Epilogue

As I opened my eyes to the sunlight tapping on my eyelids, the first thing I saw was:

“Good morning.”

It was Rubia, giving a bewitching smile with a slightly disheveled look.

I tried to reply with a good morning as well, but.

Gasp- Gasp-

No proper voice came out.

“Ugh…”

So, I just burrowed into Rubia’s arms and rubbed my face against her.

“Oh my?”

Even as she let out a surprised voice, Rubia’s arms wrapped around my shoulders and waist, holding me tightly so I couldn’t escape.

The bonus was Rubia’s skin, hidden behind the rustling, soft fabric, embracing me.

It was a little sweaty, but the moderately moist feeling and faint smell of sweat made me feel comfortable.

“Did you sleep well?”

Nod- Nod-

I slept very well.

Was it because today was an important day, so I didn’t do anything last night?

My back, which had been aching for four days since I came back, and my skin, which had been stinging, were all fine today.

Ahem. Ahem. I cleared my throat and lifted my head, which had been buried in Rubia’s arms. I met her blue eyes.

I kissed her lips, which were drawing a faint curve, and said without a squeak.

“I missed you…”

For a moment, Rubia’s eyes widened.

And then, they curved beautifully again.

“You missed me even while sleeping?”

“…Yes.”

I clearly told her to meet me in my dreams, but Rubia didn’t appear. Still, I wasn’t disappointed.

Because in my dreams… not Rubia, but my friends came out, and we all spent a peaceful and happy time together.

“Then, look at me to your heart’s content now.”

Rubia, who chuckled, moved her hand.

Then, with a rustle, the tightly tied pajamas loosened and fell off powerlessly.

“Eh, huh…”

Following that, the thin camisole worn underneath.

The pants too. The panties too. Everything.

…Why do they come off so easily?

No, and why is the story flowing this way?

While I was panicking like that.

My body was already pinned under Rubia.

“Ru… Rubia?”

“Yes?”

A slightly scary light flickered in her blue eyes.

A breath full of anticipation touched my face.

Rubia’s slightly cold body, her pure white legs, dug between my legs, which were cowering in fear.

“T-t-today is… a-an important day…”

“Noah seduced me first, didn’t she?”

“No, that’s… Mmph?!”

1 second. 2 seconds. 3 seconds.

Rubia’s tongue, which had been ravaging my mouth for 5 seconds, pulled out. Our lips parted. The transparent thread connecting her lips and mine stretched thickly onto my collarbone.

“Do you not like it?”

“N-no… It’s not that I don’t like it, but…”

“If you don’t like it, you can push me away with your strength. You’re strong, after all.”

“Uh, that’s… that’s…”

Rubia’s eyes are scary. Her voice is scary too.

It’s too close, and it’s morning, so I haven’t properly fixed my face or hair, I wonder if I look ugly? Did I drool while sleeping? Are there drool marks?

My face, flushed red with embarrassment and shame, turned sideways. I wouldn’t be able to hide my face from Rubia on top of me by doing this, but I still hid it as much as possible.

And.

I put strength into my clasped hands.

I bent my legs and hugged Rubia’s legs that had dug between them.

Hoo, hoo.

After taking a deep breath, I carefully rolled only my eyes and looked at Rubia’s eyes.

“Then, please… be gentle.”

“Ah, you’ve arrived. Did you rest well, haa… Of course, well, yes. It’s not something I should interfere with… but didn’t I tell you to rest completely ‘yesterday’?”

“We rested completely ‘yesterday.’ Right, Noah?”

“Heuh…”

Staggering- I barely moved my trembling legs and headed to a place like a large hall where everyone was gathered.

“Noah unnie! Rubia unnie!! Good morning!!”

Unlike the tense atmosphere here and there, Hephaestus, with her pink hair, greeted us cheerfully like her bright hair.

“Yeah. Good morning, Hephaestus. Did you sleep well?”

“Yep!”

“Yuria too… Oh my?”

Rubia gasped in surprise.

Wondering why, I shifted my gaze following Rubia’s line of sight…

Oh…

Yuria’s condition also… looked similar to mine.

Melted into the chair, limp.

What’s going on? Did something happen?

“Yuria seems to have rested, well, hehehe… incredibly well?”

But Rubia, whether she didn’t notice it or not, looked back and forth between Hephaestus and Yuria with a bright smile.

