I opened my eyes after the huge explosion that happened.
I should have woken up in the forest, but for some reason, I found myself in a familiar white room.
No, I remembered now—why had I forgotten about it?
It's the room where I appeared when I died and met that damn god who made me reincarnate as a rock.
"Hey, you trash god. Come here, I want to say a few words."
I called out, but he didn't answer.
In the distance, I saw a figure approaching. As it got closer, I saw an attractive boy with blonde hair and blue eyes standing in front of me.
Could this damn god change form?
First an old fat man, and now a cute boy. Gods are really strange.
"Can you hear me?"
I heard the boy say those words.
"Yes. I hear you loud and clear."
"I'm glad!"
The boy jumped with joy and then hugged me.
I could feel the hug he gave me. I don't have a body, but I could feel his warmth.
In fact, I can't even feel the warmth of things in the body I have in this world.
"I tried every possible way to contact you. But due to the interference from the corrupt magical power, I couldn't reach you."
"Ah."
It seems like something was happening. He stopped hugging me and looked at me with a serious expression.
By the way, what does he mean by trying to contact me?
"We don't have much time before your soul reconnects to the other world. I'll be quick."
"My name is Animus, and I'm the new god in charge of this world. Ulises-senpai is no longer here."
"You mean the mandarin orange guy?"
"Yes. I'm afraid he left us for good."
"He left us for good… does that mean he died?!"
I was horrified to hear that a god had died.
My powers were given to me by him.
How do I still have them if he's gone?
Animus-kun continued explaining confusing things.
"Kurono Ichiru-san, at this moment, you're the only living being with the absolute power of a god. But while inside the planet, your power is limited and reduced."
"That's why I must ask you to use all of your power to put an end to this problem that also concerns you."
"Problem?"
"What problem?"
What he said next left me very distressed.
"The world is in grave danger!"
"This is no longer related to the game you're in. Right now, the cult is doing something that could destroy humanity, and it is completely resurrecting the goddess of death."
"But I already know that. The world is in danger because of the cult. That's nothing new. Just now, I already defeated--"
"That's why I said stop with that nonsense!"
"This is no longer related to the game. Right now, the cult is making strange moves, poisoning the planet so the goddess of death can resurrect without any problems."
"Didn't you have trouble recently using your powers?"
"...!"
"Well, that's because they're contaminating the planet's ether. The source of life, and that source can only be purified by the World Tree, which not only cleanses the planet of its pollution but also distributes energy to it."
"The tree is the very heart of the planet. If it were lost, everyone would die, but you managed to save it. But the cult is still there."
"They're not interested in the tree. If they were, they would have destroyed it long ago."
"I don't understand why they haven't done that, but one thing's for sure. Whatever they're planning, it's something big."
"That's why, please, stop seeing all of this as a game."
"I'll help you with what I've been able to find out on my end."
"The leader of the cult is none other than the emperor."
"The emperor?!"
(But in the game, the emperor was a pawn, and the leader never showed their face, as they were killed by the sword saint, Zapp.)
(Why would Zapp kill the emperor if he was so loyal?)
"Are you sure?"
"I am!"
"Please, defeat the empire as soon as possible. If not, all of us will die."
"Ah. But don't get involved with the green-eyed knight. That man is too much for you."
"Please. As soon as possible."
"Huh?"
Animus-kun began to interfere.
Not only him, but the place also seemed to be filled with static.
"***!"
"I can't hear you."
The static got louder, and the place became blurry.
Before everything vanished, I only heard one last thing.
"Don't let her get close to him, no matter what happens!"
A long time later… I understood those painful words.
◇
Once again, I opened my eyes.
This time, I was in a bed with a ceiling above me.
I raised my hand and saw it was bandaged.
I moved my head from side to side to check how I was.
My eyes noticed a familiar face eating an apple and staring at me indifferently. He was also bandaged.
"Hello, Rei."
"Hello, Kuro."
"How long was I in bed?"
"At least a week."
