The Wedding Ceremony

"His Majesty Souma Amidonia Elfrieden, King of the United Kingdom

of Elfrieden and Amidonia, will now appear," Hakuya declared loudly.

I stepped out alone onto the red carpet.

This was the audience hall, the place where I had originally been

summoned, and where I had also first met Aisha, Juna, Hakuya, Tomoe, and

Poncho.

This place was pretty familiar to me, but today it was decked out in

gaudy decorations.

On either side of the red carpet running through the audience hall knelt

generals and bureaucrats, including Prime Minister Hakuya, Chamberlain

Marx, Commander-in-Chief of the National Defense Force Excel, Black

Cats Commander Kagetora, and Hiryuu Captain Castor.

In front of the throne at the end of that carpet were the former king, Sir

Albert, and the former queen, Lady Elisha.

This scene was being broadcast nationwide using the Jewel Voice

Broadcast jewel. (It was positioned so that Kagetora was off screen, though,

of course.)

I absolutely could not be allowed to make a fool of myself. I walked

slowly towards the two of them, as if savoring each step. Then, kneeling

when I reached them, I lowered my head.

Sir Albert took the crown lying beside him, and stood before me.

"I, the 13th king, Albert Elfrieden, will hereby carry out the coronation

of the 14th king, Souma A. Elfrieden! You will henceforth be king,

comforting the people within, repelling the enemy without, and making the

country prosper!"

"Yes, sir."

Hearing my response, Sir Albert nodded and placed the crown on my

head.

"Finally, I was able to hand you the crown," Sir Albert said in a whisper

so quiet only I could hear.

With my head lowered, and a wry smile on my face, I responded,

"You've been holding onto it for me all this time. I'm sorry."

"I should hope so. I was able to give you the throne, but it was annoying

that I couldn't give you the crown until your coronation. The position of

king can be so restricting. The coronation kept getting delayed, too. Having

to hold onto the crown all that time gave me the chills."

"Between Liscia's pregnancy, and the expedition to the Union of Eastern

Nations, a lot has happened."

"But that ends today. I'm counting on you to take care of Liscia and the

kingdom, son-in-law."

"Yes, Father."

When Sir Albert moved away from me, Lady Elisha approached to

drape an exquisite velvet cape over my shoulders.

In my ear, she whispered, "I will be wishing for your happiness, and the

happiness of Liscia, your other queens, Cian, Kazuha, and any other

children yet to be born. May you remain in good health forever after."

"Yes, Mother."

"Hee hee," she chuckled. "Do come and visit us in Albert's domain.

Though, instead of being called Grandma, I think I'd prefer to be called

Grandmother, like Excel."

When Lady Elisha said that, I couldn't help but smile a little.

"Okay. That's what I'll teach them to do."

When Lady Elisha moved away, I stood up.

Then another voice called out to me. "Your Majesty."

The one who walked out from the line of retainers was Roroa's

grandfather, Herman. He saluted me, walked to my side, and knelt.

The bureaucrats running the ceremony brought a sword in a sheathe with

sparkling detail work to him, and Herman offered it to me.

"This is the treasured sword handed down by generations of Amidonia's

sovereign princes. We ask that Your Majesty please protect the people of

both Elfrieden and Amidonia, without discrimination."

"...Got it." I accepted the sword and held it aloft. "I will endeavor to be a

king supported by both peoples."

It was important for me to inherit not just the Elfrieden name, but the

Amidonia name, too. That was why I had to be recognized as rightful

successor not just on the Elfriedenian side, but on the Amidonian side, too.

Herman was handing me this treasured sword as a way of showing that.

Herman stood down, and then I turned to my retainers, who stood up.

"Pledge your unswerving loyalty to the new king, His Royal Majesty

Souma," Hakuya intoned, and they all bowed to me in unison.

The rustling of clothes echoed through the room. It was amazing to

behold.

This concluded the coronation ceremony.

I was now, both in name and in fact, the king of this country. Not

provisional, or temporary.

I was now King Souma A. Elfrieden.

This was the moment of its happening.

The pipe organ began playing. Then the doors to the audience chamber

opened wide, and five beautiful brides appeared.

Liscia, Aisha, Juna, Roroa, and Naden.

They parted with their families at the door, and the five in wedding

dresses walked forward with children who were all dressed up helping

them.

Liscia's helper was Tomoe. The other four were assisted by children

from the castle nursery.

When the five of them got closer, they stopped in front of me, got down

on both knees, and bowed their heads.

Tomoe bowed once before joining the line of retainers, while the other

children scampered off.

The wedding ceremony would now begin.

The priests of Mother Dragon came forward, presenting five tiaras and

five golden rings.

I took one of those tiaras, stood before Liscia, and placed it on her head.

"I hereby make you my first primary queen. Let us develop this country

together."

"Yes. I will be with you forever."

When Liscia stood up, she looked me straight in the eye and extended

her left hand. Then she added, "And, of course, Cian and Kazuha will, too,"

in a voice only I could hear.

I put a ring on her finger, and then we shared a light kiss.

Seeing the little tears forming in the corner of Liscia's eyes, I wanted to

ignore the procedure and hug her, but I managed to restrain myself in the

eye of the public.