Then Yuria gave a bitter smile and shook her head.

“…Yes. I rested well.”

She’s shaking her head but saying she rested well… what is it…

Rubia, who was sending an unknown look to Yuria, soon looked at me and smiled.

“Shall we sit down too?”

Rubia’s lightly extended hand wrapped around my shoulder. And slowly, step by step. We walked to our seats.

My and Rubia’s seats were right next to Charlotte.

To her left.

There were Heinzel, chatting with the executives of the Liberation Army, and Hermilla, checking Charlotte’s speech and tidying up her clothes next to Charlotte.

Behind them were Yuria and Hephaestus.

Juur and the guild masters of the Adventurer’s Guild.

People who were said to be executives of the Liberation Army, nobles who were close to Charlotte, or people related to the imperial family.

The speech hadn’t started yet, but when it did, we were told to go out in order from the back, and stand in order, click, click, click.

…Why do I have to stand so far in front?

I’m a little scared. I’m nervous…

It’s not even behind Charlotte.

Right next to her. I was told to stand in an equal position.

Rubia is behind me too.

Heinzel and Hermilla are also behind me.

Standing at the very front are Charlotte and I. Just the two of us.

I’m already suffocating, dizzy, and my hands are shaking.

“It’s okay. You can do it, Noah. You have to show me your cool side.”

As if she knew my condition, Rubia gently stroked my back.

“Y-yes, yes… I’ll… I’ll show you…”

A trembling answer.

Charlotte’s brow furrowed.

“…Noah.”

“Yes, hehe…”

“You don’t have to feel too pressured. No one in this empire can criticize you. If anyone criticizes or laughs, I’ll personally chop off their heads, so relax. Relax.”

“C-chop off… heads…? Ah… No! Don’t do that… Ugh…”

The faces of the nobles and executives who were giving me subtle smiles turned blue.

On the other hand, Heinzel and Hermilla, who were close to me.

Hephaestus, Yuria. And Rubia chuckled, stifling their laughter.

“What do you mean, don’t do that? We have to chop off the heads of those arrogant things. Right, Hermilla?”

“Of course. People who criticize Noah deserve to die. No, rather than killing them so easily, it might be better to slowly feed them to beasts, starting from their fingertips.”

“I can summon those beasts.”

“Hmm, good idea. I’ll join in too.”

“Hey, hey. Baldy. You might miscontrol your strength and make them explode. It’s hard to clean up if they explode, so just watch.”

“Hmm, that makes sense. It’s definitely better to do that.”

Yuria and Heinzel nodded in agreement to Hermilla’s words.

The faces of the nobles and executives turned pale, no, snow-white. Their chins were also trembling.

“E-explode…? Clean up…? Hard… It’s hard… You can’t do such bad things…”

I… also turned just as pale.

I can’t see my face, but I probably did.

Because I actually felt dizzy…

In that state, I looked at Rubia.

Rubia, like my friends, was nodding and giving a subtle smile.

“Anyway, we can just kill them all, so relax. Okay? And don’t do what I told you yesterday, absolutely.”

Gulp.

Swallowing dry saliva, I nodded.

A high and wide stage.

The people in the hall went out and stood on it in order.

And, slowly.

I, who had walked in step with Charlotte.

Stood in front of them. Right next to Charlotte.

The cheers were so loud that my ears tingled and my heart pounded. Countless spells were fired into the blue sky, the knights raised their long weapons high, and various instruments emitted beautiful sounds.

In that, Charlotte and I took one step forward.

The amplification artifact stretched out in front of the stage lit up. Not only that, but Charlotte’s mana bloomed and enveloped her voice.

“I will only use honorifics until today.”

Thus, Charlotte’s.

“Although it is called an inauguration ceremony, today’s protagonist is not me.”

The Emperor’s speech began.

“Everyone. God is dead.”

An incredibly unconventional remark.

For a very brief moment, the people murmured, but the murmuring quickly subsided at Charlotte’s next words.

The story of Erden.

The hidden secrets of Erden and the story of the countless evil deeds that the Erden Order had committed.

Voices of anger were heard.

Voices of sadness were heard.

Voices of wailing and grief were heard.

The knights, the mages, the people of the imperial family, did not stop those sounds.

Charlotte, unconcerned, continued to speak.

The story of countless heroes.

