WM – Chapter 366: Marriage Ceremony – Part 3

“What’s wrong, Makoto?” (Lucy)

“Takatsuki-kun, you look like you’re upset.” (Aya)

Lucy and Sa-san peered at my face.

“It’s nothing, really. I’m fine.” (Makoto)

I used [Clear Mind] and returned to my usual calm expression as I answered them.

I quickly assessed the situation.

(…The world’s common sense has been overwritten.) (Makoto)

I glanced at the large platform in the center of the ceremony hall, with a magic circle drawn on it. 

The Goddess-sama will apparently be descending there.

Normally, the idea of a deity descending to the mortal realm in their divine form is unthinkable, and it’s strictly prohibited by the Divine Realm Regulations. 

But it appeared that no one here questioned it.

It’s probably the work of my beloved goddess, Noah-sama.

Now that I think about it, I did have a sudden, intense headache and dizziness a few hours ago.

That must have been when the world’s common sense was rewritten.

The question is, why did she do it?

(If I know Noah-sama’s personality…it’s probably for some surprise?) (Makoto)

She is a mischievous Goddess after all.

I could easily imagine her saying something like: “Since it’s Makoto’s wedding, I’ll give him a grand blessing with my Miracle Magic!”

The problem is the scale of that surprise.

According to the Water Goddess Eir-sama, Noah-sama’s seal was lifted, so if she sneezed, a tornado strong enough to destroy a city could form, and if she lightly kicked the ground in a bad mood, an earthquake that could bring down a castle would occur.

Because she was sealed for so long, Noah-sama still doesn’t fully grasp the extent of her power.

I have no idea what she might do.

(I should at least be mentally prepared…) (Makoto)

I continued to observe the surroundings using my [RPG Player] perspective.

◇◇

“Everyone, we now have a congratulatory message from a ‘special guest’.”

The wedding host announced.

Cheers and applause filled the hall.

The only one confused was…me.

(This wasn’t in the program.) (Makoto)

This must be one of Noah-sama’s schemes.

The host held a faintly glowing, rainbow-colored folded paper in his hands.

The moment he opened it…

—The world was wrapped in night.

(What the—!?) (Makoto)

It was the same Miracle Magic that reversed day and night when I fought the Immortal King Bifrons a thousand years ago.

Could this be some kind of trap? I tensed up for a moment.

—Heya, Takatsuki Makoto-kun, and you, the Oracle of the Water Goddess, Sofia-kun. Congratulations on your marriage.

A majestic voice descended from the sky.

I recognized it.

But before I could recall from where, the overwhelming pressure in the voice hit me.

Just listening to it made me want to kneel…and when I glanced around, nearly everyone in the hall had their heads bowed.

—I would’ve preferred to come in person to offer my congratulations, but it’s hard for me to leave Hades. Please forgive me for delivering my message from afar. I also want to thank you for dealing with that dust monstrosity, Chill Utas, the other day. Feel free to visit Hades whenever you wish. Now, may you have a blessed marriage…

As the voice finished, the night ended, and the sun appeared once more.

The people who had bowed their heads now slowly raised them.

“Was that…”

“Such a divine voice…”

The crowd buzzed with awe as the host, still trembling, spoke.

“The congratulatory message just now was from…the Lord of Hades, Pluto-sama…” 

(Of course it was…!) (Makoto)

Rather than saying I have heard it before, it is more like there’s no way I would forget it.

The god who had restored Momo from being a vampire to a human. He is the brother of Jupiter, the God King who rules the Divine Realm.

A deity of the highest rank. He’s not someone you’d normally hear from.

Most of the attendees were so moved that they were crying.

It was surely Noah-sama’s surprise.

But I had a feeling that this wasn’t the end of it.

“Next on the program, we have a congratulatory message from the Guardian Goddess of Rozes, Eir-sama.”

The shaken host managed to continue the ceremony.

“Eh?” 

Princess Sofia, standing beside me, let out a surprised voice.

Looks like she didn’t know either.

“You didn’t know about this?” (Makoto)

“N-No… I haven’t heard anything from Eir-sama…” (Sofia)

This was definitely Noah-sama’s doing as well.

“While it would have been wonderful for the Water Goddess to be here herself, she’s extremely busy, so we have another special guest here on her behalf. Please, proceed!”

The host announced loudly.

A dazzling light burst from the magic circle on the platform in the center of the hall.

The magic being activated was ‘summoning’.

The circle bathed in light, and from its midst, a figure slowly emerged.

At first glance, she appeared to be a small girl.

However, the aura of mana -or rather, the golden Ether surrounding her- was far beyond that of even a Demon Lord.

Her hair was a neat, shoulder-length blonde.

A halo glowed above her head.

And pure white wings adorned her back.

(A… An angel…?) (Makoto)

Indeed, sending an angel on behalf of a Goddess made sense.

—Greetings, everyone. My name is Laila Seraphim Gargarin.

The angel’s voice was a pure, beautiful sound, like the ringing of a bell.

—I bear a message from the Water Goddess Eir-sama…or rather, this is actually a request from one of Eir-sama’s friends, another Goddess. I was summoned here for that purpose.

