Chapter 17 – Happily ever after #5

As always, the journey between worlds was over in an instant.

Yuder and Cordelia were the first to step out of the spatial gate, positioning themselves on either side as if to welcome everyone. One by one, the rest of their party arrived in pairs, setting foot in Pleiades: Kang Jin-ho and Hong Yu-hee, Natasha and Kim Hye-eun, and finally Cowabunga and AAA.

“Whoa… so this is Pleiades?”

Hong Yu-hee asked no one in particular as she gazed around, and Yuder immediately answered.

“Yes. And this is the royal palace of the Yudelria Holy Nation.”

The Outer God War was already a year in the past.

Yuder had taken the opportunity during the palace’s restoration to carry out a bold expansion and renovation. The place where they now stood was the result: a hall dedicated exclusively to the spatial gate.

It was a circular hall with a ceiling that soared nearly ten meters high.

Hong Yu-hee, who had been gasping in awe at the white walls adorned with gold, looked up at the ceiling and let out a scream—no, a squeal of pure delight.

“Wow! Is that, is that?!”

Cowabunga and AAA, who followed her, were just as stunned.

And for good reason. The ceiling was adorned with a magnificent fresco of Cordelia and her angels, radiating a majestic aura.

“Whoa.”

As a devoted Cordelia fan, Hong Yu-hee’s cheeks flushed red as she bounced on the balls of her feet. Cowabunga instinctively raised his phone and began snapping photos.

The fresco depicted Cordelia with her arms outstretched, a benevolent expression on her face, flanked by Maia, Dahlia, and a host of other angels.

“This could give the Sistine Chapel ceiling a run for its money.”

It was a masterpiece that rivaled even Michelangelo’s work in the Sistine Chapel.

Setting aside its artistic value and aesthetic excellence, the sheer scale of it was certainly on par.

Even Natasha let out a gasp of pure admiration, her face blank with awe. Yuder clenched his fist as if to say, ‘I did it,’ while Cordelia bit her lip, trying to endure a fresh wave of embarrassment.

She thought she’d gotten used to it after seeing it so many times, but witnessing it alongside such fresh, enthusiastic reactions made it feel mortifying all over again.

Of course, watching her, Yuder once again felt a deep sense of satisfaction for having commissioned the ceiling fresco.

“The Yudelria Holy Nation is a country that serves the Goddess of the Sun, Beauty, Magic, and Love, the great Cordelia-nim. Not just the palace, but the entire nation is a land filled with Cordelia-nim’s merch—ah, I mean, with statues and holy paintings of Cordelia-nim.”

He did that on purpose.

He definitely said “merch” on purpose before correcting himself.

It was obvious, because Hong Yu-hee reacted instantly to the word.

“Oppa, this place is truly like heaven.”

“…It is pretty incredible.”

Kang Jin-ho briefly wondered if this Yuder was truly him, but he soon nodded.

It made sense if he thought of this Yuder as himself with all his limiters removed.

It was at that very moment.

A door as beautiful and grand as the ceiling fresco—adorned with a bust of Cordelia above it—swung open, and a woman appeared.

She had neatly styled silver hair and wore a jet-black dress that seemed to envelop her entire body without a single gap.

A white cloth was layered around her neck and collarbones, with a blue, gold-trimmed brooch placed in the center, serving as a natural focal point.

But what truly captured everyone’s attention was her face.

Elegant yet expressionless, her porcelain-white skin gave her an almost cold aura. She was an ethereal, silver-haired woman of such breathtaking beauty that one couldn’t help but stare, mesmerized.

“Maia?”

Kang Jin-ho was the first to speak. The other chatroom members, belatedly recognizing the silver-haired woman as Maia, each expressed their admiration in their own way.

“Wow, she’s stunning. I mean, she was always pretty, but was she always this beautiful?”

Kim Hye-eun’s eyes widened in surprise as she blinked repeatedly. Cowabunga was busy snapping photos.

AAA, Yoo Ga-young, was also murmuring in awe.

And then there was Natasha.

She, who had most wanted to see Yuder’s Natasha—Maia—was impressed for several reasons.

So, it really is fate.