The story of the heroes who left this world.

The beginning was Lucci.

The story of the swordsman who cut through the world began.

The hidden secret of Hablon. The story of how it lost the name Hablon and became the eastern wasteland flowed out.

And, the story of how that eastern wasteland became Hablon again.

The story of Lucci’s achievements flowed out.

When the story ended, countless adventurers struck the ground with their Relics. A magnificent tremor and a huge sound soared to the end of the sky.

Before the sound could stop, Charlotte’s words continued.

The spiritist. The Magic Tower Master. The mage.

The first and last to reach the end of magic.

The mages, the mage who achieved a miracle that humans might not be able to achieve.

Serr’s story.

It wasn’t the story as it was.

It was a story that was slightly embellished and slightly highlighted Serr.

Still, the word ‘genius’ was not omitted.

Because it was a word that Serr liked so much.

When that story of Serr ended, countless mages, those who did not belong to the Magic Tower, but still admired Serr, decorated the sky with their magic.

Beautiful magic.

Slightly rough magic.

Splendid and intense magic.

What would Serr have thought if she had seen it?

Would she have scoffed?

Maybe she would have shown off her own magic, saying that those kinds of magic were shabby.

Yeah. Serr probably would have.

Because she’s Serr.

Because she’s the self-proclaimed genius Serr.

A faint smile appeared.

Soon after, Charlotte’s lips parted again.

Kartia. Frey.

Their story.

Starting as humans, becoming the Sword of Victory, becoming the hope of humanity, opening a new sky, the hero.

Kartia.

The strong sword that stood in front of that Kartia, opened the way, and became her strength.

Frey.

Probably, with this story alone, all the books and fairy tales related to Kartia that were widely spread in the empire would be thrown away. And, they would be rewritten.

There would be two protagonists.

Kartia and Frey.

Since there are two protagonists, it will be twice as cool and twice as amazing.

Surely, it will be.

Hoo. I let out a trembling breath.

Charlotte’s speech did not stop.

Charlotte told the stories of forgotten heroes, including Sirin.

This story also did not tell it as it was.

It did not tell the repeated world or the stories intertwined with them.

It just told about what they had done for this world so far.

Picking out only the good stories.

The murmuring grew louder.

The confusion deepened.

It couldn’t be helped.

Because this story was a story that had never been known, a story that had really disappeared to its roots.

Even so, Charlotte’s voice did not stop.

The more the confusion grew, the more the murmuring spread, the louder and stronger she spoke.

As if she was proud.

With a grateful heart to them, she spoke.

Thus, when their story ended.

Charlotte’s magic burst out.

Intense flames gathered together. It became the shape of a huge sun and rose high into the sky.

The sun that had been floating from the beginning.

Charlotte’s sun rose next to it.

The murmuring subsided.

The confusion lessened.

The silence that came like that.

In that, Charlotte said.

“Next is the story of the hero who achieved all of this, the hero who gave us today, tomorrow, and the future, the protagonist of today.”

Noah.

Shin Noah.

Charlotte said my name.

I took one step.

Two steps.

I stepped forward.

So many people looked up at me that my head spun. They cheered. They shouted my name. The title that followed after that.

Hero.

Hero.

Cold sweat flowed out.

My face flushed red.

My hands and feet trembled and I felt dizzy.

Even so, my heart beat loudly.

Charlotte’s words don’t reach my ears.

It’s just… stories praising me, right?

Yeah. Surely… it will be.

So it’s better not to listen.

If I hear my praise in front of so many people… my face might really explode.

Let’s calm down. Let’s calm down.

When I repeated those words hundreds of times in my mind.

Charlotte’s whispering voice was heard.

Hoo. I exhaled and put my hand on my chest.

Again, I exhaled and clenched my hand.

Kugung―! A throbbing that was different from the fierce throbbing I had felt so far. Trembling. The fire in my body ignited.

A black aura that slowly rose.

I drew it out.

At the same time.

The Black Sun rose.

The sky was dyed black and red.

The sun that Charlotte had floated.

The sun that had been floating from the beginning.

The murmuring that had grown because of it.

The confusion of the people. Everything.

Was obscured by my black and red Divinity.

Cold sweat ran down my spine.

I slowly turned to the side.

Charlotte, who was staring back and forth between the sky and me with her mouth wide open, slowly shook her head.

“…Hic.”