The Saintess's Husband and the Emperor's Miracle
Right after regressing with her lewd divine power pouch, she immediately exited Luddera. She wanted to see him as soon as possible.
What if he had regressed just like her?
"Huh? Saintess?"
"Why is the Saintess at the academy?"
In her haste, she'd forgotten to cover her face.
Thanks to the academy's nature, the students recognized her instantly, but right now, she couldn't care less about that.
If she'd fully returned to the past, he would be at the academy.
No matter how vast the academy was, with the thread of fate bestowed by Deus connecting her to him, there was no way she couldn't find him.
His energy, his scent, everything about him was etched into her memories.
Bang!
"Crazy..."
"Saintess?"
"Why are you here...!"
She flung open the door, startling the diners inside, but none of them registered in the Saintess's eyes.
He's in this restaurant...
I can feel him from inside.
Yes. Here.
She strode boldly into the room.
"Found you!"
And there he was.
"My beloved husband!"
The man she'd longed for so desperately.
"I missed you so much, my huuuuusband!"
Thud!
She threw herself straight into Albus Bernier's arms, hugging him tight.
The dizzying, seductive fragrance assaulting her nose.
It was the scent of her beloved husband, so achingly familiar.
"Ahh... my husband..."
'The God-chosen Saintess is out there hugging some guy like a clingy lover.'
She knew full well what ripples this scene would cause among the witnesses, but her reputation meant nothing to her now.
Reuniting with the husband she'd thought she'd never see again.
Being able to inhale every part of him deep into her lungs.
That alone felt like every wish in her life had come true.
"Wh-who are you?"
Of course, he wasn't quite the perfect husband she remembered.
"...Husband. Don't you remember me?"
She figured that might be the case.
If he'd regressed too, that would be ideal, but maybe only she had.
She thought it was possible, but...
When he truly didn't recognize her, her eyes welled up red.
"Crazy... Albus. What the hell's your deal with the Saintess?"
"...Saintess? Wait, hold up. The Saintess? The most sacred woman on the continent, chosen by God? And you're saying this woman right in front of me is her?"
But it was okay.
All their memories were still in her head.
She could build new ones with him from scratch.
What mattered was that he was right there in front of her.
"What did you do to make the Saintess cry!"
"I swear, I've never seen her before in my life!"
I'm so happy to see you again, my husband.
As long as I have you, I don't care what happens to the rest...!
"Uh... so you're saying... the Saintess and I were that kind of couple?"
Nod nod.
The golden-haired beauty bobbed her head vigorously up and down.
......This beauty was my lover in the future?
What the hell was that supposed to mean?
With the Saintess bursting in mid-meal, drawing stares from everyone around, Albus and the Saintess left the restaurant and headed to a secluded clearing in a remote corner of the academy.
A few people tried to tail them, but after she scattered a few bursts of holy magic, no one could follow.
Valtburg and Perigit al Brigand had wanted to come along, but the Saintess insisted they speak alone no matter what, so they left with disappointed looks.
"...We've got tails, huh? Two of them, even. Impressive skill, but... to someone who's been with you, my husband, this is nothing...!"
He'd thought they were alone, but suddenly the Saintess focused her mind and unleashed several waves of holy magic.
"All done! Now no sneaky little thieves can interfere with us!"
It was surely a holy, beautiful smile, but for some reason, a chill ran down his spine.
Once they were alone in the quiet space, the Saintess began her story.
"You probably won't believe it. Even I, who went through it, still can't quite wrap my head around it. If I hadn't smelled you and recharged my husband-power, I'd still be doubting."
She'd regressed from the future.
"The Calamity God GM tried to destroy the world. The entire continent united as one."
In that future, GM would annihilate the world.
"My husband and I fought him together. You were our last hope."
He'd stood against GM. He'd been their rallying point.
"I-it's embarrassing, but amid it all, we whispered our love to each other."
She and he had been lovers.
"But the final battle ended in failure. The world was erased, and a new one was recreated."
The continental alliance had lost to GM.
"In the last moment, you chose to sacrifice yourself to protect me."
And in the aftermath of his sacrifice for her, she'd regressed to the present.
......What the actual fuck was this nonsense?
So he'd sacrificed himself to protect this woman?
No, even before that—the continent's last hope? Me?
GM as a calamity god?
Fighting GM?
When I'm GM?
It was so bewildering he had no idea what to say.
