The Returnee Wants Peace

The control room that could manipulate all aspects of the play was located within the circular theater at the heart of the stage. Fortunately, not an excessively long distance away.

The only issue was that every demonic beast within the play would now treat them as hostile entities.

Baaaaaang!

Grrrrrr!

Rosha lashed out whip-like tongues of flame to fend off the charging wolf-like monsters.

The acrid stench of singed fur accompanied their agonized howls, yet they quickly regrouped and resumed their relentless onslaught.

Hordes upon hordes, perhaps even thousands…

“Wow, there’s no end to them.”

Shwick!

After embedding an arrow between the eyes of an encroaching beast, Yura stuck out her tongue defiantly.

Yura, as it turned out, was a formidable archer, wielding her shortbow with considerable dexterity.

Unleashing a barrage to alleviate the strain on Rosha’s dwindling mana reserves, Yura urged with growing impatience:

“Just blast through them already so we can locate the control room!”

Her eyes shone with renewed hope. The prospect that her presumed-dead comrades might still be alive.

‘I can certainly understand…’

Yet the sheer number of demons rendered advancing even ten paces a daunting challenge.

While Rosha’s mana was exceptionally pure in quality, the overall quantity paled in comparison. Despite conserving her reserves as much as possible, this volume-based onslaught was rapidly depleting her limits sooner than anticipated.

“…This won’t do. The longer we delay, the more disadvantageous our position becomes. It would be better to expend the entirety of my firepower and force an opening in one fell swoop.”

“Are you certain? Your mana seems to be running precariously low…”

“It’s worth attempting. Even if it becomes dangerous, you would undoubtedly find a way to intervene, wouldn’t you?”

“You place far too much faith in me, a half-incompetent person.”

Froy flashed a wry smile as he gave an indifferent shrug.

As he had stated, this ‘theatrical’ grand illusion rendered spatial relocation challenging. Any attempt to directly transport them to their visible destination would merely result in exiting the stage itself.

‘The extent of Froy’s capabilities here would be to either obstruct the monsters through his abilities or perhaps utilize reinforcement magic, at best.’

Yet that much would suffice.

Inhale. Gathering the surrounding mana into her outstretched palms, Rosha instantly condensed and expelled it as a searing, fan-shaped conflagration.

Kwakwakwakwa!!

“Whoa, a flame-thrower!”

“Now’s our chance!”

Without Koko’s prompting, Froy had already devised his own means of cooperation.

Encircling Rosha’s shoulders with one arm, he synchronised his sluggish footsteps with her heightened concentration.

With each stride, the demonic beasts retreated further, until after five paces, the theater’s entrance loomed before them.

It was at that precise moment-.

Grrrrrrrr-!!

A thunderous roar shook the very air, drawing everyone’s gazes.

From afar, an immense giant approached ever nearer, its towering frame eclipsing even five-story buildings as its body glistened with some unidentifiable mineral coating.

Yura cried out in alarm:

“That monster, I saw it in the third play! The one that destroyed the fortress!”

“We can’t engage it. Let’s withdraw for now!”

“Ah!”

Having swiftly assessed the situation, Froy swiftly scooped Rosha into his arms before darting into the theater without a backward glance.

‘…I see.’

Her concentration on offensive spells had narrowed her awareness.

Observing the demonic beasts fruitlessly clawing at some invisible barrier, it became evident the theater was a sanctum they couldn’t breach.

‘Come to think of it… it’s almost as if the answer was predetermined.’

While undeniably formidable in combat, Froy’s observational and deductive prowess ranked among the finest Rosha had ever encountered.

Regardless of the unsavory rumors swirling about him in certain circles, this likely explained why few dared openly challenge him.

At any rate…

“It seems safe here, so you can put me down now.”

“Not yet.”

“But there isn’t a single demon inside the theater, is there?”

Had his judgment faltered?

Rosha shot him a quizzical look, only for Froy to flash a sly grin as he adjusted his hold on her.

“Rather than requesting I release you, you’d be better served conserving your mana. Our path remains long.”

Evidently, he had no intention of setting her down.

Comprehending his implication, a flush gradually crept across Rosha’s features.

“Sheesh.”

With a disdainful snort, Koko took flight, alighting upon Froy’s head.

The man ascended the stairs, Koko in tow, until they reached a distinctly protruding room on the theater’s uppermost level:

The control room.

“At least we can proceed without wasting time.”

Creeak-

Fortunately, the door wasn’t locked.

However, upon entering, they could only stand and gape in stunned silence.

For the immense control panel before them bore over a hundred buttons, at the very least.

“Umm…”

“…Is there no instruction manual of sorts?”

