Hellmode ~A Hardcore Gamer Becomes Peerless in Another World with Retro Game Settings~

A month passed after Allen's fight in Patlanta, it was December now.

Viscount Grandvelle had become a duke, joining the higher ranks of nobles this year.

The Five Continents Alliance would have a meeting in Latash for new years.

As a higher ranking noble, he would be in Latash's palace too.

He was spending some time in his hometown, the city of Grandvelle, before he headed to the capital.

An unusually high number of people were visiting his mansion, all to congratulate him on his new position.

The day after that, he went to greet the people who had supported him the most ever since he was a baron.

It was only thanks to them that he had been able to become a duke.

"Ohh, Commander Zenov became a baron! That's incredible!!"

"It's only thanks to you."

The plump man standing next to the duke also spoke to Knight Commander Zenov.

"Yes, Chester. My Knight Commander has also gone up the ranks."

"You like to hear it."

They were all in the best inn the city of Grandvelle had to offer.

It was placed in a concurrent location, and it offered a good view of the central square.

Chester, Fiona's father, was the owner. He was there to receive Duke Grandvelle and Knight Commander Zenov.

The moment Grandvelle became a duke, he made his trustworthy Knight Commander who had been with him for many years a baron.

It was common for superior knights to eventually become barons.

Usually higher ranking nobles would also have their personal bodyguards.

Zenov had been fighting for more than a decade in the northern side of the central continent to keep people safe.

He had the opportunity to become a bodyguard, but he decided to return to his hometown in the Grandvelle region and lead the knights of the area.

He had become a baron because Duke Grandvelle recognized his work.

"Do you know if Master Allen will also come?"

Fiona raised her voice out of nowhere and asked the duke.

"Wha-?! Fiona, you shouldn't interrupt them."

Fiona had been listening without paying much attention for a while.

She was mostly curious if Allen would show up there.

"Allen and his friends? I believe they'll be here soon."

Duke Grandvelle was also aware that Fiona always looked for Allen.

He also remembered how mortified Chester had been when Fiona was taken by the Madagarsh, not being able to drink or eat for days.

It had already been six years since then.

Chester had also told him about Peromus.

The son of Kurena Village's chief had come asking for Fiona's hand in marriage.

Chester gave him a ridiculous condition, but he had seen something in Peromus.

Fiona was always looking for Allen, and Duke Grandvelle noticed how her face changed when she heard his reply.

"Oh? He's coming then?"

Her face had instantly lit up.

"Yes, but apparently he's preparing something so he'll take a bit longer."

Duke Grandvelle replied the way Allen had told him the day before.

"He's preparing something?"

BAM!!

Fiona started to wonder what that meant when the inn's door was opened with force.

Peromus was standing there.

He wore clothes custom tailored to his body, which he had ordered from Patlanta, giving him a striking appearance.

"Fiona, I've brought you a tear of the Sacred Fish Makris! So please marry me!!"

Peromus spoke loudly, everyone in the meeting able to hear him.

All the influential people gathered there turned to look at him.

"Wha-?! I'll never listen to you if all you say is nonsense like that!!"

Everyone's attention had focused on Peromus and Fiona, making her face go red with shame.

"I-it's not nonsense. Just step outside. I'll give you what I promised, a tear of the Sacred Fish Makris which no one else has touched before."

Peromus had practiced his lines countless times, but he still felt nervous, and his face was starting to turn red.

He almost forgot to add "Those who wish to be witnessed come outside too!"

Without setting foot inside the inn, Peromus turned around and walked outside.

"Hm, let's go outside. You come too, Zenov."

"Yessir!"

Duke Grandvelle knew the entire script, and he followed Peromus outside.

If the duke was going, most of the meeting would follow.

Thanks to that, Peromus gathered a good number of witnesses.

"Wh-what is happening?"

Chester had not seen the script, so he asked the duke confused.

When Fiona went outside, Peromus was waiting for her on the central square.

The sun would set shortly, and a thin layer of snow covered the ground.

"W-wait, Peromus. I think you're really going too far with this now. Huh? Master Allen is over there?"

