Emerging from the life lived in the simulator, caught between dream and reality as if hearing Gil-chan's plea to bring them home, Ryuya lay on his bed, his silver eyes veiled with a faint light.
"Gil, Siduri, Tia, Ishtar, Eresh, En-chan..."
He murmured the names tied to his memories of Uruk. He had succeeded. Ryuya had striven with all his might, and he had truly forged an eternal nation.
Taking a deep breath, the divinity of the Sun God, the kingship of the King of the Myriad Tribes, the nature of the Beast of the Apocalypse, and the bloodline of the Ultimate Being had caused his physical prowess to evolve yet again, remarkably reaching S-rank in all parameters.
His Magic Resistance and Magical Energy Emission had likewise reached S-rank.
Using the Beast of the Apocalypse's skill, Nonexistent in this World, to conceal his special characteristics, the Ryuya who had experienced Uruk could now sense the existence of the World's Will and the Counter Forces.
Contrary to his expectations, although this world was already in the Age of Iron, the supernatural powers and various consciousnesses were even more complex.
He could sense, at the very least, that there were definitely more entities than just Alaya and Gaia… there were other, more intricate, indescribable forces.
"Nation of the End?"
Looking at the final reward from the simulation system, Ryuya felt as if he could see a throne within a void, surrounded by two World Bubbles.
They were none other than Britain and Uruk.
"As my simulated lives accumulate, my power grows stronger and stronger."
The version of himself in the simulations, blessed with ample time, could reach the pinnacle of his potential. But the real Ryuya had only possessed the simulator for a little over a month. Even with numerous top-tier SSS-rank talents, his actual power level averaged at S-rank.
After all, the time was too short, so his growth was limited.
"For the time being, I should focus more on observing the real world. I have a feeling it holds even more hidden power."
Recalling the news about the supernatural he was aware of, Ryuya's spirit, already pushed to its limit in Uruk, grew hazy, and he fell asleep.
The next morning, he was awakened by Yukino's knocking on his door.
"Ryuya, wash up. It's time to eat."
Finding it unusual that her usually very punctual brother was still in bed, Yukino reflected on their recent time together. She felt Ryuya's every action had become more mature and steady, and the care he showed her was greater than before.
Happily, she made breakfast and woke her brother up. Unbeknownst to her, these habits were subtly cultivated by the influences of Morgan, Gilgamesh, Ereshkigal, and others.
"Yukino, breakfast is quite lavish today."
It happened to be the weekend. Noticing Yukino seemed to be in a good mood, Ryuya asked curiously, "Did you have a good dream last night?"
"Ah? N-no... not a good dream... well, not exactly, I guess it was alright."
Her face slightly flushed. In truth, Yukino had dreamed of Ryuya last night. In her dream, they finally got together and entered the hall of matrimony.
'Not only that, on our wedding night, Ryuya had...'
'No, no, no!' The more she thought about it, the more flustered she became. Shaking her head vigorously, she left Ryuya utterly bewildered.
"Speaking of which, Ryuya, Eriri invited me out today. She said she needs to buy some brushes and paints. I haven't been out in a while myself. Do you want to come along?"
Her relationship with Eriri was getting better. Yukino, who had no friends, and Eriri, who was also often alone, had gradually developed into... classmates with a decent relationship?
While not quite best friends yet, going out together didn't feel awkward anymore.
Speaking softly as she served Ryuya his food, Yukino was still looking forward to going out with him.
"Together? Sure."
It had been a while since he last went out with Yukino. Ryuya recalled the times he went out with Ishtar and Enkidu in the simulator. Back then, he had decided that after returning to the real world, he would spend more time with his little sister.
"You'll come? I'll let Eriri know in a moment then."
A look of pleasant surprise bloomed on Yukino's face. Humming a soft tune, the young girl was clearly in high spirits.
"By the way, Yukino."
"What is it?"
"There's something I want to talk to you about."
Although he had spent a long time in the simulated lives, Ryuya could clearly distinguish between reality and his identity as a King.
No matter what happened, he was still himself.
He still regarded the Yukinoshita Family as his own kin. He was pondering how to introduce his future wives to Yukino and the rest of the family when the time came.
After some thought, he felt it necessary to ask first.
"Yukino, if I were to find a girlfriend, what kind of girl do you think would be suitable to be your sister-in-law?"
"…"
"Why aren't you saying anything?"
"Ryuya, I just remembered. This food... is still needed for something else. You can't eat it."
"Huh???"
"And about the shopping trip this morning... Eriri and I are just two girls. A big man like you shouldn't tag along."
"Huh???"
Watching his sister, who was now visibly sulking and angry, Ryuya didn't understand what was happening, 'Why was her temper so fierce all of a sudden?'
'Moreover, her demeanor somewhat resembled my wives when they were jealous. It was really quite...'
As this thought crossed his mind, just as Ryuya was attributing it to Yukino's usual quirks, the memory of Artoria's confession suddenly surfaced in his mind.
'Teacher, I am Artoria, the King upon whom you placed your hopes. But do you know? I never wanted to be this King.'
'Perhaps you are a senior to me, the King of Britain. But I still fell uncontrollably in love with you.'
'This love is not my attachment to you, nor is it based on admiration for the King. It is the love of the girl named Artoria for Isbel.'
'Whether you accept it or not, the existence of this love is my precious treasure.'
There was a time when the girl named Artoria was, in his eyes, the most obedient, well-behaved successor. But she was clearly not a puppet of fate. The King of Knights, with her own will, had ultimately done what she wanted but never dared to do before.
Just like Artoria, perhaps Ryuya saw Yukino as his most important little sister. But... what if, just what if, this girl was like Artoria and had fallen in love with him?
Recalling Yukino's behavior growing up, her consistently tsundere and icy exterior, Ryuya suddenly remembered that on the evening he obtained the simulator, Yukino had seemed to want to tell him something.
'So...'
Glancing sideways at the young girl who was still fuming, Ryuya's gaze grew complicated.
"Yukino, I was wondering if you are..."
Ding-dong.
The doorbell rang, untimely interrupting Ryuya's train of thought.