By Zephyria 
Finally, the morning of the long-awaited Royal Wedding dawned.
The doors of the Great Temple, where the grand engagement ceremony had been held a few months ago, were opened once again. The capital was all in a festive mood. It was a Royal Wedding combined with a coronation, but because it had been taken for granted for so long that Adrian Pearson would ascend the throne, everyone’s attention was focused more on the appointment of the Empress than on the coronation of the new Emperor.
“Is everything ready?”
“Yes. Her Majesty the Empress will be out soon.”
“Alright, let’s leave without being late.”
As with the engagement ceremony, Andrew, the Little Count, was the representative of the family who would take me to the Great Temple. As I slowly came down the stairs with Nicole’s assistance, he was silent for a moment, as if engraving my appearance in his eyes. I pretended not to notice his trembling gaze. It had already been decided that I would only act as Empress for a few months until the new political situation stabilized after the Royal Wedding, and then leave. Someday, someday when my heart calms down, I might come back……. In any case, after this day, he would not be able to see me for a long time without a promise.
Perhaps because the engagement ceremony was so grand and extravagant, the procedure for the Royal Wedding was not much different from the engagement ceremony. The only difference was that Adrian, who had first completed the coronation at the Imperial Palace and formally wore the Emperor’s crown, was waiting for me at the end of the Virgin Road.
Filled with emotion, I strode forward without hesitation. Wearing the bouquet and dress that those from the Imperial Palace had spent days and nights agonizing over, I had no shyness or excitement, just the feeling that I had to finish what I had to do.
I don’t know why. After being led to Lennox that day and blurting out the thoughts I had been suppressing in front of everyone…, it felt like the solid wall that had been built up in my heart had collapsed with a crash. It’s not that I don’t feel sorry for Adrian and everyone else. I still feel sorry. But apart from that, I felt very relieved. It felt like I had finally taken my first step for myself.
‘Be free, my Young-won.’
‘…….’
‘…Please, be happy. My rest.’
You are, maybe that’s why…….
No. Let’s only think good thoughts on a good day. I blinked and quickly shook off the thoughts that had seeped into my head. I soon arrived at Adrian’s side. I linked arms with his left arm and walked side by side, matching his pace.
The face of the groom walking on my right was filled with the solemnity of the coronation rather than the joy of the honeymoon. That too must be a consideration for me. Instead of saying thank you, I squeezed the hand I was holding in my arm once and released it, and Adrian patted the back of my hand once.
I listened to the long sermon in front of everyone sitting inside the Great Chapel. The High Priest who gave the sermon was, of course, the same person who had given me the Dominant Omega judgment every time.
In response to the High Priest’s question of whether we would sincerely cherish and love each other, I slowly nodded, and Adrian replaced his answer by kissing the back of my hand for a long time. The lips that touched the back of my hand were rough.
“…With that, I declare in the name of God that the sacred marriage vows have been completed.”
Waaaaa!
I heard that the scene inside the chapel was being broadcast to the entire capital with magic. No sooner had the High Priest’s declaration ended than the enthusiastic shouts of the people rang out as if to burst my eardrums. It was at that very moment.
Great and mighty achievement!
In the Sacred bet between God, ‘Young-won,’ and human, ‘Noah Hamilton,’ the human ‘Noah Hamilton’ has finally achieved all the victory conditions!
The world stopped. In the fleeting gap where time stopped and even the colors turned black and white, guide windows with familiar shapes began to rush over my vision.
The intangible force rushed in overwhelmingly. My knees buckled on their own.
Due to ‘Noah Hamilton’s’ victory, ‘Young-won’s’ wish
‘To be with Noah Hamilton, who no longer runs away, and to be with him forever’ is permanently abolished.
The price of the bet that God, ‘Young-won,’ had placed, ‘Eternity to be spent with Noah Hamilton,’ will be immediately recovered. Accordingly, God, ‘Young-won,’ has lost all rights to the candidate for spouse, ‘Noah Hamilton.’
“Ah…….”
He did it. I finally did it…….
I had been sure of my victory for a while now, but I was still uneasy deep down. Now, I felt like I could finally let go. I didn’t hold on any longer and collapsed to my knees on the spot.
The wish of the human, ‘Noah Hamilton,’ will be executed immediately. ‘Noah Hamilton’s’ wish has been confirmed to be twofold. Which of the two wishes would you like to fulfill?
