The Problem Is That the Enemy Country Is Too Warm

Elium, which had been a symbol of peace, disappeared into the hands of the Lunteubel Empire, which had guarded the millennium, before the 200th year.

It was strangely peaceful, as if the country had known nothing of war.

Time had reversed.

“Why? Who would do such a thing…”

Something suddenly came to Charmaine’s mind.

Could it be the disciples…? Did they really do this for me?

No, it couldn’t be. But the only people by my side were my disciples.

They were the ones whom I cherished more than my own life.

Of course, the people who had condemned her to death were also her disciples. Although it was the Lord’s command.

“Why on earth….”

Anyway, this place was in the heart of Elium, and it was still seven years before the outbreak of the war.

That meant it was before Lunteubel declared a continental war.

It doesn’t mean that Lunteubel and Elium were not hostile, but even during this period, their relationship was not as bad as it had been after the outbreak of the continental war.

The heart of the enemy’s territory. Seven years ago. Peace.

Charmaine repeated those three words in her mind over and over again.

Is this really before the war?

If so, does that mean I can prevent the war from happening?

Charmaine didn’t like the war. It was not something she had wanted in the first place.

She was just a dog who followed her Lord’s command.

But she certainly had responsibility for the war as well.

There had been times when she regretted that she couldn’t have prevented the war if she could.

Even though she had become a person who had lost her sanity after being soaked in the blood of thousands.

Charmaine felt something boiling inside her.

She could turn it back.

Her own mistakes.

* * *

“Handle it carefully. Keep it safe. Repeat.”

Charmaine repeated those words to herself, both inwardly and outwardly, as she entered the store.

After resting for a while, her mind was somewhat organized.

Then she came up with her own hypothesis.

The owner of this shop must be a very precious and warm person to the people around her.

Otherwise, people wouldn’t come to her like this.

Apart from her disciples, she had never had anyone come to her for such ordinary matters.

And looking at the fact that she had no wounds on her body, she was not someone who had rolled and tumbled in the battlefield like her.

If she made a mistake or did something wrong, she knew that the owner of this body would be greatly disappointed when she returned.

She had told the raccoon beastman that she was not Charmaine, but in her heart, she knew that she couldn’t continue pretending to be her in the future.

If someone tells the precious person that someone else has entered her body, she might be shocked.

Even if it’s the enemy country, I should show some respect.

She decided that she would pretend to be the owner of the antique shop, Charmaine Pepe, and try to avoid interacting with customers as much as possible until she could find a way to return to her own body.

Return?

Charmaine heard a voice in her head, mocking her thoughts.

That’s right. She had nowhere to return.

“What should I do?”

If she returned to her own body, would she go back to the moment right before her death? Would she have to experience that despair and pain once again?

Would she be chained to a leash, forced to look at his face? Or would she be sent back in time?

Even if she regained her original body, she would have to prepare for war as she did before unless she ran away.

But could she do that, knowing his true intentions?

Rather than preventing the war, she could face an even more terrible death for not following her Lord’s command.

Even now, she was disgusted by herself, who was covered in blood. It would be better to end her own life than to go through it again.

Am I the only one who knows?

Or does Rakan also know that I disappeared and went back in time?

Her mind became complicated again.

“…I don’t want to go back.”

Without realizing it, her inner thoughts burst out. She, who had never spoken unnecessarily, was talking to herself.

Charmaine shut her mouth, surprised by her own words.

But it was true.

Going back to her body would be fine, but she didn’t want to go back to Lunteubel.

Above all, it was uncertain whether she could prevent the war.

Even though her magical power and strength remained the same…

Is there a way to regain my body without going back?

Charmaine thought deeply about whether there was anything she could do here before the war.

There was one thing that needed to be resolved immediately.

She sighed as she held the box that had been handed to her earlier.

She couldn’t open someone else’s belongings.

Charmaine placed the box on a sunny windowsill and covered it with a cloth that was lying on the floor.

* * *

After she woke up from a deep contemplation, it was late afternoon.

“I guess I can clean up a bit.”

After devouring the sweet potatoes given by the raccoon, Charmaine chose to clean as a return favor.

Despite the fact that the raccoon beastman had already dusted off the dust, the cleaning hadn’t been done in a long time, and dust was still piled up everywhere.

