A Choice Made
Elsa immediately pulled Meri's hand to make her stand up, then she led Meri out of the house and showed her the yard and the sea in front of them.
"Look, you see? We're on an island, and there's only a garden, the sea, and a forest behind us. Do you want to stay here? There's nothing here," Elsa said.
"Isn't there a city here?" Meri asked.
"There is, but it's on the continent across the sea," Adrian replied.
"Um... I see," Meri replied thoughtfully.
"Enough. Don't be difficult and please keep all of this a secret. I'll take you to Bandung," Elsa said.
"Um... can we just go to a city or village in this world?" Meri asked.
"Geez, what are you thinking? You'd have to learn a new language, right? Do you really think living in an isekai is easy? This isn't a manga or a novel; this is real life," Elsa answered.
"I've been kicked out, Elsa. My future in Bandung is also bleak, it's the same thing, isn't it? I don't know about here either, but it's better here than in Bandung. The clear thing is, there are no drugs here, and both Remon and I can get clean," Meri said.
Elsa looked at Adrian, who shrugged. Then Elsa pulled Meri back inside and asked her to sit on the sofa.
"Listen, Meri, if I leave you here, you won't be able to go back. There's no way I can pick you up because the time calculation here is different from Earth. One day on Earth is three days here. So if you come here with us today and my husband and I only come back a week later, you would have been here for a month already, do you understand?" Elsa explained.
"Yes, I understand, but like I said, my future in Bandung or Jakarta is bleak. Remon's too. Not to mention I'm going to have a baby. So why not just live here? It's all the same, I mean," Meri said.
"Ugh, so how do I take you to a city?" Elsa asked.
"Can't you just use that portal?" Meri asked, pointing at the portal.
"That portal only connects Earth and this island. No matter where you open a portal from, it will always return to this island. And if you want to go anywhere from this island, you still have to come back to this island to change locations on Earth. So this portal can't take you to a city in this world. What Elsa meant was, if we take you to a city here, we won't be able to pick you up again. It's a one-way trip because we'd have to take Galvin, and this dragon attracts a lot of attention, so we can't keep going to the city. Besides, our age difference will become huge later," Adrian explained.
Meri thought hard, then she turned to look at Remon. She stood up and approached Remon, who was lying on the floor. She crouched down and kissed Remon's forehead, then she stood up and looked at Elsa and Adrian.
"I've decided. I'll stay here by myself. Please take Remon back to his parents. Sorry if I'm being a bother, but I can't be on Earth anymore. I'm really begging you to let me live in this world," Meri said, crying.
"What are you talking about?" someone asked.
Elsa and Adrian turned to see Remon trying to get up. Meri turned around and helped Remon to his feet, then supported him.
"Where are we?" Remon asked.
"Isekai... another world," Meri replied.
"Seriously?" Remon asked.
"Yes, seriously, but I want you to go home to Bandung. (She turned to Elsa) Please, Elsa, this is my last request," Meri said.
"What are you saying? How can I leave you here alone in such a state? I'm coming with you," Remon said.
"Heeee," Adrian and Elsa exclaimed in unison.
"But I caused all this trouble. It's all my fault, isn't it? I involved you," Meri said, crying.
"Stop talking so much. This baby is our child, and I'm your husband. That's it," Remon said, immediately hugging Meri.
They both embraced, Meri sobbing uncontrollably in Remon's arms. Adrian and Elsa were stunned watching them.
"Wasn't he still into you earlier, Elsa?" Adrian asked.
"I don't know, I don't care," Elsa replied sharply.
******
A New Beginning
After that, Remon and Meri turned to look at Adrian and Elsa, who were standing in front of them. Remon immediately knelt.
"Elsa, I'm sorry. I've been a jerk all this time. I pushed you away from Bandung, but now I've realized. It's okay if you don't forgive me, but please, at least grant Meri's request. I'll be here with her too," Remon said.
"Haaah... there's no internet here, no smartphones, no TV, and not even toilets. Is that okay for both of you?" Elsa asked.
"It's fine. I'm sick of Bandung and Jakarta," Remon replied.
"He's just like me, Elsa," Meri added.
