The Returnee Wants Peace

Somehow, it felt like deja vu.

A man suddenly appearing from behind, repelling monsters from all directions while embracing her.

It vaguely reminded her of the sacred relic’s test.

‘But… I don’t think that’s it.’

Perhaps because the memory of the latter part of the test had disappeared, even the remaining memories of the earlier parts were now hazy, but at least the background and situation were different. It must be just a scene that happened to resemble one of the faintly remaining images.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Rosha said:

“It wasn’t a situation where I needed to be careful. I could have handled it.”

“You’re right, but since I’m here, there’s no need to wait for you to handle it, is there?”

That was true. But more importantly…

‘…Why isn’t he letting me go?’

She had been conscious of the arm embracing her from behind for a while now. She quietly raised her head to look at Froy’s face.

The man, who had been lost in thought for a moment, met her eyes as her crown touched his chest.

“…”

She had always thought his face was beautiful, but today it seemed especially so. The same went for his purple eyes.

They say the eyes are the windows to the soul, and at this moment, she believed it.

Otherwise, Froy’s eyes wouldn’t seem so deeply absorbing.

Rosha looked into his eyes, into his soul.

Suddenly, she felt his heartbeat against his chest. It was regular and stable, like it was placed on a firm rock, but the resonance was strong.

As she quietly observed it, her own began to synchronize.

‘…They say heartbeats align when you’re together.’

In the middle of the snow-covered forest, as they felt the rhythms of life flowing in similar melodies, Froy quietly spoke.

“I don’t know how this will sound, but if there’s such a thing as a past life… I think we might have been a cherished couple.”

His purple eyes flickered with an indecipherable meaning.

‘…Could he be serious?’

It wasn’t an unpleasant thing to hear, but she didn’t understand why he was suddenly saying such things. However, a vague expectation that she would say something in response was seeping from his gaze.

After hesitating a bit, Rosha uncertainly began,

“…Are you apologizing for being so late?”

She tried to guess his intentions, but this was the only answer she could come up with.

The man’s gaze changed from expectation to disappointment.

Froy let out a small sigh and pressed his forehead against her shoulder.

“Let’s say it’s that. I’m not sure myself.”

His hair tickled her cheek. Her chest fluttered along with it. As if feathers were flying around here and there.

It wasn’t really the attitude of someone apologizing, but she felt a bit awkward yet pleasantly excited at the same time. She knew Froy didn’t show this side of himself to others.

However, at that moment.

Rumble–

Suddenly, a huge vibration shook the entire forest.

The remaining birds in the forest flew away with a flutter, and even the monsters fled in a hurry. They were in such a rush that they ignored the presence of humans.

“…I had a lot to tell you, but I guess it’ll have to wait.”

Froy and Rosha, their eyes meeting, started running simultaneously.

‘This direction is…’

Rosha’s face darkened as she belatedly recognized the source of the vibration. It was the direction Nardil had headed with his warriors.

She wanted to find out what was happening as soon as possible, but the problem was her stamina.

“Huff, huff…”

As Rosha quickly became out of breath, Froy promptly picked her up and used his ability.

The snow-covered trees rushed past as if falling backwards, and finally, a small clearing appeared.

There were Nardil and… Cassis!

“Watch out!”

As they quickly moved out of the way, something like a black liquid slammed into the spot with a splash.

The liquid, which retreated like an ebb tide, approached and clung to a black jelly-like monster.

‘…Is it something like a slime?’

The color was a bit different, but seeing how it split like water when cut by Marian’s sword and then merged back together, it seemed to be the case.

Rosha, who had safely landed on her feet, drew up her magical power and shouted.

“Get back!”

Slimes are too much for close combat. Instead, they’re weak to heat or cold, so you need to burn or freeze their liquid-like body and destroy the core inside.

The problem was that this one was incredibly quick-witted.

“Ah!”

As Rosha ignited fire in her hand, the slime noticed it and started to flee without even looking back.

Oh no, that direction is…

…No!

* * *

At that time, in the white tent spread out at the entrance of the forest.

Cedric, who was waiting for the hunting competition to end, looked at the white parrot throwing all kinds of tantrums on his hand.

“How dare you leave me behind?”

“…So it really can talk.”

He muttered quietly.

Rosha had given him the sleeping parrot saying it might be helpful in case of emergency, but well. Judging by its behavior of causing all the mischief it could with its bare body, he didn’t particularly think so.

By the way, what was this bird’s name again? Was it Quack Quack?

“Tsk…”

The parrot, after throwing a fit for a while, seemed to calm down and looked at the Emperor standing a bit away, asking:

“By the way, didn’t that guy give you any hint? Putting up something like that as a prize, it’s super fishy.”

“Watch your mouth, parrot. No, Quack Quack.”

“Quack Quack? Do you want to die?”

“And His Majesty didn’t say anything particular.”

The bird glared at him with triangular eyes, but Cedric didn’t notice as he was focused on observing the Emperor.

‘…What could His Majesty be thinking?’

He knew he couldn’t fully understand him, but lately, it had been even more so.

He was aware that there were matters not disclosed to him. Cedric was an aide who assisted the Emperor’s work in the public eye, and there were others like Count Nigel who worked in the shadows.

However, recently, he felt the shadow of the Imperial Family growing larger.

‘No, is it that the shadow that was always there is only now revealing itself…?’

It was then.

“Um, Young Count.”

As he looked up, he realized young ladies had gathered around him. Cedric quickly recalled the name of the young lady who had just spoken and said:

“What is it, Lady Litrie?”

“Oh, it’s nothing really…”

The young lady, her face reddening, spoke up with a bit more courage.

“May I speak to the white bird sitting on your hand? I heard rumors that it eats magic…”

A faint spark emerged from the young lady’s fingertip. It was magic she had self-taught from ‘The Basics of Magic,’ a book well-known in public as an introductory text to magic.

The parrot, after staring at the flame for a moment, opened its beak in front of the fire.

Gulp.

“Oh my, how cute.”

“May I ask for one more time, Lady Litrie?”

“Is this the bird that Lady Roshanak raises? May I ask its name, Young Count?”

The young ladies, having achieved their primary goal of conversing with Cedric using the parrot as an excuse, gathered around him.

Cedric Aper was a good marriage prospect. Although he hadn’t even gotten engaged, let alone married, despite coming of age, everyone knew it was because of his family. If anything, it made him seem responsible.

Cedric answered:

“It’s Quack Quack.”

“Oh, my! Indeed, a cute name fitting its appearance.”

“Is it Quack Quack because its white feathers and yellow crest remind you of a duck?”

Tsk tsk, Koko’s crest quivered with anger.

At this point, isn’t it deliberate?

He gave him a chance because he’s Rosha’s brother, but now it should be okay to mess with him, right?

It was at that moment.

“Huh?”

The quivering crest suddenly stood up straight like an antenna. He sensed an enormous magical power approaching.

Sure enough.

“Oh my, what’s that?”

A young lady who happened to be looking at the forest murmured.

Something of a dark, murky color was rapidly approaching like a tsunami.