I am back – Chapter 47

Even from a distance, I could recognize their figures at a glance.

Pia, with her soft pink hair resembling that of a goddess, and wearing a saint’s attire I was familiar with.

Dana, with long black hair flowing down to her back, dressed in a wide-sleeved black robe that enveloped her body.

Kalia, adorned in an elegant red dress that blended seamlessly with her vivid red hair.

Arna, with hair that shone like spun gold, skin much fairer than the others, and dressed in a green ranger outfit.

Truly, just as those people said earlier. They looked like they had jumped straight out of a fantasy game.

However, the reason I could instantly identify them from afar wasn’t just because of their distinctive appearances.

I had spent the last five years with them every single day. Even without those clothes and while hidden beneath their hairstyles, I could recognize them.

Overcome with joy, I hurried my steps, only to suddenly stop.

…They hadn’t changed at all. Well, they couldn’t have; they weren’t young children in the prime of growth. They were all adults over twenty. It wasn’t likely for their appearances to change drastically in just a month.

Of course, they looked much better than the last time I saw them.

No matter how hard one eats, the calories consumed on the battlefield are unimaginable. It’s not just the act of wielding a sword; even walking consumes a tremendous amount of energy. Simply carrying heavy burdens on one’s back can be exhausting, and we sometimes had to take less traveled paths to avoid the enemy or creep through places where traps or ambushes might await, all while staying low.

Sometimes, we even had to abandon our loads. Of course, if that happened, we would quickly retreat to the nearest friendly position to regroup, but often during that retreat, we would find ourselves unable to eat properly or even quench our throats.

Wielding a sword, blocking an enemy’s weapon with a shield and dashing around to keep the enemies away from the party.

Shooting arrows and keeping an eye on distant enemies.

Chanting spells and expending magical power, pulling out the right knowledge for the surrounding situation.

Focusing my mind on the goddess to draw forth divine power, even in the direst situations.

All of it took an immense toll on our physical strength.

Thus, in my last memories, they were in terrible condition. It was right before the raid on the Demon King’s castle; we had tried to rest and regain energy as much as possible, but the resistance from the Demon King’s forces inside was fierce. Not to mention the final battle with the Demon King.

Kalia was bleeding. Pia was using all her strength to staunch the flow of blood from Kalia’s side, pouring divine power into her, while I was almost on the brink of exhaustion pouring my magical energy into the Demon King.

Arna bore large and small wounds on her body.

She was trying to sacrifice herself for me—

—And she likely saw me die right before her eyes.

“…Ah.”

It wasn’t that I hadn’t thought of it before. They would have seen me die. Of course, they probably didn’t witness a sight as horrifying as my last moment in this world. The flames that annihilated the world likely consumed me so quickly that they couldn’t see the intermediate process.

However, still.

They would have seen me leaving this world.

Like what I did to older sister Ah-yoon, I had… done a terrible thing to them as well.

Of course, it wasn’t as though I had any other options back then, but…

“…”

More than anything, would they be able to recognize me?

If I said I was me, would they believe it?

I was the one who requested to be transformed into someone completely unrecognizable. The goddess had fulfilled that request perfectly.

Putting aside the fact that I had become a woman, would they really be able to recognize me when my previous appearance had changed entirely?

Arna’s gaze turned towards me.

She seemed to notice that I was reacting differently from the others.

As the scout of the party, she would definitely be able to sense such a distinct reaction as mine.

Others merely glanced at me as if I were something odd. Or perhaps, there were those who wandered about looking around, as if expecting the others to ask them something.

Honestly, looking just at appearances, someone might have felt inclined to approach me, but it seemed the outfits they were wearing posed quite a significant obstacle.

Arna turned her head and spoke with Kalia. Kalia’s line of sight shifted from the other side to me. Her burning gaze landed on me.

There was no significant change in her expression.

Just an air of caution as if she were on guard against this world.

Well, it made sense. This world was very different from the world they had once inhabited.

A world where civilization had developed based on magic for thousands of years versus one that progressed based on physical laws without any magic at all.

