Epilogue — Everyone's Letter

While officially proclaimed as soon as Agnes, Iaomai and Lorelai told the empress about what happened between Joezand and the demon, the county of Kivul didn't look like much for a couple of months. Joezand and Anneliese took residence in one of the empty houses, and appointed Karla as the person who'd be responsible for the village if the prince and his maid happened to be absent. The promised soldiers eventually came, but they were mostly helping with construction and rebuilding. Although on the border with a rival nation, Kivul doesn't have much strategic value to be captured. The only real target inside the city would be the prince himself, but the opposing country didn't dare try for fear of an armed conflict.

Prince Joezand...

No, that's not right. He has another title now.

Count Joezand. Honestly, sounds a bit tacky. And a bit below a prince, as well. Pretty much anyone can be a count, or so he's heard. Still, it's at least a sign of his progress, so he'll take it. 'Prince Joezand, Count of Kivul' would be a better title, but obviously too wordy. Such is the tragic life of a royal, he supposes.

He takes a look around at the reforms he made to the empty house. It's one of the ones right at the center of the village, so it's perfect for the royal dwellings. He's been rebuilding, as he's not really a big fan of the simple and practical wooden design. Anneliese doesn't like it either, reminding her a lot of the shed she used to live in. So he's been hard at work to change it to something more like a palace. And by hard at work, he means using soldiers as muscle. Hey, at least it's effective, right? The place looks way better now, at least. A stone base for walls makes it sturdy, and they've built a lot of extensions to the base home, making it much larger than anything else in the village.

"I've got the cobblestone shipment, Count Joezand." One of the soldiers robs him of his train of thought, holding a box of heavy rocks. He seems to have a bit of trouble with its weight.

"Alright, let me give you a hand." Joezand replies, helping the soldier carry it to an empty room inside of the house. "We're going to build another hallway here, maybe leading to a more secluded area. The other soldiers are already working on the outside, help them if you can."

"Yes, sir." The soldier replies. He doesn't seem super enthusiastic about it, but it's not like Joezand's going to be one of those rulers that demands respect in the most benign of instances. He knows the history of those, and it ends with a guillotine. Not repeating the mistakes of the past. Or... the future, in this world. He supposes a big democratic revolution hasn't happened yet. Oh god, will he have to deal with that, too? Not that he'd be against a constitutional monarchy, but—

"Count Joezand!" He hears a voice. The voice. He looks to the side and sees Anneliese, in her new fancy dress. He thought he'd order something nice for her a few weeks ago. The black really suits her, although she's been wearing it too much lately. "We've got a letter from the palace!"

"Is that so? Something important?" Joezand says, pouring himself a glass of water. "Could you read it for me?"

"I think it's better if you read it yourself." She hands him the letter.

"Disobeying orders, hm?" He asks, taking it from her. It has Empress Agatha's seal. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. What am I going to do with you?"

He opens it, starting to read.

'Dear Count Joezand,

Congratulations on your fierce battle and subsequent acquisition of the newly formed County of Kivul. I'm informed that you've been reforming and building defenses to deal with the threat across the border. It's truly a commendable act. The knight Lorelai of the von Gelbia family has informed me that maybe some messages from the palace's constituents would motivate you to continue your commendable work, so I asked everyone to give me a quote that I could pass onto you.'

Huh. He never knew Lorelai's surname was von Gelbia. Weird. Although she did mention being from a family of knights before.

'From your father, Emperor Thaddius von Styria:

I'm very happy with the work that you did, kiddo. Slaying a demon's no easy feat. Soon, you'll be on your battlefield, bringing even more honor to our house.'

Probably the last person he'd want to hear from.

'From your mother, Duchess Cecilia von Styria:

Hello, Jozzzz! Hope you're doing well. I miss you a lot and think about you every day, but Empress Agatha told me I couldn't just send you a bunch of letters. But keep in mind that I'm trying to find out more ways to show you my love. Please visit soon! Love you lots, kisses!'

Uhm... At least she's trying? That's good to know, at least.

