Genjitsushugi Yuusha no Oukoku Saikenki

Final Chapter: The Wedding Ceremony

H-Hey... Hal objected.

Hee hee! Your face is bright red, Hal.

Well save the kiss on the lips for the main event.

Halberts face felt like it was going to melt, so he shook his head.

Kaede chuckled as she watched him, but then something seemed to occur to her. Come to think of it, Hal, there was a message from His Majesty Souma to everyone getting married this time.

From Souma? Halbert cocked his head to the side.

Given that they were ruler and servant, it was normal for messages to come, but he didnt understand why it would be restricted to those getting married.

Smirking, Kaede added, Apparently, Depending on the political situation in the north, the country may become quite busy going forward. Therefore, during this period of comparative calm, make sure you get on with the baby-making... Thats what it said.

Nuwhuh?!

Hearing the words get on with the baby-making from Kaedes mouth, Halbert was so surprised that he took a step backwards despite himself.

Ruby may have been embarrassed, too, because her cheeks reddened.

While smiling wryly at their reaction, Kaede explained Soumas intentions. Those of us getting married today are the retainers His Majesty especially relies on. Hed like to avoid pregnancy or childbirth overlapping with any event that leaves him shorthanded.

R-Right... Halbert said, his voice cracking slightly.

For a man who had been in the military, Halbert was awfully innocent about these sorts of things.

That was because, though it was normal for the seniors at the officers academy to take the younger men out to places where they could fool around with girls to blow off steam, Halbert had been with Kaede even back then, so, out of concern for how she would see him, he hadnt experienced any of that.

Even when they were split up, with Halbert joining the Army and Kaede joining the Forbidden Army, his colleagues had known he had a cute childhood friend, so if hed ever so much as looked lustfully at a woman, they would have reported him to her.

Naturally, his colleagues werent acting out of genuine affection for Kaede, but jealousy towards Halbert for having a cute childhood friend.

As a result, though, Hal had no experience playing around with women.

After Hals transfer to the Forbidden Army, theyd been together with Kaede again, so the situation stayed the same as back at the academy.

This was the reason that, for all his crudeness, Halbert was rather innocent.

Kaede approached Halbert, and said with upturned eyes, Ill do my best to fulfill my duties as wife. So, please, Hal.

M-Me, too... Okay? Ruby hesitantly tugged on Halberts sleeve.

These two were so cute, they made him feel grateful, embarrassed, and... happy.

Halbert, with his face bright red, slapped his cheeks to reinvigorate himself.

Then, taking both of their hands, he walked towards the door.

Oh, whatever! Wheat, gravel, bring it on! Hell, come with spears and arrows, too! If you think you can get in the way of my happiness now, just try it!

Filled with emotion, Halbert couldnt help but shout that.

At the same time, in a different church in the capital, the former slave trader Ginger Camus and his former slave Sandria were having their wedding.

Now, you shall swear your oath, in the name of Mother Dragon, a priest intoned.

Under the watch of the teachers and research staff of Gingers Vocational School, where Ginger was the principal, and under the watch of Sandrias family, who had been invited from the Empire, the two were about to say their vows.

O Ginger, said the priest. Do you take Sandria to be your wife, and swear to share your whole lives, in times both good and bad?

I do. Ginger gave a firm response to the priests question.

There was no sign of the usual, slightly weak-willed Ginger here now.

This was the result of his deciding: I need to be a man for today, at least. If Im not, Ill make Sandria uneasy.

The priest nodded, then turned to Sandria.

O Sandria. Do you take Ginger to be your husband, and swear to share your whole lives, in times both good and bad?

...I do, Sandria responded, tripping over her words a little bit.

The reason it had taken a moment for the words to come out was not because she was feeling tense, but because she was verklempt. That was because, upon hearing the part about their whole lives, everything that had happened so far was racing through her mind.

Her father being deceived and saddled with a debt. Her being sold off to this country as a slave to pay it. Meeting Ginger after she had given up on everything.

From there, things had gotten better and better, like when the rain suddenly lets up.

Being freed from slavery. Making it to this fine day where she was now Gingers wife.

Now, seal your promise with a kiss, the priest said.

The two turned to face each other.

Sorry! she called.

The bouquet was still about ten meters from the ground when it was snatched.

In the middle of the bewildered crowd, the girl who had caught the bouquet landed and bowed apologetically to everyone around her. Each time she bowed, her bunny ears shook.

Sorry, sorry! The young master ordered me to catch it!

...What are you doing, Leporina? Taru sounded exasperated.

It was Leporina who had caught the bouquet.

Leporina was supposed to have gone to the castle with Kuu, but it seemed hed ordered her to come all this way just to do this.

With a troubled look on her face, Leporina handed the bouquet to Taru. Urgh... The young master said, Itll be our turn next anyway, so lets take it for ourselves. Oh! The young master will be coming here later, too.

