395 – Happy End

Heh, ha, ha, ha, ha──!!

The Black Dragon erupted in laughter. Space and magic trembled, and black blood poured from its maw like a waterfall. Dark scales shattered and fell away. A clearly abnormal metabolic reaction.

“…Aisha.”

Our little girl really landed one.

Just because you’re born of evil doesn’t mean you have to live that way. I’m glad she seems to embody that, but I also wonder if she should have acted a little more selfishly, taking care of herself.

Even when it’s right, one can’t rejoice in the sacrifice of family. The human heart is so fickle.

Yuna clutched her skirt, biting her lip. She was worried about Aisha, it seemed. I likely wore a similar expression. That’s all the more reason to move.

Gazing up at the Black Dragon writhing in agony, we finalized our preparations to sever its lifeline. Now was the time to pour everything in, without looking back.

He knew it too.

Thump. Thump.

A crimson light bloomed from the Black Dragon’s chest. Simultaneously, an anomaly occurred. The dragon’s scales and flesh rapidly withered and shriveled, as if aging by a thousand years in a single instant.

This wasn’t a result of Aisha’s potent venom. This was a burnt offering.

“…Are you saying he’s offering himself as a sacrifice, Han-yul oppa?”

“In other words, he’s using black magic in the same way Bennett did. Sacrificing his own soul to enhance his magic.”

Pyre Ascension.

And the Evil Dragon himself was casting it. That b*stard decided he had to gamble it all here, even selling his future.

“Th-then, let’s prepare for defense–“

“Wait a moment.”

I narrowed my eyes. Within the jet-black mana that radiated outwards, enough to obscure the sun, there was a very faint dissonance. A barely fluttering strand.

From the dragon heart, pulsating with screams, a secret violet leaked. The magic of the familiar amethyst tower. This is… could it be.

“The ‘Longinus’ coordinate-fixing beacon, Aisha had it last, didn’t she?”

“⋯⋯Uh-huh, uh-huh! Over there. I’m picking up the beacon signal from inside the Black Dragon. Looks like Aisha took it with her.”

Okay. That means the launch preparations for the super-massive Heaven-Sundering Cannon are complete. If we fire, it’ll be guided by the beacon and strike the Black Dragon!

“Master Mage, open the gate! Connect the space to the Violet Magic Tower’s airspace, and let’s fire it straight through!”

“A-alright! 『Illusionary Realm: Transit』!”

“One gate, a thousand stairs, sight and mind converging on a single point, a one-way labyrinth── 『Stepping Gate, Ascending World』!”

*Zzzzzzt──!*

Working with Yuna, I tear open the dimensional gate. A cross-shaped rift splits open behind us, and the Violet Magic Tower shimmers on the other side. Simultaneously.

*Creek, cra-cra-crack── click-click-click!*

The gears of the world grind violently, the Black Dragon’s dominion forcibly occupying and shaking the space. The four sharp fangs inherited and used by its minion, descend all at once.

『Heroine』, 『Protagonist』, 『Antagonist』, 『Villain』.

Connecting puppet strings to the joints of every character, a horrifying tale whispered by a dragon at my bedside in the darkness. Is coming.

I shouted.

“Everyone, just hold on until impact, keep your heads in the game!”

To this, Yuri Lanster calmly replied.

“I think I can endure it if you tell me you love me.”

“⋯⋯⋯⋯!”

At Yuri’s surprise confession, Yuna and Selvier quickly turned to look, adding their voices.

“Hanyul oppa, me too. And if you call me by name⋯⋯.”

“Me, me too! Me too! And if there’s time left, could you explain about my name?!”

“We’re going to be stuck together all day after this is over, so save your greed for later! I love you! And I’m thinking we’ll have a joint wedding ceremony once, and then individual ones, what do you think?!”

“You could have explained my name in the time you wasted blathering about that, you idiot⋯⋯!!”

With Yuna’s ever-adorable grumbling as the last sound.

[Incineration Ascension – 『Gear Theater』].

The final surge crashed over us.

—

[#000 : Republic of Korea, Seoul, Mapo-gu, A certain Board Game Cafe]

*University student Hanyul was playing a TRPG with his girlfriend when he briefly dozed off due to post-lunch drowsiness. In that short dream, he was reincarnated into another world and enjoyed many adventures. But now it was time to return to reality⋯⋯.*

*Blink.*

I opened my eyes. The familiar table, the familiar sticker sheet, and⋯⋯ the face of my girlfriend, almost like a chihuahua, overflowing with a venomous air.