"A week?!"
I jumped up in alarm, thinking that my regeneration power had taken too long.
"Hahaha! Look at your face, it was worth waiting for you to wake up."
Rei started laughing while pointing at me.
"Huh? I wasn't asleep for a week?"
"Of course not, idiot. It was maybe an hour or less."
"They found us and brought us here. They healed us, and I woke up first."
"I see."
I was relieved that I hadn't been asleep for a week.
But I was still annoyed with him.
"Don't make such heavy jokes with hospital patients, you bastard!"
"Gah. My neck, the apple... Kuro, the apple got stuck in my throat."
"And what do I care?!"
"By the way, Rei."
"…?"
"What is she doing hugging you with her tail?"
"…"
In the distance, I could see Zara hugging Rei with her tail.
He stared at the wall thoughtfully and then said,
"Looks like she fell in love with me for defeating the dragon."
"Damn bastard! Stop stealing my protagonist moments!"
"You've got a harem at home, and I don't even have a cat to tell me good morning!"
"Hmm?"
Zara stood up from the floor.
She was in her human form, but she wanted to hug Rei, so she just manifested her tail.
"Ah. Husband, you finally woke up."
"I didn't. I just wanted to make fun of this idiot."
"Is that so?"
Zara stared at me intently.
"Hey, idiot. You're bothering my husband, out of place."
"Hahaha! I like this girl, hahaha."
"Rei, you're a bastard."
The door opened, and the elven king entered with his guards.
"By the shouting, it seems like our heroes have finally woken up. How glad I am."
"Ah, the elven king."
"You…"
Rei gave a threatening look to the king, who didn't notice his murderous gaze.
"I have a report on what happened. I wanted to give it to you myself."
"Listen carefully."
The king told us that the war ended with the victory of the elves.
After defeating Leomelion, the World Tree shone intensely and deployed a barrier so strong and large that it covered the entire forest by its own will.
According to his mother, the tree couldn't do that before because it needed to recover its full power.
Since Leomelion had stolen her mother's emblem, and since I defeated him, it returned to the tree.
It seems that now it has its own will and expelled the humans.
Everyone here is welcomed by the tree.
He also said that thanks to Bret, we were able to defeat the empire's army.
Really, what the hell is that guy to achieve such feats?
Even the kobolds are making a statue in his honor.
It seems many things happened, but the important thing is that everything was solved.
Rose's son was also born safe and sound.
To celebrate his birth and the victory, a grand feast will be held.
◇◇◇
The celebration for the peace of the land lasted a week.
The first thing Lionelle did after finishing the many political meetings with Sig was to establish trade between the Kingdom of Brune and the Kingdom of the Elves.
The second thing he did was accept joining the Noble Alliance, an international self-help group made up of countries allied with the kingdom.
Everything else would be handled by the officials.
The elves still don't trust humans, but thanks to their heroes, they know that not all are bad.
While they were preparing to leave, Lionelle asked them to come into his makeshift home.
There in the living room, Christine was waiting for them.
"I didn't introduce myself formally, but let me do it properly."
"I am the former queen of the elves, Christine Miroslava Evergreen."
"To our brave heroes who helped us, please allow me to give them a gift from me."
"A gift?"
Asked Sig, intrigued.
"Yes. Follow me to this room."
They all entered an adjacent room.
There was a table and two chairs, and in the center of the table, there was a crystal ball.
"I have a special ability that no one else has."
"I don't like to use it because it consumes a lot of magical energy. Also, I need the person in question to be present."
"In short, I can read your future."
"Really?!"
Everyone was incredulous because they had never seen this, only heard rumors.
"Please, any of you, come forward."
"Well, I'd like to go first."
"Go ahead, take a seat."
Sophia sat down, a little fearful.
"Place your hands on the crystal ball."
"Alright."
Christine lightly placed her hands on the crystal ball.
"Umm, I see that you had a dark past full of tragedy and violence. Also, the one who caused you much suffering is no longer here."
