Ludger thought that three years was by no means a short time.
Of course, time is always relative.
For someone driven by a grand purpose, pursuing a long-held goal, three years would feel like nothing.
But for someone who simply lives day by day, letting time flow as it will, three years is more than enough to feel long.
Hans had been busy for those three years, but at least he no longer lived as someone consumed by something.
Once the Holy War ended and the Empire took him in, he finally secured the peaceful life he had always wanted.
Hans had accumulated a vast amount of wealth.
It wasn’t money granted by the Empire—he earned it himself while working under Ludger.
Most of the enormous sums Ludger brought in during his operations had been funneled into relic research, but Hans was the one who managed those funds.
And whenever money overflowed, Ludger willingly handed it to Hans to use however he wanted.
On top of that, Hans also earned profits from running Royal Street alongside Violetta.
His assets far surpassed those of most millionaires.
Hans was never the type to cling to prestige, so he wouldn’t have overworked /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ himself. And since he wasn’t the type to spend carelessly, he probably saved almost all of it.
That wasn’t all.
He’d even overcome the physical condition that had tormented him his whole life—Hans had essentially fulfilled most of his wishes in this lifetime.
So the fact that Hans got himself a woman... really isn’t something to be surprised about.
Hans was still young.
He only looked—well—a little, no, very prematurely aged. In truth, he was younger than Ludger.
And after years of working alongside Ludger, Hans had grown fearless to the point where hardly anything shocked him anymore.
He might whine like a coward sometimes, but when it mattered, he always stepped up.
He wasn’t just wealthy—he had backbone, resolve, and confidence.
Objectively speaking, he was more than qualified to be what people called an excellent husband-material.
Well... assuming one overlooks a few huge caveats.
For example:
“The man you might marry can manifest beast traits and transform into a monster at any moment. Is that acceptable?”
A question like that would have to come up.
And that single detail alone would reduce the number of people willing to date him—dramatically.
No, not dramatically. It might bring that number down to zero.
If there were a woman out there who actually liked men turning into beasts... that would be a whole different kind of problem, and Ludger would have to worry for Hans, not for her.
But judging from the way Hans was reacting now, Alex’s words were definitely true.
Hans definitely had a woman in his life.
Who on earth could it be?
Knowing Hans’s personality, if he truly liked someone, he wouldn’t keep everything a secret.
Despite how he looked, he had a remarkably sincere streak.
He would have explained his circumstances to her at minimum—yet despite that, she stayed with him.
That meant this woman accepted everything.
There was really someone that generous?
Ludger found it hard to take that at face value.
“Who is she, Hans? The woman you’re seeing.”
“Ah—no, boss, that’s—”
Hans avoided Ludger’s gaze, wiping sweat from his forehead.
He’d tried teasing Alex earlier and ended up getting hit back twice as hard; with the alcohol added in, his brain clearly wasn’t cooperating.
“It’s making me rather curious. Alex’s love story—I knew about that long ago, so I suspected this outcome eventually. But you, Hans... you’re different.”
Hans had never had much contact with women.
From the very beginning, he lived in the shadows at Ludger’s side, helping him with clandestine work.
Even if he had been interested in dating, nothing about his situation would have allowed it.
At a loss for words, Hans glared bitterly at Alex.
Alex only shrugged with a mischievous grin.
Serves him right for teasing first.
“You were going to tell him eventually, whether now or later. Think of it as me helping you out.”
“......”
It wasn’t even wrong.
Hans exhaled deeply, the alcohol leaving his lungs and letting a bit of clarity return to his eyes.
After thinking for a moment, Hans gathered his resolve and spoke.
“I was going to tell you sooner or later, boss. I just... wanted to enjoy seeing you again first.”
“Since the topic came up, let’s hear it. So, who is it?”
“Well... it’s, uh...”
Now that it came time to say it aloud, Hans clamped his mouth shut again, overwhelmed.
Alex, unable to watch him flounder, cut in from the side.
“Why? Leader should know her too.”
“...Someone I know?”
Ludger raised an eyebrow.
Actually, that made more sense. If Hans had been seeing someone Ludger had never met, that would be more suspicious.
If it was someone familiar, someone who already knew Hans’s condition, that would explain how she accepted him.
Which narrowed things down—yet made Ludger even more curious.
He knew plenty of women, and most of them possessed extraordinary abilities.
Which one of them could possibly match Hans?
“Well, it’s... it’s...”
With both Ludger and Alex staring him down, Hans’s Adam’s apple bobbed nervously.
Unable to withstand their combined gaze, he squeezed his eyes shut and blurted out a confession that wasn’t quite a confession.
“Seridan.”
“......”
The moment he heard that name, Ludger felt the world stop.
Thanks to everything he’d been through, he recovered quickly—but even so.
With a quiet cough, he asked again, carefully.
“I feel like I misheard you. Who did you say?”
“Seridan. Seridan Ironfeet.”
“......”
Ludger had no choice but to accept the reality he’d instinctively tried to reject.
He glanced at Alex—who was clutching his stomach, laughing so hard he could barely breathe.
Clearly, this was the reaction he’d been hoping for—and he got it perfectly.
“...Is that true?”
Wiping tears from his eyes, Alex nodded.
“Yeah, it’s true. Hans lives in that house he always dreamed of owning, right? Well, he’s not living there alone.”
“...Not alone?”
“Yeah. He built a huge warehouse next to the house—solid enough to withstand a moderate explosion. That’s not the kind of thing someone living alone would build.”
When Ludger turned back to Hans, Hans nodded, face bright red.
Every word of it was true.
“...Since when?”
