Finally, I can Retire, Or so I Thought

That night, back at Dion’s mansion, after inspecting the palace, interrogating Dhorga, and assigning management duties across the three unified cities, Dion, Mei, Sheila, Aria, Luna, and Cleo gathered in the dining hall for dinner. As usual, Gina sat cheerfully at the table, enjoying roasted meat brought over by the golem servants. But Dion appeared visibly drained. Naturally, Mei, Sheila, Aria, Cleo, and Luna noticed, as they felt equally somber.

”Are you still thinking about Rene attacking the Kingdom of Lutherias?” Cleo asked softly.

”A little... Sorry, I’m heading to my room first to get some rest,” Dion replied curtly.

Without waiting for a response from the five girls, Dion stood up and walked out of the dining hall. Luna, Sheila, Aria, Cleo, and Mei watched his retreating back until yank! Kyuuu! they caught Gina floating up to follow Dion, holding her back so he could be alone. Once the door closed,

”He seems really shaken up,” Mei observed.

”Yeah... Even though I hate Rene and want nothing to do with him, Dion always considered Rene his friend since childhood... I understand how he feels,” Luna said softly.

”Huh... Isn’t this all your fault anyway, airhead princess? If you had been firm with Rene from the start, none of this would have happened,” Aria countered, throwing a sharp glance at Luna.

”Hah! I was always firm with him! That guy was just completely out of line just because he landed that SS-rank Sword Saint class back then. He kept insisting I could only stand beside him as an equal... Don’t talk nonsense, dumb princess,” Luna snapped back.

”Enough, both of you... That’s all in the past. But... if I’m being honest, I regret it too. If I knew things would turn out like this, I should have finished Rene off back in Millfrost without hesitating,” Cleo interjected, stepping between Aria and Luna.

”Same here. If I knew, I wouldn’t have held back when I beat him up back at the academy. But back then, none of us knew a human could sink that low,” Sheila said, her tone laced with anger.

”Well... we all have regrets regarding Rene. But... whenever I look at Dion, I know he never wanted to destroy Rene. Even after Rene fired him, slandered him, and even attacked us... I can understand. Rene was Dion’s only male friend,” Mei murmured.

”Right. That’s what makes it so hard. Back then, Dion always talked about how happy he was to have a guy friend like Rene... and how much he enjoyed hanging out with him... even if I hated seeing it,” Luna added softly.

”For now, let’s just leave Dion be and not disturb him. I know him, there’s no way he’ll make the wrong decision. Don’t forget, every single one of us made it this far because of him,” Cleo stated firmly.

”Yeah... you’re right. I was forced to hand over my kingdom’s affairs to him because... he was right. I can’t resolve my kingdom’s crisis with a hot head,” Sheila admitted.

The room fell quiet once more as they placed Gina back onto the table to resume eating. But Gina turned to look at the dark expressions on the five girls’ faces.

”Don’t worry, Mamas... Papa’s just tired,” a tiny child’s voice echoed in their minds.

Everyone turned to stare at Gina, who looked completely cheerful and carefree. They immediately fed her more food, which she happily accepted.

Meanwhile, up in his bedroom, Dion lay flat on his bed, hands resting behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling. His mind spun, replaying his entire life. When his thoughts drifted to Rene, he let out a bitter scoff.

”Huh... I thought I actually had a friend in this world... Turns out Rene and James are cut from the exact same cloth. They only know how to stab me in the back... Pathetic,” Dion thought to himself.

His mind then wandered through everything that had transpired since Rene ousted him from the party, his plans for a peaceful retirement completely upended by an endless stream of crises, constantly placing him right at the center of trouble. His jaw tightened and his teeth ground together, his eyes narrowing as he glared at the ceiling.

”So much has happened lately... I thought I was finally off the hook and could live a quiet, relaxed life... But then Luna came along, then Mei, then Sheila, then Aria and Cleo... I thought to myself, fine, it’s fine if they’re with me since I’ve moved on from Tessa... But now it’s kingdom troubles left and right... wars... my territory constantly expanding... and now an ancient palace sitting in the backyard being researched and restored... Is it really too much to ask to just want a peaceful, quiet life, keeping to myself, tending to livestock, and working in the fields? What a trash world... exactly like Earth,” Dion thought bitterly, frustration boiling over.

Dion closed his eyes, thoroughly annoyed as he stewed over everything that had happened. The more he compared his current life to his time on Earth, the more eerily identical the trajectories felt. Grrr. He let out a low, unconscious growl, forcing his eyes shut as he tried frantically to quiet his racing thoughts. Eventually, exhaustion overtook him, and he drifted off to sleep, his stomach full and his body worn out.

***

”Huh...”

Dion opened his eyes to find himself once again standing in the endless, completely white void. Without thinking, he stood up and surveyed his surroundings.

”Great... back here again. I must’ve fallen asleep,” he thought to himself.

Tap... tap...

Suddenly, the crisp sound of high heels echoing against the void broke the silence. Dion whipped around to check behind him, then scanned the area, but saw no one approaching. As he stayed on high alert tap! someone gently patted his shoulder from behind.

