saw him seated within.

Joy showed clearly in their eyes and expressions at his return, and at several points, small children ran up to the carriage with flower crowns, placing them gently around Leoniel’s head.

Evan and Eliza, who were with Leoniel, were naturally recognised by a fair portion of the populace who had seen their faces in news headlines on TVs and in newspapers, but while some were curious about why they were with Leoniel, they were few compared to the many who were simply happy that he had returned.

It was clear that Leoniel was a ruler deeply loved by his people.

Evan silently expanded his Detection Field to cover the entirety of Oradiff, and the results he received left him a bit surprised.

Not everyone in the city was well off, but he didn’t find any areas in conditions poor enough to be considered ‘slums’.

‘It’s not an ideal city, but it’s as close as one can realistically get.’

“He’s a good Lord,” Eliza muttered as she watched Leoniel speaking casually with a fruit seller by the street.

Normally, a commoner wouldn’t dare speak so casually with a Marquis, even more so in Leoniel’s case, where he was more powerful and influential than Isolon’s King, but Leoniel had somehow managed to close the status gap between himself and his citizens.

They still respected his status and position as their Lord, but they weren’t fearful or overly deferential in how they interacted with him.

“Indeed. He’s a smart and kind man,” Evan responded, nodding slightly.

Glancing around the street and then towards Leoniel’s closest aides, Grace and Gideon, who stood slightly behind him while speaking with some of the civilians who had come to greet Leoniel, Evan added, “Perhaps a bit too kind for his own good. Which is why I absolutely can’t let the Demonic Hand use him.”