The procession of the subjugation team returning from the Witch’s Forest moved more solemnly and with greater dignity than ever before.

Rachel and Tervan rode at the front of the long procession.

Throughout the return journey from the Witch’s Forest, Tervan could only stare at Rachel’s back.

She differed greatly from the Rachel he had known until now.

He had thought she was tense and stiff when entering the Witch’s Forest, but after arriving at the scene where the witch Sara was killed, he had no choice but to change his mind.

She, who had grown up like a flower in a greenhouse as the daughter of a count, had jumped into the midst of monsters faster than anyone else and killed the witch with her own hands.

Although the witch was a sentient being and a monster, her appearance wasn’t much different from that of a human.

Tervan couldn’t believe that Rachel had killed such a witch without hesitation.

Moreover, that cold gaze she maintained while standing covered in blood.

Tervan felt the need to find Rachel and have a serious conversation with her once his complicated thoughts settled down.

[That guy has been staring at you for days now?]

‘I know.’

Rachel replied curtly to the necklace’s comment.

[He’s noticed that you’re different. Well, it’s only natural. How many years of difference are there between your time and his?]

Rachel frowned at the low laughter of Creon, the being sealed in the necklace, the Time Demon.

‘…By the way, can you sense what’s happening behind us?’

Rachel changed the subject, not wanting to talk about Tervan.

[Of course. It’s not a wide range, but I can detect the movements of that youngster at that distance in detail. What do you think I am, the great Creon?]

‘Ah, right. Of course.’

Since it wasn’t a topic she had brought up for serious conversation anyway, Rachel barely listened to Creon’s words.

The subjugation team procession was about to reach the Imperial Palace.

“All troops halt!”

General Kaines, who commanded the subjugation team, ordered everyone to stop.

Rachel heard the command and stopped her horse.

The Emperor and other nobles waited for them in front.

Rachel dismounted from her horse after seeing General Kaines do the same. Others did likewise. Then they all bowed to the Emperor.

“We greet Your Majesty the Emperor. We have returned safely after subjugating the Witch’s Forest.”

General Kaines reported to the Emperor on behalf of the subjugation team.

“You’ve worked hard. I have prepared a banquet to honor your achievements, and I hope you will attend if you are able.”

The Emperor said to General Kaines with a satisfied smile.

Only after the general conveyed his thanks to the Emperor did everyone else prepare to disperse.

Rachel also mounted her horse again, preparing to head to the mansion located in the capital. And just as she was about to depart.

“Rachel.”

Tervan called out to Rachel urgently from behind. Rachel pulled on the reins and turned to look at Tervan.

“The banquet… will you attend?”

Rachel, who had wondered what he was going to say, simply nodded at Tervan’s casual question.

“Yes. It’s a banquet celebrating our return, so I can’t miss it. Will you attend too?”

“Yes. Then I’ll see you at the banquet later.”

Rachel nodded once and then headed straight for the mansion.

* * *

“My lady!”

Upon arriving at the entrance of the mansion after passing through the long garden, the employees of the Pluret County welcomed Rachel with bright faces.

Among them, the one who welcomed Rachel most dramatically was Katrin, her personal maid.

“Did you return safely? I was so worried. Do you know how surprised I was when you suddenly said you would join the monster subjugation team? And you said you wouldn’t take me with you…”

Katrin trailed off, biting her lower lip.

“You’re not hurt, are you?”

Katrin examined Rachel with worried eyes. Only then did Rachel smile gently.

“I’m not hurt. Thank you for worrying, Katrin. By the way, where are my father and mother?”

“They’re waiting inside. Please go in quickly. They worried about you even more than I did.”

“Okay.”

Soon the servants opened the door for her. Rachel entered familiarly.

Then familiar voices greeted Rachel.

“Rachel!”

“Our daughter, welcome home.”

Count Pluret and Countess Pluret approached Rachel. Then they opened their arms and embraced her tightly.

Only after being held in their arms could Rachel accept that everything she had gone through was finally over.

“…I’m back.”

She had spent such a difficult and long time alone. No one understood her pain, and no one could have understood it.

But now that everything was over, it seemed like she could let go of all the pain she had endured.

Countess Pluret cupped Rachel’s cheeks with both hands. It was evident that she worried about whether her daughter had been injured.

Rachel rubbed her cheek against the Countess’s hand and smiled broadly.

“I’m not hurt. You don’t need to worry.”