Doing the same for Aisha, Roroa, Juna, and Naden in turn, I took off

whatever headpieces they had been wearing and replaced them with tiaras,

put rings on their fingers, and then kissed them.

"I hereby make you my second primary queen. Let us protect this

country together."

"Yes!" Aisha declared. In a whisper, she added, "(Of course, I will

continue to protect you, too!)"

"I hereby make you my third primary queen," I told Roroa. "Let us

make this country prosper together."

"Yes! (Just you leave it to me, darlin'!)"

"I hereby make you my first secondary queen," I told Juna. "Let us

make this country's culture flourish together."

"Yes. (Hee hee, yes. Let's make a bright country, full of songs.)"

"I hereby make you my second secondary queen," I said to Naden. "Let

us open a future for this country together."

"Yes. (Roger that. I'll take you anywhere, Souma.)"

When we kissed, they each gave me something like a declaration of their

resolve.

They hadn't said anything during the dress rehearsal for the ceremony,

so they must all have thought about it during the lead up.

Had Liscia taken the lead on that? The ceremony was highly formal, so I

was very happy to be able to tell how each of them felt through it. I don't

know how many times I had thought this before, but they were all so

wonderful that they seemed wasted on me.

Now we were husband and wives, a family.

The priests departed, and Liscia and I headed towards the thrones.

There was a seat for the king, and a seat beside for a queen. Liscia and I

sat, and the other four stood beside us.

Once everyone was in their positions, Hakuya resumed his job as

presenter.

"On the occasion of His Majesty Souma's coronation and wedding,

messengers have come from every country to offer their congratulations.

First, the younger sister of Empress Maria Euphoria of the Gran Chaos

Empire, Madam Trill Euphoria."

"Yes, that's me!" Appearing from the entrance, her drill hair swaying, it

was Trill, original promoter of drill development.

This time, as the resident ambassador in Friedonia, she was here to offer

congratulations on behalf of Maria.

Kuu was acting in the same capacity for Sir Gouran of the Republic of

Turgis, Ichiha for Duke Chima of the Duchy of Chima, and Yuriga on

behalf of King Fuuga Haan of the steppe state of Malmkhitan.

Trill and Kuu were one thing, but Ichiha and Yuriga seemed to be tense

about their role here.

But, you know, though Yuriga was supposed to be Fuuga's

representative, he probably wasn't interested in the fact I'd become king, or

that I'd gotten married.

He was probably charging headlong towards his ambitions even now.

◇ ◇ ◇

Meanwhile, in the north of Malmkhitan, Fuuga stood on the banks of the

Dabicon River, which flowed from far to the west. The land beyond this

river was called the Demon Lord's Domain.

Stroking his trusty comrade, the flying tiger Durga, he pointed his rockcrushing blade, Zanganto, at the opposite shore.

"Listen up! Once we cross this river, we'll be in the Demon Lord's

Domain! That is the land the monsters chased us from, and the land

mankind must reclaim!"

He turned back to face the 20,000 soldiers behind him.

5,000 were the pride of Malmkhitan, the leaping cavalry, riding

temsbocks.

5,000 were heavy cavalry, riding larger, stronger war horses than were

usual.

The remaining 10,000 were foot soldiers, a group composed of refugees

who had been driven from their homelands by the expansion of the Demon

Lord's Domain.

Upon hearing that Fuuga was going to push into the Demon Lord's

Domain, refugee soldiers from across the Union of Eastern Nations had

gathered under him.

Fuuga spoke to all of them.

"These numbers here are no more than dust compared to the

expeditionary force once led by the Empire. There may be some who think

it foolish to venture into the Demon Lord's Domain where the

expeditionary force was wiped out by demons with these numbers.

However, I have seen it for myself. The demons, said to have wiped out the

expedition, did not show themselves, even when I went quite deep into the

Demon Lord's Domain. In short, the demons live only in the deepest parts

of the Demon Lord's Domain! Everything else is simply a lawless zone,

where monsters run rampant!"

Fuuga turned the hand with which he had been petting Durga towards

everyone else. He tightened it into a fist, then pulled it towards himself.

"That is why we can take it back! If only in part, to begin. This time, we

will reclaim the abandoned city to the north, and the smaller cities around it,

and begin to restore them. We will be the first on the side of mankind to

successfully take back land from the Demon Lord's Domain!"

The passion in Fuuga's words excited the assembled troops.

"If we can accomplish this, we will astound the nations of this continent,

bring in more support, and that will allow us to take back even more new

land! We will be daybreak's bell, ringing out the end of a stagnant era!"

"""Yeahhhhh!""" the soldiers roared in response to Fuuga's speech.

The spark of his passion set the whole army ablaze in an instant.

Fuuga leapt on Durga's back, then pointed Zanganto toward the northern

sky and shouted, "Now onward, you brave warriors who have assembled

here! We will make our names echo across the whole of this continent!"

"""Wowwwww!"""

Incited by Fuuga's fiery speech, the men charged headlong into the river.

As Fuuga stared at them, a single warhorse came over to Fuuga's side. It

carried Fuuga's wife, Mutsumi Chima.

She looked beautiful with her long, black hair streaming behind her, her

body clad in light armor, as she rode the horse with a longsword slung over

her back.