“Oppa, you dozed off?”

“Nah, didn’t doze.”

Before my brain could even process, my spinal cord spat out the answer. Whatever the situation, nodding off during a date with my girlfriend was a Code Red emergency.

She has the temper of a rabid badger.

If her boyfriend’s eyelids droop, she doesn’t think ‘Oh, he must’ve had a lot of homework,’ but rather, ‘Ugh, he’s already spacing out during our time together, does this jerk think I’m some pushover? Is he disrespecting me?’

She’s the kind of person who probably thinks the Earth revolves around her, so playing along is the least stressful option for me.

“Liar. I heard you mumbling weird names in your sleep. Selbier, Yuna, something… were you watching some weird otaku crap again last night?”

“…”

“I told you not to watch that garbage. It’s embarrassing, okay? My friends talk about it. If you can’t even buy me designer bags like other boyfriends, you should at least be able to manage things like this, right?”

“Okay, sorry… where were we, anyway? I think the Northern Grand Duke was trying to find this moonflower thing for his fiancé.”

*Tsk.*

She made that soul-crushing tongue-clicking sound, and then launched into a lecture about her precious Northern Grand Duke (male/16 years old/pretty boy/swordmaster/level 20) NPC.

I tuned it out with one ear, letting it flow out the other, while thinking about my dream.

It felt like I’d had some long, drawn-out dream. Reincarnated in another world as a fantastical mage, even acquired three potential wives, made a bunch of friends…

A dream?

Was it all just a dream?

Yeah, probably. Suddenly being reborn with incredible talent, building a harem full of pretty girls… The story’s unrealistic and the plot’s a total mess.

Time to return to reality. Back to the days of suffering through TRPGs with a terrible girlfriend. Bury the happy dream deep in my memory, and get on with real life–

“–Like hell I will!”

“…Huh?”

“Basha-!”

*Crash!*

I delivered a swift high kick, flipping the table over in the process. Yeah, this is what I should have done all along, what I wanted to do. Calling people over just to flex with your character, is that even a game?

Dice and character sheets scattered across the floor, people stared at the commotion, and my girlfriend’s eyes blazed with fury.

“Yah, Han Han-yul! Are you crazy?!”

“I’ve fantasized about this kind of dilemma dozens of times since I started looking for my own place, you twit. I’ve already rehearsed the ‘it was all just a dream’ plot!”

“Are you out of your mind–!!”

I said it with such confidence– but honestly, I was a little scared. What if this was all just in my head? What if my love was nothing but a mirage? I was a little anxious.

Aisha gave me a hint. The TV screen flickered through channels, spewing out all sorts of information.

-Isn’t she lovely, Isn’t she wonderful~♬

“Listeners, the news I’m about to deliver might sound unbelievable, but it’s stark reality. In thirty minutes, a super-massive meteorite, designated ‘Longinus,’ is expected to collide with Earth. Scientists warn that this impact will have devastating consequences globally…”

“Oppa, you’re such a fool, aren’t you? So, you…”

There’s no room for doubt, is there? Thanks, kiddo.

Looks like the ultra-gigantic Cataclysmic Manifestation ‘Longinus’ is coming in smoothly, and if that thing touches down, there won’t be time for illusions or anything else. You lizard b*stard.

“Even if, just if, if this is all real. I’m breaking up with you, you jerk. I don’t need fake love like that.”

“You think any other girl will love you?! No, I’m just nice enough to put up with a guy like you. Who else would date a poor, penniless man like you?”

“I’m not poor anymore. My heart, it’s full. I’m rich enough to share with others.”

“………”

*Creak*.

Her expression hardened. And then, with unnatural brightness, she smiled and waved. Goodbye, she says. Goodbye, why?

*Thunk*.

“Ah.”

The ground beneath me gives way, and I plummet into the depths….

—

[#00 : The Distant Past of Sanjeobi Village]

*In a time long ago, a distant past even before the concept of empires existed, there was a small village named Sanjeobi. Its founders were a fusion of bandits who’d fled the nation, and the swidden farmers they had plundered.*

*Perhaps because of this, those born in the village grew up with moral compasses and cooperative spirits weaker than most. Yet, by chance, fate, or maybe a product of genetic mutation, one day a boy with an ordinary heart was born.*

*He had black hair and red eyes…*

*Blink*.

