The Hero Who Returned From Death Quits

EP10. The Falling Twilight

I met my parents with a blush on my face. They were very surprised, but there was more than one reason.

The son suddenly came back, disappeared again, and then came back again after several months. Or the hair that had clearly turned white turned black again. Or the tattoos that were all over his body disappeared cleanly without a trace. That kind of-

“What on earth happened to this guy?”

My father glanced at Grandis, then hurriedly turned his gaze back to me, looked at me with suspicious eyes, and said:

“She suddenly disappeared and then wandered off somewhere again, making my heart sink. Now, what? So that girl…”

My father spoke as if he had witnessed the impossible.

“This girl, what did you say?”

I lowered my head. Then, finally, I mustered up the courage to open my mouth and speak.

“My… bride.”

My father looked at me with blank eyes and said.

“why?”

“Uh… If you ask me why, what should I say…?”

“No, why would that woman marry you? Think about it. Do you think… Do you think we come from a wealthy family? I honestly don’t understand. What on earth are you looking at to marry? And that young lady who looks so innocent. Are you… Aren’t you dreaming a vain dream?”

No, you can say that in front of the person involved. Grandis said with a natural smile.

“Ah… I’m not aiming for anything in particular or anything. I don’t have anything right now anyway. It’s just that my son and I have a very, very long relationship. We met at the place my son worked, and somehow we became close. So you don’t have to worry too much.”

I couldn’t help but be surprised when I saw Grandis talking like that. Because I was surprised that she could speak to someone in such a friendly manner. No, to describe my feelings accurately, I couldn’t even tell if she was a race that could use honorifics, so the shock I felt was beyond my imagination.

Whatever my feelings, my father looked at me and Grandis with a suspicious voice after hearing those words. Then, after thinking for a moment, he opened his mouth.

“…No matter how much I think about it, there are countless surprising and incomprehensible things, but since you both said you liked it and that girl said she liked it, it would be right for me as a parent to give you my blessing. To be honest, I don’t know what you did while you were in the Empire, and I don’t know what happened. But… Yes, do as you wish. If you two are okay with it, I can’t interfere.”

After saying that, my father got up from his seat and looked at me.

“…When did he grow up so much? He used to run away without even listening to his father, but now he’s grown up on his own and he’s a man, so it’s a relief to see him bring home a girl.”

After saying that, my father staggered and walked away.

“Father, where are you going?”

I asked my father, but he continued to walk briskly and said.

“I’m going to get some booze, you rotten b*stard!”

When I heard that, I grabbed Grandis’ arm. I thought that if my father was going to drink, it would be better to leave and give him some time to think alone. But my father frowned at me and shouted.

“Sit down!”

What my father was holding was a bottle of beer. He glared at me once, put the bottle and glass down on the table, and said.

“Excuse me, but could you please step aside? I have something to talk to this son of yours.”

I looked back and forth between my father and Grandis with puzzled eyes. Grandis smiled faintly and said.

“Yes, father.”

I looked at Grandis with puzzled eyes. She smiled at me and whispered in my ear.

“Go ahead and talk, I’ll be talking to ‘Mother’.”

“Hey, you… .”

I glared at her, not knowing how to react to her words. She smiled charmingly, tapped my shoulder a couple of times, and left.

I lowered my head, rubbed my forehead, and looked at my father.

“Now, listen.”

My father said as he poured beer into my glass.

I lifted the glass.

…

I ended up continuing to drink with my father that night and having many conversations, until I became completely drunk.

And when I woke up in the morning, Grandis was sleeping soundly next to me.

I hurriedly checked her clothes. This had happened before. But there was no sign that she or I had spent the night together. Only then was I able to relax a little and figure out what had happened.

I looked at Grandis, and tried to get up carefully so as not to wake her.

Then she opened her eyes wide and looked at me and said:

“You were trying to be considerate? Huh?”

She came closer to me and spoke in a teasing tone. I could not help but let her poke my cheek.

“Be kind, thank you.”

She whispered that in my ear, smiled wistfully, got up from the bed, and walked away from me.

I couldn’t tell from her actions whether she was pretending to sleep to tease me when she was actually awake, or if she was really awake. I sighed and looked at her.

Still, that image remained in my mind. Still, that beautiful image that lives and breathes in a corner of my heart. She was smiling at me just like that.

I got up from my seat.

My mother smiled and said as soon as I left the room.

“Where did you get that girl? She’s cheerful, smiles a lot, polite, and pretty. Wow, my son has such a good eye for women.”

I had to feel dazed for a moment when I heard my mother’s words. Cheerful, smiling, polite… who is that?

When words that I didn’t particularly agree with came out, other than the fact that it was pretty, I couldn’t help but feel embarrassed. Whether or not my mother knew my feelings, she smiled brightly and continued to praise Grandis.

I interrupted my mother and said:

“…But why was Reese sleeping next to me?”

Reese was the shortened name I gave Grandis. I don’t think my hometown people would know much about the Demon King’s Army or anything, but I did it just in case, to prepare myself for anything.

By the way, Grandis was very happy when she heard the nickname I gave her and thanked me for giving her a nickname.

My mother heard me say this, made an “Ah” sound for a moment, and then said:

“After you went into your room and started sleeping, I heard you groaning, as if you were having a nightmare. I was worried, but that girl named Liss hugged you. After that, your groaning stopped. You have a kind heart.”

I nodded when I heard that. Then, I went out of the house and saw Grandis standing in the sunlight with her eyes closed.

“…What are you doing?”

I approached her and said, Grandis said with a faint smile.

“Yeah, I just thought, this is what a morning in your hometown is like….”

She hugged me tightly. I was so flustered that I didn’t know what to do, so she buried her head in my arms and said.

“…good night.”

After saying that, Grandis suddenly distanced herself slightly as if she had never hugged me before. I asked her.

“…What is the meaning of keeping this distance?”

She told me.

“It’s a line.”

“line?”

“Yes, it’s a line that only those who are prepared can cross. I can approach you because I’m prepared to do anything for you, but you can’t. At least not until you’re prepared.”

I looked at her, her mare looking unreasonable at first glance.

Then she shrugged her shoulders and said,

“Why, then, did you really think that I would let a man who wasn’t even prepared to take responsibility for a woman, let alone have his eyes on me, go in that easily?”

She stuck her tongue out. I just stood there for a while, watching her stick her tongue out like that.

“This guy disappeared for months again, looking for a girl!”

“Yes, it’s a shame, but he’s already a mature man, so he’s fit to get married. I wanted to connect him with my daughter, but it’s a shame.”

She and I naturally blended in with the neighborhood. Grandis always had a bright smile on her face no matter who she met, and before long, she was accepted as my wife.

… However, we haven’t gotten married yet. Because I haven’t made up my mind yet. It was hard for me, so I kept putting things off, and several months passed.

EP10. The fading dusk, the end.