Dragon's Wrath: The Cursed Returnee

Although Ethan had all the day for himself, he still decided to stop at noon to have dinner with his parents. Coincidentally, around that time, Hannah finally received his message. As expected, things were also quite hectic on her end.

"Sorry for calling you back so late," Hannah said after Ethan received her call. "Things are quite tense right now, so we are on high alert."

"Don't worry about it," Ethan said. "What can you tell me about this situation? Is there any chance that you might get involved in this?"

"I don't think so," Hannah replied. "The higher-ups are expecting that other dungeons might appear at any moment, so we can't exactly move. If one appears in our country, we will use all of our forces to stop the destruction from spreading. So, the likelihood of us Americans being sent to help those countries are quite low. Fortunately, those dungeon breaks happened in countries that have some big neighbors."

"Meaning…" Ethan frowned since he didn't understand what Hannah said.

pαndα`noνɐ1--сoМ "Countries like Paraguay and Mongolia are close from Brazil and China," Hannah replied. "Maybe it is a coincidence, but the largest the population of a country, the more summoned heroes they have. In that regard, Brazil has almost as many summoned heroes as us. In contrast, China apparently has the double of our numbers."

That made sense. Regardless, geography wasn't something Ethan was good at, so he forgot about that. Although most countries would try to prevent acting without thinking at such times, some had the leisure to help. Besides, if they stand by when those other countries that are being attacked are so close, things might escalate and cause massive problems for them as well.

"Ghana has a somewhat large population of summoned heroes, so we think they will be able to prevent a disaster," Hannah added. "Sweden is a bit far away from Russia, but their relationship is good right now, so they will help. The real problem is New Zealand… Oceania is a large continent, but the number of summoned heroes isn't that large. Besides, the fact that their continent is surrounded by sea is also a big problem."

It was a problem on the other side of the world, but even so, Ethan couldn't just shake it off from his head. Maybe it was because of that that he was summoned as a hero, but he couldn't see the population of the world and think that they were unrelated to him due to some borders. As far as he was concerned, the whole Earth was his home. People all over the world were his neighbors, and since they had a common enemy, he had no intention of letting the homes of his neighbors be destroyed by monsters.

"This is all I can say right now," Hannah said. "Anyway, don't try anything stupid, Ethan. I don't like this as much as you, but we are Americans, and we can only move when he is absolutely sure that our country is safe from danger. The fact that you and I have these powers don't turn us into exceptions to that rule."

"You worry too much about stupid rules," Ethan said. "Why do you care about these rules, Hannah? Aren't you the queen of a magic world?"

"Yes, I am. However, originally, I was just a resident from Earth, and in order to use my abilities in the best way, I had to accept certain things and this position where I am just another person working for the country." Hannah replied. "We can't just do whatever we want because we have power, Ethan. You have to think about the consequences on those around us."

That was logical, and in fact, in everything he did, Ethan always considered if he would affect his family's life in one way or the other. Still, he wasn't the type to let such a thing stand in his path. He didn't return to Earth without failing sometimes, but he failed by action and not by inaction. Still… Hannah was right. Ethan wasn't in a position where he could do much. Maybe if he recovers the strength he once had, he will be able to make a difference without worrying about such small things. Before that happens… he will have to be patient.

After that, the call ended, and Ethan returned home. Although he tried to act like usual, lunchtime hadn't been that cheerful because William and Evelyn also knew what was happening, and they were accompanying the news on TV.

"You look a bit tired, Ethan," Evelyn said. "You shouldn't let the news bother you that much."

"I am not too sure about that," Ethan forced a smile.

"You already did your part, didn't you?" Evelyn asked. "You worked hard, and that is why a dungeon didn't appear here when you returned."

"That is right, son," William said. "You are back on Earth. Although you still are a summoned hero, you are not the only one. You shouldn't try to carry the weight of the whole world on your back, and you already did that before, and you don't have to do it again."

It was quite troublesome for Ethan to be read that easily. So, the only thing he could do was smile at them. William and Evelyn were his parents, and one of the best things they were good at was reading the expressions on Ethan's face. While they were right, Ethan wished that things were that simple. He was worried because he didn't want to see Earth become one of those destroyed worlds and because Ethan already knew what happens when he doesn't take the reins of things. The last time he didn't do it, he and the remaining forces of Hedo were forced to retreat to the capital of the kingdom, imagining that the war was already good as lost. Ethan promised himself that he would never let something like that happens again…

"I suppose I can't achieve all my goals and keep my pride intact…"

Less than one month had passed since Ethan returned home. He experimented with many things. One of them was someone who kicked his ass so badly and also had the presence of a demon. Ethan knew he would soon find that bastard again, and it would be on Earth this time. To prevent a disaster, Ethan will be forced to destroy all the restrictions he put on himself…

"I guess this is a nice trade… I won't be able to feel good about myself. Still, by sacrificing that and by risking my sanity, I will achieve all my other goals. Hopefully, now that I am with my family, I won't lose my mind."

In the end, Ethan made his choice: whenever possible, he will use Omni Hero, and with Zen, he will recover all the memories he lost of his time on Hedo.