I Became the 101st Hero

〈 Chapter 234 〉 Epilogue – Day of Radiance (1)

*

Rustle.

“Hmm…”

I suddenly opened my eyes.

The ceiling above was adorned with elaborate paintings.

This was the Royal Palace of the Leim Kingdom.

Specifically, the King’s Bedroom.

‘By the way…’

The person who should be lying next to me was nowhere to be found.

‘Elsie?’

Touching the space where she had been, I could still feel her warmth lingering.

She must have just gotten up.

‘Where did she go?’

Getting out of bed, I dressed myself.

Then, I walked over to the curtain-draped balcony.

The curtain let in a gentle light.

As I drew it back, the bluish light of dawn poured in.

‘Is it still before sunrise?’

I stepped out onto the balcony.

The dawn view of Leim Kingdom unfolded before me.

The castle walls that had crumbled during the siege were still in ruins, but it looked quite magnificent nonetheless.

Gazing at the collapsed walls brought back vivid memories of that day.

‘Right, those things happened.’

We had engaged in a significant battle to fend off the coup backed by the Later Demon King.

After sending Elsie safely into the royal castle, we collaborated with the Black Knights and the Enemy Knights for an all-out battle.

Moreover, I could still clearly recall the image of Elsie wielding the Royal Sword to hold her ground beneath the White Tower.

‘That was truly remarkable.’

I had never seen such fierce determination before.

It was probably because I witnessed that moment that I succeeded in defeating the High Priest.

And as a result of that fierce fight.

Libero’s will was fulfilled, and the day when the sun set in Leim Kingdom—Nameless Day—was no more.

At least until I stopped the destruction.

‘A kingdom where the sun sets every day…’

As destruction was averted, the gods vanished, and the days and nights of Leim Kingdom returned to normal.

Now, the sun rises in the morning and sets at night.

Although this fact was somewhat natural, there were times it felt strangely awkward.

‘Still…’

The quiet dawn of Leim Kingdom was beautiful.

Had I not prevented destruction, I would never have been able to witness such a scene.

I was relieved.

‘Then should I go look for Elsie?’

I wondered where she could have gone so early in the morning.

Thinking of places she might be, I left the King’s Bedroom.

Not long after, I encountered a member of the Enemy Knights who was on patrol in the palace.

Since the Royal Knights, the main perpetrators of the coup, had not been reinstated yet, the Enemy Knights were undertaking their duties instead.

“Did you have a peaceful night, Your Grace?”

Your Grace.

That was the title I had earned upon formally marrying Elsie.

Of course, it didn’t really hold much significance.

“Yes, good morning.”

I greeted the knight with a smile.

Then I asked,

“Have you seen Elsie?”

“Oh, if you mean the Queen…”

He hesitated for a moment before pointing in one direction.

“She is probably at the Cemetery of Radiance.”

“The Cemetery of Radiance?”

“Yes, it’s where the warriors from the siege are laid to rest.”

I had no idea there was such a place.

Well, it made sense to honor those who sacrificed their lives for the kingdom.

‘So she’s over there?’

I felt a desire to visit that place myself.

After asking him for directions, I quickly made my way.

*

‘Is this the Cemetery of Radiance?’

The cemetery was located near the collapsed castle walls.

It wasn’t visible from the balcony due to the blocking inner castle, but it turned out to be quite large.

That indicated there must have been many casualties.

I felt a solemn mood as I walked into the cemetery.

For some reason, it felt colder inside than outside.

Perhaps the gravestones had grown cold overnight.

Yet, in front of each grave, a flower lay placed there.

Following the lined flowers, I finally spotted Elsie.

‘Elsie.’

She was kneeling in front of a gravestone at the corner of the cemetery.

I approached her cautiously, trying not to disturb her.

And then…

“You’ll catch a cold.”

I draped my coat over her thinly dressed figure.

“Allen?”

She looked up in surprise, meeting my gaze.

Her lips were pale from the cold.

Considering she had placed flowers at each gravestone, she must have been here for quite a while.

“Thank you.”

She expressed her gratitude while wrapping the coat around herself.

Then, she picked up a basket filled with flowers and stood up.

“This was the last one. Let’s go back.”

“Wait a moment, Elsie.”