"Oh, I also see that you have a deep desire to conceive a child. Don't worry, soon enough you will have one; your body, by being here, absorbed the magical particles and healed completely."
"Everything else is happiness."
"... Thank you. Thank you so much."
"There is nothing to thank."
Sophia started crying with happiness.
She had wanted a child, but her body wouldn't allow it.
The one responsible for that was Casimiro, who ordered the sabotage of her delivery.
Now that he's gone, she'll be able to have a child without problems.
The next to sit was Fionn, who was skeptical.
"I'm sorry, I don't believe in fate, I just want to finish this respectfully."
"Don't worry, I understand that you don't believe. But it exists."
They both placed their hands on the ball, and she told him his future.
"You have some kind of conflict with your father. You feel like you disappoint him greatly."
"How did you know?"
"The future intertwines with your past; I only see brief fragments."
"I'll just say this since I don't want to spoil the surprise future that you'll have."
"One day, your father will stop seeing you as his replacement and will see you as his son. You'll also stop thinking of being just like him."
"When that happens, you'll fight side by side."
"Thanks, I suppose."
"There's no need."
The next to sit was Sieghart.
"I'm not interested in my future, I just want to know if I can ever speak to a certain person again."
She touched the crystal ball, it was only a few seconds, then she removed her hands.
"I didn't need to see the future to give this answer."
"You just need to talk to her, you need to open your heart."
"We both have children. We know better than anyone that we care more about them than ourselves."
"That's why I'm giving you advice from one to another."
"Always speak with the truth. That's all you need, it may seem difficult, but your heart wants to release words you never said. I made a mistake and I'll never know if I could have saved him."
"Thank you."
When he got up, Bret excitedly sat down.
"I'm next, please."
"Sure."
"…"
"Is something wrong?"
Bret asked, noticing her serious expression.
"No. I see good fortune in you, but it's rare."
"It seems you have a strange spirit that follows you everywhere."
"It will bring you good fortune at the cost of your mental health. This will continue until you die."
"The truth is, I don't know what to say about that."
"That can't be!"
"Am I cursed? Will I continue having those strange moments when everything goes right for me?"
"Eh? Well... I guess so."
"Noooooooo!"
Bret left crying from the room.
Rose wasn't present, so she had already had her fortune read.
Good luck and a loving family.
Sig was next.
"I would like to know if the kingdom will be in danger and if I can prevent it."
"I can't see that unless you're involved."
"Umm."
She stared at the crystal ball intensely.
"What do you see? Is it good or bad?"
"Your future is uncertain."
"I see that you will have a decision that will mark your life forever, but I don't see what it is. But I also see something strange."
"Apparently, inside you, you have a strange power, a power that will serve future generations."
"I don't see anything else. But if we're talking about your children and grandchildren, I'm sure the kingdom will be safe."
"I see, that reassures me a lot. Thank you very much."
After showing his respects, Sigurd left.
The only ones left were Eli, Kurono, and Rei.
"Go ahead."
"No, you go."
"Guys, both of you can come if you want."
"After all, it doesn't make much of a difference who goes first."
Christine stared intently at Rei when she said that.
(It's obvious she doesn't like you. I don't blame her, you took her granddaughter away, and that made her angry.)
Kurono was the first to sit down.
Christine, when she touched the crystal ball, made a distressed expression.
"What's wrong?"
"Is something happening?"
"Your future... is gray."
"There is clearly one, but a gray mist covers it. As if I can't see it."
"It also seems that you have a second fate, but it shows nothing."
"I mean, it shows something, but you're not in it."
"It's as if fate is telling me that you don't exist for this world."
"... Eh?"
(Is the world telling me that I'm undesirable here?)
(It's true that I don't belong in this world, but that's very cruel.)
"In summary, it's not worth looking at your future. I'll go now."
Rei abruptly pushed Kurono out of the chair and sat down himself.
Christine again made a complicated face.
"This is even stranger."
"Better not make any jokes about my eyebrows, old lady."