Honestly, she was so beautiful that even another woman could fall for her. The fact that Yuder had grown up under the care of such a gorgeous woman yet had fallen so completely for Cordelia could only be fate.

Of course, if Hong Yu-hee had heard that, she would have grumbled, “No way, Cordelia-nim is way prettier, anyone can see that.” But by Natasha’s standards, Maia was more of a classic beauty than Cordelia.

Perhaps her features were more to her personal taste?

In any case, while the entire group was making a fuss over her beauty, Maia didn’t seem flustered or blush with embarrassment. Instead, true to her moniker of “Ice Queen,” she maintained a perfectly composed, expressionless face.

Watching her, Yuder thought to himself.

She’s really gotten used to it.

A year ago, even Maia would have blushed and grown shy at such blatant reactions. But a year had passed.

As none other than the Angel of Beauty, she had been subjected to such reactions—to constant cries of “Unnie, you’re so pretty!”—day in and day out, and had developed a tolerance to compliments about her looks.

Though it’s not a perfect tolerance.

Even now, she would still blush and get shy whenever Dahlia praised her beauty.

Regardless, Maia maintained her composure, strode toward Yuder and Cordelia, and offered a light curtsy before asking.

“Young Master, are these your guests?”

“Ah, sorry. I didn’t get a chance to tell you beforehand.”

When he’d left for Earth, he never could have imagined that Kang Jin-ho and Hong Yu-hee would be getting married.

Nor did he know they would choose Pleiades for their honeymoon.

At Yuder’s apology, Maia gave a small smile as if to say it was fine—a smile that once again sent the chatroom members into a silent frenzy—and said.

“It is quite all right.”

She then turned to the chatroom members and curtsied gracefully.

“I am Maia Tantalot, Chamberlain of the Holy Nation. I offer my respects to the guests invited by His Holiness the Pope and the Goddess’s Avatar.”

As she bowed her head and waist slightly while lifting the hem of her skirt in a picture-perfect greeting, Hong Yu-hee let out another small squeal of “Kyaa!” Overcome with excitement, Cowabunga blurted out without thinking.

“Wow… she’s the real Ice Queen.”

In the Yuder route, Maia was, without a doubt, the most important NPC.

She already had a large fanbase thanks to her beautiful appearance, and Cowabunga was a fan himself, having drawn several pieces of fanart of her.

At Cowabunga’s exclamation, Cordelia let out a triumphant little laugh, “Hmph, hmph,” and wagged her index finger, saying in a slightly boastful tone.

“Nope, you’re wrong. You have no idea how pretty and cute Maia is when she smiles.”

Pretty, I get. But cute?

The group tried to imagine a cutely smiling Maia and looked toward her, but she maintained a calm expression as if to say, “Not a chance,” and asked Yuder.

“Shall I escort the guests to their lodgings?”

At Maia’s question, Yuder closed his eyes for a moment to sense his surroundings.

The Black Beast, his divinity, told him that it was a moonlit night.

And the middle of the night, at that.

I really should get them settled in their rooms first.

Besides, they needed to unpack their luggage.

Yuder nodded and said to Maia.

“Please prepare the annex palace. And… get the Moon Room ready.”

At the words “Moon Room,” a flicker of surprise appeared in Maia’s eyes.

She had already recognized them as honored guests, since Yuder and Cordelia had brought them personally, but she hadn’t thought they were important enough to be given the Moon Room.

“Understood.”

[We’ll take our time. Cordelia wants to decorate the Moon Room herself. For now, Cordelia and I will guide the group.]

Maia nodded again at Yuder’s telepathic message, then turned back to the group and said.

“We will move your luggage to your rooms. Please let me know if you have any special requests.”

“Huh? Oh… I’m fine.”

“Me too.”

“Me too.”

With Cordelia leading the chorus of agreement, Maia lightly shook a small bell that seemed to appear from nowhere.

Instantly, butlers in black suits appeared silently and lined up beside her.

“This is seriously like something out of a romance fantasy or a shoujo manga.”

While Kim Hye-eun muttered under her breath, the butlers skillfully collected the luggage. Maia curtsied to the group one last time before exiting the room with the butlers.

