Chapter 710: The Hero Who Came Home Quietly
Chapter 710: The Hero Who Came Home Quietly
The first thing Zero felt when he woke up was the smell of medicine.
It was faint.
Clean.
Almost peaceful.
For several seconds, he didn’t open his eyes.
He simply lay there, listening.
The distant footsteps of people moving through the hallway.
The soft voices of healers.
The occasional clatter of metal equipment.
The steady rhythm of his own breathing.
He had become so accustomed to the sounds of battle that the silence felt unfamiliar.
Zero slowly opened his eyes.
A white ceiling greeted him.
For a moment, he stared at it without moving.
Then his memories returned.
Aamon.
The Emperor of Destruction.
The Cataclysmic Destruction.
The Unison Raid.
The palace collapsing.
And then—
Darkness.
Zero closed his eyes again.
"So I survived."
His voice came out rough.
A healer sitting nearby immediately turned around.
"You’re awake!"
Zero looked toward her.
The woman immediately rushed toward the door.
"Someone inform the doctor! The patient has regained consciousness!"
Zero slowly pushed himself up.
The moment he moved, pain spread through his body.
Not the sharp pain of an injury.
Something deeper.
His body felt as if it had been emptied and rebuilt incorrectly. Every muscle was weak. His mana pathways felt dry. Even breathing too deeply made his chest ache.
He looked down at his hands.
They were ordinary.
No scales.
No golden cracks of Dragon Force.
No shadow leaking from his fingertips.
Just his own hands.
For some reason, that sight made him feel relieved.
A few minutes later, several healers entered the room.
They surrounded him, asking questions one after another.
How did he feel?
Could he move his mana?
Did he feel any pain?
Was his vision normal?
Zero answered most of them with short replies.
Eventually, the chief healer examined him personally.
"You were incredibly lucky."
Zero raised an eyebrow.
"Lucky?"
The healer stared at him.
"You were brought back in terrible condition. Your body had suffered severe damage, and your mana pathways were almost completely exhausted. Frankly, I am surprised you woke up at all."
Zero said nothing.
The healer continued examining him.
"Your injuries have healed remarkably well, but your body still needs time. You shouldn’t fight for a while."
Zero looked at him.
"How long?"
The healer frowned.
"That’s what you heard?"
"How long?"
"Several weeks at the very least."
Zero sighed.
Several weeks.
That wasn’t ideal.
But it could have been worse.
He leaned back against the bed.
"What happened after the war?"
The healer paused.
Then his expression changed.
A smile slowly appeared on his face.
"You really don’t know?"
"Know what?"
"The war is over."
Zero remained silent.
The healer laughed.
"Of course it is. The Devil King was defeated. The human forces returned safely. The entire Human Domain has been celebrating for days."
Zero stared at him.
"Who defeated the Devil King?"
The healer’s smile grew wider.
"Mia Frostine and Hiro’s party, of course."
Zero stared at him for several seconds.
Then he slowly looked toward the ceiling.
"Of course."
The healer misunderstood his reaction.
"They say the battle was incredible. Apparently, Mia Frostine unleashed an attack powerful enough to defeat the Devil King himself."
Zero’s expression remained blank.
"Is that so?"
"Yes. The entire world is talking about them."
Zero closed his eyes.
He wasn’t angry.
Not even slightly.
In fact, the situation was perfect.
He had no interest in fame.
No interest in having people stare at him.
No interest in nobles, politicians, or guild masters asking him to demonstrate his power.
The less attention he received, the better.
"So Mia and Hiro are the heroes."
"Yes."
"Good."
The healer blinked.
"Good?"
Zero opened his eyes again.
"I’m glad they survived."
That was all he said.
****************************************************
Several days later, Zero was finally discharged.
He left the hospital without informing anyone.
No grand farewell.
No celebration.
No gathering of officials.
No one waiting outside.
He simply walked through the hospital’s rear entrance wearing a simple cloak.
The city was alive.
Much more alive than he expected.
People filled the streets.
Banners hung from buildings.
Large portraits of Mia Frostine and Hiro’s party decorated the main avenues.
Children ran through the streets carrying wooden swords.
Some pretended to be Mia.
Others pretended to be Hiro.
Zero stopped beside one street corner and watched them for a moment.
One child raised a wooden sword dramatically.
"I am Mia Frostine! I defeated the Devil King!"
Another child shouted from behind him.
"No! I’m Hiro! I helped her!"
Zero watched quietly.
Then he continued walking.
The city was celebrating.
And nobody recognized him.
That was exactly what he wanted.
As he walked through the crowded streets, he noticed that the celebration was larger than he had imagined.
The authority had not only rewarded the surviving heroes.
They had also created a system of compensation for the families of the fallen.
Soldiers who had died during the campaign had their names recorded.
Their families received financial support.
The children of fallen soldiers were given protection and educational assistance.
The families of the elite vanguards who had fallen were given additional compensation.
It wasn’t enough to bring anyone back.
But at least their deaths had not been completely forgotten.
Zero paused when he saw a large stone monument surrounded by flowers.
The names of hundreds of soldiers were engraved into it.
He stood there quietly.
He didn’t know most of them.
Some he had met.
Some he had fought beside.
Some had probably died without ever knowing his name.
Zero lowered his gaze.
Then he continued walking.
*********************************************************
The Hall of Heroes had been built in the center of the city.
Zero hadn’t intended to visit it.
But the crowd surrounding it made it impossible to ignore.
He stopped outside.
A large marble statue stood at the entrance.
