Volume 9 Epilogue

art 1

We had successfully defeated the Dragonia aliens.

Once I confirmed that all the Dragonias had disappeared, the giant knight I controlled suddenly began to glow.

"W-what is it?"

"I have reached my limit of activity. The summoning will now be canceled."

"Ah…"

After hearing this announcement, the knight disappeared, and I was thrown out into space.

Fortunately, thanks to Merl-san, I was able to adapt to outer space… but if I hadn't, it would have been horrible…

"Yuuya-kun!"

"Iris-san!"

As I was dumbfounded, Iris-san and Master Usagi came running up to me.

"Are you okay, Yuuya-kun? Are you hurt?"

"I-I'm fine! I'm fine!"

Immediately after Iris-san came running up to me, she touched my body here and there to make sure I wasn't injured. I'm glad she's worried about me, but it's embarrassing…

Then, Master Usagi muttered to Iris-san with a look of disbelief.

(What are you worried about? It's obvious that Yuuya will be fine, no?)

"Hey, Usagi! He was indeed riding that ridiculous golem so that he might be fine, but you know firsthand how bad the enemy was, right?"

(Hmph… It's true, that guy's the master of all of them, so he's of a different class.)

As Master Usagi said, the power of Draco III was incomparable to that of Drade and the other commanders.

Although he hadn't fought Draco III directly, the sense of intimidation that seemed crushing down just by speaking was on par with when he faced Avis.

In addition, the energy cannons of the Dragoon, the mothership of the Dragonias, were also a terrible thing. If it weren't for the power of the giant knight entrusted to me by Sage-san, I would have lost for sure.

When I was trembling thinking about it, Master Usagi told me with a serious expression.

(By the way… Sage's legacy is a crazy one. I didn't know that he had built such a huge golem…)

"And it's made of Orichalcum, that's crazy…"

As expected, but this is Sage-san that we're talking about…

Moreover, the reason behind the creation of such a ridiculous thing is that when he was transferred to Earth, he was exposed to a subculture and wanted to create his own… I think it's too frivolous and overdone…

In addition, Draco III talked about the great giant and many other meaningful things… After building that knight, did Sage-san do something in space?

…I wouldn't be surprised if he saved a single planet, saying it was a trial run.

That knight seemed to have disappeared into my bracelet… Now I couldn't hear the voice of the knight who had taught me so much, and the bracelet didn't seem to respond.

As I was staring at the bracelet, Merl-san's spaceship was coming towards us.

(Everyone! Are you okay?)

"Oh, Merl-san! We're fine over──"

That was the moment I was about to say that.

In the exact moment, another fleet of spaceships, different from those of the Dragonias, appeared around Merl-san's spaceship and us as they approached.

(Don't move! Who are you people? And where's the great giant that just appeared?)

This voice came from a fleet of spaceships, presumably from the planet Amel.

Indeed, we came close to the planet Amel, but we immediately started fighting with the Dragonias…

"…It's kind of disturbing."

(It's no wonder. You can't blame them. We started the battle without even coming forward.)

As Master Usagi said, from the perspective of the people of planet Amel, they may not be able to determine whether we are friend or foe.

As I raised my arms to show that I had no hostile intentions, Merl-san peeked out from the spaceship.

(Father, please stop! These people are my friends!)

(Wha… Merl!)

"Eh, father?"

At the same time as my surprised voice, the voices coming from the spaceship fleet also showed their surprise.

＊＊＊

(Oh… you are the great giant's apostle…! Thank you…Thank you…!)

Thanks to Merl-san, we cleared up the misunderstanding and were invited to the planet Amel by the fleet of spaceships.

Merl-san's spaceship was already in tatters from the previous encounter and the battle with Draco III, but just like when she repaired my house, she used her nanomachines to fix it before coming here, and we were able to land safely on Amel.

The sky on Amel was the same blue as on Earth, but there were three sun-like objects floating in the sky, and the buildings were all floating in the air.

In addition, many flying cars are flying around in the air, and I can't help but wonder if this is what the Earth will become when technology advances.

We were taken to a large building, where a man with blue phosphorescence hair, just like Merl-san, bowed to us.

"P-please, raise your head! I'm not that great of a person!"

(What a humble man… that is precisely the kind of man who deserves to be a hero…!)

"As I said, I'm not a hero…!"

The more I denied it, the more the people of Amel looked in anticipation and bowed to me. What should I do?

While I was desperately trying to deal with the people of Amel, Odis-san and the others were looking around curiously.

"So this is Merl-dono's hometown, huh…? It seems that magic exists on this planet as well, but it seems that the technology called science is more widely used…"

"Yuuya-kun's planet, what was it called again, Earth, wasn't it? That world is amazing enough, but this world is also very different from our own. More importantly, is Odis okay now?"

