Chapter 9
Chapter 9
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: Festival of Victory
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◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Fireworks burst across the sky tinged with crimson, accompanied by the excited cheers of the crowd.
We arrived in the capital in the late afternoon. The sight of the heroes returning victorious from the war drew people from every corner into the streets, roaring with cheers.
Finally, it's over. Finally, we can crush those Campbell count bastards.
My elated heart brought a bright smile naturally to my lips.
When I first became Amelia Campbell, I had no connections, no money, no honor—nothing. But now, I had it all.
Seeing my rare bright smile, my fellow mage Kisen grumbled about what mischief I was planning next, while the beastkin Hayden rubbed his forehead against my shoulder, delighted to see me smile after so long.
The spirit user Vivian blinked in a daze, and Crown Prince Raymond smiled along with me. It was a familiar sight after these few years.
The people laughed and reveled through the night, with dazzling lights, hearty food, and fragrant liquor filling the streets with festive energy.
As I sat by the window, gazing at the night sky painted by colorful fireworks, a low voice came from behind.
"Amel."
The speaker was one of the festival's stars, Crown Prince Raymond Maville Herman of the empire.
He entered silently and casually perched on the sofa.
His blue eyes, holding a strange heat that might have been greed, fixed on me, and I reflexively furrowed my brow.
"If you're here to propose marriage again, I'm throwing you out."
For the past year, Raymond had been proposing whenever he got the chance. Every time he said we'd have the wedding after the war ended, I'd shot back that he shouldn't jinx it with a death flag.
No, did he crave my abilities that badly? Sure, they were worth craving, but he didn't need to marry me—if he just gave me good benefits and a fat salary, I'd work like an ox for him.
There probably wasn't anywhere that paid better than the imperial palace anyway, so he must really need to put a formal end to this business engagement to feel at ease.
"That?"
Raymond glanced at the glass in my hand and let out a silly chuckle.
Watching that smile, a question I'd wanted to ask him after the war ended resurfaced.
"Ray... Your Highness the Crown Prince."
I swallowed the name that had slipped out naturally after years of habit.
I'd dropped the formal address not long after the war began.
Back then, Raymond had been particularly annoying, and in my frustration at being sold into the battlefield after clawing my way through life, I'd thrown caution to the wind—if I'm dying anyway, might as well say everything I want.
For some reason, with his twisted personality, Raymond found that intriguing about me. Since the crown prince himself didn't reprimand me, no one else dared to either.
But now the war was over, and it was time for the class system I'd abandoned long ago to return.
I'd soon receive a new title too. With peace restored, I had to try everything this world offered. Social adaptation was essential for that.
Raymond's brow furrowed slightly at the unfamiliar formality.
"Call me like you always do. Whatever you call me is fine, as long as it's you."
"Really? Can I call you a bastard then?"
"Amel, now that we're back, I'm thinking of strengthening the penalties for lèse-majesté. What do you think?"
"Kisen says people in high places shouldn't go back on their word."
His low laughter echoed again.
He's smiling a lot more these days. Back when we first met, he'd only plastered on fake expressions with that smooth face, but the war must have done some good for his brain.
Once he finally stopped laughing, Raymond asked,
"What are you planning to do for a while?"
"Don't worry. I'm not going far—I'll keep working."
"That's a given. It's only natural for you to stay by my side."
The war's over—why is that natural?
During the war, I'd stuck by Raymond unless something else came up.
I was a capable healer who could save anyone as long as they were still breathing, and he was the supreme commander.
Raymond crossed his legs leisurely, a smile playing on his lips, utterly shameless in his reply.
Judging from experience that arguing would just hurt my mouth, I answered his previous question instead of retorting.
"Revenge for a while. And I have to swallow up the count's family too."
"Need help?"
"No thanks. Don't touch it. That's my share."
"Alright. Just say the word if you need anything."
With that, the conversation ended.
Why did he ask what I'm doing for a while, though?
