Chapter 81 — In Another World’s Labyrinth City

Chapter 81: In Another World’s Labyrinth City.

Ten days have passed since the evil god was defeated. The royal capital was safely liberated, and peace has returned to the world. The saint has continued making progress in her preparations for our marriage, and today at last, the wedding ceremony between me, the saint, Eris, and Ruruka is taking place.

「Hey, my dress, don’t you think it’s a bit flashy? Walking through the streets like this will be a little embarrassing…」

「I figure this level is fine, isn’t it? Plus we only have to wear them once. It’s no big deal.」

We’re in a room in a certain small church in the labyrinth city. Accordingly, Ruruka and Eris have their wedding dresses on and they’re checking each other’s outfits.

-There’s a special custom in this labyrinth city for wedding ceremonies. Namely, once the wedding is over, they parade through the streets, debuting their marriage to the people within the city.

「Doesn’t it suit you, Eris? I think it’s fine like that.」

Being that it’s the Sage’s marriage, there will most likely be tons of spectators. Perhaps feeling shy about that, Eris keeps checking her outfit over and over.

「I-Is that so… i-in that case, very well.」

「Hey, Shiki, what about me? How do I look?」

Did she dislike that only Eris got praised? Ruruka asks too, pointing at herself.

「Yeah, of course it suits you.」

「You think? Ehehe…」

When I say that, Ruruka becomes bashfully pleased. Once the marriage was decided, Eris and Ruruka have been getting along reasonably well, more or less. I daresay this is the Harem End. My dearly desired scene has finally come.

Well, after that day Ruruka somehow found out that I was using Slime Jelly atop the dragon and wouldn’t speak to me for a few days. And sure, I tried making a night visit to Eris before the wedding and she kicked me out of the room and wouldn’t speak to me for a few days either.

But it’s mostly been tranquil.

「Are all of your preparations in order?」

At which point the saint comes into the waiting room and checks with the two of them. That saint is properly wearing her wedding dress as well.

「I am terribly sorry for being unable to hold a satisfactory rehearsal due to the suddenness. After this, the ceremony with Shiki-sama and the three of us will be held in front of the church. It shall proceed as follows: Shiki-sama will give each of us the prepared rings there, and we will exchange vows. Thereafter, we will march through the streets dressed as-is to make our debut, with the reception being held at Lord-sama’s mansion.」

-Looks like the ceremony will begin before long.

…But it’ll be a problem if she starts it already. It’ll be a problem if the ceremony starts before that arrives.

In a corner of the room, Yuel is staying out of the conversation entirely, looking somewhat lonesome. I glance over at her.

I’ve been thinking about it ever since she fought with the evil god and gave up her life. Ever since, I’ve been thinking about what I should do.

And the answer that I came up with as a result should arrive shortly. I special ordered it in the highest quality possible, using up all of the pocket money I had. I begged the merchant that I wanted it delivered by this morning… but I wonder if by some chance, it won’t make it in time? I was also told that since it was made-to-order, it would take a while.

-While I’m worrying like that.

「Sage-samaaa!!」

A woman practically dives into the waiting room.

「Here is the article you requested. As you ordered, the finishing touches were done using the highest-grade mythril. Please confirm your receipt…」

「Ohh! So it came!」

While trying to hide it from Eris, Ruruka and the saint, I check the article brought by the woman.

-Yeah, they did a good job. With this, there should be no objections.

「What’s the matter, Shiki? What’s that?」

Ruruka asks in an inquisitive voice. But there’s no way I can answer her question. I put away what I received from the woman in my item box and immediately head for the door.

「Ah, it’s no big deal.

…I’m just gonna go outside for a bit. Yuel, come with me as my guard.」

「Hold on, Shiki, where are you planning to go!?」

Eris raises her voice in surprise. Well, it’s right before the wedding ceremony and all. She’d be worried that I might go off somewhere now. But precisely because it’s right before the wedding ceremony, specifically because it’s now, I have to do this.

The saint might have realized what I’m about to do; she’s giving me a somewhat tender look. Even if she realizes it, she understands well not to put it in words. And I’m sure she absolutely won’t say anything to Eris or Ruruka.

「It’s fine, I’ll be right back!」

I give the two of them a suitable excuse, and rush out of the room with Yuel in tow.

Still wearing my wedding ceremony tuxedo, I walk through the church. It’s not like I’m heading anywhere in particular. It’s just that any place is fine so long as there’s nobody’s around. Looking out over my surroundings, I proceed through less and less populated areas.

