The Black Lake.
The lake, once filled with black water tainted by malice and nightmares, was now…
Whoosh!
Completely evaporated.
With the closing of the passage to the otherworld and the destruction of the spirit realm, all the curses that had once filled the Black Lake vanished.
As the contaminated water evaporated and dried to the very bottom, the ancient kingdom submerged beneath it finally revealed its full form to the world.
The time of the people of this land, who had been petrified by the curse of eternal life, began to flow once more.
“Gasp!”
“W-What is this…?”
“How long… How long were we lost in that nightmare…?”
One by one, the people who had been freed from the Demon King’s nightmare began to regain their senses.
Most of the citizens of the Lake Kingdom had succumbed to the curse of eternal life not long after, unable to endure the hellish pain beneath the lake, and had accepted the Demon King’s offer. They had surrendered themselves to the nightmare and submerged into the depths.
As they emerged from their long, long dream, they were bewildered by the unfamiliar air of reality. And when they saw the completely transformed world, they were shocked.
“All the buildings are in ruins…!”
“How did the entire kingdom end up at the bottom of the lake?!”
“My magic won’t activate! There’s no magic power in the air!”
“Even the artifacts aren’t working! What in the world…?!”
The Lake Kingdom, a kingdom of ancient magic, had possessed a level of magic far beyond that of any modern nation.
Conversely, they were excessively dependent on magic.
The people of the Lake Kingdom were stunned by the absence of magic in the air and the sight of their moss-covered civilization, now at a standstill and unresponsive.
Like an ax handle rotting away while a woodcutter is lost in a dream.
After a five-hundred-year gap spent in hell, the encounter with a completely transformed world left the people of the Lake Kingdom in shock.
The entire kingdom was on the brink of descending into chaos, but…
“Calm down!”
A leader with a cool head remained.
“This is a royal command! Everyone, stay calm! Maintain order!”
A man removed his jester’s mask.
It was Crown—no, Prince Christian.
Having woken from the nightmare, Christian stepped in to manage the kingdom’s turmoil in place of the king, who had fainted again.
The royal family still held some authority, and most importantly, Christian had grasped the reality of the situation.
With the Nightcrawler unit by his side, Christian quickly brought the kingdom’s internal chaos under control. He led the people to restore order, invoking the royal command.
After all, restoring the country freed from the nightmare was a task he had dreamed of for countless years.
Christian and the Nightcrawler unit moved busily through the city, guiding the people.
“The water and food supplies are depleted, Your Highness.”
“I’ve stored dried food and purified water in the royal warehouse. Start distributing it immediately and post notices in the main government offices throughout the city. Also, gather the personnel who originally handled public affairs.”
“It’s still cold, and night will soon fall. At this rate, many will freeze to death.”
“Tear down all the rotten wooden buildings and use them for firewood. Light fires in all the main squares and smaller squares.”
As Christian issued orders quickly, he pointed to the distant land above.
With the entire kingdom now settled at the bottom of the lake, the surface was an unreachable height away.
“We also need to carve a path up to the lake’s surface. The work begins tomorrow morning, and everyone able-bodied will be conscripted. See to it.”
One of the high-ranking officials stammered.
“Y-Your Highness. That’s something that should be done with magic…”
“Magic no longer exists!”
Christian sharply retorted.
“From now on, we must do everything in this world with our own two hands.”
“W-Why has this happened… Why has our Lake Kingdom…”
“Our glorious magical civilization, why has it fallen like this…”
To the nobles trembling, unable to adapt to the situation, Christian spoke in a stern voice.
“We are paying the price we deserve.”
“…!”
“For being captivated by the light of magic, clinging solely to it, spreading malice across the world, dividing and discriminating against people—this country’s sins are finally being paid for.”
Then, Christian murmured quietly.
“And… it’s my sin as well.”
After all, it was undoubtedly his fault that he had allowed the Demon King inside and brought the kingdom to ruin.
“I, too, will pay the price.”
But atonement must come after saving the people of his country.
“Let’s move, Nightcrawlers.”
Leading the ones who had followed him from hell to now, Christian marched forward.
“Though the long night is over, we must keep busy for a while longer.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
Christian headed toward the outer district.
Unlike the panicked citizens in the inner district, the non-citizens of the outer district were already moving quickly under Christian’s orders.
The non-citizens of the Lake Kingdom had never been able to use magic, even in the age of magic.
So, for the sake of immediate survival, they were much more prepared to live stubbornly.
Christian, advancing at a brisk pace, eventually stopped. Someone was standing in the road ahead, waiting for him.
“Your Highness!”
It was none other than the Sword Demon, the Spear Demon, the adventurers from the base camp, and… the people from the Bottom Town.
They were the ones who had survived this hell for as long as Christian and the Nightcrawlers had.
And they were ready to welcome the new era.
“Need a hand?” The Sword Demon and the Spear Demon asked with a grin, and Christian immediately nodded.
“I’ll gratefully accept your help. We must at least organize the essentials before Ariel returns… Your assistance is crucial.”
As they all resumed the busy work of restoring order, Christian glanced up at the distant sky.
