Chapter 19
「Mars-san! It'll be bad if the star of the show is late, you know!?」
Hazuki, who is helping Mars get ready, said in a panicked voice.
Looking at himself in the mirror, Mars felt uneasy but smiled.
He never thought he would experience a day like this when he was reincarnated.
「This dress is so fluttery and hard to walk in-nyaa... Nemu tripped when she was running earlier-nyaa.」
「Nemu-chan, you can't run around in a dress! Today is our wedding, you know!?」
Both Hazuki and Nemu were dressed in pure white dresses.
Mars was wearing a pure white tuxedo as well.
Today is the wedding.
Of course, it's a wedding with all the partner's Mars has been involved with.
At the foot of the World Tree, in a place that has now completely returned to the forest, everyone's adventure was coming to an end.
This place is Mars and his companions' country.
A small, tiny country that they desperately grasped onto.
「I'm still a little embarrassed.」
「It looks good on you. How about me? It feels strange to suddenly have a wedding after such a long time.」
「You look good too. Really, everyone looks good.」
Lucille, the dwarf princess, was also wearing a wedding dress.
Mars conquered the World Tree dungeon and obtained the throne of God.
But he wasn't a literal god. The truth was that he had the authority to reconstruct the core parts of this world.
He made five major changes and made some minor adjustments elsewhere.
First, he granted each person the freedom of their lifespan.
Life continues as long as they genuinely desire to live until they truly wish to die.
They can also control their physical age individually.
Because of this, Mars was able to spend his life with Lilia until the end.
Next, the eradication of discrimination against different races.
He eliminated the consciousness of discriminating or being discriminated against within all humans and different races.
In the present world, all races live as equals.
With this, they also established diplomatic relations with the dwarf kingdom, and technologically advanced products were selling like hotcakes.
Then, the abolition of slave magic.
All slaves were freed and allowed to live their own lives.
Another change was the disappearance of necromancy and similar magic from this world.
Mars also restored the dungeons.
He set up treasure chests for adventurers who could only explore the early stages, and the restored dungeons incorporated everyone's opinions.
Even if they were conquered and collapsed, they would temporarily rebuild and restored after a while.
The dungeons were alive.
It was a system with biological characteristics, and Mars and the others slightly intervened with that system to reshape the dungeons.
The dungeons that Mars and the others had conquered and collapsed were also restored, and adventurers from all over the world began to pursue their dreams again. Initially, the number of adventurers had decreased because the dungeons at the top were conquered one after another by Mars and the others, but he resolved that.
Only the Norn Grand Tomb was not restored.
There is no more necromancy, and it no longer becomes a dungeon as it used to be.
Besides, it was the grave of Norn, the clan's chieftain, and her beloved, as well as Julis, who was temporarily Mars's companion, and her beloved, Kruse.
Mars didn't want to disturb their sleep.
For now, the world is at peace.
Full of dreams and hopes, even if death awaits them on their journey, many people can now choose their own lives.
And one more thing, what Mars desired with his god-like power――
「Aniki! Lilia-ane is worried!」
「Onyx! Don't come in while I'm changing!」
「S-Sorry, Your Majesty!」
Lucille scolded Onyx, who entered the dressing room without knocking.
「Onyx, that suit doesn't suit you at all......」
「It's too small!」
The black suit clung tightly to his muscular physique, almost bursting at the seams.
In a sense, it was stylish, but it still didn't suit him.
「Mars-sama! The preparations at the venue are complete!」
Sion entered the dressing room in a panic.
She was also an assassin sent by Lilia to assess Mars' situation.
「Sorry, I took a bit longer. Can you tell Lilia that I'll be there soon?」
「S-Sure, but... Lilia-sama's ears were bright red, you know?」
「...I'll apologize as soon as I get there.」
Although it was before their marriage, Mars was completely under Lilia's control.
She was not only older but also a dominant woman.
His other wives couldn't compare to Lilia.
「Angry Lilia-nyan is scary-nya! Nemu got scolded earlier for running around the venue-nyaa.」
「That's what makes her cute. When we're alone and she starts being spoiled...」
「You're bragging about your lovey dovey-nyaa!? Nemu wants to see it too-nyaa~! When she peeked last time, she got scolded so much she was surprised-nya.」
「It would be quite embarrassing for her if someone saw that... for sure.」
Lilia, with her sweet and soft voice, was clingy and affectionate, but Mars was the only one who had seen that side of her.
Even though she was usually strong-willed and composed, she didn't always maintain that character.
She acted like a little girl and clung to Mars, showing her vulnerable side.
「Good, good! You look perfect now! Now let's go to Lilia-san's place!」
Hazuki, who finished styling Mars' hair, said proudly and happily.
His usual hair, left down, was now styled formally, and it looked so glamorous that he would feel a bit embarrassed if someone familiar saw it.
On the way, Mars checked the five rings he had put in his pocket with his fingertips.
「I thought it might be cute if it dragged on the floor, so I made it long, but maybe it could have been a little shorter...」
The dress made by Hazuki was too long to walk comfortably without lifting it.
「But it looks like a princess, doesn't it? Though it's hard to walk, I quite like it.」
「I'm the princess, but I've never worn this kind of dress before.」
Even Lucille, who was a dwarf princess, was not accustomed to wearing this type of dress culturally.
But everyone seemed satisfied.
「After all, it's the outfit I've always admired, so I guess having it long was the right choice!」
Spinning around, Hazuki proudly showed off the dress by grabbing the hem.
Like this, everyone looked like princesses from someplace.
「Well then, everyone, shall we go?」
Passing through the dark path and heading towards a bright place.
Walking towards a spot bathed in warm dappled sunlight.
Looking back, I've been walking for a long time.
