Laneige came sprinting over, shouting, “Daaale!”
Tears welled up in her, and she threw herself at me. She wrapped me in a tight embrace as if she would tackle me to the ground.
“Sorry. I made you wait a long time, didn’t I?” I said.
She continued holding me. “Dale, Dale, Dale, Dale, Dale, Dale, Dale, Dale, Dale!”
“Yeah.”
“T-this isn’t a dream, right?” she asked.
“Want me to prove it?” I gently lifted her chin and pressed my lips to hers.
Laneige let out a soft gasp, touching her lips. The tears that had gathered at the corners of her eyes rolled down her cheeks. Tearing up, she said, “You really... came back.”
“Yeah. Sorry for making you wait so long.”
She cried her heart out, clinging to me. “Dale, Dale, Dale, Dale, Dale, Daaale!”
I stroked her back and recalled what Iris had told me. “By the way, I heard you were a big source of support for everyone while I was gone.”
Sniffling, she said, “T-that’s...”
When I heard I had been asleep for a year and a half, the first thing that came to mind was whether Laneige had lost control. Contrary to my expectations, I had been told she was the one who stayed composed and encouraged the others.
“I-Iris and Y-Yurina, everyone was having such a hard time... So, I felt like I couldn’t fall apart too.” Laneige smiled shyly. “I’m kind of... the older one, after all. Hehe!”
Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, and I couldn’t help but smile. She had changed. Back when we had first met, she was always anxious and afraid. Her transformation was incredible.
“But... It was still really, really hard,” she said.
“Yeah.”
“Every day, I was scared that you might never come back like this.”
“I’m sorry.”
She continued, “On days I missed you too much, I, um, stripped you naked while you were sleeping and tried to ease the loneliness.”
“Great... Wait! Huh?”
Wait, what did she just say?
“E-even while you were asleep, you were really... healthy, Dale!” she added.
“No.”
What exactly did you do to a patient?
“Ah! I-I didn’t just strip you! I also dressed you up sometimes. In a butler outfit, or a military uniform!”
“Uh, yeah.”
“Hehe. I took lots of pictures and sent them to everyone, and they all said it helped cheer them up!”
What in the world had gone on? It felt like something outrageous had happened while I was asleep.
“And most of all...” Laneige clutched tightly at my collar. “B-because you said you’d come back, I was able to endure it.”
Seeing her smile so brightly as she said that, I found myself pressing my lips to hers once more. I said, “Thank you... for believing in me.”
“H-hehe. Kissing you... feels so nice.” Laneige grinned, touching her lips.
I looked at her. “Laneige...”
“Dale...”
Just as a strange, tender atmosphere began to form between us, a familiar voice spoke up. “Hm! If you’ve already had not one, but two reunion kisses, shouldn’t it be about time to move on to the next person?”
The door opened, and a tall beauty with black hair stepped inside. It was Elisha, whom I hadn’t seen in a year and a half. Her hair, once only shoulder-length, had grown much longer.
“Professor Baldwin,” I said.
“Hmph. You’re still calling me ‘Professor’ even in a moment like this?” she replied.
“Elisha,” I said shyly.
“Heh. That sounds much better.”
“You grew your hair out?” I asked.
“I thought I’d give you a fresh impression when you woke up.” She approached me, touching her long hair. “Well? Does it suit me?”
“Yeah. Your short hair was nice, but long hair gives you a different charm.”
“Hehe. A satisfying answer.” With a faint smile, Elisha pressed her lips to mine. Through the contact, I could feel her trembling. Then she sorrowfully said, “I missed you.”
“Yeah. Me too,” I replied.
“Well then, shall we do a quick check?”
“A check? Mmph!”
Her tongue slipped between my lips. Like a starving beast, her tongue moved aggressively, exploring my mouth. Only when we were both out of breath did she pull back, her sharp gaze scanning me.
“Hah!” A quiet exclamation escaped her lips. “The two powers have completely merged. It feels like... I’m looking at a massive tree made of fire.”
“It took a while, so I made sure to do it properly,” I explained.
“Hmph. Don’t think you can just brush this off like nothing happened.” Elisha looked away with a sulky expression. “While you were gone, I was very lonely... So, make sure I’m never lonely again. Stay with me.”
What is this? Did she get younger while I was asleep? Why does our professor look so cute all of a sudden?
I swallowed dryly, watching her avert her gaze. “Elisha...”
Suddenly, an explosion shook the entire party house. I said, “That sound...”
“Hehe. Seems like the next one has arrived.” Elisha shrugged and stepped back slightly.
The window shattered, and a woman in a dress flew into the room. She said, “D-Dale!”
“Long time no see, Camellia,” I replied,
“Ah! Y-you really... really came back.” Camellia rushed forward and threw her arms around me, trembling with emotion. “To make me worry this much, you truly are a terrible subject.”
“Sorry!”
“Haah! Truly! While you were asleep, I couldn’t focus on anything. I stayed cooped up in my room all day, thinking only of you.”
“Then what about running the Empire?” I asked.
“I have many capable subordinates.”
She says that so confidently.
“Hehe. Don’t worry. Since the Church of Eternity and the demons have disappeared, the continent is more peaceful than it has ever been in history,” she explained.
“Oh.” It made sense.
“Of course, there are still small groups of monsters and the occasional hero committing crimes for selfish reasons, but it’s far better than when the demons roamed freely.”
