WM – Chapter 365: Marriage Ceremony – Part 2

“Makoto-sama! This is terrible!”

Momo, the former Great Sage, burst into the waiting room, speaking in a panicked tone.

“What happened, Momo?” (Makoto)

“What’s going on, Great Sage-sama?” (Sakurai)

Sakurai-kun and I asked her.

“Muh, the Light Hero is here too?” (Momo)

Momo seemed to calm down a bit after seeing Sakurai-kun.

“It’s good to see you doing well, Great Sage-sama.” (Sakurai)

“I’m not the Great Sage anymore. I’m just a regular commoner… or not really. I’m now the Oracle of the Spirit Goddess.” (Momo)

“So, what’s the emergency?” (Makoto)

“Yes! That’s it, Makoto-sama!” (Momo)

Momo raised her voice again.

“Goddess Noah is saying she wants to descend!” (Momo)

“But we knew that already, right?” (Makoto)

I didn’t understand why she was making such a fuss.

It had already been planned that Noah-sama would give a greeting at my wedding, and we had confirmed she could descend using Momo’s body.

“That’s not it! I also thought she would use my body as the Oracle for her descent, but…” (Momo)

“What other way is there?” (Makoto)

“She’s saying she will descend in her divine form!!” (Momo)

““…What?”” 

Both Sakurai-kun and I froze in disbelief.

“Noah-sama, can you hear me?!” (Makoto)

I called out to the sky.

There was no reply.

“Do you think she’s serious, Takatsuki-kun? A god descending to the mortal realm like that…” (Sakurai)

“The seal was lifted, so I heard it’s possible, but that would definitely violate the Divine Realm Regulations.” (Makoto)

“Why did she even appoint me as her Oracle if she’s descending directly?!” (Momo)

Momo was fuming with frustration.

Well, Noah-sama is a whimsical goddess after all.

“We have no choice but to go to the Deep Sea Temple and ask her directl—” (Makoto)

“You can’t do that, Takatsuki-kun!” (Sakurai)

“You absolutely cannot, Makoto-sama!” (Momo)

Sakurai-kun and Momo grabbed my arms before I could finish my sentence. 

They know what I am going to do.

“O-Okay, I get it. I won’t leave.” (Makoto)

Of course, I wasn’t about to abandon the wedding ceremony and go outside.

At that moment…

“Takatsuki Makoto-sama! The preparations for the ceremony are complete!! Please come this way!” 

My name was called. 

It is time.

“Well, I’ll be going now.” (Makoto)

“Alright, I’ll be watching from my seat. Congratulations again on your wedding, Takatsuki-kun.” (Sakurai)

“Makoto-sama, what should I do? I was supposed to summon Noah-sama in the middle of the ceremony, but…” (Momo)

Momo looked uneasy.

“For now, let’s stick to the original plan. I’ll keep trying to contact her as well.” (Makoto)

“Understood. Being an Oracle is tough…” (Momo)

Momo sighed softly.

“Sorry for all the trouble caused by our whimsical goddess.” (Makoto)

I left the waiting room after saying goodbye to Sakurai-kun and Momo.

◇◇

“Sofia-sama is waiting for you over there.”

I saw a crowd of people gathered in the distance as I walked down a long hallway.

It was a group of servants helping Princess Sofia with her dress and hair.

In the center of the group stood a woman with long hair, dressed in a pure white wedding gown.

The crowd of people parted as I approached.

Princess Sofia turned to face me.

Her long, sky-blue hair swayed as the Water Spirits around her danced joyfully.

“Hero Makoto.” (Sofia)

She smiled softly, looking more beautiful than ever.

“Sofia, you look stunning.” (Makoto)

I spoke my thoughts aloud.

Princess Sofia’s expression showed brief surprise before she smiled warmly.

“Thank you. You look wonderful as well.” (Sofia)

“Really?” (Makoto)

I recalled the sight of myself in the mirror earlier, dressed in a tailcoat.

“Yes, you look very dignified.” (Sofia)

Princess Sofia blushed and linked arms with me.

“Sofia-sama, Makoto-sama, please enter the hall through this door.” 

“Yes.” (Makoto)

“Understood.” (Sofia)

Prompted by the butler, Princess Sofia and I entered the grand hall of the Goddess Church, where the wedding ceremony would take place.

The interior of the grand church was magnificent, with colorful light filtering through the stained glass windows, creating a mystical atmosphere.

“Here they are! The Legendary Hero of the Water Nation, Takatsuki Makoto-sama! And Princess Sofia!”

A loud voice echoed throughout the hall, accompanied by the grand sound of orchestral music.

The applause and cheers of the guests followed.

I also spotted some familiar faces among the many royals and nobles from the West Continent’s nations.

Outside the grand church, the festivities from the pre-wedding celebration that had been going on since the previous day could still be heard faintly.

