I Healed the Cold Dark Goddess’s Loneliness, and Now She Won’t Let Me Go! - Chapter 34

After getting my family to… well, accept Lady Reine as my partner, the days we spent together passed in the blink of an eye.

It seemed Lady Reine hated the idea of my time being taken up by a job after I graduated, so at some point, she started scheming to make money. I had to firmly tell her, “No cheating with gambling or investments!” so she decided to buy a patch of rural land no one wanted and created an oil field right there. It caused a massive uproar.

Lady Reine coolly sold the land to a company and built up a fortune, but since it was all in my name, I suddenly became an “Oil Tycoon.”

It was a blessing, but it drew way more attention than just winning the lottery, and I had my fair share of trouble. I felt like I had to work even harder than a normal person just to make sure Lady Reine and I could live in peace.

…Well, there were some tough times, but even such a happy life eventually comes to an end.

I do not age.

As everyone else grew older and I felt it becoming harder to hide my situation without feeling out of place, Lady Reine and I began our “end-of-life” preparations on Earth.

We chose what items to bring back to the temple in the sealed space, liquidated our assets, and revealed our true identities to a select few friends and family members before saying our goodbyes. I thought they’d be more shocked, but when I showed my black wings to my friends, they just said things like “Doesn’t suit you” or “Actually, that makes total sense,” which I’m still a little annoyed about.

…They really were wonderful days.

Now, only a few mementos brought back to the temple remain as proof. Technically, we could go back to Earth if we wanted to, but I decided against it. Returning to a home where everyone I knew has aged and passed away would only be lonely.

Once again or rather, in the truest sense—just the two of us, Lady Reine and I spent an unfathomable number of days in the temple.

In the beginning, we spent our time consuming the entertainment I had hoarded from Japan. Games, manga, anime, movies. I thought I had collected enough to stay a shut-in for hundreds of years.

“……The fantasies humans conjure are actually quite remarkable. Of course, some are trivial or even loathsome but the good ones are truly breathtaking. To think humans, have the power to create such things or perhaps it is because of the ugliness hidden within them that such beauty can exist…”

“That’s a… pretty deep review. Anyway, what’s next? A movie? I’m in the mood for some action!”

“I prefer them the more absurd they are. I am tired of human reality but there is no need to be picky. We have no constraints on our time. Besides, whether they be good or bad, the value lies in experiencing them with you, Haruno.”

“……You’re right!”

We watched movies together, read manga side-by-side (I only brought completed series), and played games.

“Lady Reine, aren’t you a bit too good at this?”

“In games where victory is guaranteed as long as one does not make a mechanical error, there is no way for me to struggle.”

“Well, I guess that explains why I can’t even win a match against you even in fighting games…”

“I believe you are fully capable of the same thing now, Haruno.”

“R-really? Ah… but even so, I don’t think I can beat you, Lady Reine… so let’s play an RPG instead!”

And so, we spent a vast amount of time.

Lately, my motivation to reach for new content has started to wane.

I never thought the day would come where an otaku gets bored of the things they love, but I suppose it’s only natural. I’d watched my favorite series multiple times, returned to my roots by focusing on cooking, talked about old memories… when you keep up that lifestyle for over a century, you eventually want a bit of a break.

“……Haruno.”

“……Yes, Lady Reine?”

“Are you happy?”

I thought it was a rare question for her to ask. However, leaning against her as I was, I didn’t bother looking up at her face.

“Why ask that all of a sudden?”

“I thought it was around the time you, too, would begin to feel the weight of eternity.”

Ruminating on her pleasant voice, I waited for her next words.

“I needed you. I decided to make you cease being human, and I do not regret it. But at that time, I did not ask for your consent. I became anxious about how you truly felt.”

“I see.”

I think Lady Reine has changed. She can now honestly voice the anxieties she feels.

“……I’m happy. Just being by your side is enough.”

I wrapped my arms around her, and we both tumbled onto the bed.

“……I see.”

There was no longer any need to confirm our love. Just being together, just touching each other, a happiness like a warm anesthetic circulated through me.

I surrendered myself to this bliss and closed my eyes.

As long as I have this warmth, I’ll be okay. I felt like I could stay like this forever.

Gentle days, like soaking in a lukewarm bath.

Today, too, time was supposed to flow while I was held by Lady Reine… or so I thought.

“……Eh?”

Suddenly, the sensation of Lady Reine’s weight which should have been inseparable from me vanished.

Startled, I opened my eyes to find my vision had completely transformed.

It wasn’t the temple. It was a place I didn’t recognize.

And right in front of me was a kneeling girl.

“……The summoning… was a success…?”

The kneeling girl looked up at me and whispered those words. At the sight of her face and the sound of her voice, something deep, deep, deep, deep inside my memories began to stir.

This girl, I’ve seen her somewhere… Ah, I remember!

Lune Reheim Zilnich, the “Villainess” from Contrast.

The poor girl who, in the original game, was possessed by the final boss—Lady Reine’s vengeful spirit—and forced to commit evil deeds. How nostalgic… I remember fans always used to debate if there was any way to save her.

……Huh? Does that mean I’m back in that world again? Why…?

As I was thinking, Lune-chan took my hands, her face desperate.

“Please… please, save us! O Great ‘Bride of the Dawn Mist’!”

“……Beg your pardon?”

At that moment, I didn’t know.

I didn’t know that because Lord Sulug had spent his final moments spreading a highly romanticized version of the story of Lady Reine and me, I had become a legendary, beloved mythological figure in this world.

And I didn’t know that from here on, I would have to face various problems alongside Lune-chan—like why the world was converging into a game-like plot even though monsters weren’t supposed to be born, or the fact that there was apparently a new “Final Boss” replacing Lady Reine. Nor did I know I’d have to figure out how to explain my sudden disappearance to Lady Reine or find an excuse to make sure she didn’t get angry at Lune-chan… all while somehow attending the Magic Academy—

—But that is a story for another time.

[FINISHED]