IBHB 35 – I Became the Hero’s Bride

TL: Eevee
Ed: Hungry Panda

It was the beginning of revenge.

“Hiik?!”
“It’s dangerous Miss Tourist!!”

Clarice had only just managed to move her body when she yelled out, surprised by Biella’s near-instantaneous movement right in front of the tourist. Even if she was the one that had casted the seal, she was a normal person. The difference in physical capabilities wasn’t one that could be easily overturned. Biella drew up on all of her strength and moved her body before all her power was sealed away.

“Dduhuurrk!!”

Very shortly afterwards, the tourist was blown away as she let out some unpronounceable word. Unlike her grand entrance it was a pathetic exit. Having stolen back the grimoire, Biella crushed it in one hand.

“Such trash… Nearly scared me there.”
“Kuk!”

Clarice smacked the ground in anger and regret. Oh my god. They failed. The future was bleak. It was truly over now. There was no way to stop Biella any longer. Having noticed Clarice’s despair, Biella raised the grimoire high in the air, and yelled very excitedly.

“Victory! Hero’s Bride end!”

Biella was so happy she even broke through the fourth wall. Now all that was left was to shred this grimoire to pieces and kill those leftover trash.

“Ho~ In that case who’s going to replace this Park Minwoo? Surely not you, right?”

Or there should have been.

“Wh, what?!”

Tentacles came flying in from all corners of her vision and snatched the grimoire. Nice blocking. Biella had turned around to Minwoo in shock, and now she plunged into horror and despair. Whether it was due to the seal, but the magic that had been restraining the hero party had been undone.

“Ah, ahhh…! The seal!”

She needed to take it back. She had to. But Biella’s arms and legs were already frozen solid and she couldn’t even struggle. Minwoo received the grimoire from Orleia, opened it wide and said in a deathly voice.

“There’s only one reason you lost… Just one simple answer…”(1)

Minwoo slowly, but very clearly spoke.

“You hurt Clarice.”

Biella’s legs gave out underneath her as all four of her limbs drained of their strength. Terrifying. He was so terrifying she nearly wet her pants…!

“P, p, please let me off j, just this once! Biella apolog…!”

Minwoo wordlessly looked over Biella’s shoulder. Biella followed his line of sight. As her head creaked around with her sheet-white face what she saw behind her was-

“”Double interest?””

Senyun and Ericia who had summoned an inferno and gathered Womb Power respectively were looking down at her with a killing smile…

Those were Biella’s final memories.

***

“It’s over.”
“Yep. It is.”

A ray of light came through the hole in the roof that Senyun and Ericia had blasted. Underneath the light, Minwoo and Clarice drew each other into their embrace and shared an emotional reunion.

Biella, the demon king Biella was sealed. In a state where she had the absolute crap beaten out of her, all her magic power was sealed into the grimoire, turning her into stone. Ericia had gone to drop the statue far away off some cliff, and Senyun was off burying the grimoire deep underground in some unknown field.

“Good job.”

Orleia said as she was treating Clarice’s wounds. When Clarice glared at her shooting metaphorical lasers from her eyes, Orleia sweatdropped and looked away. It was a rare reaction considering her normal blatant shameless self.

Then again, she knew her wrongs.

“Not really.”

Clarice murmured as if it was nothing much.

“I said I wouldn’t show my disgraceful side anymore.”
“…………….”

Orleia’s eyes widened as she stared wordlessly at Clarice. Eventually, she smiled and said.

“Indeed.”

As time passed, the tourist and Orkar regained consciousness, Ericia and Senyun also returned. Clarice had all three of the hero party on her knees in front of her. It went without saying but all of them were quivering in their boots, heads hung. The tourist and Orkar had no idea what to do on the sudden disappearance of the demon king and the hero party on their knees, and Minwoo was munching away on popcorn procured from who knows where watching the spectacle.

Clarice folded her arms and casually said.

“So, your excuses?”

“……..”
“……..”
“……..”

Silence. Times three.

