I felt myself becoming conscious again. I opened my eyes and my vision was still blurry. After my sight became clear, the first thing I saw was the ceiling of a room that had a palace-style carving design with dark blue and gold colors. I moved my right hand. It felt quite weak even though I only lifted it. On the back of my hand was attached a kind of intravenous tube often used on hospital patients.
I tried to get up even though it was still difficult and leaned my upper body against the front headboard of the bed. The room where I was now became clearly visible. This was a noble bedroom. Wait??? Am I now in the Imperial Palace???
Beside the room there was someone sitting on a chair while bowing their head and closing their eyes. It seemed she had been here since earlier. I immediately knew who had accompanied me until I regained consciousness.
"Sherubiel??? Are you asleep???"
She immediately woke up, looking at me with a very happy expression. Sherubiel appeared to shed tears as she ran toward me.
"Jooohhaaannnn...!!! Thank goodnessss you are awakeee...!!!"
Sherubiel immediately hugged me. But my body still felt sore. I asked her not to hug me tightly. She immediately apologized to me and loosened her embrace.
"Am I in the palace? Where are the others? Are they here too?"
"You were treated in the hospital for almost two weeks, Johann. After your vital condition improved enough and you only needed to continue the recovery period, Princess Glynpatra requested the doctors for Johann to be treated in the Palace instead. They are all in the palace now while hoping you would wake up soon..."
I was quite touched by her explanation. After remembering again the moment before I sacrificed myself alone to challenge Azkerath, I felt very guilty toward Gruzhnil because I had disobeyed his order as the supreme battlefield commander. I was also the one who made Grelmure endanger himself until he almost died to save me from Azkerath's curse.
"Did we win this battle? Where is Sir Hellraider?"
"Of course Johann. This is all thanks to Lord Hellraider who defeated the demon king. He is here too and you need to know that every day he always came here to see your condition..."
My heart was immediately touched again hearing that statement about Hellraider. Suddenly I remembered that dream again when I truly called his real name. Was it because of that that I could escape this illusion? The next question was whether I could directly call him by that name?
I really wanted to meet him right now. When I wanted to get down from the bed, my legs still felt weak like I had just woken up from a long sleep lasting months.
"Be careful Johann... Your body is still not ideal to be fully moved! Previously the medical staff often moved your body every day so your muscles and joints would not become stiff. Maybe your nerves are not working optimally yet due to a coma of more than two weeks..."
Suddenly 2 people entered my room. They were Gruzhnil and one person who seemed to be a doctor. They were immediately shocked when they saw me and instantly ran toward me. The doctor immediately supported me so I could sit beside the bed. Gruzhnil shed tears while smiling widely.
"Thank goodness you have awakened, Johann...!!! We all believed you would regain consciousness again...!!!"
I looked at Gruzhnil with teary eyes while smiling then lowered my head again.
"C-Commander... I want to apologize greatly because I disobeyed your order... I only wanted to prevent an even greater disaster..."
Gruzhnil immediately knelt and held both my shoulders again.
"You don't need to think about that anymore, Johann!!! All this disaster is already over... All of this is certainly thanks to you and The Great Lord Hellraider."
"I-Is Sir... Hellraider here commander??? Can I meet him?"
"Yes, Johann. He is here every day while waiting for you to wake up... The Great Lord Hellraider is outside. We will help you walk out."
I was rather confused why Gruzhnil changed to calling him "Great Lord". Wait a minute... Could it be that David had indeed obtained his divine power and defeated Azkerath. Ooohhh... This matched what existed in the storyline of the game.
The doctor then helped me stand and tried helping me walk little by little with crutches. He had suggested using a wheelchair if I was unable. I refused and kept trying to step until I could walk slowly.
Gruzhnil helped support me walking. When we exited the door there were quite many people in the palace corridor. They all paused for a moment and looked toward me. As we walked, they moved aside to the edge of the corridor and paid respect to me. Honestly I felt rather uncomfortable and only wanted to be treated normally.
When in the larger corridor leading to the throne room, the other people also did the same thing. Moments later I saw Mendicore, Grelmure and Glynpatra in front of me. Glynpatra who glanced at me immediately ran toward me while shouting and crying happily, likewise Grelmure who was only crying. Mendicore merely floated following them.
"JOOOHAAANNNN...!!! Praise Marsiel you have returned you have returned like beforeee...!!! I was very worried you would never be able to return againn...!!!"