I stopped her and asked,

“Whose grave is this?”

The gravestone at the corner where she had been sitting was different from the others.

First, it was much larger than the rest.

From the seven flowers laid before it, I could assume why.

‘Were seven people buried here together?’

But I couldn’t understand the details until Elsie answered me.

“Betty, William, Mary, Charles, Linda, Kevin, Ershiarah.”

“What does that mean…?”

“They were the children held captive beneath the White Tower. Since they didn’t have names, I gave them names myself.”

“Beneath the White Tower?”

“Didn’t you see them on the way down? The children trapped in the cage.”

I had seen them, of course.

But I never thought they were children.

They didn’t look much different from Chaos Beasts.

“These children are the sins of my ancestors. Their mistakes.”

She began to reveal the detailed background.

Because the royal bloodline was not pure, a child with black hair would result from even a slight mix with outside blood.

To hide such illegitimate children, they were handed over to the White Knights as test subjects, who then conducted biological experiments on them.

It was a shocking revelation.

I had known that the White Knights were conducting experiments, but I was ignorant of the truth about those subjects.

“Perhaps…someone might say that the coup conducted by the Royal Knights was justified.”

Yet, I could not agree with that statement.

“No, that wasn’t right.”

They had involved demon kings in that process and ruled the citizens of the kingdom with coercion, surveillance, and force.

Ultimately, it almost led to the kingdom’s destruction by the demon kings.

“I’m glad you think that way.”

However, her expression seemed dark as she spoke those words.

“Elsie?”

“I’m the bloodline of ancestors who committed such acts. Doesn’t it seem a bit…terrifying?”

No way.

“It’s merely the mistakes of your ancestors. It has nothing to do with you.”

Of course, not everyone would accept such reasoning.

After revealing the transgressions of her ancestors, she had to dedicate years of her life to atone within the kingdom.

She could only find relative freedom once that period of atonement ended.

“So don’t worry about it. To me, you’re just Elsie.”

“Thank you.”

I noticed her eyes were glistening with unshed tears.

I reached out my arms and embraced her.

Gently patting her back, I asked,

“May I pay my respects to these children as well?”

“Yes, of course.”

I released her and sat down in front of the gravestone.

Now that I looked closely, I saw all seven names inscribed on the gravestone.

However, one name stood out alarmingly.

“Ershiarah?”

The name written at the end of the gravestone.

This didn’t make sense.

“Elsie, why is your name here…?”

“That name is no longer mine.”

“What do you mean…?”

“I’m fine as Elsie.”

She said it sincerely.

“Then who is this Ershiarah?”

“She’s the 72nd Demon King.”

“What?”

“She, too… in a way, was ultimately a victim.”

A victim.

Connecting that with the story I had heard earlier, it made sense.

“Of course, I’m not forgiving the misdeeds she committed or tried to commit. I’m merely paying my respects as a victim.”

“But are you really okay with giving her your name?”

Elsie nodded.

“Yes, although I don’t expect her to find satisfaction with that, I’m fine being just Elsie, as I said earlier.”

If she was okay with that, I could easily understand.

“Then…”

I closed my eyes.

And bowed my head in silence to the children who had died without names.

*

“Ah, seriously. This is quite irritating.”

That late afternoon.

Elsie, dressed in a splendid gown symbolizing her role as the queen of Leim Kingdom, uttered her frustration.

“Your Majesty, you should speak more nicely.”

“But Allen, honestly, this is ridiculously uncomfortable.”

That much was true.

The dress adorned with embellishments seemed considerably inconvenient compared to what she usually wore.

However…

“You always looked beautiful, but today you’re even more stunning. I’m sure people will feel the same way.”

Upon hearing those words, Elsie’s face turned red.

“Fine, I’ll just endure it for today. It couldn’t be helped.”

Her saying it couldn’t be helped was because today was special.

In fact, it was the reason Elsie, freed from her royal duties, had to return to the kingdom today.

The Day of Radiance.

It was a new holiday celebrated from this year onward, commemorating how Elsie restored light to the kingdom after Nameless Day.

Naturally, that date overlapping with Nameless Day meant that the Day of Radiance effectively replaced it.

Ultimately, while Nameless Day disappeared, the festival remained under the new name – the Day of Radiance.

