The Returnee Wants Peace

‘…You again?’

Rosha quickly closed her eyes before his gaze could turn to her.

She was anxious about being caught awake, but fortunately, Nox didn’t seem to notice and moved very carefully. Her body barely swayed, as if she was lying on a bed.

After confirming that all family members had collapsed, Count Nigel gave instructions to the knights.

“I had business with the Aper family anyway. I’ll open the floor, so first move them to an empty room in the basement. I’ll report to His Majesty the Emperor and come right away.”

“Understood.”

…Open the floor?

The meaning of that became clear in the very next moment.

Swoosh-

When she slightly opened her eyes to look at the sound of something moving, surprisingly, the floor of the circular open space opened, revealing stairs leading down.

‘Tsk, it’s not magic? Should I consider that as a ‘setting’ of this place too?’

It was even more bewildering because no mana could be felt.

But the Imperial Knights, not surprised at all, carried the family members one by one down the stairs for quite a while.

‘…Where are they taking us?’

It was itchy because of Koko’s feathers, who was pretending to be asleep clinging to her neck, but she endured it as much as possible.

This palace was a place even Duke Feriel had declared he’d never seen before.

As it was the innermost of inner sanctums, it felt like this time they could finally uncover the Emperor’s secrets.

Just as they were coming down the stairs and entering level ground.

“Ugh!”

A knight’s short scream was heard along with the sound of collapsing.

Rosha’s eyes flew open.

Whoosh!

Blue light flashed and swept through the dark corridor with sparse candles.

It was Cassis’s ability.

“You call yourselves Imperial Knights? Die, you crazy bastards.”

A sword-shaped beam created in mid-air blew off the head of the knight carrying Cedric. Her vision turned red, but ignoring it, he swung his sword at the chest of another knight next to him.

His reddish eyes, resembling Rosha’s, were darkly sunken.

“Y-you wretch!”

“Use your power! Don’t hesitate!”

“I, Kyle, the eldest son of Iberit family…”

All the Imperial Knights here seemed to be able to transform into demonic beasts like their captain, but Cassis wasn’t just going to watch that happen.

A moment later.

Amidst knights lying motionless on the floor.

Cassis, pressing his sword close to Nox’s neck, muttered:

“Put my sister down.”

Perhaps because his family had been touched, his eyes were half-crazed. He didn’t seem to notice the blood flowing from his large and small cuts.

Nox, who had been looking at him, soon stared at Rosha, who was tightly gripping his arm, and asked:

“Lady. Your brother killed people, how should I handle this case?”

She needed to answer well. Although it wasn’t clear why he had become attached to her, if she were to fall out with Nox here, future ‘infiltration’ would become difficult.

Just then, a good answer came to mind.

“Do those look like people to you? Aren’t they closer to demons?”

Rosha pointed at the sprawled knights.

There were those with membrane wings or blade-like protrusions on their forearms or calves, and even some who had completely transformed into magical beasts.

Nox soon understood. He seemed to think they weren’t human based on their appearance.

With things turning out this way, Cedric also quietly got up. Koko, who had been clinging to Rosha like an accessory, and the black owl who had survived thanks to the pocket flap, also moved.

“Huh, what? Everyone except grandfather was already awake? Was the drug weak?”

“It’s because Rosha used the ability I lent her well at the right time and place.”

The owl, chirping as it popped out of the pocket, said as it transformed into a person with a poof. Only Cassis was startled by this.

“W-wasn’t it Reo? Rosha, didn’t you say it was Reo?”

“…”

Sometimes it’s confusing whether his intuition is good or not.

Anyway.

Given the situation, they had to keep moving forward.

Cassis, who had roughly wiped off the blood, carried grandfather who was still unconscious on his back, while the rest cleaned up the bodies of the knights.

Nox, who survived alone and became a prisoner, was to be tied up tightly with rope by Rosha and taken along.

This was because he agreed to lead them to the most important place in this palace.

“Go straight and enter through the left wall.”

“Then go down the stairs a bit and turn right.”

“We should go this way.”

After closely observing Nox’s actions, it became clear that he used specific hand signals at certain places. For example, if he bent and straightened his index finger three times in front of a wall, a door would appear or stairs would become visible.

‘It seems this is a place you can only navigate if you know the rules.’

Midway through, she had wondered if she should use [The Guiding Lantern] because all the Imperial Knights had died, but this was fortunate.

Even the group, which was initially reluctant to have Nox accompany them, recognized his usefulness as time passed.

Moreover, Nox seemed to be in a good mood just being with Rosha, so he answered everything he knew sincerely.

For example.

“Are you sure you can’t use magic when tied with this rope?”

“Yes. You can’t.”

“…”

Froy’s questions to Rosha, or.

“It seems Count Nigel’s ability is poison after all. It doesn’t seem to be limited in form, and I think he can use various types of poisons.”

“That’s right. He can even impose restrictions with it.”

“…”

He often interjected in conversations between Cedric and Rosha as well.

“Ha, selling out ally information, what a crazy bastard.”

Although Cassis sneered bitterly, Nox paid no attention and only looked at Rosha.

Later, Cassis even looked at Froy with eyes that seemed to pity him for having to compete with such a guy.

“…”

How long had they walked like that?

It was about 30 seconds after Nox said they were almost there when they heard other people’s voices.

“——.”

“————.”

Everyone reflexively lowered their posture. The desolate objects in this place had been creating an increasing sense of discomfort for a while now.

Various kinds of knives placed on iron trays.

Bottles filled with unknown liquids crowded the shelves in the room, and on one wall, large glass tubes filled with clear liquid were lined up.

As they went deeper inside, people floated one by one in those glass tubes, unconscious.

‘This place seems more like a laboratory.’

Froy, who was carefully observing the surroundings while walking, whispered to Rosha.

“This place, it seems familiar to me.”

“What?”

“The Imperial secret experiments, I mean.”

The Imperial secret experiments.

It was a topic he had subtly mentioned while passing through the crystal maze of the second trial.

In fact, the secret experiments he mentioned were related to [The Guiding Lantern], so the underground research lab they had discovered before was unexpected.

‘There’s a high probability that this time it’s related to the ‘Lantern’.’

Sure enough.

Just then, a sentence caught her ear.

“The Count said a test subject with [The Guiding Lantern] ability would be brought in today, right?”

“I heard the same. With this, we can finally find the location of the ‘Door to Paradise’.”

When she stretched her neck to look, they appeared to be research magicians.

The magicians, wearing long robes and casually sitting on makeshift chairs, continued their conversation.

“Who’s the candidate? Is it Roshanak Aper?”

“No, there was one more besides that person. The Emperor’s aide, I mean.”

“The aide? Ah, the name…”

“Cedric Aper. Didn’t he win the prize that generates an ability at the hunting competition hosted by His Majesty recently? In Aper County, only he and the current family head don’t have abilities, and since the current head is too old, he probably used it.”

“Indeed, if it’s the bloodline of Aper… there’s a high chance [The Guiding Lantern] appeared.”

Now she understood that this had been the Emperor’s intention.

But the following conversation contained quite shocking content.

“Well, it must be one of the two. There were no results in their parents’ generation, were there?”

…What did they say?