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“Thank you all for gathering here for me. I am Zion Laurel, the hero known to all of you.”

Suddenly, I found myself standing in front of everyone, pulled onto the stage by Zion.

What’s going on?

“And this person standing next to me is—”

Zion turned around to look at me with an expression of surprise.

He seemed determined, as if he’d made a resolution.

Since it seemed like he was going to introduce me, I straightened my face and stepped up beside him.

“I am the one who pulled him up from rock bottom,”

A calm before the storm.

Zion tightened his grip on my hand and took a deep breath, as if bracing himself.

“…and my one true love.”

– Wow!

Cheers and applause erupted from all around. I even heard whistling from somewhere.

“Congratulations, Teacher Hop!”

“You’ve got the most beautiful lover in the world!”

“I should’ve become a rehabilitation expert!”

“You seem to be on the way to a rehabilitation center already, don’t you?”

“Wait, what?”

“Hahaha!”

As Zion introduced me as his lover, the nobles showered him with congratulations, envy, and jokes.

I bowed my head slightly in response to the cheers, and they roared even louder.

“And the reason I gathered you all here today is—”

As Zion opened his mouth again, a sudden hush fell over the room.

Each of his actions seemed to shift the atmosphere astonishingly.

“I want you to be witnesses to a vow I’m about to make.”

With a firm and powerful voice, Zion stood before everyone.

Could it really be that this person in front of me is the same Zion I’ve known?

Right now, she was the most radiant person in a room full of the kingdom’s most precious beings.

The most beautiful and strongest person in the world.

At this moment, Zion looked almost like she was in her prime.

No… at the end of her story, Zion was 18, but after a 3-year gap and a year of rehabilitation, she is now 22.

The aura she radiated now was a bit different from the intense sparkle of a girl who hadn’t yet matured.

It wasn’t a shimmering light aimed at cutting through many hardships but rather the steadfast and mature glow of someone who has overcome numerous trials.

“I stand before you as the hero gifted with the name bestowed by the Creator,”

Zion continued her speech.

As she extended her hand,

“…and with this sword,”

The Holy Sword…!

Naturally, the Holy Sword was summoned.

A testament that Zion’s body was whole.

The audience gasped in awe and admiration, echoing my own surprise.

“I swear my eternal love.”

– Ting!

As Zion drove the Holy Sword into the ground, it stood at a right angle.

Since the Holy Sword harms only those judged evil by the hero, it was embedded as if merged with the floor without damaging it.

As long as Zion was alive, the Holy Sword could not be touched by anyone else, so if she didn’t withdraw it, that place in the royal palace would remain like Excalibur stuck in the stone.

“And the one to receive this vow is…”

Zion turned her body towards me.

I turned as well, facing her.

We were checking each other’s expressions.

Zion looked at me with an incredibly beautiful and confident smile.

How does my face look to her right now?

“Hop Harvey. It’s you.”

It was quite a sudden confession and vow from my perspective.

Zion, why did you suddenly bring this up?

“Teacher Hop.”

Zion took a step closer.

“Whether you wished for me to be healed or shattered…”

Another step. Zion moved even closer.

Although she and I were already close enough to hold hands, she continued to approach me, stepping closer.

“I’m happy that you’re asking something of me.”

And when there was no more space left, Zion raised her right hand and placed it on my chest.

“Anyone can lose what they have, and regain only what they have lost.

What I had was only the name of hero, this body, and this sword.

Once, I lost all of that…”

Then, with her other hand, Zion took my right hand and lifted it to rest on her heart.

“The reason everything could return to me is entirely thanks to you, Teacher. So everything I have belongs to you, Hop Harvey. You can ask for anything and use it as you wish.”

We felt each other’s heartbeat in our palms.

Zion’s heartbeat felt completely serene, but mine was racing faster and faster.

1.9, 2.0, 2.1…

“I didn’t have anything until now, so I couldn’t offer anything, but—”

“…….”

“Now, I’ll give you a vow that encompasses all of me.”

Zion was still inching closer.

Just when I thought she couldn’t come any closer, her face drew near.

“At the most exalted, dearest gathering, at the most radiant spot…”

Zion leaned toward me, rising on her heels, stretching her whole body to approach.

It was as if she was pleading for me to look at her just as she was right now.

“I’ll give you my most beautiful self, forever.”

At this point, physically there was no space left between us.

Zion and I were almost one.

With a mere nod, we were close enough to kiss.

“Will you… accept this?”

I felt my heart racing even faster than before.

2.3, 2.4…

The word ‘eternity’ squeezed my heart as if suffocating me.

Zion must have suddenly stepped forward to vow to me because I shared my anxieties with her.

To assure me to not be anxious, she was using the most undeniable method to engrave herself in my heart.

Zion’s thoughts were so honest and upright, just as a hero should be.

Before the Creator, she wouldn’t have an ounce of shame in facing both herself and me, her lover.

So Zion always easily speaks of words like ‘absolute’ or ‘eternal.’

Her will, thoughts, and values will always shine the brightest and be the most virtuous, and that will remain a fact forever.

But… but I’m not like that.

I can’t help but think of the ‘what ifs.’

A person as ordinary, no, as twisted as I can never swear to eternity.

And it’s not just that—I can’t even foresee what this moment will return as in the future.

“Don’t worry.”

Zion was still smiling at me, even though I had frozen in my trembling eyes.

“Zion, I…”

“Making the vow is my role. You just need to accept it. You taught me that the one receiving doesn’t have to do anything.”

Just accept it and that’s enough…

“People are watching. If I’m rejected here, I’ll look foolish.”

So this is how it turns out.

This is my responsibility, my karma.

Pushed by the Demon King, I resurrected Zion in exchange, and now I’m bound to her, forced into a vow of eternity.

Though I love Zion dearly, accepting this vow demands considerable resolve.

And even though I wasn’t ready for such resolve,

“Thank you, Zion. I will accept your vow and your eternity.”

And with that, I accept it.

The shackles of eternity.

“……!”

As if she had been waiting for this, Zion stretched her neck and kissed me.

I wrapped my arms around Zion’s waist, lifting her up as I embraced her.

A kiss that was unbearably sweet and delightful.

But I couldn’t even imagine what this sweetness might cost me in the future.

Unlike Zion’s faith, I didn’t know… what was to come.

Before I knew it, the music in the hall had changed to the triumphant melody of the fanfare.

It seemed as if the whole world was blessing us, with applause and cheers echoing all around.

In this space overflowing with joy, celebration, and love, I alone was desperately trying to hide a heart crushed under pressure.

******

“I have an announcement too! Would everyone please pay attention for a moment?”

Once Zion’s vow, the main event ended, and while everyone was drinking and dancing, the king returned to his seat, stating he had something to announce.

Naturally, all eyes turned to the king.

“Hop Harvey, the subject introduced as today’s main character, though he is a commoner holding the title of a doctor, is a pioneer and founder in the medical field, impacting the whole world, and is a pride and great blessing for our kingdom.”

Praise out of nowhere.

The king always praises me when he talks about me, but there must be a reason he brought me up in public like this.

“Although he doesn’t command an army, when you combine the soldiers and knights he has cured and sent back, he could boast more military strength than any noble. Moreover, although he doesn’t own fiefs, his influence has a reach that covers the entire continent. Therefore—”

An army? A fief? These things were the foundation and symbols of power for nobles in the Middle Ages. Could it be that—

“From this moment on, I shall grant Hop Harvey a title and make him the Baron to govern the kingdom capital. The capital of Nordon, Obery, will now be ruled by me, King Baroar Larnon Drakson, and my delegate, Baron Harvey. The Baron may use my army and authority as he pleases.”

A title grant I never expected.

Not just any title, but to be handed the king’s own authority over the capital.

If I’ve been given a title to govern the capital because I can’t leave it, then does it mean I’m a noble from now on?

“Such flimsy tricks from you, King Baroar!”

Huh? What’s this all about? I turned to see who was speaking loudly and standing up; it was none other than—

“Is there a problem with my authority as king, Pope Silein IV?”

The Pope himself.

He must be the only one who can speak to the king in such a manner here.

But shouldn’t the Pope keep a cool head and not speak like that?

More importantly, why is he suddenly so angry?

“Baroar King. Do you intend to make Hero Zion just a baroness?”

Ah, so that’s how it was?