He knew my situation better than anyone—he shouldn't need to ask what I'd do next. It was odd to inquire about something so predictable.
Maybe he had something else to say? But even staring him down openly, he showed no sign of speaking first.
He'll say it when he feels like it.
Tired of the staring contest, I turned my gaze back to the window.
A brilliant firework bloomed before my eyes. Mages must have joined the festival too, as flower-shaped lights beautifully adorned the night sky.
The laughter of people and the boom of fireworks.
Bang!
Another burst soared into the darkness. In that dazzling moment, for some reason, my vision seemed to blacken.
Just an illusion. The moment I thought that, a familiar tinnitus pierced my ears.
Beeeeep—
In an instant, strength drained from my legs, and my knees slammed into the hard floor.
"...Amel?"
"Ugh."
Beep— beeeeeep—
The eerie mechanical noise. The unique subway hum and underground stench upon arrival. Familiar scenery flashed through my mind.
Short of breath, my whole body went numb. A sensation I couldn't forget no matter how hard I tried.
Overwhelmed by nausea, I clamped my trembling hand over my mouth.
"Amelia!"
Drip. Dark red blood trickled between my fingers.
Raymond tightly embraced my limp body.
"Delos, call a healer right now! Please, please, snap out of it, Amelia!"
As my vision flickered, the last voice I heard was desperately urgent and heartrending.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Gasp."
The moment I opened my eyes, I turned my head to stare at my reflection in the glass window.
Instead of the silver hair I'd grown accustomed to over seven years, there was a woman with black hair.
After catching my breath while gazing at her for a moment, I turned back to the ceiling and closed my eyes.
It's okay. I'm here.
In the end, I hadn't fully achieved my revenge, and I'd lost the new bonds I'd formed all over again—but I told myself it was fine.
That didn't mean I didn't cherish my comrades.
It was just that the hope that had sustained me for seven years was even more precious.
And this place I'd finally returned to was my true reality, the world with the family I'd longed for above all else.
Of course, it wasn't all joy. The situation in my returned reality was far from easy.
I had no proper job, the house I'd lived in with my family was gone, and the little brother born in the meantime felt utterly foreign.
On top of that, the world had turned into some modern fantasy setting.
But it was okay. Adapting to new environments was familiar to me. I'd managed in a world with an unknown language and not a single familiar face—surely I could handle this much.
Besides, the dad now wasn't even my original one; he'd become my stepdad when Mom remarried during my elementary school years.
Gaining a new, unfamiliar family wasn't new. I was cautious about how to treat a much younger brother, but it didn't repulse me much.
Yeah, everything's fine.
It really was.
"Here, Yu-jeong. You like this, right?"
"Mom, I don't eat grapes. I haven't since I was little."
"Really? You used to eat them fine, but your tastes must've changed."
Things I hadn't anticipated started feeling not okay.
"What's with buying a whole cake? Is it for Yu-ha? Give it here. I'll put it in the fridge for after he eats."
"...Huh? I bought it for us all to share, and I'm eating some too."
"You, eating cake? You hate sweets. Just the other day, you said the sight of whipped cream made your stomach churn."
One by one.
"Yu-ha said you've been too busy to play with him lately and he's lonely. He's waiting for your calls, but you barely contact home. What's going on with you?"
"Sorry. I've been busy."
"You used to come home at least once a week to play with him, even when busy. No, I don't think it's just busyness. You don't smile much anymore; it's weird. Tell me. Did something happen? Did you fight with your boyfriend again?"
And two, three, four.
Every story about a "me" I didn't know made me feel like my place was vanishing.
This place I'd longed for so much—it felt like the ground was crumbling beneath me, anxiety striking without warning.
I know. No one's bad; they all just lived their given lives.
But understanding and empathy were different things, apparently.
"Oh, Mom, why didn't you send me to college?"
"Out of nowhere? That's ancient history."
"No, you always said you'd make sure I went to college. I know my grades tanked in high school out of nowhere, but I figured you'd find a way—whether retaking exams or aiming lower than planned."