There were times when I was so tired that I stopped walking.
But I started walking again.
That's why I am who I am now. That's why everyone is here.
With a deep sense of emotion, Mars smiled as he watched everyone's backs.
When they moved to the waiting area behind the venue, there was Lilia, her ears red with anxiety.
「Master! To be late on a day like this......I thought you might cancel it!?」
Lilia pouted her cheeks and poked Mars' chest repeatedly with her fingertips.
「Sorry, sorry. My hair seems to be stubborn, you see.」
「Geez!」
The reason for the delay was that Mars couldn't get his hair styled properly.
They made it in time, so Lilia reluctantly became quiet, albeit dissatisfied.
Lilia, in her wedding dress, still wore a collar.
A sturdy and strict collar.
The slave mark has already disappeared from Mars' hand.
Lilia is no longer a slave.
She wears it only as a symbol of their bond.
And today is the day they forge a new bond.
「Well then, shall we go? Everyone is eagerly waiting.」
Led by Lilia, Mars and the others climbed onto the stage.
In the simple party venue in the forest square, there were elves, dwarves, and people from Hazuki's hometown.
Onyx and Zerius were also there.
Zerius was dressed in a pure white suit, behaving like a groom.
However, being treated coldly by Hazuki, he realized that she would never come back and burst into tears.
The ceremony was planned to be solemn.
Mars and the others set it up in a format similar to modern Japanese weddings.
「Thank you all for gathering here today.」
Mars greeted the assembled people.
All eyes were on Mars.
「Well... I guess this isn't really my thing.」
Even in this grand stage of life, Mars couldn't escape his commoner demeanor.
His face tensed up with nervousness.
He keenly felt his lack of life experience from his previous life.
「We are getting married!」
「Getting married-nyaaa!」
Hazuki and Nemu cheerfully raised their hands as usual.
「Oh, come on... The ceremony has become chaotic! Even though we worked so hard to prepare for this!」
Lilia held her head and felt downcast.
As members of the royal family, Lilia, and Lucille were particular about formalities, but the commoners like Hazuki didn't care about having a wedding ceremony, so they didn't pay much attention to it.
Laughter echoed throughout the venue.
「Isn't this fine, Lilia-sama? Personally, I think this suits everyone better.」
「Sion... I get that this chaos is in tune with everyone, but!」
At least on a day like this... Lilia lamented.
「Lucille-chan, let's make this world a better place together.」
「Yes. Thanks to you, I can cooperate with humans and further develop my skills.」
In a wedding setting, they exchanged words that seemed a bit out of place, and a ring was slid onto Lucille's finger.
At that moment, Lucille's face turned red with nervousness as well.
「Nemu-chan, let's do everything we want to do.」
「Nemu will make all our dreams come true-nyaa. And then, Nemu'll search for new dreams and make them come true too-nyaa!」
With a bright smile, Nemu accepted the ring.
For Nemu, marriage meant a change of stage, and she didn't feel as nervous as the others.
However, she still felt joy, and she was happy to see the ring sparkling on her finger as she held it up to the sun.
There was another silver ring on her thumb.
It was a memento from Julis, who had passed away.
Nemu insisted on having her presence in this place, and Mars readily agreed.
She really wanted her to be here.
「Sion-san, thank you for always taking care of everyone. I'm sure you'll become a good mother. Well, I also have to become a good father, though.」
Mars felt a bit confused and scratched his head.
He couldn't help but think of her as a mother based on her image, but Sion's husband was himself.
He felt like he had chosen his words wrong.
「Yes, I will become everyone's mother! Surprisingly, it seems to suit my nature!」
Sion gently opened her narrow eyes and loosened her lips.
「Hazuki-chan, you've helped me so many times. Whether it was my heart or my body. I think there may be times when I cause trouble in the future. Will you still be with me?」
「Of course! Because that's the life I choose!」
Hazuki smiled genuinely, full of happiness.
Compared to when they first met, Hazuki had become stronger.
She hardly showed fear or hesitation and could speak her own will.
Despite getting married, Mars felt as if he were witnessing his daughter's growth and felt like crying a little.
「Lilia—」
「I don't need words from you. ――I'll be listening to many more in our future life.」
Lilia touched Mars's cheek and gently approached to kiss him.
Kissing in front of the public was embarrassing.
But their hearts were so full that they didn't mind.
「This is for you.」
Lilia handed Mars a key.
It was the key to unlock the collar that had bound her life until now.
It felt like a key to open a new door.
Mars removed her heavy collar and replaced it with a ring.
Lilia gently touched her relieved neck and looked a bit lonely.
Then she looked at the ring on her left ring finger.
「Master.」
「That 'master' thing is enough, right? You are no longer a slave.」
「No. I will continue to call you that. Until now, you have been my 'master' as a slave, but from now on, you will be my 'master' as a wife.」
And Lilia kissed him once again.
Mars lifted Lilia, who was laughing "fufufu," and carried her like a princess.
Lilia waved to the attendees.
「Let's take some pictures together! I brought the latest model!」
「That sounds great!」
Lucille showed the camera made with the latest technology of the dwarves.
Mars and the others took hundreds of photos on that day alone.
They would continue taking many more in the future.
They would create countless memories.
Their lives would continue.
They will keep going forever.
Even as seasons change, years pass, and eras changes.
Until the desired death separates the two of them, and everyone else.
Life is a long journey toward death.
Even if the beginning wasn't what they had wished for, they can choose how it ends.
Even if they were bound by various chains from the moment they were born, humans are not slaves to fate.
It's okay to wander and hesitate.
Just as there are no endless nights, there are no mazes they can't find a way out of, no matter how lost they may be.
Thank your for the translation!
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