"I understand, my husband. When I first regressed—when I regained my future memories—it was utter chaos for me too. But everything I've told you is the absolute truth!"
Uh... my confusion and yours feel a bit different.
Judging by Valtburg and Perigit's reactions, this woman was definitely Saintess Eclessia.
That made it even more confusing.
Someone of the Saintess's stature had no reason to lie to him.
The only reason she'd approach him was his ownership of Luddera, but if she knew that, she wouldn't spin tales like this.
There was zero chance her words were lies.
Just to confirm,
"Saintess."
"Yes, my husband!"
"You said... we were lovers. What kind of relationship exactly?"
No matter the future, he couldn't believe he'd been lovers with a top-tier beauty like her.
He wanted to know what she meant by "lovers."
The romantic kind he imagined?
Or comrades stuck together in war?
Or maybe a political fling?
Pop!
Something seemed to burst from the blushing Saintess's head.
"Ah, ah, uh, th-that's... um..."
She looked utterly flustered for some reason.
Had he asked something wrong?
"I mean, Saintess, what I'm trying to say is..."
As he tried to rephrase,
"W-we slept together!"
She squeezed her eyes shut and shouted.
"Pardon?"
Slept together how?
"Y-yes! That's no lie!"
She said it trembling, as if fabricating a forbidden falsehood or confessing a grave sin wracked with guilt.
Labyrinth Tower, Floor 4
A small spring deep in the jungle.
Splash!
Noble, secretive ripples danced across its surface.
"Pwah!"
The Emperor's face emerged above the water.
"Just as you said, a refreshing chill courses through my entire body. It feels like I'm growing younger."
The Emperor slowly stepped out of the spring.
Drip drip.
Water trailed down his muscular nude form, bared after shedding his cumbersome robes.
It was the body of a man who, even after ascending to absolute rule, had never once neglected his training.
"Behold, Your Majesty."
Waiting for him was Schmidt, guild leader of the Royal Knights, who pulled out a mirror item and offered it.
"Yes..."
The Emperor took the mirror from Schmidt and held it to his face.
His expression was calm, but his hands shook fiercely.
The heart unshakeable by imperial rebellions was now wavering.
"Schmidt."
"How is it, Your Majesty?"
"......This... is a miracle."
The Emperor's face lit up with joy.
Male pattern baldness, said to be incurable even by the gods.
His near-extinct hairline had become lush and thick.
"Rejoice not yet. Confirm it in reality first. I'll guard Your Majesty's body here in Luddera."
"Yes... quite right."
Even when he'd won the imperial throne.
Even when inheriting it from his forebears.
Never had his heart trembled like this.
Fwoosh!
Logging out of Luddera and returning to his real body, the Emperor rose.
Please.
Please let this not be a dream.
Clutching his trembling chest, the Emperor slowly approached the mirror.
That brief moment felt like eternity.
Finally reaching the mirror, what entered his eyes atop his head was—
"Oh. My God."
The thick, jungle-like mane he'd seen in Luddera was there.
Fwoosh!
"Have you returned, Your Majesty."
Back in the Labyrinth Tower.
He spotted Schmidt greeting him.
"Schmidt."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Miracles do exist."
The Emperor's lips curved into a wide grin.
"I no longer need to bear that heavy crown!"
To hide his receding hair, the crown had grown ever larger.
In inverse proportion to its size, his self-esteem had dwindled.
But from today, no more hiding behind it.
The Emperor felt immense liberation.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty!"
Knowing the agony of hair loss all too well, and how deeply it had troubled the Emperor, Schmidt could rejoice sincerely.
"Schmidt."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Who knows the secret of this spring?"
"At present, only Your Majesty, myself, my deputy, and a few Royal Knights guild members."
"Is that so..."
The Emperor stroked his chin.
"You know the value this spring holds."
"Of course, Your Majesty."
"It must never leak to anyone. Its existence cannot be revealed. Yet we cannot let other powers seize this fourth floor. You understand?"
"Your Majesty, surely..."
"Yes. The situation is different now. It's time to commit the Empire's full might. Even using that if necessary."
"But Your Majesty! Deploying the Empire's hidden that could shift the continental power balance...! No, forgive my impertinence, Your Majesty."
Given the gravity of the matter.
Seeing how one spring could shake the continent.
Schmidt dared not voice opposition.
"Secure the fourth floor for the Empire, even if it means using that."
The Emperor declared with a steely face.
"Even if it exposes the secret the Empire has hidden for centuries."