Chapter 29 The Best Ending
875words
I instinctively focused my attention and could clearly "see" the familiar semi-transparent status bar that popped up in the upper right corner of my retina, now belonging only to me. It was no longer a cold mission directive, but more like a diary filled with happiness that I casually flipped through.
[Status]
Name: Jin
Titles: [Frederick's wife], [A mother]
Status: Happy, Slightly tired (Pregnant)
Mission: [Completed] Spend the rest of life with beloved one.
Looking at that "Completed" mission, a warm current surged in my heart. This had been my only obsession when I crossed over to another world and struggled to survive. Now, it was no longer a goal that I needed to constantly remind myself to achieve, but a beautiful reality that I was experiencing every day, every minute, every second.
Returning from that world filled with magic and slaughter seems like something from a past life now. The initial period was chaotic and difficult. I needed to readapt to this world that was peaceful to the point of boredom, while Frederick had to face a reality that completely overturned all his previous understanding. I've seen him frustrated when unable to light a fireplace with magic, and I've caught him looking at war movies on television with disdain yet loneliness in his expression. He had lost his power, lost his kingdom, lost everything familiar to him, like a prince uprooted from his soil, staggering across this strange land.
But I never regretted my wish. I accompanied him, taught him how to use smartphones, how to brew coffee himself in this world without servants, how to understand those traffic rules that seemed "completely illogical" in his eyes. I watched the coldness and vigilance in his eyes melt away bit by bit, watched him gradually retract all his thorns, clumsily yet with utmost seriousness, learning how to become an "ordinary person."
And now, he has done better than I could have ever imagined.
"Frederick, hurry up! We're going to be late for the movie!" I called into the house, my voice full of cheerful urgency.
"Coming, coming!" A somewhat childish voice came out first.
A moment later, the door was pushed open. The Demon Lord who once stirred up the entire otherworld, now wearing the most ordinary Earth casual clothes—a soft gray hoodie and washed jeans, walked out quickly. His signature silver hair had been cut much shorter, giving off a gentle luster in the sunset. His face no longer held the gloom and madness of the past; instead, there was a warmth that had been polished by time and love.
His large hand was being tightly held by a small, chubby one. That was our daughter, Lily. A four-year-old girl with my black hair, but who had inherited his bright silver eyes.
"Mommy, Daddy is worried about which knight to take out!" Lily looked up with her little face, reporting to me in all seriousness.
Frederick's face showed a helpless yet indulgent smile. He bent down and effortlessly lifted his daughter into his arms. His movements were so natural and practiced, filled with the gentle strength unique to fathers.
He walked to my side, his free arm naturally wrapping around my waist, gently pulling me toward him, and placing a kiss light as a feather on my cheek.
"As you command, my dear wife," his voice was deep and charming, carrying a hint of playful amusement—a gentleness meant only for me that he had learned during the long years of peace. "Let's go."
Lily giggled in his arms, waving a toy knight in silver armor. Frederick held her while I clung to his arm, our family basking in the orange sunset, walking along a path strewn with fallen leaves toward the town's movie theater. Neighbors greeted us warmly, and Frederick would respond with a perfectly calibrated, polite yet distant smile. Only when looking at me and our daughter would the glaciers in his eyes completely melt, transforming into a deep and warm ocean.
I looked up at his perfect profile, at our lively and adorable daughter, feeling the pulse of new life in my womb, experiencing this real and warm world. My heart was filled with an indescribable serenity and contentment.
Once, I was that player "Jin" struggling to survive, that mentor "Winifred" burdened with the mission of salvation. My life was defined by the system, each step filled with calculations and strategies. I needed to fathom the thoughts of every NPC, utilize every available resource, dance on the edge of a knife, all to achieve that seemingly unreachable "perfect ending."
But now, I finally understand.
The best ending was never the system-rated SSS-perfect completion, nor the infinite wealth or eternal life that could be wished for.
This time, there is no system, no missions, no strategies.
Just me and my home.
This is the best ending, won through everything I fought for.
