The Problem Is That the Enemy Country Is Too Warm

Before she died, Charmaine took the lives of both the Commander-in-Chief of Elium and the Magic Tower lord affiliated with Elium then offered them to her lord.

In the heart of that country.

She wondered if she had gone mad before dying.

As Alexandro looked at Charmaine strangely, he couldn’t help but push her aside and enter the building.

Despite being incredibly short, the raccoon skillfully handled objects tailored to the average human height. Using a long pole that Charmaine had never seen before, Alexandro swept the curtains and dusted off the dust.

“Goodness, look at all this dust! The customers will run away if they see this.”

Charmaine followed Alexandro, who was moving busily, and whispered discreetly.

“I am not Charmaine.”

“Huh? What’s that supposed to mean? Are you talking nonsense because you’re hungry?”

“I am Charmaine, but… I’m different from the Charmaine you know. Is this really Elium?”

Upon hearing that, Alexandro stopped in his tracks and stared intently at her.

“….”

Charmaine politely greeted the shocked raccoon.

“I don’t know why this has happened, but I will return as soon as possible. The Charmaine you are looking for is not here right now. Please don’t worry, I won’t ever cause harm to this body.”

“…Are you really going crazy right now?”

“Yes? No, not that. No, well… I guess I might sound crazy too… But…”

The raccoon clicked his tongue.

“You’re always doing strange things, staying up all night doing magic and all sorts of nonsense, and then sleeping all day. You even said you wanted wings. Get yourself together and eat the sweet potatoes! I’m busy, so I have to go. Don’t waste them, eat them all!”

Alexandro covered his ears and left.

Thunk—!

The wooden door slammed shut and Charmaine stood frozen in place like a statue.

“What is this?”

But the raccoon was already gone, and all that remained for her was a basket piled high with boiled sweet potatoes.

“What should I do?”

She didn’t know much else, but one thing was certain.

The most serious event of her life had just occurred.

***

Her mind was confused, but her senses were entirely focused on the food left behind by the raccoon.

Even Charmaine, who usually ate just enough to survive, felt strange.

Did this body like to eat?

Her appetite was growing stronger.

Charmaine reluctantly sat awkwardly on the floor and began eating the boiled sweet potatoes left behind by the raccoon beastman, trying to organize her thoughts.

But as soon as she took a bite of the sweet potato, the confusion that had filled her mind vanished instantly.

Even if she tried to calmly think about the situation, her taste buds kept interfering, taking her senses to heavenly heights.

“… It’s sweet.”

How could it be so sweet?

Even when she roasted and ate sweet potatoes during her days in the battlefield without eating anything for days, they didn’t taste this good.

These sweet potatoes had both moistness and sweetness at the same time.

Not only were they boiled, but the parts that were pressed together seemed intentionally concentrated, giving them a deep flavor, almost as if they were enchanted with magic.

She wondered why could she taste the sweet and rich caramel flavor and aroma from the sweet potatoes.

It was a taste she desperately wanted to savor, almost to the point of greedily devouring them.

Charmaine indulged herself and took big bites of the sweet potato.

Her cheeks swelled.

She took a mouthful, swallowed it down with a gulp, then another and another.

She looked at the diminishing sweet potato as if observing it, reluctant to waste any, and then took another bite. It was delicious indeed.

Charmaine found herself in an old antique shop.

She had woken up in a small room attached to a small shop bearing the grand name of <Charmaine’s Secret Antique Shop>.

The owner of this place seemed to be a person named Charmaine Pepe, who had a lovely appearance.

How could her hair be such a unique sky-blue color, resembling a wide, sprawling sky or the scales of a mermaid?

It appeared differently each time it caught the light, sometimes appearing pale and at other times showing various colors.

She was someone with a bright color completely different from Charmaine, who had thick black hair and deep purple eyes, which symbolized her magical prowess.

Charmaine saw herself in this body without knowing how it happened or where the original owner of this body had gone.

In addition to that, she had no idea why this had happened, and naturally, she had no way of going back.

Regardless, Charmaine concluded that she had to stay here until the original owner returned.

After all, it wouldn’t be good if the owner came back and found her body missing.

“Ah.”

Then it wasn’t a good idea to tell the raccoon that someone else had entered this body.

She regretted it belatedly, but the raccoon was already gone.

