I burst into laughter, unable to hold it back any longer. Tesilid, who had been sulking and blushing at the tips of his ears, soon joined in, his laughter echoing in his throat.

Tesilid shared his thoughts on the visit to the magic tower.

“The chimera researcher can actually be helpful sometimes. It's funny that the Demon King of Sanarak ended up in his hands.”

“It felt like destiny, didn’t it?”

At that moment, Tesilid let out a low sigh.

“I wish you wouldn’t flirt with me.”

“True, haha.”

“Come to think of it, I’ve seen you get proposed to three times in front of me. Count Orshu, Ligares, the chimera researcher...”

“Each one of them was a little strange. Hahaha.”

Hmm, somehow, the topic of conversation was gradually turning against me...

“Oh, come to think of it.”

“Hmm, hmm?”

“You secretly went to the Unisus dungeon too, right? I’m kind of relieved I didn’t get to see the King of the Scoundrels asking you to lay eggs for him...”

Ah, and now we’ve reached this subject!

His eyes narrowed as he looked at me. I tried to keep smiling, but it seemed like my laughter wouldn’t be enough to deflect it.

Suddenly, I felt a little wronged.

“Wait a second, Terry. You’re not exactly innocent either. You got proposals from the Harpy Queen and the Queen of Ice in front of me.”

And that’s just counting this timeline. If we add in all the other timelines, it would be impossible to count.

Somehow, I got carried away, and my voice rose a little.

“Whether I saw it or not, you were seducing all kinds of females!”

“Well, that... that wasn’t my will...”

To block his pitiful excuse, I glared at him pointedly.

“What, was it my will?”

“...”

“And by the way, Tesilid.”

“...Yes?”

“You were the revered leader of the Ten Thousand, Lord Reid. You could’ve built a harem empire with demons! And yet, here you are, criticizing me for only managing a humble four wives?”

“...Shall we stop this conversation?”

His desperate voice touched my heart, so I decided to let it go. I am such a magnanimous person.

Before long, our steps reached the balcony. However, we didn’t immediately break the spatial transfer stone.

The deep blue night sky, like the ocean, and the sparkling magic city. We took a moment to enjoy the mystical and romantic night view.

I felt the night air, cool from the heights, rise from my ankles and gently wrap around my hair.

There was someone I always thought of when I gazed up at the dark sky.

Perhaps it was because I was closer to that medium today. For some reason, I couldn’t help but think of him.

A faint but suffocating feeling began to rise in me. Fortunately, there was someone by my side I could share this with.

“Terry.”

“Hm, yes?”

“I’m curious about something.”

“What is it?”

I hesitated for a moment, unusually so. His sea-colored eyes were kind, and he watched me without urging, waiting for me to speak.

I said it.

“I wonder if Reid is doing well.”

The Tesilid Arzent from the 101st timeline, living in a different timeline.

I killed him during the final battle, sending him to a special timeline copied by the creation of heaven and earth.

I still don’t know if that was a horrific punishment that caused him pain or a form of salvation that might have offered him some comfort.

At that moment, another man I had killed in the past spoke up.

“Curious?”

His question seemed to suggest he already knew everything, and my eyes widened.

But his answer was incomplete, and he wanted to find the missing part from me and piece it together.

“The answer to that question depends on how you answer my question.”

“What question?”

Tesilid’s face drew closer. The night’s darkness settled on his silver hair, and the flickering red light danced in his smooth eyes.

Perhaps it was that, but for a brief moment, I thought I saw another vision of him.

His voice, like the melody of a string instrument, asked me as if reciting beautiful lines of poetry.

“Do you love Reid in the 101st timeline?”

“...”

Ah.

How should I describe this feeling in this moment?

Should I sigh, feel relieved, cry, or laugh?

I honestly couldn’t figure it out, so I squeezed my eyes shut.

Everything about him, returning to me time and time again, felt so tender that I couldn’t bear it.

So.

I can’t say I don’t love him, I just can’t stand it.

Now it was my turn to share my half of the answer. I opened my eyes again and smiled widely at Tesilid.

“If you live a good life without doing anything bad...”

“The answer has come.”

Tesilid’s face drew nearer. As he closed his eyes and our lips met, the light of the spatial transfer stone surrounded us.

✠

The vast fire attack unfolding on the horizon caused the sky’s blue to retreat.

Time rewound from the deep night to early evening. Due to the time difference between the two faraway places, we could now see two sunsets in one day.

The place Tesilid and I moved to after leaving the dark magic tower was the land of Elfenheim, near the foot of Mount Elteo.

An untouched plain, where no human traces had been found for years, was filled with grass that had a strong vitality.

When the wind blew, it reminded me of a green sea that gently swayed.

Step by step, the sensation of stepping on the thickly grown grass reached my feet.

