With the eruption of Mount Mera and the awakening of the furious Phoenix, everyone despaired that Rune would perish… but the situation calmed down thanks to the miracle of the Sun God.
The next day, on the 4th of the Month of Clear Water.
Although the greatest threat had safely passed, the aftermath of the significant incident that began with the attack of the Sea Demon Army on all of Rune was still unfolding in the Royal Palace of Rune, which remained as busy as ever.
Led by King Hanau, ministers and officers who had been urgently summoned since yesterday morning were working throughout the night to restore order. Knights and soldiers who had fought against the Sea Demon Army, especially in places like the port of Suncrain, suffered considerable damage due to the nature of the explosive enemy. Although the battle had ended, the scene was akin to a devastating hurricane passing through, making it quite impossible to celebrate victory.
Reports of immense damage from various regions continued to pour in, causing a noisy uproar in the palace filled with cries and shouts from concerned parties… and then it fell eerily silent.
“Your Majesty, Princess Fanako and… Emperor Chrono have returned.”
The beginning of the chilling silence came when the report reached King Hanau, who was slightly high from staying awake all night with bloodshot eyes.
“Oh, they’ve returned! Ah, thank goodness… I’m truly glad they returned safely…”
He had already heard in a report last night that his beloved daughter Fanako and the most powerful emperor in Pandora were both safe. However, while King Hanau was simply pleased that they had returned to him,
“…What is it, something seems off.”
As Chrono and Fanako triumphantly entered through the main gate, King Hanau noticed that the castle was growing increasingly silent as they approached the throne room.
Normally, they would be welcomed with cheers, but something felt strange. Before he could think of a plausible reason, the two had already arrived at the throne room.
After receiving the formal permission of King Hanau, the Imperial Guard opened the door and admitted them.
King Hanau’s eyes widened in shock at the appearance of his beloved daughter and the Demon King.
“Excuse me.”
“I’ve returned, Father.”
The words were an extremely ordinary greeting. However, the content of the words mattered little.
It was their appearances that were the problem.
More precisely, it was not their clothing, but their posture.
Chrono was clad in a suitable black formal attire for appearing in the palace as a Demon King.
On the other hand, Fanako was also dressed in a princess-like gown.
However, her eyes were completely hidden without the glasses that sealed her demonic eyes.
“Huff…”
Seeing the demon’s eyes for the first time in a long time, King Hanau was momentarily shocked, forgetting to breathe. Even with a mental magic defense accessory equipped, the overwhelming presence made it hard to maintain composure.
But more shocking was the fact that Chrono was holding Fanako in a princess carry.
What is this? It was as if they were a lovey-dovey couple fooling around in the square of the capital.
Under the pressure of the demon’s intimidation, King Hanau was thrown into turmoil as he was shown the intimacy that made it clear his beloved daughter was with the Demon King.
“Father, I have an important announcement.”
“Fanako, let me say it.”
With clattering footsteps that rang loudly, Chrono confidently carried Fanako into the throne room.
Of course, King Hanau and the gathered ministers and generals were all too stunned by the bizarre yet majestic sight, leaving them unable to say a word. They finally understood why the palace had fallen silent at that moment.
“King Hanau, Princess Fanako will be taken by this Demon King Chrono.”
“Father, we are getting married!”
“Ah… yes…”
Even at the shocking declaration made in the throne room, King Hanau could only let out a dazed response.
—
“What… why?! You’re getting married?!”
The announcement of the engagement to King Hanau was easily accepted, but… the moment that would cause the biggest upheaval was when I needed to inform Nel.
For now, Fanako stayed at the palace, and I returned to my inn.
From here on, it was time to talk with someone with whom we needed to properly explain the circumstances.
“Ugh, grr, uuuuuuh!!!”
I embraced Nel, who began to sob silently and cried for about an hour until she calmed down. Though she had stayed behind in Suncrain, working hard on rescue operations during the capital’s battle, this was how she was treated.
I knew I was saying something terrible, but… it would be dishonest to keep it to myself without telling her. It was the same for both Nel and Fanako.
“*Sniff*… I’m sorry, I lost my composure…”
“No, it’s fine. It was too sudden, so it can’t be helped.”
After all, I had never imagined I would propose to a woman I had known for just one or two days. In fact, I thought of myself as the kinda guy who couldn’t pull something like that off.
I was the dense kind of guy who hadn’t even realized my feelings until Lily and Fiona ended up fighting each other.
Moreover, I had no courage to approach anyone… but still, now I wasn’t just someone with multiple fiancées for show. Even someone like me could muster up some boldness.
“Given that it’s you, Chrono, I doubt the reason for the engagement is purely political.”
“Yeah, I decided to marry Fanako because I couldn’t leave her alone, even if it meant being pushy.”
