31. Forevermore
Unaware that Ileana had collapsed yet again, Lideal floated gently in the darkness.
Then, a voice pierced his ears.
It started small, but gradually increased in volume, and he could eventually make out the words.
“—yan!! Lord Lydian!!”
A cry echoed in his ears, and Lydian’s eyes slowly fluttered open.
The first thing he saw was Eleonora, tears rolling down her cheeks. Around her was Berthold, Theselius, Buffeg, the Demon King, and Behelimos. They were looking at him with concern.
Not at all expecting them to be there, Lydian opened his eyes wide.
“You are…?”
As he murmured that, Eleonora burst into tears and embraced him tightly.
“What a relief!! Lord Lydian suddenly collapsed and wasn’t breathing!!”
“Your Highness, I’m so glad…” Buffeg said, his eyes red.
Although Lydian had often seen Buffeg crying, it was the first time he’d ever seen him like that.
The same went for everyone else.
Upon seeing the look of confusion on Lydian’s face, Eleonora smiled with puffy eyes.
“Are you surprised? Everyone has gathered here after the news of your collapse broke out. Envoys from the Fire Forest Kingdom and the Kingdom of Utentos are scheduled to arrive in a few days. The princes also came, but they’ve since returned home because they couldn’t avoid to stay away from their respective country for too long.
Eleonora laughed as she recounted.
“Prince Yurin looked so sad, I had to encourage him. He sure loves Your Highness Lydian very much, doesn’t he? …Ah, of course, I love you the most!”
Eleonora’s emphasis was so adorable that Lydian couldn’t help but smile.
“Eleonora, I’m truly sorry for making you worried. But I’m all right now. Thank you, everyone. I look forward to your continued support.”
Lydian embraced Eleonora and soothed her back as she wept.
Unlike before, Lydian also retained his memories as Lideal.
Even during his time as a god, not a single soul had managed to stir his soul to that extent.
…As I thought, I love her so much.
Lydian loved Eleonora more than ever, while Eleonora loved Lydian as always.
After his return, Lydian continued to act like a tyrant, but his state of mind had somewhat changed. Thus, he became a tad more considerate of others. Thanks to that, Buffeg was able to take a vacation, improving his relationship with Elmera.
On the other hand, Eleonora didn’t change in the slightest, even after she became the queen. Having set her sights on the path of evil, she went to gather information at the Dragon Shrine. Every time she managed to find clues about that clerk boy, she was both thrilled and depressed.
As a result, Desti became a collateral because Eleonora used his private army as she pleased.
It’d be a different story if Eleonora managed to get something out of it, but she always failed. Desti would often say to her, “Just give up on trying to become a villainess.”
However, Eleonora wouldn’t have any of it, so Desti decided to ask Lydian for advice.
“Brother, why don’t you make it clear to Lady Eleonora that she has no talent for evil?”
Desti asked while pouring wine in Lydian’s private room. After work, they’d often drink and share a peaceful time together. Desti knew it was the perfect time to discuss Eleonora.
Lydian didn’t respond right away, which was uncharacteristic of him. After all, Lydian now understood the secrets of the goddess well.
‘I’m sure that flippant goddess forgot to give Eleonora some evil talents. After all, despite being reincarnated, I still have access to my skills as a god.’ (Lydian)
After recovering his memories as a god, there were other things that Lydian could comprehend.
For example, the reason why Eleonora could absorb Lydian’s magical power. As a villainess, she was born with a constitution that allowed her to co-exist with the Demon King.
‘Perhaps I, who yearned to be a Demon King, was destined to be with Eleonora all along.’ (Lydian)
Lydian felt somewhat elated and smiled at Desti, who was still waiting for his answer.
“Desti, whenever Eleonora desperately tries to live up to the role of a villainess, she looks so cute that I don’t have the heart to stop her.”
When Lydian revealed his true feelings, Desti was at a loss for words.
“I… My apologies.”
“I don’t mind. You’re the only one with whom I can talk about this kind of thing. Come to think of it, was Eleonora looking for the clerk of the Dragon Shrine today as well?”
“T-that’s right… She took my private army and some engineers with her. She wants to reform the slums in order to eliminate any possible hiding places.”
“I see. If you look at it from the outside, it looks as if she’s reaching out to those in need. Surely, Ms. Adelaide and Ms. Charmia will misunderstand and come up with a new goddess legend.”
“I’m sure of it. Thanks to them, I don’t have to do any cover-ups, which makes everything easier. Brother, do you have any intention of revealing your true identity to her?”
Desti couldn’t help but ask.
Lydian smiled. He didn’t even seem to mind.
“Hmm. Unfortunately not. It’s difficult for me to stop this late in the game. Playing tag is so much fun, after all.”
Lydian laughed. He seemed so happy, nobody would’ve thought that he was the infamous Doom Lord.
Desti was silent for a moment, before smiling.
“You seem to be having a lot of fun, which is great.”
Instead of replying, Lydian only smiled.
Although they weren’t related by blood, Lydian thought of Desti as his younger brother.
Ever since he was born into this world, a lot of emotions that he didn’t have back when he was still [Lideal] overflowed.
For example, towards his blood sibling, Valdo.
Back then, Lydian wouldn’t have bat an eye on him, but now, Valdo was just as precious as Desti.
Although Valdo was currently struggling with his complex towards his older brother, he was a serious and kind-hearted boy, so he’d surely be able to carve out a future for himself.
Lydian couldn’t help but look forward to Valdo’s future.
This world was full of various things that made Lydian happy.
Lydian looked up at the night sky from the window, raising his wine glass high.
“Thank you so much. I send my heartfelt gratitude to you.”
Lydian thanked Ileana for giving him such a wonderful world.
—A certain woman was watching from a crystal while shedding tears.
“I’m glad… I’m really glad! I wonder what will happen next?”
Ileana was the goddess in charge of Alphala.
She accidentally sent Lideal with his memories intact, so she was always worried that the world would collapse due to the God of Destruction’s power. But instead, the world turned into an exemplary peaceful one.
Never again was Ileana plagued with chronic stomach pain. She also received great applause from Omnis and other gods who’d been victims of Lideal.
“Well done! You put a leash on Lideal!”
Thus, she was promoted from a novice goddess to a senior goddess.
However, her joy was short-lived, because she soon faced endless troubles. As a result, Ileana suffered from chronic stomach pain once again. Nevertheless, she managed to overcome it while fighting stress, and finally became known as the Goddess of Fortune.
“Hyii… I shouldn’t have overestimated it! *Gasp* Maybe the reason I’ve become so lucky is because God Lideal is giving me power…?”
When she took a quick glance at the world of Alphala, it shone brightly while emitting a powerful aura.
It wasn’t much, but it wasn’t something that Ileana could achieve with her measly power.
Suddenly, she recalled Lydian.
“Come to think of it, didn’t God Lideal—Lydian said that he would send his gratitude to me, but…”
Now that she thought about it, did she really overcome all that hassles by herself? With her power being amateurish and all?
God Lideal was powerful, so much that his influence could still be felt in Amicitia even though he was in the game world…
Upon realizing that, Ileana was reminded of the fearsomeness of God Lideal, and prostrated herself on the ground to worship him.
Even when Ileana was going through a difficult time, Alphala always shone and encouraged her. As Alphala developed, Ileana became more and more fortunate.
Now she no longer suffered from stomach pain, and lived happily ever after.
All’s well that ends well.
Translator’s Note:
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That was a good story, thanks for the chapters!~
Good story. The plot twist is so awesome