“I see.”
“Hehe.” Camellia smiled softly as she caressed my cheek. “All of this... was only possible because you were here... So? How does it feel to have created the era of peace you longed for with your own hands?”
“To be honest, it still doesn’t quite feel real yet...” I shrugged as I glanced around at the women gathered in the room. “But... it doesn’t feel bad.”
“Hehe. To say that while looking at the women whose lives you’ve thoroughly entangled. As expected, you truly possess the qualities of a ruler worthy of being my husband,” Camellia said.
That didn’t sound like a compliment at all.
She continued, “By the way, aren’t you going to give me one as well?”
“Hm? Give you what?” I asked.
Fidgeting, she touched her lips. “A... A reunion kiss.”
Without a word, I stepped closer and kissed her.
She smiled gently, savoring the lingering warmth on her lips. “Mm! That’s nice.”
As the Empress, she had tasted every delicacy and luxury the continent had to offer, yet none had ever been this sweet.
I muttered, “Then that leaves...”
Speaking of the devil, the door opened cautiously, and Yurina stepped inside. “Ah!”
She looked so frail it was almost painful to see. Her silver hair, once radiant like moonlight, had lost its luster, now dull and lifeless. I had heard from Iris that Yurina had taken it the hardest, but this was more than I expected. I hadn’t thought it would be this bad.
I quickly approached her. “Yurina...”
“D-Dale—” Yurina flinched and instinctively stepped back.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
She lowered her head, her shoulders trembling. “I’m sorry, Dale.”
“What are you apologizing for?” I asked.
“I... I couldn’t protect you. I promised. I promised I would...”
Her words from just before my fight with Morris flashed through my mind. “Dale. I’ll protect you.”
I asked, “Is that why you’ve been suffering so much? Because you think it’s your fault I didn’t wake up?”
“T-that’s not wrong! If I had been stronger, then the Primordial Flame inside you wouldn’t have gone out of control!” she replied.
“Haah! Honestly.”
When I had first heard Yurina was in the worst state, I was surprised. But now I realized the reason: she had been blaming herself for everything. That was just like her. She had always been the most upright and sincere among us. However, this time, that very trait had turned against her.
“It’s not your fault,” I said.
“B-but...”
“Even if it hadn’t been Morris, it was something I would’ve had to face eventually.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. And thanks to it, I’m actually much better off now,” I said honestly.
Others could find it hard to understand, but for me, gaining the ability to put an end to my life whenever I wished was a change more significant than anything else. Honestly, I almost felt like thanking Morris for making it possible.
I looked her in the eye. “So, there’s no need for you to blame yourself.”
“Dale....”
“Look, I’m perfectly fine now, aren’t I?” I shrugged and spread my arms.
Yurina immediately threw herself into them. “Then from now on, we’ll stay together, right?”
“Yeah. We’ll stay together until you get sick of me.”
“Hehe. Then I guess we’ll be together forever.” Smiling sweetly, Yurina leaned in and kissed me.
After reuniting with my lovers, I was about to meet the rest of the party members when the door burst open.
Berald burst through the door with an excited expression. “Brotherrrr! I heard you woke— Guhhh!”
However, before he could approach me, he was sent flying back out by a kick from Yurina.
“Y-Yurina?” Berald muttered, confused.
“Sorry, Berald.” With a bright smile, Yurina placed her hand on the doorknob. “I still have things to do with Dale. Besides, you’re busy preparing for the graduation ceremony, right?”
“I-I’m not that busy,” he replied.
“No, you are. Right?” she said.
With a casual flick of her hand, a silver sword formed in the air, shimmering like moonlight. I didn’t know just how harsh her training had been while I was asleep, but the sheer presence she radiated now rivaled, or even surpassed, Camellia’s. If someone were to ask to what extent she had grown? Well, if she went back to a year and a half ago and fought Morris with her current strength, she would probably win.
Overwhelmed by the terrifying aura pouring from Yurina, Berald nodded frantically, his face pale. “O-on second thought, I am busy!”
He ran off as if fleeing for his life.
Iris, who had been quietly watching all of this, approached me with a bright smile. “Now then. Shall we have a proper ‘reunion’ now?”
Huh? A proper reunion?
“Wait, then what was all that just now,” I said frantically.
“That was just greetings.”
Before I could react, Iris pulled me onto the bed. At the same time, the gazes of Yurina, Laneige, Elisha, and Camellia, who were all still in the room, shifted. A dangerous atmosphere filled the air. If I had to describe it, I felt like a bound lamb thrown into a den of starving wolves.
“Everyone has time, right?” Iris asked.
Laneige and Yurina raised their hands eagerly.
“I-I do!”
“Me too!”
“The final evaluations are over, so I’m free,” Elisha said.
“I, too, have no issue sparing about a month.” Camellia followed up.
Did I hear that right? Did she just say a month?
I stared at them. “Excuse me?”
“Oh, perfect. The wedding is in a month, so we can just continue until then.” Iris nodded with a bright smile.
“Now then, Dale.” She approached the bed and gently tugged at my patient’s gown. “Will you take it off yourself? Or should I do it for you?”
Yeah. This situation right now. I’m probably... I think I’m fucked.
As I watched my lovers slowly close in, I shut my eyes tightly.
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter