Ten days had passed since defeating Darius.
We had defeated Water God Reida, defeated Auber, defeated Darius, welcomed Perugius to the Asura Kingdom, and overwhelmed Gravell.
As for Pyrmon, he was stripped of his position as head of the household and placed under house arrest in his territory.
Luke would take over as head, with Luke's older brother serving as his support.
Luke's brother was sociable and expected to have political acumen, so he would be handling all the practical affairs in Luke's stead.
Guileen had initially harbored hostility toward Pyrmon and the others.
But after witnessing Luke's brother shower Eris with praise—even going so far as to propose—his animosity seemed to melt away.
He wore a proud expression, like a dog whose owner had been complimented.
Incidentally, Guileen would remain in his role as Ariel's bodyguard.
It was practically a lifetime appointment.
Whether the parties involved were happy about it or not, one could say it was a reasonable outcome.
---
Let me go through those ten days in order.
First, day one—Orsted.
After the event, we made a triumphant return from the party venue.
Even Ariel, ever composed, must have been exhausted, as she retired to her room early.
As for me, I was overcome with affection for Sylphie, who had boldly declared before the public that she was choosing Rudeus, so I brought her back to my room and lavished her with love.
Honestly, since the diary had shown me being rejected, I'd been a little anxious.
To think she would choose me so openly in front of so many people.
It was the ultimate joy for a maiden.
That said, Sylphie must have been tired too, because the match ended before we entered a second round.
Sylphie fell fast asleep.
I cooled my heated body with a bath, and midway through, Eris—her nostrils flaring with the lingering excitement of battle—crashed in and had her way with me rather forcefully.
I really think Eris needs to learn how to treat a maiden more gently.
The next day, having been drained to the point of becoming dried fish body and soul, I received word from a maid that a letter had been deposited for me.
It was anonymous, sealed with the Dragon God's emblem.
Without a doubt, it was a company internal memo.
The contents were brief—concern for my injuries and the location of the day's meeting.
The meeting room was a cemetery.
A servants' cemetery at the edge of the district lined with noble estates.
It was a desolate place, as quiet and isolated as an island in the middle of town, completely devoid of people.
And beneath that, an underground crypt.
The sort of place where you'd expect undead to hold a sports festival at night.
But an even more fearsome being than any undead lurked within.
"You've come, Rudeus Greyrat."
"Y-yes, I have arrived!"
Orsted was sitting on a coffin, cheek resting on his fist, waiting.
What an utterly sacrilegious sight.
I couldn't bring myself to sit on a coffin, so I conjured a table and chair with earth magic and set out the candles I'd brought.
"Please, have a seat."
"Ah, my apologies."
I offered the chair to the company president and sat down across from him.
Now then, let the meeting begin.
"First, let me say—good work, Rudeus. With this, Ariel becoming queen is a certainty."
"Is it certain? I've heard there's still some time before the king passes?"
The king suffered from an incurable illness—or rather, old age—but there was still time before his death.
During that time, there were more than a few factions trying desperately to restore Gravell's momentum.
If we let our guard down, they could pull the rug out from under us.
At least, that was Ariel's take.
There were still sources of unease.
Water King Isolte, whose master had been killed right before her eyes.
The Boreas family, who had been colluding with Darius.
These two warranted careful attention.
Which meant my next job would be to stamp out those remaining threats one by one.
Or so I had thought...
"Ah, once Perugius was welcomed and Darius was defeated, Ariel becoming queen became a certainty."
Orsted seemed to have some conviction about it.
It wasn't something I fully understood, but in his mind, the matter was settled.
"You've got a puzzled look on your face, Rudeus Greyrat."
Oh no—had it shown on my face?
"No, Lord Orsted. It's just that I still think it would be unwise to let our guard down."
"............"
Orsted's gaze pierced through me.
Look, I really do trust what you're saying. I just want to say we're not quite done yet...
