WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ SSS-Class Revival Hunter ◈
Chapter 111: Her Way of Loving (3)
──────
I rushed in and embraced her.
“Raviel.”
Numerous words swirled in my mouth.
I could have said [I'm sorry].
Sorry for leaving an indelible wound on you.
I am truly sorry.
Maybe I could have said [Thank you].
Thankful for believing in me, for waiting for me, and above all, for loving me.
For loving someone like me.
But the words I wanted to utter were neither an apology nor gratitude. It wasn't the first time I apologized to her, nor was it the first time I expressed gratitude.
At this moment.
On this night when we met again, I didn't want to offer apologies or thanks.
‘Words I've never said before.’
I wanted to tell her something that could only be given once. A language that I could only speak once in my life. My first. My last. I wanted to dedicate my time to Raviel Ivansia.
So. Therefore, for that reason.
I took Raviel’s hand.
“Let’s get married.”
A marriage proposal.
"......."
Raviel slowly nodded her head.
“I am called by many names. His Majesty the Emperor gave me the name Silver Lily. To the empire, I offered the title Lady of Ivansia. But my name, Raviel, I will always leave vacant solely for you to call.”
We kissed.
Deeply.
4.
The two of us woke up at dawn.
The window was pale blue.
As I turned my head to the sound of breathing, Raviel was silently looking at me.
"......."
"......."
I, too, silently looked at Raviel and moved my hand to clasp hers. Cool fingers entwined with mine. Beautiful person. We shared breaths, intertwined our fingers, and pressed our foreheads together.
“Raviel is a genius.”
It was dawn. At dawn, every meeting became a secret tryst and every whisper became honeyed words. Thus, those who shared the dawn were people in love.
I whispered.
“You’re incredible. To use my ability to glimpse trauma in reverse to transfer memories to me… Truly, you are amazing. I would never have thought of such a method.”
“You have a way of sanctifying others’ pain.”
Raviel’s touch grazed my earlobe.
“You are equally remarkable. How did you ever persuade the tower? To all the Constellations, the tower is like an untouchable administrator. I knew you had a sweet tongue, but to persuade the tower is something else.”
“Hmm. Actually, I don’t quite remember. It comes back to me vaguely like a dream. Perhaps after meeting the tower’s higher-ups, a veil falls over your memory.”
“That does not change the fact that you succeeded. My lover is quite capable.”
“And my lover is a genius.”
“An undeniable truth.”
We rubbed our foreheads together.
We could admire each other.
No hint of vanity or pretense.
This fact made me endlessly happy.
“When shall we marry?”
“Are you in a hurry?”
“That tone sounds a bit unfair.”
Raviel chuckled softly. It was thrilling. Static electricity rose from my spine to my head. No music was as beautiful as the sound of Raviel's soft laugh.
“The first step is to break off the engagement with His Highness the Crown Prince.”
“Ah."
Indeed.
Raviel nodded.
“His Highness and I are bound by an engagement. Marrying you under these circumstances would be legally troublesome.”
“Hmm, actually, I'm fine with a non-legal marriage. Just a small ceremony for the two of us would be enough.”
“No. It matters to me.”
Raviel stroked my cheek.
“This is the world I live in. The empire is the nation I serve and care for. If it's my world and my country, then they must recognize my marriage. Even if you are a commoner here, as my lover, all citizens of the empire should bless you.”
“Oh. But it might be difficult to expect such a reaction from people…”
“It’s alright, Gong-Ja.”
Raviel was calm.
“Any citizen who doesn’t bless us will die by my hand.”
What should I do? She’s too cool. I fell for her again. I want to keep falling.
“Alright. Let's have the wedding in Raviel's world. But I have a condition too.”
“Speak.”
“Even if the engagement is broken off, you absolutely cannot be the one who gets discarded. I cannot forgive ignorant fools whispering ugly things about you.”
If there’s someone pointing a finger at my lover, I'll crush that finger. If someone badmouths her, I'll cut off their tongue. If someone slanders her, I'll kill them.
This is no joke.
I'll show them hell.
“It must be obvious to everyone that the Crown Prince is at fault. You should be the one to cast him aside, Raviel.”
