Chapter 1
Chapter 1
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: Prologue - Return
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The Hero was victorious in her battle against the Demon King.
By uniting with her trustworthy companions to vanquish the demons.
Overcoming countless trials and tribulations.
She finally reached the Demon King's stronghold and ended his life.
"...Is it... over now?"
But I remained collapsed on the ground.
Having exhausted all its sacred power fighting the Demon King, the Holy Sword lost its light, transforming into a simple piece of scrap metal.
Through strands of blood-soaked silver hair, I raised a trembling hand and looked at my small palm.
I couldn't feel an ounce of the mana I'd spent over a decade accumulating in my body.
Just as when I first fell into this world, all that remained was the frail body of a girl, my gender changed.
I tried to stand, but there was no feeling in my legs.
From the thighs down, my legs wouldn't move.
"......."
I carefully dragged my legs, pulling myself forward from where I sat.
And then, I stroked the face of the woman lying on the cold ground.
The Saintess, who had sacrificed her own life to give me the chance to land the final blow on the Demon King.
She would never be able to smile at me again.
The Hero's party had risked their lives to ensure I could reach the heart of the Demon King's castle.
And they all lost their lives.
Even the Saintess, who was with me until the very end.
The Hero had defeated the Demon King, but having lost all her companions, she could only remain slumped here, alone and barely clinging to life.
The battle with the Demon King had taken everything from me.
My legs that moved as I willed, the power I had built up over the years, and even my companions.
The Hero's party accomplished its goal.
Were you all satisfied?
Faintly, a golden light shone down.
A voice I had heard once before spoke directly into my mind.
Words of gratitude for your sacrifice and devotion.
Words of regret, that even with the power of a god, those who lost their lives in the mortal realm could not be revived.
And words offering to grant any wish in its place—be it wealth, honor, or anything else desired.
I raised a hand to cover my face.
"Ah, uhh, huah."
A beautiful sound flowed from my lips.
My own voice, one I had already grown accustomed to after more than ten years.
But the sound that escaped me now was nothing more than a sob, wrung from the depths of my lungs.
This otherworld had been anything but joyful, yet there was a time I thought it might be alright to keep living here.
My companions, the ones who had made me feel that way, were now gone.
"...I want to go back."
To the place I lived before I came here.
The mission I shouldered against my will is finally over.
I only felt resentment for the world that had put me through this.
I wanted to return to Earth, where I had lived without purpose.
"I don't need anything. Just send me back."