“Well then, let’s do some light sightseeing before we head to your rooms.”

“Sightseeing?”

Hong Yu-hee repeated, and Yuder replied with a black-hearted—yet simultaneously refreshing—smile.

“Yes. How about we start with the Cordelia Promotion Hall?”

At his words, Cordelia flinched and grabbed Yuder’s arm, but it was too late.

Hong Yu-hee’s eyes were literally sparkling.

“Le-let’s go quickly. Please?”

“Yes, right this way.”

Yuder chuckled and led the way. Cordelia looked miserable, but seeing how happy Hong Yu-hee was, she trudged along with a pout.

He’s a serious case.

At the Cordelia Promotion Hall.

Just as the name suggested, it was a place dedicated to promoting Cordelia. Kang Jin-ho stared at the broadly smiling Yuder with a truly complicated expression.

Is that really me?

Even with my limiters off, can a person really become like that?

The Cordelia Promotion Hall was, in a word, filled with Cordelia.

The walls were covered with an endless series of holy paintings, and the hall was filled with lifelike statues that looked as if they could spring to life at any moment.

“Wow, this is the scene where she fights Raizekang, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct. Even as a level 1 mage, Cordelia bravely stood up to Raizekang.”

In front of a holy painting depicting Cordelia unleashing the divinity of the sun against the incomparably ferocious Demon Prince Raizekang, Yuder and Hong Yu-hee resonated with each other, while Cordelia clutched her hair in agony.

“Oh, is this one Malekith?”

“And there’s Lucas.”

As devoted fans of Heroic Saga 2, the chatroom members could tell what was happening just by looking at the paintings.

Kim Hye-eun stared intently at the image of Lucas fighting alongside Cordelia against the demonized Minos, a very fan-like, cat-like smile spreading across her face.

And all the chatroom members knew exactly what she was imagining.

She was definitely picturing Lucas in a maid outfit and glasses.

Looks normal on the outside, but Southern Barbarian Cat is a fan through and through.

Yuder smiled wryly and continued to guide the group, all the while savoring the sight of Cordelia squirming with embarrassment.

“I want to see Landius, too. And Kamael and Lena.”

“Oh, yeah, me too. You said all five of the Heroes of Paragon are alive here, right?”

AAA agreed in a small voice with Kim Hye-eun, who was lamenting why they couldn’t customize the appearance of NPCs.

It went without saying that all the chatroom members had cleared Heroic Saga 1 multiple times, and Kim Hye-eun and AAA’s favorite characters were Landius and Kamael.

Kim Hye-eun had even written several Landius/Kamael fanfics.

“Ah, I’m so curious. We’ll get to meet them, right?”

Seeing Kim Hye-eun anxiously tapping her feet, Yuder smiled wryly once more.

Because no matter what she imagined, she was bound to face a Landius who would shatter all her expectations.

And so, about an hour later.

Just as Cordelia felt she might collapse from embarrassment, Yuder led the group to a dining hall.

“We’ll have a light meal, and then I’ll show you to your respective rooms.”

“I’ll be right back.”

Cordelia excused herself from the dining hall with a cheerful giggle, which briefly surprised the group, but only for a moment.

Not only did Yuder remain, but a new face had appeared.

“Wow! Dahlia!”

“Her hair is long! And she’s so pretty!”

Cowabunga and AAA tried to whisper their admiration, but to Dahlia, who had gained superhuman senses upon becoming an angel, it sounded as clear as if they were whispering right next to her.

Thus, Dahlia blushed with embarrassment, while Maia, standing right beside her, wore a black-hearted yet pleased, refreshing smile.

Just like Yuder.

That’s right. Maia’s the one who raised Yuder.

Natasha smiled, a little dumbfounded but also as if she understood. She took a sip of the welcome champagne a butler had poured for her and enjoyed the meal and conversation.

Another hour or so passed.

“We will escort you to the annex palace.”

Maia and Dahlia led the chatroom members toward the annex palace.

Leaving only Kang Jin-ho and Hong Yu-hee behind.

“I will guide you two separately. You all came together, but this is, after all, your honeymoon.”