Peromus was the only one on the square, but when Fiona got closer she noticed Allen and Cecile were standing on the opposite side.

Not saying anything more, Fiona looked from Allen to Peromus.

"Well, like I promised. I'll give you a tear of the Sacred Fish Makris that no one else touched."

"Wait, do you really mean it?"

The Tale of the Prostia Empire was known by everyone.

But it had become almost a dream-like future for girls of the age of Fiona.

"Yes, I really mean it. No one has touched it before, not even me."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I had Lord Makris come here. You'll see him in a bit, so try to not be surprised."

"Huh?"

Saying that, Peromus just smiled and stopped talking.

Nothing happened for a few seconds, making Fiona wonder if something was actually going to happen.

The influential people who came out of the inn were also starting to murmur.

Ding ding

As the script dictated, the guards rang the alarm bells, just so people would not freak out.

Then an enormous fish that could be seen even from far away appeared above the city.

"Thank you very much for coming, Sacred Fish Makris."

Makris had been summoned a distance away, to give the illusion he had floated all the way there.

"R-really? Huh? That's him?"

Fiona was shocked by how big Makris was.

'Is there a man named Peromus here?'

A calm and languid voice spoke.

"Yes, that's me."

'So the lady standing in front of you is your beloved Fiona?'

"Yes she is!!"

'Then I shall give you one of my tears as reward for all your hard work. Fiona, please hold your hands out.'

"W-wait, what's going on?"

"He said he'll give you a tear. Hold your hands out like you want to catch some rain."

"Huh? L-like this?"

"Yeah."

Mira joined her hands into a bowl shape and held them out.

Seeing that Fiona was ready, Makris swam in a circle above the city and then shed a singular tear from one eye.

The teardrop glistened under the setting sun, crystalizing before landing in Fiona's hands.

'The hero Peromus had fulfilled his promise. Peromus, Fiona, I wish you eternal love!'

Makris announced in a loud voice heard by the entire city, took another lap, and swam far into the horizon.

"O-ohh. So this is a tear of the Sacred Fish Makris. It's really pretty."

Fiona could not understand what had changed in Peromus.

But somehow she felt a heroic aura around him.

She could almost feel how many hardships he had endured to obtain the crystal in her hands.

Seeing that beautiful shine made her start to cry herself.

"Fiona, I promise I'll make you happy. Please marry me."

"Okay."

Fiona answered almost instantly.

"Fionaaa!!"

While Fiona cried of happiness, Peromus could not stop himself from shouting happily and hugging her.

"Kyah?!"

"I-I'm sorry, I got a bit carried away."

(Hey, don't go ruining what you worked so hard for.)

Things got a bit awkward between the two after Peromus' sudden outburst.

"Could you be a little more gentle?"

"Mhm, I love you Fiona."

Fiona closed her eyes, and Peromus gently kissed her.

It seemed like Peromus' confession was finally successful.

"It seems it worked after all, even though it was pretty scuffed."

Cecile's cheeks were slightly flushed as she watched the two kissing.

"Well, at least it worked. Alright Rosalina, time for the Tune of Love."

Allen turned around and raised his arms joining his hands to form a large O above his head.

"The Tune of Love? Got it. As the champion of Prostia, it's my turn to win this war. Everyone, show them what you practiced for!"

Rosalina's orange hair fluttered behind her as she addressed her unit.

"Elves, no more mistakes. Don't make all our practice go to waste."

The dark elves, holding wooden flutes, glared at the elves.

"The same goes to you, dark elves. It's time for the main performance."

The elves, who held the same flutes, did not want to lose either.

"No fights, elves and dark elves! Now perform!!"

""Okay.""

The elves and dark elves acknowledged Rosalina's warning.

A group composed of members from all races, led by Rosalina, appeared from side of the square opposite to the inn.

Peromus' confession had been successful, so Allen gave them the signal.

Once they reached their posts, Rosalina started singing a love song.

In rhythm with that, the mermen from Prostia's Imperial Entertainment Musical Unit started singing in unison, playing instruments, and the dancers joined in.

