Chapter 305: Epilogue – Graduation (3)

One month later, the white cathedral built atop a quiet hill near the Hero Academy buzzed with activity as preparations for a wedding were in full swing. Named “The Blessing of the Seven Gods,”it was a cathedral of the Seven Star Church located closest to the Hero Academy. Naturally, it had stunning architecture, which made it a popular venue for weddings. Moreover, the cathedral was perched on a hill, straight out of a fairytale.

Today, I was here to attend a wedding. The honored couple getting married today was a couple I was familiar with. I stared at the familiar names written on the entrance.

[Groom: Berald Ryu]

[Bride: Sophia Evergreen]

I slowly walked forward. Or rather, it would be more accurate to say I had no choice but to move slowly.

Spotting me, Berald came running over. “Ah, Big Bro Dale! Wow, it’s been so long since I’ve seen your face! Huh?”

As he looked at me up close, his expression suddenly stiffened. “B-Brother, are you okay? D-did the Primordial Flame go out of control again?”

“No, it’s not that,” I replied.

“T-then why do you look like a dried-up undead, like there’s barely any flesh left on you?”

My gaze naturally drifted toward my lovers. The moment we arrived at the venue, they had all rushed off together to the bride’s waiting room. Unlike me, dried out like a desert, they looked as fresh and radiant as flowers blooming in spring.

“Nothing... happened,” I finally said.

Berald still looked worried. “I-I mean, saying that with that appearance doesn’t make it convincing at all.”

“Haah. More importantly, Berald.” I rubbed my face to wake myself up and looked at him in his tuxedo. “Congrats on the wedding, you bastard.”

As if only now remembering what day it was, Berald let out a quiet exclamation. “Oh.”

“To think you’d get married right after graduation.”

“Heh. That’s just how it turned out.” The corners of his mouth curled up into a grin. “But honestly, the only reason this wedding is happening today is thanks to you, Brother.”

“What are you talking about? I didn’t do anything.”

If anything, the only thing I did, no, endured, was being locked in the party house for a whole month and getting squeezed dry by a pack of starving beasts.

“I made a promise with Sophia. That if you didn’t wake up by the time of the graduation ceremony, we’d postpone the wedding indefinitely,” Berald explained.

“Huh? You made a promise like that?”

“What’s the point of a wedding without you there?” Berald shrugged. “To be honest, I had already half given up. But then you woke up right before the graduation ceremony! Heh, if that’s not thanks to you, then what is?”

“You’re making a big deal out of nothing.”

“Anyway.” Berald held out his hand. “I’m glad you came back, Brother.”

“Yeah. Congrats on the wedding,” I said.

“Heh. I’m busy, so I’ll head off first!”

“Yeah, go on.”

Berald waved and walked off toward the other guests.

Since I was already here, I thought I would take a quick look at the bride’s waiting room. “Alright then...”

However, as I peeked in, I heard their voices.

“Ahhhhh! Sister Sophia! You look so pretty!”

“Wow, where did you get your hair done?”

“S-Sophia, y-you’re getting married before me. I-I won’t forgive you!” Laneige muttered.

“Ugh, why are you all so loud? Hey! Laneige, where are you touching?” Senior Sophia shouted.

“I knew it looked oddly big. So, it was padding, huh?” Iris said cheekily.

“I-it’s not padding!” Senior Sophia exclaimed.

“Then what is it?”

“I-it... grew.”

Silence fell over the waiting room.

“Ugh! Y-you all just don’t understand how I feel!” Senior Sophia snapped angrily, glaring at the group surrounding her.

Yeah, it’s definitely not a place for me to step into. I quietly turned and made my way to the seats.

Sitting down, I slowly looked over the guests invited to the wedding. I saw Professor Kane and Professor Bianca having a lovers’ quarrel.

“Lucas, am I really going to get married after my own student?” said Professor Bianca.

“C-cough! W-well, marriage is something that requires careful consideration,” Professor Kane replied.

Professor Bianca glared at him. “Shut up and go reserve a venue already.”

I also overheard the conversation between Jules and Albert.

Albert approached Jules. “Julien, no, Jules. There you are.”

“Y-yeah. Long time no see, Albert,” Jules replied.

“Jules, there’s something I need to tell you,” Albert said nervously.

“What is it?”

“After finding out your identity, I thought about it a lot... But honestly, does it matter whether you’re a man or a woman, as long as it feels good?” Albert said firmly.

“What?”

I found Camilla and Johan bickering.

“Haah. Seeing this makes me think you should start looking for a partner soon, my disciple,” Johan said.

“I have devoted my soul to the Seven Gods and the Saintess. I have no time to concern myself with trivial emotions like romance,” Camilla replied.

He teased her. “Isn’t it just that you can’t find one?”

“Ugh!”

Professor Bastion and Headmaster Ryu exchanged words while talking about the newlyweds.

Professor Bastion sighed. “Hm! I just hope Sophia can handle that troublemaker well.”

“You’re talking as if Sophia were your daughter,” replied Headmaster Ryu.

“Isn’t there a saying that the relationship between a professor and their assistant is like that of parent and child?” asked Professor Bastion.

“I’ve never heard that in my life.”

A pristine white cathedral on a tranquil hill; a beautifully dressed bride and groom; guests seated, chatting and laughing; and laughter echoing from all around—if the word “happiness” could be given form, this would be it.

Things had indeed changed, a lot. It was to the point where it almost felt like everything I experienced in my past life had been nothing more than a nightmare. Everything had changed. The only thing that hadn’t changed was probably my grades.

