The Returnee Wants Peace

Did she hear that right?

It was hard to judge the situation.

It couldn’t be. Her parents died in a fire accident.

Of course, their bodies… there were no bodies.

But that was because they were consumed by the flames…

“…”

A shocking hypothesis flashed through Rosha’s mind.

It couldn’t be. It couldn’t be…

‘…No.’

There’s nothing that couldn’t be. She knew this painfully well after overcoming numerous trials.

In most cases, situations approached the worst she hadn’t anticipated.

The outcome varied depending on how well she could control herself at that moment. This moment was no different.

‘…Nothing changes.’

They are enemies. They’re after [The Guiding Lantern] she possesses.

They might have been involved in her parents’ cause of death, probably with high probability… but killing them here won’t bring back the deceased.

She bit her lip hard.

She felt something like hot lava boiling up in her chest. It was anger.

It was a natural emotion, but for now, she separated it and pushed it aside.

She tried to think as rationally as possible.

Froy had said that experiments related to the ‘Lantern’ had been discontinued, but it seems they had continued here.

The Emperor and Count Nigel want [The Guiding Lantern], and the reason is…

‘To find the Door to Paradise.’

This means that Rosha’s cooperation is needed to find the Door to Paradise. Or to subdue Rosha, or to ‘extract’ her ability.

If so.

With this, she had learned all the important things. All that remained was action.

“I’m going first. Don’t try to stop me.”

Before anyone could stop him, Cassis shot forward like a beam of light.

Clang! Clash!

One of the magicians casually chatting tilted sideways.

Though a protective barrier was automatically generated, perhaps due to having a defensive type sacred relic, it couldn’t withstand Cassis’s sword, which was shimmering with blue light, for long.

“Argh!”

“Wh-where did you come from… Ugh!”

Perhaps because they were research magicians who rarely engaged in combat.

They collapsed to the floor without putting up much of a fight.

“Don’t think about anything. Just look at what’s in front of you, Rosha.”

Froy whispered lowly while placing his hand on Rosha’s shoulder. Even without seeing his face, she could tell he was worried about her.

“Don’t worry. I won’t lose my mind and go berserk.”

“…I underestimated you. I’m sorry. But it also doesn’t seem necessary to hold back that much.”

“Am I holding back?”

“Maybe. At least that’s how it looks to me.”

Is that so?

Her face, briefly reflected on the surface of the glass tube, showed no emotion at all.

Perhaps her experiences had somewhat tempered her against shocks. Or maybe a defense mechanism she wasn’t aware of had emerged.

What’s clear is that this phenomenon isn’t very desirable.

“Shall we burn it down? A place like this.”

Froy suggested subtly. Cedric, who had leaned the sleeping grandfather against a suitable spot, had a similar opinion.

“We have to get rid of this place anyway. Let’s gather the materials we can use as evidence and burn the rest so it can’t be used again.”

“…Okay.”

Setting fire in the air was as easy as breathing for Rosha, a fire magician.

Whoosh-

Her flames burned precisely only the areas excluding where her companions were.

Seeing everything in this place turn to white ash made her feel a bit better.

At the same time, she wondered.

Did the Emperor do all this for paradise?

Is paradise really worth that much?

It was around then.

Still not satisfied, Cassis, who was finishing off the magicians, suddenly turned and shouted.

“Rosha…!”

Bang!

As her body was quickly pulled away, an enormous explosive sound grazed her ear.

And it didn’t end with just one.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

A familiar sound coming in succession.

It was the sound of gunfire. After the first shot, Rosha, who had put up a thick barrier, noticed that the enemy’s bullets were aiming only at the thinnest parts of the barrier.

‘How do they know?’

It was amazing marksmanship, considering they shouldn’t have been able to see properly because of the flames. She realized a moment later that it wasn’t just due to marksmanship.

As the flames quickly subsided, two figures appeared.

“How dare you do this…!”

Count Nigel, presumed to be the research director.

And a woman holding a long rifle.

‘A gun…’

The woman with the rifle had brown hair and a cold impression. Her clothes were similar to the style of this place, but she was wearing something like transparent goggles on her face.

As the woman’s gaze turned this way, a familiar energy could be felt.

Koko said:

“It’s an ability. Seems to be a type similar to clairvoyance.”

“Ah, so that’s it.”

She had occasionally felt like someone was peeking, and this was clearly the cause.

An unidentified woman with a gun and goggles.

There’s a simple way to find out her identity.

“Who is that woman?”

“And why is Sir Nox on that side? Were you captured?”

Rosha asked Nox simultaneously with Count Nigel. After pondering for a moment, Nox answered her question first.

“A traitor. They said she sold out the old era and came here through the rift. There are four traitors in total, but one died recently.”

“Sir Nox!!”

“Why? His Majesty the Emperor told me to get along well with Lady Roshanak.”

“Even so, how can you just blurt that out?”

“The Count said not to lie.”

“…Just keep your mouth shut.”

Count Nigel’s exasperated voice could be heard from here. Froy could be felt snickering beside her.

At that moment.

Bang!

“This is no joking matter.”

The woman who had fired a lightning-fast surprise shot smiled chillingly as she saw Rosha block her bullet.

She had confirmed Rosha’s eyes, which had turned golden.

“[The Guiding Lantern], found it.”

“Hah, a silver lining, I suppose.”

Count Nigel sighed. Rosha silently drew Hildor from her thigh. It had been a while since she last used it.

As Hildor’s unique function ‘prediction’ activated, a semicircular hologram appeared on the muzzle.

Seeing this, the woman muttered softly.

“Let’s see how long you can hold out.”

It was a nuance of knowing that [The Guiding Lantern] consumes massive physical energy.

Of course, as the battle similar to a probing match continued, that thought gradually changed.

Ratatatat! Bang! Ratatat!

Two types of bullets rained down rapidly.

Since both sides used magical bullets, there was no worry about running out of ammunition.

However, as time passed, the woman who had been frowning as if something was strange, quickly retreated as soon as she received a light bullet wound on her arm.

“Count, this doesn’t add up. You didn’t mention this.”

“What? What do you mean?”

“You said they’d be sleeping when we arrived. You didn’t say I’d have to fight. Moreover, to use that ability for so long.”

True to her title of traitor, it was quite impressive how quickly she cut ties even with allies.

“I need frontline fighters. Not something like you.”

The woman hurriedly fled. It was probably because Rosha had given her enough opportunity to escape from the battle.

After all, she had faced the sniper with just a single gun, without relying on magic or help from her companions.

“…”

Rosha looked at Count Nigel, who was left alone.

She had deliberately let that sniper leave to create this situation.

‘The Count… needs to be dealt with sincerely.’

It’s not just because his poison-handling ability is lethal.

He’s one of the masterminds behind all this.

Feeling her gaze, Count Nigel smiled faintly and muttered dejectedly:

“Hah, they say there’s no one you can trust in this world.”

Simultaneously, green smoke began to rise from beneath his feet, and the floor started to melt. It was clear just from looking that it was a deadly poison that could even melt stone.

“It’s the poison man!”

“Rosha, step back.”

While everyone was retreating, there was one who moved in the opposite direction.

Swoosh-

Cedric, borrowing Cassis’s sword, approached Count Nigel.