"A brilliant speech, Lord Fuuga," she said.

"I've told you, just Fuuga is fine. You're my wife."

However, Mutsumi shook her head with a wry smile. "I couldn't address

the commander of this force without the proper respect. It would be

intolerable if I were to do something that lowered the morale you worked so

hard to raise."

"You're as conscientious as ever... but, well, sorry. We just got married,

and I'm starting a campaign. I received a letter from Yuriga, and apparently

Souma's officially becoming king down south in Friedonia. When I heard

that, I couldn't sit still."

Yes, Souma felt a sense of urgency about dealing with Fuuga's

existence, but Fuuga was conscious of Souma, too.

Because each was conscious of the other, there was a mutual

understanding, paired with a fundamental disconnect, and they were both

preparing for the clash that might come sometime in the future.

Fuuga's existence made Souma stronger, and Souma's existence made

Fuuga stronger. To call them rivals might have sounded nice, but when you

considered the future to come, it was a complicated relationship, and not

one to be welcomed.

Mutsumi chuckled. "Don't mind me. No matter where you go, Lord

Fuuga, I will be at your side. So, please, follow the path you believe in.

Whether it leads to glory or hell, I will stay with you all the way."

Mutsumi brought a hand to her chest and smiled.

"And, please, show me the world that only you can create."

"...Yeah! You'll have a front row seat! I love you, Mutsumi!" Fuuga

leaned in and planted a kiss on his wife, then had Durga race off.

Behind him, Mutsumi and the soldiers followed.

And so, Fuuga's military force stepped into the Demon Lord's Domain.

◇ ◇ ◇

"Ah!" I exclaimed. I had suddenly felt a shudder run down my spine. I

didn't know what it was.

Trill's congratulatory remarks had ended, and we were in the middle of

Kuu's very serious remarks.

"...was the result of the cooperation between our three countries. My

father Gouran hopes that cordial relations between the kingdom, the

Empire, and the republic will continue to..."

As I twisted my head to look around, Kuu continued.

"That being the case, in the hopes of lasting friendship between the

republic, the kingdom, and the Empire, we would like to congratulate Sir

Souma on his coronation and wedding. Please, continue to show us your

favor."

With his address finished, Kuu mouthed the words, "Thanks, Bro," and

winked at all of us. Throwing in that bit of mischievous charm at the end

was so like Kuu.

I gave Kuu my thanks, and then Kuu bowed and left the audience hall.

I remembered that Yuriga, as representative of Malmkhitan, was next

according to the program.

This wedding was a ceremony, so while it had a certain flair to it, it

couldn't avoid feeling somewhat stiff. It was at times like this that I felt

envious of my subordinates holding their weddings down in the castle town.

I wonder what Hal and the rest are up to now...

While I was thinking that, Yuriga entered the room, so I returned my

focus to the matter at hand.

◇ ◇ ◇

At the same time, Halbert was trying to catch his breath.

"Oh... I'm getting tense," he muttered.

His military uniform was Halbert's default outfit, but now he was

wearing a tuxedo instead. His messy hair was also neatly set today, and that

made him kind of uneasy.

He was the groom in the ceremony about to take place, so he understood

that was to be expected, but he didn't feel like himself, and it made him

nervous.

"You need to suck it up already, you know, Hal," Kaede told him.

"If you can't be bold and confident, it makes us look bad," Ruby agreed.

Beside him were Kaede in a shiromuku and Ruby in a wedding dress,

both of them wearing wry smiles. Their yellow and scarlet hair stood out

against the pure white outfits.

These two were all dressed up as brides today, so they were even more

beautiful than usual.

In fact, falling in love all over again looking at them, Hal had been

unable to resist going for a hug, only to have them get upset that it would

mess with their outfits.

However, their beauty was also an element that felt like it was pushing

Halbert into a corner.

"If they could see these two now, they'd be jealous, I'm sure of it..." Hal

murmured.

There were quite a few people in attendance for their wedding.

Because it was happening at the same time as Souma's coronation and

wedding, all of the major figures in the country, excluding family of the

bride or groom, had gone to the castle instead. In their place, many of his

subordinates in the Dratroopers and colleagues from his time in the

Forbidden Army had rushed to attend Halbert's wedding.

For Halbert, they were comrades and good friends.

However, in the military, where the gender ratio was highly biased

toward the male side, the adorable Miss Kaede, a staff officer, had been

something of an idol.

Because of that, Halbert's old war buddies felt an incredible jealousy for

the man who was her childhood friend, and who had now snatched her

away from them. Basically...

"How dare you be the only one who gets a cute wife, you bastard!" they

were shouting in their hearts.

That was about how it was.

Adding insult to injury, his other wife, Ruby, was beautiful, too.

That fact only poured more fuel on the fires of jealousy.

If any of those men saw the women in these beautiful wedding outfits,

their jealousy would only flare up harder.

"Congratulations on your marriage. Now let me sock you one!"

That had to be how they felt.

Halbert's shoulders slumped in exhaustion.

"The guys were going on about how, when it came time for throwing

wheat, they were going to hit me with it as hard as they could. There were

even a few of them double-checking their throwing forms."

The practice of throwing wheat was equivalent to the practice of

throwing rice in weddings on Earth.

