I Decided to Abandon the Traitors Who Planned to Use and Dispose of Me, the Hero, at the Last Moment. - Chapter 10: A Story One Year After the Wedding in the Royal Capital

Afterward: A Story One Year After the Wedding in the Royal Capital

A year had passed since the grand wedding at the former kingdom’s capital.

I had settled down in the commercial city with Asmodius. We lived happily as a married couple, though we sometimes argued. Just recently, we were blessed with our first child, so I’d say our newlywed life was going smoothly.

What surprised me the most was how, despite her fierce demeanor during our battles, Asmodius turned out to be incredibly affectionate and clingy, and she loved me deeply. But, hey, having a good relationship with your spouse is a good thing, right?

“Hey… Sorry to keep you waiting, Elliot.”

“Thorn! No worries, I just got here myself. It’s been about six months, hasn’t it?”

Seeing my old friend after six months brought a smile to my face as we exchanged a warm hug.

“Yeah, something like that. I’ve wrapped up my latest job, so it looks like we’ll be staying in this city for a while.”

Thorn had been away from the city, accompanying his wife for her work, but now they had both returned. So, I suggested we go out for a drink, just the two of us. 

Not long after I married Asmodius, Thorn also settled down. 

He married Miss Sally, the daughter of his greatest rival, Impactor. Sally, a master of transformation magic, had played a key role in infiltrating and investigating Netrik’s schemes. Since she’s also a close friend of Asmodius, our families visit each other often, so I’ve gotten to know her well. Her transformation magic is incredible—she claims to be the best among demons when it comes to transformations, and honestly, I believe her.

We moved to our usual bar, took our seats, and once the drinks arrived, we clinked our glasses together.

“Cheers!”

From there, we spent time chatting, catching up on what had happened over the past six months while enjoying our drinks.

“So, you had your first child, huh? That’s fantastic! Sorry I couldn’t see you sooner, I was busy with work.”

“Don’t worry about it; it was for work after all. Wasn’t it about the remnants of that prince?”

Thorn had spent the past six months hunting down the remnants of Netrik’s forces. After gathering intelligence from the human-demon alliance, they discovered that some of the prince’s followers were hiding in secret. Sally infiltrated their ranks, gathered evidence, and Thorn led the charge to take them down in one swift move. It was a serious mission, and even Asmodius urged me to go along, but Thorn insisted I stay behind, so I held down the fort in the city.

“If you have a pregnant wife, prioritize her. I can handle the remnants easily. I’ll be back soon, and when I am, let’s grab a drink.”

Those were his parting words before heading off to deal with the remnants of the prince’s forces. Honestly, that message made me feel uneasy, and I was pretty worried deep down. So, I’m really glad he came back safely.

“Yeah, the remnants were a bunch of scum… Kidnapping women and children, doing all sorts of despicable and vile things. They were extorting innocent people, assassinating nobles, and even trafficking children’s organs. They had no morals, which was expected, given they were linked to the prince. These remnants had to be wiped out—they were pure evil. But hey, you took down a black sea dragon that attacked the port on your own, right? That’s way more impressive.”

He was referring to the time a sea dragon attacked the port, which I took down. Unlike a regular sea dragon, this one was a black variant, much stronger than the usual kind. 

By the way, the weapons made from the materials of that sea dragon turned out to be top-notch. I’m using a sword and shield crafted from them now.

“I wasn’t alone, you know. The town’s soldiers helped by providing support with ballistas, cannons, and even setting up barrels filled with explosives. Plus, the large anti-dragon spear defense system you designed delivered the final blow. But seriously, why does that spear system start playing some heroic music, like a fanfare, when it’s activated?”

“Ah, that’s just part of the charm. Don’t worry about the song. In the end, the fact that you stayed in town and protected it kept the damage to a minimum. Good job.”

…Still, just hearing about the things that the remnants did leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I’m really relieved that Thorn and his team wiped them out. I need to stay focused to ensure this peace continues.

The remnants Thorn’s forces defeated—those who didn’t die on the spot—were captured and subjected to torture to extract information. 

Speaking of torture, after the wedding, I met the torturer handling Netrik and Marle. Apparently, they’re being broken and revived repeatedly, enduring endless suffering as part of their punishment. When you do bad things, divine punishment eventually catches up with you. In the end, living an honest life is the best way.