"Yeah. I was a little reckless, but I was able to recover with the technology of this planet."

(…So, even if you don't use magic, you can make up for it with top-notch science and technology. The world is a big place after all…)

"But why is their hair shining?"

"But why is their hair shining, I wonder."

"Is it magic?"

"Maybe magic, yes."

(Ruri-san and Rill-san are correct, we do store magical power in our hair. However, we don't use magic in our daily lives because… technology has made everything so convenient.)

"I see. Isn't that great?"

"Yeah, yeah, it's great."

As this conversation unfolded behind me, the man from planet Amel, who had finally calmed down, bowed his head.

(I'm sorry, I just got excited…)

"N-no, it's fine."

(My name is Marl, and I am the representative of this planet. I cannot thank you enough for all the help you have given my daughter Merl, and for defeating the Dragonias… Thank you very much.)

((Thank you very much!))

It seems that the person who was dealing with me was Merl-san's father, Marl-san, and he was also a representative of the planet Amel, and he bowed to me along with the other Amel people.

"I'm really glad that I could be of help."

(What a generous soul… Just as the legend says…)

"Legend?"

When I asked him about it, he nodded his head.

(Yes. In this universe, there is a legend that has been passed down from generation to generation. It is said that an apostle who controls a great giant will bring peace to the universe…)

"H-huh…"

In all likelihood, it's a legend involving Sage-san, but how great is bringing peace to the universe?

(According to legend, in a space war that broke out a long time ago, the war ended due to the great giant's active role. We were being tormented by the attacks of the Dragonias, and we were praying for help from the great giant.)

"I-I see…"

The story was so grand that I honestly couldn't really feel it, but I couldn't help but agree that it was possible for Sage-san. Ouma-san is also a bit dumbfounded while listening to Marl-san's story.

"Ah, that guy… He's not satisfied with just that world, and he's been rampaging in the outside world as well. Good grief, I could not have said that about myself…"

As a result, Sage-san is bringing peace to the universe, but as Ouma-san said, Sage-san was also quite free to do as he pleased.

When I unintentionally chuckled at Ouma-san's words, Marl-san's eyes lit up.

(Now, Apostle-sama. As for what's to come, I would love to have you participate in the celebration of the universe being at peace!)

"Huh?"

(I've already notified the other planets, so the celebration can take place at any time! It would be a great honor for us to continue the festival for ten years!)

"Ten years?"

What kind of crazy period is that?

When I was startled by Marl-san's words, he tilted his head curiously.

(Did I say something strange? You may think that ten years is a short time when you consider that the universe has become peaceful, but each of our fellow planets has its own various circumstances. And there may be people who will follow in the footsteps of the Dragonias…)

"I-it's not that. I can't stay here for ten years!"

If anything, summer vacation is almost over, and I have to prepare for school, pick up Kagurazaka-san, and many other things to do.

But for some reason, Marl-san's eyes widened.

(What are you talking about? I said the festival would be for ten years, but I'm planning to have Apostle-sama live on this planet permanently…)

"No, no, no, I can't accept that!"

What's going on that he even wants me to live here permanently?

When I was seriously troubled, Marl-san, with a difficult expression on her face, began to converse with the other Amel people, calling Merl-san in the middle of the conversation.

Meanwhile, I moved over to Iris-san and the others.

"W-what do you think will happen?"

"Hmm… I doubt they will force you to stay on this planet, but if they do… you might have to give them a hard time."

"Eehh?"

"You saved their lives, didn't you?"

"You saved their lives, after all."

As Ruri and Rill said, we originally came here because of Merl-san's request, but to have that happen to me is just too much!

But if we collided with the people of Amel, we wouldn't have any way to get home from here. We don't have the skills to pilot a spaceship, and that knight can only be used for three minutes.

In addition, the warp function has been used to get here, so it will not be so easy to return.

…Could it be possible to use teleportation magic to bring everyone back?

As I was thinking about this, Merl-san and the others came back, probably having finished their discussion.

(Apostle-sama. I'm very sorry to hear this, but I understand that Apostle-sama has his own circumstances, so I won't ask you to do anything. If you ever come to this planet again, please take your time.)

"Y-yes, of course!"

I don't have any means of transportation at the moment, but if I could come back, I'd like to do some sightseeing next time.

When I was thinking like that, Marl-san nodded his head in satisfaction.

(Thank you very much. Now, let my daughter, Merl, guide you to Apostle-sama's home planet again.)

(…Yes. I'll send them back safely.)

Merl-san said this with a serious expression on her face, but for some reason, her cheeks were strangely red. I wondered if something had happened to her.

"What is it? Merl-san, what's wrong?"

(N-no! It's nothing! Let's move out now!)

"Y-yes."

I feel like I've been misled… Did something happen with Merl-san during their discussion?