"Well, I mean, there's always the possibility your read could be wrong, right? This time things ended relatively quickly, but Hitogami could have left some other piece on the board—it's hard to say there won't be any more upheaval."
"No. I can say that with certainty."
"......"
When he said that, I had no choice but to fall silent.
Orsted was still hiding something from me.
He would never tell me what it was.
"Well, I suppose you wouldn't tell me anyway—I'm a former apostle of Hitogami after all..."
The words slipped out.
I hadn't meant to say them aloud.
A slip of the tongue.
Hearing that, Orsted stood up.
He fixed me with an overwhelming stare.
"I-I'm sorry! That's not—I'm not complaining about not being told anything..."
"Rudeus Greyrat. It's true—I didn't fully trust you."
I opened my foresight eyes as wide as they would go, searching for an escape route.
Hopeless—I was surrounded by Orsted's clones.
If I tried to bolt, they'd cut me off.
Fine. Time to steel myself.
"This time as well, I had you under constant surveillance, considering the possibility you might betray us to Hitogami."
Surveillance.
Well, that made sense.
If Orsted had wanted to, he could have dealt with Auber—or anyone, really—without me ever seeing it happen.
"But this incident has made it clear that you're more than just talk—you're a man who can be trusted."
"......"
"Rudeus Greyrat. Allow me to offer one apology. I lied to you."
With that, Orsted sat back down in his chair.
"Lied?"
When I asked, Orsted made a fearsome expression.
No, rather, a complicated expression.
This man really should practice smiling a little more.
Laughter is the key to communication.
I'm not great at it myself, but still.
"Yes. Before, I told you this: that I had obtained the secret technique of the first Dragon God—the power to see fate, devised for the purpose of fighting Hitogami—and that a spell had been cast on me that placed me outside the laws of the world."
"Yes."
If I recalled correctly, it was something along the lines of being able to see the rough outline of a person's future.
"That was half a lie. I don't have the power of precognition."
...Hmm.
"So being outside the laws of the world—that part is true?"
"Yes. But tell me, Rudeus Greyrat—what do you think it means to be outside the laws of the world?"
What do I think? How should I know?
Was there a hint somewhere?
For example, a curse.
The curse of being disliked that Orsted carried.
No, probably unrelated.
"Reduced mana recovery speed... that was a side effect, right?"
"Yes. My mana recovery is drastically slowed, but in return, I can avoid interference from Hitogami. But didn't you find that strange? Why would the first Dragon God add such a disadvantage to his own secret technique?"
Even if you ask me why...
Wouldn't adding that kind of drawback be the only way to avoid Hitogami's interference?
Wait, but when I wear Orsted's bracelet, I don't seem to suffer any such disadvantage...
"The first Dragon God developed a secret technique that would guarantee victory against Hitogami."
"......"
"That technique sacrifices mana recovery speed and allows me to start over from the beginning, retaining all my memories, no matter when or where I die."
Start over.
So that meant Orsted really was...
"The beginning was winter of the 330th year of the Dragon Gall Calendar. A nameless forest in the northern part of the Central Continent. From that point, I had a grace period of 200 years. If Hitogami was not dead by the end of that time, I would be forcibly sent back to that point—even if I died in the interim."
Time leap.
I had thought it was a possibility, but...
To think it was actually true.
"Having witnessed time transference yourself, you should be willing to believe me."
"Yes, well..."
My future self had obtained clues about time travel from the Dragon Tribe's ruins.
The Dragon Tribe possessed a secret art of reincarnating from past to future.
So it wasn't unreasonable for the Dragon God to be capable of a time leap.
After all, if I could develop something similar, surely he could as well.
"So, um, how many times has Lord Orsted started over, roughly?"
"I stopped counting after a hundred."
He spat those words out with evident distaste, much like some great general might.
Let's see—100 times in 200 years, that's 20,000.
He had been looping for over 20,000 years?
