“Yeah, I knew. But it seemed like it would be fun, so I tried it like this.”

As if it didn’t matter, Noah, taking Delina, approached the tree. The two looked up at the tree. Then, Noah looked at Delina and asked.

“So, what vow should we make?”

“Well, I haven’t thought about it that far.”

Delina, who blurted out anything, also didn’t know what vow to make. Then Noah expressed his opinion.

“Then, how about making vows based on what we’ll keep after getting married later?”

“Things to keep?”

“Yeah, like saying what I want to do after marriage.”

“Well… Okay…”

At that, Delina, who was pondering for a moment, raised one hand like making a pledge.

“Noah Diamon swears to Delina Floren, his lover, that he will not talk about debts.”

“It sounds like an excuse to subtly reduce the debt. Was that too straightforward?”
“Alright. I wonder how valuable the handkerchief will be this time. That’s something to look forward to,” Noah replied with a smile, raising his hand.

“Then, I swear too.”

“…”

“I, Noah Diamon, pledge to give my lover and clown, Delina Floren, an even bigger smile than the one she gave me.”

Upon Noah’s oath, Delina smiled slightly.

“Is it okay? It’s surprisingly not easy for me to be funny.”

“Yeah, I might need to learn from a fire show.”

“Alright. How grand do you want it to be this time? You’re not going to call in a circus, are you?”

As if she were already tired just imagining it, Delina raised her hand again.

“Then I’ll swear the same. I, Delina Floren, pledge to give laughter to Noah Diamon, my lover and clown, whether he’s performing or not.”

All the procedures were done. Then Noah smiled.

“Now, all the things you said based on romance novels are over.”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“But you know, it feels like something’s missing, doesn’t it?”

“…What?”

“If it’s a romance novel, there should be an ending scene. That’s still left, right?”

Ah.

Delina looked into Noah’s eyes, which were getting closer, and understood what he was saying. At the same time, she also understood Noah’s gesture of approaching and wrapping his hand around her waist.

The moon, hidden among the clouds, revealed itself, brightly illuminating the two. Underneath, the two who kissed burst into laughter. A lovely laughter that was adorable to anyone.

On the continent, there were many countries and countless people who had lived in those countries. As time passed, stories about countries and people accumulated. Among them, the most famous country was undoubtedly the Helium Empire.

The Helium Empire, with the longest history on the continent. There were countless stories surrounding the Helium Empire. People especially loved the stories about a certain clown.

The legendary clown.

Although it was called a legend, the true identity of the clown had never been accurately known. According to the stories, he was the official clown of the Helium Imperial family, evidenced by the necklace engraved with the family’s emblem that he wore.

He carried various mysterious items and was said to breathe fire from his hands. Moreover, he could freely manipulate animals, move around various places, and perform extraordinary feats.

The legendary clown was also famous among knights. There were stories that just the appearance of the legendary clown could stop wars, so some kings did absurd things, like bringing a clown to the battlefield.
Perhaps the story of the legendary clown was simply a folktale passed down from mouth to mouth. However, a clue emerged that the legendary clown might have been a real person. And it was revealed in a truly unexpected place. That place was none other than the Ulfirim Duchy.

The Ulfirim Duchy, one of the prominent families of the Helium Empire. Being a family with a strong inclination towards privacy, people could only see the interior of the Duchy’s mansion after a considerable amount of time had passed. Among them, the most intriguing place was the treasure vault of the Ulfirim Dukes throughout history.

In the underground chambers, each Duke’s treasure was carefully stored, and what drew people’s attention was what was found in the treasure vault of Duke Belion Ulfirim.

Several guns and daggers.

Contrary to the reputation of the Ulfirim Duchy, these items were quite humble. However, people focused on them because of the paper placed in front of the items.

It was handwritten by Duke Belion himself on the paper. People had diverse opinions on whether the paper and the items were related to the legendary clown or if it was just a metaphorical expression of a clown.

But even setting aside such debates, the legendary clown would continue to exist among people like a legend. Into the future.

― The End ―