For Meruem, the offer was genuinely tempting.
But still…
Spending the rest of his life confined to a tavern—
wouldn't that be unbearably dull?
He had been born to rule the world.
Just as Meruem was struggling internally, Komugi gently tugged at his arm.
"Lord Chairman," she said softly.
"If you can't make up your mind…"
"Then maybe…"
"Play a game of Gungi with me first?"
"Fine," Meruem agreed without hesitation.
"But be prepared to lose—again."
"If you win," he continued, "what do you want?"
A smile bloomed on Komugi's face. She raised one finger.
"Please… play another game with me."
As her words fell, a board already filled with pieces appeared between them.
Ron reminded them quietly,
"You don't have much time."
Both nodded in silence.
Then—the match began.
Everyone in the tavern fell quiet, instinctively holding their breath so as not to disturb them.
At this moment, the timidity on Komugi's face faded, replaced by calm confidence.
Though blind, she commanded the entire board as if she could see everything.
As the game drew to a close, the outcome was unsurprising.
Meruem lost again.
Yet he made no decision, and the games continued.
No one knew how many rounds they played.
Eventually, Meruem's body could no longer withstand the deadly poison—the weapon that could kill even humans with terrifying certainty.
He felt tired.
His vision blurred.
He could barely make out the girl in front of him.
"Komugi… are you there?" he asked.
"Yes, I'm here," she replied gently.
"I won't go anywhere. 4-4-1, checkmate."
He asked again, "Komugi… are you still there?"
"Yes, I am. One more game—loser goes first."
"Komugi…"
"Yes? What is it?" she answered patiently, again and again.
At that moment, the two of them seemed to have found their home.
Ron's earlier promise had long been forgotten.
There was only Gungi—
and each other.
...
"Komugi… are you there?"
"I'm a little… tired."
"I want to take a short nap."
"Can you keep holding my hand?"
The poison had fully invaded Meruem's body. He could no longer even sit upright and had collapsed into Komugi's arms. His eyelids felt heavier than ever before.
"Komugi… Komugi, are you there?"
"I'll wake up soon."
"Before that… could you say my name?"
Receiving no response, the eternally cold tone in Meruem's voice finally began to tremble.
"I understand."
Komugi gently stroked his face, as if trying to memorize it.
Then—
she held his hand tightly.
"Please rest well, Meruem."
"I'll be right… behind you."
When he heard those words—
Meruem, who had once sought death without hesitation, finally gave in.
Using the last of his strength, his lips parted slightly.
"Boss… I agree…"
Meruem opened his eyes and saw Komugi's face.
In that instant, it was as if a beam of light illuminated his entire heart.
All darkness vanished.
Before him remained only the Gungi board, the tavern…
and Komugi.
The world fell into perfect stillness.
Nothing more.
What existed between them might not have been love—
yet it transcended every form of emotion.
Everyone in the tavern let out a heavy sigh of relief.
Just moments ago, it had felt as if the two of them were about to die together.
Though they themselves would have had no regrets,
those watching would have carried that pain for a very, very long time.
"A few seconds later, and we really would've been setting up a funeral feast."
Ron stepped forward quickly, placing a hand on each of their shoulders.
The next second—
A magic circle engraved with countless complex runes appeared beneath them, and a soft glow sank into both Meruem and Komugi.
This was the power of the Horse Talisman, combined with draconic healing magic.
Before long, they slowly regained consciousness.
Fatigue and injuries vanished without a trace.
"This is…" Komugi blinked in disbelief.
She could see.
She could actually see!
She hurriedly turned toward Meruem—
At the same time, Meruem was looking at her.
Their eyes met.
"Waaah—!"
Komugi threw herself into Meruem's arms and burst into tears, smearing him with tears and mucus alike.
"You little…" Meruem complained, yet still raised a hand to gently pat her head, a genuine smile spreading across his face.
At this moment, he let everything go—
his mission, his race, his destiny.
Born from humanity's boundless malice,
nearly killed by that same malice—
And yet now,
Meruem embraced the brightest part of humanity.
After the two separated, Ron finally spoke:
"Since you've agreed to the conditions, let's talk about the rules."
"As the tavern's future security—
you can play chess with Komugi when things are quiet."
"But if someone refuses to pay or causes trouble:
first time, a warning.
Second time, throw them out."
"If there's a third time…"
"You know what to do."
"No salary. Food and lodging provided. That's it."
Meruem nodded silently.
"No problem."
Komugi raised her fist enthusiastically.
"I'm fine with that too!"
"Good. You two can keep playing," Ron said with a smile, turning back to the bar.
Perhaps only Meruem had seen the light within Komugi—
and thus cherished someone so weak with such care.
And perhaps only Komugi
had seen Meruem's purity—
and that same light within him.
...
Time passed, little by little.
Night fell.
Guests gradually trickled out.
Meruem and Komugi showed no sign of fatigue, continuing their games late into the night.
Of course—
Meruem didn't win a single match.
Watching from the sidelines, Rem, Ram, and Tohru couldn't help but sigh.
This really was true love.
If it were them, they'd have flipped the table and walked out long ago.
...
The next morning.
Ron, as usual, got up and headed to the tavern, reading the newspaper while eating breakfast.
Suddenly—
The tavern doors were shoved open.
Rayleigh strode in confidently.
Judging by his swagger, he'd definitely won last night's battle.
He sat down at the bar, grinning broadly.
"Brat, that drink you served yesterday was excellent—really hit the spot!"
"I can only say this—whether it hurt or not, I'm talking about whether it hurt!"
Ron's face instantly darkened.
Damn it.
First thing in the morning and he's already speeding—didn't even sleep it off?
After shoveling down the rest of his breakfast, Ron stepped behind the bar and asked with a smirk:
"Don't celebrate too early."
"By the second half of the night, didn't you clearly feel like the oil wasn't flowing anymore?"
Rayleigh's face changed instantly.
"How did you know?!"
Ron laughed.
"Obviously. It was already late into the night—if you could still keep it up, that'd be unnatural."
"Keep this up," he added leisurely,
"and in six months at most—
I'll be attending your funeral banquet."
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