I felt dizzy just thinking about it...
"However, across those hundreds of loops, I have watched the battle between Ariel and Gravell play out countless times. Who is needed, who is not. What conditions allow Ariel to win, and what allows Gravell to win. At this stage, Gravell's comeback is impossible. Ariel's victory is unshakable."
"Even if Hitogami interferes?"
"That's right. Hitogami doesn't carry memories across resets, so he doesn't know that I 'start over.' But once I became aware of his existence and began fighting him, he intervened in battles like these on numerous occasions. And in every single scenario, Hitogami 'withdrew' at a certain point."
"And that point is... now, at this juncture?"
"Correct."
I see.
Orsted's confident tone—it came from hundreds of past experiences.
Could there be exceptions?
Part of me wondered, but people do tend to take exactly the same actions under exactly the same circumstances.
It was impossible for things to be truly identical, but even I understood that the likelihood of an "exception" was vanishingly small.
"So rest easy. Once we've reached this point, Ariel will become queen."
"Understood."
If he was willing to say that, then Ariel would become queen.
If there was still reason for unease, it was only that Orsted had been losing all those hundreds of times.
"Lord Orsted. Can you really defeat Hitogami?"
"Yes, I can. I already know what's needed to defeat him and what preparations are required. And this time, you exist as well. Just one more step."
Then I would believe his words.
Whether Orsted could see the future or had restarted hundreds of times didn't matter.
I had no other option but to trust him.
Let's give it our all, shall we?
For the sake of protecting our family.
---
Day three.
Isolte came to visit the estate where we were staying.
Incidentally, the estate had been given to us by Ariel.
She said it was one of the smaller properties in her possession, but it was still about twice the size of my own home.
She'd also provided maids to manage the household.
We were free to use it as a vacation home in the Asura Kingdom.
Enough about the estate. Let's talk about Isolte.
She had come to see Eris.
Oh no—was this revenge?
While I braced myself, she was received with proper hospitality.
She greeted the maids and, guided by Eris, was shown to the living room.
Eris had the maids bring tea and welcomed Isolte with a poised, dignified manner.
She had become quite skilled at managing servants.
At my house, things would have been much more stiff and uncomfortable.
Aisha was a maid, but not really a servant in the traditional sense.
Isolte seemed to find my presence in the room suspicious.
She approached with a guarded bow.
"How do you do. My name is Isolte Cruel. I met Eris at the Sword Sanctum. I look forward to our acquaintance."
"I'm Rudeus Greyrat. Eris's husband."
When I introduced myself, she visibly grimaced.
"So it's you..."
Yes. It's me.
I'd already gathered from our earlier exchange that she didn't seem to like me.
"Yes... I'm Rudeus."
"The one who neglected Eris and took two additional wives?"
"...Yes."
I knew this feeling.
It was just like Cliff.
Which meant she was a new type of Millis信徒?
No, I'd already confirmed that when we met.
"I had assumed it was that womanizing knight named Luke."
"I wasn't trying to deceive you."
"No, it was simply my mistake."
Isolte let out a quiet, gentle laugh.
"Still... you seem to cherish Eris more than I expected?"
"Do I?"
I tilted my head at the sudden remark.
I wasn't sure whether I was cherishing Eris or not, but I knew she cherished me.
That said, looking back at our interactions, I didn't think there had been many obvious signs.
"Water King Isolte has come to visit. She's the student of Water God Reida, who was killed at that venue. She could be Princess Ariel's enemy. She could be here for revenge. Eris might draw her sword. I have to protect them, fight alongside them... Yes, all of that was written all over your face."
Hmm, was that much really written on my face?
Lately, people had been reading my expression way too often.
Maybe I really should practice smiling.
Anyway, setting that aside...
"And that connects to you cherishing Eris?"
"If I didn't care about her, I'd just leave her alone. After all, she's only the third wife."