On top of that, elves, dark elves, beastmen, dwarves, and humans from Heavy User Island also started playing instruments.

(Time to show what you've been practicing for a month.)

Fiona was bewildered, wondering what was going on.

She quickly realized they were all there to cheer them on, so she closed her eyes and continued kissing Peromus.

The beautiful music could be heard through the streets.

The people from both the inn and the city watched Peromus and Fiona on the central square.

"It seems it went well."

She spoke to Allen while leaning out of a water tank.

"Yes, Empress Rapsonile. Thank you very much for lending me your Musical Unit."

Allen thanked her for allowing her Musical Unit to come here from Prostia.

"Not at all, this is the least I can do to thank one of the heroes that saved my country."

The Musical Unit had been more than willing to help Peromus fulfill his love.

Allen started planning an event to enhance the impact of Peromus' confession.

A month before, Allen told Allen's Army the details of the situation in Perostia.

He told them that if it was not for Peromus, more than half of Allen's Army would have perished.

Once he told the complete story, General Lud said "Please let us help Peromus too."

It seemed like there were plenty of beastmen with musical experience there.

Lud also said that they needed to repay Peromus and Bek, for the honor of beastmen.

If Peromus had not been there to help Bek, he would have been forgotten as the beastman that organized a coup in Albahar.

He would be known as a foolish beastman that could not stand up to the Demon King's Army.

But Peromus' courage led him to reveal Bek's true motivation, letting him fight to the death against the Demon King's Army.

The rest of Allen's Army also wanted to thank Peromus.

Rosalina had also taken the lead, saying "This will be my first step at conquering the surface!", and organized the entire event surrounding Peromus' confession.

The Songstress Contest had been interrupted, and she was the only one who obtained a Sacred Bead, which made her the winner.

After that, she said "I'm not going back to the middle of nowhere, I'll conquer the world!!", and joined Allen's party Abandoned Gamers.

After the beastmen offered their help, the rest of the various groups of Allen's Army also offered to help Peromus.

They selected those with musical experience, though that would not be enough so they spent one month rehearsing too.

In case Peromus was rejected, they had also come up with the Courageous Rhythm.

Prostia's Imperial Entertainment Musical Unit was Prostia's pride.

They had multiple winners and runner-ups from the Songstress Contest, giving them impressive singing and dancing abilities.

The members from Allen's Army and Heavy User Island worked hard to keep up with the experienced mermen.

"Hmhm, this seems like an appropriate reward for a hero, now Heavy User Island's major will have a suitable spouse as well. So wonderful."

Shea had been depressed for a while, but she was slowly regaining her spirits.

"This is the first time since the dawn of history that elves and dark elves are singing for love together."

Sophie felt like a new age was coming, elves and dark elves had not only fought alongside each other, but were singing love songs together too.

It was also a wonderful chance for Allen's Army and the inhabitants of Heavy User Island to bond together.

(Chester is there now, I guess Peromus' kiss has gone on for long enough.)

Soon Rosalina's voice was heard, "Let's perform Courageous Rhythm as well!", signaling they would perform the song originally meant in case Peromus was rejected.

Everything was happening in public, and Chester was starting to get flustered by how long it was taking, so he ended up having to approach the couple.

"Now then, Empress Rapsonile. The Five Continents' Alliance meeting will start in the capital soon. I'll take you there."

They had to bring Rapsonile from Grandvelle to Latash's capital for the meeting.

"Of course. Lead the way, Ignomas."

"Right away!"

Ignomas had been carrying the water tank that entire time, and he turned around to transport her to her destination.

(Alright, once that meeting is over it'll be time to look for the Divine Realm. Or maybe I could try fighting Digragni before that. There's still a few days before the meeting, so maybe I can do that first.)

"The Demon King has always been one step ahead! It's time we catch up! We'll head to the Gate of Judgement next!!"

(I've never encountered a door or gate I couldn't open, not even in my past life!)

That marked the end of Allen's adventure in Prostia.

Now he wanted to visit the Divine Realm and uncover the truths kept from him.

He also had to grow stronger alongside his friends.

As he spoke to them, they all gave enthusiastic replies.