True Ending & Wedding [Complete]

Several weeks after the battle against the Great Demon King.

The Royal Capital had been restored to about the same state as before.

At last, socially speaking, there was no longer any problem with doing that thing I had long wished for.

One sunny afternoon.

Liricia and I were in the plaza in front of the castle.

Instead of my usual adventurer outfit, I was wearing a white tuxedo. Liricia was wearing a white dress.

The plaza, covered in white cloth celebrating the joyous occasion, was filled with a great many people.

Townspeople and adventurers. The landlady, Cheryl, and the old witch.

Teti, the snow elves, and Rāna were there too.

The King, the Princess, and the knights. The court mage corps and Mackybell were there as well.

Naturally, the Dwarf Duke and Lady Hilda were also present.

On top of that, not only Rubel and Edgar, but even the Demon King, with tanned skin and wearing an aloha shirt, was there.

—Why?

I could not help but retort in my heart.

Also, little Princess Nobara was participating as a state guest from the Yamata Kingdom.

The children of Edgar’s unit surrounded her like guards.

As that great crowd watched, Saint Sophia, wearing clerical robes, appeared at the innermost part of the plaza, swaying her blue hair.

She walked slowly up onto the platform and looked down at Liricia and me, who were standing solemnly.

Sophia waved her staff and first spoke to me in a clear voice.

“Savior Alec. Do you swear to cherish your spouse Liricia and love her through sickness and health?”

“I swear.”

Sophia nodded deeply, then turned to Liricia next.

“Heavenly Messenger Liricia. Do you swear to cherish your spouse Alec and love him through sickness and health?”

“Yes, I swear!”

Liricia’s clear voice rang out with exceptional dignity into the blue sky over the Royal Capital.

Sophia swayed her blue hair and nodded deeply.

Then, while looking over the people in the plaza, she declared loudly.

“Here, these two have sworn a heartfelt bond to one another. May eternal blessing be upon Savior Alec and Heavenly Messenger Liricia!”

The people, who had been watching quietly until then, burst into explosive cheers.

“Long live Alec-sama!”

“Long live Liricia-san!”

“Thank you both for saving the world!”

Liricia and I turned around and faced the people.

The people moved left and right like waves.

The center of the plaza opened up, forming a single path that continued to the main street.

I looked at Liricia with a smile and offered my arm.

Liricia happily and bashfully linked her arm through mine.

Then, through the passage made between the people, we matched our pace and began walking slowly, step by step.

Since the hem of Liricia’s dress was long, the Sacred White Dragon Rāna and the elf girl Teti held the hem and followed behind us.

The people on both sides of the passage threw out words of congratulations one after another.

“Alec-sama, you look so cool!” “Liricia-san, that dress suits you!” “I admire white clothes so much.” “You both really look wonderful!” “Huh? Doesn’t Alec-san look kind of younger?” “I hate sharp kids.”

First, we came before the King.

He looked at Liricia and me with a gentle smile.

“You did well, Alec. I am glad you seem to have grasped irreplaceable happiness.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“Thank you very much.”

Liricia and I thanked him, then turned our eyes to Duke Gustav beside the King.

“Alec, as expected of the man I recognized. I sincerely thank you for all you have done for the dwarf territory and for the world. May both of you be happy.”

“Liricia-san, you’re truly beautiful! I admire you!”

“Well, Hilda-san. Thank you very much.”

“Thank you both.”

Next, we reached the knights.

Vice-Captain Milford was standing while holding hands with the Princess.

The Princess opened her mouth.

“Congratulations. May blessings be upon both of your futures.”

“Thank you, Princess.”

“Thank you very much for your courtesy.”

When we bowed our heads, Milford, standing beside her, spoke to us in a friendly tone.

“As expected of Alec. I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you back then.”

“It’s fine already. If anything, being fired made my life take a turn for the better.”

“That’s true. May both of you be happy—though next will be my turn.”

Milford looked at the Princess standing beside him with gentle eyes.

That meant, in other words—

“Huh! You and Princess Carolina were in that kind of relationship!?”

“You didn’t notice?”

“I knew. Congratulations, Princess.”

Liricia congratulated her in a light voice.

Apparently, I was the only one who had not known.

The surrounding knights began teasing them.

I gave a wry smile and started walking again.

We came before the court mages.

The elderly chief mage congratulated Liricia and me.

In contrast, Mackybell put a hand on her slender waist and gave me a sidelong glance. The wide brim of her pointed hat swayed.

“I want to be happy too, or rather, I want someone to support me financially?”

“Do your best.”