“Oh? Are you telling me to humiliate the heir upon whom the empire's future rests? Me, the rightful heir of the Ivansia ducal family, who works from the shadows for our nation?”
“Yes."
“That's easy.”
The two of us shared a moment of kissing.
Life became a bit richer.
“Do you have a plan?”
“Of course. Who are you asking? Every time His Highness has a secret meeting with Goldencup, a document gets added to my library drawer. Hundreds of such documents have been collected. Alibis and witnesses are all prepared. It’s a guaranteed win in court.”
What should I do? She’s too cool. I fell for her again. I want to keep falling.
“Of course, there’s no need to really go to court. The royal family wouldn’t want such a matter discussed. I just need to bring the evidence and request an audience with His Majesty.”
“When do you plan to go to the palace?”
“As soon as possible.”
Raviel quietly brushed my bangs.
“Gong-Ja. Once we are married, you will be the wife of the Ivansia ducal house. The imperial family will bestow a title upon you directly. And I will become your husband.”[a]
My heart raced.
“At official functions, I will call you my wife. You will call me your husband. Is that all right?”
“It's a hierarchical society. Raviel is the head of the Ivansia family. I'm just a foreigner. Don't worry. I will abide by the laws of the empire. I don’t mind any of that……"
“I am glad that it does not bother you. I knew it would not. So, as a test, try calling me Husband.”
I hesitated.
“Why? Are you embarrassed?”
"......."
“You're embarrassed. I knew it. Let me show you first.”
Raviel smiled with her eyes.
“Wife.”
My heart.
"......."
I swallowed. Saliva stuck thickly in my throat. As I slowly opened my mouth, it didn’t work well. My upper lip slipped against my lower lip several times before I could barely make a sound.
“……Hus... band.”
Raviel blinked.
Silence descended.
My lover's red eyes stared straight at me. How should I put it? It was like seeing the soles of a hedgehog's feet for the first time. In short, I couldn’t figure out her expression.
“Gong-Ja.”
“Yes."
“Say it once more.”
“......, .......Husband?”
“Once more.”
Uh.
“Husband……?”
Raviel’s eyelashes trembled slightly. Her shoulders shrank a bit.
‘What kind of reaction is this?’
At first, I didn’t notice due to Raviel's impassive face, but then I realized. Could it be? Maybe? Possibly. I thought it impossible even if the world fell apart.
“Raviel. Are you embarrassed right now?”
“Hmm…”
Raviel let out a soft moan.
“You’re incredibly adorable. My man......"
Embarrassment spread instantly. Insane.
My face flushed red, and my lips dried. But my mind was still spinning. Now would be the perfect time to retort with [But Raviel, you are the cutest in the world]. I could return the damage I’ve received from Raviel. But I couldn’t do it. I felt too embarrassed.
Instead, I decided to compromise.
“Husband.”
An exchange of affection rather than a unilateral attack. A draw with neither winner nor loser. Did Raviel catch on to my tactic? She also opened her lips.
“……Wife.”
“Husband.”
“Wife.”
“Husband!”
“Wife……”
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”
“My husband.......”
“My wife.”
That scene replayed endlessly.
When I came to my senses, dawn had turned to morning.
-Damn it. That damn bastard…
Guardian Spirit grumbled, turning his back to me. In his own way, he was respecting our privacy.
-Damn couple. Crazy lovebirds. Pair of lunatics. Shii-it, when you were immersed in being a butler and lost your senses, how desperately did I call out to you? Huh? Right after regaining consciousness, not a word of thanks to me, just thumping hearts with your lover? Huh? Do I look that easy? Really, should I just achieve Nirvana now? Huh?
[Shiny offers words of consolation to the Sword Emperor.]
-Ah, now you’re all I have left, Shiny!
A ghost and a sword forged a mysterious friendship.
‘I’m sorry and thankful to you guys too.’
But for now, I just want to love my love a little longer.
5.
In the midst of love, I revisited the objective of this stage.
[Prevent the destruction of this world.]
The primary cause of this world's destruction lay in my husband's artifact, the fragment of the Holy Sword, and its wish running wild.
‘In other words, if I retrieve the fragments of the holy sword, the risk of this world being destroyed by demons will disappear.’
But that wasn't the only reason leading to this world's destruction.