Please don't call her "third" right in front of Eris. I have no intention of numbering my wives.
"Honestly, I expected Eris to be treated far more coldly. That she was only valued for her swordsmanship and her body, that she was rarely even spoken to in daily life..."
What kind of henpecked household was I running?
But Eris wasn't really the talkative type, so that wasn't entirely off base.
She rarely initiated conversation with me, and at night she'd demand my body, which... wait.
Was I the henpecked one?
No, no—just because she didn't talk much didn't mean we weren't training together, spending time together...
"I'm a little relieved. Eris seems happy."
"If that's how she appears, then I'm happy too."
At those words, Isolte smiled.
A transparent, clear smile.
She had a pure, refined appearance, yet there was something alluring about her.
She seemed like someone who would be popular, but right now she still felt like a bud.
Her flowers would surely bloom after marriage.
That was the charm of a married woman type.
Oh, Eris.
She stepped on my foot. That hurt.
"So what brings you here, anyway. I won't let you have Rudeus—he's mine."
Eris maintained her usual high-handed attitude.
"I don't want him."
"Then what—a duel?"
Calling it "a duel"... that stung a little.
Isolte looked troubled.
"No. My master's dying wish factors in, and Lady Ariel has also been accommodating toward the Water God style. I have no reason to become your enemy."
Isolte was set to be officially appointed as a knight the moment her period as a squire ended. Her career trajectory would likely lead to a position as a sword instructor or a knight captain.
Depending on circumstances, she might even receive a title.
"My master apparently had many sympathizers within the royal palace despite everything. It seems Princess Ariel doesn't want to make enemies of the entire Water God style."
"Well, naturally."
Swordsmen in this world were mostly monsters of varying degrees.
Even so, political power still outweighed martial prowess, and it would be foolish to make unnecessary enemies.
You always want strong fighters on your side.
"For us as well, we're simply relieved that the prospect of our dojo being shut down has been avoided."
Looking at the situation purely objectively, Reida had been nothing more than an attacker—a madwoman who had attempted to take Ariel's head.
Even in a place rife with political scheming and assassins, once an assassin appeared in public, consequences were unavoidable.
In short, you could do whatever you pleased as long as no one found out, but if you were caught, punishment followed.
For someone at the level of Ariel, Gravell, or Darius, they could push past the consequences and do as they pleased to a degree, but this time Ariel had no desire to pick a fight with the Water God style, and the Water God style had no desire to fight a battle they couldn't win.
Their interests aligned, and no penalties were levied.
"I'm sorry about my master's death. But in this era of peace, to have died as a warrior in battle—that must have been what she wanted. What shocked me more, personally, was that I wasn't consulted beforehand."
True to her words, Isolte didn't appear to be taking Reida's death all that hard.
This sensibility was perhaps closer to that of an adventurer.
"Personally, I do want to avenge my master... but since the one responsible wasn't Eris, Guileen, or even Rudeus over there, I honestly don't know where to direct that feeling."
Isolte looked slightly frustrated.
Perhaps she regretted not pursuing Orsted at the scene.
"Well, I don't mind fighting you if you want."
"Eris, please don't joke. I have a duty to protect my dojo now. If I fought someone as crazy as you and ended up with a lifelong scar, what then?"
Crazy.
The perfect word for Eris.
"Your stupid dojo doesn't matter."
"That's easy for you to say, since you abandoned your duty and left your family behind."
"......"
Eris fell silent.
Her expression was one of helpless resignation.
"Well, it's barely been a year since we parted ways. Perhaps we should both become a little stronger first, and then it will be more enjoyable."
Isolte said this with a playful glint in her eye.
"Yeah, let's!"
Eris's cheeks flushed, and she seemed to genuinely believe it.
But Isolte's expression was the complete opposite.
Oh dear—her face clearly said, "When dealing with a dog, you just have to give it a treat."
She knew how to handle Eris.
