The Returnee Wants Peace

During the three years, while some people like Lysithea changed drastically due to circumstances, others steadfastly maintained their core and remained the same.

Nardil belonged to the latter group.

“My lady, what are you thinking about so intently?”

On a lazy, sunlit afternoon.

Rosha, with her arm resting on the carriage window frame, stared blankly at Nardil sitting opposite her.

The large man with sun-tanned, swarthy skin and light lemon-colored eyes had even the same expression as before.

‘It feels like I’ve gone back to the old days.’

The only differences were that his short gray hair had grown a bit longer.

And a large scar diagonally crossing his side and back had appeared.

“Your Highness, that scar…”

“Ah. Don’t worry about it too much. It’s already healed and doesn’t hurt anymore.”

“But didn’t you say you had a body reinforcement ability?”

“That’s right. However, abilities don’t work for everything, do they? I should be grateful just to be alive. If you’re curious about what happened then, it would be better to ask Duke Echerzen, who was in command at the time.”

“…”

“Hm? Did you two have a fight or something?”

Nardil asked innocently, looking back and forth between Rosha and Froy sitting side by side.

It seemed like he had thrown out the words as a joke, but coincidentally, they were currently in a state of cold war.

Of course, it was a one-sided offensive from one side.

“Yes. A little.”

“…”

“…I can see the combat training center, so we must be almost there.”

Belatedly realizing the atmosphere, Nardil awkwardly changed the subject.

Indeed, soon a newly built long gray building and a wide open space came into view.

It was quite impressive to see the cadets swinging their swords in unison beyond the fence.

It was also noteworthy to see people from other countries mixed in with the group, not just imperial citizens.

‘Indeed… things have changed a lot.’

It seemed like just yesterday when Nardil was looked down upon for being a prince of a small country, but now he appeared quite integrated, at least on the surface.

To mention it now, the reason Nardil was in the empire was also because of the combat training center.

Apparently, a mutual support agreement had been signed between the Marcia Empire and the Kingdom of Atica. It was convenient for travel anyway with the spatial gate.

In any case.

If the combat training center was visible, it meant Rosha’s destination was next to it.

“We’ve arrived. Get off.”

As the carriage stopped, Nardil jumped out and extended his large hand. Rosha looked at it for a moment before taking his hand.

She felt Froy’s subtle gaze, but what could she do?

Tap-

As she set foot on the ground and raised her head, she saw a white wall taller than her height and a large main gate made of golden bars.

A faint aura of protective magic could be felt from the intricate magic stones embedded above the bars.

Moreover, inside, the beautiful palace built with white bricks seemed to have not only magic but also high-level formations installed.

‘Magic Academy. I had seen it briefly from afar, but they really put in a lot of effort.’

With a bit of exaggeration, it was at a level where every defensive measure imaginable had been thoroughly applied.

A protective barrier to block long-range attacks. Lightening and concealment. Attack reflection spells. Smoke that made people behave was filled beyond the walls, and there was even a formation that would instantly kill intruders with ill intent if they entered through the wrong path.

And on top of that, there was a strange energy that was difficult to explain…

‘…What’s this?’

A hint of thick, viscous magical power could be felt seeping out from inside the academy building.

Normally she would have asked Koko, but since she had come directly to the academy from the imperial palace, striking while the iron was hot, she couldn’t ask.

‘Where on earth did he go?’

After grumbling briefly.

Rosha straightened her back.

Just then, several people, including Heres, were coming out of the academy building to greet them.

* * *

“It’s quite moving to meet you again like this, Lady Roshanak. It’s been almost 3 years since we met in the conquest party…”

“3 years… that’s right. I’m glad to see you safe.”

“Oh my, please speak casually like before. It’s embarrassing to hear you speak so formally.”

A man whose arm was gone below the elbow bowed his head with a flustered expression.

He was a mercenary magician she had met in the conquest party for the sixth trial during the reign of the former Emperor.

He said he had left the frontlines after losing his arm and was now working as an instructor at the academy, and his impression had become very gentle.

“I also want to apologize for my immature actions back then. After 3 years, I realize how amazing your actions were, regardless of age.”

“I’ve already forgotten about it. And didn’t I say that if you speak formally, I would speak formally too?”

“Ah, come to think of it, we did have such a conversation. I just remembered.”

He laughed and moved away, saying he felt like he was taking up too much time.

This was already the fourth time she had met someone from the conquest party at the Magic Academy. Though it had been a short journey of just a few days, it seemed to have left a deep impression on everyone, probably because they had been through life-and-death situations.

Although half of the magicians she had taught had died, half of the survivors were here at this academy.

“That fellow… he’s that mercenary you briefly taught magic to, isn’t he.”

Nardil, who had also participated in the conquest party, seemed to recognize him.

Froy, who couldn’t relate, slightly furrowed his brow, but she decided not to pay attention to it.

Heres, watching the mercenary magician’s back, said in a small voice:

“It’s surprising to see that fellow act so humbly.”