-Then, after walking for about a minute, I come out into the church’s garden.

There’s no sign of anyone here. This place should be good.

「Yuel.」

I call out the name of the girl following behind me.

「Yes, Master.」

Yuel replies. The tone of her voice is calm but somewhat lonesome, giving off a slightly resigned feeling.

Yuel stands in front of me, gazing intently at my appearance.

…Her eyes are a little red. By some chance, she might have ended up crying when I wasn’t watching. As I suspected, Yuel must feel lonely over being the only one who can’t get married.

But I have no intention of making Yuel sad. That’s why I gave her these comforting words.

「Yuel, marriage is for once you’re an adult, okay.」

Even though you can’t get married now, you can once you become an adult. I presented those forward-thinking words to Yuel.

「Once… I’m an adult…」

Yuel’s expression saddens from those words.

…Well, I knew she would react like this. Yuel has already realized it. The fact that I tell her lies in order to avoid hurting her. The current Yuel won’t be deceived by such superficially clever, trifling words.

「Yuel, when you grow up, you’ll become an incredibly beautiful woman. So beautiful that you won’t lose to Eris or Ruruka, not even to the saint.」

「I’ll become a beautiful woman?」

…Most likely, Yuel lacks self-confidence. The current Yuel has no breasts, and she’s short. She’s still completely outside my strike zone, because she’s just a kid. Even if I insist that her development will go well, she doesn’t necessarily know that she’ll grow up according to my ideal.

Because of that, she can’t put her faith in my words.

But I have confidence. The current Yuel doesn’t know this, but I alone clearly understand her future prospects. And… of how exactly the current Yuel sees me, perhaps. I have reliable testimony from that time, from the grown-up Yuel herself.

-I’ve been thinking about it ever since then, seeing that grown-up Yuel as she disappeared into particles of light. About exactly what kind of reward I should give the Yuel who went to such extremes for me.

「Yuel, you are a child. So there’s no way you can get married yet.

…But I can still give you this.」

It’s not like I can get married to Yuel when she’s still a child. I may have given her a verbal promise about how she’s going to look, but she won’t believe me.

-So I went to great pains, and worked out an answer.

This is that answer. I decided to establish a proof of that promise. In front of Yuel, I hold out the tiny box I just received.

「Master, i-is this… i-is this…?」

Did she guess from looking at the box? Yuel makes an astonished face. I slowly open the lid, making sure that Yuel can clearly see.

-Inside, there’s a ring that’s much the same as the ones I’m going to give to Eris, Ruruka, and the saint after this.

But this is something that I used up my entire fortune to special order, a one-of-a-kind engagement ring for Yuel alone. Yuel’s eyes open wide when she sees the ring. Her cheeks gradually blush, and her gloomy expression brightens like a blooming flower.

「A Ring… i-is this ring For… for me…?」

Yuel looks at me with an expression like she can’t believe it. Well, I wouldn’t have believed it myself if you told me just a short time ago that I’d be doing something like this. Just what kind of lolicon would give an engagement ring to a kid? I’m sure that’s what I would have thought, no doubt about it.

But the current me wants Yuel to have this ring. From the bottom of my heart, that’s how I feel.

「Yeah, it’s an engagement ring, Yuel. Before the wedding ceremony with everyone, I wanted to give you this.」

One more time, I look around.

…Alright, nobody’s watching. I pick up the ring, and gently place it onto Yuel’s finger.

「I-It’s incredibly beautiful…」

Yuel takes her hand with the ring on it and holds it up to the sky. The ring catches the sunlight and makes tiny sparkles.

Then I take a deep breath, in order to say what I have to say. Yuel’s body quivers with a jolt. I’m sure she understands what I’m planning to say now.

Saying these words requires a suitable amount of courage. When the other party is Yuel, all the more courage is needed, a different sense.

A still-young slave girl. I can still turn back now, that statement crosses my mind. But I won’t turn back.

-Why, you ask? Because I’m Yuel’s courageous master.

「Yuel, once you become an adult, let’s get married.」

Yuel’s eyes snap open upon my proposal. After that, she squeezes her eyes shut and lowers her head like she’s trying to savor it. Then, she looks up at me bashfully for a moment, before jumping towards me with her arms outstretched-

「Yes, Masterrr!」

and in a voice that sounds delighted from the bottom of her heart, she gives me her reply.

Author’s Note: The original story is now complete. For staying with me until the end, thank you very much.

I’m thinking of contributing some extra chapters in a little while, so please stay tuned.