The Abandoned Saint I Picked Up is a Side Character in an Otome Game and Turns Out to Be the World's Strongest Mage. I Plan to Rescue the Heroine Who Couldn't Achieve Her Happy Ending in a Dungeon. - Chapter 23

“Lord Endo, wake up.”

“Mm… huh… Ariel?”

“Break time is over.”

I was gently shaken awake by Ariel.

Sitting up, I found myself in a spacious, curtain-drawn room.

“Still feeling sleepy?”

“No, I just dreamed about something from five years ago. Honestly, it still feels like I’m in a dream.”

“Becoming a king does sound like a dream come true, doesn’t it?”

Yes, it had already been five years since then.

I had married Angelica and become the consort king of the Andarencia Kingdom.

Since then, my days have been consumed by work—endless piles of documents filled with incomprehensible jargon, all demanding my signature.

If I could go back in time, I’d give my younger self a stern lecture for thinking being king meant an easy life.

“Ariel, did anything happen while I was asleep?”

Ariel’s gaze darted away.

“What happened?”

“…Randolph, ‘The Destroyer,’ and Adela, ‘The Ruin,’ started fighting in the middle of town. Christiana joined in, and Hayden tried to stop them but ended up severely injured. He’s been treated and is out of danger. No civilian casualties.”

“Alright. Put ‘The Destroyer’ and ‘The Ruin’ on the wanted list and bury them in a field when they’re caught. Lock Christiana in the reflection room. And… let’s send something to cheer up Hayden.”

Over the past five years, countless mages had flocked to Andarencia.

We’d turned away those who abducted women and children for unethical experiments, but even so, the kingdom now housed hundreds of mages.

It was an impressive gathering.

Some had turned to magic out of necessity, like me, while others preferred experimenting on themselves rather than others.

We recruited anyone who wasn’t actively committing heinous crimes.

As a result, Andarencia had transformed into a magocracy.

In just five years, more than half the kingdom’s population had begun learning magic.

Apparently, my defeat of the Demon King during the duel with Roland had inspired widespread interest in magic.

Even traditional magic-users, unwilling to be overshadowed by arcane magic, had redoubled their research efforts.

A kingdom devoted to mastering both magic and arcane magic.

Neighboring nations had even started calling it the Andarencia Magocracy.

Oh, and speaking of the Demon King—

“Hey, Aldilia. Are you there?”

“Y-yes, Master… what is your will?”

“Make me some tea.”

The Demon King, Aldilia, now worked as a maid in the castle.

And not just any maid—she wore an absurdly revealing outfit.

After that incident, where I lost control and… took Aldilia, I couldn’t help but feel some attachment to her.

So instead of killing her, I decided to keep her alive, pretending to have defeated her.

Not that I wouldn’t hesitate to kill her if she ever turned against me. Wanting to stay alive, Aldilia had been nothing but obedient.

Sometimes she gave me defiant looks, but those melted away whenever I reminded her of her place.

After finishing the tea Aldilia brought me, I stepped into the hallway.

And immediately came across something I really didn’t want to see.

“Oh, Lord Endo! Good work today!”

“Ah, Angelica… Good morning. Out for a walk again?”

“Yes!”

Angelica was holding a leash.

At the end of that leash was what remained of the former crown prince, Roland.

Roland had officially been exiled to a remote region as punishment for defying royal orders and harming the kingdom’s interests.

But in reality, he was kept at the castle as Angelica’s pet.

Stripped of all body hair, forbidden from wearing clothes, and fitted with a blindfold, earplugs, nose plugs, and a ball gag, Roland now crawled on all fours.

“Ufufu, my dear brother is so adorable today!”

Angelica had always been obsessed with her brother, but this had gone far beyond mere attachment.

It was disturbing.

And yet, despite treating Roland like this, she insisted on wearing a chastity belt to prove her loyalty to me.

She often brought Roland to my bedroom, seemingly to flaunt him.

It was always incredibly awkward.

“Hah… serves him right,” Ariel muttered, smirking at Roland.

I couldn’t exactly blame her.

Having been targeted by Roland in the past, Ariel had every reason to hold a grudge.

With the former king abdicating and gallivanting abroad with the queen—thanks to Angelica’s persuasion—there was no one left to save Roland.

