Dragon's Wrath: The Cursed Returnee

Although he was a bit surprised, Nuvian didn't drop the smile on his face. Somehow, even though Ethan was going to be the center of the conversation, he changed the flow of it and became the first one to ask a question.

"Come on, I know how things work in other worlds," Ethan said while shrugging his shoulders. "More importantly, I know how things work in my sister's head. Guys with sweet smiles like you are her weakness. Besides, it is a common occurrence to gain favor with heroes by throwing members of the opposite sex on their parties. Mainly, the good-looking ones."

"Ethan…" Hannah said while her eyes and voice were cold as ice. "What are you exactly implying here?"

"Nothing, really," Ethan shrugged again with a smile on his face. "I'm just saying that this is a common occurrence. Although you are a bit of an airhead, you are not an idiot. So, he should be fine. I don't know what kind of mistake you made to get her, but… good luck."

"Hah?" Hannah crossed her arms and then showed a smug face. "I bet you are jealous that I hit the jackpot."

"Not really," Ethan said, and his smile grew. "I never looked for a redhead male to become my partner."

Evelyn and Nuvian laughed a little while Hannah still was a bit annoyed. As for Michael, he just stayed quiet and studied his son. Ethan was somewhat of a joker in the past, so perhaps his past year didn't change him completely. However, Michael could tell that Ethan wasn't acting one hundred percent naturally. The glint in his eyes had changed, so Michael could tell.

"So, are you going to tell us what happened to you over this year or what?" Hannah asked.

"You must have had a hard time with her," Ethan said while looking at Nuvian. "I can count with the fingers of a single hand the people I know that can be as blunt as her."

"Don't change the subject!" Hannah said impatiently.

"… I spent eleven months working for the Hedo kingdom," Ethan replied. "The only kingdom of a certain world that wasn't wiped out by the demon king's army. Just a few hours ago, I defeated him and obtained the right to go back home. The end."

Evelyn and Nuvian forced a smile while Hannah sighed. It was perfectly natural for returnees to hide the experiences they had in other worlds. Only those who had an easy time would openly talk about their adventures and boast about every single thing.

"Demon king, huh," Hannah nodded to herself while staring at the ceiling. "I guess I had an easy time compared to that… I only had to defeat a monster that was giving birth to thousands of monsters every day."

"If a demon king never appeared in your world, maybe you shouldn't relax so much," Ethan said while facing Nuvian. "A monster like that also appeared a few times in the history of the world I went. Such anomaly can cause unexpected changes, and the demon race from that place was one of them."

"I'm fully aware of it," Nuvian said, showing a serious look on his face. "Thanks to Hannah's power, I can travel to this world whenever I feel like it, and I learned things like that. Right now, we are preparing the due countermeasures to every single problem that might emerge."

"I see…" Ethan said and nodded. "It looks like things changed quite a bit in a few months. I should have known since, in this family, we have two summoned heroes. Can I hear about how much the world changed?"

Although Evelyn and Michael knew a lot more than Ethan could imagine, Hannah was the one who started the explanations. In just a single year, thousands of humans had been summoned to other worlds. Although such a thing happened in the past, it was at a pace where the governments could still keep things hidden, but not anymore. Not after some heroes failed to save the world and ended up bringing monsters from other lands to Earth.

"When a hero fails in save the world and still manages to return to Earth, they create a link between them," Hannah explained. "The link is weak at first, but it grows stronger naturally. Until it becomes strong enough to create a portal between words. That is how a dungeon is created."

"… Since your explanation is easy to follow, it looks like some already appeared on Earth," Ethan furrowed his eyebrows.

"That is right," Hannah nodded. "That kind of event had to happen three times before we could understand what was going on. A country in South America was completely destroyed when a dungeon appeared, and thousands of monsters appeared. Right now, the situation there is under control, thanks to the UN. Two other countries in Europe and Asia almost suffered the same fate. Still, fortunately, some summoned heroes lived nearby and avoided the worst-case scenario."

"I see," Ethan said and then lowered his head. "So, some of us still keep our powers after returning, and I guess that is a blessing in disguise."

"From a certain point of view, you are right," Hannah said. "But that is something that is only happening lately. In the past years, most summoned heroes lost their powers once they returned. The reason behind it no one can understand, and I'm sure you can understand how dangerous it is for humans with god-like powers to live in our society."

The arrival of monsters not only brought some worries to all the governments of the world. Monsters also had all kinds of weird characteristics in their bodies, and most of them had a core that could transmit mana. The energy was so pure and powerful that it could be compared to a small nuclear reactor. Although humanity had to deal with a few superhumans, now they have the chance to obtain a source of energy that doesn't affect the environment.

"Almost eighty percent of the summoned hero are teenagers," Hannah explained. "For some reason, they adapt more quickly than adults. Maybe it is due to that most of them don't take things seriously. Regardless, those who are old enough end up joining the army by receiving a high-ranked position. Those who aren't ended up going to school… the summoned heroes' school."

"You mean they are forced to join the army or the school," Ethan shrugged and then laughed. "To keep all the returnees in a single place and to be monitored."

"I guess that is a way to look at the things," Hannah looked away with a troubled expression on her face. "Besides, people like us won't be able to live normal lives with the mana in our bodies. Nor would normal people accept to live close to us. By accepting this, you show that you don't want to become a threat. Besides, even school kids like you receive a compensation. So, it isn't a bad deal."

It wasn't like Ethan had much choice in the matter. With his power, an everyday life was out of the question. Besides, considering that Hannah was at home on a Sunday, the treatment they received was pretty good as long as they didn't do something problematic. Hannah tried to be subtle about it, but it was clear that she wanted Ethan to enter the school. It would be better if people like them interacted with each other frequently since they more or less knew what they had to do to survive until now. The logic was sound, but if anything, that only put Ethan in a bad spot. Those most affected by his powers weren't ordinary humans. They were those who had powers.

"There is another reason why returnees ended up joining the army or the school," Hannah added.

"Is that so…" Ethan said and then made a long pause since he felt that something was off.

"Sometimes, returnees ended up summoned to the world they saved and sometimes to others," Hannah explained. "That is why the governments help them to keep them in shape and even improve their skills. However, the main reason is that new heroes can bring alongside them to other worlds some allies."