When the brides and groom came out, the attendees would throw wheat,

a symbol of fecundity (because a single grain could produce many more) at

them.

Normally, this was done like the throwing of salt during sumo, throwing

it upwards gently so that it scattered, and not overhand like a baseball.

"They started muttering, 'Maybe we'll mix in some gravel...', too," he

complained. "Although they stopped because it'd be dangerous if it hit

anyone else."

""Ahaha..."" his wives-to-be laughed.

The men were jealous of Halbert, but they didn't want to cause trouble

for Kaede and Ruby.

Even if their husband was going to be Halbert, the men wanted them to

be happy.

So, because of their complicated male feelings, they had settled on

throwing the wheat as hard as they could.

Kaede gently placed her hand over Halbert's right breast with a wry

smile.

"They're letting you off with just throwing wheat at you as hard as they

can, so I think they're good friends, you know. It means you're so fortunate

that everyone is jealous."

"That's right," Ruby added, placing her hand over his left breast. "If

you're a man, accept a little jealousy as the price you pay for taking two

wives as pretty as we are."

With the two of them blasting him like that, Halbert laughed wryly and

said, "You're merciless. But you have a point. If that's how they feel, I'm

gonna show off how happy I am, and make them good and jealous."

"Hee hee! That's the spirit, Hal!"

"Make sure you escort us well, darling."

Kaede and Ruby kissed Halbert on the cheek from both sides.

"H-Hey..." Hal objected.

"Hee hee! Your face is bright red, Hal."

"We'll save the kiss on the lips for the main event."

Halbert's 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 didn't 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'... That's what it said."

"Nuwhuh?!"

Hearing the words "get on with the baby-making" from Kaede's 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 Souma's

intentions. "Those of us getting married today are the retainers His Majesty

especially relies on. He'd 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 hadn't 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 he'd ever so much as looked lustfully at a woman,

they would have reported him to her.

Naturally, his colleagues weren't 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 Hal's transfer to the Forbidden Army, they'd 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, "I'll do my best

to fulfill my duties as wife. So, please, Hal."

"M-Me, too... Okay?" Ruby hesitantly tugged on Halbert's 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 couldn't 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 teacher's and research staff of Ginger's

Vocational School, where Ginger was the principal, and under the watch of

Sandria's 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 priest's 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 I'm not, I'll 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

Ginger's wife.

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

The two turned to face each other.

"Lord Ginger... I'm so happy," Sandria said, beaming.

Ginger said with a wry smile, "I'm your husband now. I think you can

drop the Lord business, you know?"

"But... Ginger... no, that won't do. It only feels right with the title."

"Well, if that's what you want to call me, so be it."

"Would you prefer if I went all the way, and called you Master?" she

asked. "You'll be master of the house, so it doesn't seem too out of place,

right?"

"That makes it sound like I'm forcing you into some sort of roleplay, so

stop it!"

Sandria chuckled at how earnestly Ginger was begging her.

In response, Ginger gave her a shy smile.

The former slaver and slave.

Ginger had always been in the higher position, but he had also always

been the one being swung around. That relationship wasn't likely to change

going forward.

Ginger lifted the veil hanging over Sandria's face. They stared into one

another's eyes up close.

Ginger spoke. "Even now, I remember your eyes from the time back

when I was still a slave trader."

"My... eyes?" Sandria stared blankly at him.

"Back then, you had this 'It's because I'm a slave' look in your eyes, as

if you had given up on the future entirely. I wanted to give you hope."

"Hope... for the future, you mean?" Sandria asked.

"Yes," Ginger said. "How am I doing? Can you imagine a bright future

now?"

Sandria closed her eyes and meditated for a bit. Opening her eyes, she

smiled and said, "There's a big house with a big yard. You and I are living

there. We have two children, a boy and a girl. Maybe we're raising a large

pet, too. That might be nice. I hear that raising animals is good for the

children's education, too. In that house, I wake up early to prepare

breakfast, have the children wake you up when you sleep in, and then after

all of us eat the meal I've made, our family holds hands and goes to school

together. That's what I imagined."

Sandria's story was eloquent. Ginger was taken aback by the amount of

detail.

"I-Isn't that a bit specific?"

"For me, it's the happiest future imaginable."

Standing on her tiptoes, Sandria planted a kiss on Ginger's lips.

She was already able to imagine a bright future.

Ginger happily accepted her feelings.

◇ ◇ ◇

At the same time, in yet another church, Ludwin and Genia were in the

middle of exchanging the kiss that sealed their vows in front of the priest.

Because of the height difference between the tall Ludwin and petite

Genia, Genia stood all the way on the tips of her toes, and Ludwin leaned

forward as far as he could for the kiss.

There were shrill cries from the ladies in the audience.

In among them were their fellow researchers, Merula the high elf, and

Taru the engineer from the Republic of Turgis.

"Congratulations, Genia, Sir Ludwin!" Merula called.

"Congrats!" Taru added.

They congratulated the couple with raucous applause.

Incidentally, Merula's keeper, the bishop Souji, was carrying out the

wedding in the castle as a representative of Lunarian Orthodoxy. Because

Merula was a wanted woman, having been declared a witch by the Lunarian

Orthodox Papal State, and she couldn't be allowed to appear on the

broadcast, she couldn't accompany him.

