To see someone as hero meant pushing one’s own ideal to that person. 「…………」 Lux saw the blue sky that was expanding at the other side of the corridor’s handrail and thought. Fugil and Arshalia, they tried to become the hero and goddess to answer the expectation that was placed on them. They aimed to become an existence that couldn’t possibly be reached as long as they stayed human. Even so they continued to fight. They were cornered by great ideal and dream that couldn’t be shouldered by human’s hand──and got lost in a labyrinth. After slowly walking through the corridor for a while, he saw a familiar blue haired girl standing ahead. Krulcifer who was wearing a dress saw Lux and smiled. 「As I thought, you look good in that attire──」 「Don’t flatter me too much. Even now I’m forcing myself a lot after all.」 Lux was feeling pressure from the girl’s praise. Then, 「It’s fine if you don’t force yourself. We will support you if there is any trouble. That’s why──」 「Yep. Rest assured, Lu-chan.」 Celis who was wearing a military uniform was encouraging him with a strong and kind voice. Beside her, his childhood friend was also giving him a faint smile. 「──Thank you. Celis-senpai, Phi-chan.」
Yoruka who was wearing her usual black outfit was also standing beside the stair. 「Good luck Aruji-sama. I too shall accompany you even until the depth of hell, until your wish is realized.」 「That’s reassuring but……. Don’t cause any ruckus in the ceremony okay?」 「I’ll strive to do so.」 Yoruka smiled guilelessly toward him. She was just like usual as expected. After receiving the encouragement from the four, Lux went up the stairs with Airi and the others. (The peace of the new kingdom──I can’t shoulder such heavy burden by myself. I can’t──save the whole world by myself.) What he accomplished was possible only because Lisha and the others, everyone was there for him. If they weren’t there for him, he couldn’t possibly accomplish it. That was why──he didn’t intend to shoulder the burden by himself even from here on. He went up the stairs and came out to the open terrace of the palace. When he showed his face to the populace, the honored guests from other countries, and the nobles who gathered here, very loud cheers were raised. There, Lisha who was wearing a red dress and Celis’s father, the head of one of the four great nobles, Dist Ralgris were already waiting. 「Then, I shall introduce……the new king who will lead the new kingdom for this one year. ──King Lux.」 .
*WAaaaaAAAAAA……!* . Cheers so loud it could burst the eardrums were reverberating in the whole area like a ripple. Lux watched the populace with a calm gaze and slowly waved his hand. 「It will only be for a year, but I will serve as the king of the new kingdom during that time. I will have to rely on Lord Dist’s assistance in regard to the political matter, but I intend to play my role to the best of my ability in order to improve the new kingdom to become an even better country.」 From now on Lux would still be a student in the academy while also taking up the role as the king at the same time. This was decided from the discussion with the four great nobles and the consuls. Currently the central figures of the new kingdom were gone because of various incidents and accidents. Lisha’s presence alone would be lacking to unite the populace. A figure with strong unifying force was necessary to bring together the worried populace. In this one year Lux had raised many accomplishments, got his criminal collar removed, and the populace also came to recognize him. If it was Lux, he wasn’t lacking anything in that point. Of course, in the end Lux was only king at the surface. Most of the governing would be carried out by Lord Dist of the four great nobles but──even then he was undoubtedly a king. From here on an effort to switch the governing system to republicanism would begin. This role would serve as a bridge in that effort. In order to spread the modest peace that he wished for, he decided to walk toward that ideal together with the girls who fought with him and stayed at his side.
「I am──not that strong. I cannot become a hero who can save everything in this world. However……」 He exchanged glance with Lisha and Airi. The two of them returned a heated gaze toward him. His courage welled up seeing that. 「I wish that more and more people can find something that only you yourself can do. I wish to spread the will for everyone to help each other to even more people.」 Just like how Philuffy saved him from the loneliness when she was a child. He wouldn’t try to be a hero who wanted to save every single people in need, but someone who could show others the path to do so themselves as much as possible. 「I think there will be time where I stumble due to my lack of strength. I think there’ll be also times where I encounter misfortune and toyed by fate so that things don’t go well. But──」 Lux cut off his words and looked over the populace before declaring. 「My friends from the academy who has been supporting me all this time, my experiences from everything I had gone through, they have taught me. That we can become happy by overcoming those hardships. That’s why, I wish to use this one year to think of the way to create such country.」
The people were listening to Lux’s speech with a quiet expression. Before long small applauses could be heard here and there before they became a loud cheer that reverberated through the spring’s blue sky. .
Part 4 After finishing the coronation greeting together with Lisha, there was a break for several hours that was followed by a banquet. The battle against other countries concerning the Ruins──the battle against the negative history that was the old empire. And then──the battle against the past era that led to this situation. After running through the long and painful fierce battles and obtaining this temporary result, the people who gathered here rejoiced and cheered on Lux who became the new king. And then──three days later. After the Seven Dragon Paladins and the important people of other countries returned home, the last event was going to be held right now in the royal capital Lordgalia. 「However, I never thought that the joyous occasions will keep coming like this after all of those sad times.」 One of the citizens of the capital, a middle-aged woman with wide girth was looking up to the palace with a news leaflet in her hand. 「Yeah, you’re right. I never thought that King Lux will do this kind of wedding right after his coronation──. But, this might be a good idea in order to restore the new kingdom right now.」 The woman’s husband, a man with thick black beard smiled meaningfully. 「It will go well if it’s King Lux. He is the one who brought together the allied force in that great war.」
Although the citizens were also harboring some curiosity, they were undoubtedly giving their blessing to this last event. The bell of the bell tower would resound before long. People were gathering. . Lux’s marriage ceremony would be held in the capital’s cathedral after this. . It was going to be done before his return to the fortress city Cross Field, where a lot of people were waiting for his return.
Afterword . Long time no see. This is Akatsuki. Thank you very much as usual. The main story finally reach a stopping place in this volume 19, but it will still continue. I plan for the last volume to be wholly reserved for the epilogue. Usually there won’t be any need to go that far, but with this series, I thought that 『the heroines are too many』 and 『many people will be dissatisfied if I don’t do it properly』, so I thought that I want at least one whole volume of pages for it and do just that. . Lux in effect had gotten together with everyone, but how will he take responsibility for it from here on, and what kind of conclusion the girls are wishing for? I’m sure that a lot of people are curious which heroine Lux will get married with, but all of you readers have been keeping company with this series for so long, so I plan to conclude the last volume in the way that can satisfy as many readers as possible (in other words……it’s that kind of thing). . Last time I’m giving exposition regarding the birth of Yoruka and Airi’s characters. Continuing in this volume, I’ll try giving exposition about Celis and Philuffy. I’m following the order in reverse here.
First about Celis──I think I have done quite well with her character. Celis came out in third volume as a necessary factor for the new development in the story as well as taking the position to become a wall in Lux’s way, but I think I managed to make her embodying the two aspects of a cute senpai and an awe-inspiring senpai. She is a character I’m pleased with. I like them all though. As for Philuffy, I think she is the character who I poured my love into the most. Though I say that, I have a warped passion, so I have a habit of imposing a harsh trial to my favorite character. It’s not like I want to make them unhappy, I want to see their potential when they show their answer in that kind of situation. I want to give exposition about Lisha, Krulcifer, and the Triad next time. I also want to talk about this series in general at that time. And so now it’s time for the thank you corner. To the new illustrator, Murakami Yuichi-sama. Thank you very much for the Triad’s illustrations this time that are overflowing with their characteristics! Well then, I hope we can meet again next time at the last volume. . A certain day in October 2019 Akatsuki Senri