With these thoughts in mind, we boarded Merl-san's spaceship once again and departed the planet Amel as is.

Part 2

At the time when Yuuya was worried about the conflict with the people of planet Amel, Merl had an anxious look on her face when Marl called her over.

(Um, father… what are you going to do with Yuuya-san and the others?)

(What do you mean by what am I going to do? Of course, we're going to make them stay here for the rest of their lives.)

(You can't do that! They have their own lives to lead!)

(But how can we not entertain the Apostle who brought peace to the universe?)

The other Amelians nodded in agreement with Marl's words.

However, Merl stated with a resolute attitude.

(That's only for our convenience. The reason we were able to obtain the blueprint for the anti-astronomical annihilation weapon, and the reason we were able to defeat the Dragonias, was because of the goodwill of Yuuya-san and the others who helped us! And now you're trying to hurt them?)

(…They wouldn't have any means of space travel anyway, would they? If that's the case, they'll have no choice but to listen to us. And we're not trying to hurt them in any way, okay? I'm just trying to arrange for them to live comfortably on this planet.)

(Forcing and threatening things just for our convenience like that is just like the Dragonias, who were our enemies.)

(!)

Merl looked straight at the Amelians and told them so.

(I've been saved by them. Now it's my turn to help them. If father and the others want to force them to stay on this planet, I will take the spaceship and send them back to their home planet!)

(…..)

Marl and Merl stared at each other for a while.

Then Marl let out a sigh and dropped his gaze.

(Hah… I wonder who she got that spirit from…)

(…..)

(…Okay, okay. If you insist, let's send them home.)

(!)

(Marl-sama!)

(But!)

While controlling the surprised Amelians with his hand, Marl continued.

(Merl. I have a mission for you.)

(Eh?)

Merl froze at the unexpected words. However, despite Merl, who was frozen, Marl told her clearly.

(You must deepen your relationship with the Apostle and take his genes.)

(What?)

At this unexpected statement, Merl was surprised, and at the same time, her cheeks turned red.

(W-what do you mean by that…!)

(I mean exactly what I said. I'm sure the Apostle will eventually die of old age. But if the genetic descendants of our planet Amel inherit the Apostle's genes, then that great giant will inevitably belong to Amel. In addition, if you and the Apostle get to know each other, he might change his mind and decide to move to this planet, which is your home.)

(N-no way…)

(I'm telling you, if you disapprove of this, I'm not going to let them leave this planet.)

Merl fell silent at Marl's words.

At last, Merl nodded, feeling her face heat up as she thought back to her previous actions with Yuuya.

(…I understand. I will somehow do my best to get to know Yuuya-san better…)

(Umu. I'm counting on you.)

──Thus, a great deal of talk was going on in a place unknown to Yuuya.

＊＊＊

"We made it back safely…!"

We took Merl-san's spaceship and came back to Earth without any problems.

When we got off the spaceship, Iris-san stepped on the ground with a strange feeling.

"I don't know what to say; it feels weird to be on the ground, doesn't it?"

As Iris-san said, most of the time we were sailing in space, we were either inside the ship or using magic as a foothold, so it felt strange to have a ground we could walk on like this.

It was almost like being on a ship and then getting off. It seemed like I was swaying even though I wasn't…

I was also checking the footholds when Odis-san got off the spaceship, snapping his neck.

"Phew… I'm so tired. I'm going home now."

"Eeh? Master, are we leaving already?"

"Master, I think it's too early to go home."

Ruri and Rill protested, but Odis-san shook his head.

"I don't care what you say; we're leaving. Yuuya-dono and the others have their own business to attend to. And so do Iris and the others."

"Eh, me too?"

"…Just to be clear, have you explained to the rest of the Holy that the Evil has been defeated?"

"Ah…"

(…We haven't.)

At Odis-san's suggestion, both Iris-san and Master Usagi averted their gaze awkwardly.

Letting out a sigh at these two people, Odis-san continues.

"Hah… Oh well. We have to report on it, but there are still Evil Beasts left in that world, aren't there? Our work is not finished yet."

"Hmm… Odis was right, but I don't want to hear it from you, who's been living in seclusion all this time and didn't even know about the resurrection of Evil."

"…I feel bad about that, too. That's why from now on, as a Holy, I'm going to fulfill my duties properly. However, there is a limit to how much I can do on my own. I'm going to ask you two, Ruri and Rill, to help me."

""Yes.""

"Ugh… I really want to stay in this world… with Yuuya-kun, but… it can't be helped…"

Iris-san seemed reluctant at the end, but Odis-san and Master Usagi pulled her to the other world.

"Well then, Yuuya-dono, if you need anything else, please contact me through Usagi or Iris."

"See you soon, Brother Yuuya?"

"See you soon, Brother Yuuya!"