Well, even if she had been able to go, she probably would still have put

her fellow researcher Genia's wedding first.

Even Trill, who was attending the wedding in the castle as representative

of the Gran Chaos Empire, had said she would be coming as soon as her

responsibilities as ambassador were complete.

Because of the connections between all the houses involved in this

multiple simultaneous wedding event, many families had to run back and

forth from one ceremony to another. Though it was causing some

confusion, the festive mood throughout the capital was turning even that

chaos into a good time.

In the middle of that celebratory atmosphere, Genia pulled her face

away from Ludwin's and giggled.

"I knew it! You sure are big, Big Brother Luu. It makes kissing hard."

"I'm on the tall side, sure. But I think how small you are has something

to do with it, too, you know?"

"Hm... It seems I could do with some additions to my body to be a

fitting wife for you. In terms of height, and... if at all possible, chest." Genia

laughed wryly at her disappointing physique.

Ludwin gently scooped Genia up in his arms. Genia cried out in surprise

at suddenly being put in a princess carry.

"Uwah?! Big Brother Luu?! What's this, all of a sudden?!"

"Well, I was just thinking the height difference makes it easier to do

things like this."

Having said that, Ludwin winked at the dumbfounded priest.

The priest snapped back to his senses, and turned to the attendees to say,

"Here, a new husband and wife are born. I would ask all in attendance to go

out in front of the church, and celebrate with them as they first go out the

door."

It seemed Ludwin wanted to leave the church with Genia in his arms.

The priest, picking up on that, was having the attendees leave the

building, even though it was not the standard procedure. He would wait to

greet them outside. He was quite the flexible priest.

Once the attendees filed out and only the three of them remained in the

church, Genia looked to Ludwin with eyes that were, naturally, as a result

of her position in his arms, upturned, and asked, "You're sure you want to

disregard protocol like that?"

"You're the one always breaking established patterns, right, Genia? I

just want to show everyone how cute my wife is. Let me let loose once in a

while, too."

Genia's face turned beet red. "Big Brother Luu, you can be a bit

mischievous at times, you know that?"

"You're the one who incited me. By the way, am I still getting called Big

Brother now that we're married?"

"You'll always be Big Brother Luu to me. I can't change the way I call

you now."

"Well, fair enough. Okay... let's go, Genia."

Ludwin started to walk with Genia in his arms, and they passed through

the church door together.

Once they were outside, the attendees stood on either side of the carpet,

throwing wheat.

When Ludwin finished walking down the middle of the attendees, Genia

threw the bouquet she was holding backwards behind her.

In this world, too, there was the superstition that the person who caught

the bouquet would be the next bride. The bouquet sailed in a high arc,

towards the women hoping to catch it.

Before it could touch down, one girl made a big jump to catch it.

"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 he'd 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, 'It'll be our turn next anyway, so let's take

it for ourselves.' Oh! The young master will be coming here later, too."

It seemed that Kuu couldn't fully slip out of a ceremony where he was

one of the guests of honor, either.

That must have been why he'd 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 wasn't 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. "I'm not really sure if we're the ones who shared with

them, or they're the ones who shared with us, though."

Ludwin and Genia both laughed happily.

◇ ◇ ◇

"O-Okay, everyone, let's 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 Poncho's first and second wives.

"""Cheers! Ohhhhhhh!""" At Poncho's 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

Ishizuka's 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

wouldn't 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 wasn't 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 Serina's

family weren't handling things, this would have been a disaster."

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

Serina's family.

They should normally have been here as guests, but they'd said that, by

their nature, their house was better-suited to wait on guests than be waited

on as guests, so they'd asked to be in charge of service at the party.

"I feel bad making Madam Serina's 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.

"Even if we hadn't asked, Father and Mother would have carried out the

role of servants. They're happily running around to all of the tables now."

On the other end of Serina's gaze was a gentleman in a butler's uniform,

carrying a tray with many glasses of wine on it with one hand.

It was Serina's father. He would normally have been expected to sit

quietly with the other relatives as the father of one of the brides, but he was

moving around like a fish in water, carrying out the duties of a servant.

Watching Serina's father, Komain smiled wryly. "My parents are gone

now, but I've always assumed a father would weep for joy on their

daughter's big day."

"Our work is our life in my family," Serina said. "Because we've been

educated for generations to put loyalty to our employer's house first, we

tend to put our own feelings second, or third, as we work. I've even been

told I'm the most expressive member of the family."

When Serina said with a straight face that she was the most emotionally

expressive person in her whole family, Komain couldn't tell if that was

supposed to be a joke or not, so she froze up.

Poncho, who was listening, too, let out a troubled laugh and wiped his

cold sweat away again. "When I went to pay my respects to her father

before the wedding, it ended in very few words, yes."

Poncho was talking about the time he'd brought Serina to her family's

home to meet her parents before the wedding.

Though he was sweating profusely...

"P-Please, give your daughter to me, yes."

...he had managed to come out and say that properly.

Serina's father had just listened silently.

And as for Serina's own conversation with him...

"Father. I will be marrying this man."

"Understood."

It had been over with those two lines.

