Because of the Hero Summoned from Another World, I Got Replaced and Made the Backup—And My Childhood Friend the Saintess… - Chapter 27: "Don’t Make Me Plan the Wedding Too, Alright?"

Chapter 27: “Don’t Make Me Plan the Wedding Too, Alright?”

In a quiet forest just outside the royal capital—

The same forest where I once fought the Demon King—

I built a small grave in a sunny little clearing.

There were no fancy carvings on the gravestone.

The stone itself wasn’t anything special.

It looked just like the ones I’d seen back in my hometown—

Simple. Plain.

To some, maybe even “shabby.”

But it was the kind of grave you’d find in a peaceful countryside village.

There was nothing buried beneath it.

There was nothing left to bury.

Everything had vanished completely.

They say when people die, their souls go to the Goddess.

That’s what the church teaches, and it’s what we’ve always believed.

…But what about monsters?

When they die, where do they go?

Do they have their own kind of god—someone waiting to welcome them after death?

Or is there no afterlife for them at all?

Maybe when they die… they just disappear forever.

I don’t really know.

Most people don’t bother wondering what happens after a monster dies.

So there’s no way to say for sure.

But still—

If there is something waiting on the other side…

I hope they’re surrounded by loved ones.

Parents. Friends. Anyone who ever cared about them.

I hope they’re not lonely anymore.

I don’t know what others might believe.

But at least for me…

That’s what I hope.

“So… Arianna’s becoming a member of the teacher’s household?”

“That’s right. I’ve already arranged everything on that end. She was originally being considered for adoption into a high-ranking noble family anyway. And it’s probably easier for her to settle in with people she’s at least a little familiar with.”

Amid all the running around I’d been doing under the Crown Prince’s orders,

He dropped that little update on me one day.

I had heard something about Arianna being adopted into a marquis family—

But I didn’t expect his family.

Technically, it wasn’t my teacher’s household anymore—

He’d already retired and passed on the title to his son.

So really, it was his son’s family now.

“And as for you, I’ll be granting you a noble title as well. Marquis, to be exact. Officially, it’s a reward for defeating the Demon King. But honestly? I just can’t have my personal knight be a commoner. I don’t mind—but the other nobles? They’d never shut up about it.”

So yeah—looks like I’m getting promoted to nobility too.

Originally, that title was meant for Kanda.

But since I turned out to be the real Hero and took down the real Demon King,

It got passed to me instead.

Normally, if the intended recipient wasn’t available, the whole thing would’ve just been quietly dropped.

But thanks to His Highness pulling strings behind the scenes, the offer stuck.

At this point, most of the kingdom’s real power was already shifting—

Drifting away from the king…

And toward the Crown Prince.

“You’ll be a noble. And the Saintess will be adopted into a high-ranking noble family. History tells us that the Hero and the Saintess always end up together. And the church doesn’t forbid its members from getting married.”

His Highness sat across from me in his chambers, speaking calmly as he laid everything out.

Every time he made a point, the maid standing beside him nodded along with a very serious yes, exactly expression.

“At this point, I think you know where I’m going with this.”

“…Your Highness… Thank you.”

It wasn’t arrogance to think this was something the Crown Prince had arranged for my sake.

My feelings hadn’t changed—not since I was a kid.

Back then, all I wanted was to be useful to the Crown Prince…

And to protect Arianna.

I still feel the same way now.

But what about Arianna?

Does she feel the same way I do?

I’m honestly kind of clueless when it comes to stuff like this…

I’ve always been too focused on everything else.

Still—

If she does feel the same…

If she’s been holding on to those same feelings—

Then nothing would make me happier.

“Please don’t make me handle the wedding planning too.”

His Highness gave a peaceful smile as he said that.

And beside him—for some reason—his maid gave me a proud thumbs-up.

I stood up and gave them both a deep, grateful bow.

The Knight Commander and everyone in the Order congratulated me when they heard I’d become the Crown Prince’s personal knight.

At the same time, though…

They also looked a little sad about it.

Technically, I was still a knight—

But being the Crown Prince’s personal knight meant I was no longer part of the regular Knight Order.

Apparently, the Commander had planned to invite me to join once the whole Demon King mess was over.

So he—and a lot of the other knights—were a bit disappointed that I wouldn’t be joining them officially.

“If His Highness claimed you, then it can’t be helped. But still… I knew it. I knew you’d do it. Just like I said all those years ago—You really did defeat the Demon King. You did well.”

We were standing in the Knight Order’s training yard.

The same place where I’d trained, day after day.

Right there, in front of all the other knights,

The Commander praised me.

I lost my parents when I was little, so I’ve never really known what having a father feels like.

But maybe—just maybe—

It feels like this.

“…Thank you!”

I held back the tears that suddenly welled up—

And gave him the biggest thank-you I could.

A quiet chapel, bathed in sunlight filtering through stained glass.

Rows of long benches lined the room, and at the far end stood a statue of the Goddess.

That’s where I found myself, calling out to a familiar face.

“Sister Teresa, it’s been a while.”

“Oh my… it really has.”

It had been a long time since I’d visited the church connected to the castle.

I greeted Sister Teresa, who happened to be there.

Lately, I’d been so caught up with everything going on, I just hadn’t had the time to stop by.

Which made this our first proper conversation in quite a while.

“Sorry I haven’t been around much…”

“Don’t worry about it. I know you’ve been busy—running all over the place.”

Her gentle smile felt like that of a kind older sister—

And it eased the nerves that had been building up in me all day.

I’d been feeling on edge, thinking about what I needed to do next…

But just talking to her helped me breathe a little easier.

“By the way… she’s actually off today. A rare break. She should be in her room right now. You came to see Arianna, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, I did. There’s something I wanted to talk to her about.”

“Well then, I’ll go call her. Her quarters are off-limits to men—even for a Hero, you know.”

With that, Sister Teresa disappeared into the back of the church—

Probably off to fetch Arianna from her room.

While I waited, I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down.

Arianna would be fine.

We’d grown up together.

She knew me better than anyone.

If I was nervous, it was only because I was letting myself get worked up over nothing.

“Fuuu…”

I inhaled deeply, then slowly let the breath out.

There was nothing to worry about.

I just had to talk to her—like always.

Simple. Normal. No big deal.

As I kept repeating that in my head,

Sister Teresa returned—this time with Arianna walking beside her.

“I’ll step out for a little while. Just call me when you’re done talking.”

Leaving those words behind, Sister Teresa quietly slipped away.

Now it was just the two of us—

Me and Arianna, standing in the quiet chapel beneath the watchful gaze of the Goddess’s statue.

“I heard… you wanted to talk about something?”

Arianna stood in front of me, facing me directly.

She looked calm. Composed—just like always.

Seeing her like that gave me the push I needed.

I took one last breath—
And finally opened my mouth to speak.