The Returnee Wants Peace

As she looked at him quizzically, the boy suddenly introduced himself.

“I’m Sien, Lady Roshanak.”

He was an amusing wolf. When had he shown such impeccable manners, and now?

Perhaps she had unknowingly passed some standard the boy had set.

‘Though I don’t know what it is… it’s not entirely unexpected.’

Rosha smiled slightly and took out a blue pill from the inner pocket of her cape, holding it out to Sien.

“First, eat this.”

“What is this?”

“A supplement to clear your mind.”

Only one of the pillars surrounding the Moon Altar remained now.

Once that was destroyed too, the transparent membrane protecting the altar would disappear, and all sorts of mental magic would begin to fill this area in a mixed state.

‘Then I’ll block them directly.’

Since Rosha would be the first to encounter the altar’s mana, the mental supplement was one of the preparations she had brought.

She had also provided it for Sien as mental magic could be dangerous for those with beast-type abilities.

“…”

Sien swallowed the pill without a word. It was unexpected, as she had anticipated some resistance.

Rather, resistance came from another direction.

Suddenly-

A long white hand shot out.

Froy, who had been coordinating with her from the side, stretched out his hand without even looking at her.

“…You want one too? But you still look fine.”

“I’m struggling too.”

“…”

The human with the clearest mind she had ever seen brazenly demanded.

It was absurd, but since the supplies she had brought were originally from Froy’s storehouse anyway, she reluctantly placed a pill on his palm.

Froy put it in his mouth and chewed it with a crunch.

It must be very bitter, but there was no change in his expression.

“A dangerous smell…”

Sniff sniff, as if smelling something, Sien quickly moved away.

How dare he run off without even explaining what was dangerous.

It was frustrating, but before long, she could understand what he had sensed.

Crash!

As even the last remaining pillar shattered, the magician who had been silently standing beside the altar snickered mockingly.

“Heh, such fools. I’ve been waiting for this moment.”

As the transparent membrane blocking the altar disappeared, dark red mana poured out like a cloud.

The concentration was surprisingly dense. All sorts of mental magic were mixed together, and amplification magic had greatly inflated its size like puffed rice.

‘Oh no…’

It was clear that prolonged contact with that mana would warp one’s mind in a strange direction.

Looking at it blocking her view like a thick fog, Rosha said:

“Froy, can you block it for about 2 minutes? I need to prepare a bit more.”

Rosha revised her strategy of pushing through with magical power. At this level, it would be better to briefly summon her domain and scatter it in one go.

At that moment, half of the knights who had been dealing with the stone statues broke off and lined up in front of her and Froy. Then they began to draw out their sword aura at maximum output.

“We will block that fog, Your Grace.”

“If it becomes dangerous, please escape without worrying about us!”

Just how elite a force were they, for the entire knight order to be sword aura users.

As the pure white sword aura rose clearly, the mana that had been creeping in couldn’t easily approach, as if avoiding something uncomfortable.

Meanwhile, the other half of the knights remaining at the front were still carving up the moving stone statues. While taking the dark red mana head-on.

“Stay focused! This is the path to repay our debt! If you feel something strange about yourself, fall back immediately!”

Perhaps due to the voice of the knight captain filled with pure magical power.

Surprisingly, the knights at the front were not easily dominated mentally.

When they made contact for nearly a minute, their actions occasionally became strange, but each time, the large knight watching the situation from behind grabbed them by the nape and pulled them out.

“For His Grace the Duke!”

“For His Grace!”

Their attitude was as if they had been honing their swords just for this day.

They quickly circulated mana throughout their bodies to dispel the poison, and as for madness and allure… strangely, they didn’t seem to be affected much.

They seemed to be collectively focused on some goal.

“It’s bizarrely blind loyalty. What on earth is the situation?”

Koko asked, unable to contain his curiosity, but Froy didn’t answer.

He just blinked quietly as if reminiscing about an old incident.

It was then.

“Tch…!”

As the situation wasn’t going as expected, the hooded magician gritted his teeth. Then he began to draw up all his strength to the fullest.

Whoosh-

At the same time, a cold darkness settled on the mountain peak.

It was the ‘domain’, the exclusive property of 7th stage magicians, which she had experienced once before.

“Huh, what?”

“What is it this time?”

The knights were bewildered by the sudden phenomenon.

The temperature was as chilly as before, but suddenly the surroundings had changed to an indoor space.

A cubic room made of an unknown metal.

The only light source was a round clock hanging in the air, glowing by itself.

Tick, tock.

The knights looked up with blank eyes at the clock high above their heads, where a single hand was slowly turning.

The dark red mana crept towards them as if it had been waiting for this moment.

❲Kuhahaha, how is it! Caught again. Unlike last time, you won’t be able to escape this time.❳

Indeed, that was the case.

Though the scale was a bit smaller, perhaps due to lack of magical power, the barrier had become thicker and the concept more solid, giving the impression that it couldn’t be easily broken.

If it had been the Rosha of the past, she would have had to take a big hit even with the help of her ability.

‘If it had been the me of the past, that is.’

Rosha, who had been looking around the space, opened her mouth softly.

“Three years have passed… and there’s no improvement.”

❲Rot and decay here… What did you say?❳

The man retorted, but there was no reason to answer him.

The flaw in this domain pursuing extreme efficiency, the figure of the magician hiding and controlling the domain while avoiding attention, was clearly visible to her eyes.

Crack-

“Let’s end this now.”

Most battles between magicians who have reached the 7th stage are decided by ‘domains’.

Who can suppress whose domain and manifest their own domain.

Whose domain is made up of more solid concepts.

Whether they have enough power to sufficiently support that concept.

Considering all of that, there was no need to fully open her domain here. After all, her domain, constructed to deal with paradise, required enormous power each time it was used.

‘Let’s just suppress this domain.’

Crack-crack-crack-

Cracks ran wildly across the cubic room and golden light seeped in.

The dark red mana that had filled the inside also vaporized like steam and disappeared into the air.

Seeing the knights who had returned to the mountain peak gradually coming to their senses, the magician stepped back hesitantly.

“Th-this, it can’t be…”

Then he raised the staff in his hand high.

It seemed to be an unconscious action, but surprisingly, the staff that had looked ordinary split in half, and a metal wing sprung out from inside.

Judging by the white protective barrier that automatically activated, it looked like a relic from the old era.

“It seems to be a sacred relic exclusively for escape. Who knew such a thing existed.”

As Koko said, the wing flapped rapidly, lifting the magician into the air. It was a speed that seemed like he could instantly disappear if they let their guard down even a little.

“Where do you think…”

Just as they were about to stop him belatedly.

Ding!

Optional Quest Activated!

1. Chase the magician!

If you chase and follow the mysterious magician to the end, there might be a slight chance of uncovering hidden truths?

2. Clean up the altar!

The sun is setting and the moon is rising. If you don’t quickly clean up the altar, the twentieth trial will occur tonight.