Finally, Serina's father had turned to Poncho, and said, "My daughter

has her shortcomings, but I hope you will take care of her," and bowed his

head.

If you included the time Poncho had spent on introducing himself, it was

over in a little over five seconds.

That might have been fine, since it meant things were sorted out, but it

felt like it had ended too easily after all Poncho's stressing over it.

Poncho related the story to Komain, and she was taken aback. "WWasn't that a bit too easy?"

"That is just how much he trusts Madam Serina, yes," Poncho said. "He

must have been able to answer instantly because he knew Madam Serina

wouldn't fall for any strange man."

"It's because Father knows I never yield once I've set my mind on

something," Serina said nonchalantly, and Poncho and Komain looked to

one another with wry smiles.

It was hard to tell because of her paucity of facial expression, but the

two of them had been with her long enough to know she was feeling shy.

Seeing their reaction, Serina turned her head away peevishly. "It's not as

though Father simply trusted my eye for men. I've sent the recipes for junk

food you've taught me back to the family home, and though it may not

show on their faces, they were moved by how wonderful those dishes

were."

"Ohh. Then Poncho had them by the stomach before he even went to

pay his respects, huh?" Komain clapped her hand, as if it all suddenly made

sense.

It seemed that Serina and her father shared not just a common

temperament, but a common taste for food, too.

Serina quietly offered Poncho a tray with a number of dishes on it.

"Come now. If we leave them alone, all the food will be eaten by the guests.

I've secured a number of dishes for us, too, so let's eat them together."

"Wh-When did you do that?! We've been talking this whole time, yes!"

"No, I slipped over when I saw an opening earlier. I've brought enough

for Madam Komain, too."

With that said, Serina laid out a tray of colorful food in front of

Komain's seat, too.

She had gone when she'd seen an opening... according to her, but to

move through that massive crowd, secure food, and even arrange it in a

manner pleasing to the eye, it was a technique that would put even ninjas to

shame.

Komain looked at the food in front of her and sighed. "Serina, you may

be one of the most capable people in the kingdom..."

"I just move efficiently," Serina said. "Please, look at these delicate

arms. I've never dragged anything more heavy than Carla."

"Dragged?! Not carried?! And wait, you're treating Carla like an

object?!"

"Pardon me. Carla is a fine to—colleague."

"Did you just start to say 'toy'?!"

"U-Um... Madam Serina?" Poncho asked hesitantly.

Serina cocked her head to the side. "Is something the matter?"

"Um... About the dishes on the plate in front of me..."

Komain looked at what was on Poncho's plate.

Komain and Serina's plates had roast beef and napolitan, complemented

by mashed potatoes, salad, and fruits.

In contrast, Poncho's plate was packed with liver pate, a fried dish made

with pumpkin and nuts, and eel omelette, a dish from Souma's world.

"Poncho, is there something wrong with the food?" Komain asked.

It was strange that his food was different from theirs, but a big eater like

Poncho should have been able to eat this much. Komain didn't understand

why Poncho was so perplexed.

However, Poncho's face turned bright red and he looked at Serina.

"Madam Serina... are you doing this deliberately?"

"Of course," Serina said nonchalantly.

There seemed to be some mutual understanding between them, so

Komain puffed up her cheeks, upset at being out of the loop. "Don't leave

me out. What is it about these dishes?"

"Oh, um, Madam Komain..." Poncho said hesitantly. "The ingredients

used in them, they... uh..."

In contrast to Poncho, who seemed to have trouble saying it, Serina

came right out and told her. "They are said to increase sexual potency."

Increasing sexual potency. As the meaning of those words hit her,

Komain turned red so fast you could hear a little poof! sound effect.

"Um... Liver, pumpkin, nuts, and eel are all said to be effective at

recovering your stamina, yes. So they're believed to increase sexual

stamina, too..." Poncho explained despite his embarrassment.

It seemed Komain hadn't noticed, but there was no way Poncho, the

God of Food, would not.

Seeing Poncho and Komain looking down, their faces turning a bashful

red, Serina said, "We're husband and wives now, you know," in an

exasperated tone. "Now that we are married, it's only natural to think about

an heir."

"Well... Yes, you're right... Yes."

"His Majesty told us to take this chance to make babies, and he says

many of our colleagues will be incited by this event to marry by the end of

the year," Serina went on. "I would expect that, around this time next year,

the upper echelons of the kingdom will be experiencing a baby boom. If

possible, I would like to have mine before the midwives are too busy. I'll

need you to work hard to make that happen, darling."

"D-Darling?!"

Hearing Serina suddenly address him that way, and telling him to work

hard on making a baby, Poncho's eyes went wide.

With eyes that seemed unable to believe she still had to say this, Serina

looked at Poncho and said, "You are my husband now, and that is what I

will call you. More importantly, how long are you going to go on

addressing your wife as 'Madam Serina'?"

Poncho panicked a bit when she drew attention to it, but eventually he

found his resolve and said, "M-Ms. Serina... Ms. Komain..."

"...I suppose that will have to do as a compromise," Serina said.

Komain giggled. "In that case, I'd like to call you 'dear.' It makes me

feel like a newlywed. Now then, dear, I'll have one of those." Having said

that, Komain took a piece of liver pate from Poncho's plate. "I think... I will

be needing stamina, too, after all."