A chuckle unconsciously slipped out of my lips. I had reached a level where even Demon Gods could be crushed with sheer strength, yet my academic standing was still at the bottom. I hadn’t been able to check properly, having been confined for the past month, but considering I had been asleep for a whole year and a half, repeating the year was probably inevitable.

“One year... No, two years held back, maybe,” I muttered.

That would mean starting again from the fourth year. Though if I pushed it, I could probably graduate immediately. After all, no matter what anyone said, I was the hero who had saved humanity. If I went to see Headmaster Ryu and asked for my diploma, he would likely hand it over without hesitation.

However, there was no real need for me to graduate in the first place. With the empress of an empire among my lovers, what was there to worry about when it came to making a living? Even if I couldn’t officially work as a hero without a diploma, I had five lovers who would take care of me. And each one of them held enough influence to shake the entire continent.

So, does that make me something like a house husband? I wondered.

That left a bad taste in my mouth, like a stubborn stain on a shirt. No one among my lovers would complain if I lived off them, but somehow, I couldn’t shake the discomfort.

“Graduation, huh,” I muttered.

After a brief moment of thought, I made up my mind. Yeah, screw it. I’ll just stay in school for another year.

Part of it was that I didn’t want to become some freeloader living off my lovers, but more than that, it was the label still clinging to me, the label known as “Last-Place.” It was the mark that had given me my first taste of frustration and defeat in life. I wanted to tear it off with my own hands.

At this point, it didn’t even matter whether I was last or not. But it was the one thing I hadn’t been able to change after turning back time and the stain left on the future I built with my own hands. Removing that “Last-Place” label would be the final way to sever my connection to my past life.

Since it’s come to this, I might as well graduate at the top. Dale Han, top graduate. Just imagining the title I had never even dared to dream of in my past life made me grin.

My lovers, having left the bride’s waiting room, approached the seats where I was sitting. Iris asked, “What are you smiling about like that?”

“It’s nothing,” I replied.

“Hm, you want to do it too, don’t you?” Elisha teased.

“Huh? Do what?” I asked.

“Get married.”

“Oh.”

Of course, I intended to do it someday. But right now, that could turn out to be dangerous. Due to the separation of one and a half years and my lovers getting fired up from Berald and Sophia’s wedding, it was dangerous. If I got married now, I wouldn’t be getting out in just a month. This past month, I had lost count of how many times I had brushed the line between life and death. If we actually got married, I would probably get squeezed dry, body and soul.

“I was actually thinking of starting to look for a venue soon,” Elisha said.

“D-don’t you think there’s no need to rush?” I replied.

“Hm. On the contrary, is there any reason not to?” she asked.

“Well, you know... I still have a year left until graduation.” I tried to use graduation as an excuse to delay things.

But it seemed like I was mistaken about something. Elisha tilted her head, as if wondering what I was talking about. “Hm? Graduation? Didn’t you already graduate?”

“What?” I was stunned. What did she mean?

With a smirk, Elisha pulled out a piece of paper from her handbag and handed it to me. “Oh, right. I forgot to give you this.”

“This is...”

“Your diploma, Dale.”

“W-wait! Wasn’t I supposed to repeat the year?” I muttered.

“Well, normally, yes, since you were asleep for a year and a half. But I personally went to the headmaster and arranged for your graduation. Honestly, at your level, there’s nothing left for you to learn here anyway.”

“That’s true, but...”

Wait, then what about my grades?

“Oh, and just so you know, your final ranking was determined based on your last comprehensive evaluation,” she explained.

My last evaluation ranking? Don’t tell me

I hurriedly checked the diploma in my hands.

[Diploma]

Name: Dale Han

Origin: Republic

Department: Warrior Division

Final Evaluation Rank: 470 / 470

“You graduated ranked 470th out of 470, since one repeater and Morris were removed from the total count,” she added.

“Ah!” The diploma fell from my hand onto the ground. After some time, I asked, “I-is there... no way to repeat the year?”

“It’s already been processed. You can’t repeat now,” she replied.

“T-then what about re-enrolling? If I start over from the first year!”

“Do you really think that makes any sense?”

Then that means, for the rest of my life...

“Congratulations on your graduation, Dale,” Elisha said.

“Congrats!” Yurina followed up after.

“Congratulations, Dale!” Iris said cheerfully.

“N-now that you’ve graduated, t-that means we can get married right away, right?” Laneige excitedly asked.

“Congratulations,” Camellia said nonchalantly.

Amid my lovers’ cheerful congratulations, I stared down at my last-place diploma and muttered quietly. “You’ve got to be kidding me!”

Dale Han, the Last-Place Hero—for some reason, I had a bad feeling that this label would stick with me forever.

– The End –

Author’s Note

Hello, my dear readers, this is Butterfly Valley!

With that, the story of Dale, the Last-Place Hero, has finally come to an end. This was my first time attempting an academy-themed story, so I hope you all enjoyed it.

Personally, I had a lot of fun writing this work. Of course, I can’t help but feel there were parts I could have done better, but that lingering regret seems to come with every story. This is my seventh completed paid work, and yet I always feel the same way.

I’ll carry that feeling with me and return in my next work with an even more enjoyable and exciting story!

To all the readers who stayed with me until the end, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I love you all. I hope the Last-Place Hero Dale’s story left even the smallest footprint in your lives, and I’ll see you again in my next work!

P.S. A webtoon adaptation for The Last-Place Hero’s Return is currently in preparation, so I hope to meet you all again in that form someday! Please look forward to it!