Finally, I can Retire, Or so I Thought

After a while, once Dion regained consciousness and they all sat around the coffee table on the sofas with Gina perched on Dion’s head:

"Okay... so what is this really all about?" Dion asked.

Dion’s question hung in the air. The faces of Cleo, Luna, Mei, Aria, and Sheila turned flushed, and they looked away with red cheeks.

"Do you understand any of this, Gina?" Dion asked, looking up at Gina’s upside-down face.

"Kyuuu,"

Gina answered with a shake of her head. Dion turned his attention back to the five girls sitting before him.

"Because this is strange... We’ve been together for nearly two months, and not one of you ever brought up marriage," Dion stated bluntly.

"You want to know why?" Cleo shot back directly.

"Yeah... I’d like to know," Dion replied.

"Because someone here already knows you, knows about you, knows that you’re the one who opened the seal down below, and knows that Gina is the calamity dragon," Cleo retorted.

"That’s right. I’ve been with you since we were 12 years old. We were never far apart, but even now, I still don’t fully know or understand you," Luna added.

"Same here... We’ve been engaged since we were kids, and we saw each other often at the palace... We even met at the academy, even though I enrolled later... but I don’t really know you at all," Aria chimed in.

"Honestly, I got to know you back at the academy. I knew you were an oddball... but the problem is you’re mysterious, so I wanted to get to know you. Plus, I’ve already decided that I belong to you, because you saved me back in Phobos when I was ready to die," Mei said.

"Yep... I don’t need to give a long explanation. Mei and the others covered it," Sheila replied casually.

A vein popped on Dion’s forehead. His neck flushed red and his jaw tightened in frustration with the five girls surrounding him.

"I’ve explained this over and over! My class is World Keeper, rankless! I was researched back at the academy! I’m weak if I don’t use a persona! I already explained what personas are to all of you, and none of you believed me!" Dion argued, pointing at the five of them.

"Yeah, but you killed a hydra with a meteor," Cleo blurted out.

"You killed every S-rank monster in a single hit," Luna added.

"You even pulverized a mountain and altered the terrain of the world just to stop a monster stampede... and brought Gina back home," Mei said.

"One hit and a Giant Tusk Boar went face-first into the dirt. Honestly, I could beat that monster, but not in one hit. And besides... clearing an entire forest and opening a path with a single sword slash? What kind of move is that supposed to be?" Sheila asked casually.

"And those strange golems, the unusual weapons on the watchtowers, the iron wall that couldn’t be scratched, plus just today you wiped out an entire mountain orc settlement in a single attack without damaging the ancient ruins... Everyone saw it, and it was obviously your doing," Aria added, shrugging her shoulders.

"But that was all because of my personas!" Dion yelled.

"Say whatever you want, but the one we saw was Dion!" Cleo, Luna, Mei, Aria, and Sheila shouted in unison, refusing to back down.

Dion opened his mouth to reply, but no words came out. They were right, even when he swapped personas, it was like changing clothes. His face was still his face, and his body was still his body; he was just wearing different armor and holding different weapons. Dion felt as though he had been impaled from five directions at once, thoroughly outmatched by the five girls staring him down.

"Sigh... Fine. But you still haven’t answered my first question, have you?" Dion asked.

"It’s because Olga knows you, knows your domain, and knows the legends surrounding you, get it now?" Cleo asked.

"Oh... So that’s the reason you all wanted to go home?" Dion asked.

"Yes... We want to know what is actually in our territory," Luna answered.

"You told Olga everything, even though you kept it a secret from the five of us," Aria noted.

"We’ve been together, and we even live under the same roof. Why couldn’t you trust us?" Mei asked.

"Exactly... So do you get it now? That’s why we made a pact with you. It’s not just about us loving you, I want you to trust us and make us your partners," Sheila added.

"Hold on a secoooond... There’s a huge misunderstanding here," Dion said, holding up his hands.

Hearing Dion’s words, Cleo, Luna, Aria, Mei, and Sheila abruptly went quiet, staring at Dion with bewildered expressions.

"What misunderstanding?" Aria asked.

"The misunderstanding is... I only found out about all this today... after seeing that relief record book and after Olga made her own guesses... I couldn’t answer because I was completely confused myself," Dion explained.

"Haaaah?!" all five girls shouted in disbelief.

"No, really! I’m not making this up!" Dion replied.

"Then why did you say you decided to destroy Minatheras?" Sheila asked, puzzled.

