Everyone Else is a Returnee

A clearing on a mountain located in the empire of Palladia. In this place, where human presence was already spread thin, a barrier had been erected to keep people out and a secretive experiment was taking place.

BOOOOOOOOOM!

And round one of the experiment ended in failure.

“Kyaaak!”

“Electric Shield!”

An enormous explosion that happened instead of something else, assaulted two people, but the safety magic quickly activated and protected the two from it.

“Is it a failure this time too?”

“……That seems so.”

Irma An Ill’ta, the first imperial princess……no, the person who had become empress since 3 months ago, asked in a nonchalant voice as Kang MiRae, the most trusted consultant of the empress and at the same time, the person who rose to the highest position among the people of Earth, replied while biting her lips.

“Don’t you think the connection is completely severed?”

“It is the world I was born in. There’s no way it was so easily severed. The connection is definitely there.”

“But at least with our abilities, it isn’t possible to reconnect it.”

“……”

The experiment they were carrying out was none other than attempting to connect two worlds. In the past, anyone else would have snorted at the thought of it, but it was something that happened naturally until just a while ago on Earth.

“…….Despite that.”

Kang MiRae felt a little down after hearing Irma’s words, but came to herself and replied.

“I can only continue working hard until it succeeds. Whether it is for the people here in Lanpas that want to go back to Earth, or for those people trapped in other worlds too.”

“Why don’t you just honestly say you want to see Mr. Yu IlHan?”

“Yes, I want to see him.”

Kang MiRae’s honestly put Irma at a loss for words. However, Kang MiRae only blushed a little, but did not have much of a change in her expression even as she continued speaking.”

“I wanted to see him 365 days a year, so I cannot say I do not want to see him. It wasn’t this bad even when I was separated with YuNa for 10 years.”

“Uh, hey……. sorry. I mentioned it since you didn’t look like you acknowledged that…… fuu, how quickly times change.”

“It’s fine.”

Kang MiRae giggled seeing Irma An Ill’ta’s red face. Only she would be able to make the empress of an empire panic so much.

“The related skills are rising rapidly, so I believe that I’ll be able to achieve results soon.”

“…..Yes. I also wish for Earth to be reconnected to Lanpas, and other worlds too. I want to participate in your wedding after all.”

“Wedding, you say……”

Kang MiRae seemed embarrassed after saying that word out loud, but still tapped her cheeks to come back to her usual self.

“There are many competent people around that person. Even if everything goes well, I cannot be assured.”

“So MiRae, you are so militant about everything.”

“Then I’ll take my leave first. I should do the next experiment after I see some results in other things first.”

Kang MiRae checked up on the barrier magic around the area, and picked up her luggage. Everything was battle-oriented in some way or another.

Ever since she was ‘trapped’ in Lanpas, she had been going around dungeons and magic ruins that were still considered the mysteries of this world in order to research a way to go back to Earth, and on the side, to raise her own abilities.

These dungeons were left uncleared for countless years, so their difficulty was unimaginable. However, Kang MiRae was the biggest genius Earth had given birth to (P/R ???!! Ilhan?). On top of her vicious attitude and the support from the imperial family, three whole ruins were newly excavated and conquered within just one year.

“You are going to go right away? Even though the ruins have just been excavated?”

The empress spoke while looking at her with worried eyes.

“Why don’t you rest for a day? Magic ruins are not simple things, you may lose your life due to a moment of carelessness.”

“I do feel quite threatened since its coming from the person who almost blew up an entire empire for a single ruin.”

“That again, sheesh.”

Thinking back to the incident that occurred in the ruins where the very essence of magic engineering was located, the two exchanged small smiles. At that time, it was no different from a disaster, but now, they were just good memories. The power of time was frightening.

“So it’s been a year already……”

“It’s ‘only’ been a year …….I do not plan to leave that as memories, nor do I intend to give up.”

“And I thought you just regained your leisure, but whipping yourself again?”

“Then I’ll take my leave.”

With those words, Kang MiRae turned around. Unlike her lively voice, her feeble shoulders looked very shaky and made the empress sigh while looking at her back.

“Please don’t die.”

“I do not plan to. I still have people I need to meet.”

Her own brother Kang HaJin, who made her able to breathe in the stuck up world of the higher society, and strict education. Her friend Na YuNa, who had been with her for her entire life whether it was in a good way or a bad way. And also……

‘If it’s that person, wouldn’t he have achieved 4th class already? Isn’t he hurt somewhere?……. Perhaps he gained another woman?’

Once she thought about Yu IlHan, there was no end. Even though she couldn’t do anything even if she did so. She only took herself for a fool since even she couldn’t stop it even if she knew about it.

Kang MiRae shook off the minor thoughts with a shake of her head, and walked forward, leaving the empress behind. Irma An Ill’ta made a bitter smile and left the scene of the failed experiment.

Meanwhile, two of the people that Kang MiRae thought of were currently…

“Ask for the maiden’s hand in marriage?”

“Lady maiden has also completely become a citizen of our world. His Majesty the emperor does not wish to delay this any further. For the future of the two empires……”

“I hate that old fatty~!”

“O, old fatty!?”

…in a very difficult situation.

“How dare you insult the emperor of the great empire, His majesty Li Catriana!”

“Bleeeh to you!”

“Lady maiden!”

“Chase that fatty out too~! If you don’t, I will. With Lady Leytna’s holy power!”

“Uwaaaaaaaah!”

Na YuNa instantly rejected the envoy from the self-proclaimed empire of Li Catriana, that held power rivalling that of the holy empire of Elforce. And this was no small matter either, this person had brought news pertaining to marriage and the emperor who was in charge of half the continent!

