I was being brought forward to the throne of the king. Surrounding me were only strong soldiers.
The king was about the same age as my father, but his hair and beard were both white and bushy. He was tall with a dignified face.
With a somewhat weary expression, the king looked down at me. Standing right beside him was my father. Unlike the king, my father’s face was radiant.
“Your Majesty, this is the criminal Wilhelm.” (Robert)
“Hmm. I am well aware. He is your son, is he not?” (King)
“Huh? No, he’s a complete stranger to me.” (Robert)
“What? Did you forget that when Wilhelm was born, you brought him to me with a foolishly proud expression and insisted I hold him? Have you already forgotten?” (King)
“That eldest son has already passed away. Could you refrain from bringing up sad memories?” (Robert)
“Now now, he’s alive and well before us. And look, he’s even holding the national treasure, the magic sword.” (King)
“He’s just a doppelgänger.” (Robert)
“Well, enough of that. So, Wilhelm, do you really like that magic sword so much?” (King)
“Not at all! This thing just won’t leave me alone!” (Wilhelm)
Indeed, the magic sword, Catastrophe, remained stuck to my body, seemingly unable to be removed. Perhaps Feene had placed some sort of curse on it. Despite being pulled by various people and even attempting magic to dispel the curse, it remained firmly attached.
The king let out a deep sigh.
“If only it didn’t end up like this… I was thinking of giving Wilhelm a medal or something, you know.” (King)
My father expressed his dissatisfaction greatly.
“It’s wasteful to give him medals and such. It would lower the prestige of them. Indeed, it’s better to exile him from the country. No, perhaps forced labor would make that fellow reflect. Oh, not enough? Are you suggesting something as extreme as execution? Your Majesty, how strict you are.” (Robert)
Father… Is that how you act even in front of His Majesty?
“Now now, you keep quiet. Show a little more love for your son.” (King)
“I must respectfully decline the latter proposal.” (Robert)
“Haa… Wilhelm, you’ve been through a lot…” (King)
“Yes, that’s true…” (Wilhelm)
There was someone here who sympathized with me.
“Now then, I want to ask Wilhelm. Are you intending to proclaim yourself as the Demon King and seize this country?” (King)
“I have never considered such a thing. All I want is a peaceful paradise where I can shut myself in without worries.” (Wilhelm)
“Haa… So you’re still continuing your shut-in lifestyle…” (King)
“No, recently I’ve been working a lot like a horse.” (Wilhelm)
“You’re not a child anymore. Working is just common sense.” (King)
The king rose with dignity. His presence was not just impressive, it was awe-inspiring.
“Wilhelm. I shall inform you of your fate.” (King)
*gulp*
Even though I think it’s a bit scary to be treated like a Demon King just for standing on top of the royal castle, I don’t think they’ll execute just because of that.
“The national treasure, the magic sword, Catastrophe, shall be entrusted to you for a while.” (King)
“Eh? I don’t need it!” (Wilhelm)
“Refusal is impossible. If you can remove the dangerous aspects of it, then it shall be promptly returned to the country.” (King)
“Then, let’s try to fix it right now! There’s an easy way to do so!” (Wilhelm)
I was about to slam the magic sword that had been attached to my back onto my thigh when Feene intervened.
“Waitttt, please waitttt! I’ll behave, I promise! Pleaseeee! I beg youuu! Just please don’t break ittttt!” (Feene)
“What are you talking about? Does a magic sword have a life?” (Wilhelm)
“That’s so cruel—” (Feene)
“Wilhelm, don’t think lightly of damaging a national treasure, alright?” (King)
“Huh? Your Majesty, why are you siding with the magic sword?” (Wilhelm)
“I’m starting to find it amusing watching you.” (King)
Ah, so that’s the kind of person he is.
“Well, joking aside, there’s something I want you to do for a while. And for that, you’ll need that magic sword.” (King)
“Something you want me to do…? Me, the shut-in?” (Wilhelm)
“That’s right. I want you to get off your backside and do something. It’s about the artifacts of the Demon King stolen from the museum. Unfortunately, they’ve all disappeared without a trace. I want you to recover them all.” (King)
“Huh, whaaaaaat? That sounds so exhausting! If I do that kind of labor, I won’t be able to shut myself in anymore! And besides, isn’t that a job for a civil servant?” (Wilhelm)
“According to rumors, you’ve been considering getting a job lately.” (King)
“W-Who told you such unnecessary things?” (Wilhelm)
Liliana? Edel-nee? There aren’t many candidates. Damn it.
