Having defeated the demon, I head to Luna Maria, but she smiles at me and

That's what I'm talking about, Master Will.

　And smiled.

　He gave me the best smile in the world.
　My heart burned and my cheeks burned.

　It helps that Luna Maria is blind, but when I think about it, she can hear my heartbeat. She can hear my rapid-fire beating now. I hope she's mistakenly thinking my heart is beating too fast, since it's just after the battle.

　As I think about this, I realize that Lunamaria's attention is now focused on my rear.
　I look in that direction and realize that the king is there.
　I remember that I'm here to rescue the king.
　You walk straight to the king and pay your respects to the king.
　The king is staring at me with his eyes wide open.
　He is staring at me with a smile on his face.

　I thought he had a lot of guts after the attempt on his demon's life, but that's not the only thing I saw.

　The king's face was clearly devoid of life. His expression closely resembled that of a sick man, one who had been stricken by a deadly disease.

　--In other words, his life is drawing to a close.

　The king's eyes seemed to reflect no demon, only me as I fought valiantly against it.

　Lunamaria seems to have noticed this, and as she prays to the Mother of Earth, she tells you to hold the king's hand.

"Will, Your Majesty doesn't have time for this.

I know.

　I answer shortly and lean in beside the king.
　I kneel down beside him and grasp the hand of the king of this country.
　The king said in a thin voice: "William Alfredo.

"...... William Alfredo.

　It was the name of the king's son.
　The name of a son who disappeared about fifteen years ago. The name of the heir to the land. --My assumed name.
　So I will call the king my father.

"...... father, father.

　The king's eyes narrowed when I said that.

"...... William. Can you call me Father?

Of course I'm William. I'm your son.

...... but I've gotten you into a political fight and given you a harsh fate.

"Harsh fate?　That's not true. The gods who picked me up on Table Mountain were very good people. They were very kind people.

...... Well, that's good to know.

　When the king says this, he praises the gods.

...... I'm sure they are good gods. I'm sure they are good gods, for they have raised my son, who is illiterate, to be so brave.

　The king of this country was not a king of great military prowess.

　He rarely went to the front and directed the cavalry from the back of the palace. He was also a man of taste who loved poetry and music more than hunting and martial arts.

　Hence, he was belittled by his vassals and led a coup d'état fifteen years ago, which he must have been worried about.

　I'm truly glad that I didn't pass my inertia on to my son.
　I squeezed his hand and said, "Dad, I'm going to hold your hand.

...... Dad's not a coot. He's just a gentle king. I'm your son. I'm my father's son.

...... I'm glad you said that. I'm glad you said that.

　That was the king's last word.

　The thirteenth king of this country. The man who sat on the throne of Midnia for so long let out a satisfied sigh and ended his life.

　I lightly stroke my father's eyelids as his eyes widen.
　Then he closes his eyes. He never opened his eyes again.

　Thus I watched the king die. I couldn't have averted his death, but I thought I had changed his fate.

　I'm still not sure if that's good or bad, but at least Luna Maria seems to be satisfied.

　She bowed deeply to me and said.

"'Dear Will,' thank you for your help.

　I smiled back at her and said, "Thank you.
　These are short words, but they have a lot of meaning.

　Thank you for taking me on this journey, thank you for bringing me here. Thank you for being with me.


　--Thank you for being with me.


　Thank you for being with me.

　That was my true and unspoken intention.