The Returnee Wants Peace

Thankfully, it wasn’t today, but time was still short.

‘Is he coming to our house all of a sudden because I said I’d break off our engagement?‘

Since returning to this world, Rosha has discovered many things she hadn’t known before.

However, the fact that they’d go as far as to use the necklace of suggestion made her feel uneasy because she didn’t know why they were so obsessed with this engagement.

“Calm down, Rosha. It’s not a big deal. Just meet and express your intentions clearly.”

Perhaps it was because Rosha was nervously biting her lip, Cedric, who seemed to regret delivering the unfortunate news, comforted and advised her. He seemed to think she felt burdened by meeting Lycaon’s family again.

But what Rosha was actually worried about was different.

‘I need to hurry. If I’m not careful, I might lose the quest reward.’

Given how eager Marquis Lycaon seemed, there was a high chance he had the necklace of suggestion.

However, Rosha didn’t want to use the ‘grade adjustment’ reward on that necklace.

Before that, she had to find a decent relic.

‘Given the circumstances, tonight is the decisive night.’

She had planned to search for the relic after completing the potion, but now it seemed wise to obtain it as soon as possible.

Now, the only thing for her to do was clear.

“…Alright, brother. I need some time to think about what to do.”

Let’s take a short break as intensely as possible during the remaining time!

* * *

“Look at that, you’re tired from running around the garden since morning.”

“Seems so. I unnecessarily exhausted myself.”

Looking sorrowfully at the herbs drying on the window sill, Rosha slowly massaged her arm. It felt sore, perhaps from the sudden strain when she threw the shovel.

“You’re tired because you’ve been running around with that basket.”

“No, even if I’m not in the best shape, it’s not that bad.”

“Why would your arm hurt then?”

Unable to say that her arm hurt from deflecting a flying sword with the shovel, she just kept her mouth shut.

Seeing her, Berri gently massaged her arm and softly scolded her. Berri’s nagging seemed to have increased, perhaps puzzled by her lady’s inexplicable behavior.

‘Still… it’s not an entirely bad feeling.’

Being cared for reminded her of the old days.

The strategy team members she led used to worry about her excessively, as if she was their precious child.

‘I promised a thousand times that I wouldn’t worry them, but in the end, I couldn’t keep that promise.’

She vividly remembered their pale faces when they saw her with one arm missing. Remembering that time, Rosha listened to Berri’s nagging and responded habitually.

“Okay, I won’t do it next time.”

“Really, miss?”

“Yes.”

Hearing her words, Koko, who had been grooming its feathers, chuckled. That creature always enjoyed poking fun.

As always, peaceful moments pass quickly.

Rosha, watching the midday sun slowly tilt, finally confirmed that it was deep night and rose from her spot.

She pulled out the boots she had hidden under her bed, and Koko’s eyes sparkled.

“Now’s the perfect time.”

“Is it?”

“Yeah, there’s no one in the corridor.”

She quickly tied her boots and put on her coat. Not knowing what would happen tonight, she also packed a small bag with a few essentials.

Then, she sat at the edge of the bed and took a deep breath.

“Phew…”

In the previous world, Rosha survived with the help of many powers. The most relied-upon power was a skill embedded in her ‘eyes’.

Its precise name was [The Guiding Lantern].

It informed her of the most desirable direction when she faced a crossroads in decisions. Considering life is made of countless choices, its capability was undeniably overwhelming.

A biased yet clear prophecy for her.

‘I… need to find the relic.’

That’s not just a necklace of suggestion, but a relic that will be helpful to her.

Hard mode will demand a higher realm than what she’s been doing. So, she had to achieve more than what the blue window required. Only then can she prevail in the trials to come.

Swish-

When she used my ability, a warm sensation surged with golden light gathering from all around.

She didn’t know where it came from, but these radiant lights were visible only to her. Like petals fluttering, like butterflies flapping, the undulating light soon formed a long line and stretched out of the door.

Watching its movement, Rosha spoke.

“Let’s go.”

“Where is the lantern pointing to?”

She, who never blinked, suddenly looked far beyond the wall. What does this scene in front of her mean? She realized there’s much about this world she didn’t know.

After a brief silence, she replied softly,

“The basement of this house.”

* * *

She has been in the basement of Count Aper’s house a few times before, but there wasn’t anything special. Perhaps a decent collection of wines and a storage for miscellaneous items.

However…

‘Judging by where the lantern is pointing, there seems to be something in the basement.’

Rosha carefully descended the stairs, following the golden line in front of her.

[The Guiding Lantern] was a high-performance navigation that spans the present and future. Judging from previous experiences, there’s no doubt about its efficiency.

‘The problem would be the aftereffects.’

Her eyes already felt fatigued, so she quickly deactivated her ability. Since she hadn’t made an energy recovery potion yet, it was best to minimize her ability usage. Who knows what might happen next.

For example, like the current situation.

“Hey, wait a moment.”

Koko, who had been carefully inspecting a corner of the basement, tilted his head and said:

“I feel magic from this dirt floor.”

“…Magic?”

“Yes. It looks like there’s a pretty decent concealment spell. Well, with my ability, I can break through it without much trouble!”

Oh, my goodness.

‘A concealment spell?’

Rosha watched Koko, with his upright yellow feathers, diligently dispel the magic.

Soon, the concealment spell was broken, revealing a very old wooden cover.

She didn’t expect this.

“I can’t believe we had such a space in our house…”

Opening the wooden cover slowly, steep stone stairs appeared, looking as if they had been left untouched for hundreds of years.

The sound of the wind echoed from beyond the rough stone walls, making the reality seem far away.

“…”

Up until now, Rosha thought her family, the County Aper, was quite ordinary.

Although not prominent among many noble families, it wasn’t a lesser one either. She learned it was a prestigious family with a lineage dating back to the founding era.

But now…

‘It’s suspicious to have a concealment spell in the corner of the warehouse.’

The same went for the large cave beyond the stairs.

The cave’s structure was a straightforward line, not complex. After walking with her ability for a while, she realized there were no traps and let her guard down.

Feeling safe, the suspicions that had been on her mind resurfaced.

‘Why is there a connection to our house here?’

Lighting a lamp she brought, Rosha quickly illuminated the interior of the cave.

At first glance, it seemed like a natural cave, but her well-traveled eyes caught artificial aspects here and there.

For instance, the floor, which was smoothed for easy walking, and the straight path despite being in a cave.

Moreover, since [The Guiding Lantern] led her to this cave, there must be a sacred relic somewhere here.

“…”

Rosha couldn’t help but revisit the questions that had been bothering her.

“Tell me, Koko.”

“Huh?”

“Is this place… where the Guide God intended?”