The Returnee Wants Peace

Contrary to concerns, what Hajin said afterwards was a better strategy than expected.

Unlike the early stages where each trial was disconnected, as the rounds progressed, the trials became interconnected and shared themes.

The twenty-ninth trial about to open was no exception.

‘From what I remember, the twenty-sixth to the thirtieth had the same theme.’

Though she was hazy about the many trials they had experienced, this one she remembered clearly.

The memory of struggling in a lake as vast as the sea, unable to swim.

‘I barely survived thanks to magic…’

The thought of doing that again made her dizzy. But fortunately, now there was someone else besides her who remembered that time.

“What do you think, noona? Seems doable, right?”

“Yes. It makes sense, surprisingly.”

“Surprisingly…”

Though he looked quite dejected at Rosha’s comment, she was sincere.

‘He used to charge at demonic beasts on sight, but now he can even make plausible plans.’

The nickname ‘Sword Demon’ wasn’t given to Hajin, who smiled as brightly as spring sunshine, for nothing.

Well, perhaps this much change was natural, given that he was now leading conquest parties as a party leader.

Moreover, the strategy he devised fit together perfectly and could be carried out as is without any flaws. There were no apparent weak points, and variables and details were well organized.

However…

‘Something feels uneasy… why?’

Was it just her imagination?

Rosha glanced at Froy. Seeing him nod slightly, it seemed he also thought it was a good strategy.

“…It seems feasible.”

Having obtained his agreement, Hajin checked the protective barrier again with a satisfied look.

A hazy hemispherical barrier enveloping everyone in the mansion’s reception room.

According to Hajin, it wasn’t an ordinary barrier made of mana, but a concealment curtain that could avoid the gods’ gaze.

‘When did he learn something like this?’

Though she didn’t know for sure, Hajin must have gone through countless experiences during this time.

Watching his behavior of being wary of the gods, it seemed he too had come close to some extent to the truth.

It was then.

“Then I’ll assume everyone will do as I said? We can’t live like this forever, so let’s settle this properly this time. And Rosha noona.”

“Yes?”

“This concealment curtain still has some duration left. I’ll go first, so you two talk for a bit.”

“Why are you leaving already? Can’t you stay a bit longer?”

“I have something to do before the trial opens. Well, I’m off then?”

Hajin left swiftly before she could say anything.

She wanted to talk more, but it seemed he had urgent business, which was disappointing.

What caught her attention was Froy’s subtle voice.

“What do you think?”

“…It’s a good plan.”

According to Hajin, he had discovered a ‘phenomenon where the trial connects to the world’ when trials open.

Like a parasitic vine plant, there was a flow of power that penetrated the weak points of the world.

He said if they cut that flow and then rode it, they could enter the world of the gods.

-I’m sure. I confirmed it directly from the ‘traitor’.

Surprisingly, he said he had caught the sniper who escaped during the title conferment ceremony. As it turned out, that sniper was related to the calamity of the previous world.

‘If that’s the case…’

It was a perfect plan if no problems arose in the middle.

“There don’t seem to be any major flaws, so I hope it proceeds as planned.”

Rosha calmly concluded.

But Froy looked at Rosha’s expression and asked:

“Then is there a reason you’re feeling uneasy?”

…Oh, how did he know?

Sometimes he was surprisingly perceptive, unlike a high-ranking nobleman.

But Rosha kept her words to a minimum. Though she felt a strange nervousness before the trial, it was just a matter of feeling.

‘I don’t want to unnecessarily increase anxiety by speaking up.’

Rosha, who had brushed it off as nothing, aimlessly wandered around the room. Then her eyes suddenly caught sight of the letters on the mantelpiece.

Glancing at one opened letter, the word ‘marriage proposal’ caught her eye.

“…Froy, are you getting married?”

“What? No, what are you talking about?”

“Then these are…”

“Ah. I was going to sort out who sent them… they can be thrown away anyway.”

Froy snatched the letter Rosha had picked up and shoved it right into the fireplace. Seeing it burn brightly, Rosha lowered her hand that was about to stop him.

‘There was no need to burn it…’

Watching the letter that someone had put effort into burn made her feel complicated but… somehow refreshed.

That’s right. It felt like her stuffy chest had been cleared.

“…Ahaha.”

“Rosha?”

“It’s nothing.”

It was nice to see Froy looking flustered for once. For some reason, a meaningless laugh escaped her.

Seeing Rosha like this, he too looked at her face quietly with a relaxed expression.

It was then.

“Master, a letter has arrived.”

At the servant’s report that came with a knock, Froy went out briefly to receive it.

He seemed to want to deal with it quickly, thinking it was another marriage proposal, but he stopped abruptly in front of the fireplace after checking the seal.

Rosha craned her neck to check the seal on the letter.

“…This is.”

A seal imprinted with gold leaf on purple wax.

It was a letter from Her Majesty the Emperor.

* * *

As Rosha had expected, the letter said that signs of a trial opening had been observed.

The location was said to be halfway up a mountain in the border region where previous trials had opened, and that one tremor shaking the ground had occurred in a lake that had formed there.

“It’s here.”

A few days later.

On the way to check the location where the trial would open after making preparations.

Following Cassis through the spatial gate, the first thing she saw was a lake as vast as the sea.

An emerald-colored lake formed on a plateau where there shouldn’t be a lake.

The water was very clear and calm without waves, so you could see all the way to the bottom. The bedrock supporting this plateau stood like a majestic mountain range in reverse, and it was so deep you couldn’t see the end.

“It’s quiet now, but when the trial starts, it’ll be full of demonic beasts underwater. Fortunately, I turned out to be a surprisingly good swimmer.”

“…Good for you.”

“It was easy. You could do it too if you learned, right?”

I doubt it.

In fact, it wasn’t that she hadn’t tried to learn swimming until now. She had just realized that while she had special talent in magic, she was as good as incapable when it came to swimming ability.

Instead of answering, Rosha looked around the lake.

Tents and ominous barricades reminiscent of a small-scale war.

Supply convoys occasionally went up and down the mountain path, and fully armed soldiers were guarding all around, ready to respond whenever the trial opened.

‘They said three trials were held here in succession.’

Perhaps because of this, this area was said to be a restricted zone that ordinary people couldn’t pass through.

“If you want to look around more, go ahead for a bit. I’ll be at the tents, so come that way if anything happens.”

Cassis, who finished speaking, moved towards the largest tent. He seemed to be going to hear the opinions of the strategists.

Seeing him, Koko muttered:

“Even that rascal seems to be getting better with each passing year.”

“Koko, you seem to have grown fond of Cassis while I was gone.”

“What! What fondness!”

Even so, she already knew that Koko had been going around with Cassis quite a bit.

Rosha looked at the people with fresh eyes.

‘Three years have passed, so a lot must have happened during that time.’

Enough to be familiar with preparing for battle like this, devising strategies and checking weapons.

-I’ll bring in as much reinforcement as possible, so let’s settle this once and for all this time.

Rosha suddenly recalled Hajin’s words.

She was still uneasy, but the word ‘settle’ made her heart flutter.

There was no reason for these people to suffer things like trials. If there was a way to resolve it, she wanted to somehow restore peace to this place.

‘When that time comes… I wonder if Koko can live with me too.’

She had grown so attached to it that she wanted to stay together even after all this was over.

She glanced at Koko, who was peering at the lake with his yellow feathers spread wide.

It was at that moment.

‘The Guide God’ cheers that it can finally speak to you while avoiding the eyes of other gods.

The Guide God, who had been silent since the Trial of the Sacred Relic, suddenly sent a message.