Chapter 13

When Rina was escorted back to her room by one of the guards at the gate, the vast audience chamber was left with only the king, the prime minister, King Felix, and Prince Schuzel.

"… I ask the wisest man in this country, Schuzel… Can that woman return to her original world?"

King Felix finally spoke, his voice heavy. He stared at the door through which Rina had left, but his expression revealed nothing.

"… I'm afraid it's impossible…"

Prince Schuzel, without his usual smile, had a sympathetic look on his face.

"… Even with your power…?"

He asked this because he knew the extent of his abilities.

"… It will take a few more days, but after speaking with everyone involved in the summoning and conducting my own investigation… at this point… no, probably for the next few hundred years, it will be impossible…"

Prince Schuzel said this slowly but clearly. "Impossible"… he said.

This was a clear denial of any possibility. King Felix narrowed his eyes, asking for more details.

"… I can't say for certain yet, as the investigation is not complete… but at this point, it is absolutely impossible."

At these words, a hint of sympathy appeared in King Felix's usually expressionless eyes.

She will never be able to return while she is alive… that was what it meant.

"… When the two moons overlap, the two moons will disappear. When the six stars surround the hour of darkness, the holy maiden will appear."

Prince Schuzel recited this as if it were a poem.

"… Is that the condition for summoning the holy maiden…?"

King Felix, who quickly understood the meaning of the poem, asked.

"… Yes. That is the condition for summoning the 'holy maiden.' And the Egiedilus performed the ritual to summon Rina. Whether the ritual was successful or not, we cannot tell even now that Rina has been summoned."

She might not be the "holy maiden."

But the summoning itself was successful.

Without precedent, it is unclear what constitutes success and what constitutes failure.

"… However…"

"… However?"

"… However, I can say this much. All the conditions were met only on the day Rina was summoned. And from what I know, it will probably never happen again."

This was a hopeless statement…

Now, she might be able to remain strong with a glimmer of hope. But if she were told that she would never be able to return…?

"… Damn it!!"

King Felix let out a voice like a thunderclap. A person's life and destiny were at stake. She was summoned in an extremely unreasonable manner, with no guarantee of return.

Moreover, the one who did this was his own blood, his brother. The king felt not just anger but also a sense of shame. … Was he that foolish…?

Prince Schuzel felt the king's anger as if it were his own, and a chill ran down his spine. It was his duty to sense and stop such actions while the king was away on monster hunts. Why didn't he notice? Why couldn't he stop it? He was filled with regret.

"… Schuzel"

"… Yes"

"Since I am the king, I cannot treat that woman… Rina, specially."

"… Yes"

"There will be times when, in my position, I will have to reprimand her."

"… Yes"

"… You will have to support her."

"… Yes"

Prince Schuzel nodded slightly. As a brother, he could support her. But before being a brother, he was the king. Showing special attention to her would not only create unnecessary unrest but would also be detrimental to her.

The king must be suffering as well.

And so is Prince Schuzel.

He intends to do everything possible to help her return. But it is almost impossible. While there are records of summoning a "holy maiden" or a "hero," there are no records of anyone returning. In fact, the records always end with:

… She decided to stay in this world and live happily ever after…

… Is that true?

It is only a guess, but even if she couldn't return and was lamenting, there was no need to write it down honestly.

She lived happily ever after.

… And that's fine.

Yes… even if she wasn't happy…

…