When Rachel spoke maturely, Count Pluret let out a sigh.

“Our Rachel has become so grown-up without us noticing. But daughter, you don’t have to force yourself to act like an adult with us. We’re your parents.”

The affectionate voice almost made tears flow. But Rachel raised her eyes to the ceiling to hold back her tears.

“Thank you. I’ll definitely do that.”

Countess Pluret gently stroked Rachel’s cheek with her thumb. As her mother’s touch met her flushed cheek, Rachel pressed her lips firmly together.

“For now, get some rest. You must be tired from the long journey, and it seems we’ve taken up too much of your time.”

“Yes. There’s going to be a banquet at the Imperial Palace this evening, and you’ll need to rest if you’re going to attend, won’t you?”

Rachel smiled faintly at their concerned voices.

“Yes, then I’ll go up first.”

After briefly greeting the Count and Countess Pluret, Rachel began walking toward the stairs.

“Katrin, I’d like to wash up right away. Could you prepare it for me?”

“I’ve already prepared it. You can go right in.”

“Then I’ll wash up.”

“Yes! This way, my lady.”

Rachel followed Katrin to the bathroom. Only after removing her dusty clothes from the long journey and immersing herself in warm water did Rachel feel her fatigue dissipating.

And only then did she feel all her efforts filling her mind one by one.

At first, she knew nothing.

Neither that this was a world inside a book, nor that she was the villain in this novel.

She realized everything when she received news of Tervan’s death from General Kaines.

At the funeral held after the monster subjugation team’s return, Rachel repeatedly collapsed and wailed before losing consciousness while confirming Tervan’s corpse.

And when she reached the point where she had no more tears to shed, she suddenly realized that this world existed inside a novel.

At first, she thought she was having absurd delusions because she couldn’t accept Tervan’s death. She dismissed both her past life memories and the contents of the book as mere delusions.

It was because she couldn’t accept that she was just a character in a novel, prepared only for the tragedy and trials of Viola, the female protagonist.

Still, with a glimmer of hope, she recalled the existence of the demon that Viola would encounter seemingly by chance in the novel.

The Time Demon, Creon.

The demon in the necklace who helped Viola face reality while she was wandering in agony.

Viola had attempted to contact the demon to save Tervan, who was both her mistake and her trauma. However, her attempt was blocked by the male leads in the novel.

This was because the condition needed to turn back time was the caster’s death.

If Viola had used it, she would have reversed time, but in reality, only her death would remain.

Naturally, the male leads wouldn’t allow her death.

Rachel traced her memories to find the place where Viola had encountered the Time Demon. And there, she was able to meet Creon.

Rachel made a contract with Creon and was able to return to the past, fifteen days before the monster subjugation team departed.

Initially, it started with preventing Tervan from joining the monster subjugation team.

However, no matter how much Rachel tried to dissuade him, Tervan joined the monster subjugation team. And the end was always Tervan’s death.

It was after repeating the regression seven times that she, who had experienced Tervan’s death numerous times, decided to join the monster subjugation team.

But there was no way she, who could only use supportive magic at best, could fulfill her role in the monster subjugation team. Moreover, the experience of killing a living being for the first time plunged her into an even more terrible hell.

So Rachel didn’t reverse time for a while even after experiencing Tervan’s death.

Instead, she decided to secure as much time as possible to become stronger.

It was only when she could store three magic spells through repeated regressions that she began to participate in the subjugation team again.

Fortunately, she became able to fulfill her role in the subjugation team, but Rachel had to face her limitations and be frustrated.

This was because she witnessed the moment of Tervan’s death during the final battle with the witch.

Witnessing Tervan’s death before her eyes was an unbearably suffocating experience.

However, when she faced Tervan’s death for the twentieth time, strangely, she felt no sadness.

All that remained for Rachel was duty alone.

The naive girl who had a crush on him no longer existed.

The proof was that when Tervan died from the witch’s poison in her twenty-sixth life, the feeling of tedium rather than agony overwhelmed her.

And that was also evidence that Rachel could no longer return to her former self.

And now.

She, who had prevented all situations and events where Tervan would die, was finally able to protect him.

“Is the temperature alright?”

Katrin asked, breaking Rachel’s contemplation.

Rachel belatedly came to her senses and looked at Katrin. And she put on a smile that her past self would have likely shown, out of obligation.

“Yes, it’s good.”