kscans

Chapter 202 - A Fairy Tale World

"..."

Romel stood frozen, at a loss for words. Before him was the Little One, escorted by Drago. Her pure white dress stood out against the red carpet.

A red accent color peeked out modestly from the shiromuku, which was reminiscent of a cotton bridal hood. It was not a conventional shiromuku, but one that had been modified into a Western style, lavishly adorned with lace and frills. The East-West blend shiromuku was decorated with flowers and butterflies made of braided cord craft on the hem and collar. The dress, embellished with these elegant touches, was divinely beautiful. Stunned, Romel gazed at her, utterly entranced. Looking up at him, the Little One smiled faintly and held out her hand. Seeing the crimson lipstick on her thin lips, Romel felt a heavy, aching sensation in his lower body.

I suppose it’s a man’s nature but... Calm down, me! This is just the beginning, it's just the prelude! We still have the ceremony, the parade, and even the reception! And on top of that, the evening ball... I agree that I want to ditch it all and run off with Chihiro, but calm down!

Romel tensed his face, which looked ready to crumble at any moment, while counting prime numbers as he had learned from the twins.

This was Chihiro in all her wedding glory, a sight he had seen in his dreams. Romel was not so composed as to be unmoved by it. Still, he had duties to perform. And yet, before his eyes was the Bear in the Kitchen, holding back a flood of tears with his entire body. Tears dripped down as his mustache quivered, and he swallowed his sobs.

Taking the Little One from Drago’s trembling hand, the two stood before the bishop. The bishop recited a short blessing in a clear voice, then asked the couple before him about their eternal love.

"...Eternal?"

Huh? Romel stared, shocked at the displeased look on Chihiro’s face, and waved his hands in a fluster.

"Wait, Chihiro? Just this part, just for this part! Okay?"

With a reluctant squint, his cute bride put on a superficial smile for him. He couldn’t stop the grin from spreading across his face. The invited guests, witnessing the extremely rare sight of Romel beaming, also couldn't help but smile warmly. Romel knew painfully well what the Little One wanted to say, but it was just for a moment. As he earnestly prayed for her to endure just a little longer, the unexpected happened, as is the Little One’s quality. Normally, after the two had pledged their eternal love, the priests and magicians would offer up their magic, and a golden blessing from the gods who accepted the covenant should have occurred. ...But, contrary to everyone’s expectations, nothing happened.

"...Did you not make a covenant?"

"I heard that you received a blessing at your engagement ceremony..."

"To not have the gods’ blessing... Romel, did you do something?"

His Majesty the King shot to his feet with a clatter.

There are two conditions under which a covenant can be broken.

One is to transfer one’s affection to another. This is not uncommon. Just as there are people called fickle, there are cases where the object of one’s lust is not limited to a single person. This would be true for the majority of men. Otherwise, a profession such as a prostitute would not exist. There are many who drown themselves in the company of such beautiful women, who sell their charms to give men a night of dreams. But well, in the end, it is a fleeting dream. It is rare for someone to become serious. However, this is a pure betrayal of one’s betrothed. The gods do not overlook it, and the covenant is mercilessly broken. Naturally, no blessing is given even after the wedding ceremony.

And then comes the divine punishment.

It is usually half magic. The amount of magical power one is born with is drastically reduced. The greater the magical power of the royalty and nobility, the greater the damage from this divine punishment. Thinking it can’t be, Romel circulated the magical power within his body. He was relieved to find it unchanged, but on the other hand, he was preoccupied with the lack of a blessing.

Not being blessed by the Twin Gods... Am I not welcome? Does this mean I am not worthy of Chihiro?

A cold sensation slithered through the pit of his stomach. A sense of urgency, wondering what went wrong, turned into anxiety and slowly crept up his spine.

...Then, after a moment's pause, the doors of the Cathedral swung wide open. The guests and Romel, startled, all turned around at once. What they saw were the Lords of each forest. Several of them, lined up in a row, stepped into the Cathedral.

"Did we make it in time?"

"It seems so... Ah, I’m exhausted."

"Hey, this is just the beginning, you know?"

The Little One was also flabbergasted by the familiar monsters chattering away.

"Ragon... Olga? Everyone else too... What’s going on?"

As Chihiro rushed over to them, the monsters from various lands smiled faintly.

"The Twin Gods, you see? They visited us in a dream. They said they didn’t have enough power and wanted to borrow some."

"Indeed, indeed. It seems human magic alone cannot fill the world."

"We also wanted to see the King's bride in her wedding dress, so we answered the summons and came."

.....The world?

With that, Olga and the others, who seemed to know the situation, called out to Merda and the others and released a thunderous amount of magic. A swirling, crazed vortex of magic. Just as it seemed to vanish, a solemn melody resonated throughout the world. A clear tone, as if striking glass. And then a golden blizzard danced, enveloping the church itself. The monsters pushed the backs of the stunned Chihiro and Romel, urging them out of the Cathedral.

"Eh?! Eeeeh?!"

Outside, a golden magical snowstorm was raging, and beams of light like an angel's ladder were descending everywhere. The bands of light swayed with the flow of the clouds, occasionally intertwining.

"...Resonance, I believe. How nostalgic."

"This is it?"

The historical moment she had missed when she was abducted to the central forest during her previous pilgrimage. The Twin Gods, wanting to recreate it for her, had asked the monsters for the magic they would need.

Romel was not the only one who was dumbfounded. Not only the invited guests, but the entire world was in an uproar over the sudden and unusual situation.

"It’s beautiful... They say it’s an o-shugi from the Twin Gods. Isn’t that wonderful, Romel?"

"An o-shugi... This is close to a cataclysm, isn’t it? It’s not a bad omen, but... I bet every country is in a huge panic right now, aren’t they?"

The Little One looked up at her husband, whose wry smile was fading, and chuckled plumply.

"Well, someone will figure it out, I bet... Foster Father, probably."

"Me?!"

His Majesty the King whirled around.

"...And you too, Romel. Good luck♪"

"Me?!"

Ignoring the startled Romel, Chihiro laughed cheerfully.

Amidst all these people, only Drago and Sakura had their eyes narrowed with a look of poignant emotion.

"You... could it be?"

"Yes, that too might have been someone’s blessing."

That day, when they visited Pandæmonium and paid their respects at the graves. The two of them remembered the pillar of light that had appeared in the sky.

Suddenly, an indescribable loneliness and sadness coursed through Drago. He then hoisted his beloved daughter onto his shoulder and dashed outside.

"I’m not giving my daughter away to be a bride!!"

"""Eeeeeh?!"""

The Knight Order and Romel chased after the fleeing Drago, trying to catch him. Of course, with their magical prowess, Drago was quickly captured. But from that point on, he couldn't stop crying, and the Bear in the Kitchen continued to weep and wail. Perhaps it was contagious, because His Majesty the King, with a sullen face, did not offer any words of congratulations. The wedding of the two, who had received an extraordinary blessing from the Twin Gods, ended in utter chaos.

This, too, was the Little One’s quality.

Romel, holding the bride who was laughing from the bottom of her heart, was in a dreamlike state, his tolerance for trouble now severe.

Later, it was a given that the Frontier Royal Palace would struggle with inquiries and complaints from various countries.

Showering the world with blessings, their fairy tale continues♪