The Last Place Hero's Return

Silence settled over the room. I stood frozen, dumbfounded. “Huh?”

Empress Camellia tilted her head, looking down at me, as though she couldn’t understand my reaction. “I told you to lick it. Why are you just standing there?”

Her snow-white bare foot dangled before my eyes, swinging like one of those coins used in hypnosis.

“Is this supposed to be a reward?” I asked.

“If the chance to lick the Empress’s feet isn’t a reward, then what is a reward supposed to be?”

I was speechless.

She continued, “Heh. Or are you just embarrassed? Don’t worry. My heart is as vast as the sea.”

“No, that’s not it...”

What on earth has she been going on about this whole time?

“Don’t bother with such pitiful excuses. I already know very well that men consider being trampled by a powerful woman to be a reward.”

“And where, exactly, did you get that information?”

“Heh. Curious, are you?”

Camellia curled her lips upward and activated her Hero Watch. A blue holographic window floated in the air, displaying an extremely suspicious phrase:

[Community of Those Who Wish to Be Trampled by Her Majesty the Empress]

“This is....”

“From what old man Lionel told me, virtual gatherings, what they call communities, via the Hero Watch have become popular among Hero Academy cadets lately,” said Camellia.

“Well, that part is true, but...”

I had never once heard of a community this deranged.

Ignoring my remark, she continued, “So, after some inquiries, I learned that within the Hero Academy, there exists a community made up of cadets who worship me.”

“Is that it? That, um, ‘Wish to be Trampled by Her Majesty’ group?” I asked.

“Indeed.”

The fact that many cadets revered the Empress was hardly news. It’d be stranger if that weren’t the case. She was the most powerful ruler on the continent, possessed breathtaking beauty, and wielded strength so overwhelming that she was practically called a demigod. How could she not be popular? Sure, rumors had it that her personality had some issues, but with her status as Empress, the prevailing opinion was that it just made her appeal better.

However, this was too much. A group that wanted to be trampled by the Empress? What the hell was wrong with these lunatics? It was a community lurking in the darkest corners of cadet society. Confronted with the sticky, swirling desires hidden behind the mask of anonymity, I couldn’t help but shudder.

Kids, what kind of insane nonsense have you been writing in there?

Camellia stared at me. “Quite a lot of people in there said that they could die without regret if they were trampled by my feet even once. But no matter what, the idea of trampling a vassal who faithfully carried out his mission under my orders felt a bit uncomfortable to me.”

“That’s why you settled on licking instead?” I asked skeptically.

“Heh. There were plenty of opinions in the community saying they wanted to lick as well.”

I’m seriously going to lose my mind.

She continued, “In any case, I already know exactly what young male cadets like you want, so stop being shy and press your lips to my foot.”

“No, that’s not...”

“Or are you the type who wants to be trampled instead?”

“That’s not it either.”

How was I supposed to explain that only an extremely small minority of cadets actually frequented such a deeply disturbing community?

Finally, I said, “Let’s just say this time, part of this is my own mistake, so let’s forget about the reward altogether.”

Camellia looked flustered, clearly never having considered the possibility that I would refuse her reward. “What did you say?”

She pulled her extended leg back as if to hide it. “D-don’t tell me... was my reward unsatisfactory?”

“No, it’s not that...”

“Then why are you refusing it? Could it be that I... that I don’t appeal to you?”

Perhaps memories of having her confession rejected surfaced. The ever-composed Camellia’s expression darkened in an instant. Her eyes welled up like those of a frightened child.

I clenched my lips tightly. This wasn’t like her at all. Wasn’t she always the one boasting that all things in the world lay beneath her feet, that whatever she desired would inevitably fall into her hands? So, why was she suddenly acting so timid? Or was this Camellia’s true self? Was this the face she had hidden beneath the title of “Empress”?

Suddenly, I recalled the time I had entered her chambers while searching for a secret passage. Compared to the lavish audience hall, her room had been surprisingly plain. Maybe all this time, she had been striving to appear magnificent, dignified, and cold, to be someone worthy of the name “Empress.”

Camellia’s legs trembled faintly as she drooped, completely dejected. “I’m sorry! I got carried away again.”

She looked so much like Laneige in that moment that a small chuckle escaped me before I could stop it. Who would’ve thought that one day I would see Laneige reflected in the Empress of all people?

Surprised, Camellia asked, “Why are you laughing?”

“Haha. No, it’s nothing.”

In any case, I couldn’t just stand by and let Her Majesty turn into Laneige. Camellia was one of the people whose fate I had changed the most and whose impact on the future was the greatest. Even the Tri-Nation Alliance had been established more than ten years earlier than it should have, solely because of her existence. For the sake of future cooperation, I needed to put her at ease.

I explained, “It’s not that I dislike the reward.”

“R-really?”

“Yes. To be honest, it’s a little embarrassing to say this, but Your Majesty, you have exceptionally beautiful legs.”

That wasn’t flattery. Before meeting her, if asked who had the finest legs, I would have named Elisha without hesitation. But Camellia, like Elisha, was tall and slender, boasting leg lines so captivating they could mesmerize you at a glance.

Camellia’s eyes widened dramatically. “B-beautiful!”

She let out a string of incomprehensible sounds while flailing both legs about. “Uwa! Uh! Uh! Ahem! T-then, then why did you refuse the reward?”

How am I supposed to explain this? Screw it. I don’t even know anymore.

I just blurted out, “Uh, well. I just... prefer kneading to being stepped on or licking.”

“You prefer kneading?”

“How about we end the reward with something light, like a foot massage?”

“Hmm. Will you truly be satisfied with just that?”

“Yes.”

Compared to being stepped on or licking someone’s feet, wasn’t it better to think of it as a simple massage and just knead away?

“Well, if that’s what you prefer, then so be it.”

The Empress returned to her relaxed expression and extended her leg once more. I slowly wrapped my hands around her snow-white foot. As I began, Camellia shuddered and let out a moan.

“Are you all right?” I asked.

“I-it’s fine. Continue.”

Following Her Majesty’s command, I moved my hands.

***

As the massage went on, Camellia let out soft, moisture-laden moans. She stared at her leg with a look of disbelief. She had often received foot massages from the imperial maids, so she hadn’t thought much of it before. Yet, every time Dale’s hands moved, a wave of shivering pleasure spread throughout her body. If she had to exaggerate, it felt like floating atop the clouds of heaven.

W-why does this feel so good? H-his technique isn’t even that exceptional, she thought.

In terms of skill, the imperial maids, who had received professional training in massage, were undoubtedly superior. So, why was it that every time Dale’s hand touched her foot, she could feel herself heating up? She knew she had feelings for him, but she never imagined she had fallen for him this deeply without even realizing it.

It was strange to her. Indeed, Dale had saved her life. But even so, not even she herself had expected to sink this deeply into him. She closed her eyes gently and recalled her memories with him.

It must have been that moment.

She recalled the day she had killed a trusted subordinate with her own hands. In the darkened cave, his figure offering her a cup of alcohol resurfaced in her mind. Back then, he had said something comforting to her.

“When someone precious dies, anyone would be sad.”

Yes, that was what he told her. He had looked at her not as the Empress, not as the ruler of the Empire, but as a single human being. And he was the first to do it.

Camellia was born the daughter of an emperor. From the moment of her birth, she stood at the center of power. After awakening the Blessing of the Seven Stars, she rose to its very peak. No one ever looked at her as a human equal to them. They worshipped her as a demigod beyond humanity, as the Empress bearing the Empire on her shoulders. And so, she lived up to those expectations. No, she had to, so that all who trusted and followed her would not collapse and so that the loyalty of tens of millions resting on her shoulders would not be in vain. She could not exist as a mere human.

Yet now, just because he saw her as a human being, she had fallen for him. Wasn’t this the kind of childish, predictable story that only young girls would enjoy? But so what if it was childish? So what if it was predictable?

“That will be enough,” Camellia said to Dale.

She slowly reached out and caressed his cheek. A warmth she had never felt before seeped deep into her heart. For the first time in her life, she felt true longing. A flame of desire, scorching her throat, roared fiercely within her heart.

I will never let you go. But I will not rush.

Had she not already ruined things once by acting too hastily? She was not foolish enough to repeat the same mistake. This time, she would take it slowly. One step at a time, step by step, she would approach him carefully. And then, she would make him hers. Everything she had ever desired had always ended up in her hands. That was the life she had lived, and the life she would continue to live. This time would be no different.

I believe he said he already has three lovers. The Saintess of the Holy Empire, the daughter of the Archbishop of Frost, and the Cursed-Eye Spider. If I join them, that makes four...

It would be a bit cramped, but she could generously overlook that much. At least it was not five. Camellia nodded to herself, a smile forming at the corner of her lips.