Orleia had been frantically looking for an excuse when her eyes fell on the tourist! That’s it! Orleia hurriedly held her hand up in a high five towards the tourist.

“Hey, hey! You did great! Miss Jasmine! This is all thanks to our amazing plan?!”
“Eh? Me?”

The tourist blinked and pointed at herself. Was she talking to her?

“Um, my name isn’t Jasmine, but-”

Being quick on the mark, Senyun also said.

“That’s right! Us pretending to betray the demon king, get in touch with unni and trying the seal! It was a perfect plan! Wasn’t it?! James?!!”
“J, James?! Isn’t that a man’s name-”

Then Ericia also hurriedly said.

“Great work! If it wasn’t for you, our whole plan would have failed! If you want to learn Womb Power come to me anytime! Bbobbi!”
“Bbobbi?! That’s not even a human name anymore?!!”(2)

Haaaa. Clarice rested her hand on her forehead as she shook her head.

“I understand. Enough. Can you not see that Miss Catherine is troubled?”

She said it so decisively that the tourist lost the timing to say that her name wasn’t Catherine.

“I will forgive you.”
“Really? Clee!”
“You’re the best unni!”
“I will never forget this benevolence! Your Highness!!”

Of course ‘I’ forgive you. With those words, Clarice turned to Minwoo. Minwoo nodded almost imperceptibly before he came forward.

A light-hearted smile spread across Clarice’s lips.

“Although of course Hero-nim hasn’t forgiven.”
“””?!”””

Minwoo cracked his knuckles as he smiled brightly. Now that was a true killing smile. Needless to say, for a long time afterwards the three people’s screams echoed throughout the demon king castle.

“Are you leaving?”

Orkar approached Clarice as she was preparing to head back to the kingdom. Clarice nodded. Now was the time for farewell. The demon king castle was dyed red in the setting sun. The demon king castle. A place of horrifying memories that gave her the shudders, but on the other hand, a place that left a deep impression on her, ones that she could never forget.

There were no longer any more reasons to come back.

As Clarice reminisced on memories through slightly rose-tinted glasses, all sorts of thoughts ran through her head. The wedding, what happened. What were her parents doing now. Karina would probably be panicking at her disappearance. She wanted to see them as quickly as she could.

“Thank you. For today.”

Clarice honestly, sincerely thanked Orkar. Although their first meeting was truly unspeakable, it was true that today, she owed an unspeakable debt to him.

“Nothing, that needed thanks for.”

Clarice smiled gently, bathed in the fading glow of twilight. Orkar felt his eyes begin to mist over, and moved his mouth to say something. Just then a hand fell on Clarice’s shoulder. It was Minwoo. Having met his eyes, Orkar eventually let those words go unsaid.

“Hooo. It can’t be helped then.”

He could only sigh. But he should still say what he should.

“Look after Clarice. Hero.”

Orkar extended his hand.

“You don’t need to tell me twice.”

Minwoo grinned as he took the offered hand. Orkar thought. For a human, he smiles somewhat dependably.

Having finished his farewells, Orkar left the demon king castle. As he began to walk far, far away, the tourist came running up to him, heaving for breath.

“Wait! Mister Orc! Let’s go together!!”
“? You? Weren’t you… Jennifer?”
“You’re all making fun of me right?! Aren’t you?! Waitwait, before that! We’ve got a long way ahead of us, so should we go together? C’mon!”
“Go together, why would this Orkar move with a human like you-”
“Ehhhh?! You’re asking a weak human girl like me to go home all by myself? I might be assassinated on the way for the crime of sealing the demon king!”
“So you were asking me to protect you… Haa. Fine. I get it, you’re loud, so stop whining. Jennifer.”
“Whooo! Thank you! Mister Orc! Ah, my name, it’s not Jennifer but-!!”

Pfft. Minwoo and Clarice let out little squeaks of laughter watching them go. Clarice looked at the absolutely rekt party members, courtesy of Minwoo’s scolding, and said.

“Shall we head back as well?”
“Should we?”

