We Are Getting Married (1)

A warm breeze blows.

I stand there blankly, letting that wind hit me.

The scenery I'm gazing at is indescribably beautiful.

Yet, rather than admiration flowing out at such a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠magnificent sight, my head just feels dazed.

It's hard to express in words, and I can't even properly open my mouth.

All I did was use my recovered left arm to pull Ria, who was standing to my left looking at the same scenery, toward me.

Then she took a step closer to me, narrowing the distance, and leaned heavily against me like that.

Even though we've been in close contact a few times during our adventures, it never felt this affectionate.

"...!!"

I couldn't help but flinch.

And I realized.

That right now, no beautiful scenery can move me.

That my world is being pulled and pushed by this Saintess standing beside me.

It might seem laughable that the hero who saved the world is flustered by one woman.

But that's okay.

"Ria."

"Yes?"

"I love you."

"Hup."

Well, because I've also become Ria's world.

We are intertwined with each other through the emotion called love.

I intend to truly cherish that emotion that has seeped in before I knew it.

And that is.

"...I-I-I-I love you t-tooo."

"Cute."

"Hic."

It seems Ria feels the same, so I felt like teasing her a little.

However, I decided to do that a little later.

"Shall we go?"

"Ah, yes, they'll be waiting for us."

"Mm."

We had to head to where our party was waiting.

In the end, we had to use the Return Magic Stone to head to the capital where everyone was waiting, with the Demon King's head.

The Return Magic Stone that can only be used after catching the Demon King.

It was an existence that always felt regretful whenever a difficult situation arose.

Thinking that, I walked slowly, matching my steps with Ria.

"...I always like it when you show small considerations like this."

Ria says that while looking at me matching my steps.
When I tilt my head at this, she continues with a hoho laugh.

"Even though your stride is faster than mine, whenever I just come beside you, you walk behind or beside me, matching my pace."

"Ah......."

"Thanks to that, I don't have to lose you or push myself to speed up, so it's nice."

Saying that, Ria offers her hand.

I knew it meant she wanted to hold it, so I firmly grasped her hand.

Our hands were sweaty, and due to both of us being nervous, I don't know whose sweat it was, but thinking it was probably mine made my face flush red.

Anyway, walking like that, we saw two people in the distance.

"Ah! Over here! Here!"

Seeing the girl Bina hopping up and down and waving her arms wildly, Ria and I both burst out laughing simultaneously.

"Haak! Hero-nim! Your eyes!"

"Hehe, after all that fuss about the Saintess-nim's lifespan. Looks good, hero."

Bina, who gave me the courage to confess.

And Uncle Hart, who disappeared at some point after moving me aside, perhaps to give me space to confess.

'So he was here.'

Seeing my precious comrades, I smiled brightly and spoke.

That the adventure is over.

That the head of the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Demon King we searched for so desperately has fallen.

That the adventure of our party has come to an end.

But, our story could now be considered just beginning.

"I, I...! I'm thinking of going to find the Magic Tower!"

"To follow your master's traces?"

"Yes...! He was a great mage, so I want to follow his traces and succeed him."

"That's good too."

At the end of the adventure, Bina decided to pursue academics and go down that path.

"I plan to go back and train warriors."

"Rookie adventurers at the guild?"

"That's right, there are still many Dungeons."

"Is that so."

If Dungeons blessed by the Demon God are left unattended, monsters will keep popping out.

Raising successors is a splendid thing.

Nodding my head, I smiled thinly and affirmed him.

Then, Bina throws a question at me.

"How do you plan to spend your life, Hero-nim?"

Seeing her making a sly, cat-like expression as if she already knows, I let out a psshh laugh.

"Well... I'll live quietly somewhere no one knows."

"Somewhere no one knows?"

"Yes, because my story as the hero ends here."

What happens to the hero after he catches the Demon King isn't told in fairy tales.

They just say he lived happily ever after with his loved one.

So, my life being known to the public ends here.

Of course, I plan to let our party know where I live.

They're all trustworthy people, and I'd like them to visit occasionally to share a drink.

"I won't be lonely."

Muttering that, I grabbed the hand of Ria beside me.

Then Ria's face flushed red.

"...Anywhere the Hero-nim goes is fine with me."

Seeing Ria smile ehehe and say that felt more lovable than ever before.

"Wow......."

"Uhhahahaha, reminds me of my wife."

Bina, who asked the question but can't hold back her admiration, and Uncle Hart, who laughs heartily saying it reminds him of his younger days with his wife.

Worried Ria might be embarrassed, I coughed ahem! ahem! to change the subject.