“Oh, really? I’m very curious about how, in just one night, you managed to win over Chrono.”
When she said that ironically, I was left without words. I knew Nel had also faced struggles before confessing her feelings to me during that time.
If I heard that Fanako managed to get me to confess in such a short span, I could only wonder what kind of magic she must have used.
“First of all, it was significant that we had similar interests.”
Once it was revealed that she was the author of “Temptation of Prim,” we could finally speak candidly and quickly close the distance between us. After all, shared hobbies are the best way to deepen connections with others.
In that sense, Wil’s advice to Nel to read “Temptation of Prim” for her romantic discussions was the right call.
However, Nel, who merely enjoyed it to a casual extent, was at a completely different level from the genuine author herself, making it unreasonable to think they could compete on the same field.
“Ugh, it seems my assumptions were too naive…”
“I didn’t expect to find such a collection either, and I couldn’t imagine Fanako had immersed herself in it.”
The miracles of this cascade of encounters began with Akaba Zenichi’s soulful work, which the enthusiastic otaku Fanako encountered, leading to me, an outsider who knew the original work, entering the picture.
All encounters and connections among people tend to be miraculous.
“But if that was all, it might have ended with just fellow enthusiasts.”
“Hmm, is that so?”
“You’re being quite vague…”
“Isn’t it common to start developing feelings from those kinds of things?”
Surely that would be the case, but I’d like to think there should have been some more exhilarating events that could create a spark with the female members of the Literature Club as well.
I still wanted to kill that old man Judas, who summoned me to another world the moment Shirasaki confessed her feelings. All of it was the fault of the Cross Religion.
“In any case, the next day after we hit it off, the Sea Demon Army attacked.”
“Yes, from there, I heard about the report.”
If it had only been this, it wouldn’t have been a serious problem. In fact, the main goal of the Dawn Awakening School was quite successfully achieved, and while it was a considerable blunder, during that situation, we could only focus on the town’s defense.
We couldn’t ignore the advancing Sea Demon Army and go attack the separate unit moving inland from a remote river, sacrificing the town. Doing so would lead to losing the dragon hole at Redwing Castle, making the overall outcome a negative.
Therefore, we did our best, and while the coastal areas of the town faced heavy damage, human losses were kept at zero.
The only exception was the rampage of Fanako’s blessing.
“I never thought Princess Fanako would harbor such a secret.”
“Well, if it went poorly, it could turn into a scandal. It’s only natural to hide it.”
Even Nel, who was close to Fanako, didn’t notice, meaning King Hanau’s cover-up was flawless.
However, the demon eye was unavoidable, leading to a result where it was partially exposed as a state of sealing the Evil Eye.
“But the biggest unexpected thing was how strongly Chrono was affected by the demon eyes.”
“Ugh.”
Yes, that’s the crux of the matter.
The complex related to my eye, which could be interpreted as sympathy or empathy. This was a more significant factor than I had anticipated that led me to make such a bold move as proposing.
“I should have understood better how much you were bothered by it… I reflect on my lack of understanding.”
“No, honestly, I would appreciate it if you didn’t worry. The reason I could interact easily was because you didn’t seem concerned.”
In Japan, I had the gaze of someone suspected of being a delinquent, but in Pandora, where creatures that look like demons or beasts exist, it wasn’t particularly noteworthy.
So after meeting Lily, there hadn’t been many situations that made me worry… but that didn’t mean my expression was ever reassessed.
Even now, if someone’s face showed fear upon seeing me, I would realize it and instinctively withdraw.
“If it was that easy to love someone just by having an all-out brawl, I would do it too.”
“I don’t have that kind of kink though.”
Yet my fierce battles with Fanako did encourage my confession.
In reality, her biggest reason for keeping love at bay remained unchanged. Seeing Fanako tearfully lament that she couldn’t love someone with a demon dwelling within her was something I couldn’t simply ignore.
It’s not that I would claim to be the only one capable of wrestling with a raging demon without losing; there were likely only a few who could do so. Even among our Empire’s soldiers, only Kai, Falkius, and Zenongart could be considered, and only if they were human.
However, if Fanako were just an ordinary girl, she might have sought out someone stronger than herself. Yet considering her status as the First Princess, she couldn’t simply choose based on strength alone.
That’s likely why she advanced her engagement with Nero—I’m just glad he isn’t some playboy who would behave carelessly with women.
With the power of the Thirteenth Apostle, it would probably have been easy to suppress Fanako’s rampage too, and with a little gentle persuasion, he might have toyed with her as well.
The fact that he remains true to Linfeldt is one of the few commendable aspects of Nero.
“Certainly, there’s no denying that the momentum played a part, but still, I decided to welcome Fanako as my fiancée.”
“Ah… really, Princess Fanako…
“I didn’t expect that I would have such good compatibility with Chrono-kun up to this point… I have to admit this.”