“Why?”

“Usually, those who come to the academy after rolling around on battlefields are very tough. Bad-tempered too. In fact, some of my hair probably fell out because of him.”

Was that self-deprecating humor?

Anyway, Heres explained today’s schedule while showing her around the Magic Academy.

He informed her that there would be special demonstrations while touring the classrooms to see the interior, and afterwards, Rosha would demonstrate a few spells at the central outdoor training ground.

“There are some spells in that you wrote which we just can’t understand.”

“Oh? Is that out in the market?”

“Yes. Although it’s incomplete.”

Rosha glanced at Froy’s profile.

It seemed he had a hand in it, and she was glad it had been helpful to this world in many ways.

‘I didn’t know I’d be away for 3 years…’

Her heart softened a little.

In fact, she hadn’t been that angry to begin with.

She could roughly guess with what feelings Froy, who had waited for her for so long, had hidden the fact that Hajin had come.

Just then, a familiar figure suddenly entered her field of vision.

“…Marquis Lycaon?”

“Ah, you must have seen my father teaching.”

Come to think of it, the current Marquis Lycaon was Heres.

The former Marquis, though noticeably frailer and showing signs of hardship, was surprisingly alive.

According to Heres, although he had become unable to use magical power, he was actively working as a theory instructor at the academy.

“In some ways, he’s much more knowledgeable about magic theory than I am. Her Majesty must have recognized this, as she ordered him to lecture at the academy with certain conditions, considering his charges.”

“No matter how valuable magicians are… did the academy students accept him?”

“To some extent, yes. Even with Her Majesty’s order, it was largely my father’s capability that navigated the situation.”

Heres had a complex expression.

Perhaps because he had watched the person he had sought recognition from all his life fall and then recover.

Still, he seemed somewhat happy about his father’s continued existence and activity.

But Rosha’s thoughts were a bit different.

‘Is it a coincidence that I sense suspicious magical power at this academy where the former Marquis Lycaon happens to be?’

The viscous magical power she had felt from the academy’s main gate was growing stronger as they entered the building.

Rosha, her expression hardening, excused herself to use the restroom and separated from the group for a moment.

“…Is it this way?”

She needed to confirm what this magical power was.

Chapter 167

Rosha moved towards the source of the suspicious magical power.

As if waiting for her, a white staircase leading downwards appeared before her eyes.

“Hmm…”

The path she had taken until now was a splendid corridor lined with classrooms and research labs. But the passage she was stepping into now was a bit different.

‘It’s so narrow that two people can’t walk side by side, and there are no windows at all. Plus, it’s all white.’

White has no special meaning in magic. However, according to a passage in the early part of , white is mainly used in formations to identify intruders.

Even if that wasn’t the case, looking at how things were going, it was definitely a formation.

‘My sense of direction… is very different from the outside.’

Rosha’s eyebrows curved slightly as she realized that while she had clearly been going down, she was now climbing stairs.

If she tried to go left, she would end up going in the opposite direction, and with the front and back connected, she couldn’t be sure if she was making proper progress.

Moreover, she couldn’t stop carelessly.

She felt anxious that the moment she stopped, all directions would be distorted.

‘If only I had learned about formations normally…’

Formations were a type of defensive technique installed in space, requiring almost no magical power but with strict activation conditions and a lot of preparation needed.

Rosha, who had to travel here and there as part of the attack team, naturally wasn’t well-versed in defensive techniques.

But she didn’t panic.

There was a reason why she hadn’t bothered to learn formations.

“…Is it this way?”

With each step she took, golden lines moved like waves.

Although her sense of direction was a bit off, the light of the ‘lantern’ was still straight and clear.

There is always a living gate in a formation. In front of her ability that illuminated where the living gate was, formations were of no use.

All Rosha did was simply walk through the formation.

Tap tap tap-

The sound of a single person’s footsteps echoed all around.

The narrow passage occasionally split into multiple paths like a spider web, and sometimes bones of people who had died who knows when were rolling around.

But surprisingly, nothing happened to her.

She just followed the ‘lantern’ and before she knew it, she was outside.

If there was one problem…

“…How much time has passed?”

The sun was already starting to set.

It seemed at least two or three hours had passed, but she didn’t feel like she had wandered in the windowless passage for that long.

It felt like she had been in the passage for less than 30 minutes.

Was it a place where not only direction but even time was distorted?

‘I only meant to take a quick look, I didn’t expect it to turn out like this…’

She couldn’t even imagine what the others might be thinking by now.

Anyway, there should be something to learn, so she decided to look around first.

It was like a small garden set up outdoors.

The garden, where deep green trees and bushes were harmoniously arranged with purple flower buds, was in the shape of a regular octagon.

In the center was a snow-white pavilion with four pillars, and the clear sky with white clouds floating was in the shape of a perfect circle.

The rest of the space was covered in hazy fog like a blank space.

“What is this? Was there a place like this?”