“Hehehe, who could it be? Well, that’s beside the point. It’s fine if you choose to become a civil servant, but you’re free to choose any profession you want, Wilhelm. However, there’s one job in particular that I insist you do. What if the artifacts of the Demon King fall into the hands of someone with ill intentions? No one else but you can handle this. I promise that if Wilhelm Wondersky returns all the artifacts to the country, I will declare him innocent of any suspicion of being the Demon King.” (King)
“…Understood.” (Wilhelm)
“Very well. While I can’t award you a medal, I’ll see to it that you receive a reward. You’ve worked well this time. Thanks to you, our friendship with the [Seagull Principality] has been maintained.” (King)
I ended up receiving a considerable sum of money and a letter of gratitude.
However, due to my father’s persistent request, the money ended up being delivered not to me personally, but to the Wondersky family. It seems it was a measure to prevent me from easily shutting myself in.
“That’s all. Is there anything else, Wilhelm?” (King)
“What will be the outcome of this commotion?” (Wilhelm)
“The friendship between the two countries will be maintained, and the Grand Duke will return to his country with a large amount of food from our nation and the saint, making it a happy ending.” (King)
“Well, actually, one of my friends got caught up in all of this.” (Wilhelm)
“Oh, if it’s Stephanie, she returned to her homeland with the Grand Duke.” (King)
“Huh?” (Wilhelm)
“She’s a noble lady of the [Seagull Principality]. She may be adopted, but nobility is nobility. To ensure no cracks appear in our friendship, I left her treatment entirely to the Grand Duke.” (King)
“Huh, but she ran away from home. Did a noble lady really cross the sea alone to come this far?” (Wilhelm)
“I’ve heard that she ran away from home due to an excessive belief in the Demon King. Her family was worried sick and even filed a missing person report. Since she’s a minor, our country won’t take any action. Well, the thieves will receive harsh punishment without mercy. Hahaha…” (King)
A noblewoman? Stephanie? That clumsy magician? My image of nobility has been shattered. The world is so unpredictable. Well, if Stephanie, who had a tough childhood, has found a warm family who cares about her whereabouts when she runs away, then I feel a little relieved.
I bowed deeply to the king. Then, I left the room.
With this, the matter is settled. For now, I’ll return to the [Grand Bahamut] and prepare to shut myself in at my parents’ house. I’ll think about work later.
◇
Night fell.
After thoroughly enjoying Anya’s delicious meal, I’m ready to return to shut myself in. I’ve decided to leave all the work at the [Grand Bahamut] to Tony. He declared that he would work like a horse as an apology for causing trouble at the friendship ceremony. With Tony in charge, I shouldn’t have any worries.
As I headed to the entrance of the [Grand Bahamut], Anya looked sad.
“Wil-sama, I’ll miss you.” (Anya)
I patted Anya’s head.
“Well, I’ll come back again someday.” (Wilhelm)
“Really? I’ll be waiting, ready to make delicious meals for you, so please come back for sure.” (Anya)
“…Yeah, I’m looking forward to it.” (Wilhelm)
I waved goodbye to Anya and left [Grand Bahamut].
I walk alone along the night road.
As I look up at the night sky, I see a beautiful starry sky spread out. I exhale softly.
“Well then, time to think about a job.” (Wilhelm)
After I’ve properly shut myself in, of course. I’ll take my time to consider where to work.
“Wilhelm-kun.” (Liliana)
A woman approaches from the direction of the royal castle. She’s a cool-looking civil servant.
“Liliana, are you on your way home from work? Why are you here?” (Wilhelm)
“I thought you might be about to shut yourself in soon. Before you do, there’s something I’d like you to do.” (Liliana)
Is she psychic? She’s perfectly predicting when I’m going to become a shut-in.
“What do you want me to do?” (Wilhelm)
“It’s a job interview.” (Liliana)
I stop in my tracks. Liliana doesn’t stop. She approaches me, takes my hand, and starts walking, pulling me along.
“Hey, wait. Why a job interview?” (Wilhelm)
“It’s been arranged for you to have an interview with the hiring manager from our batch. If you can have a conversation that seems somewhat appropriate for three minutes, she’ll decide to hire you right away. I’ll accompany you, so let’s go.” (Liliana)
“But I’m going to shut myself in.” (Wilhelm)
“But your feelings seem to be leaning towards getting a job, don’t they?” (Liliana)
Caught red-handed.
“I understand everything you’re thinking.” (Liliana)
“That’s something my mom would say.” (Wilhelm)
“Don’t say things that’ll make women dislike you again. Come on, let’s go.” (Liliana)
Liliana pulls my hand.