People often think that a fantasy kingdom would be backward compared to the sciences of reality… but having lived here for five years, I can say that’s not necessarily the case. Sure, there are many inconveniences, but on the flip side, there are aspects to understand how this world manages to keep going.

But those were things one could only feel by living it. What they saw in front of them was likely just a complex world filled with unknown devices, overly chaotic compared to what they were used to.

Back when I crossed over to that world, I had died and my soul moved over to the Grand Temple, then my body was recreated anew. Naturally, I wasn’t carrying anything, so the only way I could get through to them was through my pitiful drawing skills and rather unremarkable words.

However, thankfully, it seemed no one was frightened.

Dana’s gaze was filled with curiosity as she looked around. Probably, if she were smart, she would quickly recognize any items I had once mentioned. After all, as a mage, her imagination was quite rich.

And Pia—

If she were the saintess she claimed to be, perhaps she would sense it.

Arna and Kalia seemed to have made up their minds and began to walk towards me.

A beat behind, Dana and Pia noticed my presence. Dana quickly wore a puzzled look on her face, seemingly unaware of why the two were approaching me.

But she soon followed after Arna and Kalia. She likely hadn’t judged me to be a dangerous individual… maybe it was based on some common sense I had imparted to them about this world.

And then,

Pia’s eyes widened slightly upon seeing me.

My heart raced even harder than when I had heard the goddess’s voice a while ago.

Could she have recognized me?

Perhaps, like when I coincidentally met older sister again, she felt something subtle.

Even if the goddess’s power struggled to reach this world, it had definitely brushed past with such immense magical energy.

If the goddess offered some guidance, Pia would certainly be able to sense it.

The closer I got to them, the more Arna’s expression slowly changed.

From a distance, they might have thought of me as just an ordinary girl.

However, no matter how long I rested for a month, the aspect of a warrior doesn’t easily disappear.

Besides, I was still training. It wasn’t about combat, though.

…Perhaps she sensed there was something inside the thin bag slung over my shoulder.

Arna’s movements shifted as she approached me. It wasn’t a combat stance, but she was ready to enter one at any moment. Just like how one would act upon encountering a civilian merely gathering herbs in the mountains versus a potential threat lurking on the street.

Seeing Arna like that seemed to spark some realization in Kalia as well.

Could it be because they saw the two of them?

Dana’s steps came to a halt. She caught Pia’s arm, who seemed entranced, making her stop too.

It was a wise choice. Dana was the one in the party with the greatest firepower, and Pia could heal any injury, so they must be kept safe in the party.

However, even their cautious demeanor sent my heart racing.

It resembled the way we had acted on the battlefield while wielding swords. Of course, Arna had always been near Pia and Dana unless in extraordinary situations—

“…Wait, I have one question.”

—And this was that ‘extraordinary’ situation.

“Could you be…?”

Perhaps it was because I was a stranger. Arna cautiously, and perhaps a touch formally, asked me.

“…Are you, by any chance, a prophet?”

“…”

At those words, I broke into a wide smile.

“That’s not wrong.”

The voice that escaped my mouth wasn’t the same as when I had spoken with them before.

But Arna’s hearing was incredibly keen.

She had known the nuances of my usual manner of speaking—how I emphasize certain words, how I start my sentences, and how I trail off—and her eyes widened slightly.

“I believe that the person you’re looking for might be me. What do you think?”

I said that with a hint of playful mischief, but—

In fact, even before I finished my sentence, Pia had pushed away Dana’s hand and was rushing towards me.

“Pia!”

At that voice, Kalia quickly turned around, but she didn’t actively try to stop the incoming Pia.

Pia dashed past Arna and Kalia straight towards me, gaining speed.

My vision was suddenly filled with pink hair.

“…Bluh.”

The only word that slipped from Pia’s lips was just that; well, maybe I shouldn’t even call it a word?

It was just a little whimper.

…But with that alone,

I don’t know why, but despite how strange it might sound to say this outside, and having already ‘returned’— I finally felt as if I had ‘come back.’