It seemed that Kuu couldnt fully slip out of a ceremony where he was one of the guests of honor, either.

That must have been why hed dispatched Leporina to catch the bouquet. And he apparently intended to slip away as soon as the royal ceremony was over.

Master Kuu, honestly... Taru accepted the bouquet, albeit with a wry smile.

Though she complained, she was using the bouquet to hide her mouth, which looked ready to burst into a grin, so she wasnt entirely displeased.

Leporina was smiling, too.

Seeing that exchange between the next to be wedded...

Is this what they call sharing the happiness? Ludwin asked.

Genia grinned. Im not really sure if were the ones who shared with them, or theyre the ones who shared with us, though.

Ludwin and Genia both laughed happily.

O-Okay, everyone, lets toast! Yes.

Meanwhile, around that same time, in the garden of the Poncho Ishizuka Panacotta mansion in the capital, Poncho was wearing a white tailcoat as he proposed a toast.

Poncho was dressed in his best clothes, but because of his rotund belly, his shirt looked even more stretched than usual.

Next to Poncho were a cool-faced Serina and a happily smiling Komain, both in dresses.

They had held their wedding ceremony in the morning, so Serina and Komain were already Ponchos first and second wives.

Cheers! Ohhhhhhh! At Ponchos urging, the attendees raised their glasses.

Then, in the next second, they all fell over one another in the rush to the tables covered with many large platters of food.

Because this was a party held by Poncho, widely revered as Lord Ishizuka the God of Food, all of the dishes were popular items from the Ishizukas Place cafeteria, and they looked delicious.

These Ishizuka dishes that normally only the night staff at the castle could eat were being presented in a buffet format. There was no way people wouldnt crowd around.

More than that, though, Poncho was a rising noble, and many of the merchants he bought ingredients from wholesale, people from the marketplace, and members of the general public had been invited, too, so many were not concerned about appearances when racing for the food.

Even the knights and nobles, desperate not to have all the food snatched away, abandoned their shame to engage in pillaging the dishes, so of course it was going to be a riot.

As this war over the food unfolded, the brides and groom were left standing on the sidelines.

Despite all the noise, mysteriously the party wasnt totally ruined.

On closer inspection, there were individuals smartly moving in among gluttonous guests.

Roast beef is two slices per person, a servant said. If you want seconds, please return to the end of the line.

Madam, would you like something to drink?

The line for tatsuta chicken ends here.

There should be no fighting on this blessed day. Guests who cannot respect this will be asked to leave.

They were all wearing butler or classical maid uniforms.

They deftly divvied out the food, served drinks, organized lines, and mediated when fights seemed likely to break out, all in an effort to minimize the chaos.

Their movements were truly professional. This was only to be expected. That was because they were a family that had produced many butlers and maids who served people of high status in the castle.

As he watched them at work, Poncho wiped away his cold sweat with a handkerchief. Th-This has gotten incredibly boisterous, yes. If Serinas family werent handling things, this would have been a disaster.

The butlers and maids going around the event site were all members of Serinas family.

They should normally have been here as guests, but theyd said that, by their nature, their house was better-suited to wait on guests than be waited on as guests, so theyd asked to be in charge of service at the party.

I feel bad making Madam Serinas family help out, too, yes, Poncho admitted.

Have no worries, Serina said. We take pride in our work as servants.

Serina was as expressionless as ever, but there was a certain pride in the way she spoke.

There was a roar of applause.

Wahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!

Fwah...! #$%@aah!

Surprised by the crowd, Kazuha tried to bury her face in Liscias chest and started crying.

Liscia said, There, there, rocking her back and forth to calm her. Kazuha went on sobbing a little, but she didnt raise her voice.

Still, seeing the way she wasnt raising her face from Liscias chest, the large crowd must have scared her.

Meanwhile, as for Cian... his face was frozen solid.

It was like hed been hit by petrification magic, his expression didnt change as he looked at the crowd.

Cian was shy, and his face often froze like this when he met a new person.

So, in a way, this was business as usual.

I tried poking his pudgy little cheeks to try and get them to loosen up, but his face stayed the same, like he was engaged in some kind of staring contest.

Stubborn...

Its amazing, Naden whispered, waving her hands. Everyone is blessing these children.

Aisha and Juna smiled softly, too.

Theyre the prince and princess, after all, Aisha said. When the royal family has a bright future, thats something for the people to be happy about, too.

Hee hee, those two are probably even more popular with the people than the loreleis right now, Juna added.

Well! When alls said and done, the people love us, Roroa said with a cheerful smile. Big Sister Cias popular with folks in the Elfrieden Region, and Im a hit with people in the Amidionia Region. Junas famous as the Prima Lorelei, and Big Sister Ai and Nadie are well liked cause of all the exposure theyve gotten on the Jewel Voice Broadcast. Im sure theres some jealousy towards Darlin now hes gone and snatched us all up for himself.

Then Roroa winked.