"It's not that rude."
"Your fate has a bifurcation."
"That is, you had one that was to die long ago. But now a new one has been created."
"This new fate is the same one your friend had, but the difference is that you appear in it."
"What do you mean?"
Both were surprised by this revelation.
"It's not just that. Your friend only appears in your future, but his future doesn't show him."
"I really have no idea how to explain this."
"But, it's as if fate is telling me that the two of you never should have met, but now that you have, your fates are on the same path."
"But only with you does this destiny appear, while with your friend, it doesn't."
"It's as if one of you was born to be with the other."
(Born?)
Kurono began to remember how he met Rei and everything they had lived together.
(The first to meet me was Rei, also the only one who heard my voice in the form of a magic stone.)
(Not only that, but Rei can also use my power. I tried to give it to a random cat or person, and it didn't work.)
(From what she says, I can only think of one reason why all this happened.)
Kurono was horrified as he thought of the worst possibility.
(Does this mean I was supposed to reincarnate into Rei if I hadn't become a magic stone?)
(Damn god!)
(No wonder I'm not the protagonist. Rei stole all my luck, and that's why I was reborn as a stone on his territory.)
(Curse. Today, this uncomfortable truth must be unpleasant, as I always thought of different logical reasons, and none of them involved Rei.)
Kurono looked at his face, Rei was making an expression of disgust.
It seemed both of them disliked the idea of Kurono being tied to him.
Christine couldn't see more, but she only saw something concrete that she interpreted in her way.
"Your future reaches a point where there is nothing left except one standing in front of the other. It seems that a day will come when you both open up to each other."
"It will be the happiest and saddest day for both of you."
"You will say things you never planned to say in your life. But when you do, it will be the day you will regret more than anything happening."
"There is nothing more, I'm sorry."
"Is that it? Does my future intertwine with Kuro?"
"It will only be to see him lick the soles of my shoes."
"Hah? Why would I lick your feet?"
"Shut up."
Both left, arguing with each other.
"It's my turn now, finally."
Excited like a little girl, Eli jumped for joy.
Christine, seeing her, wanted to save her from sitting down.
(A girl like her is like a field of flowers. Only happiness awaits her.)
"Please sit."
"Yes, of course!"
"Your cheeks look puffed up with joy."
"Hehehe, it's just that you'll look at my future. I wonder what it will bring."
"Hehe, for a girl like you. Only joy and happiness..."
The moment she touched the crystal ball, Christine felt something strange.
Everything went dark.
The well-lit room darkened as if the sun had gone out.
Suddenly, she felt very cold, as if the temperature had dropped several degrees, as if it were winter.
The sound of birds disappeared, and a sharp sound surrounded the place.
Suddenly, she heard a crack.
As if something was breaking.
She slowly lifted her head in the direction of Eli, where the sound was coming from.
When she raised her gaze to her height, her eyes widened in horror at what she saw.
She saw a terrifying skeletal figure behind Eli, hugging her affectionately.
She could only interpret it one way.
Death.
Death itself was hugging Eli, as if not wanting to let her go.
Behind that terrifying figure was a mountain of corpses, all showing different expressions.
Anguish, rage, fear, pain, suffering, lamentations.
All tragic and negative emotions were expressed on those faces on the ground.
The skeletal figure raised its bony finger to its mouth.
Christine realized that it was staring at her.
Although its eye sockets didn't exist, she felt as if whatever was looking at her was staring right at her.
Her breath had been cut off for some time, but when she felt the figure telling her to remain silent, she immediately returned to reality.
"Ma'am? Is something wrong?"
Eli looked at Christine, who was sweating cold and trembling with fear.
"N-No. I'm fine, I'm fine."
She immediately removed her hands from the crystal ball.
"Y-Your future is happiness. Everything you do is happiness."
"I see. Thank you very much."
"T-Thank you."
Eli left, and Christine was left alone.
Fear consumed her, and she hugged herself without hesitation.
(What was that?)
