Chapter 61: We will surely love each other

Luina sent a message to everyone, saying she had something to attend to and wouldn’t be around for a while.

She apologized to Estelle for missing the wedding and disappeared without a trace.

Estelle said the wedding would feel empty without Luina and suggested they wait for her return, but even after one month, two months, three months, Luina didn’t come back.

He knew the reason, but since Luina herself had chosen to disappear without explanation, he remained silent, knowing that revealing the truth could harm her.

Eventually, unable to postpone the wedding any longer, they proceeded without Luina.

Ludric, who had recently married Violeta and returned from his honeymoon, officiated the wedding.

Looking like he’d been thoroughly drained by a succubus, Ludric suggested he reconsider marriage. Ludric, of all people.

He could sense how much Violeta had been holding back, so he offered his condolences to Ludric, who would be on the receiving end of her pent-up desires.

However, he was in a similar situation.

Even though they were still engaged and he’d been busy dealing with the aftermath of the Demon King’s actions, they’d still been intimate twice a day.

He wondered how often they would be intimate during their honeymoon.

Putting that aside, he decided to focus on today, his once-in-a-lifetime wedding day.

“First, the groom will read his vows.”

Unlike the traditional ceremonies of the martial arts world, this was a more modern wedding.

He read the vows he’d written for her.

“I, Kim Yu-won, vow to love only Estelle until the end of this life and to live for her.”

He declared he would dedicate the rest of his life to Estelle.

“Next, the bride will read her vows.”

“I, Estelle, vow to be a loving wife who always brings a smile to my husband, Kim Yu-won.”

She, already incredibly lovely, promised to make him smile. He smiled at her, and she smiled brightly back.

“Next is the exchange of rings. Please place the rings on each other’s fingers.”

He took out the ring he’d prepared for her and placed it on her left ring finger, and she placed the ring she’d prepared for him on his finger.

They exchanged rings and listened to Ludric’s officiating speech.

“Here today are my dearest companions. One, a former mercenary who always put his companions first, and the other, a kind and caring companion who looked after everyone in the party. Though she was especially kind to Yu-won.”

The guests burst into laughter.

“Haha, I knew it.”

Alexander, who had raised him, laughed heartily, as if he’d expected this.

He made a mental note to show the old man the power of a level 299 fist later.

“Whenever these two went on missions together, they would always return days later than expected, making us wonder what they were up to. Honestly, I knew they would get married eventually.”

The oblivious Ludric, who hadn’t even noticed Violeta’s feelings for him until she confessed, was spouting nonsense. Now that he wasn’t a hero anymore, he seemed to be letting loose.

“Knowing these two, I have no doubt they will build a happy family together. I wish them all the happiness in the world, and with that, I conclude my officiating speech.”

As Ludric finished, the guests applauded.

“Next, the bride and groom will proceed down the aisle.”

Holding hands, they walked among the guests, greeting everyone.

People from the Church of the Radiant Light, people from his hometown, and even those he’d met during his adventures, many people had come to celebrate their wedding.

“Hey there, disciple. Congratulations.”

Among them was Master Silion, who had taught him and Ludric the Universal Spear Technique.

“You didn’t come to Ludric’s wedding, but you came to mine?”

“I was too busy to attend back then. It’s good that I could make it to yours.”

“Well, that’s true.”

As they walked, swords blocked their path.

“To pass, you must prove your love. Please share a passionate kiss.”

“Seriously?”

“Of course. It wouldn’t be a wedding without it.”

He’d expected this. He and Estelle exchanged smiles and prepared to kiss.

He lowered his waist, and she stood on tiptoe. He wrapped an arm around her waist to steady her, and they kissed.

Some of the guests laughed, asking how long they were going to keep kissing, as they kissed deeply, as if they would never let go.

They were truly happy at this moment.

Everything has an end.

Their happiness, too, would eventually come to an end.

And they both knew exactly when that end would be.

His Status Window clearly displayed the time.

Thirty minutes until his death. They sat on the bed, naked.

“This day has finally come…”

The time he’d hoped would never arrive was slowly closing in.

“We tried everything, but time won’t stop. It seems there’s really no way.”

He’d tried everything he could to avoid death.

He’d asked the gods, searched every ancient text, explored dungeons, used divine relics, tried everything he could think of, but the countdown to his death refused to stop.

“Haa… if I’d known it wouldn’t work, I would have spent that time doing other things…”

She was saying that the time they’d spent trying to prevent his death would have been better spent enjoying each other’s company.

“You say that, but if we went back 10 years, you’d still try to find a way to save me.”

Because she was someone who never gave up.

“You know me too well…”

He stroked her hair.

Perhaps because this was his second time experiencing this, he wasn’t as panicked as before, even without his emotions.

Of course, it still felt like his heart was breaking, but he didn’t want to show it.

It would be a waste to spend their last moments together in tears.

“You know me just as well.”

They tried to smile, but they both knew how the other felt.

“That’s true… but it still doesn’t feel real. I’m perfectly fine right now, my body is completely normal, but in a few minutes, I’ll be dead…”

“I know. It feels like nothing… and then the moment the timer reaches zero, my consciousness just vanishes. It’s crazy. I have to move on to the next world, whether I want to or not.”

Even though he wanted to stay in this world and live with her, the cycle of reincarnation wouldn’t stop.

He could deactivate other traits, but he couldn’t stop the Five Lives trait.

“There’s still so much I want to do with you… You’ve dedicated so much to the world… why do you have to die…?”

Her tears finally overflowed.

She cried because she didn’t want to let him go, because she didn’t want their love to end, resenting whoever was taking him away.

Even if you knew you were going to die, it was almost impossible to remain calm when the moment arrived.

“And… you’ll even lose all the memories and feelings you made in this world… I’m scared of you dying, but I’m even more scared that you’ll stop loving me…”

Hearing her words, his heart ached. He loved Estelle so much now, and the thought of not loving her anymore terrified him.

Just as he didn’t think about Ha-yeon now, he wouldn’t think about Estelle in his next life. She would just become a distant memory.

The thought of not feeling any love for her, even if she came looking for him, sent chills down his spine.

How could that be? How could he not love Estelle?

He loved her so much, more than anyone, his heart overflowing with feelings for her… how could all of this just disappear?

Overwhelmed by that fear, he started to cry with her.

“Oppa…”

“Yeah…”

“…Do you regret loving me?”

She was asking if it would have been better not to love him, knowing it would end like this.

‘How could I…’

“No.”

He’d never regretted loving her, not even for a moment.

He blamed his lack of power, but never his feelings for her.

“Then… if you went back in time… would you still marry me…?”

He weighed his options: distancing himself from her for her sake, or staying with her for her sake.

The heavier weight in his heart was… being with her.

“Of course. Even if I went back, I would still marry you. How could I live without you?”

His heart told him he couldn’t live without her.

“Then that’s enough. I’ll… come find you. No matter how long it takes… All you have to do is be ready to love me again. Simple, right…?”

She smiled through her tears.

“It’s just… a temporary parting… Our hearts will be separated for a while… so let’s not cry, let’s smile. We’re destined to love each other again. I’ll make sure of it. Oppa… do you trust me?”

He smiled back through his tears.

“Yes.”

And then, his consciousness faded.

Feeling the warmth of his presence linger, Estelle swore to the Goddess that she would find him, no matter where he was, and make him love her again.