Glynpatra then hugged me quite tightly then grabbed and shook both my shoulders. Although it still hurt a little I endured it so Glynpatra could pour out all her feelings to me.
"T-thank you Princess Glynpatra... I-I'm sorry if I made you very frightened and sad because of my actions at that time..."
"Don't say that again, Johann! We have all finally passed through this nightmare! It is already time that from today onward Grivendal will always be safe from that terror..."
I only smiled and looked toward Grelmure. He didn't speak to me but only stared at me with a face that had been crying. Moments later he immediately hugged me again while crying sobbingly.
"JOOOHAAANNNN...!!! I was very frightened that you had truly died because of that demon king...!!! Buttt... even though I don't know how you survived... I'm very grateful to see you alive againnn...!!! I'm very thankful because you saved me from death..."
My right hand held his left arm again. I closed my eyes briefly while sighing.
"I'm the one who should truly apologize to you Grelmure... Because because of my actions you had to sacrifice yourself to save me too from that demon king..."
Grelmure stopped sobbing and began laughing softly even though tears still flowed.
I didn't want to ask how Grelmure at that time charged into the battlefield and struck Azkerath with his Graganthurion to stop the curse on me. Maybe I would ask again later.
I looked at Mendicore who was still floating around. Suddenly there was a feeling of guilt because I had forced it to accompany me into that zone of death.
"There is no need to apologize to me again, Johann. It has become my will to continue following you even though there was a great risk that I too would be destroyed. I feel there is indeed something else I cannot explain with my thoughts and events beyond my reasoning truly occurred at the climax of that battle..."
"Now you don't need to question how that could happen anymore, Johann. I'm just like the others, also grateful that we all won this battle and stopped the demon invasion forever."
I only smiled and walked again while accompanied by them. When we arrived at the throne room, I saw Emperor Gregustus and Grishal conversing with each other. They immediately approached me when they glanced toward me.
The Emperor and Grishal said more or less the same things as before to express their gratitude. I only said that all of this ended thanks to David, of course still using his nickname.
"Ohh yes... The Great Lord Hellraider is at the side balcony. He seems to have been greatly waiting for you to return to normal like this, Johann. We permit you if you wish to meet him..." said the emperor.
I thought it became increasingly clear that David had done something more than merely obtaining divine power so that even The Emperor called him that. I then walked to the right side of the throne room. I remembered again when I was first summoned to face Emperor Gregustus. Just as The Emperor said, on the palace balcony, David stood with his back toward me seemingly looking at the outside view. He was still wearing the same armor as before.
After reaching the balcony, I stood somewhat apart beside his left side and also looked at the scenery. The sky appeared to begin showing its sunset above the Capital of Grivendal. The atmosphere there had started becoming lively again with people and vehicles passing by.
Suddenly David faced me and reflexively I did too so we stared at each other's faces. I then smiled while David still showed the same face, without any emotion.
"S-Sir... D-David...?"
Spontaneously I directly called his name. I saw again he still stared at me, I remembered very clearly the last time I wanted to say his real name in hell he would suffer a severe headache. I didn't know exactly how David could recognize his name now? Did it have something to do with the meeting with Archangel Marsiel yesterday?
Unexpectedly David walked toward me until we were almost embracing each other. My head even had to tilt up to keep looking at his face because of David's tall and huge body.
"Why did you do that??? You almost died, suckerfish..."
My eyes widened and my mouth gaped hearing his first words to me after this great war. I remembered myself calling him the nickname "pufferfish" twice and this time I thought it was even. I smiled again and lowered my head briefly then looked at his face again.
"I-I'm sorry Sir David… I was wrong because I could not patiently wait for you and I only didn't want this planet to be destroyed because of it..."
David closed his eyes briefly while sighing.
Suddenly someone approaching this balcony was heard. We reflexively glanced toward them. It turned out to be Gruzhnil, Glynpatra, Grelmure, Sherubiel and Mendicore.
"S-Sorry beforehand... L-Lord Hellraider's real name is Lord D-David??? A-are w-we allowed to c-call you by your name?" asked Gruzhnil.
I smiled widely and glanced at David briefly and he only stared back at me again and returned to looking at them.
"There is no need to be that afraid Commander... Sir David will accept it..."
Suddenly they all knelt again before us.
"T-thank you... Great Lord David... We all will remember your name forevermore..." said Gruzhnil, then they stood again.
I sighed again and continued observing the sunset that was beginning to set. David did the same together with me.