in which an ordinary foot soldier saves the world

Once upon a time lived a terrifying villain who lived only to destroy—the Demon King. So mighty was he that no one could hope to defy him, until one day, aided by hope, determination and the power of friendship, a group of heroes sought to slay him. Their foe was a mighty one, but he was empty. He was lonely. He lived only to destroy, for that was all he’d ever known.

Conversely, the heroes had each other. They knew love, and happiness, and they believed that no night would ever stay dark. The Demon King died without knowing warmth. Peace was restored to the land. Everyone else lived happily ever after.

Pebble got three months of compulsory social work for her transgression. One, for defying the Primordial Saintess. Two, for desecrating a tomb. Three, for unauthorized use of a divine weapon which had almost resulted in her losing her limbs—as if substitutes didn’t exist. Compared to a life, her hands were nothing.

Alpherson paused his book tours for some time. While he wasn’t above adventuring or greeting friends, the crack he’d left behind would take a long, long time to heal. For a child that knew no warmth and a woman who’d lost herself to despair, no amount of pretty words could fix them. Perhaps, hopefully, family would.

Topaz returned to his house… for a few days, anyway. If he wasn’t lounging around Alpherson’s house, he visited Pebble or Frell. He chose the seeds for the flowerbed, too, but he said that there was no point in planting them if they’d rot due to the endless rain. He could wait. In a way, that was all he could do.

As for Frell, during his first visit to Pebble at the medical center, he said, “Look,” showing the divine seal on his neck, then, “Look,” showing the seals on his wrists, then, “Look,” showing his ankles, then, “Look,” reaching for the waistband of his pants.

“No,” Pebble said.

“Why not? If I’m getting seals on all cylindrical parts of my body…”

“Ew.”

He winked, then sat on the stool beside her bed. “I met your parents the other day. They’re cute.”

“Did you show them all your cylinders?”

His grimace vindicated her. Pebble covered her smirk with the back of her fingers. “Oh, look at you. How smug.”

“Well-deserved. Oh, by the way, congratulations on your promotion.”

He flinched as though she’d physically hit him. “Don’t call it that! God!”

“Huh?”

“God as in… old expression. Ugh, just remembering makes my blood boil.”

“What did you expect?” the Primordial Saintess called out from outside their room. “Thanks to you, lots of gods defected.”

Frell’s excessive seals were not enough; as part of his penance, where he went, a Saint had to follow. This wouldn’t be a problem once Pebble’s hands healed, but for now, as no one else wanted the job, the Primordial Saintess covered it. Whoever had given him that sentence had either known him very well or very poorly. Who knew.

“The god of shadows,” she began, “Goddess of kebabs, goddess of flowers, god of fireflies…”

“He wasn’t even there,” Frell grumbled.

“He said you traumatized him. Regardless, we need someone to fill in while we find new ones. Oh! And of course, you’ll also be a provisional god of rain. Isn’t that great?”

“Ohh, how mighty.”

“Peb, shut up.”

“God of flowers, fireflies, rain, kebabs, lust… what else?”

“Apples,” Topaz said.

“Evil,” Alpherson said.

As they walked into the room, Frell covered his face with his hands. “How do they want me to do all of that with all of these things on my body…”

“Stop whining,” Pebble told him.

“And you say that instead of comforting me!”

“There, there.” Alpherson placed a tray on the table next to Frell. “Alphyn sent snacks. I brewed tea. Please do excuse the flowers; my daughter got excited with the decorations.”

Topaz shoved Frell off the stool before sitting there. “How long do you have left in this place again?”

Pebble shrugged. “Two days!” the Primordial Saintess called out.

“Thanks!” As Alpherson rushed to help Frell up, Topaz asked her, “Do you like plays?”

“Never been to one.”

“Great. Now you will.”

“Why?”

Frell groaned. “Peb, please. Take the hint.”

“No, no, it’s funnier that way,” Topaz told him.

While everyone drank tea, Frell did not touch the snacks. Alphyn had seen him during the battle on their property, but she didn’t know that Alpherson spoke to him, let alone about their friendship. Eventually, she would—so Alpherson said anyway.

Though hugging the Demon King had not led to world peace, thanks to their scheme, he and she and they were here, alive, surrounded by warmth.

Though Stormy had died in a nameless battle, thanks to his words, he and she and they had learned about hope.

In a way, was that not immortality?

Was that not saving the world?