“Now, please come forward.” 

The butler directed us to the elderly priest of the Goddess Church, who was waiting at the altar.

Princess Sofia and I ascended to the altar.

“We are gathered here today to witness the love and vows of this couple and to bless their future. Now, bride and groom, please state your vows.”

The priest’s strong, clear voice filled the hall.

“Hero Makoto, I vow to walk by your side. I will rely on your courage and kindness as we overcome any challenges together.” (Sofia)

Princess Sofia spoke her vow fluently.

(What was I supposed to say again…?) (Makoto)

Ah, yes. It was the vow I had memorized yesterday.

“…Sofia, I thank you for your wisdom and your kindness toward your people. I vow to carve a new path together with you, overcoming any trial that comes our way.”

The priest took both of our hands and continued.

“Let this vow be witnessed by the Goddesses who watches over us from the heavens and by this holy place, binding these two together for eternity!”

And with that, our wedding vows were complete.

(Yup, finally! Sofia-chan, Mom is so happy for you~) 

The voice of the Water Goddess, Eir-sama, reached my ears as if natural.

Water Goddess-sama…you’re not her mother.

Hmm, I’m being watched.

(Watched? That sounds so bad. I’m just keeping a loving eye on the adorable Sofia-chan~) (Eir)

(By the way, Eir-sama, do you happen to know where Noah-sama is?) (Makoto)

(Hmm? I was with her earlier, but she said she had something to do and went off somewhere~) (Eir)

(Momo, Noah-sama’s Oracle, told me that Noah-sama is planning to descend to the mortal realm in her divine form.) (Makoto)

(…What?) (Eir)

The Water Goddess’s reaction was just like mine and Sakurai-kun’s.

(You haven’t heard anything?) (Makoto)

(I-I don’t know anything! This is the first I’m hearing of it! If she did that, it would be a disaster on the mortal realm…! Sun Goddess Althena-sama would be furious! Let me go find her!) (Eir)

The Water Goddess’s thought transmission was cut off.

Good, good. If Noah-sama is about to do something strange, the Eir-sama will probably stop her.

“The two of you, over here.” 

Two rings were presented in front of us.

They were wedding rings made of holy silver, Mithril.

We could have made them from divine metal, Orichalcum, but Sofia insisted, “That would be too extravagant”, and so we ended up with these.

I gently slid the softly glowing ring onto Princess Sofia’s ring finger.

Then, the same ring was placed on my finger.

A round of applause and cheers of celebration echoed through the cathedral.

◇◇

“I’m exhausted…” (Makoto)

“Fufufu, not used to this kind of thing?” (Sofia)

After the wedding vows in the cathedral, we were supposed to move to a different venue for the banquet. But instead of heading straight there, we paraded through the Water Country’s capital in a carriage.

Not only people from the Water Country, but people from other nations had gathered as well.

Elves from the Wood Country, people from the Sun Country.

Mages from the Moon Country, warriors from the Fire Country.

Various other races and people had come not so much for our wedding, but to join in the festivities.

Princess Sofia and I had to keep smiling and waving the entire time.

This was quite challenging for someone who struggles with forced smiles.

At one point, I had a splitting headache, probably from the unfamiliar strain, but fortunately, it went away quickly.

When we finally arrived at the venue, a large ensemble was playing graceful music.

There was a lavish feast prepared, but there wasn’t a moment to eat.

Influential people from various countries came to greet us one after another.

Normally, each one of these important guests would be expected to give a speech, but to avoid the event dragging on forever, we asked Queen Noel of the Sun Country to give the representative speech.

She’s the queen of the largest country on the West Continent and a friend of Princess Sofia’s.

However, after Queen Noel gave her speech, Furiae-san barged in, saying: “Let me speak too!”

Well, since she was technically a part of my party, she ended up giving a speech as the “representative of Takatsuki Makoto’s friends”.

The performances continued endlessly throughout the banquet and geishas were entertaining the guests.

During all of this, we were constantly being greeted, congratulated, and greeted again… I finally had a moment to catch my breath just now.

I sank into a chair and gulped down a glass of water.

If I drank any alcohol, I’d probably fall asleep from exhaustion.

“Hey, Makoto. You look totally drained.”

“Great job, Takatsuki-kun☆”

I heard familiar voices from behind and felt a tap on my shoulder.

It was Lucy in a red dress with a high slit, and Sa-san in an orange mini-dress.

“I’m not used to this kind of stuff.” (Makoto)

“Straighten up! Sofia’s still holding herself together.” (Lucy)

“Sofia-chan is used to this sort of thing after all.” (Aya)

“I’m sorry to both of you…for holding the wedding first.” (Sofia)

“We’ve already settled that, haven’t we? Don’t worry about it! You look great in your dress!” (Lucy)

“Congratulations, Sofia-chan!” (Aya)

“Thank you, Lucy-san, Aya-san.” (Sofia)

Princess Sofia was talking with Lucy and Sa-san.

