The Returnee Wants Peace

Chapter 62

Her certainty was short-lived. As no further words were heard for a while, she began to doubt herself.

Was someone really there?

‘Was I just imagining it?’

Rosha decided to take the initiative and address the possibly non-existent, silent presence with a slightly stale greeting.

“...Is someone there?”

In response to her words, she heard a faint breath. Hearing that, she could finally be sure.

“Froy?”

“Yes, it’s me.”

He revealed his identity. Along with a sense of satisfaction that her hunch was correct, a new question arose.

Why was Froy in her room?

“...Although I did allow you to enter my room once before, that didn’t mean you could come anytime.”

“That’s... there’s no room for excuses, regardless of the reason. My apologies. If I’m making you uncomfortable, I’ll leave right away.”

“No.”

Raising her upper body, Rosha hurriedly replied.

Of course, Froy’s appearance was surprising, but she welcomed it. After being cooped up in her room for so long, she had been wanting some company.

‘Cedric is busy, and Cassis has been obsessed with training lately.’

Her only conversational partners had been Koko and Berri.

The ‘Guide God’ asks if you’ll just let a strange man into a lady’s room like that.’

Ah, there was also the Guide God, though not particularly helpful.

Ignoring the God’s message, Rosha looked in Froy’s direction and said:

“This is just what I needed to relieve my boredom. It’s been three days since I woke up, but I’ve been stuck in this room the whole time. So what brings you here?”

“What brings me? Do I need a reason? Between us.”

“...”

“Just kidding. I have many questions, and I was worried since you were unconscious. And I’m a bit more to the right of where you’re facing.”

“...Ah.”

Seeing her tilt her head slightly in confusion, the man softly asked:

“...Can you not see anything at all?”

He tried not to betray emotion in his voice, but the end of his words trembled slightly. Well, it was understandable to be taken aback, seeing the woman who had seemed fine last time suddenly lose her sight.

For some reason, Rosha wanted to see him falter, so she deliberately answered tersely:

“Yes.”

“...You didn’t suffer any eye injuries during the trial. And your ability was closer to ‘seeing’, so your current blindness seems to be a side effect of that. Am I correct?”

Despite the surprise that should have narrowed his thinking, he was certainly quick-witted. However, the man, standing rigidly in place, wasn’t done speaking yet.

“Or perhaps it’s related to the force of death that had bound you at the end of the trial-“

“Huh? You felt that force too?”

“...So you were already aware of that force.”

Froy had read about this in books preserved in his family’s ancestral archives.

“...So what you wish to tell me is quite sensitive?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t make contracts carelessly. What are the terms?”

“Simple. We don’t betray each other, don’t divulge secrets, and any judgments are based on the fairness of at least two gods.”

She spoke with a firm attitude, as if the terms were already set.

However, the content itself didn’t seem too objectionable. Moreover, Rosha was undoubtedly a necessary presence for the road ahead, no matter how he looked at it.

And...

‘Being around her keeps triggering these inexplicable moments.’

Even her recent loss of sight was like that.

He felt a premonition, as if he had experienced something similar before.

He wanted to know more about Rosha.

Who she was. What she was hiding. How the strange experiences he faced were connected to her.

“You’ll have to accept this covenant for me to share the truth. What do you say?”

She extended her hand toward him. Her slender hand, glistening in the moonlight, had an inexplicable allure that drew his gaze.

After staring at that hand, Froy placed his own on top of it, suddenly thinking a ring would suit those fingers well, and replied:

“Very well. If it’s something I can only learn by making this covenant, then let’s do it.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, a brilliant light burst forth from the roughly made shrine, silvery and deep violet hues elegantly enveloping them as the dim surroundings brightened.

It was a forest near the capital.

Likely due to a small spring nearby, the area was distinctly vibrant, but this was a secret location layered with concealment and camouflage magic.

This was because the vicinity served as a hideout for rebels opposing the Emperor.

Swish-

Highly trained individuals rushed towards the sudden light but retreated at the gesture of Lovell, Froy’s subordinate.

Unfazed by the movements around him, Froy gazed at Rosha’s form with her eyes closed. Her loss of sight allowed him to observe her more closely than usual.

Her gaunt, pallid face from her ordeal glowed softly in the moonlight.

The reason his eyes were drawn to her face was likely due to the indescribable veil of time and faint shadow of sorrow cast upon it, yet beneath that, an unwavering commitment to the path she must take.

The covenant was soon complete.

Confirming the deities’ light had faded, Froy pondered where to begin – there were too many questions to prioritize.

It was then that:

“Puheheng.”

The white parrot, which had been circling them with an odd gaze, let out a strange laughing sound.

Knowing from the incident at the nobles’ council that this bird was the phoenix’s true form, Froy thought, ‘So that’s what a phoenix’s laugh sounds like.’

However, far more surprising than the bird being the phoenix was what happened next.

Fluttering down beside Rosha, the creature opened its beak and ‘spoke’.

“Finally, I have another conversation partner. Be good to me.”

“...What?”