The journey took longer than expected.
Having lost all the convenience I had grown accustomed to while traveling with many companions, walking alone felt like learning to walk all over again.
But it wasn't bad. Though slower than before, I was more skilled, and even when I was out of breath, I didn't feel rushed.
People in the world were still very interested in the Resurrected One, but they no longer pursued me by force as they used to. That alone was enough to put my mind at ease.
"But I really can't tell what's changed."
All that fuss about authority and whatnot, yet how is it that the world seems utterly unchanged?
At the very least, if the sun had become two, or the sky had turned pink, even I, who executed the final authority, would feel a bit proud.
The only change I can perceive is that I have become utterly ordinary.
As I blankly stared up at the sky and shook my head, the black horse carrying me snorted.
[Have I not come to stand by your side like this, Captain?]
"That's precisely why I say it, Nadav. With you by my side, it feels even more so. I have absolutely no idea what has changed."
[I know for certain.]
"Oh?"
I looked down at Nadav with a surprised expression, and he made a light clip-clop sound with his hooves as he spoke.
[Before, there was hardly anyone who could defeat me, but now, if I receive a dangerous attack, I truly think I would die.]
"...That is a tremendous change indeed."
So you've just become an ordinary Dullahan. A Dullahan with the special skill of transforming into an animal, but not one that is overwhelmingly terrifying.
"We absolutely must not get caught by holy knights."
Mentioning holy knights reminded me of Samuel. My last memory was of cutting off his arm and seizing his divine power in a fit of rage.
Samuel must have bled a lot, but he probably didn't die. Xenon was there too, so he likely stopped the bleeding and had him treated.
When I rested at an inn, I once overheard a rumor in passing about a promising holy knight of the High Priest being seriously injured.
Hearing that, I guessed that Samuel had returned to the Temple.
As for his life after that... he'll manage on his own.
"Anyway, Nadav, I'm glad I met even you. On the way here, I didn't run into a single person, and I was so worried."
My attempt to inquire about Minte and Bark's news through rats in the capital ended in glorious failure.
I succeeded in re-establishing contact with the imperial crow I had once formed a connection with, but Bark was not found within the imperial palace.
Minte wasn't in the capital either. I had been sure she would be there, so I was quite heartbroken, but there was nothing else I could do.
I couldn't wander the capital forever, so I decided to look for Nadav first.
If Nadav hadn't been there either, I would have been truly disheartened, but fortunately, I have now reclaimed my black horse.
The relief and joy I felt when we reunited was overwhelming, even thinking back on it.
[If they have awakened, everyone will be moving to meet you, Captain.]
"Yes, they all will."
Because we promised to meet again.
I tightly gripped Nadav's reins. Since the rest Minte and Bark desired is life itself, they must be somewhere. The other Dullahans too—those who said we'd meet again must be somewhere.
I decided not to think too hastily.
I must move slowly but steadily. After all, there's nothing bothering me now.
* * *
...I thought there was nothing bothering me.
I stared ahead with a bewildered expression.
I just wanted to have a meal in this small village.
No matter how much camping experience I have, I still can't cook with my own hands, so I had to settle for a meal at a shabby restaurant.
And if the root of the trouble was taking out a gold coin because I had no small change, then so be it.
I paid as quietly as possible, saying I didn't need the change, but it seems I couldn't completely hide the gold coin.
"Where are you off to in such a hurry?"
"Seeing someone carrying a large sum without a single escort, they must be a wanted criminal!"
The men blocking my way exchanged dialogue so clichéd it sounded hackneyed.
"That horse looks very expensive."
"If they can afford to lead such a horse, they must have some money, right?"
This damned world, it really ought to be ruined.
Final authority or whatever, I should have just ignored it all and watched it crumble.
Belatedly regretting and sighing, I first patted Nadav's neck to calm him down.
[If need be, I will trample them with my front hooves.]
Yes, even to my eyes, these men looked like they'd all be knocked down by Nadav's front hooves, so they weren't even threatening.
More than that, I was just dumbfounded by this familiar situation I'd been in once before.
Why is it that all bad guys say the same things?
"My circumstances are none of your concern... if I say that, you'll probably say you won't let me go without my purse, right?"
"Oh, you know your place well!"
"But your voice is quite pretty, are you a young lady?"
The men smirked.
Even a quick glance showed this was a small village, a rural area with no permanent garrison in sight.
That meant there was no one to immediately stop these men from picking the pockets of passing travelers for a few coins.
They knew that too, which is why they boldly blocked my path in broad daylight.
This probably wasn't their first time robbing like this.
"By any measure, the rampant evil is humans, isn't it, Nadav?"
"Huh? Who are you talking to?"
"Not you, so don't mind it."
Just as I was about to order Nadav to roughly kick them away, pressing my forehead—
Whoosh!
