I Got Reincarnated as a Villainous Noble Destined for Getting My Punishment, but Since I Got Married to My Favorite Final Boss Heroine, I Shall Use My Knowledge of the Original Game to Make My Wife Happy - 43

Chapter 43: Luna’s Desired Reward / Fit of Anger SIDE Julius

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“But still~ As expected of Ike-dono, the White Saint! You are actually able to capture a high-ranking member of the Demon Lord Worshiper!!”

Three days had passed since the defeat of Orthrus, a member of the Demon Lord Worshiper. I found myself having an audience with King Gilga at the royal castle. There were only four of us in the audience chamber, Alisa, King Gilga, Luna and me. 

“…I’m honored by your praise, King Gilga.”

Darn ittttt! Why do I need to come all the way here to the royal palace?! Coming here is only going to reduce the precious time I can use to be all lovey dovey with Luna!!

Thinking back, all of this started yesterday. Suddenly, Alisa and Melcott barged into my office. They blabber something about a royal decree or something. However, unlike the time when I was summoned by King Gilga after the Black Dragon subjugation, Luna was actually summoned too this time. I could tolerate the summoning, somewhat. If I had to come alone, I would’ve rushed back home at full speed without entertaining the king any further. 

“I heard that Luna-dono made a significant contribution to the capture of the member of the Demon Lord Worshiper.”

A significant contribution…? King Gilga’s choice of words made me feel uneasy. At that time, when Luna took on the form of an angel, I was incredibly happy because it was a clear proof that we were one step closer from her future as the final boss. However, if the people in this world were to call Luna an angel or revere her as the messenger of God, she could be taken away by the church instead. This meant, we would be one step away from my goal, which was to have a happy married life with Luna. 

If that were to happen… What should I do? Maybe I should just destroy everything and run away with Luna? Of course, only if that was what she wanted.

“…Ike-dono, please rest assured. There are no other people in the audience chamber aside from us. I’ve heard from Alisa-dono that you’re quite the devoted husband. I promise nothing bad will come out of this… Though I would appreciate it if you could stop looking at me as if you wanted to start a rebellion right here and there.”

“Ah, I see. Understood.”

Thank goodness. It seemed Alisa had made sure to tell King Gilga what to avoid. It was good to know the two of them knew what to do by now. As long as he didn’t try to take Luna away from me, he wouldn’t become my enemy. For the time being, I decided to remain cautious, just to be safe.

“Yeah, it’s good that you understand. Just to be honest, from our point of view, we won’t do anything that might anger the hero that practically single-handedly defeated the Black Dragon and the Demon Lord’s goon. I’m glad to see we’re on the same page now.”

“Not at all, please forgive my rudeness.”

“It’s fine. I saw nothing, so let’s pretend nothing ever happened. Besides, I called you both here to show our gratitude to you two. Let’s not talk about the gloomy stuff.”

“I’m truly grateful for King Gilga’s benevolence.”

When I said that, King Gilga cleared his throat before he asked. 

“By the way, I want to give you a reward. Is there anything you desire?”

“Well… If I may be so bold, I wonder if Your Majesty could visit the territory you’ve granted to me? I would very much like for you to enjoy the hot springs that were built with your assistance.”

“Hoo… I see, I see!”

“Your health is my greatest joy, Your Majesty.”

“O-Oh…! How delightful! I will certainly visit your territory!”

“We shall await your arrival eagerly.”

Kukuku….! I’m going to make full use of King Gilga! He will become the walking advertisement for my territory, down to his very bones! It’s only fair compensation after he dragged me to the royal palace!

“Ike-sama, my apologies for interrupting, but…”

“…What is it?’

Alisa interfered. I was in the middle of a pleasant conversation with the king. I would be grateful if she didn’t ruin it. 

“May I make a reservation for a whole year?”

“Thank you very much! We truly appreciate your continued patronage!”

“King Gilga, Ike-sama’s hot springs are truly wonderful. They are definitely worth visiting.”

“Hoho… If Alisa-dono, the saintess, says so, then it must be true. Very well. I will make arrangements to visit Ike-dono’s territory soon.”

“Thank you. We will eagerly await your visit.”

I bowed my head and King Gilga shifted his gaze to Luna.

“Now then, next is Luna-dono.”

“…Me?”

“Yes. I heard that you’ve made a great contribution in the recent event, but… According to the report from Alisa-dono, your power seems a bit too powerful for a normal person to wield.”

I had a very bad premonition about this.

“I’m going to provide you with an option. If Lady Luna is inclined, I could prepare a position for her as the next saintess. Of course, you would need to go through several years of training at the church, but if you choose this route, both Saintess Alisa and I will guarantee your position. You would be able to wield significant influence over both the church and the country. What do you think?”

“King Gilga!”

