The moment we stepped outside the royal castle, every pair of eyes turned toward us.
「We finished him off!」
「We won!!」
「「「「「Waaaaaaaaaaahhh!!!」」」」」
While the crowd erupted in pure joy, we walked forward, and right on cue, the horses came trotting up.
「Holy Knight-sama! Saintess-sama! Please, over here!!」
Looking closer, they were exactly the same horses we had ridden earlier.
「They appeared out of nowhere and have been waiting for both of you this whole time.」
「——Burrrr」「——Burrrr」
「I see. Thank you, guys.」
「Mmm～ Thank you～」
As soon as I gently stroked their necks, they pushed their faces insistently against my hand.
「You’re telling us to get on, huh?」「——Burrrr」
Apparently yes—they kept nudging us more and more insistently.
「Okay, okay, I got it.」
The moment I climbed up, the horse began happily pawing the ground.
「Then I’m counting on you.」
With a light pat, it started walking slowly forward.
「Uoooooh! It’s the Holy Knight-sama!」
「Wait, isn’t that the Saintess-sama!?」
「Uoooooooh! Saintess-sama!!」
The soldiers burst into excited chatter, and Amilia and I waved back with big smiles.
When we finally reached the main camp, the king was waiting for us.
「Thank you. Thanks to the two of you, peace has been protected.」
「No need. We did it for our own sake, really.」
「Exactly. We were just doing it for our future selves, that’s all.」
「Besides, for this world to stay peaceful from now on… it’s going to need the strength of everyone living in this era.」
Wow, that line was so cheesy even I’m embarrassed, I thought—only to hear Amilia suddenly burst out laughing right beside me.
「Pfft… sorry… sorry!! But Yuuki saying something so serious and noble…」
「I already knew it sounded super corny, you didn’t have to point it out…」
I scratched my cheek, face burning, and everyone around us started laughing too.
「Well, sorry to ruin the happy mood, but… what will the Holy Knight-dono and Saintess-dono do next?」
「Hmm, good question. Marian-saaan?」
At that moment, Marian descended in a dramatic shower of sparkling light.
「I have kept you waiting, children of man…」
「Yeah, you can drop the dramatic god speech.」
「Ehhh～ Let me at least pose a little! It’s my moment!」
「No, it just… felt like it was going to drag on forever…」
「Ahem. Anyway, everyone, this is Marian. She’s the goddess of this world—and also my friend.」
Marian suddenly whipped her head around to stare at me the moment the word left my mouth.
「Eh? Did you just call me your friend, Yuuki-san!?」
「Well, yeah? We hang out all the time like this. Of course we’re friends. And hey, I’m not that much of a demon, you know?」
「Eeeeehhhh!!」
What’s with that vibrato in her 「Ehhh」? That’s kinda hurtful…
「O-Okay then… Anyway, Marian, where do we need to go to get back?」
「Ah! I-I’m sorry! Yuuki-san isn’t a demon at all—you’re a god!! Um… you can return by going to the lake where you were flung into this era!」
「Got it. Thanks, Marian.」
I smiled at her softly, and she started fidgeting, her cheeks flushing as our eyes met just a little too long.
「Y-Yes! But… it’ll probably only work on the full moon three days from now!」
「Alright, then we’d better hurry…」
「I’m sorry. I still can’t fully control my powers yet…」
「It’s fine. You’ve got your hands full raising those heroes and handling all sorts of other stuff…」
「Uuu… Yuuki-saaan…」
Don’t look like you’re about to cry! Why does she always get like this!!
「Anyway, we’re running out of time. Let’s head out…」
「U-Um, Holy Knight-dono, who might this lady be…」
The king, who had been frozen stiff until now, finally piped up.
「Let me introduce her again. This is Marian. She’s the goddess of this world—and my friend.」
「So I didn’t mishear after all…」
「Indeed, child of man. I showed you quite the unseemly side of myself earlier.」
「Not at all! You are divinely radiant and breathtakingly beautiful!」
Praised by the king, the corners of Marian’s mouth lifted into a shy, giddy grin, her gaze darting away with a soft blush.
「Ah, Marian? Feel free to chat with the king if you want. But I’ve got a place I need to say goodbye to, so mind if I take off?」
When I asked her that, both she and the king snapped their heads toward me in a flurry.
「Ah, got it! Then please call for me again once you reach the lake!」
「Holy Knight-sama, thank you from the bottom of my heart. The queen mentioned she’d love to speak with the Saintess-sama… If possible, we’d be honored if you could stop by the royal castle.」
「Understood. Once we reach the town, I’ll send Amilia over from there.」
「Yes! We will never forget the two of you! I’ll make sure your deeds are remembered throughout this world for ages to come!」
I gave one last polite nod to the king as he bowed deeply, then scooped Amilia gently into my arms—her body pressing close enough to feel the quickened beat of her heart against mine, a warm flush creeping up her neck as she nestled in with a tiny, flustered squeak.
「Then we’re off! Take care! 『——Magic Armor: Horus!』」
「That was so much fun!!」
With a flashy unfold of my magic armor, I launched into the sky—and cheers erupted from below like a wave.
◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆
And three days later, we arrived at the small shrine by the lake where we had first been summoned.
「Looking closely now, this really is the Carbuncle village, isn’t it?」
「Yes… the same full moon is reflected in the lake tonight. It’s so beautiful.」
We stood there quietly, soaking in the peaceful sight, when a voice suddenly piped up from the side.
「Heyyy, Holy Knight-sama! Why am I wrapped up like a bamboo roll?!」
「Eh? Well, Grants-san told me to transport you this way, so…」
「Even so, this is too much!!」
「Come on, come on. I’m taking you along, so just behave for a bit.」
「Uuu～ Saintess-samaaa～」
Lopple-san looked up at Amilia with teary, pleading eyes, practically on the verge of sobbing.
「Ahaha～ I’m getting wrapped up and flown off with Yuuki too, you know…」
「That’s so mean～!」
While we calmly ignored Lopple-san’s protests, Marian finally appeared.
「Sorry to keep you waiting～! …Wait, who is this person?」
「Ah, she kept insisting she wanted to come along… Is that no good?」
「It’s perfectly fine! Then let’s head back now!」
Marian clapped her hands together and began chanting softly. A gentle light enveloped our bodies.
I glanced back one last time. Everyone was waving goodbye.
Some raised both arms high, others wiped tears from their cheeks as they smiled.
And finally, the king and princess stood side by side, waving with bright, warm expressions, looking truly happy together.
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