She was probably right. I was surrounded by all these marvelous wives. Id have to willingly accept a little envy.

But... we were loved by the people, huh?

That scares me, just a little, I whispered.

Souma? Liscia cocked her head to the side.

I smiled wryly and adjusted the way I held Cian.

It means that the people here, celebrating with us, theyre just that willing to express their emotions. You could say they easily go with the flow.

I focused my eyes on the crowd as I spoke in an undertone.

If I rule poorly, and betray their expectations, their blessing will turn to resentment, and their applause to ridicule. I was thinking they might condemn our family with the same fervor that they celebrated my coronation, our marriage, and Cian and Kazuhas birth.

When I said that, the others got pensive looks on their faces.

Just as I had taken on the heavy burden of ruling this country, they had taken the burden of being its queens, so they surely had their own thoughts on the issue.

But...

Relax, Carla murmured in my ear.

At some point, she had moved to stand right behind me.

If you go down the wrong road, Master, Ive been contracted to risk my life to stop you. If it comes to it, I will stop you before the resentment can turn on your family, too.

Carla was whispering that so only I could hear. It made me laugh despite myself.

Ahaha... So youll kill me if I go astray? Is that anything to be saying on such a fine day?

Carla responded with exasperation. Its your own fault for being so pessimistic on this fine day.

...Youve got a point there.

Yes. So, please, be a good king, so that day never has to come.

With that said, Carla smoothly moved away.

Serina was always messing around with her, but Carla was a sword hanging above my head. She was an ever-present danger, a deterring sword that forced self-reflection. If a time ever came when I went astray, that sword would fall.

Conversely, she was also a guarantee that something would stop me if I went too far.

In my position as king, that deterrent and guarantee were reassuring.

Its going to be okay, Souma. Liscia approached me with a soft smile.

Seeing that, the people cheered.

Weve managed to overcome everything so far. From here on, no matter what happens, with this family, we can overcome anything.

Aisha, Juna, Roroa, and Naden nodded in agreement.

I felt like they were giving me courage, and I said, Thank you, then turned back to the people and once more I resumed waving.

But I think we could do with more family. Still facing the people, Liscia continued to talk. Thats why, from today on, youll be sleeping in our rooms.

Um... Liscia, thats... I began.

Did she mean... what I thought she did?

That I wouldnt be able to sleep in my own bed, or the bed in the governmental affairs office for awhile...?

Still smiling, Liscia declared, This is already decided. Youll be in Aishas room tonight, by the way.

I... I know I have my shortcomings, but please take good care of me, Aisha said bashfully while still waving to the people.

It seemed they had each reported on their plans and current physical condition to one of the court ladies at the beginning of the week, and using that information, they had put together a schedule of who would sleep with me when.

Tomorrow was Juna, then Roroa, Naden, Liscia... and so on.

Incidentally, no one had asked me what my plans were.

Stay strong, Souma, Liscia said teasingly.

...Right, I said nervously.

Ill work hard. And I mean that in many ways.

That was when the crowd let out another loud round of applause.

Huh? Why cheer now? I was thinking, and then...

Souma, look at that! Naden pointed straight up and shouted.

I looked up to the sky...

Wha?!

High in the sky above, I saw a large white shadow flying between the clouds.

That fur which shone in the daylight, and those great wings that seemed to rend the sky... There was no mistaking her.

Lady Tiamat?! Naden cried, because that form was unmistakably that of Mother Dragon.

Madam Tiamat would, on rare occasions, take a sightseeing flight around the continent, and Mother Dragon worshipers believed catching sight of her was a good omen.

Liscia and I had seen her before, too.

Souma, we did send Madam Tiamat a wedding invitation, right? Liscia asked.

I nodded. Yeah. Through Princess Sill of the Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom. But, because Madam Tiamat doesnt interfere in the world below, I didnt expect she could come.

Since I was marrying Naden, it would have pained me not to invite Madam Tiamat, the mother of all dragons, so Id sent an invitation just in case. But, as expected, there had been no response.

I put a hand on Nadens shoulder as she stared, dazed, into the sky.

No way... Its Lady Tiamat... Why...? she whispered.

She cant intervene in matters on the land, I said. But Ill bet she was worried about you and Ruby, since youre marrying into a country other than the Dragon Knight Kingdom. Thats why she did it like this. She went on a sightseeing flight, and just happened to pass by her two daughters on their big day.

Souma... As tears pooled in Nadens eyes, I clapped her on the shoulder.

Come on, why dont you give your overprotective adoptive mother a response?

With a sob, Naden said, Okay!

Naden waved up toward the sky, emitting the roar of a ryuu while still in human form.

There was a similar roar from the castle town at the same time, so Ruby must have noticed, too.

Then, as if shed heard their energetic voices, Madam Tiamat let out her own cry, like that of a whale. It would no doubt remain in the record that her cry was like a blessing on the entire country.

It was a good wedding, Liscia said.

I agreed with her from the bottom of my heart.

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