-Apostle of 'Ruin-Harvesting Cow’.
-Apostle of 'Warhorse of the Eternal Plains’.
-Apostle of 'The Immortal Missionary of Happiness’.
Beings from other realms descending through the torn sky on the last day.
I clearly remember the invasion of apostles sent by other Constellations.
‘They will surely come.’
The fact that the stage clear message hasn't appeared yet was proof enough.
‘My husband had awakened as a half-Constellation by embedding the fragment of the Holy Sword in her heart.’
In other words, a Constellation is a representative of a world, a barrier protecting it.
This meant that this world had about half a barrier.
But now, my husband had not embedded the Holy Sword in her heart. Therefore, she had not awakened as a Constellation either.
In the truest sense, there was no Constellation in this world right now.
“I’ll set the wedding date for a month from now.”
A month from now.
“That’s exactly ten days after the point I possessed this body.”
“That's right. I deliberately chose that date.”
My husband had deliberately chosen the day the world was originally destroyed as our wedding date. She meant to deny that former ending and turn it into our point of departure.
How splendid.
“It's going to be quite a struggle. Everything needs to go smoothly for the wedding to happen a month from now.”
“What kind of things need to be resolved?”
“First is breaking off the engagement with the Crown Prince. Second is my succession of my father's title.”
Raviel spoke as if it were obvious.
“It would be difficult to marry you while I remain merely a young lady. We would face troublesome legal procedures, and high society would make a pointless uproar over my taking a commoner as my betrothed. Annoying. It would be better for me to become duke and take you as my wife. Once I am head of the family, there will be many more matters I can settle as I please.”
“Uh…”
I was at a loss for words.
“Raviel. I still have some memories of being a butler. Isn’t it quite difficult for an heir to ascend as the head of the family? Especially for Ivansia. The noble and great Ivansia family. Just because Raviel wishes it doesn’t mean you can easily succeed the dukedom…”
“That's true. If I weren’t Raviel Ivansia, it would have been difficult.”
Raviel spoke calmly.
“But I am Raviel Ivansia.”
What should I do? She’s too cool. I fell for her again. I want to keep falling.
“My family's vassals have already sworn allegiance to me. I hold the military power. If my father still doesn’t want to relinquish power, he has no choice but to plead with His Majesty.”
Thud.
Raviel placed a stack of documents on the table.
“I have more than enough evidence of His Highness’s infidelity. His Majesty is as competent as his special forces. He will choose to protect the dignity of the royal family rather than keeping loyalty to my powerless father.”
“That sounds like a loyal statement, but Raviel. That’s basically blackmailing His Majesty with a weakness, isn’t it…?”
“Wife.”
Raviel looked at me gravely. The word wife made me flinch.
We deliberately called each other [Wife] and [Husband] even when alone so that we could grow accustomed to the new titles.
“Yes, Husband.”
“You have a job in the tower, not in this world. I will understand if you don’t return to our empire often, just as you understand why I can’t give up my nobility.”
It sounds like I’m a husband working abroad…
“But there will be times when I need you at my side, such as year-end and New Year's functions. The affairs of a ducal couple are invariably political. You will become the Moon of Ivansia and be revered as the noblest wife in the empire after the empress. You must acquire some political skill.”
Hmm. So.
“Loyalty to His Majesty and blackmail against the imperial family can coexist. The empire will suffer no loss from my husband becoming head of the ducal family. On the contrary, it is fortunate to gain a noble as capable as my husband.”
“My wife understands two things when taught one. Capable, intelligent, and splendid.”
“Of course. I am Raviel’s man.”
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”
The two of us shared a moment of kissing.
Life became a bit richer.
-Shiii-it…
For some reason, the ghost's face became increasingly gaunt.
-Who is it? Who taught this lunatic about love? Who labeled his craziness and afflictions as love?... Why does he love? If he had not loved, I could have still been happy...
[Shiny sadly points at the Sword Emperor.]
-I should have killed myself. I should have...
And so, we became busy.
For the best happy ending--- no.
For the best wedding.
[a] These are formal marital titles in the empire, assigned by position in the household. Raviel takes the “husband” role as head of the Ivansia house; Gong-Ja takes the “wife” role. Raviel is a woman and Gong-Ja is a man.
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried
