After that, I returned to Lady Artemis and offered her the basilisk's heart and blood.
"...I have completed everything you promised..."
Lady Artemis's silver eyes moved back and forth between the basilisk's heart and blood I had brought, and the [Hera's Arc] I held in my hand.
"So you really did it, Astellon. To borrow a god's tool and overcome a god's trial... For a human's struggle, it was a rather interesting sight."
After confirming it, Lady Artemis snapped her fingers lightly, and the heart burst into blue flame and vanished.
At the same moment, a frost of dazzling moonlight settled over Atalanta's body, which had taken the shape of a bear.
Sssshhh—
The coarse fur fell away, the beast's frame twisted, and the supple curves of a woman emerged.
At last, the moonlight lifted, and there stood Atalanta, breathing hard—the Atalanta I had longed for so dearly.
Though the curse had left her with beastlike ears and a tail, that was hardly something worth worrying over.
For now, it was enough that she had returned.
And Atalanta, now restored to human form, looked down at her own hands before calling my name in a trembling voice.
"A-Astellon...?"
She staggered toward me and buried her head against my chest.
The shoulders of the steadfast huntress trembled faintly.
"I'm sorry. Because of me, you had to cross that line of death... And thank you. For not giving up on me until the very end..."
I said nothing and simply held her quietly in my arms.
Her breath brushed my neck, and the feelings contained in that long silence filled the space between us.
A moment later, Atalanta lifted her head and looked straight into my eyes.
The usual bluntness had vanished, and only her sincerity toward me remained in those eyes.
"...Astellon. The weight of kingship you carry—let me bear it with you as well. I love you, Astellon."
At those words, I quietly nodded and took her hand tightly in mine.
Then, unable to hold herself back, she pressed her lips lightly to mine within my arms.
In that instant, all fear and tension melted away like snow, and all we could feel was the fact that we were simply holding one another.
The wind drifted softly through the forest, and the road home through the goddess's woods felt far warmer and more peaceful than before.
And before long, after passing through the forest and arriving at the gates of the kingdom, I quietly adjusted the [Hera's Arc] in my hand.
At my side, Atalanta was catching her breath.
Her expression held not the strain of battle, but a blend of calm and relief.
"At last... we're back."
"Yeah."
Atalanta's words drew a nod from me, and I stepped into the castle.
Passing through the gate and crossing the kingdom's central avenue on the way to my royal palace, the people watched us with eyes full of surprise and awe.
But I paid it no mind. Today was simply the day our lives began anew.
When we reached the castle, I opened the door with Atalanta and stepped inside.
There, Medea and Lady Hecate, who had already been waiting, stood ready to receive us.
Medea looked at me with sharp eyes and a tense expression.
And within that gaze lay restrained passion and possessiveness.
"...Astellon. You've finally returned."
Her voice was cold, but at its end there was a confident resolve.
Lady Hecate, by contrast, welcomed me with a calm smile.
During the time we had spent as teacher and disciple, she had taught and protected me, while also having to steady her own heart.
Now, I could feel that heart slowly opening.
"Welcome back... Astellon."
Her voice was soft and warm.
I closed my eyes for a moment, drew a breath, and then decided on the answer to the matter I had been pondering on the way home.
"Everyone. Today, I want to introduce the people who will be with me."
When my words ended, Atalanta took my hand and smiled gently.
"May I speak first?"
"Yeah."
Atalanta's question drew a nod from me.
"Astellon, I want to share everything you've protected with you. From now on, I'll walk the rest of my life with yours."
Her hand tightened around mine, and our warmth passed between us.
Then Medea and Lady Hecate looked at us with eyes that were impossible to describe.
After that, Medea was the first to speak to me.
"...My heart belongs to you alone. If you leave, I will never forgive anyone—no, not a single soul in this world. But if I can remain at your side, I am prepared to give everything."
With those words, her hand lightly gripped my shoulder.
Within that strength were both loyalty and possessiveness.
And Lady Hecate, watching Medea like that, smiled at me.
"As teacher and disciple, the two of us... I no longer want only to teach and protect you. I want a life with you."
In her gaze as she said that, I could feel deep affection and trust.
At those confessions from the two of them, I paused for a moment and then looked at the three of them in turn.
I had already confirmed my feelings with Atalanta.
But if I chose only one here, I had no idea what might happen.
With that thought in mind, I looked at the three of them and spoke.
"I... will be with all of you."
When those words ended, we naturally joined hands.
Atalanta smiled with deep love for me, Medea fixed me with a fierce gaze, and Hecate watched over us with a gentle smile.
After that, our wedding was not a grand feast or ceremony, but a quiet affair in the garden, yet the sincerity of our hearts was conveyed without doubt.
Under the moonlight, we stood holding one another's hands and swore love and trust.
And in my heart, I made a vow.
"From now on, what I protect is not merely a kingdom. It is the life I share with everyone I love."
That night, the wind through the forest blew with a gentler warmth.
And on the night of the wedding...
For me, who had married the three of them, an entirely unexpected problem arose.
"Astellon..."
"Disciple, then. Who will be first?"
"Astellon. I was the first to confirm our feelings for one another."
Now a husband sharing one room with his wives, I was at a complete loss before the words of the three beautiful women before me.
And in the end, my first time... was taken by Lady Hecate....
========================
The website for reading paid chapters is available on my Patreon. The number of chapters on Patreon: 44
Link: patreon.com/UltraMagnus_T