"Oh... That..."

"Kyuu... kyuu... kyuuu,"

Gina landed on the coffee table and started explaining, but none of the five girls could understand her. The little dragon paused to think, then floated into the air and lay down, kicking one leg up with both paws behind her head. She looked just like someone lounging comfortably in a beach chair enjoying the sun. And this time, the girls understood her loud and clear.

"Hah... So you want to destroy Minatheras just so you can lounge around?" Luna asked.

"Um... It’s not quite like that... Look, war is scary, and I’m a peace-loving guy. So isn’t it better if we deal with the enemy before a war breaks out?" Dion reasoned.

"Hmm... So that’s your train of thought," Cleo mused.

"Yep! I agree with you! Then we can relax on a flying island and travel everywhere, right?" Aria asked.

"Bingo! That way we can retire in peace," Dion answered, pointing at Aria cheerfully.

The room suddenly fell dead silent. Every pair of eyes locked onto Dion, and he instantly realized he had just revealed his ultimate goal.

"So... you intend to destroy an entire kingdom... and not just any kingdom, but the largest one... so that your domain... where the seal is located and where the legend says the floating island kingdom of Xandor resides... can be used for you to lounge around and live a peaceful life... Is that it?" Mei asked.

"Um... Something like that, ahahaha," Dion replied, breaking into a nervous sweat.

"Alright... Now I understand," Luna said.

"I’m glad you understand! You know I’ve always said I wanted to retire..."

"I understand that you shouldn’t do a single thing. Just sit on the throne and stay still without moving an inch. Matters of war, city management, the floating island or whatever that mythical thing is and political affairs will be handled for you," Luna interrupted, cutting Dion off.

"Hah... What are you talking about?!" Dion asked, stunned.

"Hmm... She’s right. Besides being a royal mage, I am the niece of King Alexius of Lutherias, which naturally brings new politics into our new kingdom. Furthermore, magical defense will be my responsibility... For the sake of our new kingdom, I’m willing to serve as royal mage and come out of retirement," Cleo stated.

"Yep... And I am a princess of Thetor, but I will manage trade, our kingdom’s exports, and of course our weaponry. So I’ll be busy," Aria said.

"Leave the defense and military force to me. And don’t forget, I am also a princess of Northgard," Sheila said, patting her chest.

"I’ll handle espionage, intelligence gathering, and detecting anything that threatens our kingdom," Mei added, bowing her head slightly.

"And leave foreign diplomacy to me. On top of that, I’ll oversee our education system and agriculture... So," Luna added.

"We are all busy, Your Highness," Luna, Cleo, Aria, Sheila, and Mei said in unison to Dion.

All color drained from Dion’s face. He had never pictured things turning out like this.

"Hold on a minute... I don’t want to be a king! Besides... didn’t you all promise to stay by my side?" Dion asked.

"Yep... We did. But being by your side doesn’t mean you get to slack off, does it?" Luna replied.

"Don’t forget... you have to take responsibility for my life," Cleo added.

"Hmm... I will definitely stay by your side and keep you safe," Mei added.

"Don’t worry, as far as loyalty goes, I will never turn my back on you. Proof of that is how I waited for you all this time without tiring," Aria added.

"Or do you want to do another blood pact? I’m ready whenever," Sheila added.

Dion sat in stunned silence, completely speechless. He lowered his head and buried his face in his hands. Before he could even finish processing it all, the living room door swung open. Olga walked in, accompanied by Johan and Astrid.

"Hmm... Sounds like a great plan. Allow me to assist in managing our combined city, and I’m willing to serve as governor for both cities," Olga offered.

"With pleasure, Sister. We’d appreciate your help," Luna replied.

"Ah, right. It’s almost morning, and we’ve nearly arrived," Olga added.

Eventually, Cleo, Luna, Mei, Sheila, and Aria shifted their conversation to Olga, leaving Dion behind with Gina, who sat on the coffee table watching him.

"Damn it... This is serious bad luck... Now I’m somehow becoming a king all because of a floating island... Running a kingdom is basically like running a company all over again... Aaaah... Why did it come to this?... But... there’s no way I can tell them I’m calling off the marriage... I don’t have the heart to do that to them, and besides... after two months together, I’ve developed feelings for them too, especially since I’ve already moved on from Tessa... But come on, not like this... When am I ever going to get a proper retirement?... Damn it," Dion thought to himself.