As soon as I opened my eyes, I assumed a defensive posture. Figuring they intended to trap me in a boy’s body and beat me again, I steeled myself, bristling with venomous intent.

“…Huh.”

I was in my own body. Not aged down, or anything. Still wearing my university jacket. What sort of trickery was this?

I considered trying to break through the space to escape, but then a note crinkled in my pocket. The message was simple: 『Please enjoy the viewing.』

Taking the message to heart, I observed my surroundings: this seemed like a village from somewhere in the ancient to medieval periods. Poorly dressed farmers toiled diligently in the fields, chopping wood, but none gave me so much as a glance.

I was an 『Observer』.

Ignored by everyone, I wandered around the village. According to the narration, this place was called Sanjeobi, and indeed, there were unsettling signs everywhere.

The frequent sound of slaps and strikes, the unease and anger swirling in people’s eyes. And then, in a corner of the village…a small house caught my eye.

Peering through the window, I saw a black-haired boy staring vacantly up at the sky. Compared to my childhood self, he looked a little more delicate, fairer. Androgynous, perhaps, would be the word.

Pinned to the boy’s chest was a modern name tag, utterly out of place, which read: 『Character Name: Young Crown』. I was dumbfounded.

What are you trying to show me?

He must know, by now, that no amount of retrospect or emotional appeals could salvage this. Wasting his power in this way only hurt himself.

Which meant it benefited me. That was why this charade could continue.

The boy soliloquized.

“Why do people hate each other? Everyone beats me, calling me a b*stard child, but that’s not the real reason. If only I knew the reason…”

“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”

“My heart aches. If I just stabbed them with a knife, they’d stop tormenting me, but then I’d become the same as them. I just want to live loving each other.”

Soon, the villagers burst through the door and beat the boy. Ridiculous, scuffling sound effects echoed, but when they left, the boy limped.

The scene shifted rapidly. The boy became a young man, a respectable adult.

He had the good fortune to become a disciple of a certain magician, learning and mastering much. Eventually, he realized he possessed talent far surpassing others.

Human Crown, dragging one leg, spoke to himself.

“I’ve pondered it for a long time. Why did they hate me? And now, I think I know the answer. They had never known suffering.”

“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”

“People grow through suffering. Through suffering, they learn humility, through suffering, they learn empathy. If they had been in my situation, if they had known that pain, they would have comforted me instead of hitting me with their fists.”

They are without fault. The reason they tormented me without meaning was because their hearts were never given a chance to grow, he mused.

Human Crown looked directly at me, speaking with eyes as red as my own.

“Then I will bestow the *suffering* this world needs. But not as an ordinary being. Humans are driven by joy, so if I inflicted *suffering* on others out of a sense of duty, I would eventually break.”

Therefore–

“Let’s create a being that finds unparalleled joy in the *suffering* of others. A being that, driven only by joy, endlessly spreads the *suffering* the world needs.”

This point was the origin of the Black Dragon Crown.

Clunk.

The ground suddenly gave way, sinking once more….

—

[#0: Shanty Town Stairway]

Steep, densely packed stairs, old walls covered in haphazard graffiti, scattered cigarette butts and trash littering the ground. The dirty earth illuminated by the moon.

And on the stairs, huddled a black-haired, red-eyed man. Black Dragon Crown. The flickering crimson glow of a streetlamp above him painted his head.

He turned a pretty-boy face towards me, beaming, and said,

“Isn’t it strange? People punish impure *intent* more harshly. Whether you kill someone because you hate them or accidentally kill them trying to save them, the result is the same, right? Isn’t it the same crime? What do you think? Samaritan.”

“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”

“So, I’ll ask you. If I was wallowing in a sense of duty, not joy– a being who made others miserable for the sake of the world– would you have pitied and sympathized with me instead of opposing me and showing hostility?”

“⋯⋯Fucking lunatic.”

Only now did I grasp the viper’s heart of him. With the tide of victory turning, the wretch aimed to poison me with one final barb.

He’d hurl an odious question, daring me to burst a blood vessel trying to square it with my precious morality. Pure, gleeful malice, laid bare.

Then come on, you son of a b*tch.

