"What a sunny day."

Julius murmured to himself as he stepped out of the tent and stretched his arms above his head.

The morning sky was clear without a single gray cloud in sight, and the sun had already climbed high enough to bathe the hilltop in a warm golden glow.

A gentle breeze drifted across the grass, carrying with it the scent of tilted soil. It was the sort of morning that made people feel optimistic for absolutely no reason.

Julius certainly felt optimistic.

The fact that he looked like a man who had spent the last several nights fighting a life-and-death battle against the world-devouring queen was completely unrelated.

His cheeks looked slightly hollow, faint shadows rested beneath his eyes, and his expression carried the exhausted dignity of a soldier returning from war.

Yet despite all of that, a deeply satisfied smile remained plastered across his face.

Whatever had happened inside the tent over the past few hours had clearly left him in excellent spirits.

Slowly making his way toward the edge of the hilltop, Julius gazed down at the village below.

The once anxious settlement had returned to life. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

After discovering that the troublesome bandits had mysteriously disappeared, the villagers had gradually regained their peace of mind.

The fear that had lingered over them for weeks was nowhere to be seen, and their daily routines had resumed as though a heavy weight had finally been lifted from everyone’s shoulders.

It was still early morning, so most of the men were already heading toward the fields carrying farming tools over their shoulders.

Some walked alone while others chatted with neighbors along the dirt roads.

Meanwhile, the women were busy tending to livestock, preparing meals, drawing water, and chasing after energetic children who seemed determined to turn every task into a challenge.

Smoke rose lazily from several chimneys while the sounds of conversation drifted through the village.

Chickens wandered wherever they pleased, apparently convinced they owned the place, while a few dogs lounged in sunny spots with the confidence of creatures who paid neither taxes nor rent.

Looking at the scene, Julius found himself smiling faintly.

’Such a carefree life...’

From his personal perspective, these villagers had somehow stumbled upon what many people spent their entire lives searching for.

They had homes, families, work, and enough peace to enjoy simple things. Every day was likely much the same as the one before it, yet there was a certain comfort in that.

Not that Julius was dissatisfied with his own life.

Well... maybe occasionally.

After all, not everyone could say they had transmigrated into a dangerous world, gotten involved with ancient powers, hidden conspiracies, cliche deadly enemies, and a woman whose methods of expressing affection frequently left him questioning whether he should be flattered or concerned.

Still, there were moments when he wondered what it would be like to spend a few years living as an ordinary farmer.

Wake up, work the fields, return home, eat dinner with family, then sleep peacefully without worrying about anything.

It sounded surprisingly appealing.

As he stood there indulging in those thoughts, the curtain of the nearby tent suddenly shifted.

Rosalina stepped outside.

The contrast between them was almost insulting.

While Julius resembled a man who had barely survived some exhausting ordeal, Rosalina looked as though she had just returned from a luxurious vacation.

Her skin practically glowed beneath the morning sunlight, her cheeks appeared healthy and full of color, and a satisfied smile rested on her lips.

The warm sunlight seemed to gather around her naturally, making her appear far more energetic than any person had a right to be this early in the morning.

Julius glanced at her once before immediately looking away.

Life was unfair.

Rosalina, meanwhile, stood outside the tent for a moment and looked around in silence.

Her gaze swept across the hilltop before eventually settling on Julius in the distance.

Seeing him standing there, she nodded to herself in a satisfied manner as though confirming that a particularly important object had not mysteriously wandered off during the night.

With that matter settled, she turned and walked toward the second tent nearby.

That tent contained Kavin and Jasmine..or rather, what remained of them.

Before entering, Rosalina paused outside and cautiously sniffed the air.

Her expression immediately relaxed.

Good...the smell was gone.

For the past 2 days, the interior of that tent had possessed an odor that could only be described as a biological weapon.

Even Rosalina had refused to enter unless absolutely necessary. Fortunately, time had solved that particular issue.

Raising her hand, she flicked her fingers casually.

A shimmering seven-colored light flowed from her palm like liquid rainbow and struck the surface of the tent.

The moment it made contact, a translucent pyramid-shaped barrier became visible around the entire structure.

The magical construct flickered briefly before dissolving into countless particles of light that drifted away on the wind.

Rosalina let out a small sigh of relief.

Only after the barrier had completely vanished did she push aside the curtain and step inside. The scene that greeted her was unpleasant enough to make her pause.

Kavin and Jasmine’s bodies had completely decomposed. There was no flesh remaining.

Only two clean skeletons rested where their bodies had once been. The sight immediately caused Rosalina to grimace.

She had seen many unpleasant things in her life, but that did not mean she enjoyed looking at them.

The white bones lay exposed in eerie silence, making the tent feel far colder than it actually was.

It was difficult to imagine that only a short time ago those skeletons had belonged to living people capable of speaking, moving, and thinking.

Above each ribcage floated a cube. Those cubes had undergone significant changes compared to when she had last seen them.

One now glowed with a dull crimson color.

The other radiated a muted gray light.

The red cube belonged to Jasmine, while the gray one belonged to Kavin.

Rosalina stared at them for a moment before wrinkling her nose. Just to be safe, she pinched her nose shut with her fingers.

The smell was gone.

Probably.

But there was absolutely no reason to take unnecessary risks.

Carefully approaching the remains, she retrieved both cubes as quickly as possible.

The entire process took only a few moments, yet she remained alert the entire time, half expecting some new horrible smell to suddenly emerge and assault her senses.

Fortunately, nothing happened.

The moment the cubes were safely in her possession, Rosalina turned around and left the tent without the slightest hesitation.

Fresh air greeted her the instant she stepped outside.

"Huff... huff..."

She took several deep breaths, her shoulders rising and falling as though she had just escaped from a dangerous battlefield.

After a few moments, the tension gradually left her body and her breathing returned to normal.

Only then did she lower her hand and look at the two cubes resting in her palm. A relieved expression appeared on her face.

Mission accomplished.

More importantly, she had completed it without encountering any horrifying smells.

For Rosalina, that alone made the operation a complete success.