As she was absentmindedly admiring the surreal scene, suddenly she felt a presence and turned around to see a boy approaching. He was a sensitive-looking boy with messy hair and thick, round glasses.

“You are…”

“How did you get here?”

A husky and aggressive voice, probably due to puberty.

As soon as Rosha heard that voice, she remembered seeing him at the title conferment ceremony.

You know, that boy who was glaring at Rosha while supporting the elderly woman who was said to be the headmistress of the Magic Academy.

‘At that age, with such free movement within the academy, and considering his closeness to the headmistress…’

In fact, the boy’s identity was obvious.

“Yurik Plitz?”

The only son of Viscount Plitz, and the youngest professor at the academy who had gained the titles of ‘Genius of the Century’ and ‘Prodigy of Magic Formulas’ during Rosha’s absence.

That very boy, known to be sixteen years old this year.

By the way…

“I didn’t know you were also well-versed in spatial formations.”

“Please call me Professor, not by my first name, Lady Roshanak. And in case you don’t know, the formation here was created by the Headmistress, not me.”

“Ah, is that so?”

“…Yes. It was made with great care over a very long time, so it would be troublesome if you interfere again this time.”

“When did I ever interfere… Oh, that.”

He seemed to be referring to what happened at the title conferment ceremony. When she had unintentionally intervened in the formation the headmistress had spread to catch the attackers.

‘Now that I think about it, his snippy attitude seems to be because I troubled the headmistress.’

Did they have some kind of connection?

Anyway, Yurik was much smaller than the average sixteen-year-old, so his attempt to act tough just looked cute.

Rosha smiled slightly and asked:

“So what’s hidden here? At first I thought someone was up to something suspicious in the academy, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.”

“Suspicious… Aren’t you the suspicious one, Lady Roshanak?”

“What? Me?”

“As soon as the title conferment ceremony ended, you visited the academy under the pretext of giving a lecture, and now you’ve come this deep into the formation.”

“The lecture was at the request of Heres, I mean Marquis Lycaon-“

“The formation here doesn’t open its entrance to people who visit the academy for purely lecture purposes. It judges intentions.”

“…”

“Moreover, this is a space that has been painstakingly crafted to tangle space and time so that it’s absolutely impossible to break through in the middle. Even if someone did break through, they wouldn’t escape serious injury, and inside the formation, intruders lose their sense of direction and most starve to death.”

Suddenly, she recalled the bones she had occasionally seen on her way.

The academy hadn’t been built for even 3 years, but this seemed to be the reason why those bones looked very old.

“So, I’d like to hear how you were able to come here in such a short time… I need to know to reinforce any weaknesses in the formation.”

Yurik had a determined face. He seemed unwilling to back down on this, but unfortunately, Rosha’s answer could only be meager.

“I just… saw the path.”

“What? Don’t joke around. This is important.”

“But it’s true.”

This was also why she didn’t learn formations.

Since there’s always a living gate in formations, they would inevitably be broken before Rosha’s [The Guiding Lantern].

Of course, Yurik, not knowing this fact, looked even more displeased.

“…If you’re going to be this uncooperative, I can’t cover this up on my own. We’ll have to officially raise this issue at the academy level…”

“No, I’m telling you, I just followed the suspicious magical power I sensed.”

“…You sensed magical power? From outside?”

When she nodded, Yurik looked very serious.

Seeing him mutter ‘That shouldn’t be possible…’, it seemed the formation was designed so that magical power couldn’t be sensed from outside.

It was at that moment.

Yurik suddenly raised his head and looked at the sky.

The sky that had appeared circular was slightly shaking with a creak.

“Why is the sky suddenly…”

As if realizing something, the boy’s face turned pale.

Though the exact details were unclear, it was certain that a problem had arisen.

Moreover, Rosha knew one more piece of information at this point. The surface of the platinum ring that had been cold was rapidly heating up.

‘This is…’

There was only one thing the change in the ring meant.

Froy was coming.

Crack-

The sky splits.

This wasn’t just a figure of speech, it was cracking like glass with hairline fractures, gradually revealing the hidden side.

In the gap of pitch-black space that didn’t reflect even a sliver of light, revealed beyond the blue sky that had been torn apart.

Near the rippling curtain of magical power beyond, a familiar man appeared.

“…”

His face, frozen so stiffly it was scary, softened for a moment.

As his eyes met Rosha’s, his expression settled into calmness as if momentarily relieved. Seeing that, some emotion gripped her.

A ripple stirred in the lake of her heart that had been calm just moments ago.

“…I thought you had disappeared again.”

Froy, who had quickly approached, whispered almost inaudibly.

From his slowly blinking eyelids, both relief and embarrassment could be felt.

Why hadn’t she noticed until now?

It was only a few hours of separation, but seeing his hands trembling slightly, he seemed very anxious about the situation of her disappearing.

Was this an aftereffect of her having been asleep for 3 years? Or…

“Your Grace Duke Echerzen! How could you do this!”