Chapter 80

It has been about ten days since the evil god was defeated.

The capital was successfully liberated, and the world has regained its peace.

And the holy maiden has been urgently preparing for her marriage to me, and today, finally, my wedding with the holy maiden, Elise, and Ruruka will take place.

"Hey, hey, isn't my dress a bit too flashy? I, I feel a bit embarrassed walking around the town in this..."

"That's fine, I think. You'll only wear it once, so there's no need to worry about it."

In a room of a small church in the labyrinth city, Ruruka and Elise, dressed in wedding gowns, were checking each other's outfits.

---There is a special custom in the wedding ceremonies of this labyrinth city.

After the ceremony, the newlyweds parade through the town to show their marriage to everyone.

"Elise, it looks good on you. I think it's perfect."

Given that it's the wedding of a saint, there will probably be many spectators.

Elise, feeling embarrassed by this, kept checking her outfit over and over again.

"R-Really...? I, I hope so..."

"Hey, hey, Shiki, what about me? W-What about me?"

Perhaps annoyed that only Elise was complimented, Ruruka pointed to herself and asked.

"Yeah, of course it looks good on you too."

When I said that, Ruruka smiled happily.

Elise and Ruruka have been getting along quite well since the wedding was decided.

This is what a harem ending looks like.

The scene I had always wanted was right there.

Well, after that, the fact that I was playing with slime jelly on a dragon somehow got out to Ruruka, and she didn't speak to me for a few days.

And when I tried to sneak into Elise's room before the wedding, I was kicked out and didn't speak to me for a few days as well.

But overall, it was peaceful.

"Are you both ready?"

The holy maiden, who had just entered the waiting room, asked the two of them.

She, too, was dressed in a wedding gown.

"I'm sorry for the suddenness, but we couldn't do a proper rehearsal. We will now proceed with the ceremony in front of the church with Shiki-sama and the three of us. Shiki-sama will give us the rings you prepared and exchange vows. After that, we will parade through the town in our current attire to show our marriage, and then have a reception at the lord's mansion."

---It seems the ceremony is about to start soon.

...But I can't let it start yet.

I can't let the ceremony start before "it" arrives.

In the corner of the room, Yuell stood alone, looking somewhat lonely, not joining in the conversation.

I turned my gaze towards her.

I've been thinking about this ever since I fought the evil god and survived.

I've been thinking about what I should do.

And the "answer" I came up with is about to arrive.

I spent all my pocket money to have it custom-made to the highest quality possible.

I asked the vendor to deliver it by this morning, but... maybe it won't arrive in time.

I heard that custom-made items take a while to make.

---Just as I was worrying about this.

"Sa-Saint-sama!!"

A woman rushed into the waiting room.

"H-Here is the item you requested. As you ordered, it is made with the highest-grade mithril. Please, check it..."

"Great! It's here!"

I checked the item the woman brought, hiding it from Elise, Ruruka, and the holy maiden.

---Yeah, it's perfect.

This should be more than enough.

"What's going on, Shiki? What's that?"

Ruruka asked, her voice filled with curiosity.

But I can't answer her question.

I put the item in my item box and immediately headed for the door.

"It's nothing. ...I'm just going outside for a bit. Yuell, come with me as my guard."

"H-Hey, Shiki, where are you going!?"

Elise exclaimed in surprise.

Well, it is just before the wedding.

They probably don't want me to go anywhere now.

But precisely because it's just before the wedding, I have to do this now.

The holy maiden, perhaps sensing what I was about to do, looked at me with a somewhat amused expression.

She understands, even if she doesn't say it.

Elise and Ruruka would definitely say something if they knew.

"It's okay, I'll be right back!"

I reassured them and, with Yuell, rushed out of the room.

Wearing my wedding tuxedo, I walked through the church.

I wasn't heading anywhere specific.

Just any place with no one around would do.

I looked around and headed towards a less crowded area.

---After walking for about a minute, I reached the church's courtyard.

There was no sign of anyone.

This place should be fine.

"Yuell"

I called out the name of the girl who had followed me.

"Yes, Master."

Yuell responded.

Her voice was calm but had a hint of sadness and a slight sense of resignation.

Yuell stood in front of me and stared at my attire.

...Her eyes were a bit red.

Maybe she had been crying when I wasn't looking.

Yuell must be feeling lonely because she can't get married.

But I don't want to make Yuell sad.

So, I tried to comfort her with these words.

"Yuell, you can get married when you grow up."

Even if you can't get married now, you can when you grow up.

I tried to encourage her with these positive words.

"When I grow up..."

Yuell's face showed a sad expression at my words.

...Well, I expected this reaction.

Yuell has already realized.

She knows that I'm lying to avoid making her sad.

The current Yuell isn't someone who can be fooled by such simple words.

"Yuell, when you grow up, you'll become as beautiful as Elise, Ruruka, and the holy maiden."

"Beautiful...?"

...Probably, Yuell lacks confidence in herself.

The current Yuell has no chest and is short.

She's still far from my ideal type, just a child.

Even if I promise her a future, there's no guarantee she'll grow up as I hope.

So, she can't believe my words.

But I have confidence.

Even if Yuell can't see it now, I can clearly see her future.

And I know how she sees me now.

She told me herself when she grew up.

---I've been thinking about this ever since I saw the grown-up Yuell disintegrate into particles of light.

I've been thinking about what kind of "reward" I should give to Yuell, who did so much for me.

"Yuell, you're still a child. So, we can't get married yet. ...But, I can give you this."

I can't marry a child.

But even if I promise her a future, she won't believe me.

---So, I racked my brain to come up with an answer.

This is it.

I decided to give her a token of my promise.

I took out the small box I had just received and held it out to Yuell.

"M-Master, is this... Is this...?"

Yuell's face showed surprise as she realized what the box was.

I slowly opened the lid so she could see inside.

---Inside was a ring similar to the ones I would give to Elise, Ruruka, and the holy maiden.

But this is a custom-made engagement ring, the only one in the world, made just for Yuell.

Yuell's eyes widened as she saw the ring.

Her cheeks gradually turned red, and her dark expression brightened like a flower blooming.

"Is this... Is this my... my ring...?"

Yuell looked at me with an expression of disbelief.

Well, if I had seen myself doing this a little while ago, I wouldn't have believed it either.

Giving an engagement ring to a child—what kind of lolicon am I?

She must have thought that.

But now, I really want Yuell to have this ring.

I truly feel that way.

"Yeah, it's an engagement ring. I wanted to give this to you before the wedding with everyone else."

I looked around.

...Okay, no one is watching.

I took the ring and gently slipped it onto Yuell's finger.

"It's so beautiful..."

Yuell held up her hand with the ring, and it sparkled in the sunlight.

Then, I took a deep breath to say what I needed to say.

Yuell's body trembled slightly.

She must have realized what I was about to say.

It takes courage to say these words.

Especially to Yuell, it requires a different kind of courage.

A young, enslaved girl.

I had a fleeting thought that I could still turn back.

But I didn't.

---Because I am a brave master to Yuell.

"Yuell, when you grow up, let's get married."

Yuell's eyes widened at my words.

Then, she closed her eyes tightly, as if biting her lip, and looked down.

She looked up at me, smiled, and then threw herself into my arms—

"Yes, Master!"

She said it with a voice filled with genuine happiness.

This concludes the main story.

Thank you for reading to the end.

I plan to post a side story soon, so please look forward to it.