It was quite peculiar to see a middle-aged man gradually edging into his prime facing off against three teenage girls.
Whoosh!
Each of them carried bags that seemed ridiculously large compared to their bodies. Even the Emperor, towering over the average man, had a backpack that looked enormous when compared to himself.
Rumble!
It was packed to the brim with all sorts of stuff.
Honestly, we had no clue how much we could actually carry. I just assumed I could bring whatever was touching my body from the clothes I wore when I came this way.
But isn’t this whole premise a bit vague? If it were just a body swap, that would be one thing, but every work has its own take on how much you can actually bring along.
We just hoped we were right about what we thought.
By the way, Claire had tucked her most treasured photos into her clothing pockets, just in case, vowing that even if she had to leave her bag behind, she would at least clutch onto a few pictures.
“So… everyone ready?”
Claire spoke up.
The rest of us had our hands on the ‘zibo’ Claire presented. We weren’t just lightly touching it; we were gripping it tightly.
Because we wanted to go back.
I might have been born in this world, but I had accomplished far more in Azernar.
I wasn’t the type to easily give up everything I had worked for. I wanted to personally experience the happy ending I had achieved.
Alice and Claire shared the same sentiment.
As for the Emperor—
Just before Claire activated her power, I stole a glance at his face.
His expression was almost blank. It was different from our relieved faces.
Once we returned to the other world— the Emperor would have to step down from his position.
Even though he had fought and lost, losing everything he had built would surely be a despairing situation for an Emperor.
And yet, he chose to go back. He opted for the title of ‘former Emperor’ over living in riches here.
That thought was both understandable and hard to comprehend.
Well, I suppose a day would never come when I could completely understand the Emperor. No matter how much time passed.
…But then again, isn’t that the case for all humans?
Claire closed her eyes.
Seeing Alice and the Emperor do the same, I followed suit and shut my eyes too.
Claire didn’t say anything else. She simply poured her strength into the zibo—
Zoom!
“Yahh!?”
I let out an unexpectedly loud scream after quite some time.
The ground I was standing on abruptly vanished, not the most pleasant experience.
Though I was used to amusement park rides, I knew it was safe because I was securely strapped into something.
Being thrown into the air without anything tethered to me other than my backpack was just not my vibe.
Nevertheless, the bag I was carrying proved to be quite helpful.
I toppled backward. The bag hit the ground first, absorbing a fair amount of the impact, allowing me to avoid injury.
I wasn’t the only one to fall backward.
“Ouch…”
Alice, having apparently packed a lot of hard stuff in her bag, rubbed the back of her head grimacing after getting hit by something protruding from her backpack.
“Ugh… Still, I’m glad it’s not as painful as last time.”
Claire, who had fallen flat on the ground last time she came over, expressed her relief about this being better because of the backpack, sprawled out on the floor.
And then—
“…Hmm.”
I didn’t expect the Emperor to fall too.
Lying back on the ground, arms crossed, staring at the ceiling looked oddly comical. He resembled a serious character from a gag comic, yet somehow managed a slapstick moment.
I didn’t bother the effort of standing up with my backpack still on.
I loosened all the straps of my hiking backpack, slipped my arms out, and shook off my clothes as I stood up.
Looking around—everything was exactly as I had last seen it.
…Well, no, there were a few changes.
The knights who had been sprawled all over the floor seemed to have been cleared away. The local residents too.
There were still quite a few broken things scattered here and there.
I swung my arms around to loosen up and went over to Alice.
I helped yank the hiking bag off her struggling form to get her up.
“Hehe, sis.”
Claire seemed to be pausing intentionally, lying still while waiting for me. I smiled back and lifted her up like I did with Alice.
Now for the Emperor—
“Sylvia!”
I suddenly heard someone calling my name.
Then, I heard some mad footsteps approaching, as silver hair burst into my view.
Charlotte jumped into my arms.
She nearly toppled back just like when she was lugging that backpack a moment ago but managed to catch herself.
“Where have you been disappearing to!?”
Charlotte hugged me once, then went over to give Alice and Claire a quick hug each.
When I came to my senses, I realized everyone had gathered nearby. My friends and teachers from this world, along with everyone who had fought alongside us in the final battle.
“…To put it simply, it’s complicated. Let’s sort out the situation first, and then I’ll explain everything.”
I told Charlotte that.
Yes, there was a ton to say.
“…But how long have we been gone?”
“…Twelve years.”
Charlotte rubbed her eyes and said that.
“…What?”
“That’s obviously a lie.”
The Emperor stood up and stated flatly.
“If twelve years had really passed, someone like me wouldn’t be the only old one. You young folks practically wouldn’t look the same!”
“…”
As I looked at Charlotte, Leo, who had come closer, just chuckled bitterly.
“One hour. Everyone was gone for just an hour.”
I let out a sigh of relief.
“So—”
The Emperor strolled over leisurely and spoke.
“How are we handling the aftermath? Am I going to be arrested or something?”
“…”
Charlotte glared daggers at the Emperor.
It wasn’t just her. Everyone here turned to glare at him. Even those who didn’t didn’t hide their feelings of hostility in their eyes.
…Right.
We had gotten used to being around the Emperor after being with him for some time, but to everyone here, it would look like he simply vanished only to return after a brief while.
They still hadn’t processed their feelings.
The Emperor knew that too.
Watching him get restrained… was a bit unsettling.
“…What the heck happened?”
Charlotte, maybe having sensed my expression, looked at me with sharp eyes and asked.
“I’ll tell you everything.”
I nodded slowly, then glanced at Alice and Claire.
Both of them nodded seriously in agreement.
There was a mountain of things to do.
…But it was okay.
It felt like I had rested enough.
So now, I had to solve the tasks ahead.
Flash!
The zibo had vanished.
Maybe it was because we jumped worlds twice? Perhaps its powerful essence crumbled to dust or burned bright in the light.
Things began unfolding in order. Of course, that didn’t mean there weren’t any headaches, but overall, it went far smoother than I anticipated. The impending friendship between the next leaders of the Empire and Kingdom was quite helpful in such times.
“…Going to another world turned out to be more enjoyable than I expected.”
I stood before the Gryphon that followed me after the battle.
Though it looked at me with serious eyes, I couldn’t tell if that was just its default expression or if it understood my words.
Even if it did understand, it wouldn’t grasp such intricate details.
I shrugged and brushed through the Gryphon’s wing with a comb.
Sure, the wings were way too big for a comb of this size, but the Gryphon spread its wings wide, making it easier for me to comb through.
Well, I didn’t know if it would help the Gryphon, but it was helpful for me. It was a good way to organize my thoughts.
As I combed through its wings—
“Sis!”
That shout came from behind me.
“Claire?”
I turned around.
Claire was waving her hand, her face bright as the sun.
Did she have some good news?
“What about Alice…?”
As I was about to set the comb down, the Gryphon let out a disgruntled squawk behind me, but I waved it off and went over to Claire.
“She said she has something to say. So, I thought I’d tell you first.”
“What do you want to tell me?”
Claire grinned at my question.
Before I even sensed any unease from that smile, she grabbed my wrist tightly.
And—
“Yahh!?”
I felt that familiar sensation of the ground disappearing beneath me after such a long time.
What’s happening now?
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