▶ To be forever separated from the God who does not love Noah Hamilton.
▶ To be completely annihilated from this world without a trace.
The first item is considered already fulfilled as God’s wish is discarded and the price of the Sacred bet is recovered, so the second item is automatically selected.
I thought so. I was prepared for it to some extent. The Sacred bet with God was absolute. The wish I made as I was dying in my first life was clearly not just to part with God, but also to be eternally annihilated… I expected that I might die as soon as I won. The reason I didn’t tell anyone else was perhaps because I had two wishes, and if only one could be granted, I was going to choose the first one no matter what… And because even if both wishes were fulfilled, it wouldn’t have mattered much.
Rather than the death of a life, the cessation of pain would be a more accurate description for me. In any case, annihilation was not a bad option for me. As soon as I die, the Companion’s Mark on Carlisle will be automatically canceled.
But what will happen to those who are left behind? The annihilation of ‘Noah Hamilton’… I hope it doesn’t just mean my body and mind, but that all memories and traces of me will be erased cleanly. In that respect, I’m glad I expressed my intention to leave. Maybe they’ll think I broke my promise and left right away by any means possible.
“I knew it.”
I was just about to close my eyes in relief. I heard a familiar voice and immediately opened my eyes wide and turned my head. Allen, who was no more than a moving corpse, was somehow staggering straight down the middle of the Virgin Road. His loose Nightgown was in stark contrast to the elaborately dressed nobles.
“Why… why did you suddenly come all the way here? It’s over. You lost.”
“That’s right. Our Sacred bet is over. But Noah, you’re not over yet.”
I let him go so he could be free and happy for once… And this is the ending… Did you think I would allow this? Allen smiled dazzlingly despite his emaciated body. His parched lips slowly began to move.
The name of this ‘body’ is Noah Hamilton. I request that the annihilation of ‘Noah Hamilton,’ the wish of the victor, be replaced with this body.
“Wait a minute…! Allen!”
Don’t tell me this guy… Was he deliberately maintaining the Avatar with this situation in mind?
…(Judging)…
The veracity of the statement has been verified.
It is the body of ‘Noah Hamilton’ at the time the Sacred bet was established.
However, since the soul inside is not Noah Hamilton’s own, an additional price is required.
In addition to the annihilation of the body, I promise the annihilation of the soul. It is the soul of God. It cannot be insufficient to replace a human soul.
…(Judging)…
I couldn’t keep up at all. Allen, who had already passed me, passed even the place where the High Priest was standing and arrived at the very front of the chapel. Where the faceless statue of God was located. Who does he think he is, interfering in my affairs? I wanted to grab him by the collar and shake him, but my legs wouldn’t move. I could barely, barely lift my head and look at his back in the strangely increased gravity.
The content of the statement is acknowledged.
The wish of the victor:
The annihilation of the body of the human ‘Noah Hamilton’ and the soul of the God ‘Young-won’ will be executed immediately.
“Ugh… No, no…!”
My eyes flashed. As it was in the beginning.
“Wake up.”
“Umm…….”
“Wake up, Noah.”
Was it too much for an ordinary soul, no longer even a candidate for God’s Companion, to come all the way here? Noah couldn’t wake up easily. Young-won, the God, smiled gently, feeling sorry for and admiring the deeply furrowed brow of his young lover, and stared at his frowning face for a long time without getting tired of it.
In this bizarre space, which bloomed between the material and spiritual realms, there was the splendid and brilliant fountain where they first met, and the bright light that had been cut and pasted from the sunlight of that day.
He was now a God who would disappear to the other side, but this much power still remained. Fortunately, the weight and power of the soul of a God who had lived for countless eons was so great that it seemed to take some time to completely disappear, even if he diligently annihilated and annihilated himself.
As expected, time was on his side. As a demon in charge of time from the beginning, and ever since he dared to falsely claim the name of Young-won, it had always been the case.
After shaking Noah’s shoulder a few more times, he finally decided to give up waking him. He wanted to say goodbye for the very last time before he disappeared… I guess I’ll have to be satisfied with looking at his face as much as I can. Well, maybe a one-sided greeting is still a greeting.