With an expression that seemed completely resigned, Nel leaned against me. I silently embraced her.
“Even so, I’m actually quite jealous, you know…”
I couldn’t casually apologize.
In the end, I was just indulging in my own position. I could do nothing but allow Fanako to be enveloped.
It was an inconceivable decision in my original world. If I was only permitted to be bound to one partner, I would have had no choice but to make Fanako cry.
Well, if that had been the environment, Lily and Fiona would have ended up collapsing together, so thinking about it was pointless.
I thought it was good that I had risen to be a Demon King who could have multiple wives.
“…But I’ll support you when it comes time to tell Lily.”
“N-No, I’ll handle that myself…”
“I’m worried about Princess Fanako.”
“Please.”
Surely I wouldn’t suddenly get enraged and try to kill her… or at least I thought so, but Nel was speaking seriously.
I believe in Lily. I trust her, but I think it’s necessary to prepare for any eventuality.
“Moreover, there’s Fiona.”
“Ah, Fiona is still at Mount Mera. Right now, my sister takes priority over me.”
Although we were half-siblings, she was my real sister. Fiona, too, must have her own thoughts about this.
By now, she should be spending some time with family — just the three of us…
◇◇◇
In one of the rooms of the Mera Main Shrine, the injured Divine Heir Fiaara lay on the bed, in a state of required rest.
Physically, she had some minor burns, and magically, she was experiencing symptoms of deficiency and mental fatigue. A sufficient amount of rest was necessary, but it wasn’t severe enough to require emergency transport, so she chose to remain in this place.
A night had passed since the crisis of the Rune’s destruction, and while feeling the bustling atmosphere of post-event handling taking place at the Mera Main Shrine, Fiaara was being allowed to rest by the consensus of the Sun Temple.
Even just lying there, showing her face to visitors was enough to provide reassurance. She was fulfilling her duties as a Divine Heir sufficiently.
And now, another visitor had arrived…
“…”
“…”
A very heavy silence flowed between Fiona and Fiaara.
The one who arrived was, for some reason, the Imperial Witch Fiona, who overly asserted herself as a sister.
Carrying a basket overflowing with the customary fruit for a visit, she had come to pay her respects.
“…I’d appreciate it if you didn’t just stare at me in silence.”
Unable to bear the silence and the gaze, Fiaara reluctantly opened her mouth.
Though Fiona was silent, she continued to meet Fiaara’s glare with her own sparkling golden eyes, unwavering. I wanted to believe she hadn’t just come to throw daggers at me while claiming to visit.
“It seems that there are no aftereffects from touching the Phoenix. I’m relieved.”
“Please do not arbitrarily analyze someone’s body.”
Although I had sensed a strange atmosphere, it became clearer just how much Fiona’s abilities allowed her to discern the flow and quality of another’s magical power just by looking. I felt the gap in our talents.
In reality, probing into someone’s abilities with identification or detection magic is quite rude. However, skilled magicians can see through others’ magical power without using any magic for probing, so in that regard, it was not entirely inappropriate.
It might have been purely out of concern, but to be worried over her own trivial state, while the one who had fully merged with the Phoenix stood before her, made Fiaara feel somewhat belittled.
“You really are a sister. It’s easy to see just how similar your magical power is to mine.”
“I… I refuse to acknowledge you as my sister.”
“However, it is a fact that Tioru Nanablast is our father.”
And also that their respective mothers were real sisters.
In a time long ago, as a witch, and in the present as the Divine Heir of the Rune, the blood of Soleil, who had passed down magic throughout the ages, flowed in both of them.
The beautiful features with sky-blue hair and golden eyes were also inherited from their father.
If the two were to stand next to each other, anyone would certainly think of them as sisters.
“I understand that. The reason I cannot acknowledge you is simply my own jealousy.”
“Well, that can’t be helped. I’m Chrono’s fiancée, after all, and I have a long history as a party member.”
“That has nothing to do with men!”
Not being able to think of any other reasons as to why she would be jealous of her, the sister glared bitterly.
“The Divine Heir of the Rune is far more suited to you.”
“No, I wouldn’t be cut out for being a Heir.”
“Then! Then why… am I… so far below… you?”
When she was young, Fiaara had feared the terrifying expression her mother showed upon hearing of her sister Namialia’s name. It was a pure aura of killing intent and hatred, but it bore a heavy and deep emotion, not just because she was an enemy to be resentful of, but because she was her actual sister, who had been born and raised together with her.
When the time came for her to reach adulthood, Fiaara had finally heard the detailed story of the connections between her mother Minaelis and her sister Namialia… During that time, it had not been merely about abandoning the mission of the Divine Heir, but also how she transformed into a criminal sorceress who strayed from the path of humanity, ultimately taking her own groom on the day of their wedding. She believed the resentment that came from such betrayal made it impossible not to want to kill her.
