The Returnee Wants Peace

Her eyelids felt incredibly heavy. She felt a weight that seemed like it would fall back down if she lost focus even for a moment.

After overcoming it with superhuman effort, she saw the familiar ceiling of her room.

Soft morning sunlight was gradually seeping into the room.

“…”

In fact, she had been worried even while going through the Trial of the Sacred Relic.

What if, after completing the trial and returning to reality, too much time had passed and everyone she knew was dead?

‘Certainly… I was in the trial for quite a long time this time.’

She wasn’t sure how different the flow of time was between there and here, but she had considered the worst-case scenario.

However, looking around at the unchanged room scenery, she felt an indescribable sense of relief.

‘At least the house is safe. And well-maintained.’

That was good news. It meant the chances of everyone being well had increased.

Taking in a deep breath of the room’s calm air, the Trial of the Sacred Relic felt like a distant past.

Like the contents of a dream that might be forgotten at any moment.

‘Come to think of it… Last time too, I couldn’t remember anything at all after the trial ended.’

Since this trial was so long, she felt the need to record it somewhere.

Ahem, Rosha cleared her throat and spoke while stirring:

“Koko, Koko…”

Her voice was only slightly hoarse, but not sore or uncomfortable.

Oh? Wasn’t I lying down for a long time?

However, Koko didn’t come when called.

‘…That’s strange.’

Ignoring the small sense of discomfort, she decided to slowly recall the contents of the trial until someone came.

Rosha blinked slowly and reminisced about that time.

* * *

“So this is how it begins. The path to paradise…”

When she opened her eyes at the Emperor’s voice, she saw an unfamiliar corridor.

Stone walls with embossed temple pillars stretched out on both sides. There were no windows, but it wasn’t too dark thanks to the occasional luminous stones embedded in the walls.

An old carpet on the floor. Countless corpses of demonic beasts strewn across it.

The pungent smell of blood stung her nose.

‘…That’s right. This is how it started.’

The Trial of the Sacred Relic begins.

-The content of the trial varies depending on the characteristics of the relic.

-A trial is currently in progress. Endure for as long as possible!

*A subject other than the applicant has been detected in the Trial of the Sacred Relic. The settings of the Trial of the Sacred Relic do not apply to anyone except the applicant.

“Ahem.”

Rosha, managing her expression, quickly closed the blue window.

Glancing at the Emperor’s reaction, it seemed he didn’t see the blue window. Apparently, he didn’t even realize this was inside the Trial of the Sacred Relic.

‘…What does it mean that the settings of the Trial of the Sacred Relic don’t apply?’

She hoped it meant that if he died here, he would die in reality too.

Of course, there was a possibility that wouldn’t be the case, so for now, she would be satisfied with having extracted the Emperor from the original palace.

Just then, a growling sound was heard from ahead.

It was the dog-shaped demonic beasts that had appeared in the previous trial.

“I’ll handle this, Your Majesty.”

Rosha stepped forward before the Emperor could say anything and quickly dispatched them with magic.

It wasn’t out of blind loyalty, but to spread her magical power widely to scout the surroundings.

‘I’m sure that man appeared around here…’

The mysterious man who saved her while she was fighting the demonic beasts.

She only remembered that he wore black combat gear and his face looked blurry as if covered by fog.

But now, there was no sign of him, as if he didn’t intend to appear.

‘…This is troublesome, I can’t openly look for him because of the Emperor.’

Nothing could be done about it. She soon gave up.

The battles were much easier compared to before. The snarling demonic beasts turned to ashes in seconds, and the Emperor and Rosha walked through the corridor as if strolling through a garden.

“Much blood flows on the path to paradise. Indeed, some sacrifice is necessary to achieve anything.”

“…”

It would have been much more pleasant if he hadn’t said such things.

Rosha, who had been taking a roundabout path to buy time, couldn’t hold back and snapped:

“I don’t know what kind of world Your Majesty has lived in. Trying to drain the life force of the entire capital isn’t just ‘some sacrifice’, it’s one-sided slaughter.”

“I understand what you’re saying. I can see why you would think that. But… you don’t understand my feelings at all.”

What feelings don’t I understand?

Wary that he might package nonsense in strange logic again, the Emperor asked with a faint smile:

“Have you ever been to paradise?”

“No.”

“I have. When I was very young.”

…When exactly?

“If you go there, you’ll naturally understand my heart.”

Thinking that unnecessary arguments would only arise now, he seemed to be holding back his words.

The Emperor, with a subtle smile on his lips as if in a very good mood, praised Rosha for guiding him to paradise.

Furthermore, he declared that he would overlook the rebellion and that he wouldn’t attack her unless she attacked first.

‘…Even so.’

It was clear that the Emperor had conducted numerous experiments to obtain [the Guiding Lantern] ability.

Perhaps… even her parents might have been sacrifices in that experiment.

Every time she thought of that not-so-small possibility, her blood boiled.

However, now was still a time for patience.

‘The Emperor doesn’t know that this is just a Trial of the Sacred Relic for me.’

She couldn’t neglect the trial for the sake of punishing the Emperor. Since the goal of the trial was to ‘endure for as long as possible’, she would endure and endure, and then overturn everything at the most crucial moment.

Rosha moved her feet diligently, keeping her mouth shut.

Not long after, a white marble door appeared at the end of the corridor.

The scale was so grand it was hard to believe, with an intricately carved surface.

“This is it.”

After staring at the door for a while as if sensing something different, the Emperor reached out his hand.

With just a slight push, the Door to Paradise opened on its own.

And.

“Ah…”

Although a considerable part had flown away, Rosha had fragmentary memories left from the previous trial.

The lush green paradise and the brilliant city. The holy beings like angels living there.

She had thought inwardly that her memory might have been beautified, but that wasn’t the case.

‘…How can this be?’

The paradise reached after opening the marble door was indescribably, overwhelmingly beautiful.

The vast blue sky and picturesque hills, all kinds of flowers… and something that looked like a white city in the distance.

Everything was filled with light.

The colors and textures were perfectly beautiful beyond comparison.

“…We’ve finally arrived.”

The Emperor’s voice, unusually dazed, was heard. But she didn’t even have the mind to recognize it.

With a face as if possessed by a ghost, Rosha unconsciously took a few steps forward.

But at that moment.

“…!”

As if in warning, the ring on her finger suddenly heated up.

It was the platinum ring Froy had given her as a gift.

‘Wh-what? Did Froy follow all the way here?’

But that couldn’t be.

The ring also cooled down quickly as if it had malfunctioned.

“We must go to that city. Come with me.”

As she was looking down at the ring with a strange expression, the Emperor, looking notably excited, readily suggested.

That’s when she finally snapped back to her senses.

‘Just now… I couldn’t even doubt paradise.’

Without even feeling suspicious, she had only praised the beauty of this place.

It was a fascination beyond cognition.

Realizing this, her wariness surged.

Raising her composure as a magician to the extreme, Rosha slowly followed behind the Emperor.

The city they arrived at was…

* * *

“…Wait. I need to write this down somewhere from here.”

It was still okay, but she could feel her memories evaporating little by little in real-time. The speed was unusual.

Rosha, getting up from the bed groggily, rummaged through the desk drawer and took out a few sheets of paper.

Then, as she was about to dip any quill in ink and write without hesitation, that’s when it happened.

“Huh?”

Suddenly, a small mirror placed on one side of the desk caught her eye.

More precisely, her reflection in the mirror.

“Why… have I grown so much?”