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Chapter 208: Warrior proposes marriage to fox-eared slave girl
—Are you still angry?
—Of course. How do you expect me to react now that I’m a Demon King? I’m just a normal warrior.
—What you call being normal is also filled with a lot of weirdness. I don’t mean that as an insult, I’m just being honest.
—Your honesty hurts.
We started our journey before dawn.
And we had reached a place that is about three kilometers away from the capital. It was a high and solid bridge that stretched like a snake to the horizon.
Such a place was called “Celestial Bridge of Wishes”, and it was built by the ancient race.
This was a shortcut connecting to the center of the continent. And the place where Sain. was located in a place called “Ruins of the underworld”.
30 soldiers accompanied us, Pione selected each of them, and they were under her command. Besides them, there are Nambala and Takigi.
—It was very good of them to send me as a general.
—Because they needed someone who knew them well.
We have Isabell here, and the other generals are alive and well, and if push comes to shove, we have Her Majesty, and we can launch an all-out attack of the faithful.
—You’re scaring me, Soarer! You’re planning to destroy the world?!
—You’re overreacting. I only meant that there are other ways to do it.
Pione trembled at Soarer’s words.
I looked at Kaede and Frau, and they both had a determined expression as they carried their luggage.
—We’re finally going to the center of the continent. I’m nervous.
—In addition to defeating Sain, I am delighted that we will finally be able to discover the secret of the Lord’s mother, which was our original purpose for this trip. Although it saddens me to think that this long journey is about to end.
—But will we be able to defeat the former hero who has become a monster? We must also be more than attentive to the tentacles that absorb experience and skills.
Kaede is right.
The current Sain has acquired a power that is a step above what he was before.
It’s not hard to imagine that if we don’t defeat him here, he will become more dangerous.
—They say that at the end of this bridge are the ruins, so be very careful along the way. May God always be with you… Huh? What’s wrong? Why are you still here?
—Huh, well, you know, I thought you were going to hit me like always.
—Fufufu, a saint like me would never do such a thing.
Wow, so Soarer has matured too.
Well, I find that hard to believe, I guess he’s trying to behave due to the fact that there are so many people around us.
So I didn’t let my guard down and prepared to get slapped at any moment.
………..
But, surprisingly, it did not happen.
—As soon as they have defeated Sain, I will go to see his sad end.
—Huh…
—…Why do you answer like that?
—Nothing, forget it.
And thus, our exciting journey begins.
Nambala and Takigi were asleep in the back of the carriage.
As soon as Kaede, Frau and I climbed into the front, the carriage began to move.
A dangerous ride awaits us.
*******************
The carriage moves along a long straight lonely road.
The use of this bridge is limited to those who have business to attend to in the ruins or who live near them, and once you cross this bridge, it is not easy to get off it due to the great height at which we are.
I find it hard to imagine the process of its creation.
—I’m bored.
—Same here.
Takigi and Frau lazily contemplate the scenery outside.
Kaede leaned back on me in a drowsy state, while Nambala happily wiped her favorite weapon with a cloth.
Certainly this is boring, I wish I could be doing something too.
If there were monsters around us, the tension would be higher than it is now, but so far, the ride has been very safe and quiet. It’s probably because the bridge is too high. At best, just watch out for flying monsters.
—Let’s take a break over here.
The carriage stops according to Pione’s instructions.
—I never thought I’d see anything like this.
—That makes two of us.
A dense forest from the bridge appeared below us, and a flock of birds took flight at the roars of the monsters.
A giant sword buried in the rocky mountain and overhanging trees, a huge suit of armor and a bone in the shape of a ridiculously large person, plus several golems thought to be Roswell’s companions, lay nearby.
It would be amazing to see them all walking together.
—What do you plan to do when this trip is over?
—Continue to stand by the Master’s side as I have been.
Those words from Kaede were all I wanted to hear.
There is still much to do and research on this continent. The King of Lastoria gave the research team a year to do their studies, and with the help we have gotten from other countries, we have been able to make a lot of progress.
The knowledge gained here will be passed on to the islands and will contribute significantly to their development.
And once we have found the rest of our friends, this journey will be over.
Why not give some thought to what I want for the future?
—So, Kaede, you know… If it’s alright with you…
—Yes!
Kaede answered with great impetus as she perked up her fox ears and wagged her tail. She’s very excited about what I’m going to propose.
—Do you want to live together?
—We already do that?
My face gets hot at the embarrassment I feel. Surely if they put a kettle on me, the water could boil.
So much so that my hands and legs start to shake.
—I don’t mean it as a slave-master relationship, I want us to be equal. You know, greet each other every morning, have lunch together, and then, work in a field or whatever, and go to sleep together at the same time at night. Having a daily life as a couple… You know what I mean?
—Yes! I know what you mean! I accept it! I want to be by your side always, Master!
Kaede pounces on me and hugs me tightly.
I also put my arm around her back and put some strength into it.
I did it… I have proposed to Kaede. I want her to be my wife.
Soarer will probably be angry with me when she hears about this.
I’m afraid she’ll reprimand me for not having made this proposal to her in a more romantic setting. But, I think this setting is just as good for a proposal of such magnitude.
While it’s not a proposal that could receive a perfect score of one hundred, I think it could have a score of seventy.
I have proposed. It’s very embarrassing.
—Toru?
—My Lord?
Ugh.
I look back and see Pione and Frau quite angry.
It’s like they’re about to jump on me with the intention of hurting me.
They emit such cold air that I start to wonder if they are using ice magic.
—I guess you’re going to ask me to live with you too, right? Hmm…
—It’s not right for Kaede to get special treatment.
Both girls approach me very carefully.
I tried to look at Kaede to stop them, but she was quite distracted looking up at the sky as if there were butterflies fluttering about her.
—Someone is coming towards us!
Suddenly, a person is coming towards us in the opposite direction.
He took off his hood and exposed his true face.
—I’ve seen some familiar faces, so I thought I’d come over and say hello.
—Ios……?
The Demon King who I thought I had defeated was standing in front of us with a big smile on his face.