TPSR 22

Chapter 22

The room was tidy, just as expected. It wasn’t a luxurious feather-stuffed bed, but there was a single bed that wasn’t too hard, made with a proper mix of straw and cotton. There was a well-maintained oak wardrobe and even a small tea table for enjoying tea.

Beyond the window, the dim view of the village stretched out at a glance.

‘Compared to the rotting stench of a prison, this is practically luxury.’

Yes—perhaps not before my regression, but after enduring every humiliation and being locked in an underground cell, even this felt like more than I deserved.

I roughly removed only my outer coat and draped it over a chair before flopping onto the bed.

Around that time, I heard the faint sound of Damian entering the room next door.

Listening to the subtle noise, I drifted into shallow thought.

‘From here to the Land of the Mages without rest… a day and a half.’

It would be nice if I could persuade that person in one attempt.

But would that really be possible?

Anxiety suddenly crept in.

Of course, no matter how long it took, I intended to make him my ally.

But the longer it dragged on, the more it would be the same as letting the imperial family get a hold of us.

I bit my lip lightly—not hard enough to hurt—then pushed myself up with a small grunt.

“Let’s not worry about it right now.”

Everything would unfold after we arrived anyway.

Perhaps because my legs were shorter now, I had to hop off the not-so-tall bed to reach the floor.

I wrapped the cloak I had hung over the chair around myself again.

“Then shall I accomplish the reason I came here?”

The truth was, choosing Jeda as a stopover hadn’t simply been a whim.

After training with Damian for the past ten days, a thought had occurred to me.

If Damian had become a Swordmaster sooner… wouldn’t the fate of the Carter Grand Ducal House have been different?

If he had possessed the strength to protect the family—and Carlos—perhaps they wouldn’t have collapsed so easily.

Being a Swordmaster wasn’t merely a title that proved martial prowess.

The position itself was power.

How many Swordmasters were there on the continent? Only a handful. If such a person belonged to the Carter Grand Ducal House, even the Emperor would not dare act recklessly.

And in fact, that had been the case.

Before my regression, after Damian attained the rank of Swordmaster, the imperial family’s public pressure had noticeably decreased. The eyes of the people and neighboring nations had turned toward the Carter Grand Ducal House.

‘Which is why I stepped in instead of the Emperor and pressured those two more discreetly.’

…Ha.

I really did a lot of terrible things.

I shook my head.

Originally, Damian was meant to become a Swordmaster two years from now, just before turning eighteen.

But that was too late.

I knew what the Emperor could accomplish in two years. I knew how much further the Carter Grand Ducal House could deteriorate in that time.

‘If done well, I can move it up by a year.’

The youngest Swordmaster.

Once that fact was announced, the Emperor would no longer be able to pressure them so freely.

‘I have to use every method available to help.’

That was what turning back time meant.

The information I knew. The future I knew. The methods I knew. I had to use all of it.

No matter the means.

That was why I had chosen Jeda as a stopover.

The key to accelerating Damian’s awakening was here.

“First, let’s confirm it.”

I tightened my cloak and opened the door.

Jeda’s night was quiet.

Perhaps because it was a small city, even near the center, there wasn’t a single shop with its lights on at nearly ten o’clock. Yet rather than eerie, the atmosphere felt peaceful.

Leaving the inn was easier than expected.

The necklace Carlos had given me concealed not only my appearance but also my presence.

Damian was in the room next door, but after the faint sound of him entering earlier, there had been no movement. Either he had fallen asleep immediately from exhaustion, or he simply hadn’t noticed me leaving.

Either way, it was fortunate.

If I’d been caught, it would have caused a commotion.

‘He would’ve interrogated me about where I was going.’

And what would I have said? That I was going to the Moonlight Market to buy a Holy Sword? It would have sounded absurd.

I couldn’t explain yet.

I’d tell him later—when everything was prepared.

‘It should be around here.’

I passed the main road and entered an alley, glancing around.

In the pitch-black alley ahead, I spotted a faint shimmering light.

‘Found it.’

So it still existed at this time.

I pulled my cloak tightly over myself and quickly crossed the alley.

Soon I stopped in front of a small door wedged between two buildings.

A narrow, old wooden door barely wide enough for one person to enter.

Light leaked out from the cracks.

I observed it briefly before turning the handle.

Despite looking like it would crumble at the slightest touch, the handle turned smoothly.

And then—

“…Wow.”

My breath caught without me realizing it.

Unlike the narrow entrance, the interior was vast.

Though it had been a tiny door squeezed between buildings, inside stretched an endless, expansive space.

Spatial magic was truly remarkable no matter how many times I saw it.

A warm, cozy energy enveloped my body. Golden light poured from hundreds of candles and lamps hanging from the ceiling.

Bustling crowds and loud shouts echoed everywhere.

“Magic potions! High resistance to demonic energy—usable even near the capital!”

“Artifacts capable of storing large amounts of mana for only three gold!”

“Young man, don’t you need this subspace pouch? With this, you could move an entire estate!”

“I’ll make it cheap! One gold discount!”

The Moonlight Market.

A massive marketplace where mages unable to reach the Land of the Mages gathered to trade goods and find refuge.

In particular, refined stones that sold at high prices outside could be obtained here relatively cheaply.

Because its existence was thoroughly hidden from outsiders, no one could pinpoint its exact location. However, across the continent were entrances perceptible only to mages.

And Jeda was the only western city that possessed a gateway leading here.

Ordinarily, as a non-mage, I shouldn’t have been able to find this entrance.

But now, my entire body was wrapped in mana from the artifact Carlos had given me. Thanks to that, I was able to enter.

‘Another loophole I happened to discover during my time as a princess.’

…Back then, under the Emperor’s orders, I had led a crackdown on the Moonlight Market.

I had shut down entrances across the Empire and confiscated all the refined stones.

It was a time when I would do anything to receive my father’s favor.

A bitter smile formed on my lips.

I had truly been foolish then.

I shook my head.

Now was not the time to regret the past.

Removing the hood that covered half my face, I quickly crossed the market.

Fortunately, no one paid particular attention to a small, ordinary brown-haired girl. Everyone was too busy with their own business.

After passing through the maze-like market corridors and entering a less crowded alley—

A massive man stepped in front of me, blocking my path.