“None that I could find, even within the orb…”

Yura anxiously peered into the orb she had retrieved, though such actions were highly unlikely to spontaneously reveal any missing scenes.

Descending to the floor in haste, Rosha turned to Koko with an inquiring gaze.

“Koko, do you have any idea how to operate this?”

“…I am a great magician.”

“So you do know?”

“A magician, not an engineer.”

“In other words, you don’t.”

Seeming affronted by that blunt assessment, Koko flapped his wings indignantly before countering:

“Well, what about your guiding ability? Can’t you perceive anything useful?”

“Well… It’s not as detailed as you might expect.”

While [The Guiding Lantern] ability did cause the golden threads to flit about the control panel as if urging specific button presses, it offered no definitive indications.

“That’s just an excuse! Try reading those threads to understand how these buttons ‘configure’ this theatrical world.”

…Was such a feat even possible?

Yet Koko’s insistence hinted at its viability.

Approaching the control panel, Rosha summoned the full extent of her ability’s power.

It was at that moment.

Click-

Confirming Rosha’s irises had transitioned to a golden hue, Froy firmly pressed the nearest button.

“…!”

While the abrupt action startled everyone present, fortunately, the consequences were benign:

Time will be shifted to daytime.

“Froy!”

“Well, we had to press something eventually. I chose one that seemed relatively inconsequential.”

“That’s hardly an excuse… Come over here instead of causing unnecessary trouble.”

At Rosha’s beckoning gesture, the man obediently joined her side.

But despite her admonishment, Froy’s rationale held some merit.

‘When he pressed that button just now, I witnessed the ‘threads’ react.’

The hundreds of golden strands that had manifested as she channeled her ability’s full potency had begun stirring.

A rough comprehension was gradually taking shape. With each button press, certain elements within the theatrical world would shift, and the golden threads would respond accordingly, their movements reflecting those changes.

“Sould I press another one?”

Koko inquired, extending a claw towards a specific button upon the panel.

Seeking to further study the threads’ dynamics, Rosha nodded.

However, this proved a less than optimal choice.

Demonsic beasst entry into the theater will no longer be restricted.

“…”

The monsters prowling the entrance began charging in like rabid hounds.

After carelessly selecting the wrong button, Koko frantically rolled his beady eyes before stabbing another with his claw.

A thunderstorm will sweep in.

The number of monsters will increase.

The sub-setting ‘Horror’ will be added to the play.

“…!”

No… stop pressing buttons!

With each subsequent failure, Koko’s plumage wilted like boiled seaweed.

As if mirroring the avian’s dejection, lightning continually flashed across the increasingly turbulent skies.

It was at that very moment.

Click-

As Koko backpedaled, he inadvertently stepped upon a seemingly significant blue button, depressing it ever so slightly.

Though no immediate changes occurred due to the shallow depth, Rosha, having been intently observing the threads’ motions, perceived otherwise.

“…Hold on.”

“Have you found out something?”

“I believe so.”

Holding the utterly despondent Koko, Rosha firmly depressed the blue button he had unintentionally nudged.

The control panel’s gauges spiked as the sky alternated between slowly darkening and brightening.

It wasn’t a lack of consequence.

But rather time itself gradually rewinding.

‘So this is it.’

The golden threads blanketing her vision danced with mesmerizing grace, not a single strand overlooked, akin to an intricately harmonized piano sonata’s performance.

“Um, how long do I need to hold this down?”

“Who can say?”

Having grasped the situation, Yura shot an apprehensive glance through the windows.

The colossal giant they had momentarily evaded was lumbering towards the theater entrance, its immense stature finally bringing it level with the uppermost control room.

“…Battle is unavoidable.”

Froy murmured as he summoned his powers.

However, Rosha’s transfixed gaze remained locked upon the alternating celestial motions of sun and moon beyond the raging thunderstorm, her lips slowly curving into a subtle smirk.

And then, without warning, the heavens were bathed in blinding whiteness.

————!!

The very atmosphere trembled violently.

In an instant too swift to register as mere lightning, a brilliant beam rent the giant’s skull asunder, white brilliance erupting forth.

An immense sword energy had cleaved straight through its head.

The monster poised to obliterate the control room was bifurcated, the ensuing shockwave sweeping across the vicinity.

A profound silence momentarily suppressed even the relentless storm’s fury.

Shattering that stillness, a brown-haired man materialized atop the theater’s upper levels, his gaze lifting towards the control room’s elevated vantage point.

Their eyes met, and brushing aside his damp tresses, the newcomer mouthed a gentle greeting:

“Hello, Sis. Long time no see.”