'From your sister, Duchess Agnes von Styria:

Come to the Duchy of Acquatia sometime so I can teach you how to run things properly, loser. And yeah, that's a duchy that I have. Way bigger than a county. Just so you know!'

Really, what else did he expect? Maybe he'll take her up on her visit offer sometime, though.

'From your Duchess Agnes' personal attendant, Iaomai:

Salutations, Count Joezand. I sure hope your wounds healed properly and my hasty work wasn't too shoddy. Duchess Agnes' condition has gotten better, so I've been able to go back to doing my charity work. If you have the time to come to the Duchy of Acquatia, I'd love to show you around. If you need any help yourself, don't hesitate to write and we'll be there as soon as possible.'

What a cool dude. Shame he's stuck with someone like Agnes.

'From my personal knight, Pult:

I don't personally care, and I doubt that you will. But just in case you do... I've had a lot of time to think about it. Although the past still weighs heavily on my judgement, I can safely say that I'd be able to tolerate you in case you come back to the palace. That's all I have to say.'

As cold as ever, huh? Although it's nice to know he isn't hated if he needs to go back to the royal court. He kind of misses his rivalry with Pult.

'From the emperor's knight, Lorelai von Gelbia:

Hey there, kiddo. It's been a logistical nightmare making this letter, since Iaomai and Agnes are in Acquatia and the rest of us are in the capital, but I somehow made it work. I just thought it'd serve for some nice motivation. I don't have much to say, except begrudgingly admit that I miss my protégé more than I thought I would. Don't be a stranger, alright? It's not like Kivul has that much going on that you'd need to stay there all the time. Come to the palace once in a while. It's not gonna kill you.'

Lorelai...

He feels the water prick at the corner of his eyes again.

There's one last message.

'From me, Empress Agatha von Styria:

I remember it like it was yesterday. Before you left for Kivul, you promised me that you'd keep making me proud. I guess it's safe to say that you've accomplished that. You're someone special, Count Joezand, and I'm so glad you're trying now. It broke my heart to see you not care about anything before you ran away, but it healed after you've tried so hard to change. Tried and succeeded. And I know you'll make me even more proud in the future, too.

—With love, Empress Agatha, and everyone else.'

A drop of water falls on the letter. He didn't realize, but he actually started crying. For no reason, too. Who would've thought a letter could leave him so emotional?

'Doesn't it feel good, though?' Sunnaria asks.

'It does. It feels incredible.'

'Well, now I have to say my piece, too.' Sunnaria says. 'You've been my most trusted asset, little lamb. But it became more than that. I view you... as a friend. I've viewed you like that for a long time, actually. I try not to get attached to regular people, but I always fail. Such is the way of the Goddess of Humanity, I suppose.'

'I'd like to think it was just my irresistible, charming personality.'

'Yeah, just a little bit.' She chuckles.

"Prince Joezand, are you okay?" Anneliese asks.

"Y-Yeah, it's just..." He takes a deep breath. "This letter was a lot. Seeing how much some people appreciate me... I just couldn't help it."

"Hehe, don't be silly. You're an incredible person! It's no wonder people appreciate you." She leans in to give him a peck on the lips. "I appreciate you a lot, too!"

"Just appreciate? You're breaking my heart here."

"Fine. I love you, Joezand. Is that sufficient?"

"I don't know. Now I'm already hurt..." He smirks.

"Fine, then I'll prove it to you." She sits on his lap, and starts to viciously kiss every part of his face.

"H-Hey!" He says, embarrassed. "Cut it out!"

"No! You asked for it!" She chuckles as she continues.

As Anneliese's onslaught of affection continues, his mind wanders.

He's just... so glad that he stayed in this world. At this point he'd be fine never returning to Tokyo again.

The friends he made. The lessons he learned. The things he went through.

In Tokyo, he felt trapped. He felt like he couldn't live. He couldn't do anything.

And here, he finally realized how much he likes it.

Living. Actually living and enjoying it, instead of just surviving.

And he's going to continue doing it.