The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Chapter 1311

Davey told Si-Hyun what had happened to him while under control. Even if Si-Hyun couldn’t remember, that didn’t mean his memories of Brady had disappeared.

“That bastard... he’s crazier than I thought.”

“I could tell.”

Brady’s hands had been completely crushed. He no longer could handle the instrument he once played with such talent. His mind had also crumbled due to the extreme fear, leaving him unable to do anything as a musician or even a functional human being.

“Why? You scared?” Davey asked.

Si-Hyun shook his head. “No. It’s just... I feel kind of bad for him. If I was obsessed with music itself, he was eaten alive by fame. He wasn’t always like that.”

Brady Frederick. In the past, he had been a talented but ordinary student who attended the same music college as Si-Hyun and Juliana.

“Sure, he used his talent to feed his greed ever since I’ve known him, but he really changed after graduation.”

He was a prime example of a late convert who became the most zealous. Well, in his case, he gained a dangerous craving for fame.

After gaining fame through his talent, it mixed with the toxic atmosphere of his family in the worst way possible, and he turned into a complete monster.

“In the end, fame became the top priority in his life. Everything was about surpassing his father.”

“Well, his sob story isn’t my problem.”

What mattered was that the bastard had pointed a knife at Super Ribbon, simply to drive a wedge between him and Si-Hyun.

Davey figured he wasn’t stupid, so he probably never planned to clash with him head-on. Unfortunately for him, what he did had been a move even worse than the worst-case scenario he imagined.

“So is it over now?”

“No. It’s just getting started,” Davey said with a devious smirk.

“Pardon?”

“He dared lay his hands on Super Ribbon, and thought that’d be the end of it? Says who?” Davey smiled coldly as he drove the point home, and Si-Hyun turned pale. “What do you think would hurt someone obsessed with fame the most?”

“Hmmm. Losing all that fame, right?”

“You catch on quick.”

Si-Hyun trembled in response. “You don’t mean....”

“Depends on how you look at it. More importantly, how are you? Anything wrong with your body?”

“Well, I don’t feel anything strange. But... how did you know I was being controlled?

Davey simply looked toward Mute, who sat on a bench in the garden and stared up at the sky.

“Have you heard of perfect pitch?”

“Perfect pitch? Yes, I know what that is,” Si-Hyun readily acknowledged.

“What if I told you there’s something beyond that?”

“What? There’s nothing past that.”

“There is. Someone who can hear more than just notes when they listen to music—someone who can hear a person’s very nature.”

That was why Mute said she had always felt truly lonely. Even though he hadn’t been to do the things she'd done, being different and seeing through others would make people avoid her and push her into isolation.

“If something like that exists...”

“I wouldn’t recommend it. It’s so lonely that it feels like a curse.”

“Ah.” Quick-witted as ever, Si-Hyun didn’t say anything else.

“Go in first. I’ll follow.”

He quietly nodded and stood up. Davey turned and walked toward Mute.

“What are you looking at?” Davey asked.

“The moon in the sky.”

“I know that. I’m asking what you see in it.”

“Who knows. Don’t worry about it.” She waved her hand as if telling him to get lost.

He sighed in response. Out of everyone, he figured she might be the one most shaken by what happened.

“Maybe I did something I shouldn’t have.” Davey wondered if bringing her along had been a mistake.

She suddenly called out, “Davey.”

“Yes?”

“I’m grateful,” she said while looking him in the eyes. “Our youngest of the Hall really is devoted.”

“Isn’t it a bit much to call it devotion?”

“Do you know how many people let go of their lingering regrets thanks to you?”

There was Daphne, who had been entangled with Persephone, and Apollo, who mourned over Daphne. By taking down the Demon King Perserque, Davey showed Sword God Ares, who had to live with painful memories, a happy sight of Perserque.

“Odin of Atrellia. Hercules. Rho Aias. Ajax. Surtr.”

That was not to forget Shane Scrift, the Mythical Beast King summoner who suffered after parting with Mythical Beast Kings.

“Well, Eva’s case is a bit different, but it’s the same in a way.” She looked straight at Davey. “And me as well. In the end, the opportunity you created let me cast aside the last regret I carried.”

“That doesn’t sound very reassuring,” he wryly responded.

She gave a faint smile at his words. “Did it sound that way?