"M-Ms. Komain?!" he yelped.

"Hm... should I eat some as well, perhaps?"

"N-Not you, too, Ms. Serina..."

Serina took an eel omelette. The two of them looked at the intimidated

Poncho with wry smiles, then planted kisses on both his cheeks.

""Stay strong, darling/dear.""

The sweet sound of those words was dizzying, and Poncho nearly fell on

his back.

◇ ◇ ◇

Like that, Souma's followers were each enjoying their wedding day.

In the capital's fountain plaza, many citizens were watching the

coronation and wedding ceremony over the Jewel Voice Broadcast. It was

now reaching its final stages.

The only thing remaining now was Souma's coronation speech after

being formally crowned king.

Souma rose from the throne and walked forward. First Primary Queen

Liscia stood beside him, Aisha stood behind, and Roroa, Juna, and Naden

waited in the back.

Souma turned to face the Jewel Voice Broadcast jewel that had been

moved onto the red carpet. In other words, he turned to face the people

watching this coronation and marriage ceremony.

"Around two years have passed since my arrival in this country." Souma

spoke in a quiet, but firm tone. "In these two years, many things have

happened, both internally and externally. In an age of blindingly fast

changes, this country, too, has been changing. To the point that even the

official name of the country has changed, becoming the 'United Kingdom

of Elfrieden and Amidonia,' also known as the 'Kingdom of Friedonia.' In

the midst of all that, I am glad to have been able to welcome this day."

He paused.

"From this day forward, I will formally be the king of the Kingdom of

Friedonia."

He went on:

"In addition, now that I have married both Liscia, the daughter of Albert

Elfrieden, former king of the Kingdom of Elfrieden, and Roroa, the

daughter of Gaius Amidonia, the former sovereign prince of the Principality

of Amidonia, I will be ruling over both nations as Souma Amidonia

Elfrieden. I intend to do my utmost to be recognized as a worthy king by

the people of both the Elfrieden Region and the Amidonia Region.

However, no matter how firm my resolve, and no matter how hard I try,

there are limits to what one man can accomplish alone. That limit is not

particularly high, either."

He paused, and went on.

"We did not overcome the many events of the last two years by relying

on my strength alone. It was the result of the queens who were at my side

supporting me, the retainers you see lined up here, and many others who

could not be here in attendance today, as well as you, the people, all

working for this country. I hear that a program called Nameless Heroes has

been popular with the public, and if you watch it, you'll see what I mean.

The world isn't made solely of those who do the big showy jobs. We know

there are nameless heroes working in the shadows. The reason that, here,

now, I was able to reach this bright day, is thanks to all those unnamed

heroes. Those nameless heroes... they are you, each and every citizen of this

country!"

The words yuusha and eiyuu both translate to "hero" in English.

Souma had been summoned here as a yuusha, but he was referring to his

people as na mo naki eiyuu, heroes without names.

He might not have been able to hear it in the castle, but in the fountain

plaza, where people were watching the broadcast, there was loud cheering.

Souma allowed himself a pause, then continued once more.

"I was told my coronation speech should be about what I want to do

with this country as a king. However, my feelings are unchanged from

when I made my New Year's address. That is, I want to make a 'good

country.'"

He smiled.

"You might think this is a rather plain goal. My fellow summoned hero,

the father of the nation, the First Hero King, likely had a much grander

vision than mine. However, I think that strong beliefs are often left behind

by the times. For instance, if I embraced the dream of 'uniting the

continent,' I might well gain the support of those who shared that dream. In

this chaotic world, there is fertile ground for that sort of grand dream. In

this situation, which we all find constricting, we hope for a way to break

out. But what of the next generation? Is it not possible that grand dream

would become a shackle on them?"

He paused.

"The king before the last one took a policy of expansionism, trying to

build a country that could equal the Gran Chaos Empire. It's true, our

territory expanded. However, if you look at the result, it ended in a civil war

between the royals after his death, and invited intervention from the foreign

countries he had angered. If your dreams are riding the current of the times,

then at the end of that era, it is the way of the world that they will be

abandoned. So, how are we to go about creating a country when thrown

about by the currents of the era?! Well, we must look at reality, change

gradually with the times, and adapt."

He paused.

"It doesn't require us to think hard about it. If you can feel that today is

better than yesterday, and tomorrow will be better than today, that is

enough. That is something this country has already put into practice."

Then Souma spread his arms wide.

"Look at this Jewel Voice Broadcast. This Jewel Voice Broadcast, which

can be watched as video in the large cities and heard as audio even in small

ones, has been used for many things since I first took the throne. If you feel

it has grown easier to live today over yesterday, and tomorrow over today,

that means you don't want to go back to how things were before. I ask you!

Could you return to a life without the songs of the loreleis?!"

"No!" Souma couldn't hear it, but that was the answer the people

shouted.

"Could the housewives of this country dry their laundry without Naden's

weather forecast?! Could the fishermen take their ships out to sea?! Could

the farmers choose when to harvest their crops?!"

"No!"

"Without the transport network we laid, could the traveling merchants

carry their goods?! Would the store owners be able to stock their shelves?!"