I slumped down beside him, uninvited. He grinned, a knowing thing, and spoke.

“Statistically, did you know my existence has actually *benefited* the continent’s peace and development? You see, Han-Yul?”

“I do.”

I knew it.

Black Dragon Crown could have hypnotized every human, trapped them in a Matrix of endless torment. He had the power, easily.

But instead, he built the stage of the Empire. And inflicted trials laced with spite upon a select few.

Hence, S7. The stage of Omelas, meticulously crafted. A city humming along under the wicked but capable Mayor Marco. Not just for the players, but for myself, to ponder.

“Han-Yul. You too affirm *Suffering*. People bloom in the face of adversity. Like you did, like your puppets did.”

“Don’t call them puppets. They’re players.”

“Then what do you plan to do now? After I’m gone, can you honestly shoulder all the fallout… can you claim, unblinking, that it’s worth it? You know. Something more substantial than Fing saying, ‘I can’t let the child see this.'”

“It’s Pin, not Fing. And I’ll handle it.”

*Kyak-* Ptooey.

I spat at his feet. He chuckled, all good-natured mirth, then wagged a finger, as if this was truly his last utterance.

“If you act for the sake of goodness alone, you’ll end up no different than me. Merely voicing grievances without a solution won’t convince even yourself. You know.”

“I know.”

“Your self-righteousness—what sets it apart from mine?”

“…………”

*Huuuh*. I took a deep breath. The frigid night air filled my lungs.

First, let me be clear. There’s a high probability this entire story is a *deception*.

He *is* the Black Dragon. After cohabitating in the same head for so long, he and I know each other inside out. These backstories are likely pure fabrication, spun simply to grind my gears.

He probably filched the tale of a goddess made for the world, then twisted it to his liking.

But.

I refuse to dismiss the question itself, using his tainted *intentions* as an excuse. That would feel like surrendering to him.

Is pure, unadulterated goodness without tangible results just a hollow facade?

If killing the Black Dragon ultimately harms the world, aren’t you at fault?

Aren’t you and I just different sides of the same tainted coin?

“The Han-Yul of the past ultimately couldn’t answer. He neither killed nor spared me, but sealed me away, postponing the response until the distant future. What about the Han-Yul of now? Can you… can you answer?”

“Of course, I can.”

A simple reply.

“A chance.”

“……Huh?”

“You have to give them a chance. You son of a b*tch.”

The Black Dragon’s script allows for no escape. A plummeting human only plummets further, and drowning is the only end for those sunk in the mire. He throws humans into hell like that and then declares:

‘Overcome it. It means nothing if you can’t overcome it alone.’

Absurd.

Suffering is unavoidable in life. Life and suffering are two sides of the same coin. We are sometimes imprisoned in the dark and lonely dungeons of our minds. But I hope everyone has a 『chance』 to escape.

And, people can only escape the mire when they clasp hands with another.

The connection between hearts, 『fate』. This was the puzzle piece that Han-yul of the past lacked, and my answer to him.

“Haha. Hmm…… Then shouldn’t you give me a chance too? Just let me off once. Maybe I’ll live virtuously from now on.”

“I did.”

“Huh? Uh-huh…… Aha. Right, 『Aisha』 was it…… Hahahaha! That’s right, isn’t it? You really did give me a chance. Truly amusing.”

Crown clapped and burst into laughter. And then, with a maliciousness full of spite, he left behind his final curse.

“Very well, now the world is yours. I hope you enjoy it for as long as I did. I will be watching you from somewhere in the sky, constantly ridiculing you.”

I tried to retort with something – but the awakening was faster.

Kuuung…….

With a faint booming explosion, I was expelled from the Black Dragon’s theater.

—

Kuuung──!!

After a shockwave that felt like it was shaking my internal organs, my vision changed drastically. A vast white space, and Yuna, Yuri, and Selvier, ready to fight by my side. And.

Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha──!!

The Black Dragon Crown, with 『Longinus』 impaled in his chest, laughing like a madman while oozing black smoke.

The theater had collapsed, and his authority had scattered. Even my thousands of layers of illusion magic could only block about 10% of the incoming attacks. He couldn’t be obscured by 『Deceit』. That dragon was truly cornered.

Now. Now is the time to sever his head.