Charmaine gave up and closed her eyes, trying to read her own aura.

“…”

She didn’t feel her aura since it wasn’t her body, but her mana remained.

The mana that Charmaine had as a 7-star mage was still intact.

“Is the mana still present because the soul is still there?”

Fortunately, it seemed that she hadn’t been sealed upon her death.

She didn’t know what her disciples had done.

Although her last moments were in the hands of her disciples under Rakan’s command, she trusted them enough not to resent them.

There must have been a reason for her disciples to act that way.

Or perhaps she had a considerable amount of mana, to begin with.

Come to think of it, that strange raccoon beastman seemed to mention something about magic.

She could feel the presence of her own magic, although not distinctly.

It felt as if her own mana was merging with the mana of this body.

‘Well, if it’s just this much.’

Charmaine couldn’t sense her auras, but she had honed her swordsmanship with her body, so she should be able to defend herself.

Fortunately, it seemed unlikely that she would encounter any situations where she had to kill people in this small antique shop.

The problem was that there was no sign of a sword in this small antique shop.

There were no magic books, magical tools, or magic wands either.

Despite that, Charmaine could still use magic without any tools.

Still, having tools would make it easier and require less effort to use magic, so she looked around, but there was nothing of the sort.

To be able to use magic without tools…

‘Maybe this person is more talented than I thought.’

Lost in thought, Charmaine absentmindedly continued eating until she realized that the sweet potato had reached the bottom.

“Well, I can’t help it. I should at least clean up until the owner returns.”

I have to pay for what I ate.

Even when sitting still, the accumulated so much that it was enough to make her cough.

“Pepe! Pretty! Open the door! Miya is here!”

Knock! Knock!

But not long after, someone knocked on the door loudly.

The old door, which seemed like it could fall apart any moment, was desperately clinging to the latch, using all its strength.

Charmaine reluctantly put down the empty basket and quickly stood up from her seat.

And as soon as she opened the door, she was surprised once again.

The second customer was a long-necked woman with white hair.

Judging by her half-extended, pointed ears protruding through her hair and emerald green eyes like precious gems, she seemed to be a half-elf.

She looked like an elf, except her height was average, and her ears were slightly shorter.

Encountering both a raccoon beastman and a half-elf in just a day, after being revived… Today was truly a peculiar day.

Could this be a dream after all?

“Charmaine Pepe! Did you sleep well?”

“…Greetings.”

Charmaine greeted her with a nod.

The half-elf frowned and waved her hand.

“Oh, what’s with that greeting? Did you read another strange book? Why is your voice so low? You didn’t catch a cold, did you? If there’s any medicine left from the one I gave you before, take it. Don’t cry or feel sorry for being sick. Oh, and the thing you wanted arrived this morning. Here, take it. You said you wanted it so desperately. Is this the right one?”

Charmaine confidently nodded her head without even checking the box.

“If it’s an important item, I’ll keep it even if I have to risk my life.”

Upon hearing that, the half-elf widened her eyes and then laughed, lightly flicking Charmaine’s throat.

“Why? It’s not that big of a deal. You don’t have to be so moved; I’m the one who prepared it, so I should be grateful. I went through a lot of trouble to get it. I had to search the entire forest for it, you know?”

Charmaine nodded, remembering something, and urgently asked the half-elf.

“If it’s not too much to ask, may I ask you about something?”

“Really, why are you speaking so formally today? What do you want to ask? Is the respected Charmaine in a particularly good mood today? Did the sun rise from the west?”

“Do you happen to know today’s date?”

“Date? It’s May 1st today, isn’t it?”

May 1st.

Charmaine still felt something strange and asked again.

“Then, how many years have passed in the Imperial Calendar…?”

“Why are you like this all of a sudden? The Imperial Calendar, huh? It’s the 192nd year of Elium. Anyway, I’ve opened the shop and come here, so I have to go back now. If there’s any problem with the item, come to the shop!”

The half-elf glanced at Charmaine strangely, smiled brightly, waved her hand, and disappeared.

Charmaine’s head felt numb from the whirlwind of events.

The 192nd year of Elium.

Elium collapsed and crumbled after losing to Lunteubel in the war, precisely in the 1,028th year of the Imperial Calendar, which was Elium’s 199th year.