Athy finally wakes up after ten minutes and the instant she sees the position we're in, she releases me from her embrace.

"Colin! You... You survived... Thank the gods..." Athy starts crying and I notice people running towards us from the distance.

"Athy... Thank you. Thank you for saving me. I know I would've died if you hadn't taken a hit for me..." I hug Athy and she starts crying even more.

I release her from her hug and she manages to stop crying before the others arrived and saw her.

"Colin!" I hear somebody shout before something rams into my stomach.

Two Vivians had rammed into me the instant they could.

The others gather around me and then notice Athy.

"And would you introduce us to the new member we have?" One of my companions, I didn't quite realize who, asked.

"The seer, Athestine Balcan. She saved my life. I would be dead at the moment had she not intervened." I say in a calm tone and then fully get up.

I pat the two Vivians for a while and they finally let go after a minute or two.

When I notice everybody is now wondering what to do, I know what must be said.

"Well... Isn't it time for a party? The evil is slain and I didn't die." I say the slain part with a slight uncertainty, since I know that the gods did something but there is no body or blood, it just vanished.

--- A few days later, after the party, in the throne room ---

"As you command! These new orders will be put into effect immediatly! But are you sure about this? Turning this into a republic and willingly giving away your position?" One of the advisors, who I had to hire to help me manage everything, asks.

"Yes. I did my part and now it is time for the World to heal naturally. Though, I do need a favor... There's a really nice island a little ways off the coast. I need that." I say to the advisor.

"Consider it to be your own private property already. It's the least the people of the emp-, I mean republic, can do to the one who saved all of us." The advisor says and leaves.

Due to the soldiers of the many kingdoms and such, the fact that I fought a being that could've killed the entire world was known to every single person on the continent or even the world.

I knew that the world would get busy over the questions of who would rule the lands left unoccupied, what alliances to keep and which ones to break, what trade routes to set up and how long would the peace last for.

And so I ran from all of that.

(Living on a small island, with just me and whoever wants to live with me. Peacefully. I mean, my job is done. My title, the Ritual's enemy, was wiped from my status and replaced with 'the one who saved the world' which means my job must be done right?)

While I was thinking to myself, my companions come back after their little vacation that I let them have.

"Colin. We're back. So, what have you decided to do? We are all going to follow you, since we owe our lives to you." Tiron says and everybody in the Guild agrees.

"I managed to get myself an island you see. An island all to myself... I was wondering if all of you, Including Athy and the others, wanted to live with me there? I think a life-long vacation is allowed to you all." I say in a calm tone.

"I will come with you." Athy answers first, completely shocking me.

Everybody looks at Athy as she walks forward.

"While I was away, on the days off you gave us... I decided something... I won't hide my feelings anymore. I did it already once and it got me nowhere... Now... I will properly show you how I feel." Athy says and then walks up to me and kisses me.

"I love you Colin, I've loved you for as long as I can remember... I kept denying it, thinking it was just the feelings of regret and gratefulness but now I know..." Athy keeps talking and when she finishes, I smile and then hug her.

Soon after, everybody else also decided to tell me they wished to join me but there, maybe luckily, were no other confessions.

--- A few months later, on the Island. ---

"Colin! Stop sleeping and help us! You were the one who wanted to plant all these flowers on that hill!" Athy shouts at me from a hill nearly half-filled with flowers.

"Alright, I'm coming!" I say as I get up and walk towards the hill.

(Ah... These few months have been eventful. I knew Athy would stay with me with her confession but I didn't expect the Vivians', Liliana and even Memui to want to stay in my mansion on the island.

I know that there were several reasons everybody wanted their own homes and we decided to split the island into parts so everybody would have land as well... But I didn't expect Athy and the others would decide to give their land to me and help me build a mansion....)

I walk up to the top of the hill and survey around.

The hill is the only location which sees over the sea of trees this island has and is the perfect place to build a tower to see everything from or create a hill of flowers, which we did.

I plant a red flower right at the tip and look down at the girls working away to plant flowers into the hill, sometimes the others come and help as well since this is the mid-ground between all the plots of land.

I then look to the sky.

(Thank you gods for letting me come to this world. I had fun. Truly did.)