"Uu… Yuuya-kun! I'll be back soon!"

(Let's go, you idiot… Yuuya, I'll see you soon!)

After saying goodbye to each other, everyone returned to the other world.

After sending everyone off, I called out to Merl-san, who stayed behind.

"Thank you, Merl-san, for taking us back here!"

(N-no. Yuuya-san and the others saved us, so this is only natural.)

With her cheeks slightly reddened, Merl-san replied and bowed her head.

(Then, I'll be going now.)

"Yes! You can come and visit us anytime!"

"Right! We'll be waiting."

"Woof!"

"Fugo!"

"Pii!"

"Hmph…"

As they greeted Merl-san, she smiled gently and then laughed bitterly.

(Well… I had a little business on Earth, anyway… Hahaha.)

"Eh? Business?"

(Yes. But I'll leave you here for now. See you soon!)

With that, Merl-san left.

A lot had happened since Merl-san's arrival, but peace had finally come to me.

＊＊＊

Around the time Yuuya returned to Earth.

In the other world, the members of the cult that believes in Evil were gathered at the [World's Disposal Ground].

"──So you finally found out where he is?"

"Yes! As Founder-sama predicted, there seems to be a human living in the [Great Devil's Nest]!"

When one of the cult members replied to the man who was called the founder, the other members of the cult around them began to buzz.

"No way, he really is living in the [Great Devil's Nest]…"

"But if it were not for that, our God would not have been defeated…"

"But who the hell is he?"

In the midst of all the speculation, the founder calmly asks the believer who made the report.

"And did you get any more information about this person?"

"Yes! After investigating, it seems that there is no doubt that he is a young man. However, it is doubtful that he is from this continent…"

"What do you mean by that?"

"According to my investigation, he has an unusual name: Yuuya Tenjou…"

"I see… A name like that sounds unheard of in any of the countries on this continent…"

"In fact, I wanted to find out what continent he was from, but even the Alceria Kingdom, where the rumor originated, doesn't seem to know that much about him…"

"No, thank you for your efforts. What we need to know now is whether or not any humans are living in the [Great Devil's Nest]. And this time, it has become clear. Then there's no need to hesitate any longer."

"But… if that person has defeated our God, will we be able to defeat him on our own?"

In response to the believer's words, the founder shook his head.

"No. If we fought normally, our defeat would be inevitable. But this time, there is no need to fight. We have the magic of the abominable Sage who once destroyed our God. If we use it, we can simply switch the existence of that person and our God and accomplish our longing without fighting him… The power of the Sage who destroyed our God will be our power this time!"

"Oh…!"

The founder stood up vigorously and looked around at all of the believers.

"Gentlemen! Our divine enemy is in the [Great Devil's Nest]! That land is extremely dangerous, and there is no guarantee that you will be safe. But in order to extinguish the hated divine enemy and revive our God, I ask you to entrust me with your lives!"

"For the sake of our God!"

A crazy light lit up in the eyes of all the believers present.

Seeing them, the founder nodded in satisfaction and raised his arms high in the air.

"Let's go! To eliminate our enemy… Yuuya Tenjou!"

──Thinking that peace had finally arrived, Yuuya was greeted with a new trouble.

＊＊＊

During a new movement of Evil believers in another world, Kaori was called to the chairman's office of the [Ousei Academy].

"You said you wanted to talk to me. What is it?"

"Oh. Actually, I wanted Kaori to take care of the new student again."

"Eh, the new student?"

Kaori was surprised by the unexpected words from her father, Tsukasa, but she quickly understood.

"I see… The summer vacation will soon be over, so it might be the right time for a transfer student."

"That's why. So, since Kaori took care of Yuuya-kun and Yuti-san, I wanted to ask you again. What do you think?"

"Yes, it's fine!"

When Kaori nodded in response, Tsukasa also smiled as if relieved.

However, his expression soon changed to one of slight suspicion.

"Um, what's wrong?"

"Hmm? Oh, I'm sorry. As Kaori said, it's not particularly strange that the transfer student happened after the summer vacation, but… my memory is a little fuzzy. I don't remember being consulted about or giving permission for this new student."

"Huh…"

Kaori tilted her head curiously at Tsukasa's words.

The reason for this is that when a student from another school moves into this academy, it is natural that the school's president, Tsukasa, should have been consulted for his approval, but Tsukasa had no memory of such procedures.

However, since Tsukasa had the documents in his possession, he was sure that he had confirmed this matter.

As the two of them puzzled over the strange phenomenon, Kaori suddenly remembered and asked.

"What kind of person is the new student, by the way?"

"Oh, it's this girl."

Tsukasa handed her a document with a picture of the new student, and Kaori checked it.

And Kaori was somewhat familiar with the picture.

"Huh? This person is…"

──The document showed the face of a girl with phosphorescent blue hair.