Chapter 427: Whispers of Royal Blood

Luke fought the urge to smile. The two officers watched him with an almost desperate anticipation, as if every word leaving his mouth could confirm or crush the latest rumors circulating through the village.

“I was on the front line, yeah. I saw some of the main group moving.”

“See?” Amit shot Judith a triumphant look.

Luke leaned in, just enough for both of them to read the seriousness in his expression.

“There was no kaiju. That much I can guarantee. If something massive had shown up, I would’ve seen it.”

Amit let out a long sigh, the kind that suggested an argument had finally been put to rest after way too many hours.

“I told you,” Judith murmured, not the least bit surprised.

Amit lifted both hands in surrender. “All right, fine, I lose the bet. An army of zombies and a kaiju really don’t match the vibe.”

Luke realized that those people really didn’t seem to know much, and he wasn’t about to tell them anything about what he had dealt with in the castle. Like it or not, everyone there feared the wrath of the World Government and was walking on eggshells, carefully trying to figure things out. Thanks to Erza Grimhart, they wouldn’t dare push him for anything.

“And a demon?” Amit asked, suddenly hopeful.

“Demon?” Luke echoed, narrowing his eyes. “I don’t think so. If I had to guess, whatever was in that castle was just a super-zombie.”

The conversation wandered aimlessly after that until Luke politely asked them to get to the point. He’d had enough of the speculation.

Judith nodded and pulled a form from a stack, sliding it across the table toward him.

“Luke, this is the authorization card for using the teleport gate in the city of Camlann. You’re free to head there whenever you want. If you prefer to stay in the village a bit longer, that’s fine. We don’t have many horses right now, but more wagons should arrive soon. If you want to travel on foot, someone from the staff will guide you. I recommend going in a large group with our guide. Even if you’ve already survived a medieval world, this city is huge, and the last thing you want right now is getting lost on your way to the teleport hub.”

Her words carried that tired, automatic cadence of someone who had repeated the same speech at least a hundred times today.

“Thanks,” Luke said, taking the card. It looked more like a small badge embedded with coded information. The destination printed on it made his chest warm instantly:

State of Maine. He barely contained the way it hit him. Finally… I’m going home.

Amit seized the moment to add, “There are some recruiters from other Orders a bit ahead, outside the village. They’ll greet everyone in the city. A lot of them are interested in new members, in case you haven’t joined one yet.”

Before Luke could answer, Judith raised a hand.

“Before you go, I need to run you through a few protocols.” She drew in a breath, the kind someone takes before reciting a practiced speech. “As a Rank E, you have certain responsibilities and precautions to follow in society.”

While she explained, Luke learned that his documents in the United States would be updated to identify him as a system user with the corresponding Rank. To the law, that meant he carried potential military force — and because of that, he’d be evaluated by standards different from those applied to ordinary civilians. It was a safety measure: existing was one thing, existing with enough power to wreak havoc was another.

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She even mentioned hunter groups specialized in tracking system users who abused their abilities.

“As a Rank E you can do real damage, so I hope you stay a good citizen. Back in Maine they’ll probably offer you a spot in the government faction, maybe the faction of some deity, and psychological support. Accepting or not is your choice.”

Luke stood, eager to be done.

“One last thing,” Judith added.

Impatience was already rising in him, but he turned to listen.

“I recommend trimming those nails,” she said, half teasing. “They look like claws.”

“I’ll cut them, don’t worry,” he replied as he stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him.

Crossing the cafeteria, he kept his posture calm, almost apathetic. But inside… inside he was a contained detonation.

I did it. It’s over. I’m going back to my family.