The Returnee Wants Peace

Could it be that spring was truly coming?

Though they were halfway up a high mountain, a warm spring breeze from somewhere brushed past their cheeks.

The sound of life sprouting could be heard from branches laden with snow flowers. It was rustling and popping, striving to reveal its existence.

From the seeds crouched beneath the ground to the invisible stirrings of mountains large and small.

These were things she had lived without knowing before.

The natural fabric flowing where it should flow. The cluster of life reflected in her eyes was incomparably beautiful.

“What is this, are you some kind of fortune teller…”

She heard the grumbling voice of the wolf boy following behind. He seemed half-skeptical.

It couldn’t be helped.

“…That way.”

Rosha, who had been reading the ‘scenery’ before her for a moment, pointed out a direction.

She couldn’t tell if the someone she was chasing was human, a demonic beast, or something else entirely.

However, she vaguely sensed that they had gone over that mountain.

“Well… fine. What’s your basis for saying it’s that way?”

“My feeling.”

“That’s what I’m asking, what exactly is this ‘feeling’? Aren’t we just going around in circles on this mountain?”

“Stop grumbling, beast.”

“Oh? The tin can can speak?”

Leaving the beast and tin can bickering behind, Rosha slowly moved forward.

The snow crunched under her shoe soles. It was a natural phenomenon, but it felt like her perspective had changed.

She finally understood what Koko meant by ‘reading’.

The framework and fabric.

She could at last comprehend those vague and abstract words.

“No, you’re still far from understanding. Right now, you’re barely grasping and following their ends. But… it seems you’re becoming somewhat useful now.”

Koko, sprawled on top of her head, wiggled his bottom as if in praise. Perhaps due to the movement of his tail feathers, her tightly tied hair tickled the back of her head.

Feeling the warm body temperature on her crown, Rosha answered seriously.

“I didn’t know when I was in paradise. That place couldn’t be looked into this way.”

Paradise was extremely orderly in every aspect.

A place that didn’t allow even the slightest error, as if under someone’s control. It took a lot of energy to try to do anything with abilities there.

But here was different.

Just by observing the flow as it was woven, she could naturally know the whereabouts of what she was looking for.

“Hah, don’t compare this place to that made-up paradise nonsense. No matter how elaborately you make a fake, it can’t compare to the real thing.”

“Made-up…?”

“Can’t you tell just by looking? Always high and blue skies, an environment providing everything needed for life, humans who don’t age or get injured. Such things are not natural at all.”

“…What do you think is natural then?”

“Hmph, a stupid but good question. What’s natural reveals itself clearly and transparently. But what’s unnatural is not clear, as if covered by a layer of curtain.”

He went on to explain that what’s unnatural has someone’s processing involved, and depending on the level and intention, the curtain can be transparent like glass, opaque, or have multiple layers.

He also didn’t forget to nag that this advice applies to magic as well, so she should take note.

“…”

Hearing this, the inner area of paradise came to mind.

That place where gods were said to reside was barely visible even when pouring out power. Even that memory was lost, so it certainly wasn’t natural.

For a moment.

Rosha glanced at Koko.

A body driven solely by magical power, without the blood and flesh that constitute a physical body. It too was not easily seen through, as if wrapped in thick fog.

Koko was also unnatural.

‘I wonder who created him?’

It was around the time when an old question, which had been set aside due to lack of time to ponder, was dusting itself off and emerging.

“Oh? It’s the Duke.”

At Koko’s words, she looked up to see Froy appearing a few steps ahead as if seeping out of thin air.

When he revealed himself, wearing black clothes of extremely high quality material though without the ducal crest, the bickering group behind immediately ceased their commotion.

“My lord!”

“You’ve come, Your Grace.”

The wolf boy bowed solemnly, and the large knight also lowered his body, bending one leg.

It was a very smooth movement as if wearing cloth clothes, despite being in armor.

As he bent his knee, the Ducal knights who had been following silently until now all prostrated themselves at once.