"Okay then, hold on a sec," Adrian said.
Adrian immediately went into the room in front of the bedroom with Galvin on his shoulder. Remon and Meri looked confused. Soon after, Adrian came out fully armored, carrying a machine gun and his sword.
"Okay, now it's my turn, just a moment," Elsa replied.
Elsa walked inside, switching places with Adrian. Then Adrian approached Remon, who was kneeling, and he drew a sword, then gave it to Remon.
"Here, use this, for self-defense or work," Adrian said.
"Okay, thanks. Sorry about earlier," Remon replied.
"Relax. And here,"
Adrian gave Remon two pendant necklaces that resembled agate necklaces but were filled with yellow crystals. Remon then gave one to Meri.
"What are these?" Remon asked.
"Wear them. These are translator necklaces. You can talk directly to people here," Adrian said.
"Okay, got it."
Elsa came out wearing a blue robe and gown like a sorceress. She also wore a tiara and carried a staff with a gem at its tip.
"Wow, you look like a witch," Meri said.
"Excuse me! I'm a sage," Elsa retorted.
"Sorry, can I ask something first?" Remon asked.
"What?" Adrian asked.
"Where are we going?" Remon asked.
"The palace. Let's go outside," Adrian replied.
They walked out of the house and crossed the yard, then they went outside the fence. Adrian paused for a moment and released Galvin. "Boom!Thump... thump!" Galvin, who had grown to giant size, landed in front of Adrian and the others. "Groaaaaaar!" Galvin roared upwards. Remon and Meri immediately fell to the ground, terrified.
"Come on, get on," Adrian said.
"Huh... g-get on this?" Remon asked.
"Come on, hurry up. I want to relax at home," Elsa urged.
Finally, they immediately climbed onto Galvin's back. After that, "thump... thump!" Galvin flapped his wings and soared into the sky. Elsa, sitting in front of Adrian, leaned against his chest. Adrian looked back and smiled, seeing Remon and Meri looking amazed by the view below them.
******
Saying Goodbye
An hour later, in a port city called Mattrel, seeing a dragon, and Galvin being famous as a legendary dragon, the city officials immediately met them and eventually allowed Remon and Meri to live there as long as they registered with the merchant or adventurer guild. Adrian and Elsa helped them register and even bought them a house.
"Okay, take care of yourselves. We're heading off," Adrian said from atop Galvin.
"Yes, thank you so much, and once again, we apologize," Remon said.
Elsa hugged Meri, and both cried. Then they forgave each other, and after they finished hugging,
"Goodbye, Meri," Elsa said.
"Yes, Elsa, goodbye, thank you so much," Meri replied.
"I hope the baby is born safely," Elsa said.
"Yes, I hope you two are happy. I'll definitely pray for you," Meri replied.
"You're welcome. That's it, I'm going," Elsa said.
"Yes, be careful," Meri replied.
Elsa floated onto Galvin's back and was caught by Adrian. "Thump... thump!" Galvin began to flap his wings and hover in the air. After that, Adrian and Elsa waved and were waved back by Remon and Meri, who were smiling widely. Galvin immediately soared away. Remon put his arm around Meri and led her into the house, holding his sword.
Meanwhile, on Galvin's back, Elsa buried her face in Adrian's back, holding him tight around the waist. Tears streamed down her face, and she sobbed. Adrian turned and smiled, letting Elsa release all her sadness without interruption. He simply held her hand, which rested on his stomach.
"I hope you find happiness here, Meri. I still consider you my best friend because we grew up together since childhood. Goodbye, Meri, I love you," Elsa thought to herself, tears still flowing.
At that moment, Adrian, Elsa, Meri, and Remon had no idea that, in the future, the baby girl Meri would give birth to was destined to become a saint with rare holy elemental magic. She would save the kingdom by preventing the resurrection of a demon lord while still attending the academy alongside the crown prince and a retinue of elite students who followed her.
She would marry the handsome crown prince of the kingdom, even though many other handsome, elite men loved and were devoted to her. She would then become the queen of the Fredonia Kingdom and bear heirs for future generations. Her name would be remembered in history far into the future. But all of that happened in a different story, unrelated to this one.