At Yuder’s words, Hong Yu-hee, who had been as giddy as a high school girl on a school trip just moments before, blushed shyly.

Yuder’s words had made her realize anew that this was, in fact, her honeymoon.

“I have prepared a special room for you.”

There were two bedrooms for Yuder and Cordelia in the Holy Palace.

One was the Moon Room, located at the highest point, and the other was the Sun Room, situated in the center of the palace.

Hong Yu-hee followed Yuder, who led the way, tightly clutching Kang Jin-ho’s hand. Kang Jin-ho squeezed her hand back and swallowed nervously.

And when they finally arrived at the room—

“Whoa…”

Hong Yu-hee had been gasping in awe ever since she arrived in Pleiades, but this gasp was different from the others.

It wasn’t just simple joy; she was overcome with immense emotion.

Through the glass ceiling of the Moon Room, the night sky was on full display, with countless stars twinkling brightly.

The marble floor was strewn with red rose petals, and in the center of the room stood a large canopy bed draped with pink curtains.

A truly, truly large canopy bed.

Looking at the vast bed, Kang Jin-ho was reminded of the judo hall where he used to practice his hand-to-hand combat. Cordelia, on the other hand, was reminded of a fairytale book she had read many times as a child.

And that wasn’t all.

A gentle mist-like smoke hovered over the floor, and the sweet scent of roses tickled their noses.

The finishing touch was the sound of a babbling brook.

That’s right.

There was an actual stream in the Moon Room.

It was a type of well-made fountain, but a stream of warm water nonetheless. It flowed around the large canopy bed, forming what looked like a shallow moat.

Kang Jin-ho thought to himself.

This is too much.

Each element was strong on its own, but putting them all together felt excessive.

But at the same time, Kang Jin-ho had to admit it.

This is completely Yu-hee’s taste.

It was a honeymoon suite of Yu-hee, by Yu-hee, for Yu-hee.

It seemed Cordelia had slipped away from dinner earlier to decorate this room.

But is this even possible in just an hour?

He could believe the other things, but the stream seemed difficult.

Could it be that the Moon Room had a stream to begin with?

Correct.

Able to guess what Kang Jin-ho was thinking just by looking at his expression, Yuder gave a wry smile.

After all, this room was originally a bedroom of Cordelia, by Cordelia, for Cordelia.

And Cordelia is basically Yu-hee, anyway.

Their tastes were more or less the same.

And because of that, Cordelia was able to create the ultimate honeymoon suite that Hong Yu-hee could ever imagine.

“Well then, I hope you have a wonderful time.”

“Hope you have a… hehehe… wonderful time… hehehet.”

The calm and composed Yuder and the giggling, almost dad-like Cordelia quickly said their goodbyes and left the room. Before they knew it, Kang Jin-ho and Hong Yu-hee were left alone in the room.

One second, two seconds, three seconds passed.

“Yu-hee.”

“O-Oppa.”

“Ah, you first.”

“No, you first.”

They spoke over each other, feeling awkward for a moment before bursting into laughter.

“Oppa, shall we wash up together?”

Hong Yu-hee pointed to the stream, her voice a mix of boldness and shyness. Kang Jin-ho cleared his throat with a “Hmph, hmph,” and nodded.

He had wanted to check for listening devices or surveillance magic first, but he couldn’t bring himself to ruin the mood with such words.

At the same time, in the Sun Room.

“Hehehe, they’ll be so surprised when they lie down on the bed, right?”

“They will be. Especially Kang Jin-ho.”

Because there was a sprinkler installed in the ceiling of the canopy bed.

Yuder chuckled and draped a white cloth over the crystal orb that offered a clear view of the Moon Room. Cordelia, with a look of great disappointment, fiddled with the cloth a few times before finally lying down on their own bed.

“Good night, Yuder.”

“Hm? What are you talking about? We’re not sleeping tonight.”

“Huh?”

“We’re still newlyweds, aren’t we?”

Yuder said. Cordelia blinked, then shot him a sidelong glance and gave a tiny nod.

And that night, as always, Yuder became the Black Beast.

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Translated By: Meher (RaidenTL)

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