“Ma-chan-san, I am sure you can become happy.”

“Ahh, no good. The happiness barrier is too strong for sarcasm to get through.”

“I won’t announce that secret, so put up with it.”

“Uuugh!”

Mackybell bit her lip in frustration and became teary-eyed.

Liricia and I gave wry smiles and moved on.

We passed in front of the adventurers.

Rubel swayed her red twin-tails and smiled at us provocatively.

“Hmph. For today, I shall celebrate the two of you. But starting tomorrow, let us enjoy happiness as three.”

“Please don’t, Rubel.”

“T-That is right! Alec-san is already mine! I absolutely will not hand him over!”

Liricia desperately clung to my arm. Her large breasts pressed against me.

Seeing that, the adventurers raised voices like screams.

“I’m jealous!”

“You’re way too lucky!”

“Share some with me!”

Then Edgar turned around with an eerie smile.

“What’s this? You got a problem with the happy couple?”

The adventurers gulped and fell silent.

I thanked Edgar, who was unusually forceful.

“Edgar, thank you for helping me with so many things.”

“Truly, if Edgar-san had not been there for us, we could never have reached this point.”

“No… I didn’t do anything that impressive. Well then, I wish you both happiness.”

Edgar scratched his head in embarrassment.

Princess Nobara beside him spoke haughtily.

“You two have worked well. I shall praise you. —This is your reward.”

Princess Nobara approached me, stretched up on tiptoe, and placed a single red flower in the chest pocket of my tuxedo. In the same way, she placed one on Liricia’s dress as well.

Then, after returning to Edgar’s side, she looked at us and nodded magnanimously.

“You match. Like those flowers, the two of you must be happy together.”

“Thank you, Princess Nobara.”

“I am happy to receive such a lovely flower.”

While I was at it, I said to Princess Nobara,

“Right. Please thank King Mikoto for me too. Tell him thank you for helping the snow elves.”

“Mm. I shall tell him.”

The children around the princess began making a fuss.

“You both look great. Wonderful.”

“Liricia-oneechan, be happy!”

“This makes me want to have a wedding like this too.”

“First, you need a partner.”

“That’s forbidden to say.”

“Thank you.”

“All of you, be good children.”

“““Yes.”””

Feeling happy at the children’s honest replies and words, Liricia and I started walking again.

After that, we were blessed by many people.

The landlady was tearfully happy and said, “You worked so hard. I thought from the very beginning that you looked like a perfect married couple!”

The elf Cheryl praised the great deeds of Liricia and me, saying, “All of us are grateful that you saved the world. Please be happy.”

In contrast, the old witch standing beside her laughed with a twitching expression.

“Hihihi. What a splendid wedding. It seems you’ve become quite well-off.”

“That’s what you’re looking at? You’re as money-grubbing as ever.”

“That is right, grandmother. You could simply congratulate us honestly, at least for today.”

When Liricia frowned unhappily, the witch formed a terrifying grin.

“Do you not want children? At this rate, next time, you will lay an egg again.”

“Huh!?”

“No, surely not!”

Later, I had been told that Liricia had laid an egg containing a jewel orb.

It was unfortunate, but I had optimistically thought we would be able to have a normal child next time…

—Actually, why does this old woman know that!

The witch counted on her gnarled, withered fingers as she spoke.

“Well, a medicine to conceive a child would be five hundred million gorts, including material costs.”

“That’s expensive! More expensive than rejuvenation!”

“That is profiteering, grandmother!”

At our words of condemnation, the witch merely grinned.

“If you dislike it, ask elsewhere. If there is anyone else who can do it, that is! Hyah, hyah, hyah!”

“Guh…!”

I could only bite my lip. She had completely taken advantage of our weakness.

Liricia placed a hand on her large chest, and her lovely face crumpled as if she were about to cry.

“Ahh, how could this be… I am sorry, Alec-san.”

I did not want to see Liricia’s crying face.

Especially not on this happy day, when she might shed tears of sadness.

I clenched my fist and faced down the old hag.

“—Fine. Five hundred million gorts, right? I’ll definitely save it up! Absolutely!”

“Alec-san—!”

Liricia scattered tears as she embraced me.

However, the tears that scattered around us shone happily like jewels.

The witch snorted with a “Hmph.”

“When your honeymoon is over, I shall be waiting in the usual place.”

“Yeah. Look forward to it after the trip.”

I spat that out, then urged Liricia to keep walking.

—If anything, money could buy happiness. If I thought of it that way, wasn’t it cheap?

I took Liricia with me and walked powerfully and proudly.

Finally.

On the main street, a white carriage pulled by white horses was stopped.

Beside it, the Demon King in an aloha shirt was standing arrogantly with his chest puffed out.

“Why are you here?”

“Heh, even I am technically the president of the Mao Mao Bookstore Chain. If I show my face where important people gather, my connections will expand on their own! Fwahahahaha!”

“So it’s for yourself. Well, that is like the Demon King.”

“But will you congratulate us?”

“Why should I celebrate you! The height of happiness is merely false joy before a bad ending! Tremble before the despair that will come in the future, fwahahahaha!”

“You’re as usual.”

“As expected of you.”

“I shall take that as praise! Fwahaha—hm?”

The Demon King noticed Teti behind Liricia. He stopped laughing loudly and spoke to her normally.

“Teti. Has the Mao Mao Bookstore Chain contacted you?”

“Huh? Not especially?”

“Then rejoice! Your work remained among the final three in the final selection!”

“Eeeh! Really!? It was my first time writing, and it made it to the final selection!”

“Furthermore, as a result of the final judging, it won an honorable mention! The character construction was wonderful, and the characters were charming! The combination of ideas and the story development were good too!”

“Uwaa! Thank you very much! I’m super happy! —I did it!”

Teti raised both hands in joy. Since she was still holding the hem of the dress, Liricia’s underwear nearly became visible.

Liricia’s face turned bright red, and she desperately held it down with both hands, narrowly avoiding disaster.

Liricia and I congratulated Teti.

“I’m glad for you, Teti. You were writing all this time, after all.”

“Making your author debut is wonderful.”

“Thank you. It’s all thanks to everyone. President Mao, thank you too!”

“Mm. However, you must work hard through dozens of revisions! —Then, farewell!”

The Demon King quickly left.

However, just when I thought he was going home, the Demon King for some reason went into the plaza.

—Was it to expand his connections?

Curious, I ended up following him with my eyes.

Then the Demon King spoke to Edgar.

“Edgar, I shall give you this.”

The Demon King abruptly took a rectangular card from his chest pocket and handed it to Edgar.

Edgar stared intently at the card.

On it was written, “Mao Mao, President of the Mao Mao Bookstore Chain.”

“What’s this? A business card?”

“Heh, I have taken a liking to you. How about it? Will you work under me?”

The Demon King flashed his jagged teeth and showed a confident smile.

At the unexpected words, Edgar involuntarily gave a wry smile.

“An unexpected recruitment, huh. Directly from Mao-san, too.”

“Heh. Whether enemy or ally, I do not dislike capable people. —The greatest enemy in this world is not a Hero or a champion, but an incompetent hard worker on one’s own side! Fwahahahaha!”

“As expected of Mao-san. You really are a top leader of an organization… If fate had lined things up, I might seriously have worked for you.”

“I see. I will not force you. Mid-career hires are very welcome. When you feel like it, visit the place written on that business card.”

“Thank you. I’ll treasure it.”

Edgar carefully placed the business card into his pocket.

After watching that, the Demon King nodded theatrically and turned on his heel.

“Then, let us meet again! Fwahahahaha!”

This time, the Demon King really did leave the plaza while laughing loudly.

In high spirits, he strode away with long-legged steps.

His laughter echoed high into the blue sky.

“He’s the same as ever.”

“He is an amusing person, but I do sense boldness and intelligence in him.”

I shrugged and boarded the carriage.

I took Liricia’s hand and helped her up, then had her sit beside the driver’s seat.

Furthermore, Teti and Rāna pushed the long hem of the dress into the carriage.

Teti and Rāna looked up at us and spoke one after another.

“Liricia-san, you were wonderful!”

“I want to look for a wonderful dragon too!”

“Thank you, Teti-chan. Good luck with your novel.”

“If we find a cool dragon during the trip, I’ll ask for his contact information.”

“Then be careful and have a good trip!”

“Have a wonderful journey!”

The two waved their hands.

I looked at Liricia and nodded.

“Then first, we head west.”

“Yes, Alec-san!”

Liricia answered in her adorable voice.

I flicked the reins like a whip against the white horses.

Slowly, the carriage began to move.

People crowded along the main street, throwing final words of blessing after us.

The carriage moved comfortably along the main street with the sound of its wheels.

However, the farther west we went, the fewer cheers we heard. To begin with, there were no people.

That was because Westaria, the town to the west, had lost its dungeon, so demand had vanished all the way to the Royal Capital’s west street.

Our destination was the Aragon Kingdom far to the west, so there was no problem.