Mia Frostine stood at the center.
Her figure was sculpted with one hand extended, ice magic spreading beneath her feet.
Behind her stood Hiro, Zion, Lisa, Sylvia, and Misha.
Their statues had been carved as a single group.
The party that had supposedly defeated the Devil King.
A little farther away, a separate stone pillar carried the names of those who had contributed to the war.
Lorren Vance’s name was engraved among them.
The SS-ranked members of the War Council had their names recorded.
The Church party had their names recorded.
Saintess Amelia’s name was placed among the most prominent.
The Hall of Heroes had become a symbol of humanity’s victory.
Zero stood in the crowd and stared at the statues.
A man nearby was speaking proudly to his son.
"Remember these people. They saved humanity."
The boy looked up at the statue of Mia.
"Was she really the strongest?"
"Of course."
"And Hiro?"
"He fought beside her."
Zero almost laughed.
Almost.
Instead, he quietly turned away.
He had no reason to be upset.
The people needed heroes.
Mia and Hiro deserved recognition for everything they had done.
They had fought.
They had suffered.
They had protected countless people.
The world wasn’t wrong to celebrate them.
It simply didn’t know everything.
Zero continued walking.
He had more important things to worry about.
Tech Genesis.
He hadn’t heard anything about the company since the war began.
Aidan had probably already received reports about the situation.
But Zero wanted to see the company for himself.
He wanted to know whether everything was still operating normally.
The thought of returning to work was strangely comforting.
No armies.
No devils.
No ancient powers.
No destiny.
Just business.
At least, that was what Zero hoped.
****************************************************
Meanwhile, inside the Hall of Heroes—
Mia stood beneath her own statue.
She didn’t feel like celebrating.
The crowd outside was cheering.
People were calling her a savior.
Children were shouting her name.
Officials had given her awards and titles.
The authority had granted her an enormous reward for her contribution to the war.
But none of it felt right.
She looked at the statue.
The sculptor had made her look powerful.
Confident.
Victorious.
But Mia knew the truth.
She had not defeated Aamon.
Zero had.
The thought had followed her ever since she returned.
Every cheer felt like an accusation.
Every congratulation made her uncomfortable.
Amelia stood beside her.
She had remained silent for several minutes.
Finally, she whispered, "We should tell them."
Mia didn’t look at her.
"Tell them what?"
"The truth."
Mia’s expression hardened.
"Would Zero want that?"
Amelia fell silent.
That question had no easy answer.
They both knew Zero.
He hated attention.
He avoided recognition.
He disliked being surrounded by people.
And if the truth became public, he would never have peace again.
Every kingdom would want him.
Every guild would want him.
Every authority would want to know how he had fought beside the Emperor of Destruction.
The entire world would want to understand him.
Amelia lowered her gaze.
"But it feels wrong."
"It is wrong."
Mia finally looked at her.
"But it is what Zero would choose."
Amelia’s fingers tightened around the fabric of her robe.
"How do you know?"
Mia looked toward the statue.
"Because he has had countless opportunities to seek recognition."
She paused.
"He’s never taken any of them."
Neither of them spoke again.
*******************************************************
Hiro’s situation was not much better.
He sat inside a private room with the rest of his party.
Zion, Lisa, Sylvia, and Misha were all present.
Hiro had been staring at the award placed in front of him for several minutes.
"I don’t like this."
Lisa raised an eyebrow.
"You don’t like the award?"
"I don’t like the entire situation."
Zion leaned back.
"You realize most people would kill for this kind of recognition, right?"
"That’s exactly the problem."
Hiro looked at them.
"We all know what happened."
Nobody answered.
They did.
They all knew.
They had seen Zero.
They had felt the power released during the final battle.
They had seen the palace collapse.
They knew Mia hadn’t defeated Aamon alone.
They knew Zero had been at the center of the battle.
The only person who didn’t know was Lorren Vance.
He had been unconscious after his battle and had never witnessed what happened afterward.
Misha folded her arms.
"So what are you suggesting?"
Hiro sighed.
"That we tell everyone."
The room became quiet.
Lisa looked at him.
"And then?"
Hiro didn’t answer immediately.
He knew the consequences.
If they revealed the truth, Zero’s life would change forever.
He would be dragged into political meetings.
The Church would want to question him.
The War Council would want to recruit him.
The guilds would want to know how he had obtained such power.
The people would want to see him.
And Zero would hate every second of it.
Zion tapped his fingers against the table.
"Does Zero even want the credit?"
"No," Hiro answered immediately.
"Then why give it to him?"
Hiro looked down.
"Because he deserves it."
Misha shook her head.
"Deserving something and wanting something aren’t the same."
Nobody had an answer to that.
Finally, Hiro leaned back.
"We don’t tell anyone."
Lisa looked at him.
"You sure?"
Hiro nodded.
"Until Zero comes forward himself."
Misha narrowed her eyes.
"And if he never does?"
Hiro stared at the award in front of him.
"Then he never does."
The decision was made.
Not because they wanted to steal Zero’s achievement.
Not because they wanted the fame.
But because they understood him.
The truth belonged to Zero.
If he wanted to claim it, they would stand beside him.
If he wanted to remain unknown—
they would let him.
******************************************
By the time Zero reached the district where Tech Genesis operated, the city had begun to quiet down.
The celebrations were still happening in the central areas.
But here, the streets were calmer.
Zero stopped outside the building.
He looked up.
Tech Genesis was still standing.
That was enough to make him smile.
A small one.
Almost invisible.