“Yes.

“Then I suppose it did.” Her answer left nothing but unease in his heart.

* * *

To be honest, it was difficult to focus. Mute looked the same as usual, but Davey could sense she was holding some other thoughts inside.

After Brady’s scheme failed, nothing else threatened the orchestra anymore. Even Si-Hyun, who had acted slightly out of sync, regained his original skill and showed why people called him a young, ill-mannered genius.

After that, the orchestra toured several countries as planned, performing on one stage after another. Every time they revealed a song they had kept hidden, they grabbed massive attention.

Super Ribbon became extremely well-known, but she herself didn’t seem to care much about it.

The final performance was set to wrap up in Korea.

The two had grown fairly close throughout the tour, so Juliana joked around as she teased Super Ribbon.

“Did you hear? You got picked as one of the sexiest figures in the U.S.,” Juliana told her.

“What? Me? Sexy? Uh. Ummm.”

“You don’t have to overthink it. I admit the way you play and sing looks pretty charming. You know who used to heat up America before? Your mom.”

She was referring to Illyna, specifically. The reason she first made a big name for herself in the U.S. was simple.

“She became really popular after that opening pitch at the baseball game. Still, your mom didn’t do many public activities like this, so it didn’t cause that huge of a wave. This time’s different, right?”

Since Super Ribbon and the orchestra were sweeping the charts, it was only natural for them to surpass the attention that Illyna had gained back then.

“What’s wrong?” Davey asked, having approached.

“I don’t know. Do I really need something like that?” Super Ribbon asked Davey, as if the whole thing weighed on her.

He found her reaction cute and quietly chuckled. “Being popular’s good. Of course, it comes with limits. If you want, Super Ribbon, I can make it all disappear right now.”

“It’s okay. I can’t rely on you for every little thing.”

Since she was a sword and not an ordinary living being, it didn’t really matter. However, she seemed to want to live like Evangeline and Darian.

“If you plan to pass this world just as it is to Eva, Darian, and Abel, then I’ll follow that choice.”

Even though she called him Father, Super Ribbon seemed to keep some quiet distance in her heart between herself and his other three children.

The thought left a bitter taste, but Davey knew forcing the issue wouldn’t solve anything.

“All right! If you’re ready, let’s go! The grand finale!”

Si-Hyun and Mute had composed ten songs. Nine had already been revealed, so the last one would finally come out at this final show.

“Waaaahhh!!!” a crowd screamed and shouted the moment they saw her.

“Oh my god....” The moment she stepped out of the car, her eyes widened and she hesitated.

Even before entering the venue, an enormous crowd had already gathered and cheered for her.

Who she was as a person didn’t matter. Of course, people already knew she had a good image socially due to her college life, but the real reason for the explosive reaction was simply because the songs pulled people in that strongly.

“Looks like some people even followed from overseas.”

Even though it was Korea, Davey spotted numerous foreigners among the crowd. He figured they must’ve followed the tour from country to country.

There weren’t that many of them, but it still left Super Ribbon feeling overwhelmed. “F-Father, something feels strange.”

“What are you doing? At least react to them.”

Her face turned bright red. She lowered her gaze, not knowing what to do.

Then, as if something came to mind, she closed her eyes and slowly raised both hands, forming a heart with her thumbs and index fingers. Her unexpected gesture and blushing face struck the crowd and sparked an even bigger reaction.

Some people seemed to feel secondhand embarrassment, yet they screamed even louder at her awkward though sincere response.

In the end, in a trance with all the attention, Super Ribbon barely made it into the waiting room. Juliana helped, laying her down and covering her head with a hot towel. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

“Not sure she can go back to normal life after that,” Juliana murmured to herself.

She had chosen this herself, but the impact turned out far bigger than expected.

Davey had somewhat anticipated something like this happening, but the scale went well beyond what he had imagined.

At that moment, Super Ribbon mattered, but someone else drew even more of his attention. Davey looked at Mute’s calm eyes as she tuned her instrument in silence.

He hoped she wouldn’t come up with any strange thoughts, but whenever this kind of feeling struck and his instincts sent warnings, something always happened.

* * *

Perhaps because it was their final performance, or because of the expectations for the unrevealed last piece, all of them could feel the anticipation hanging in the air.

