The Returnee Wants Peace

Cedric, who had escorted Rosha to her room, earnestly pleaded with her to call him if such an incident occurred again.

‘Am I that trustworthy?’

Well, in the past, she wasn’t the type to confront her enemies head-on.

Admitting this humbly, she quietly entered her room. There was something she urgently needed to confirm.

“The Necklace of Suggestion…”

Rosha muttered, recalling the blue window she had seen earlier.

A quest called ‘The Location of the Relic’ instructed her to obtain the relic before the trial began. She guessed this quest appeared because she came in contact with the necklace her enemy possessed.

However, she never really desired the Necklace of Suggestion.

From a magic user’s perspective, its utility was low, and she didn’t want to be involved with the deity that created it.

But after reading the quest details multiple times, she had a thought.

‘It said I’ve fortuitously found a clue to the sacred relic ‘Necklace of Suggestion’. Why not try to obtain the relic before the trial begins…?’

Could it be possible to obtain a different relic instead of the Necklace of Suggestion?

The blue window sometimes gave quests with deliberate loopholes, and she felt this might be one such case.

Look at it now.

The reward was ambiguously stated as ‘Adjustment to the newly acquired sacred relic grade.’

Rosha had never been involved with sacred relics before.

When she first landed in South Korea, most good relics had already found their owners, and she never really had an opportunity after that.

But suddenly, she felt this was the perfect time to pursue a darced relic.

‘Why didn’t I think of finding a relic before?‘

Relics usually appear before a trial. If she could only get a relic that had a good compatibility, it would greatly aid her in future endeavors. Adding the quest reward would give her a considerable advantage at the start.

However, there was no guarantee she would obtain it. She needed to be cautious and ascertain the location of the Necklace of Suggestion just in case.

That’s why Koko was acting like that now.

“Oh, I can see it now.”

Koko, who had been preening his feathers and peeking out of the window for a while, murmured. Then he puffed up his chest and called out loudly.

“Kkoguk, Kkogoguk! (Hey, come over here!)”

Could it be because they were of the same species? Talking to birds was one of Koko’s specialties.

It didn’t take long for two plump pigeons to fly over.

“Gugu? (Us?)”

“Kkok, Kkogok. (Yes, hand it over.)”

Upon confirming the rolled-up notes tied to the pigeons’ legs, Koko approached them. But it seemed they had some kind of training, as they hid their legs, signaling ‘No, you can’t.’

“Shoo!”

Intimidating them with his beak, Koko quickly grabbed the notes and flew to Rosha.

“This looks just like the letter I saw on your uncle’s desk earlier. Seems like he’s trying to contact someone. My suspicion was right.”

“One note seems like that, what about the other?”

“The other was just a lucky find.”

She took a note from Koko, which seemed to be written by her uncle, and opened it.

[I am contacting you due to unforeseen circumstances. It appears someone has deciphered the riddle and knows about the necklace. I tried to impose the suggestion magic again, but the item you provided didn’t work… I think we need the original.]

Seeing the shaky handwriting, Rosha couldn’t help but scoff internally.

Her past self didn’t even notice that there was an object like this right next to her, but she was oblivious, even falling prey to the suggestion magic. It was unbelievable how naive she had been.

“It doesn’t mention who’s behind your uncle, but finding the original necklace seems easier now.”

“Yes, since he asked for help, all we have to do is wait.”

Even if her uncle’s note failed to exert its influence, there was ample opportunity to identify the mastermind. That was one reason she hadn’t stolen the necklace.

Anticipating the day she’d kick out her uncle, Rosha opened the next note. She wasn’t particularly interested since she had already found evidence of collusion.

However, the said this:

[Duke Echerzen is secretly entering the territory of Count Aper. Presumably because of a prophecy that a sacred relic will appear soon.]

…Whats this?

* * *

Duke Froy Echerzen.

Although Rosha had forgotten many things since traveling to another world, she still remembered that name.

Because Cedric has always been cautious and warned since the old days.

‘I’ve never seen a Duke before… is it because the rumors about him are so bad?‘

For a while, rumors circulated that he had poisoned his father to inherit the title of Duke after the previous Duke died mysteriously. There were also persistent whispers that he was behind several incidents.

But he was the rightful head of one of the two Ducal families in the Empire and the great lord who ruled the vast central plains.

Moreover, since his childhood, he was such an excellent strategist that scholars from various places sought his advice.

Therefore, for Rosha at the moment, it didn’t really matter that he was treated as a villain in the Empire.

What mattered more was that such a person had come to their territory because of the ‘sacred relic.’

The next morning.

Rosha got up very early, and that was why she was eating breakfast seriously.

“Oh, seeing the young lady eat breakfast so well makes me happy. You used to eat so little, and the eldest son was very worried about you.”

“Did I? Well, you need energy for labor.”

“…Labor? What labor do you mean, young lady?”

“Uh-hm, it’s nothing. Just going for a morning walk.”

Berri looked a bit suspicious, but she dismissed it. After all, a walk in the garden wasn’t a lie.

‘It’s not wrong. So, so.‘

After breakfast, Rosha secretly went to the garden and confidently justified her actions. On her way out, she checked a small basket and a gardening spade, which made Koko nod in satisfaction.

“Okay, let’s go pick some herbs quickly.”

“Yeah. There’s a medicinal herb garden inside that my grandfather took care of. If we’re lucky, we might find useful herbs.”

“We can’t let the Duke or whoever he is steal the sacred relic!”

Exchanging glances with Koko, she began to walk briskly.

She had a reason for acting like this.

‘First, I need to make a stamina recovery potion. So I can use my abilities properly.‘

Using abilities consumes physical and mental energyr, which can be said to be the energy accumulated in the body. Especially Rosha’s abilities consumed it at a fast rate.

Obviously, if she used her abilities with her current state, she’d be bedridden for days. To reduce the burden when searching for the relic, she had to prepare a ‘potion’ in advance.

“Hmm, this should be fine.”

Just then, Koko found a herb and chewed its leaf.

Whether the parrot’s taste was exceptional or not, he could tell the effects of the herbs while eating them.

“Oh, this herb is also useful.”

“This one too! Your grandfather grew many good herbs.”

Koko kept munching and commenting on different herbs.

She had thought the herb garden would be neglected and dead since her grandfather passed away, but it seemed they had spread and formed a colony.

Following Koko, Rosha put the herbs he pointed out into the basket, all the while thinking about her grandfather.

‘Grandfather… you’re still helping me.‘

Although he fell into a mysterious coma years ago and never woke up, she sometimes felt his warmth. Even now, with her memories in this place somewhat faded.

‘I need to handle the relic and then visit you with a light heart.‘

Suddenly, she missed him deeply. Even though she could only see him in his deep sleep.

Rosha sat down and diligently harvested herbs. She was glad she had a full breakfast, predicting a day of labor.

As she moved deeper into the garden following the herb clusters,

‘Hmm?‘

She suddenly heard the sound of metal clashing.

It wasn’t just her; Koko also perked up and asked, “Sounds like someone’s fighting?”

“It’s not a fight, it’s a duel. If I remember correctly, there’s a training ground around here.”

Come to think of it, she had met Cassis around here yesterday too.

Curious, Rosha, with Koko on her side, headed towards the sound.

Sure enough.

Before long, they came across a training ground where a sword duel was underway. On one side was a young knight she didn’t recognize, and on the other was Cassis.