Every time she moved, dust rose, causing her to cough. Moreover, there was no organization or tidiness whatsoever, so she couldn’t stay lost in thought.

It was certain that the owner had a weak body, but her immune system must have been strong enough.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to run the store for a long time in such a place where she was likely to get sick easily.

Charmaine picked up the broom leaning against the wall.

With a single magical spell, the surroundings could be clean in an instant, but for some reason, she wanted to move her hands.

Sweep, sweep, scrub.

While cleaning, Charmaine suddenly raised her head and noticed a large piece of paper stuck to the wall with something written on it.

“Why didn’t I notice it until now?”

Charmaine put down the broom and approached the paper to read the words written on it.

“Shop rules.”

※Charmaine’s Secret Antique Shop Rules※

First, the door will be opened at 10 a.m. sharp.
Second, closing time is 6 p.m.
Third, never recommend items.
Fourth, only accept requests once a week. (Except for Alexandro’s requests)
Fifth, do not accept requests from the deceased.
Sixth, exchanges are strictly prohibited.
Seventh, each person can only make one transaction per day! Either selling, buying, or requesting.
Eighth, the customers will be the ones to determine the price.
Ninth, Be sure to pay.
Tenth, opened at midnight on April 31st.
Eleventh, closed on weekends, even if there is a war!

After reading until the end, Charmaine’s mind was filled with more questions.

Except for the first, second, third, and seventh rules, everything else seemed strange.

Especially the tenth rule, opening the store at midnight on April 31st. In Lunteubel’s calendar, the 30th was the last day of April.

Since they used the same calendar system, there shouldn’t be a big difference with Elium, but opening the store on a non-existent date only at midnight was definitely strange.

Charmaine picked up the calendar that happened to be on the nearby table.

Since today was May 1st, if she turned to the last page, it would be April.

Elium’s calendar also ended on April 30th.

“April 30th is the end here too. Did she write it wrong?”

Since the owner was not good at tidying up, it was possible that she would confuse the date. Everyone makes mistakes.

The problem was that today was Monday, and the store had to be opened.

Charmaine’s gaze instinctively searched for a clock. When she found the clock, her shoulders trembled.

The clock pointed to 5 p.m.

“Oh no….”

To break the rules on the first day was unacceptable.

“What should I do?”

Charmaine, who had always taken the principles and rules for granted, couldn’t hide her discomfort.

Since she couldn’t open the store, the responsibility rested on her.

While contemplating on what she could do to make amends, Charmaine opened her palm and gathered her strength.

Gradually, a small light emerged and transformed into a small gem.

“This should be enough compensation for a day.”

Although she didn’t know the daily sales revenue of this small shop, one small gem was worth at least a monthly salary of an average job in Lunteubel, so it should be fine.

Charmaine placed the purple gem, which resembled amethyst, on a corner of the tray under the paper with the rules written on it.

* * *

Midnight.

Charmaine had finished cleaning every room.

After moving her body for the first time in a while, she felt not tired but refreshed.

Above all, the fact that there was no smell of blood was the best.

Despite the dusty and musty atmosphere caused by the owner’s actions, it smelled sweet and even seemed to have a hint of comforting herbal scent mixed in. It also seemed to be mixed with the scent of an old book she had smelled in the library before.

‘It’s strange that it smells like this even though it’s not a library and there aren’t even any books…’

While cleaning, she had tried to find the source of the scent, but couldn’t find it.

Perhaps the shop itself had that smell.

“Now, can I sleep?”

Apart from the sweet potatoes she ate earlier, she hadn’t eaten anything else, so she felt a bit hungry, but she didn’t have the habit of preparing a midnight snack except during marches.

Even though she couldn’t fall asleep, she had to force herself to close her eyes for at least an hour to prepare for the next day.

Charmaine went back and forth, wondering where to sleep, then headed to the bed.

It wasn’t her own bed, and she wasn’t particularly comfortable with it, but her body didn’t belong to her, and she wasn’t in a state of exhibition, so she thought it would be okay to sleep comfortably.

Eventually, she reached the bed and lay down in a proper position without any wrinkles, and closed her eyes.

However, a few minutes later, Charmaine quickly opened her eyes as she sensed footsteps near the shop.