Even though the God who controlled the universe and managed the order was disappearing, the universe was still running smoothly. It may be because he had been neglecting management for a long time, being preoccupied with Noah, or perhaps because the universe had matured enough to run on its own, unlike in the early days of creation when he first took the position of God.
Upon realizing this fact, the God suddenly realized. That this was it. That he, who had been selected as a God out of necessity, no longer clung to the position of God and crawled into the abyss of annihilation on his own… that this was the ‘beginning’s’ arrangement. That the soul of his Companion had a name that meant rest was also to give Young-won, who would stop eternity, literally ‘eternal rest.’
Once he had an epiphany, the annihilation of his soul accelerated as if it had been well-matched. He felt the pain of all the branches that had been extended into hundreds of thousands of worlds being burned and fragmented. It was a pain that would have driven an ordinary human being crazy, but the God didn’t care.
Because his rest, an eternity without Noah, was the only pain for him.
“Did the beginning arrange you because it thought I might be greedy for the position of God?”
“…….”
“I’m sorry, Noah. I know you’ve suffered a lot because of me.”
“…….”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry…….”
But I still love you, my Young-won. He whispered softly as if reciting poetry. He enjoyed calling Noah by his own name, of course, as an expression of his will to reach immortality with Noah, but before that, it was simply an expression of his ugly affection to make the one he loved his own.
If his existence itself was poison to Noah, then Noah was also poison to him, so isn’t this fair enough? Knowing full well that it could never be fair, the God thought as he pleased, using the final annihilation as an excuse.
“Even if you are truly poison, I will drink it without hesitation.”
“…….”
“Down to the last drop.”
He deeply kissed Noah, who was asleep, at the last moment of an ephemeral yet eternal moment.
Eternity will flow away and disappear.
Unlike the rest that will flow leisurely. Happily, freely.
That was enough.
“I love you. I loved you, and…….”
I will love you.
“Ugh, ugh…….”
What the hell is he saying to himself since a while ago? I was so dumbfounded and speechless that I was bursting with anger. I knew I had been moved somewhere, but I couldn’t move my body well in this strange space.
“I love you. I loved you, and…….”
I will love you… The moment the distant whisper scattered like a hallucination, my body finally moved. I reached out and grabbed him by the collar, shaking him as I had wanted to do since a while ago. The body of ‘Allen,’ which he had been occupying as an Avatar, had been annihilated, and it was the God’s main body that was looking at me and acting pathetic. They looked similar, but there was a clear difference even at a glance.
“Noah…? Ah, you woke up. Thanks to you, I’ll have time to see your face and say goodbye for the last time,”
“Don’t be ridiculous! Why don’t you listen to me and keep doing whatever you want! If you die in my place, what, am I supposed to be grateful now?”
“You must be very upset. I know. Will you use the remaining time to vent your anger? Anyway, it doesn’t matter to me.”
“Ugh…! Say you’re sorry! Apologize to me, say you’re sorry, beg me!”
“…….”
“If you disappear comfortably like this, if only you disappear, is that the end? No way. I can’t let you go like this, even if it’s just out of resentment.”
It was okay for me to disappear, and it was very good for him to be lonely and live in regret and pain forever without me. But I don’t like this. He takes on the burden that I have to bear, and after tormenting me all this time, he disappears so easily at will… If that happens, I won’t be able to hate this cursed face as much as I want…! Just imagining it was terrible.
“Keep suffering until I forgive you.”
“…….”
“Until I say it’s okay, keep…, keep…….”
“Do you know how that sounds to me? I guess you don’t. If you did, you wouldn’t be able to whisper such sweet words to me.”
The God smiled lowly and pulled my shoulder.
“To know if you’ll forgive me, if you’ll allow me to say it’s okay now… I have to watch you.”
“…….”
“Too much has already been annihilated, so I can no longer be an omniscient and omnipotent God.”
“…….”
“This time, with the body of an ordinary human, with the abilities of an ordinary human… I have to watch you directly from the side.”
Do you understand what I’m saying? He smiled brightly, and I punched that smiling face. Hahaha, the laughter that sparkled like shooting stars chaotically embroidered the unknown space.
++eri Add. The font is not a mistake (firmly). eri just wanted to distinguish it at will as it lost its divinity and became humanized. No, but why am I explaining this… Never mind. It’s my heart. It’s okay to do this (cough).