"No!!"

"In the larger cities, we have installed sewer systems, and improved

public health! Could you keep living there, if the air and water went back to

how they were before?! We've increased the number of doctors! Could you

feel safe living without the number of hospitals we have now?! Could you

feel safe giving birth?! We've created new culinary customs, eating things

we hadn't before! Would you be all right with the variety of dishes on your

table decreasing?! The metal-poor Elfrieden Region has received a steady

supply of metals from the Amidonia Region, and the food-poor Amidonia

Region has received a stable supply of food from the Elfrieden Region!

Could you afford to lose that relationship now?!"

"Absolutely not!!"

It was true, the people had no desire to return to yesterday.

Even if the day-to-day changes were small, they would eventually

realize the many great changes that had occurred, and it would change their

understanding of things.

Souma lowered his hand and spoke to the excited people.

"Like this, as the days pile up, through gradual change, I will build a

good country. Together with my queens and retainers. That is how I am as a

king. That is how this country is. Now, I implore all of you, lend this

country your strength. So that, little by little, we can steadily work towards

our magnificent future!"

Saying that, Souma raised a fist.

At the same time, Liscia, Aisha, Juna, Roroa, Naden, and the line of

retainers bowed their heads.

In that moment, a cheer rose up from the people watching.

If you listened closely, you could have heard it over the broadcast, too.

The voices from the fountain plaza had certainly reached the castle.

And so, Souma and the others slowly walked to the exit.

◇ ◇ ◇

Liscia and I led the way, and we went to the terrace overlooking the

castle courtyard with the other queens.

Looking down into the courtyard from there, it was packed with people,

people, and more people.

If I were the villain of a certain famous anime movie, this was a scene

that might have made me say, "The people are like garbage," but in my

current position, I couldn't use that line, even as a joke.

When we stood by the railing and waved to the masses below, there was

a roaring applause that seemed to shake the whole castle.

This was something similar to the practice of Ippan Sanga in Japan,

where the Imperial Family would appear to the general public from the

balcony of the palace at the beginning of each year.

In order to catch a glimpse of me and my queens on our big day, many

citizens, regardless of their status, had gathered in the courtyard. That was

as far in as they would be allowed to come, of course, and there was heavy

security in place.

Though they could see us in the flesh, I was sure we had to look pretty

small, so I was glad so many people had turned up despite that.

"Your Majesty, I have brought Prince Cian and Princess Kazuha."

I turned toward Carla's voice, and she was standing there with the

former royal couple. Carla and Lady Elisha were each holding a baby.

Judging by the color of their baby clothes, Carla was holding Cian

(blue), while Lady Elisha was holding Kazuha (pink).

I chuckled and said to their mother, "Liscia, you take Kazuha."

"Okay."

Liscia took Kazuha from Lady Elisha, and I took Cian from Carla.

Then we approached the railing again. Taking every care that they

wouldn't fall, we held them so that the people could see.

There was a roar of applause.

"Wahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!"

"Fwah...! #$%@aah!"

Surprised by the crowd, Kazuha tried to bury her face in Liscia's chest

and started crying.

Liscia said, "There, there," rocking her back and forth to calm her.

Kazuha went on sobbing a little, but she didn't raise her voice.

Still, seeing the way she wasn't raising her face from Liscia's chest, the

large crowd must have scared her.

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

It was like he'd been hit by petrification magic, his expression didn't

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...

"It's amazing," Naden whispered, waving her hands. "Everyone is

blessing these children."

Aisha and Juna smiled softly, too.

"They're the prince and princess, after all," Aisha said. "When the royal

family has a bright future, that's 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 all's said and done, the people love us," Roroa said with a

cheerful smile. "Big Sister Cia's popular with folks in the Elfrieden Region,

and I'm a hit with people in the Amidionia Region. Juna's famous as the

Prima Lorelei, and Big Sister Ai and Nadie are well liked 'cause of all the

exposure they've gotten on the Jewel Voice Broadcast. I'm sure there's

some jealousy towards Darlin' now he's gone and snatched us all up for

himself."

Then Roroa winked.

She was probably right. I was surrounded by all these marvelous wives.

I'd 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, they're 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 Kazuha's 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, I've 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 you'll kill me if I go astray? Is that anything to be saying

on such a fine day?"

Carla responded with exasperation. "It's your own fault for being so

pessimistic on this fine day."

"...You've 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.

"It's going to be okay, Souma." Liscia approached me with a soft smile.

Seeing that, the people cheered.

"We've 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. "That's why, from today on, you'll be sleeping in

our rooms."

"Um... Liscia, that's..." I began.

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

That I wouldn't 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. You'll be in

Aisha's 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.

I'll 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 doesn't interfere in the world below,

I didn't 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 I'd sent an invitation just in

case. But, as expected, there had been no response.

I put a hand on Naden's shoulder as she stared, dazed, into the sky.

"No way... It's Lady Tiamat... Why...?" she whispered.

"She can't intervene in matters on the land," I said. "But I'll bet she was

worried about you and Ruby, since you're marrying into a country other

than the Dragon Knight Kingdom. That's 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 Naden's eyes, I clapped her on the

shoulder.

"Come on, why don't 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 she'd 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.