Something large swiftly emerged and inserted itself between the men.
[Many threatening a single one! You cowards!]
I couldn't help but widen my eyes.
"Wh-what is that?"
[Have you no heart to cherish your own kind?!]
The men, startled by the beast baring its teeth threateningly, hesitated and looked around warily.
Their dilemma didn't last long. Without proper weapons, they couldn't defeat the wolf's fierce fangs.
As they slowly backed away and then quickly fled, the righteous wolf, who had been glaring at them with wary eyes, finally turned to look at me.
"Don't be afraid! He looks a bit fierce, but he doesn't bite."
[You weak male! A male who cannot protect his mate is not worthy of being a male! I did not teach you that!]
"Stop growling. You're scaring her."
A gentle voice, a figure struggling to control the unruly wolf. Everything was familiar.
"...I'm not scared. Thanks to that wolf, I avoided a dangerous situation."
He paused while roughly stroking the wolf's head.
He raised his head and belatedly noticed Nadav beside me. After looking at Nadav with a surprised face, he turned his gaze to me this time.
"You......"
I had only tightly wrapped my face in a hood, without using any magical artifact to alter my appearance.
He stared intently into my eyes. The way he gazed at me without blinking made me want to laugh for some reason.
Questions like 'How are you here?' or 'What have you been doing?' didn't come.
I just laughed. Because I truly hadn't even imagined we would reunite in such an absurd way.
The reunion I had imagined for us was a bit more romantic and plausible.
Not a chance encounter on a dusty roadside like this, but something more splendid.
A reunion set against a backdrop of dazzling magic, or within a beautifully decorated castle.
'No, what's the use of all that?'
In the end, meeting again is what matters more.
"Perfect timing. I was just looking for someone to cook for me."
"...Is that so?"
"You, are you good at cooking?"
Perhaps sensing the laughter in my question, the corners of his eyes twitched slightly.
He seemed vaguely resentful, or perhaps glad to see me.
"Yes. I am good."
He answered in a suppressed voice, bit his lip, fell silent, then quickly added,
"I even received special training from an imperial palace chef."
"...An imperial palace chef?"
"You won't find someone like me anywhere else, you know?"
Feigning brazenness, he strode briskly toward me. As he drew near, he took a deep breath and carefully pulled down the hood covering my face.
With a soft rustle, the tightly hidden silver hair cascaded down like a waterfall. The stifling cloth covering my face was all gone.
I saw Xenon's expression rapidly crumble as he confirmed my face.
"...Ha."
Xenon let out a hollow laugh and finally contorted his face.
"You left that huge castle entirely to me, and you yourself are like this......"
"I was on my way."
To soothe the overflowing resentment, I raised my hand and gently cupped his cheek.
"I was on my way to you. And to gather my Dullahans along the way."
Seeing him up close, I could clearly see his lips trembling. Facing his moist golden eyes that looked ready to burst into tears at any moment, I was simply happy.
It might sound sorry, but I was truly in too good a mood right now.
"I didn't know you'd come out to meet me like this, though."
"When, where... No, never mind."
Xenon, who had been rambling incoherently, tightly pressed his lips together and stopped speaking. He seemed barely able to manage his surging emotions.
Perhaps unable to bear showing a crying face, he took a long time to steady his breathing and regain his composure.
Only then did he ask again, with feigned nonchalance.
"What should we do now? Are you setting off to destroy the world this time?"
I couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"That's not a bad idea, but shall we first find my Dullahans and consider it?"
"Good. You know a mage's labor isn't cheap, right?"
"Oh, I wasn't planning to hire a mage."
As I slightly removed my hand from Xenon's cheek, he eagerly grabbed my hand and guided it back to cup his cheek.
Then he said in an intentionally firm tone,
"Not just any mage, but a mage trained in cooking by an imperial palace chef. Plus, the future Tower Master, and also the administrator of Veladia Castle."
I could let the preceding modifiers slide, but what's this about the administrator of Veladia Castle?
Listening to his extravagantly embellished self-introduction, I couldn't stop laughing.
...No, in truth, just facing each other like this made me feel that way. Ah, if I hadn't asked Xenon to wait, what would have happened?
"Well, rather than all those things......"
After a brief pause, I brought my face close to his and whispered softly.
"How about accompanying me as a versatile and adorable lover?"
The distance was so close our noses almost touched, so there wasn't much in my field of vision. But one thing was certain: he was smiling.
"I truly cannot keep up with you."
Our lips met, and a warm breath rushed in.
It was a very warm heat that made me realize I was alive in this moment.
My journey had begun again. We, who reunited at its end, would spend a lifetime of joy in Veladia Castle.
It was finally the rest I had longed for.
<Please Don't Look for the Resurrected Villainess>,
Main Story Complete.