"I came today specifically to see Eris. And since I'm already here, I thought I might show you both around the royal capital."
"That sounds great! I was just looking for something to do anyway. Let's go!"
"Rudeus, you're welcome to join us."
If Eris and I got into a fight in the middle of town, that could be trouble.
And there was the possibility that most of our conversation had been a lie—that Eris was being led into an ambush where Water God style disciples were waiting.
I should tag along.
"...In that case, allow me to accompany you."
And so, I went sightseeing around the royal capital with Isolte.
Contrary to my worries, Isolte simply gave them a normal tour of the town, and Eris spent an enjoyable time.
Coming at this time—just days after her master's death—may have been her way of drawing a line under things.
---
Day five.
The Boreas family invited us to dinner.
Just me and Sylphie.
An invitation without Eris.
Was this poisoning?
I went on high alert and prepared to barely touch my food...
But the real topic was their desire to get closer to Ariel through me.
They hadn't invited Eris because, presumably, they were still wary of her.
They had some lingering guilt regarding Eris, and I didn't press the matter.
Eris seemed to want nothing more to do with the Boreas family, and the Boreas family would probably find it troublesome if Eris returned at this point.
Eris was mine.
At the dinner, I gave only vague answers.
---
Day eight.
I went around to survey the situation after everything had settled.
Triss, it seemed, was returning to her status as a noble.
In terms of her role, she was similar to Elmoor and Krine—a retainer of sorts.
Ariel appeared to be planning to use that band of thieves, with Triss serving as the go-between for negotiations behind the scenes.
Ariel and Luke were working energetically toward the future, so they had no time to rest.
Darius's death had caused a small degree of confusion within the royal court, but nothing serious came of it, and Ariel steadily made preparations to become queen.
Perugius had left a single subordinate in the castle as a representative and quickly returned to his aerial fortress.
I offered my condolences for the two who had died, and was told they could be revived at the aerial fortress.
What a convenient familiar.
Just as Orsted had said, everything truly seemed fine.
There was nothing more for me to do here.
My job was finished.
Well then, perhaps it was time to head home.
I told Ariel as much, and the very next day, I was summoned.
---
Night.
Ariel's private chambers within the royal palace.
Wanting to avoid anything that might raise suspicions of infidelity, I brought Sylphie along when I went to see Ariel.
It wasn't as though I'd been told to come alone.
Ariel's private chambers were absurdly lavish.
They were technically inside the royal palace, but calling them a "room" was almost an understatement—they were the size of an entire house.
Every piece of furniture was high-end, and the sofa was so plush it looked like it might melt.
Even though it wasn't metallic, it sparkled—no doubt because it was top-class in this world.
Normally, this room would be swarming with maids, but it had been cleared out today, leaving it eerily empty.
Amid the desolate scene of lavish furniture, Ariel personally prepared our drinks.
"Please, help yourselves."
"Thank you."
Golden cups held a purple liquid.
Wine, perhaps.
That probably cost a fortune too.
"Sylphie, you came as well."
"Yes. Being alone with a beautiful woman in the middle of the night would start all sorts of rumors."
"Haha. Indeed—if it were just the two of you, who knows what might happen."
Ariel was smiling, but Sylphie wasn't.
It was just a joke, come on.
"With Rudeus, it would really be a concern."
I had no confidence in my lower body.
It couldn't be helped.
But I trusted Sylphie.
After all, just recently she had declared she was choosing me over Ariel.
Honestly, my heart had skipped a beat.
If I were a praying mantis, I'd willingly let Sylphie eat me.
"Now then."
Having finished distributing drinks, Ariel took her seat.
"Rudeus. Allow me to once again express my gratitude. Thanks to you, we've come this far."
"No, this is the result of your own efforts, Lady Ariel."
The connections Ariel had cultivated in the Kingdom of Ranoa were paying off beautifully.