(I'm scared, so scared.)
(How is it possible that such a cheerful girl has such a sinister and dark future as death?)
(What in the world could happen for her fate to be tied to something so inhuman?)
(It wasn't just that time.)
She stood up and went to a drawer, where she had a protective amulet that her husband had given her.
She called a servant who was outside the room.
"Please give this to the girl who just left. Tell her it's a gift and that she should always wear it."
"Understood."
The servant ran after Eli.
Christine was still terrified, but it was no longer because of what she had seen, but due to another memory.
"This feeling is the same as when I saw her in a dream, that she would meet a star traveler, but it never happened."
"But that dream felt as real as what I saw."
"I can only pray for that girl."
◇◇◇
Before leaving, Rei went to Rose's room to check if she was ready.
"Rose, are you ready?"
"Yes."
Rose was feeling better.
When Rei entered the room, the first thing he noticed was a wooden crib where their child was lying.
Seeing his child for the first time made him feel something strange.
He didn't know what it was, but he felt vulnerable seeing him.
"Is something wrong?" "No, nothing."
Rose asked if something was bothering him because of how he was staring at the crib.
She understood immediately.
"Do you want to hold him? He's your son too."
"Huh?"
"Come on, you're his daddy."
"I…"
She handed their baby to Rei.
"You see, he's small, fragile, and his hair is white like mine. But he doesn't seem to have pointed ears."
"He still hasn't opened his eyes, but I'm sure they'll be yours, after all, he has your face."
"I see."
Rei didn't know what to say, it was his first time having a child.
"It feels strange to have a small life in my hands."
"Hehe, well, he's our little one."
Rose took his arm and looked at him with loving eyes.
"Thank you for what you did. I wish my mother were still here, but now I understand why she did it."
"Just like she gave her life for me, I want to protect this little one with you."
"You're wrong, Rose."
"What do you mean?"
Rei gently rubbed Rose's cheek.
"I will protect both of you. Not just you and the baby, but also my parents, the royal family, and that idiot of Kuro."
"All of you are important to me."
"I won't let anyone or anything hurt you, you have my word."
"Rei-sama."
"Yeah?"
"Look behind you."
Rei turned around and saw that everyone was watching him.
Including the grumpy elven king.
"Guh, my little Lilim, it's good that my grandson doesn't have those eyebrows, but I still don't want him to leave."
"Eh, so you care about us, Rei?"
"I have mixed feelings about knowing that you want to protect us, but I think being family already guarantees that."
"I also want a hug, husband."
"You all."
Seeing how everyone was spying on them, Rei blushed.
"Don't spy on others!"
After many tears and farewells, the elves, kobolds, and dragons could finally live in peace.
Rose said goodbye to her family with a sad farewell.
They left the newly restored elven nation to return to their home in the kingdom.
◇◇◇
In the office of the new president of the Republic of Alfoster, two men were having a conversation.
"Congratulations on winning the presidency, President Arkwood."
"Thank you for your congratulations."
A man of approximately forty years, with brown hair and green eyes, was sitting on his sofa.
"I'm still not used to being called president."
"Your election campaign was outstanding. All the citizens loved you, which is why you won with a 90% margin of votes."
"Haha, even I couldn't imagine that."
"By the way, I summoned you here for a reason, Benfield."
The man sitting across from him had gray hair, but his eyes revealed an experienced hunter.
"Obviously, you didn't call me just to congratulate me."
"No, I called you for a reason."
"Owen Benfield. I want you to end the war between the Empire and the Republic before the year is over."
The man—Owen Benfield put out his cigarette.
"Of course. Anything for the homeland."
The battle between the Empire and the Republic had reached a point where neither side wanted to prolong it any further.
________________________
Elf Forest Arc, Concluded.
I'm the Strongest Cheating Lord in the World! Volume 5 End.
________________
No fanservice here, but there's a sneak peek of the design for Rei and Kurono's next enemy!
https://danbooru.donmai.us/posts/4876309