But it didn’t stop there.
Now, Fiaara could understand her mother’s feelings.
The overwhelming inferiority complex of having a sister who was utterly superior to her.
Being born alongside such a monster, and the turmoil in her emotions when she would betray the Sun Temple upon reaching maturity was beyond imagination.
“That is to be expected. I have four years more of growth than you, and more than that, I possess different experiences.”
However, Fiona didn’t think the difference in talent was as significant as that.
If only considering the ability to fulfill one’s duties as the Divine Heir of the Sun Temple, Fiaara, who had truly trained in education and practices over the years, would certainly be ahead of her current self compared to the Fiona who graduated from the Elysion Magical Academy four years ago.
At that time, Fiona’s abilities shone through the overwhelming destructive power of her magic, along with the versatility to single-handedly clear dungeons.
The ritual magic to calm the great dragon in preparation for the awakening of the Phoenix was outside her expertise. Fiaara had naturally become a forerunner in this path.
Yet, Fiona had grown significantly after endless fierce battles and deadly struggles in Pandora. With formidable enemies like the Apostles, rivals like Lily, and those who fought beside her, the person she loved, she had gained experiences that differed from any lessons from her master or at the magic academy.
Those were surely things she could not have accomplished while remaining in Sinclair. It was a path paved by advancing through the land of Pandora as a free adventurer.
“My goals and the path you should tread are different. There’s no meaning in comparison.”
“But in the end, it was your power that saved the Rune.”
“You’re lucky I was there. Isn’t that enough?”
No matter how desperately I struggled, there were situations concerning power that I simply could not manage. And then someone who casually possessed the capacity to help happened to be there.
Such circumstances are what people call ‘luck.’
So, there was no need to dwell on it further. Just consider it good fortune, lucky, and leave it at that.
Moreover, my luck and my subsequent growth were separate matters.
“Facing an angry Phoenix was a good experience. From here on, simply put in the effort as a Divine Heir.”
“And that will allow me to catch up to you.”
“That’s impossible. Even if you could catch up to the current me, the me at that time will be further ahead.”
Fiona spoke that without an ounce of arrogance, merely stating the pure facts, and strangely, it did not evoke irritation within Fiaara.
Somehow, she understood. This person was simply this way.
“Yes, perhaps there’s no meaning in comparison.”
“Yes, those things should only be done when you meet an opponent you absolutely cannot lose to.”
“Is there anyone who could rival a witch as powerful as you?”
“There are plenty. The world is vast.”
Even with such power at her disposal, she wouldn’t claim to be at the top. It felt as though I had been taught the mindset of a true seeker of magic, continuing to grow.
It was because of this Fiona that Fiaara had a question.
She decided to throw out the most core question.
“Why do you think of me as your sister, having just met me?”
As a matter of factual sisterhood. Similar appearances, similar magical power.
Yet, they had only met a few days ago. There weren’t even any fragments of memories spent together in their early childhood.
Ordinarily, one might simply think, “Oh, is that so?” in relation to such a relationship. Their bond as siblings might deepen due to subsequent connections, but… at least for a stoic seeker of magic, one wouldn’t pay any mind to a lesser individual.
In fact, Fiona herself had never cared about her lineage, and even when asked by Lily about Fiaara, she had not been stirred by the possibility of her being a long-lost sister.
To Fiona, Fiaara was simply an immature girl bearing an incongruous role as a Divine Heir.
She assumed it was impossible to view someone with no connection, no power, no talent as special merely for the sake of the fact that they were a sister.
“Indeed, my mother probably couldn’t understand that. And I think the younger me was the same way.”
Should Fiaara question her, Fiona would agree wholeheartedly.
She thought that if she had met Fiaara shortly after graduating from the academy, her response would have been merely, “Sister? Is that so?” and would not have stirred her interest in the least.
However, the current her was certain that she could cherish and nurture her sister as someone important to her.
“But even so, I have made friends and found someone I love. Now I even have a disciple—so certainly, there exists a natural sense of humanity that I should treasure my sister.”
“Is that so…? I’ll have to thank Lord Chrono for that.”
Realizing how much of an accomplishment it was for this extremely pure-bred and dangerous witch to have attained average emotions, Fiaara couldn’t help but feel it deeply.
“By the way, once you recover, how about we challenge the Phoenix again?”
“…Huh?”
“I think I can do much better next time.”
If they could manage to control the Phoenix’s power this time, it would undoubtedly lead to a significant level and skill increase for the both of them. A superb win-win situation with nothing to lose for each other. This showcased the power of sisterly bonds.
However, as the danger of the Rune was not to be considered, a cautionary note rose in her mind, and Fiaara shouted.
“This crazy witch, I will never do it again!!”