Lately, Netrik’s list of crimes keeps growing, which means his execution quota keeps increasing. It’s gotten to the point where he has to be executed so many times that they’ve developed a new method to speed up the process. They’ve started using a splitting spell on him to create magical creatures called “Living Head Netrik,” which are loose, simplified versions of his severed head.

The “Living Head Netrik” creatures, which speak simple phrases like “Stay calm!” and “Good night!” or “Pew pew!”, cry out in an ugly voice when hurt. 

These powerless heads can be easily crushed, but all the damage inflicted on them gets fed back to the real Netrik, ensuring that no suffering is wasted. Victims and families affected by Netrik, as well as others who hold grudges against him, can even have these heads shipped to their homes. They come in sizes ranging from palm-sized to ones that require two hands to hold, perfectly designed for easy torment, and have become incredibly popular with a waiting list. There’s even a secret trend emerging, called “Netrik head abuse” or “Net-abuse”.

As punishment for his crimes, Netrik will continue to be beaten and tormented endlessly, serving as a public punching bag. There is no end in sight—this is his never-ending punishment. Marle, too, seems to have many severe additional crimes coming to light, so her fate may follow a similar path.

…But seriously, the torturers in the Demon Lord’s army are way too good at their job.

Since the war ended, they’ve been so active that their status and treatment have improved significantly. I think the torturer’s name was “Fekta” or something like that. I should go pay him a visit again sometime—I’m a bit curious to see what this “Net-abuse” trend is all about.

After that, we discussed various things about the future. Thorn mentioned how strange it is that no matter how many times we crush the remnants of the prince’s army, they always seem to resurface from somewhere. 

The frustrating thing about Netrik, aside from his twisted personality and perverted tendencies, was that he was actually very capable when it came to managing crime networks and establishing groups across different regions. Because of this, he left behind a troublesome remnant army that continues to be a problem.

These remnants are now considered a public enemy, so both humans and demons will work together to destroy them whenever they appear. However, even with cooperation, it’s difficult to find them when they go into deep hiding. 

Thorn mentioned that about three years after the war, a group might emerge that could do something big, like dropping a meteor on a city. He called them remnants, but it made me wonder if Thorn knew something. He says strange things like that sometimes.

“Hey, Thorn. What are you, really?”

With the flow of drinks and the atmosphere of the night, I finally asked Thorn directly. He closed his eyes and smiled gently, then looked at me and replied quietly.

“Edogawa Co… Oops, I mean, a detective!! Just kidding. Anyway, I’m not originally from this world. I died in another world, and a mysterious young lady, who was connected to a goddess, asked me to come here and help you and this world. So yeah, I’m what you’d call an ‘isekai’ reincarnator.”

“Reincarnated from another world… So that’s why you knew so much, Thorn. And your hometown is called Nihon no Tokyo? Is that right?”

I don’t think Thorn would lie to me. That’s how strong our bond is. I trust him, so I can accept his words as the truth.

“Honestly, I didn’t expect you to believe me so easily, but yeah, that’s the story. Still, I’m glad I came to this world and became friends with you.”

“…I’m glad I met you too, Thorn.”

When it’s just the two of us, I end up saying things that make me a bit embarrassed.

―After that, we talked about our families. Asmodius has already started talking about wanting a second child, saying she wants to have about ten kids, enough to gather the Ten Generals under one family! She keeps preparing dishes like roasted En-Nagi and Naguaimo, foods that boost stamina, and let’s just say I’m getting drained. It’s not that I dislike En-Nagi, but eating it every day has made me a little too “ready to go,” so I wish she’d ease up a bit. I’ve tried negotiating to do some of the cooking myself since I used to cook, but she won’t let me escape from those power-packed meals… Hahaha…

“Ah, yeah, we’ve settled down after the last mission, and now she’s talking about wanting a kid too… And since Sally and Asmodius are close and have tea parties during the day, I have a feeling we’re going to be living that En-Nagi life too.”

I could only gaze off into the distance, resigned to the life of being, well, ‘drained’ constantly. Though there were still troublesome sparks left behind by the prince, I renewed my resolve to protect this peaceful world.