The angel turned to look directly at me.

—Takatsuki Makoto-sama, I served as the messenger of the Water Goddess Eir-sama in the West Continent a thousand years ago. I was cheering for you from afar as you bravely fought the Demon Lord Bifrons and the Great Demon Lord Iblis. I am truly delighted to speak with you in person today.

“T-Thank you very much.” (Makoto)

So she’d been watching. 

I wonder if she saw all the mistakes I made a thousand years ago too.

The angel then shifted her gaze to Princess Sofia.

—Princess Sofia, I have watched over the founding of Rozes since a thousand years ago. I no longer serve the West Continent, but I have always prayed for the prosperity of the Water Country. Today, I am honored to celebrate your union with a wonderful companion.

“It is an honor, Seraphim Laila-sama.” (Sofia)

Princess Sofia bowed her head.

I followed suit and bowed as well.

Seeing this, the angel’s expression became slightly perplexed.

“Takatsuki Makoto-sama, as a familiar of the Goddess Noah-sama, you must not bow your head to me, an angel.” (Laila)

“O-Okay…” (Makoto)

I was reprimanded.

But with how dignified Laila-san is, I couldn’t help but pay her respect.

—Now, I would like to explain how Rozes has developed over the years.

Laila-san began speaking.

(Oh no, this is going to be a long one.) (Makoto)

I realized what this feeling is… It is like listening to a school teacher.

And just like that, the angel-san’s long speech began.

Though I found it a bit boring, the devout guests listened intently, looking deeply moved.

I absentmindedly listened to the history of the Water Country and…

“Oh my, oh my, oh my, now this is getting interesting. It seems I’ve arrived a little late.”

A voice rang out close by.

I instantly knew whose voice it was.

“Princess…or not.” (Makoto)

The voice belonged to Furiae, but the tone was completely different.

“Moon Goddess Naia-sama. It’s been a while.” (Makoto)

“Humph, it hasn’t been that long, especially for a Goddess. But what’s going on here? The laws of the world seem to have changed quite a bit. Was this really okay? Even though I went out of my way to descend using Furiae-chan’s body.” (Naia)

Naia-sama seemed displeased.

At that moment, a small figure came rushing towards us.

“Moon Goddess Nyarlathotep-sama, I apologize for the delay in noticing your descent.”

It was the angel who had been recounting the history of the Water Country just moments ago.

She instantly appeared beside Naia-sama and kneeled before her.

“Laila-kun, you’re as diligent as ever. You don’t have to be so formal. I’m not your boss. Stand up, stand up.” (Naia)

Naia-sama -with the appearance of Furiae- gestured for the angel to rise.

But the angel remained kneeling.

“Forgive me, but the angel race is forbidden from standing while conversing with one of the Three Divine Goddesses.” (Laila)

“The Three Divine Goddesses?” (Makoto)

“The term refers to me, the Sun Goddess Althena-kun, and the Spirit Goddess Noah-kun.” (Naia) 

“If we offend any of the Three Divine Goddesses, the world itself could be destroyed easily.”

“N-No way…” (Makoto)

As I started to respond, I realized.

Noah-sama once tried to destroy the world using me, and the Moon Goddess-sama standing before me once tried to drop the moon.

It’s true that offending these two Goddesses is not a good idea.

Just then, I felt the stares of those around us.

All the guests in the hall were now looking in our direction.

Now that I think about it, it made sense that people would notice if  the angel, who had been giving a speech, suddenly knelt before the Queen of the Moon Country (who actually had a  Goddess inside). 

Maybe I should offer some explanation, I thought, as I stood up.

—“Ahahahaha!”

—“Fufufu!”

—“Kyahaha!”

—“Wheeee!”

Joyful voices echoed all around.

Beautiful lights in blue, red, green, and yellow swirled around the wedding venue.

I soon realized they were the Great Spirits of Water, Fire, Wind, and Earth.

There were easily hundreds of them.

But the real problem was…

“They’re so beautiful…”

“It is hard to believe they are from this world…”

“What a magnificent sight…”

For some reason, everyone could see the Great Spirits.

“They’ve been given temporary physical bodies…or rather, spirit forms that can be seen by humans.” (Naia)

Naia-sama explained.

It would be impossible for a human to prepare hundreds of dense spirit bodies that can be seen by normal people.

Even as a newly ascended god, I couldn’t do it.

“Could this be…” (Makoto)

“Must be Noah-kun’s doing.” (Naia)

Naia-sama and I exchanged glances and nodded.

“It’s almost time.”

“Indeed, it’s coming.” 

“Coming.” 

With all the extravagant spectacle, it was bound to happen.

The platform began to shine.

The light was incomparable to when the angel had descended.

It was as if the sun had fallen.

The silhouette of a beautiful woman appeared as the light slowly faded.

“I have arrived!!!!”

That person nailed a needlessly dramatic pose. It was Noah-sama.

■Comment Response:

>Please show me the singing and dancing of Ira-sama. Please, I will do anything.

-I was swayed a bit.

>Please give us a 3rd person perspective!

-I will consider this.

But everyone’s caught in the spell of Noah-sama…

This is troubling.

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