The day I heard the gods’ commentary for the final time remains ever vivid in my memory...
It was the day of the crown’s Festival of Gratitude, hosted in the royal palace. Liese, Fiene, Baldur, and Art joined all of our smiling guests in giving thanks that we made it to see this blessed day.
From amidst the merry chatter came Lady Kobayashee’s voice.
“Oh my gosh... They’re really here...”
Although the goddess seemed somewhat dazed, hearing her voice for the first time in several days stopped me right in my tracks.
“We...managed to turn the final boss back into the Goddess Lirenna, and sealed away Kuon, who was the hidden boss,” Lady Kobayashee said. “That means the game is over, and our role as your play-by-play and color commentators is over too. Maybe that’s why we haven’t been able to see into your world lately. Maybe it’s just because Kuon is gone. Either way, this might be the last time we’ll ever get a chance to talk to you. I hope I’m wrong, but I want you to keep that in mind as you listen.”
The revelation that our kingdom had overcome its impending peril brought some amount of joy. However, more than that, I was struck with overwhelming sadness at our upcoming farewell.
“But I’m glad we have a chance to say goodbye,” Lord Endoh said, deep emotion baked into his voice. “I’m glad we get to see you all having fun, and that you’re all alive. Most of all, I’m glad that everyone, including Lieselotte, finally has the happiness they deserve... Make sure you all get along without us, okay?”
I gave a small nod. Some of my guests eyed me quizzically; I had been chatting with someone when the gods had begun to speak, and I’d stopped mid-sentence to listen.
“One day, this happily ever after will just become a part of your everyday life. Even then, I want you to appreciate this Happy End to End All Happy Ends for the total miracle it is! I’ll get really mad if you make Liese-tan cry! I might even smite you!”
Perhaps the nasal tone with which Lady Kobayashee cheerfully delivered her joke was something I projected onto her due to the tears streaming down my own face. If not, then maybe the gods were just as sorry to see us go as I was them. Although I didn’t know which was the truth, I could no longer keep my emotions contained and broke the promise I’d made with them long ago.
“We have been obliged to you,” I loudly declared. “God of Play-by-Play Casting, Lord Endoh, and Goddess of Color Commentary, Lady Kobayashee. You saved us all: the kingdom, the world, Lieselotte, and me. I will forever worship you as the greatest of all the gods in heaven. Here and now, I offer you my eternal devotion.”
I knelt down on one knee and bowed my head. My abrupt and strange actions drew the attention of all the partygoers, but that was the last thing on my mind.
“We told you to just listen to us and brush us aside at the very beginning, remember? Jeez...” Lady Kobayashee seemed troubled by my actions and then fell silent.
“Sorry, but Shihono—er, Kobayashi’s not in any state to keep talking...” Lord Endoh said. “Hey, come on. Don’t cry like that.”
The two continued to whisper to each other, and while I couldn’t make out what they were saying, the sounds of someone sobbing were loud and clear. I sat and listened. Despite the growing murmurs of the crowd around me, my attention was squarely focused on the gods and the gods alone.
“Hey, Sieg...” Lord Endoh seemed hesitant to speak. “I know this isn’t the kind of thing to mention when everything’s already been said and done, but...you’ve kinda been mispronouncing our names. Out of everyone from your world, I’d say Lirenna’s the closest to getting it right.”
“I-I’m so very sorry!” The news sent me into a state of alarm.
“No need to apologize or anything. But we’re not gods anymore, and both Kobayashi and I feel weird being called a lord and lady. So before we go, we’d like it if you’d remember us the way we introduced ourselves: the play-by-play caster Endo and the color commentator Kobayashi.”
Lord Endoh magnanimously looked past my terrible transgression.
“But...” However, the proposition that followed was even more troubling. Even with the permission of the gods themselves, to refer to them so informally was difficult to do.
I instinctively looked around for help and spotted my father vigorously shaking his head, all color drained from his face. Nearby, Fiene was casually nodding. Even the people who could hear the heavenly voices couldn’t come to a consensus.
Their messages were loud and clear: my father’s was “Know your place! Do everything you can to refuse!” and Fiene’s was “Why not?”
“We tried to keep up our godly image until everything was over because we thought you’d feel more secure that way,” Lord Endoh said, “and now it’s all finished! Besides, we’re the same age! Actually, no, you’re a year older than us! But most of all...we already think of you as a friend, Sieg. So you can drop the lord and lady and just talk to us casually, um, if that’s all right with you.”
Hearing Lord Endoh so meek pricked at my sense of guilt. I supposed I had no other choice.
“As you—er, g-got it.” It took everything I had to squeeze out these few words.
“There you go!” Lord Endoh sounded overjoyed. “Next up is pronunciation!”
We then went back and forth repeating the gods’ names. It took several attempts, but I eventually managed to enunciate the words to Lord Endo’s satisfaction.
“Yup, that’ll do. Well, that’s it for the things we wanted to tell you, so this is really goodbye. Oh, my bad. We’re friends, so I think it’d be better to say: see you later.”
“Thank you for everything, Endo and Kobayashi.” Emotions flooded my mind, and I managed a smile as I wiped away my tears. Along with the names I had just learned, I offered my friends a proper farewell. “Goodbye...for now. May we meet again.”
“S-See you again!” Lady Kobayashi heaved between sobs.
The goddess’s loud crying echoed in the hall, nearly causing me to burst out in laughter. In fact, Lord Endo failed to hold back and began laughing.
We were two worlds apart, but our hearts were as close as could be. With one final sniffle from Lady Kobayashi, the voices that had followed me since the springtime fell completely silent.
────
Two months and some change had passed since the gods’ commentary ceased. We were in the middle of winter, and the new year had just begun. Even without heavenly analysis, I was able to make sense of most of Liese’s actions.
...Or so I’d thought.
Liese was full of love and just didn’t know how to express it; she was quick to be embarrassed, but that only made her more adorable. With these truths self-evident, I’d convinced myself that I totally understood her, and our mutual affection had made me confident that we would have nothing to fear going forward.
In short, I’d grown cocky.
When the two voices that had long cheered me on first disappeared, I’d been overcome with loneliness and anxiety. Will I be able to understand Liese’s true intentions on my own? Will we slide back into the awkward relationship we had before?
However, despite my fears, I’d recognized that I couldn’t cling to the gods forever and mustered up all my courage. Swearing to become a man that my faraway friends could be proud of, I’d faced Liese head on.
At first, it had taken me time to decipher her messages. Yet I was slowly learning to uncover the truth hidden in her thorned words all on my own...or at least, I’d thought so. To put it bluntly, her behavior had been bewildering me for a number of days now.
“Very well,” Liese said. “With that, I shall be excused.”
“Wait, Liese,” I said. “How about a cup of tea before you go?”
“My apologies, Your Highness. I have a meeting with Her Majesty to attend to.”
Liese curtsied with a phony smile and quickly exited my personal office. This had been the pattern for the last several days; she was polite to the point that I felt a distance between us. Thus far, we’d spent the whole day in the royal palace, preparing our wedding, and yet we had hardly even met eyes, let alone engaged in friendly conversation.
“Hey, why do you think Liese’s so angry?”
My question was directed to Art, who was sitting at a table stacked with countless papers. Our wedding required a great deal of cooperation between the Church and crown, and the plans had been thoroughly rushed along to boot.
Thus, Art and a team of priests were here as liaisons. While it wasn’t traditional to have the clergy file away paperwork in the palace, this was the most efficient way of handling everything, since they could ask me for my opinion at any time.