There was a saying that a feast everyone hypes up often turned out to be nothing special. If Si-Hyun had worked alone, perhaps that saying would’ve proved true. He might be a genius, but that didn’t mean he was a flawless genius at composing as well. Even so, once the variable named Mute stepped in, it turned into the greatest achievement of his life.

“Whew. Everyone, this is it. Our last performance! We’ve practiced harder than ever. We burned with a kind of passion we might never feel again. So, just for today... let's go back to our younger days.”

“Fufu. Mr. Park, you’re still young.”

“Well, we’re all bursting with youth in our hearts, aren’t we?” Si-Hyun shouted to fire up the mood.

Perserque, Evangeline, Illyna, and Aeria had sent word that they would attend the performance. That alone showed how much their expectations for Super Ribbon had grown.

“Alright, let’s finish strong! When we go back, let’s use everything we learned here as a stepping stone and reach our own goals.”

At first, they had come together just to rediscover a certain passion in their hearts. Yet, after working alongside others who shared the same passion, something new had sparked inside them and pushed them even harder. The bits of advice Mute had casually thrown out in passing became their biggest source of motivation.

In the end, it all started with Super Ribbon. The synergy she created and the help from someone as extraordinary as Mute changed the way they saw everything in their lives.

Super Ribbon lightly hugged Davey and said in a cute tone, “Father! Let’s give it everything we’ve got until the very end.”

“For the last one, I’ll put in some extra care,” he assured her with a smirk.

* * *

The final unreleased song that Si-Hyun composed embodied a different concept from the others—sorrowful sadness.

It felt a little old-fashioned, but it was still a theme people had used for a long time. Even Si-Hyun sometimes wondered why he made that choice in the first place.

He agreed with Mute that variety was good, but he was never sure if they really needed to end everything with such a song.

That thought had crossed his mind, then the moment Super Ribbon began to play and sang the first line, he felt something subtle shift.

Super Ribbon often played string instruments during performances. After the gayageum, she had used a harp, a lyre, and other instruments depending on the song.

The types varied, and many people praised her skill, saying she handled instruments far beyond an ordinary level. For the finale, Super Ribbon chose a piano, far removed from the string instruments she had used before.

The piano stood in the center of the stage, and the orchestra spread out evenly on both sides around her, forming perfect symmetry.

At a glance, they looked like a grand and calm orchestra, but their music carried a different feeling from classical performances.

Of course, they didn’t plan to play only the one unreleased track, so they first performed their most popular songs to lift the mood, then took a breath to prepare for the final climax.

The moment Super Ribbon pressed the first key and began to sing in her clear, beautiful voice, everyone else on stage slowly started to play as well.

Their earlier pieces had matched each of their own concepts. This time, a sorrowful melody soaked into the air and weighed down the entire hall.

It felt close, yet distant. The melody stirred the audience’s hearts and left them restless, shaking their emotions in an instant and forcing them to hold their breath as they listened.

The rhythm and notes didn’t rely on any obvious hook, yet many people found themselves humming along.

As if declaring that this’d be the last performance, their playing carried that sadness and echoed throughout the entire hall.

Then, midway through the performance, Super Ribbon turned her head toward Davey. She was surprised to see his grim expression

[Father?]

She sent a mental message toward him, but he gave no response. He simply kept his eyes on Mute and continued to play.

She had no clue why he looked like that. She then turned her gaze toward Mute. Anyone could see how beautiful Mute looked as she played, her performance almost breathtaking. However, for some reason, Super Ribbon felt something beyond awe.

It was because the music gave her the strange feeling that this might become Mute’s last performance of her life.

* * *

When Davey talked with Mute, they didn’t speak only with words. They also spoke through music.

The music she played laid her honest feelings bare.

At first, when she adjusted Si-Hyun’s piece here and there, Davey wondered why she chose to place a song like that at the very end. Once listening to her performance, he finally understood.

She seemed to be thanking him, as if this were truly the last time.

Davey saw the tips of her feet slowly break apart into particles of light and scatter. With this piece as her final act, she planned to fall into eternal rest. Her playing carried apology and sorrow, soft and aching. It felt like she, who existed only as a soul, was leaving behind her last words before letting go of everything and fading away.

Mute performed with Super Ribbon before a huge audience, but her music was for Davey. Of course, the aftereffect of it carried a strange power that brought tears to countless people.

However, the one most devastated was Davey.

He wasn’t the only one shocked. Super Ribbon and the others continued playing, absorbed in the music, yet they looked at Mute with startled faces as if they sensed her intention.

The woman herself wore the most peaceful expression of all. A faint smile like a fairy, no trace of her usual indifference.

After a thousand years of hardship, she had returned to her original world and, after endless effort, reunited with them again. After a short stay together, she planned to leave Davey.

Even so, he couldn’t stop her, as that was what she wanted. He knew it’d be cruel to bind her when she no longer wished to remain on Earth.

Mute had always felt different from the other heroes. Maybe she felt terribly lonely even back in the hall.

‘Thank you, Davey. Because of you, I let go of my final regret through this last ensemble.’

She never spoke, yet it felt as if she told him exactly that.

His head lowered, and his vision blurred as if raindrops covered his eyes.

Still, he couldn’t show himself in such a state, so he deliberately bowed his head deeper, pretending to focus on his performance.

Gradually, the music swelled. Super Ribbon’s playing and singing carried the feeling of longing for someone she had to send away.

No one said anything outright, yet the audience wondered who she mourned so deeply. Then they noticed Mute slowly scattering into light and gasped.

Anyone could tell she wasn’t human. They didn’t know where she came from, or why she stood on the stage.

Yet, everyone understood one thing. She would be gone after this final performance, and Super Ribbon grieved as she let her go.

That realization seemed to stir even deeper emotions in the crowd.

‘Are you really leaving?’

Davey asked through his own music. Once Davey realized he couldn’t bend her will, there was nothing he could do.

She never answered, yet her performance spoke for her.

Then, as if offering one last gift, the moment her fingertips moved, beings that looked like spirits swept through the hall and scattered glowing dust everywhere.

Showing such a spectacle with no special effects at all, the beautiful sight drew soft gasps. At the end of the flow, the performance slowly reached its final climax.

A single tear made its way down Super Ribbon’s face as she released the last note and gently set her hands on the keys.

No one cheered as they normally would. The mood of the performance was far too sorrowful.

Afterward, the host came up to conduct an interview about the final show. Super Ribbon, her voice slightly hoarse, only thanked everyone for watching until the end. Her voice carried sadness, yet no one said anything about it.

Then, as the final performance ended in that lingering sorrow and everyone stepped off the stage, Davey slowly headed toward the waiting room Mute had entered. He walked in as if possessed. The only thing that greeted him was silence.

When he saw her violin resting in one corner, he covered his face with one hand and lowered his head. “So that’s it? You just leave on your own like that? I knew it. I knew I shouldn’t have done this.”

He truly wanted to help her let go of her regrets, but if he had known this would happen, he never would’ve called her out.

“God damn it! No wonder today felt lucky for once...” he growled out through tears. He stood there, dazed.

“Father....” Seeing him on the floor, Super Ribbon approached and wrapped her arms around him from behind. She didn’t say much. She simply cried with him, trying to soothe his grief. Davey pressed a hand to his face and bit his lip so hard it almost split.

The crushing sense of loss he felt when the heroes vanished one by one during the war against Thanatos washed over him again.

‘She could’ve stayed at least a few more decades... Why couldn’t she wait?’

“I... I closed the door. I’m sure she went somewhere good.”

Her soul would ride the River of Souls and be reborn. She would no longer have anything to do with Mute, and no one could know whether her soul would ever hold an instrument again. Knowing that made it hurt even more.

He forced himself to hold back his sobs, but Super Ribbon couldn’t endure it. She buried her face in his back and cried quietly.

Bang!!

“What are you two doing on the floor?” Mute stood there, holding two cups of sweet coffee, looking at Davey.

“Huh?”

Super Ribbon stared blankly, and Davey quickly turned his head away and asked in shock, “Didn’t... didn’t you leave?

“Leave? Where would I go?

“You acted like that was your final performance...”

“Yeah, it was my final performance. I won’t come down to middle earth again.”

“Then why’d you act like it was your last time with me too?

“Don’t you know performance is another form of acting? I set the mood well, and it made the piece more complete. Wouldn’t you agree?”

That day, for the first time, Davey felt a strong urge to beat his teacher.

‘That damned fairy.’