“That’s the thing—I don’t even know. It just... happened somehow.”
Hans scratched the back of his messy hair.
Ludger tried reconstructing memories of Hans and Seridan.
Seridan always tormented Hans at every opportunity, and Hans always snapped back like he’d had enough.
And those two were now... a thing?
Hm.
As he dug through his memories, Ludger felt a strange sense of incongruity.
Thinking back, Seridan had always targeted Hans specifically and relentlessly.
He’d assumed it was because Hans was easy to tease... but maybe not.
“Leader, you know what this is, right?”
“What this?”
“She liked him, so she picked on him for attention. Classic. Seridan’s just that type.”
So, in summary:
Seridan had been paying special attention to Hans precisely because she liked him—and picked fights with him to get his attention.
“...She’s not some neighborhood kid.”
“Well, technically Seridan is kid-sized.”
“Please don’t say it like that. She’s just... not good at expressing her feelings.”
Hans jumped in to defend her, making Ludger widen his eyes.
Hans—defending Seridan?
Alex let out a whistle.
“Well, well. So you’re saying she’s your woman now?”
“N-no, that’s not what I—!”
“Honestly, with her race, you can’t blame her for looking like that.”
Ludger nodded instinctively at Alex’s words.
Right—Seridan was a Dwarf.
And her appearance... even phrased politely... wasn’t exactly adult-looking.
If anything, she looked far too young.
“Hans, you...”
Perhaps catching the peculiar tone in Ludger’s voice, Hans snapped back defensively.
“H-hey! What’s that supposed to mean!”
“Should I call it a problem or...”
“Dwarves all look like that! So anyone who likes Dwarves—are they all that type?!”
He wasn’t wrong.
Saying yes would make Ludger look like a racist.
“Still... Seridan isn’t that old, is she?”
“She is an adult. She just looks like that. And I didn’t like her because of how she looks!”
Hans emphasized that part with genuine frustration.
“It’s just—our personalities matched. And after everything we’ve been through, I came to appreciate her. That’s all. I’m not into anything strange!”
“Not liking her for that, but realizing she’s like that after liking her. Yeah, that’s a common pattern.”
Alex nodded sagely.
Hans glared at him. People who added unhelpful commentary were always the most annoying.
“Even considering all that, I’m still surprised. Even if Seridan had feelings, I didn’t think you would feel the same.”
“Well, that’s...”
Hans replied shyly.
“She always accepted me as I am.”
And that was true.
Seridan had never shown fear of Hans’s condition.
In fact, she teased him using it more than once.
He had brushed it off as childish curiosity or mischievous behavior.
But looking at it differently, it meant she truly didn’t care about his condition at all.
For someone like Hans, who’d always carried trauma and inferiority because of his constitution, that attitude must have felt like salvation.
“I really feel defeated. Of all things, the two of you ending up together. Actually... maybe that’s why you fit so well.”
Ludger didn’t believe in destiny pairing people together—but Hans and Seridan might be an exception.
“There’s no rule against workplace romance. If you two are happy, I won’t oppose it. Congratulations, honestly.”
“Are you teasing me too, boss?!”
“I’m being serious. You’re still young. Having a partner is a good thing.”
There was no hint of mockery in Ludger’s voice.
He’d been shocked at first, of course, but the more he thought about it, the more fitting the pair seemed.
Though... in appearance alone, they might look like a terrifying combination.
Still, both had lived their whole lives abandoned by the world.
They knew each other’s wounds better than anyone else.
Two people like that being drawn together—perhaps it was inevitable.
“It’s something to celebrate. When’s the wedding?”
“That’s... not yet. We haven’t been together that long.”
“Then why did you come alone? Where’s Seridan?”
“She’s on her way. I left early because I really wanted to get here quickly.”
“She’d usually be upset about that, but considering her personality, she probably doesn’t mind.”
“If anything, she always believed you’d come back someday, boss. So when she heard you returned, she wasn’t surprised at all. She said it was something that was bound to happen.”
Yes. That sounded exactly like Seridan.
Ludger nodded in understanding.
Seeing that, Hans narrowed his eyes and asked:
“More importantly—what about you, boss?”
“Me? What about me?”
“I mean, Alex and I ended up finding partners, but boss—you still don’t have anyone.”
“Is that something you ask someone who spent three years trapped in a pseudo-space?”
“No, I mean—now you’re back, and your identity constraints are gone.”
Alex chimed in beside him.
“He’s right. Leader doesn’t have to hide anymore. You’re basically a free man now.”
“And what does that have to do with the question?”
“It has everything to do with it. You finally have room to look around you.”
Ludger reluctantly nodded.
They weren’t wrong.
“So don’t you think it’s time for you to find a woman, too?”
“Me?”
He scoffed, almost laughing at the absurdity.
Hans and Alex looked more shocked by his reaction.
“Leader, seriously—just between us—women would line up for someone like you. And you’re saying you’re not interested?”
“I’m a fallen royal with an unstable identity.”
“That’s in the past! You’re using your real name now—so that’s settled, isn’t it?”
Ludger rubbed his chin.
“Hm. I’ve never thought about it. I don’t even know where to start. I’ve never had the chance to meet people that way.”
“Boss, you’ve got plenty of women around you.”
Ludger blinked.
“There are many, yes. So what?”
“...Among them, isn’t there anyone you’re interested in?”
“I’ve never thought of that. I never had the leisure. And what’s the point of me liking someone if they don’t feel the same?”
A textbook-perfect answer.
Hans and Alex stared at him, half astonished, half exasperated.
“What? Why are you two looking at me like that?”
“...Because now that we think about it—that’s exactly the kind of answer you would give.”