“…And that’s how it is. I’m truly sorry for keeping it a secret until now.”

“……”

Everyone listened silently until I finished speaking. Were they disappointed in me after all? Or maybe they looked down on me for using borrowed power so freely? I didn’t think Lilith and the others would ever feel that way, but I couldn’t shake the worry from my mind.

“…I understand. If you say so, Masayoshi-sama, then it must be true.”

“Yeah, it makes sense now why someone as powerful as Masayoshi-niisan didn’t know much about this world.”

“Once the gate connecting to this world is shut, I won’t know if I can ever return. And even if I do, I’ll have lost the power of the Grand Mage. I’ll be weaker than the average person.”

“Someone like that has no place beside you all. And… I have feelings for Sara-san. So, I can’t return your feelings.”

A clear rejection. That’s right—someone as powerless as I will be has no right to stand beside strong and beautiful women like them.

“Even so… if I do somehow return to this world, I hope you’ll still treat me as a dear friend, just like today.”

Still, if I could return, I wanted them to enjoy my cooking again. I wanted to drink, eat, and laugh together at the tavern. I didn’t want to lose my bond with them.

“…I understand what you’re saying, Masayoshi. But why do you think that means you don’t belong with us?”

“…Because I’ll no longer have the power of the Grand Mage?”

“And how does that change how we feel about you? Even if you lose that power, you’re still Masayoshi. I didn’t fall for you because of the Grand Mage’s power!”

“Maybe that power was what saved me from the dragon in the beginning. But after spending time eating, traveling, and sharing experiences together, I realized something.”

“It wasn’t your power I liked—it was your kindness, your selflessness, your determination to risk your own life to protect others. That’s the Masayoshi I fell for!”

“Lilith-san…”

I couldn’t know what the future held, but hearing Lilith say that now meant more to me than anything.

“Take this!”

“Ouch! What the hell, Nonoha?!”

“You’re hogging all the good lines! I was going to say the same thing!”

“Exactly! Don’t just steal everything we wanted to say!”

“Onii-chan is onii-chan, nya!”

“Nonoha-san… Lulune-san… Nenea-san… thank you.”

“So hurry up and come back. There’s no way we’re letting you disappear forever. If you need materials or tools, we’ll gather them. And not just us—Ian, Gildart, and everyone else will help. Tell that Ande guy we’ll give it our all!”

“…I will. I’ll tell Ande!”

Even if I lost the power of the Grand Mage, I wanted to choose the possibility of being with them again.

“…And that’s how it is. I’m truly sorry for keeping it a secret until now.”

“……”

After explaining everything to Lilith and the others, I used teleportation magic to reach the royal capital and made my way to Sara-san’s mansion.

I told her I had something important to say, and after arranging for us to be alone in a room, I told her the truth—just as I had with Lilith and the others.

I told her that I wasn’t from this world, that I had inherited the Grand Mage’s power and used it, that it wasn’t my strength that had saved her, but the power I had borrowed. I told her that the gate to the other world was closing.

And at the end, I told her the truth—that once I passed on the Grand Mage’s power to Ande, even if I met her again, I would no longer have that power.

“When you proposed to me, I was so happy I could have jumped for joy. But I don’t belong to this world. In my original world, I have my only family—my mother, my father’s grave, and my friends. I couldn’t abandon all of that to stay here.”

“……”

“Maybe I’ll find a way to return to this world. But I can’t say for sure. And even if I do, I’ll have lost all my power. No—actually, that power was never mine to begin with. So… I can’t marry you.”

“……”

…I said it. I had decided to stay in my world. There was a chance I would never be able to return here again. And even if I did, I would be weaker than an ordinary person.

Sara-san was a princess of this kingdom. Naturally, her marriage partner would have to be someone of appropriate status. If I still had the Grand Mage’s power, that might have been one thing, but once I became an ordinary—no, less than ordinary—man, there was no way I could be with her.

“…I understand, Masayoshi-sama. If you say so, then it must be true that you came from another world.”

“Yes.”

“Masayoshi-sama, please answer one question. Forget about your family, your world, your status—just for a moment, put all of that aside. If you did, could you see yourself marrying me?”

“…Yes. If I didn’t have to consider all of those things, I love you, Sara-san. I want to marry you!”

Putting aside my mother, my world, my age, the laws, our statuses—if none of that mattered, then I loved Sara-san. I wanted to be with her.

Maybe the gate to the other world would close, and I’d never see her again. I knew I shouldn’t say anything that would tie her down. But still, I couldn’t stop myself from telling her.

“…Thank you. Then the answer is simple. Please take me to your world, Masayoshi-sama!”