Still, considering he’d been possessed by the Demon King and survived, he should count himself lucky to be alive.

“Hey, Endo! Play with me, nya!”

“Whoa, Kon! Don’t just jump on me like that—it’s dangerous!”

As Kon clung to me, I couldn’t help but feel that, despite everything, life in Andarencia was far from dull.

After witnessing Angelica’s unusual “pet,” Kon felt like a soothing balm for my sanity.

…Though, considering Kon was technically a humanoid beast who looked like a beautiful girl, and I occasionally treated her like a pet, wasn’t I just as bad?

Actually, I’d gone even further with Kon than Angelica ever had…

Yeah, I was probably worse.

Best not to think about it too deeply.

“Sorry, Kon, I’ve still got work to do. By the way, where’s Curia?”

“That crybaby Curia isn’t any fun to play with. She always ends up bawling, nya!”

“…Don’t bully her too much, alright?”

Curia was Kon’s caretaker now.

Her job was to prepare Kon’s meals and keep her entertained.

As for how Curia ended up in that role… well, it was a long story.

Her fiancé, Jail, had his noble family ruined after stubbornly clinging to their anti-mage ideology.

Of course, Angelica had a hand in that.

When Curia found out, she burst into tears and declared:

“Waaaaah! The duchy is ruined, and Jail-sama broke off our engagement! Take responsibilityyyyyyy!”

And so, she became my wife.

She was cute, and her large chest certainly wasn’t unwelcome, but her audacity could be overwhelming at times.

“Oh, Endo-kun!”

“…I seem to be running into a lot of people today.”

“Oh dear, are you saying you didn’t want to see your lovely elder sister figure?”

“No, that’s not it.”

I ran into Mae, the head of the Mage Corps, in the hallway.

She was currently spearheading magical research, producing groundbreaking results said to have advanced magic by decades.

But I knew her darker side.

Her younger brother, Eric—one of the game’s love interests—had vanished.

In truth, he was Mae’s captive, subjected to all sorts of magical experiments.

It wouldn’t be surprising if her rapid advancements in magic were thanks to him.

I’d considered addressing it, but when I brought it up, she’d smiled serenely and said:

“Oh my, a brother? I don’t recall having one.”

She’d said it so casually it sent shivers down my spine.

Why are women so terrifying in both their preferences and their principles?

“Ufufu.”

“W-what? You seem to be in a good mood.”

“Endo-kun, you can look forward to tonight.”

“…What?”

With those parting words, Mae walked away.

Her cryptic statement intrigued me, but I quickly got swept up in paperwork and forgot about it.

Later that night:

“W-what is this…?!”

Exhausted and ready to collapse into bed, I opened my bedroom door to find paradise awaiting me.

“T-this is so embarrassing…♡”

“But it suits you wonderfully, Christiana♡”

“Hmph! I like it, nya!♡”

“Fweh…♡ Why is Kon-chan so shameless?!♡”

“Oh dear♡ Curia, you look adorable too♡”

“Curses! For the great Demon King to suffer such humiliation!♡”

Before me stood an ensemble of stunning women, each dressed in outrageously scandalous outfits.

Christiana wore a reverse bunny suit.

Angelica sported a cat-ear bikini.

Kon, for reasons beyond comprehension, wore nothing but strategically placed bandages.

Curia donned a risqué cheerleader outfit, while Mae opted for a tight latex nurse uniform.

Aldilia, the former Demon King, wore what could barely be described as a swimsuit—it was mostly strings.

“W-what is the meaning of this…?”

“We thought we’d help you relax after all your hard work, Endo-san.”

“A-Ariel, that outfit…?”

“A wedding dress-inspired ensemble meant to spice up a couple’s intimate moments, apparently.”

Ariel was dressed in pure white, though the outfit left little to the imagination. It was practically lingerie.

“You won’t be getting any sleep tonight.”

“Suddenly, I feel completely refreshed.”

“I’m glad to hear it.”

I kissed Ariel passionately before turning to embrace each of the others in turn.

If I told my younger self about this, he’d never believe me.

Not only had I become the king of a nation, but I’d also married the heroine, the rival characters, and even the Demon King.

But that was then, and this is now.

For the sake of Ariel and everyone else, I had to focus on building this kingdom.

And, of course, producing heirs was a top priority!

The End.