“Well, hold on a second. Actually, I have plenty of options. I don’t really need to stick to being a civil servant.” (Wilhelm)
Even though I say I have plenty of options, the only other offer I have is from the church.
“Unfortunately, Wilhelm-kun, there’s no other path for you to take besides being a civil servant.” (Liliana)
“What about my feelings?” (Wilhelm)
“Because there’s no other woman who would take care of you.” (Liliana)
“Isn’t it the same in any job?” (Wilhelm)
“But I’m here, aren’t I?” (Liliana)
Liliana stopped walking. She turned around. I feel like she’s being a bit coy and cunning.
“Well, working with you, Liliana, seems like it could be fun.” (Wilhelm)
Liliana looked happy.
“I’m glad to hear that. Well then, let’s go right away. If you get hired, let’s go out for a drink to celebrate. I’ll treat you.” (Liliana)
“…That sounds good too.” (Wilhelm)
Liliana smiled brightly with a cheerful expression. It’s nice to have someone who’s happy for you.
*Taptaptap*
I hear light footsteps, like those of a fairy. I turn in the direction of the sound and see Anya running towards us.
“Hey, what’s wrong, Anya? Did you forget something?” (Wilhelm)
“I just couldn’t help but feel anxious.” (Anya)
Anya looks at me and Liliana. She notices Liliana holding my hand. She must have sensed something.
“Wil-sama, I need you!” (Anya)
“Uh, what?” (Wilhelm)
“I want you to always, always be by my side. Five years from now, ten years from now, even a hundred years from now.” (Anya)
“A hundred years from now might be a bit—” (Wilhelm)
“Please let me take care of you forever! Taking care of you is my greatest happiness, Wil-sama.” (Anya)
Anya’s eyes are moist. If I continue to let Liliana lead me away like this, I feel like Anya will start crying. I can’t bear to make Anya cry.
I let go of Liliana’s hand. However, Liliana’s hand doesn’t let me go. I try to avoid it. But Liliana’s hand follows me relentlessly, like a persistent snake.
“Haha… sorry, I overheard. Wil-kun, looks like you’re in a tough spot.” (Sofia)
Sofia appears from a different direction. She puts her hand on Anya’s small shoulder.
“Hey, Wil-kun, if you’d like, how about we go on another quest sometime? I really enjoy going on quests with you.” (Sofia)
“I feel the same way, but… Can I not get a job?” (Wilhelm)
“Yeah, either is fine!” (Sofia)
“Wait a minute! Please don’t affirm Wilhelm-kun like that. Don’t spoil him. Don’t even feed him!” (Liliana)
“Am I some kind of pet or something?” (Wilhelm)
“Wilhelm-kun has a disappointing tendency to seek comfort. If you spoil him, he’ll just wander off.” (Liliana)
“Yeah, Liliana-san, I know that.” (Sofia)
“In that case, please don’t spoil him. He’s finally motivated!” (Liliana)
I put my hand on Liliana’s shoulder. Liliana looks at me.
“Hey, Liliana. I actually already wrote my resume. Look, here it is. I wrote it seriously. I really did have intentions to get a job somewhere.” (Wilhelm)
Liliana heaves a sigh of relief. I hold out the resume with both hands.
“But I think this isn’t necessary anymore.” (Wilhelm)
I tear up the resume from the top and throw it away.
“Ahhhh! What are you doing!” (Liliana)
“Hey, Liliana. There are so many people who need someone like me, a shut-in.” (Wilhelm)
“But it’s just two people. It’s really not—” (Liliana)
“There are cute girls who are willing to take care of me too, you know?” (Wilhelm)
“I can take care of you too!” (Liliana)
“But isn’t it fine if a shut-in like me gets taken care of by a cute guild master?” (Wilhelm)
“That’s not good. Please don’t try to neatly wrap things up. I won’t let you go. Let’s sit down and talk it out, just the two of us. Let’s discuss our future thoroughly. I won’t let you sleep tonight. I’ll make sure to reform you once again, Wilhelm-kun.” (Liliana)
Anya approached me with a happy expression.
She spread her arms wide and jumped into my chest. She hugged me cutely. It was warm and adorable.
“Wil-sama, I’m so happy. I’m the luckiest person in town.” (Anya)
Her smile was once again as cute as an angel’s—
TL Notes:
Thanks for reading!
Wow~ After 3 volumes, we get a title drop. Does this mean that this is the end of the series? I hope not… the author did say to “see you in the next story with Wil and friends” in the afterward so who knows.
Kinda sad that Eva didn’t really show up much in this volume but I guess her story was already told in the previous volume.
We still have the side story before it’s all over. See ya tmr.
Footnote:
- None