Tesilid and I continued walking, occasionally admiring each other’s faces, bathed in the light of the setting sun.

“Was it beyond that hill?”

“I think so.”

Just as we were approaching the right path, we saw the first landmark.

It was a small stream flowing along the curves of the land.

At the moment when the battle with Reid was concluded, Reid and I had fallen from the top of Mount Elteo, surrounded by countless millennial glaciers.

The ancient ice had melted at that time, forming a small lake, and from that lake, a stream had split off to form the brook.

Wildflowers bloomed around the banks, colorful and delicate, like fine embroidery sewn on a green carpet.

I thought to myself, how wonderful it would be if I could take a bundle of that home to my living room.

I was lost in that thought when I tugged at the hem of my dress and looked at my shoes.

“Come to think of it, I’ve ended up wearing my ball gown.”

“Is it uncomfortable?”

“Not really, but...”

“Then?”

“I wonder if I should wear something more modest. Shouldn’t I wear simpler clothes?”

When I expressed my worry, Tesilid laughed heartily and said,

“They’ll like it. You look really beautiful right now.”

The words came out smoothly, a reflection of someone’s opinion and his own thoughts. I couldn’t help but laugh out loud too.

“Well, I’m glad then.”

As we exchanged words, we almost reached the top of the hill.

As we neared our destination, I consciously tried to breathe evenly. I wanted to step with a calm and clean feeling.

To the place where Reid had passed away.

It had taken one year and six months to survive after the victory at Armageddon and wandering through the chaotic tomb of gods. When I first came back here, I regrettably couldn’t find Reid.

Time is merciless, and the vessel that held him had returned to the earth, turned to white soil.

But fortunately, there was still some trace he left behind. That was the second landmark.

Just as Tesilid and I reached the top of the hill, the view that had been blocked opened up, and the second landmark welcomed us.

“Wow!”

“It’s amazing...”

The grand scene that unfolded before us made us exclaim in awe.

In our sight was a huge field of green, with turquoise flower pistils and silver petals of the Signflower, blooming in vast clusters.

It felt like we had entered a massive garden of Signflowers dedicated to him.

“It’s grown so much since the last time.”

“It’s amazing. I didn’t think anyone had cultivated it.”

This world seemed so indifferent, and I thought no one had mourned Reid’s death, but perhaps that wasn’t true.

Maybe it was alright to feel a little bittersweet joy.

I smiled and turned to Tesilid.

“Let’s find a good spot. Somewhere nice.”

“Yeah, sure.”

We had something we needed to do.

I didn’t know the exact location where Reid’s eyes closed. So, we decided to pick the most scenic place.

I stopped at a spot I liked and pressed the ground down evenly. Then, I rummaged through my inventory and pulled out a special gift.

The heavy weight of the object pressed down on the ground with a soft thud.

In the center of the silver Signflower garden stood a delicately carved black stone. I looked at it and spoke as if to him.

“I hope you like it, Reid.”

Not long ago, when I replaced the dungeon farm’s gravestones, I had asked Skellet Lannon ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) to make an eighth gravestone. This was that gravestone.

It was difficult to engrave his real name, just like Reid. So, as usual, I decided to give him a flower name.

“I thought a lot between the Signflower and this one. But the meaning of this flower seemed to suit you better.”

It was also a comfort to me, who misses him even after his death.

“Hey, Reid. It’s been a year since I married Terry.”

I didn’t want to feel down. I tried to chatter cheerfully.

“We eat delicious things together, see beautiful things together. When we eat freshly baked cake, when we see cherry blossoms in the spring, when we feel the wind on the beach in the summer, we always go everywhere together. Oh, in the winter when it gets cold, we don’t go out much. Actually, we don’t leave the bed much, do we? It’s warmer that way.”

“...”

Beside me, Tesilid pretended to clear his throat. Ignoring him, I continued.

“Anyway, every day, I wake up in the morning with Terry and go to sleep at night with him...”

I paused for a moment, hoping my words would sound as beautiful as possible.

“I’m so happy.”

So.

“I hope you’re happy too.”

I gently leaned my head on Tesilid’s shoulder and looked at the setting sun.

I hoped, in another timeline and another horizon, that he too was watching the sunset and not feeling lonely.

Soon, the time for darkness to fall on this place was drawing near.

“Terry, don’t you have anything you want to say?”

“Hmm...”

After a moment’s hesitation, he spoke.

“I hope you live a good life and get saved. Like I did.”

Nice words.

“You heard that? It’s the advice of a senior, so engrave it in your heart.” 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

I looked at Tesilid and smiled brightly.

It was time to return. We held each other’s hands and surrendered ourselves to the light.

The vision was erased by white light and then returned, regaining its colors and shapes.

When I opened my eyes, there was a cabin with a cheese-tabby cat wearing white socks, using a swing hammock to sleep.

Cozy and peaceful—our home.