"Bina, the Return Stone."

"Ah, yes!"

When I asked for the Return Stone, she made a hole in the air, put her hand inside, and rummaged around.
Knowing all sorts of junk is rolling around in the subspace, I decided to just wait calmly.

About 5 minutes passed like that.

"Ah! Found it!"

"...I told you to put important things aside separately."

"Ehehe."

"......."

Since everything is over now, it felt a bit annoying to get angry, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠so I urged her to just use it.

"Uncle Hart, you have the Demon King's head, right?"

"Yeah."

"Hoo......."

Bina takes a deep breath, perhaps nervous.

Looking at that Bina, I also felt my heart trembling.

'I'm nervous.'

I am nervous.

Because I thought more than once or twice that I might die before this day came.

I wanted to praise myself for not dying and enduring until now.

Right then.

"...You did well."

"...!!"

A small whisper from someone reached me, and when I sharply turned to the side.

"Hero-nim, you worked hard."

"...!!!"

I saw Ria, up on her tiptoes with a slightly strained expression, saying that.

"Uh, Ria."

"Yes, yep?"

"You could just tell me normally."

When I said that, Ria covered her face, perhaps embarrassed.
Flustered by this, she slightly lowered her hands, looked at me, and mumbled.

"I, I just thought it would be nicer if I whispered it like thaaat......."

"Ah."

"Is it weird?"

Certainly, it did seem nicer.

Smiling thinly, I told her it did seem nicer.

"It definitely did seem nicer."

"......!"

Ria's expression brightens instantly.

As I watched that, feeling a sense of accomplishment, right then.

"Ah! It's ready! Everyone get close!!!"

As Bina shouts that, our party huddled close together.

Of course, I had Ria firmly hugged so she wouldn't touch anyone else besides me.

"Her, Hero-ni─"

Flustered Ria looked up at me and seemed to say something, but before I could hear it all, we were standing on the hero's return circle.

As soon as we arrived on the hero summoning circle.

-Thump thump

"Pfft."

I heard the sound of Ria, with her head bowed, thumping my stomach not hard enough to hurt.

The Kingdom that worked hard for a long time in the war against the Demon King and protected world peace.

The Harencia Kingdom today achieved their long-cherished wish.

Because the hero Leon, evaluated as perhaps the strongest in history, and his party, have sliced off the head of the Demon King that had long tormented the Kingdom.

Thus, the Kingdom was bustling with people gathered to celebrate the return of that hero Leon's party.

And here was another person.

"The Hero-nim has returned!"

The Princess of the Harencia Kingdom, Lucia Harencia, was in a very excited state.

Well, as someone who revered the fairy tale where the hero who saved the world lives a happy life with the princess.

"I wonder how it feels to have the strongest man on earth as a husband......."

"......."

She was enthusiastically listing the hero's wonderful points to her older brother, the Crown Prince Luan Harencia.

And she was also enthusiastically listing her conviction that she would be that bride.

Normally, if a younger sister talks like this, an older brother would say 'Let me see that guy's face' or 'I'll judge what kind of guy he is'.

"Le, Leon is ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠an excellent hero, that's for sure."

Luan said that while sweating cold sweat.

This was because he already knew well what kind of person Leon was.

And because they were friends who trusted each other without a doubt.

Simultaneously.

'...Leon said he would confess to the Saintess.'

Luan remembered what the hero had told him.

The somewhat romantic statement that if he caught the Demon King, he would confess to the Saintess in the same party.

'It's a secret, so please don't tell anyone.'
'Okay, I promise I'll definitely keep your secret.'

Thinking he made an unnecessary promise, Luan maintained an awkward smile.

"Hey, that hero originally knows the fact that he's supposed to marry the Saintess, right?"

Luan, at his wits' end, brings up the superficial promise with the Holy Kingdom.

"Oh my, the Holy Kingdom will accept the proposal as long as they can preserve the Saintess's virginity, brother."

"Keuhk."

Lucia was thorough.

However.

"...Well, in the end, the groom is chosen by the Hero-nim himself."

Lucia was a rational person.

No matter how much she liked the hero, and even though she's been a crazy fan since he first set out on his adventure.

"If the Hero-nim gets married, I will sincerely bless him."

She was a woman who knew how to respect the person she liked, so she said that.

"Still! I will make an appeal!"

"......."

"If I go on like this, they say I'll be sold off to the Empire!"

"...The Empire is not a hostile nation. And they want him as a son-in-law."
"Ait, be quiet, brother!"

Still, shouldn't she try her ultimate full-body twist?