The two people’s hands intertwined as they shyly smiled at each other.

Let’s go. Back home.

***

Epilogue

A few days passed after that. When the populace learned that the demon king had reappeared and kidnapped the hero, causing the wedding to be called off, things were understandably chaotic, but when it became known that it was Princess Clarice that rescued her husband the hero from the demon king, and moreover, was also the one that sealed the demon king, everyone raised their glasses and toasted the princess’ and hero’s bravery and heroics.

In the mirror, Clarice looked back at her reflection in a wedding dress. Is there anything odd. Is there anywhere that can be fixed. The results were satisfactory. There shouldn’t be any problems with this. At just the right time, Karina came in. She still had an angry pout on her face.

It seemed like she was still angry about the time when she snuck out.

“I’m not angry, I was so worried for you!”

Since Clarice knew her wrongs she averted her gaze as if she didn’t know. Hold on? This feels awfully similar to them a few days ago? Speaking of the devil, they came into the waiting room one by one.

Senyun offered her congratulations wiping her tears and snot with a handkerchief.

“Hic. Unni, congratulations. Be happy…!”
“……Your Highness. I’ve been wondering for a while, but why does Senyun dare to call Your Highness ‘unni?’”
“I, I don’t know? I’m not sure either? Ha ha.”

As Clarice turned her head, Ericia handed her a piece of paper. It was an advertisement for Womb Power.

“Look! Your Highness! As expected Your Highness’s power is incredible. Since I advertised that you beat the crap out of the demon king with Womb Power so many people… Ugyaaaaaghh?!”

Clarice stomped Ericia’s foot as hard as she could. Although what she really wanted to go for was her mouth.

“Haa. Like children, all of them.”

Orleia shrugged her shoulders and shook her head.

“Isn’t that right? Clee?”
“…………”

Clarice simply looked at her with dead eyes. Just then, a maid burst into the waiting room. After announcing that it was time, Clarice nodded to her and stood up.

Before she left, Clarice looked behind her. Everyone was looking at her. Tearfully, nonchalantly, worriedly, disgruntled. But since really, it was all just like them, Clarice smiled and said.

“I’ll be back.”

The king and queen were standing side by side on the terrace giving speeches. Below them, a massive crowd had gathered just like the protests from before. But this time, the sounds that could be heard were not anger and indignance, but congratulations and well-wishes.

Minwoo asked.

“Are you nervous?”
“I would be lying if I said I wasn’t?”

Clarice discreetly liked arms with Minwoo.

“But I’ve got Hero-nim, no… ‘Sweetie’ beside me.”
“Urk!”

Minwoo’s face turned bright red. Clarice couldn’t hold it in and ended up giggling like a devil. Minwoo could only look on stunned. When he did, Clarice drooped a bit, looking downwards.

“You didn’t like it?”
“……Surely.”

I liked it very much. Minwoo softly whispered in her ear. When he did, it was Clarice’s turn to blush.

After the wedding, there was the public appearance in front of the people to show that the wedding ceremony was complete. Although the wedding itself had gone awry courtesy of the demon king, it wasn’t over.

Rather, it was just beginning.

The king’s speech ended. It was time to show themselves. Minwoo and Clarice gently held each other’s hands, and walked together to the light at the end of the corridor. One step. Another step. The cheers of the crowd were getting louder with every step. And then a brilliant light embraced the couple.

Flower petals were falling from the sky. The people waved the hands and threw flower petals to celebrate the hero and the princess’s marriage. The entire world was blessing them. A fragrant floral fragrance. The warm sunlight on their skins. And a love held tight. They would never lose it again.

“Hero-nim.”
“Yes.”

Clarice moved her face closer to Minwoo’s ears so as not to be drowned out by the crowd.

“I love you.”

Minwoo’s eyes opened wide. Clarice grinned, before she hugged Minwoo’s neck and got on her tip-toes. She closed her eyes.

Then all that remained in the world was warmth.

I Became the Hero’s Bride
-Fin-