Filling the void left by Darius's death, replacing Gravell's loyalists—competent people were taking up key positions one by one.
If things went according to plan, Ariel would have complete control of the Asura Kingdom.
"Lord Perugius, the journey, that woman—all of it. If Rudeus hadn't been willing to cooperate, I would have stumbled somewhere along the way."
"You're making me blush."
"Really, just as Sylphie says. I might even spend a night with you to show my thanks."
Ariel said this while casting a sidelong glance my way.
I was tempted to let my gaze drift toward the nape of her neck, but Sylphie shot me a glare and I quickly looked away.
Ariel returned to her usual smile.
"Jokes aside, I had genuinely been thinking of finding some way to repay you."
"A reward? You don't have to—"
I'd done it as part of the job.
Besides, she'd already given me the estate. I was free to use that villa as I pleased going forward...
"Is there anything you'd like? I promised Luke certain terms, so I can't offer you land or a title, but anything else within my power, I can provide."
Even if she said that...
What would I even want from Ariel?
In the Asura Kingdom, there were all sorts of things unavailable elsewhere.
Magic grimoires?
Oh—actually, there was one thing.
One request.
"I'm not sure when it will be ready, but eventually I plan to release a book and a set of statues for sale. They're statues of a demon race, and I'd like to obtain permission under the royal family's name."
"Ah, you mean what you discussed with Lord Perugius."
"Yes. Would that be difficult?"
In the Asura Kingdom, the Millis faith was thriving.
If the royal family were to commercially distribute demon race statues on a large scale, it could create friction.
"That wouldn't be difficult at all. I'll also prepare a workshop for mass production."
"What about the Millis church? Will they be alright?"
"That will be fine. These things can be resolved with money."
The power of money, huh.
Of course. Becoming queen of the Asura Kingdom essentially meant becoming the wealthiest person in the world.
"I'll let you know once there are developments after we return."
"Of course. I look forward to it."
I had secured a sponsor and a workshop.
Now it all depended on Juli's progress.
If I remembered correctly, the diary mentioned that picture-book format sold well.
Maybe I should look for an illustrator...
To reach as many people as possible, picture books really were the way to go.
Plenty of people couldn't read, but anyone could look at pictures.
As I indulged in these calculations without having caught a single tanuki, Ariel turned to Sylphie with a solemn expression.
"Sylphie, you've worked hard as well."
"Yes. Lady Ariel, you've truly been through so much..."
Sylphie had officially stepped down as Ariel's bodyguard just the day before.
It seemed she'd been handling the handover procedures until the day before yesterday, and had spent yesterday in an oddly deflated mood.
"I'm not needed anymore, right?"
"Yes. It's all taken care of. Thank you so much for everything, for so long."
Ariel said this and bowed deeply—truly deeply—to Sylphie.
It was rare to see Ariel bow her head to anyone.
"Lady Ariel, please raise your head."
"But Sylphie, I don't want to hide this feeling behind报酬 or other compensation. I want to convey this to you with words and sincerity. You helped me more than I can ever repay."
"It's fine, really. Helping a friend is just the natural thing to do."
Sylphie said this while continuing to hold Ariel's hand.
Friends for ten years—one might call it.
I envied that kind of relationship.
"Sylphie, please come visit anytime."
"Sure. And Lady Ariel, if you ever have business in Ranoa... though I doubt you'll be able to visit our little corner of the world very often."
"Yes. If that happens, I'll hold a party at the castle in Ranoa and send you a formal invitation."
"Haha, like a state guest."
After that, Sylphie and Ariel chatted and laughed together for a while.
Listening to them, I found myself remembering the day I first met Sylphie.
The image of her walking alone along the ridge path of a farm.
Sylphie, unable to muster a single word of protest as the children around her pelted her with mud balls.
That girl from back then was now sitting and laughing with a princess.
Somehow, that made me inexplicably happy.
---
And so, the day came for us to depart the Asura Kingdom.