Lucy didn’t seem too particular about having a wedding. 

Sa-san, on the other hand, said she’d like one, but since she’s a reincarnated person, she didn’t have anyone to invite. When she mentioned that, Lucy suggested: “Why don’t we have a joint wedding in my hometown?!”

That’s why, later on, we plan to have a small wedding ceremony in the Wood Country with Lucy and Sa-san.

“By the way, is this almost over?” (Lucy)

Lucy was helping herself to the wine on my table.

“No, not yet. That wine’s been sitting there for a while, isn’t it lukewarm?” (Makoto)

“It’s too good to waste. I see, so it isn’t ending anytime soon, huh.” (Lucy)

“Don’t, Lu-chan. Tonight is their wedding night, so we should give Takatsuki-kun and Sofi-chan some privacy.” (Aya)

“I-I know that.” (Lucy)

“Are you sure? You’re not going to pretend to be drunk and teleport into Takatsuki-kun’s room later, are you?” (Aya)

“I won’t!” (Lucy)

As Lucy and Sa-san bantered…

“Hey, why are you two having so much fun without me? You should’ve called me over!”

Even the Queen of the Moon Country, Furiae-san, showed up.

“Hey, Princess.” (Makoto)

“That outfit doesn’t suit you, My Knight.” (Furiae)

“Yeah, I thought so too.” (Makoto)

“My Knight looks better in black.” (Furiae)

I agree. White just doesn’t feel right for me.

We made small talk about nothing in particular.

After that, Sakurai-kun and Queen Noel, as well as Fuji-yan and Nina-san, who had been helping behind the scenes, all joined in, and I finally started to relax.

It’s exhausting being surrounded by people you don’t know.

Now that I had a chance to look around, I noticed something.

In the center of the wedding banquet hall.

There was a large round platform, much bigger than any of the tables.

(Was that always there…?) (Makoto)

Could it be that I simply didn’t notice it before because people kept talking to me non-stop throughout the banquet?

But with something that conspicuous, I should’ve noticed it earlier.

There was a complex magic circle drawn on the platform, and it looked like some sort of magic was about to be activated, though it hadn’t been used for any entertainment or anything else so far.

I wonder what it’s for.

“Hey, Lucy.” (Makoto)

“Hm? What is it, Makoto?” (Lucy)

I spoke to Lucy, who was pouring herself another glass of wine.

“Do you know what that platform is for?” (Makoto)

“Huh?” (Lucy)

Lucy looked at me with a confused expression when I asked.

“What are you talking about, Makoto? That’s the Goddess Descension Platform. It was specially prepared for this ceremony.” (Lucy)

“……Eh?” (Makoto)

Now it was my turn to be shocked.

What is Lucy talking about?

At that moment, Momo, the former Great Sage-sama and Oracle of the Spirit Goddess, showed up.

“Ah, Momo! Perfect timing. Lucy was saying something strange—” (Makoto)

“Makoto-sama! The preparations for Noah-sama’s descension to the mortal realm are complete! I’ll get ready to welcome her.” (Momo)

“…Huh?” (Makoto)

What is Momo talking about?

“N-Noah-sama is descending?” (Makoto)

“Yes! I drew that magic circle on the platform myself. Honestly, Noah-sama can be such a demanding Goddess!” (Momo)

“The Goddess Noah, huh? I didn’t get the chance to properly greet her last time, so I’m looking forward to it.” (Sakurai)

“S-Sakurai-kun?!” (Makoto)

Why are you accepting this so casually?!

Something’s wrong.

Momo and Sakurai-kun were just panicking a few hours ago about Noah-sama descending.

But now they’re both acting like it’s completely normal.

Calm down…

Clear Mind… Clear Mind…

With a slightly clearer head, I came to one conclusion.

“What’s wrong, Takatsuki-kun?” (Aya)

Sa-san noticed my serious expression and asked.

I need to confirm…the truth.

“Hey, Sa-san, I’ve got a question.” (Makoto)

“Yeah, what is it?” (Aya)

“Is it common for Goddesses to descend directly?” (Makoto)

When I asked, Sa-san looked puzzled.

“Ahaha, what are you talking about, Takatsuki-kun? Don’t you remember? We saw the Luck Goddess, Ira-sama, descend and sing and dance in the Commerce Country not too long ago. You were there with Lu-chan!” (Aya)

“Oh… I-I see…” (Makoto)

That’s…a memory that doesn’t exist, Sa-san.

(Noah-sama… you did something, didn’t you?) (Makoto)

It seems the rules of the world have changed without me knowing.

■ Comment Response: 

>How big is the cathedral of the Water Country’s capital compared to the Rozes Castle? 

-The Water Country is a religious country, so the cathedral is big. 

It is as big as the castle.

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