Clank, clank.

At the sound of moving armor, Froy, who had been staring at Rosha, finally looked around at them and asked.

“Why did so many follow? I didn’t intend to use the knights…”

“I told them to come along. Saying we needed a capable pursuit team.”

“But so many people aren’t necessary, Rosha. It will only have the opposite effect, so how about sending them back to the fortress at this point?”

At Froy’s words, the knights were in quite a depressed mood. It must be because of being called unnecessary.

The wolf boy sneered while glancing at the ‘tin can’ as if subtly concerned.

“It’s alright. What I need is a wide encirclement, so they’ll be helpful.”

“…If you say so.”

At her words, Froy didn’t bother to argue further.

The knights who didn’t have to return breathed sighs of relief.

“More importantly, how is it up the mountain?”

“As you said, I felt a powerful magical energy. And…”

“And?”

“…Never mind. This isn’t certain, so I’ll tell you when we get there.”

She was a bit curious, but he must have his reasons.

Nodding her head, Rosha lightly grasped one of his fingers.

Froy rarely flinched. He seemed quite surprised, but she was also in a situation urgent enough to ask him for a favor first.

“Um… my feet hurt. My knees are numb too.”

While the knights might be fine, it was normal for someone with her stamina to be getting tired by now.

The man smiled slightly at Rosha’s childish plea to take advantage of his space-related ability.

Then he immediately intertwined their fingers tightly.

As if he would never let go of this hand again.

* * *

The wolf boy, Sien, was among the youngest of the ability users gathered by Duke Echerzen.

Thirteen years old, he awakened his ability when his village was destroyed by demonis beasts, and that’s when he was picked up by the Duke.

That was 2 years ago, so now he was fifteen, not yet having had his birthday.

‘…I thought rumors were just rumors.’

Sien stared blankly at the woman in front with his vertically slit pupils.

The woman had a frail body with little muscle.

Despite that, she seemed to properly know ‘how to climb mountains’, her walking skills being rather extraordinary, but still, it didn’t change the fact that she had a weak and delicate body.

However.

‘Somehow… she smells like a strong human that can’t be approached easily.’

He wasn’t confident he could easily snap that white, slender neck.

It was strange.

While climbing the rough mountain ridge without even a path, Sien’s breathing barely faltered. Even the knights, though their breaths had roughened a bit, hadn’t lost a single member.

Yet he would lose in a fight against that woman whose breath was reaching her chin despite borrowing his lord’s power?

It made no sense.

“Why. Have you decided to act politely from now on?”

The tin can, who had confirmed where Sien’s gaze was directed, asked. Despite wearing heavy armor, the tin can also showed no signs of fatigue.

“What are you saying, tin can? No way. Not until I acknowledge it.”

“Stubborn beast. You might regret it later.”

Of course, Sien also felt a sense of crisis thinking ‘Can I keep using informal speech?’ when he saw his lord using his ability for her.

It was also the first time he learned that his lord, who had been emotionless and dry, could smile like that.

“If anything’s uncomfortable, tell me right away.”

“Yes.”

It was also the first time seeing him overtly taking care of someone and using formal speech without any sarcasm.

“…”

However, perhaps due to his young age, his weakness was that he still lacked perception in these matters.

‘I need to see the truth.’

He stared intently at the reddish-gold hair swaying gently at the back of her head.

It was then.

Whoosh-

A cold wind suddenly blew from the not-too-distant mountain peak.

It was just an ordinary wind, but Sien, who had been sniffing unconsciously, detected a strange smell mixed in the wind with his transcendent sense.

Although nothing could be seen with the eyes on the summit, he could smell the chilling scent of danger.

“M-my lord. Something’s strange here. I think there’s something.”

Sien hurriedly told his lord what he had discovered.

But at that moment, he felt a powerful mana emanating from the woman he had dismissed as weak.

It was a level of magical power he had never seen in any magician before.