CHAPTER 125 Happily Ever After

CHAPTER 125

Happily Ever After

Rufus

I said goodbye to my proper rooms in the castle and threatened Knolith with the one thing he feared most in the entire world if he so much as touched my dungeon before I got back from the wedding to sort through it: a counseling session in that very same dungeon.

I was half joking of course, but he didn’t need to know that.

We chose to stay in the inn because my dungeon was full of Blackfog spies, and because I could . The moment I’d stepped down as commander general, my notifications had gone from a constant flood to a reasonable trickle. I hadn’t really planned what was going to happen next, but the System had filled in the blanks for me, giving me the occupation protector.. It wasn’t perfect, but Bronwynn and I would figure out what to call me when we had the chance.

At least it didn’t choose something ridiculous like Fan Club Leader or Wagon Husband, even if it would’ve been more apt.

At the end of the day, I processed all of the information in my tabs. And when I was done, it finally hit me. I was in the Black Fortress, and there weren’t any new notifications beating against my consciousness, screaming for my attention. The weight of the entire Dark Enchanted Forest had fallen off my shoulders.

I started shaking from the reality of what I’d done. Everything was going to change now. I collapsed into Bronwynn’s arms that night and didn’t let go until morning. The irony was not lost on me, though. I was practically trading my best friend for a wife … but I didn’t mind.

I chose my wife, and she chose me. It was a small difference, but it meant all the world to me.

We headed out bright and early the next morning .

The first encounter happened five minutes down the road, when Bronwynn saved a crying bird from a hungry fox. It turned into a phoenix and gifted her a single phoenix feather, which was equivalent to a Resurrection potion. If [Revive] simply brought you back to life, the more impressive [Resurrection] brought you back at full hit points.

The second encounter was an overturned carriage beset by a dire wolf. Which was unusual, since dire wolves lived in the south. Donna spoke to the dire wolf and found out that Servalt merchants had stolen a pup, and the mother had tracked them down to get it back. It was a simple affair. Rufus secured the caravan and used his Cast Crystal to summon a Dark Horde contingent to come pick them up.

He realized that he actually might need that full day of counseling with Knolith. There were a bunch of tasks associated with the occupation, and tools for the job that still needed to be given over, including the army crystals, his badges, and a cape that Rufus had never worn and was lost somewhere in his dungeon office.

Their third encounter was Gerda, standing on her bridge with both hands on her hips.

“Perfect timing,” the bridge troll said.

“I call you in for dinner,

But I do not eat or drink.

Who am I, do you think?

I have a face but not a mouth?

No legs to show my progress?

Who am I, can you guess?”

I immediately turned to Bronwynn and said, “Give me a second!”

I could tell by the self-satisfied look on my future wife’s face that she’d already guessed the answer. Now that I was going to be along for the ride all the time, I wanted to get better at this.

Three guesses and fifteen minutes later, I had the answer.

“A clock?”

Bronwynn rewarded me with a kiss on the cheek.

“You’ve got it.” Gerda relaxed her stance and stepped aside. “How about a celebratory portal to North Sumbria? I was just heading over to see if our Heroine of Justice brought her sword.”

“That’s perfect!” Bronwynn smiled at me. “We can sleep in a real bed tonight!”

Donna whinnied loudly.

“Yes, I bought some in the Hollow,” the bard told her horse, who snorted in reply. Bronwynn raised an eyebrow. “But it’s not like you’re using your magic for [Haste], so why do you need the extra enchanted carrots … Donna . ”

The horse stopped, having pulled us, wagon fully onto the bridge. Donna looked over her shoulder, and I coughed a laugh into my paw. I didn’t need the notification from my [Sense Lies] perk to see through her innocent act.

“Cassandra is going to be there, isn’t she?” Brownie threw her arms into the air. “You can’t gamble away your enchanted carrots.”

Gerda interrupted, vibrant rays of aquamarine portal magic already rising about them. “Ready?”

She didn’t wait for us; suddenly, we were looking up the road at the capital city of North Sumbria. The road was pretty busy, but Gerda had timed the teleport just right so we weren’t portaling into someone already crossing the bridge.

Our sudden appearance turned a few heads, but when they spotted a bridge troll, most everyone accepted it and moved on.

Gerda marched ahead, choosing to walk with Donna instead of hitching a ride in the back. “Okay, let’s go!”

Donna glanced at the bridge troll and sighed, starting up the road.

It was slow going as we joined the rest of the traffic. Seven days of festival and a Summer Masquerade meant a lot of people coming and going. There was another entrance for nobility, but I wasn’t anyone important anymore.

“Rufus,” Bronwynn said, leaning into me. “Do you want to know why the assassins are able to get past King Keith’s golems?”

I suddenly stilled. “Wait, when did you figure it out?”

“Back in Peldeep.” She chuckled. “So, do you want to know or not?”

“… Tell me.”

“It’s in the riddle. No foreigner with ill intent to the kingdom or its people . You can just hire assassins who were born in Nilheim. Depending on the spell, you might be able to get in if just your parents are from the Dark Enchanted Forest.”

“It can’t be that easy …” I stopped and smiled. I wondered how long I could hold it over my king’s head when I told him. If I told him.

“Now that’s settled, I only have one more pressing question!” Bronwynn declared. “Do you still want to buy a house in the Dark Enchanted Forest and be a stay-at-home husband?”

“And miss out on the adventures? Never!” I wrapped my arm around her. “I’m wondering if we should invest in an upgrade?”

“What do you mean?”

“The traveling house that Tinker Tate had was pretty nice.” I brought up what had been on my mind for a while now. “I like the idea of a wagon house rather than a simple canvas cover.”

I accompanied this with a gentle kiss on her ear that made her blush.

“I think I’d like that too.”

“And what better place to find a high-quality wagon house than in the city of innovation?” I asked. “We could add a bed and some magical lights, or a secret compartment; though we’d still want it to fit into the storage ring I gave you.”

He indicated the ring on her hand, and she rubbed it. The half giantess chuckled, amusement clear in her voice. “You know, all this time, I’d been planning to thank Fergus for the ring and the tavern repair.”

“Alright, you’re welcome.”

She guffawed at my audacity. “Really?”

I couldn’t help it; I laughed aloud. Bronwynn held out for only a second longer before bursting into laughter with me.

“This is why I shipped them,” Gerda whispered to the horse. I took it as a compliment.

Donna looked over her shoulder and snorted.

“I can’t believe you,” Bronwynn said, poking me in the side. “This is what I get for falling in love with one of my encounters!”

“Was Donna an encounter too?” I asked, innocently dragging the mare into the line of fire.

“Yes, but technically ”—my bard waved a hand at the murder horse — “ I saved her . You had nefarious intent!”

“True,” I acknowledged. “But even so, you saved me.”

And I meant it. Bronwynn could see that, and her face softened into a smile. Donna chuffed and shook her head, practically rolling her eyes at the pair of us.

“You’re lucky that I love you,” Bronwynn announced. “ Both of you.”

“Very lucky,” I agreed.

“Now, enough of that.” Bronwynn summoned Danielle into her hand, plucking a melody I’d never heard before. “Who wants to hear my new song?”

The bard sang for her beastman, as they rolled off into the sunset—technically into the city—and lived Happily Ever After.