”Whoaaaah!”

Dion spun around, leaping back in surprise. As he looked up, his eyes widened in shock. Standing before him was a woman clad in a black blazer draped over a crisp white button-up shirt, a matching skirt, black high heels, her blonde hair styled in a neat bun, with her face veiled in a soft glow of light behind her.

”Hi Marcus... Oh... sorry... Dion,” the woman greeted, waving her hand as her voice echoed through the space.

Dion didn’t answer right away. He narrowed his eyes, examining the woman from head to toe before locking onto her face. A faint smile touched his lips, and he straightened his posture.

”Hi Nora... How have you been?” Dion said with a soft smile.

The woman froze, looking slightly startled. Snap! She flicked her fingers, and her attire instantly shifted into the flowing white gown of Goddess Hestalia, identical to the statue, complete with a tiara and her hair cascading down her shoulders.

”We meet again. Just as I told you, once you uncovered the truth of this world, we would meet once more, wouldn’t we?” Hestalia said.

”Yeah, yeah... We meet again, Goddess Hestalia... Or should I say Nora, my youngest, most rebellious, stubborn, and hardheaded little sister,” Dion replied, waving his hand dismissively as he looked at her.

Hestalia went quiet again, studying Dion from top to bottom before returning to his face, even as the light veiled her features. Finally ”sigh!” she let out a soft sigh, raising a hand to wipe away the light veil, revealing her striking, beautiful face and bright blue eyes.

”Okay... Looks like it really is impossible to fool you, Big Brother,” Hestalia or Nora admitted.

”There we go. Finally admitting it. Now explain to me what is actually going on in this world, why you’re a goddess, and what’s really happening,” Dion demanded, stepping closer.

”Hah... We haven’t seen each other in so long, and those are the very first things you ask me? Give me a hug first! Do you have any idea how much I missed you after you died?” Hestalia or Nora whined, opening her arms wide.

”Haha... Unbelievable. Come here,” Dion chuckled.

Dion embraced the goddess, who wrapped her arms tightly around him with a bright smile. Dion felt her hold him firmly, her frame trembling slightly, as if she had truly missed him with all her heart. Once they released their hug,

”How’s Dad doing?” Dion asked softly.

”Hm... After you passed away... Dad collapsed and was hospitalized. Two months later... he joined you,” Hestalia answered softly.

”Oh... I see,” Dion murmured.

”He regretted never being close to you. The last time he saw you, you two got into a massive fight that drove you to run away from home and join the military for six years. He was completely shattered when he heard the news about you. All those years, he was constantly keeping tabs on you from a distance... You just never knew,” Hestalia or Nora explained gently.

”What... Did he come to this world too?” Dion asked.

”Of course not. You’re the only one who came to this world, because I was the one who brought you here,” Hestalia answered.

”Hah... You brought me here?” Dion asked, stunned.

”Yep! Your life on Earth was so miserable, Big Brother. I just wanted to give you a second chance... That’s why I had you born into my world,” Hestalia explained.

Dion studied the face of the sister he hadn’t seen in so long with absolute seriousness. Knowing her personality inside and out, even as she stood before him as a goddess, he locked eyes with her, his expression turning stern.

”And... knowing full well that I wanted to retire and live a quiet, peaceful life, why is your world overflowing with problems? What are you actually planning?” Dion asked directly.

At Dion’s blunt question, Hestalia flinched slightly, averting her eyes from his gaze. Seeing the goddess fall silent, Dion instantly deduced the truth behind his sister’s actions.

”You brought me here... because you knew my nature. You knew I can’t stand seeing problems without stepping in to fix them... Because you knew I’m reliable and never run away from my duties... Because I’ve always cleaned up your messes and pulled you out of trouble... Isn’t that right?” Dion pressed directly.

The goddess flinched again, slowly turning back to face Dion. Her demeanor shifted completely into that of a little sister caught red-handed by her older brother, who now stood before her with arms crossed, glaring down at her.

”Hehe... Busted, huh, Big Brother? Sorry... I brought you here to fix my problems,” Hestalia confessed nervously.

”Grrr... You knew I was exhausted and wanted to retire! Instead, you dumped an entire world’s worth of problems onto my shoulders! What is wrong with you?!” Dion snapped in annoyance.

”Because I couldn’t solve the problem on my own! I’m sorry! I promise after this, I’ll actually give you the chance to retire... For real this time!” Hestalia defended herself frantically.

”Sigh... Fine. What is actually going on in this world? What is your problem?” Dion asked, rubbing his temples.

Hestalia remained silent, letting Dion’s question hang heavily in the air. She stole a quick glance at Dion, looked away, and then met his eyes once more.

”If I tell you, promise you won’t get mad?” Hestalia asked nervously.

”Depends on what the problem is,” Dion answered flatly.

”Um... I need you to reset this world as a World Keeper, create a brand-new world, and then manage and nurture it from scratch, ehehe,” Hestalia replied.

”Hah... What did you just say?!” Dion shouted in utter shock, as his sister, a literal goddess, just dropped a nuclear bomb right on his head.