And the highlight of this Day of Radiance?

It was the Queen’s procession.

“Let’s go, King of Radiance.”

The new title bestowed upon Elsie as a monarch.

King of Radiance.

Naturally, Elsie despised being called that.

“No, kings’ names are usually decided after death!”

“Yeah, I know.”

I had heard it dozens of times already.

I simply wanted to enjoy her reaction.

“That’s unfair.”

She puffed up her cheeks but still took my hand.

Thus, we stepped down from the wagon.

Before us unfolded an immense crowd.

“Wow…”

People with candles gathered together.

Though the sun hadn’t completely set, the sight was truly spectacular.

While we marveled at the scene, the head of the Reedval Family standing next to us said,

“Everyone has prepared so much. It’s a festival reopening after a long time.”

Her words were true.

The stalls decorated splendidly along the street and the orderly gathered citizens of the kingdom.

It clearly demonstrated good preparation.

“While I was away, you managed it well. Thank you.”

Elsie expressed her gratitude to the head of the Reedval Family and captain of the Enemy Knights, who must have orchestrated all of this.

However, she shook her head.

“Oh, it’s nothing. Compared to all the dedication the Queen has shown to the kingdom, it’s a mere trifle.”

After Elsie had spent several years rebuilding the kingdom, the knights who noticed she wanted to be with me suggested they keep her position as queen while handling practical affairs through a republic.

So, this Day of Radiance might be seen as an event showcasing how well they managed the kingdom in front of Elsie.

And indeed, it was successful.

“This path is…”

We were currently heading from the old church branch to the royal palace.

“Yes, this is the path where you carried the Queen when you leapt.”

Thanks to that, memories started to resurface.

Though the emotions I felt were completely opposite, and I couldn’t remember it.

“Well, I don’t remember it.”

It seemed Elsie, who was unconscious at the time, didn’t recall it.

“Still, I can vividly imagine you carrying me at that time. Thank you so much.”

While we were lost in conversation, we soon arrived at the plaza.

‘That…’

In the center of the plaza stood the statue of the Nameless King.

And in front of it…

‘A sculpture?’

There was a small wooden sculpture placed before it.

Though it was small, it wasn’t particularly intricate, but one could tell from a distance what figure it depicted.

‘That’s… Elsie’s…’

Elsie approached and picked up the sculpture.

I watched her while surveying the surroundings.

Then, a young man caught my eye.

The stall he was standing at seemed quite familiar.

‘That stall…’

It was the one where Elsie and I had purchased the statue of the Nameless King from an elderly woman.

Now a young man stood in place of the old woman.

And he silently bowed his head in greeting to me.

The meaning was clear.

“Elsie, you can take that if you want.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, the owner is over there.”

I pointed toward the young man.

He politely greeted Elsie.

She returned the greeting and expressed her gratitude.

Then, since her dress had no pockets, she handed the sculpture to me instead of using her now unavailable inventory.

As I received the sculpture and stowed it in my pocket, we began marching back toward the royal castle.

*

Finally, we returned to the balcony of her room.

We looked down at the scene of Leim Kingdom enjoying the Day of Radiance.

People with candles gathered, illuminating the kingdom like it was daytime.

As we watched that scene, Elsie called out to me.

“Allen.”

“Elsie?”

“At that time, when I was imprisoned in that cramped tower over there, I thought how wonderful it would be to see this view with you.”

Her eyes were glistening with unshed tears.

She must have been recalling the memories of that day.

“But at the same time, I promised myself that once I ensure the kingdom’s safety, I would have another chance to see this view later.”

“Elsie…”

“Yet after that day, Nameless Day disappeared, and I felt a bit regretful, but today, I could witness this view with you.”

The tears streaming down her cheeks sparkled, reflecting the candlelight.

They were tears of true happiness.

To her, I had words in return as well.

“On that day, I actually thought the same thing. I wished how nice it would be to see this scenery with you.”

I approached her and placed my hand on her cheek.

Then I said,

“I’m really glad. In the end, we both achieved our wishes.”

“Indeed.”

The next words to say were obvious.

It was a phrase that always lingered on my lips whenever I stood before her.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

I kissed her lips.

And together, we headed into the room, hand in hand.

*