Through the 『Great Beast』 hunting session, we obtained clues about the Black Dragon’s defense system. 『Targeting Resistance』, 『Dragon Scales』, and finally, 『Self-Destruction』.

We can deal with all of it now.

“──Let’s go!”

Let’s go.

Yuna Blackraven Violet Iris extends her wand. From her fingertips, indigo blossoms, and dozens of butterflies flutter around, scattering shimmering dust.

And what is unleashed is the barest of touches.

“『Crackle.』”

Tap.

A finger made of light touches the black dragon’s scales, then—*krakoom*!

The target-designation resistance magic etched into the dragon’s skin shatters like broken glass, scattering.

*Charrarararak*—!

The black dragon’s skin, its first line of defense breached, is instantly covered in jet-black dragon scales. It swells uncontrollably, like the proliferation of cancer cells, the dragon’s form instantly taking on the shape of a sphere.

It resembled a black sun floating in the sky, or perhaps a gaping void.

Selvier reaches out her hand.

A scorching starlight, blazing as fiercely as her own heart, gathers at her fingertips, heating the surrounding air as it advances in a straight line. As if returning a sun borrowed from the heavens above back to its rightful place.

“Blazing Angel – Final Phase – 『Supernova』!”

*Flash.*

*Kuuu—!!*

The dragon scales instantly melt, transforming into a black rain that falls to the ground. From the center of the molten body, a crimson, pulsating dragon heart reveals itself.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

All information begins to coalesce and condense into the dragon heart. The heart swells as if about to burst, emitting ominous sounds: *crack… crack…*

A grand self-destruction, pouring everything into its casting.

Yuri Lancaster extends her chains.

On both sides of her eyes, black and white dots appear. The Uwha Extra Module is invoked, releasing black and white, as well as her original power, simultaneously.

“Restrain your instincts, at least a little. If you can’t endure it, I’ll make you. Uwha – 『Triple Primal Desire Restraint』.”

*Charrrrrrrrrrrik—!!*

Three different colored chains coil around the dragon’s heart, suppressing it. She cannot suppress it forever, but that amount of time will be enough. More than enough.

And I, I reach out my hand.

Pashim Hyeongjeon. A magic for slaughter, created for the first time to harm someone. A magic that crushes the opponent’s mind by flooding it with malignant information, but this time—it must be used differently.

I must save Aisha. I must fire an arrow that targets and destroys only the Black Dragon Crown. So, what I need to contain is not pain or fear.

I must chant my life.

Come.

Instead of the shadow cast beneath my feet…

“—I am grateful for the fleeting, shining bonds.”

Instead of darkness glimpsed through closet seams…

“–dreaming a dream that shall never crumble.”

Instead of solitude in the raven night…

“–if only, at the very end, I could love like that sun!”

Reach.

But not with an arrow painted black.

Behold, black woven from violet, pink, red, every color mingling, encompassing all.

“『Heart-Sowing Mystic Arrow』.”

A heart was struck.

──────!!

Like a surging tide, the point of contact distorted. As people meeting naturally change one another, the arrow advanced, steeping the Black Dragon’s essence in my hues.

Scattering.

The dragon’s massive form became black snowflakes, dispersing. All means exhausted, no strength left to struggle, Black Dragon Crown…

Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.

It was amusing.

Or so it said.

It died laughing to the very end.

And there was light──.

—

A blink.

I groggily opened my eyes. Somewhere up in the sky, a full moon illuminated all things. I wiggled my fingers a little, feeling the rustle of grass against the back of my hand.

No strength in my limbs. No surprise, seeing as I wrung out every last drop of mana for that ultimate technique. I’ll probably be laid up for days.

That tree nearby. I recognize the species. Alchemists were commanded to create it in commemoration of the 5th Emperor’s birthday, a species unique to the region near the Imperial Capital.

I must have crash-landed in the forest near Crownshold. I, uh…

I mumbled unconsciously.

“Did I get him…?”

“Don’t say things like that, idiot. You’ll jinx it and he’ll come back to life.”

“… … … …!”

Aisha’s voice. I groaned and turned my head. She was sprawled out, lying face-up, a handspan away from me.

“You’re alive!”

“Told you. I have no intention of dying.”

“My precious thing! Come to Papa’s embrace, quick now!”

I rolled over and embraced Aisha tight.

“Ugh, agh! Get off, you crazy Papa! I’m gonna die from the weight!”