—Then.

It was around the time the outer wall gate west of the Royal Capital came into view.

There were almost no people along the main street, but from the entrance of an alleyway to farther inside it, several homeless-looking people were sitting huddled down.

I recognized one of them.

“I’m stopping for a moment.”

“Yes? What is it?”

I handed the horse reins to Liricia and got off the carriage.

I headed for the alley.

A little ways inside, a young man in tattered clothes, with dirty hair and empty eyes, was sitting there.

It was Marius, the former Hero and former noble.

Marius, who had become a criminal slave, had continued fighting in the valley at the southernmost end of the Fortis Kingdom, where undead poured in.

However, because the Great Demon King’s army attacked, he had thrown away his sword and armor and escaped with his life.

The reason was that the Dead Peninsula, which had been the cause of the undead pouring in, was actually a dungeon whose ceiling had fallen away.

That was why it had been attacked by the shadow monsters released by the Great Demon King. Of course, the dungeon was destroyed.

And because the dungeon was destroyed, the contract to fight the undead was considered complete, and the slave contract had been canceled.

Not knowing that, Marius was afraid of his status as a runaway slave, afraid that he had lost the backing of his family, and afraid that he had lost the power to fight.

There was no hope in Marius’s eyes. He saw only despair.

I stood in front of Marius and looked down at him.

However, Marius did not notice. He only stared at the ground with his head lowered.

I took out the sub-device and consulted Kou.

“We still had materials for a Holy Sword left, right?”

“Yes, we do.”

“Then make one suitable Holy Sword and send it to my magic bag.”

“Understood.”

Immediately, a Holy Sword was sent to my magic bag.

I took it out and placed it in front of Marius.

For a while, he stared blankly at the Holy Sword, but light gradually began returning to his eyes.

“Huh… this is…?”

“Start over again. It’s not as if you had no talent.”

Marius gasped and raised his face.

Looking at my face, he narrowed his eyes as if dazzled.

“A-Alec…”

“See you.”

I turned my back and began walking.

Behind me, I felt like Marius was trying to say something.

But I did not turn around and left the alley.

The moment I did, a loud childlike crying voice rang out from the alley.

“Uwaaaaaaah—!”

—If he had that much energy, he would probably be all right.

Once you fall to the bottom of despair, all that remains is to crawl back up. Just like me when I was fired as Hero.

I left the alley and returned to the carriage.

Liricia looked toward the alley where the loud crying could be heard and lowered her eyebrows worriedly.

“Will he be all right?”

“There’s no problem. No, rather, the last problem has been resolved.”

When I showed my white teeth and smiled at her, Liricia’s expression also softened.

“As expected of you, Alec-san.”

“I didn’t do anything that impressive—now, let’s go!”

“Yes!”

I touched the reins to the horses and made them walk.

Liricia nestled even closer to me.

The gaps between her soft curves were filled with gentle love.

As we smiled silently at each other, the carriage passed through the west gate.

A road through calm farmland continued ahead.

On and on. Farther and farther west.

The Heaven Realm, where cloud ground and blue sky spread out.

Right after the wedding ended, Rāna, a beautiful girl who looked seventeen, jumped out of a teleportation gate.

Flipping the skirt of her white uniform and letting her long white hair stream, she ran toward the temple where Kou was.

In her hand, she held a sign that read “Photography Club.”

When she reached the temple, she leaned the sign against the entrance and rushed over beside Kou.

With that momentum, she spoke.

“Kou-chan, bring out a camera! A camera! Hurry, hurry!”

“There are many types of cameras, you know?”

“That’s obvious! It has to be a Nikon F3!”

With a puffing sound, a treasure chest appeared from the floor along with smoke.

Rāna leaped at it and opened the treasure chest.

Taking out a black-bodied camera from inside, she immediately pointed it at the cloud floor. She opened the top of the body and peered into the finder.

What Rāna saw was the surface world.

A plain at sunset.

A white carriage was traveling along a broad road toward the setting sun.

Alec and Liricia, wearing white clothes, sat in the driver’s seat. They were leaning close together affectionately.

The camera’s focus settled on the two of them.

At the same time, the faces of Alec and Liricia as they gazed at each other also drew closer.

Kou raised a question.

“Would that not be backlit from there?”

“It’s fiiine. Leave it to me!”

The instant Alec and Liricia, reduced to black silhouettes with the setting sun behind them, kissed, the shutter sounded with a click.

The Elegant Life of the Exiled Hero: Once I Was Free, I Even Gained My Own Beloved Angel! — The End