Knock knock.
I lightly knocked before entering.
Inside, Victoria was focused on her documents, pressing the buttons on a calculator.
On one side of the desk, a steaming cup of cocoa caught my eye.
“You’re busy as always, President Victoria.”
Her business kept growing.
This was already her third chain store.
Soon, there would be a fourth, a fifth, a sixth… eventually, skewer restaurants would be everywhere in the empire.
“So you’re planning to get rich this way?”
“No, I just want to be able to eat skewers wherever I go.”
She didn’t even look up, completely absorbed in her work.
Meanwhile, Kalian, upon seeing Victoria, seemed overwhelmed with emotions and remained silent, unable to say a word.
Unable to watch any longer, I spoke up.
“I brought you a special gift today.”
“What is it?”
“Look up.”
She absentmindedly lifted her head from the papers.
At first, she looked at me.
Then, naturally, her gaze shifted toward the man standing beside me.
Victoria stood frozen as if seeing an illusion, then slowly rose from her seat.
Her eyes widened, and her breath quickened.
“Ah…”
Kalian, making eye contact with her, fumbled for words, unsure of what to say.
But she didn’t care about that—she rushed forward and pulled Kalian into a tight embrace.
“Kalian… You’re really alive.”
“Yeah… I’m glad you’re safe too.”
Kalian hugged her back.
For a while, they simply held each other without words.
Victoria already knew Kalian was alive. I had told her everything.
But she had been just as busy as I was.
She also didn’t want to let emotions distract her from work, so I hadn’t let them meet.
For nearly a year, she had constantly asked, “Why won’t you let me see him?” and caused all sorts of commotion.
Thinking about it now still gave me a headache.
If I had known it would be this troublesome, I wouldn’t have told her that Kalian was alive in the first place.
After Kalian and Victoria’s emotional reunion, we headed upstairs.
It was time for a party.
I turned to Kalian and said,
“Part of this is to celebrate your return, but we also used to have a party on this day every year.”
“A party? Why today?”
“The war between humans and demons ended on the day you, Victoria, and I disappeared. It’s a way to commemorate that. All the familiar faces are here.”
Evelyn, Ellia, Lumia, and Serena.
Hearing their names, Kalian was once again filled with nostalgia.
I opened the banquet hall doors where they were supposed to be gathered.
“Huh?”
The hall was quiet.
There was no party.
The lights were completely turned off.
Originally, everyone was supposed to be there, noisily welcoming Kalian back.
Looking around, I tried to make sense of the situation.
“We were all supposed to meet today… I guess they got too busy. You know how everyone is, always caught up in something.”
“Yeah, I get it.”
“Let’s just have a party by ourselves. We can meet them later. We have all the time in the world.”
“Yeah…”
Kalian answered with a hint of disappointment.
Unaware of what was about to happen, he let me guide him inside.
As he stepped into the darkness—
Flash!
The lights in the banquet hall suddenly turned on, revealing a beautifully decorated space.
A luxurious feast stretched across the tables, and at the front, a huge banner boldly displayed the words:
“WELCOME BACK, KALIAN!”
Pop! Pop! Pop!
Hiding in the shadows, Evelyn, Ellia, Serena, and Lumia set off small fireworks.
Kalian instinctively reached for his sword at the sudden explosion, but upon seeing their joyful faces, he relaxed.
“Come here, Kalian.”
“It’s been so long.”
“I really missed you, meow!”
“Have you been well, Kalian?”
They surrounded him, smiling.
Since it had been two years since they last met him, everyone was overjoyed.
If it had been the old Kalian, he wouldn’t have even been able to breathe properly, but now, he happily exchanged greetings and caught up with them.
These four, who had helped with my plan, naturally knew that I was alive.
Elia, who had been waiting in advance, was the first to confirm that I had awakened in my new body, and the others also felt relieved upon seeing me.
They had supported me all this time, working behind the scenes across the empire.
Now that the war was over, they had gained immeasurable influence, but it had come at the cost of immense effort and sacrifice.
I could only be grateful to them.
No matter how many hidden pieces I had collected or how much power I had amassed, none of this would have been possible without their help.
Though it was a small gathering, the banquet hall was filled with warmth and laughter.
Memories of the fierce battles we had fought, once desperate struggles for survival, had now turned into cherished recollections.
Naturally, we began reminiscing about the events from two years ago—how Lumia awakened after being attacked by Elia, how Evelyn lost control during a play, and the story of Elia’s family and Apostle Belphegor.
As they shared their stories with laughter, Elia suddenly stroked Victoria’s shoulder and said,
“Kalian, you probably don’t know this, but do you have any idea how desperately Victoria searched for you?”
“S-Stop talking about that… It’s embarrassing.”
“Embarrassing? Victoria, you used to call out Kalian’s name and cry whenever you had a moment. You kept saying you loved him and missed him.”
“S-Stop…!”
At Elia’s playful revelation, Victoria blushed and waved her hands in protest.
Then, Evelyn patted Kalian on the shoulder and grinned.
“Why be embarrassed? If we’re talking about confessions, Kalian, you declared your love for her even in the middle of the war. Compared to that, her crying is nothing.”
“W-Wait, Evelyn, that story is…”
“What’s wrong, Kalian? Where did that overflowing bravery go? You boldly declared your love for her in front of thousands of demons, didn’t you?”
“Ugh….”
Kalian hung his head in embarrassment.
Lumia pushed him forward, nudging him closer to Victoria.
Elia, seizing the opportunity, also gave Victoria a gentle push.
Though the two had embraced without hesitation earlier, they now hesitated, blushing shyly.
But as the others continued to encourage them, they had no choice but to hug each other once again.
The others cheered, clapping and whistling.
“Live happily together!” they shouted playfully.
Only Serena, watching Kalian’s joyful smile, shed tears.
“Nyah…! You have to be happy, Kalian!!!”
Watching them, I quietly took a step back.
Kalian.
A protagonist who suffered from gynophobia, constantly causing trouble for me.
I had enrolled in Arcana Academy just to keep the women around him in check.
And now, the conclusion of that story was right before my eyes.
Lumia and Serena, the original heroines of light, no longer obsessed over him.
Evelyn, Elia, and Victoria, who had been doomed to tragic fates in the original story, had instead found new lives.
Kalian had overcome his fear of women, gained true friends, and finally found love.
His harem was over.
“Haha…”
With a quiet chuckle, I stepped out of the banquet hall.
My role was over—it was time to retreat backstage.
No longer was I a mere outsider, a reincarnated person trying to change the story’s ending…
From now on, I would simply live as a normal resident of this world.
Grab.
Just as I was about to leave, lost in my sentimental thoughts, someone caught my wrist.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Evelyn had somehow slipped out of the banquet hall and was staring at me.
Not just her—Elia and Lumia had followed as well.
“We finally met again, so we should go on a date.”
“That’s right. You’ve been super busy because of Wade lately, so you owe us at least this much.”
“Yeah, yeah! Come hang out with us!”
The three of them spoke in unison, smiling mischievously.
I tried to gently remove Evelyn’s grip, but she tightened her fist, refusing to let go.
“I have work to do. Shouldn’t you be busy as well, Evelyn? You have to oversee not just the Rose family but the entire empire.”
“That’s what subordinates are for. Stop making excuses.”
“But we just had a date last week.”
“Dates should be daily affairs.”
Evelyn, along with the other two, pulled me in from all sides.
Trapped with no escape, I could only stare blankly at the sky.
…How do I end this harem?