Aisha grimaced, pushing at my cheek, but didn’t seem truly upset. So, I just stayed like that.

Then I noticed something. The horns that had been on her head were gone.

“Where’d your horns go?”

“…Well, you got rid of them, didn’t you.”

“Huh? Ah.”

I’d blasted the Black Dragon Crown to smithereens, so I guess its accessories, like her horns and dragon scales, must have been wiped out with it. Leaving just the figure of the girl Aisha behind, all alone.

Just then, the rustling of bushes, one after another.

“…We found them! Everyone, we found them! This way!”

“I knew they’d be nearby.”

“Oppa, are you okay?!”

Familiar voices. Yeah, seems like everyone landed on their feet.

Hearing that everyone was alive, a surge of accomplishment swelled up inside me. We did it. We finished the dragon hunt without anyone getting seriously hurt. My lips twitched with a smile.

Seems like everyone else felt the same way.

“—I love you!”

“Ugh!”

Flying-Yuna threw herself on top of me.

“Hanyul Oppa!”

“Urrgh.”

Then, Selbierre, after gauging the situation, followed suit. I was crushed under the weight of my two loves, bearing the full force of Earth’s gravity and their combined weight. So heavy.

Aisha, meanwhile, had rolled away and was dusting off her clothes.

And finally, Yuri approached, a wicked smile on her face. Today, her voluptuous figure looked terrifying.

“Surely you can handle one more, Mima.”

“…No, I don’t think I can. You’re a bit… heavier, aren’t you.”

“As light as a feather, so you can jump in without worry… That’s the correct answer, Mima. So, shall I join the pile?”

“I really don’t think I can, hey, hey! Urgh!”

Squeeze.

Climbing right up to the glass, it was practically a sandwich. For a time, I felt the weight of lives upon me, before I was released only after apologizing for my blunder.

—

All five of us lay side-by-side in the field. I gazed up at the moon, and asked casually,

“…About the final attack of the Black Dragon. Everyone, what dreams did you have then?”

“Mom and Dad were kind. They cared for us. So I never went to the Violet Magic Tower, and lived happily in the Yurensto family.”

“The town wasn’t destroyed by the Succubus Queen. I lived happily in a peaceful village, where humans and succubi lived in harmony.”

“Sanjebi village was fine, Oppa. We were just farming potatoes, like always… and I lived with you, making a family.”

That devil, he really pulled out all the stops, that scaly fiend. But by the time I’d come to my senses… they had already broken free from the illusion on their own. Which meant they’d rejected that dreamlike fantasy.

That was, well…

“That we aren’t naive enough to be fooled by fakes is one reason, I suppose. But here, shall we score some affection points with the answer, ‘Because I prefer you to even dreams’?”

“…I’ve laid my heart bare, haven’t I?”

“Well, when you say it so directly, without any filters. Aren’t you overly embarrassed? You have a side that’s subtly unable to be brazen.”

“I am not.”

To my answer, Yuri Lanster grinned, as if she’d caught me.

“Then shall we test that?”

“Test what, mph──?!”

Then, she grabbed the back of my head and just went for a kiss. It was nearly an act of sensory violence. All sorts of *smooch* sounds echoed everywhere.

“C-Cheater! That’s so unfair!”

“…Don’t monopolize him, Yuri Unni! We’ve been holding back too!”

Then, Yuna and Selbi, who had been watching from the side, caught fire and jumped in. From that moment on, my lips were no longer an individual sensory organ, but a public resource shared by the heroine community.

Seeing that, Aisha clicked her tongue as if she’d seen something she shouldn’t have.

“…Aish.”

“Fwaugh, hewlp, daughteh! My daughter! Save your father!”

“What? Weren’t you the one who said a kiss is the perfect ending to a happy ending? Indulge to your heart’s content. That’s what it’s supposed to be, right?”

“But right now, it’s not a kiss, it’s being eaten── mff!”

*Swooosh*.

*Chomp chomp chomp*.

And so, our final battle, fought on one fine day… concluded with a happy ending, complete with cliché and classic sound effects.

—

“…And so, my lips are swollen. Your Highness.”

“I understand the situation…but do *something* about it. You’ll be standing next to me when I receive the Emperor’s crown, you can’t be looking like *that*, you blasted mage.”

I, too, hadn’t expected it to come to this by the coronation day.