I couldn’t stop myself from shouting. This was completely different from what he said earlier! Didn’t he say he wouldn’t do anything bad?! This guy… Maybe I should just take him down right here and there…

“Ike-sama, please don’t worry. I already know what I’m going to choose.”

Luna said while smiling at me. She took a deep breath and looked directly at King Gilga. 

“King Gilga, I apologize. I know I’m being rude, but I’ve decided to dedicate my life and soul to Ike-sama. I will stay by his side until my last dying breath. Therefore, I cannot accept that option. If I could be allowed to choose my reward, I would like to be able to spend the rest of my days with Ike-sama. That’s all.”

“Luna…”

Hearing her saying all that out loud made me incredibly happy. 

“King Gilga… If you want to grant me a reward, could you please honor my wife’s wish?”

“Fuh… I knew you would say that. I’m sorry for asking something that makes you two uncomfortable. I was only trying to give you an option, but it seems I ended up upsetting you both. My apologies.”

King Gilga bowed his head before continuing.

“If that’s your wish, then let us proceed in that way. Should the details of this incident ever get leaked, we will say that Saintess Alisa was the one that performed that miracle, as granted by God. There were few witnesses, so I don’t think we can keep this a secret from the public. Oh, and of course, this is not part of your reward. Your reward is an entirely different matter.”

“Thank you… We’re grateful for your help.”

“As for the reward… I will bring something as an apology for today when I visit Ike-dono’s territory. Of course, I will bring something for Luna-dono as well. In the meantime, please enjoy your quality time together in the room we’ve prepared for you.”

“Thank you very much. We will gratefully accept your reward when the time comes.”

Luna and I bowed our heads. And so, our audience with the king came to an end. For now, everything was settled peacefully. As long as I could be with Luna, I didn’t care about anything else. The place, the time, none of it mattered as long as I had Luna by my side.

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Julius’ POV

“Huh? What’s the meaning of this?”

I, Julius, along with Raiza and his maid, Euclid, returned to the location that was supposed to be the hideout of the Demon Lord Worshiper, only to find the place had been reduced into ashes. I was looking forward to seeing the devastation caused by the horde of ogres that Raiza’s acquaintance, Orthrus, had promised. Orthrus had released a horde of ogres toward the city governed by that detestable Ike Hanbulg, but when we arrived at the city, we found out the horde had been completely incinerated by Ike Hanbulg. I was planning on complaining to Orthrus and maybe threw a sarcastic remark, but this unexpected situation left me speechless. 

“Wha-What is going on here?”

Raiza was at a loss too.

“If I’m not wrong… The Saintess was supposed to be here, right?”

What rotten luck. If the Saintess was here, then it made sense for the ogre horde and the Demon Lord Worshiper’s base to be destroyed. There was no way that detestable Ike Hanbulg could do all that by himself. This must be the work of the Saintess. She was the heroine destined for me after all.

“That bastard Ike Hanbulg… Just how long is he going to cling to my Saintess?”

He really frustrated me.

“Oi, Raiza, do you have a place to go to?”

I could return to the royal palace and be welcomed as the hero I was, but Raiza and his maid, Euclid, wouldn’t receive the same warm welcome. I needed to stick with them in order to get my revenge on Ike Hanbulg.

“More or less. Orthrus-san arranged it so that we could get assistance from other Demon Lord Worshiper’s hideouts in the different regions.”

“Do you know where those hideouts are?”

“I’ve been to a few of them. Well, there’s one that’s close to my hometown.”

“Haa… Alright, let’s get moving then.”

“Ri-Right. I will go check if there’s anything useful left just in case.”

“Sure. Hurry it up.”

“Tch! That Ike… What a lucky bastard he is!”

Raiza clicked his tongue. He and his maid, Euclid, then went into the Demon Lord Worshiper’s secret room. I didn’t know there was a secret room inside the hideout. It turned out there was a secret room in the hideout that was only known by the members of the Demon Lord Worshiper. Raiza and Euclid soon disappeared from my view and I let out a deep sigh I had been holding in. I was really frustrated. 

“Darn it!! What the hell is going on?! That bastard…!! I’m the protagonist of this world! It should be me! Why is he hogging all the spotlight from me?! I’m the true protagonist of this world! Absolutely ridiculous!!”

I shouted, angry at Ike.

Indeed. I hadn’t done anything wrong. I hadn’t strayed from the righteous path. Everything was Ike Hanbulg’s fault. The world that didn’t immediately recognize me as the hero after my reincarnation was the one at fault. 

“Phew… In that case, it is my duty as the hero to restore the world to its rightful state.”

That’s right… This must be the reason why I reincarnated into this world. This is my duty as a hero!

However, at that moment… Raiza didn’t realize the glow from the holy stigmata was already fading away.

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