Although they had momentarily made the envoy step back for now, the priests that supported her all grabbed onto her skirt and kneeled down with pale faces.

“Lady maiden, the opponent is an emperor!”

“They do not fear the power of Lady Leytna. What are you planning to do?”

“I’m not afraid of such a fatso either!”

Unlike her usual leisurely self, she was really enraged, and the priests retreated due to her forceful attitude, when she spoke in resolve.

“They’ll wage war on us soon so get ready~.”

“War!?”

The people shouted in shock, but Na YuNa calmly nodded.

“They were already all over the place, trying to come up with ways to swallow Elforce. If that guy married me, things would become easier, and if I reject, that guy would use that as an excuse to invade~.”

“Don’t you think he just fell for you……?”

“That doesn’t even need to be considered. Whether it was me then Elforce, or Elforce then me, he wouldn’t have cared.”

Na YuNa’s confidence was piercing the skies as always today.

“We were going to fight them anyway so get prepared. Perhaps they already have an army prepared so please evacuate the civilians first, and let’s talk about the rest after I talk about this to Her Holiness.

When Na YuNa stood up from the seat, Kang HaJin, her guardian knight also followed her up. The priests could only see them out absentmindedly. However, that was just for a moment, and they started talking to each other with sighs.

“I guess it can’t be helped.”

“We need to follow the lady’s orders. Moreover, I also didn’t like that emperor so much.”

“I also wanted to see the scene of Lady maiden kicking that pig’s ass. We’ll wage the most beautiful war under the name of the goddess Leytna.

“Well, then. Let’s start a war.”

Since the maiden had decided, their intentions did not matter and this war was inevitable. If so, they could only accept their fate and start a war. Na YuNa’s current authority over Elforce was just that much.

Like that, the war between the two strongest countries of Breya, was set in stone.

“YuNa, will it be alright?”

Meanwhile, Kang HaJin asked Na YuNa in a worried voice as she walked in the hallway with her high heels clicking on the ground.

“I’m not alright.”

“…….”

However, Kang HaJin panicked since he didn’t think that he would get an answer like that, when Na YuNa vented her frustration on the ground.

“That shameless fatso. It makes me angry just thinking about it.”

“There were a lot of men who tried to approach you that way in the past too. Moreover, this was the emperor of another country we’re talking about. Couldn’t you have declined more nicely?”

“But they’re preparing for war anyway. Unless I accept the marriage, we would have to fight anyway so there is no need to ‘politely decline’. ”

True, there was no need to do that. However even in the situation where she didn’t need to do all that, Na YuNa put on a mask. Perhaps it was a sort of a self-defense mechanism to not show her inner self, but that made a lot of other people misunderstand.

“Well, if we did as you said, we might have delayed the war.”

“You know it too.”

And so, she didn’t do that.

“However, to do that, I would have had to meet that fatso at least once, and that guy may have schemed something. In the first place, I’m a woman with an owner. there’s no way I’d give room for any other men.”

“…….You changed a lot too thanks to Sir IlHan.”

“But Mr. IlHan doesn’t like lies.”

“Really, a sinful guy.”

“You said it. He left me here for such a long time.”

Na YuNa nodded at Kang HaJin’s words. Then, she giggled after looking at Kang HaJin.

“Are you jealous~?”

“Nah. I’m relieved that you finally found a proper partner…… though, it does pain me that you chose Sir IlHan out of all people out there.”

Well, Yu IlHan was a capable man alright. However, his sister, who looked like she’d have nothing to do with love for her entire life and her friend had been smitten by him. Even though he didn’t believe in fate until now, he had no choice but to do so now.

However, as if she knew everything he was thinking, Na YuNa laughed at him.

“MiRae won’t be able to seduce him anyway~. But before that, what are you worried about when both our families seem like they’re up in the air?”

“Before I’m a member of my family, I only wish for my sister to do well with the person she likes, as her brother.”

“Even if you say that, I won’t give him to her~.”

Na YuNa stopped there and sighed.

“Giving him or whatnot. We can only talk about that when he is here.”

“And you did something when he was with you? I heard you were together until the 3rd Great Cataclysm……”

“Fuu.”

After a small sigh, she kicked Kang HaJin’s shin with her heels. Her strike enhanced with holy power that became stronger by the day, contained the power to make a paladin kneel.

“Kergh!”.”

“I’ll go meet Her Holiness so wait here~! Think about what you did wrong!”

“She did, something alright….. Kergh!”

***

Meanwhile, the man who was left alone on Earth while countless other people were fighting their battles in countless different worlds, was…

[Kuaaaaaaaaah!]

[Kihiiiiiiiih!]

[Kuho, Humaaaaaaaaaaaaan!]

[What are doing by making dungeons explode in succession like that! Kyaaak, Overflow, it’s an Overflow!}

“Overflow! Great, prepare to fire!”

[Kyaaaaak!]

…not stopping at weeding out the very roots of the monsters on Earth even after one year, and was currently occupied with making dungeons explode.

Author’s notes

This is the 200th chapter. Although there is still a long path left, the number 200 makes me proud for some reason. Thanks for being with me until now, and please take care of me in the future.

This chapter is quite similar to the last one. I’ve shown you the figures of Kang MiRae and Na YuNa, who are second most important people after the main character, in a single chapter. Even though I know that many of you want to see IlHan and is disappointed, I can’t afford to leave this out…… so I’ll promise. Next chapter will be about IlHan alone.

I talked about an event. It’s nothing complex. I’ll have a popularity poll to celebrate chapter 200. Please write just ONE ‘favorite character’ on the comments. I’ll be thankful if you write the reason, but it will be fine if you don’t mention that.

(Stuff about voting rules and time)

(Stuff about announcing results)