No longer was the sky above the Lake Kingdom filled with the black, polluted water of the lake. The winter sky, clear and bright, shone in a vivid blue, painfully pristine.
“…Ariel.”
Christian softly murmured his sister’s name.
“Please, come back soon. This country… needs you.”
He believed in Ash’s promise, and in Aider’s determination.
He believed that in this world, now free of nightmares, his sister would be safe…
Long, white eyelashes trembled.
Eventually, eyelids slowly opened, revealing clear turquoise eyes to the world.
“Ah…”
Ariel had awakened.
Hearing that she would soon wake, I had come to her room to wait for her, and now I greeted her.
“You’ve come to, Nameless? No…”
I hurriedly corrected myself, calling her by name.
“Ariel.”
“…Ash…?”
Ariel, who had been looking at me with a dazed expression, suddenly sat up in alarm.
“Where am I…?!”
“The temple in Crossroad. It’s dawn.”
I showed her the bandages wrapped around my body.
“You’ve been asleep the entire day. The final battle ended just yesterday.”
“What do you mean the battle is over? What are you talking about…”
“It means all the nightmares have ended.”
With a smile, I gestured toward her.
“So, how does it feel to sleep soundly without any nightmares for the first time in a while?”
“Ah…”
Only then did Ariel seem to realize that all the nightmares that had plagued her were truly gone.
“It’s true. They’re gone. All the darkness and curses…! How could this… Such a miraculous thing…”
“…”
“Then, my kingdom too…!”
Finally, Ariel bowed her head repeatedly to me.
“Thank you, Ash. I will properly express my gratitude in the name of the Lake Kingdom later, but… truly, thank you. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay this debt…”
With tears welling up in her large, lake-colored eyes, Ariel clasped my hands in hers.
“You saved me… my kingdom, and this world. Truly… thank you…”
“No need to mention it. We’re friends, aren’t we? It’s only natural.”
Once Ariel started to cry, she couldn’t stop. Tears streamed down her pale cheeks, endlessly.
A bit concerned, I asked her carefully,
“Are you okay?”
“I’m… fine. Don’t worry. I’m crying because I’m happy…”
Ariel tried her best to smile, but she soon lost control and burst into tears.
She clutched her chest with both hands, struggling.
“I’m really happy, so happy. But, it feels like… I’ve forgotten something very important.”
“…”
“Why does my heart ache like this… On such a joyous day, why… do I feel such a deep sense of loss…”
I remained silent.
Beside me, Ariel continued to sob quietly.
“I’m sorry, Ash. Just… let me cry for a moment…”
Ariel cried for a long time.
I stayed by her side, quietly, until her tears finally stopped.
Dawn passed, and it was early morning.
As soon as she had gathered herself, Ariel left.
She couldn’t bear the worry about the Lake Kingdom’s condition. The journey there would take three days even on horseback, so I lent her the best horse I had.
I also didn’t send Ariel off alone; I assigned some of Crossroad’s soldiers to accompany her.
Their task was to assess the situation in the Lake Kingdom and provide any necessary supplies as quickly as possible.
With a graceful motion, Ariel mounted her horse and gave me a faint smile.
“Thank you so much, Ash. Words can’t express how grateful I am for all your kindness and consideration.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Once I’ve taken care of the situation in the Lake Kingdom, I will return to formally express our gratitude to the World Guardian Front.”
Then, Ariel added cautiously,
“And… I will come to officially apologize for the harm I caused this world as the Mistress of Nightmares.”
“…”
“I know it’s not something that can be resolved with just an apology, but… I will do my best.”
Ariel said she had no memory of her time as the “Sleepless Lake Princess.”
But she was aware that she had become the Mistress of Nightmares and had attempted to destroy the world.
I slowly nodded.
“I’ll help too. I’ll do my best.”
We shared a faint smile.
“Then, see you soon! Hyah!”
Ariel spurred her horse and galloped southward like the wind.
As I watched the Princess of the Lake Kingdom and her escort troops quickly fade into the distance…
I slowly turned my head to the side.
“…Are you really okay with this?”
Then, a man staggered out from the shadow of a nearby building.
With a heart full of pity, I called out his name.
“Aider.”
“…”
The man who had been my accomplice, the Director—Aider—managed a feeble smile.
With a large hole in his chest, his entire body was shedding gray particles.
He had overloaded and burned out the system of the outer gods, and had used his own soul as the price to heal the wounds etched into Ariel’s soul.
And at the end of this long battle, he was completely broken… just existing seemed to be a struggle for him.
“I destroyed the destructive play that tormented our world, and I saved the one person I’ve wanted to save my whole life.”
The Director, now back to his old, lazy drawl, gave a weak smile.
“It couldn’t be better than this, hehe.”
“…”
“Don’t worry about me. Everything is going according to plan…”
Aider limped forward with difficulty, coming to stand before me.
“More importantly, my lord. What matters now is the story of the great deed you have accomplished.”
We stood silently, looking at each other.
Aider continued in a slow, weary voice.
“And, my lord… it’s finally time to fulfill that long-held wish of yours.”
–TL Notes–
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Guess we’re going full circle now
Crown (or I guess Christian) taking charge, good to see. Looks like he wisened up over the years.