"Ngh, nn~…"
I woke up feeling a warm, pleasant sensation.
The first thing I saw was the tear-stained faces of the beautiful
women I was familiar with.
Yes, they were Arca and Magmell.
"Thank god… really, thank god…" Arca hugged me tightly as I slowly
raised my body.
"Exa-sama, it's great that you're safe…"
"Ah, yeah…"
What the hell happened?
I was unable to comprehend the situation, but suddenly, I felt like my
right hand touching something like a grass.
"This is…"
I was lost for words.
I mean, who wouldn't?
After all, we were in the middle of a lush grassland full of vitality.
Eh, where is this…?
As I was staring at the surroundings in a daze, a voice suddenly
called me from the side, "—You have woken up, child of man."
"You are…"
There I found a woman with a benevolent smile.
She was a beautiful woman with a gentle face that gave off a mystical
air.
She was dressed in a pure white dress and holding a golden staff in
her hand.
I was sure of it.
She was the woman I met inside Mother Earth-sama.
"—!?" At that moment, I suddenly remembered everything and
hurriedly looked around.
However, I couldn't findfind even a single monster, let alone the giant
Mother Earth-sama.
"No need to worry. Thanks to you, all the filth that had spread around
this area has been purified. Take a look. This land is now full of life."
"I… see… Thank god~…" I breathed out a sigh of relief.
But then, Arca and Magmell yelled in anger, "Idiot! Don't 'thank god'
us! Sure, you are immortal, but had you made one mistake, you
might've lost your mind and turned into a cripple, you know!?"
"That's right! Why were you so reckless!?"
"S-sorry… But that was the only way to save Mother Earth-sama,
so…"
"Still, don't do something that stupid ever again! If you're gone, I…
I…" Arca spoke with quivering voice while reaching out her hands to
hug me.
I gently hugged her back and said while patting her head, "My bad. I'll
never do something like that again, so please forgive me. You too,
Magmell— I'm sorry."
"No, it's fine as long as you understand." Magmell smiled while wiping
the tears streaming down her face. Looking at her, I couldn't help but
to soften the corners my mouth.
Then, Mother Earth-sama respectfully bowed her head and said, "I
am really sorry for the inconvenience I caused you this time."
"Oh, please don't be, all's well as long as Mother Earth-sama is safe."
"Mother Earth…? Ahh, that is how people call me, isn't it?" Mother
Earth-sama paused for a moment, put her hand on her chest, and
continued, "Then, let me formally introduce myself. I am the god of
earth—Terra. Pleased to make your acquaintance."
◇ ◇
That night, the city of Algren was surrounded by a festive mood.
After getting touched by the light that had suddenly came spreading
from the northern mountains, the monsters in the area had
disappeared all at once—moreover, flowers had begun to sprout on
the ground that had been barren until now.
If they don't celebrate this, then what will they?
It wasn't possible to stop the inhabitants who were filled with such a
thought, and thus, now a big feast was being held all over the city.
Of course, the main star was m… Magmell, who everyone was
familiar with as the saintess of this city, and Freyr-sama, the
castellan.
Well, they'd been doing their best for everyone's sake until now; they
deserved it.
With that in mind, though I'd felt bad for them, I'd given all the credits
of the case this time to the reluctant women.
I didn't want everyone to make a big fuss about me, after all.
I just wanted to see their happy faces like this.
"—Good grief, being a saintess sure is troublesome." Arca returned to
the room at the inn with an exhausted look.
Although not as many Magmell, as a saintess just like her, she
seemed to have had to deal with quite a lot of people.
"Oh, good work." I smiled at her.
"Ahh." She smiled back and nodded. "What were you looking at?"
"Hm? Nothing, I'm just glad that everyone looks happy."
The smile on the faces of people I could see outside the window
seemed to come from the bottom of their hearts. Looking at them, I
unconsciously smiled, too.
"That's right. It's the smile of everyone you protected."
"No, it's the smile of everyone we all protected."
"Fufu, that's right. That's indeed the case."
Then, a while after she joined me looking out the window, Arca
suddenly said, "—Hey, it's enough, right?"
"Eh?"
When I turned toward her, her face was flushed and her eyes were
moistened.
"A-Arca?" As I drew back, Arca drew the curtains and approached
me.
Then.
"Whoa!?" I fell back onto the bed, and Arca then got on top of me,
looking straight into my eyes.
For a while, we stared into each other's eyes, only our heartbeats
were reverberating in the room. Then, Arca said, "I know that you're a
late bloomer. I also know for a fact that a part of you is not confident
in yourself. I'm sure that there is a compelling reason that made you
to be like that."
"..."
"But you must understand that you are no longer the same as you
used to be. You have grown to the point that you were able to get
recognition from Fire God-sama, defeat me—a saintess, and even
oppose a god. Heck, you were even able to achieve a feat that a god
wasn't able to. There's nothing that such a you should fear anymore,
right"
"B-but I…"
"I know. You're afraid that our current relationship will eventually
break down the line, aren't you?"
"...Yeah." I nodded obediently.
Arca then smiled gently and said, "Don't worry. No matter what
happens, I'll always be on your side. I'm the woman that will become
your wife, after all. Magmell, too, may be of the same mind as me.
So, right here right now, I'd like you to make your resolve. The
resolve to continue walking to the future with us by your side."
"..."
...Resolve, huh.
That's right, I couldn't just keep avoiding the matter.
At the very least, Arca had been thinking about me seriously.
Even now, she was putting on a brave front while desperately hiding
her slightly trembling body.
Then, as a man, I must seriously respond to her feelings.
So, I nodded, "Got it. Then from now on—you are my wife. Sorry to
have kept you waiting."
"…Un!" Arca nodded with a big smile, and that night we were finally
united in both body and mind.