Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 235: I’ve Returned
“This place… is it the study in the villa? Did I come back?”
A place unfamiliar to him. He had been talking to a high school girl somewhere in rural Japan, but before he knew it, he was back in his original location.
In Rest’s hand was an old wooden box.
The open lid revealed an empty interior—there was nothing inside.
“…It wasn’t a dream, was it?”
A hallucination, perhaps?
At the very least, it was impossible for such a thing to have truly happened in reality.
“…The Dowager Queen… No, Shouko…”
“Rest-san, is something the matter?”
A voice called from the hallway.
When he turned around, he saw Celestine peeking into the room.
“That box… it’s empty, isn’t it? What was inside?”
“Lady Celestine… How much time has passed since then?”
“How much time…? I’m sorry, but I don’t quite understand what you mean.”
“I mean… how long has it been since you left the room?”
When Rest rephrased the question, Celestine, though puzzled, answered.
“I was gone for about five minutes. I checked the basement—it seemed to be a storage area, likely for food supplies. It had already been cleared out, with only empty wooden crates and burlap sacks left behind.”
“I see…”
It had felt like he had been talking for at least thirty minutes, but only five minutes had passed.
Did time flow differently in that place? He felt like a mini version of Urashima Tarou.
“…If there was nothing in the basement, then there’s nothing left in this villa. We should leave.”
According to Shouko’s story, the Dowager Queen had no deeper reason for spending her final years here. She simply wanted to spend her last moments in a place resembling her hometown from her past life.
If that was the case, then nothing more valuable than this wooden box remained.
Rest closed the empty box and returned it to the drawer.
“We’ll leave the villa as it is—until the day it naturally crumbles away.”
“…If that is your wish, Rest-san, then so be it. This land is already yours. You may do as you please.”
“Yeah… Alright, let’s go. Sorry for making you go through all this trouble.”
For Rest, this trip had yielded results—he had gained insight into why the Dowager Queen had failed in Rodel’s education and learned about the secret society opposing the Sage Council.
But for Celestine, it had been nothing but a pointless detour. He couldn’t help but feel guilty.
“I don’t mind. We cause you trouble as well, after all.”
“Hm? What do you mean by that?”
“I… No, the royal family and the Crocus House will continue to trouble you in the future. Compared to that, this is a minor inconvenience.”
Having proven his capabilities in multiple battles, Rest was no longer someone who could claim to be uninvolved in central politics.
Sooner or later, he would be burdened with issues that concerned the nation’s very survival.
“If there’s anything I can do, please don’t hesitate to ask. It would put me at ease.”
“…I’ll do what I can.”
Rest shrugged at Celestine’s words.
Having royal matters dumped on him was the last thing he wanted, but it was his own ambition that had led him to this point.
If he had truly wished for an ordinary life, he would have never entered the Royal Academy or involved himself with the Rosemary sisters.
(I chose to climb higher, fully aware of the consequences. Complaining about the responsibilities that come with privilege would be selfish, wouldn’t it? Yeah.)
Convincing himself, Rest turned his back on the villa where the Dowager Queen had spent her final days.