NOVEL NEXT Chapter 364: Marriage Ceremony – (1)
― In the cathedral of Horun, the capital of the Water Country.
I was seated on a large sofa in a temporary waiting room and dressing room on the side of the cathedral.
In the distance, I could hear lively music, fireworks, and the bustling of people.
Today is the wedding of the first princess of the Water Country of Rozes, and her fiance -in other words, my wedding.
I’m dressed in a white tailcoat tuxedo.
Of course, the person who prepared such attire in this isekai was…
“Takki-dono! You look splendid! So manly and dignified! Perfect!”
Fuji-yan entered the room with a smile.
By the way, it was Fuji-yan’s company that took care of all the arrangements for this wedding.
Apparently, since it was a direct request from the Rozes royal family, the reward is quite substantial, but I don’t know the exact amount.“The clothes are wearing me.” (Makoto)
“No, no, not at all-desu zo! You have the aura of a hero who saved the world!” (Fuji)
“That’s not true.” (Makoto)
I blush at his exaggerated words.
“However, I feel bad for making you wait here for so long, Takki-dono.” (Fuji)
“It can’t be helped today. Many dignitaries from various countries are coming, so setting up the venue and guiding them will take time.” (Makoto)
I’ve already been waiting here for about two hours.
Although I’m already dressed, it seems that makeup artists and wardrobe attendants will come later to help me get ready.
(The ceremony is a few hours away… I’m a bit bored. Maybe I could use Teleport to quickly grab a cup of tea or something…) (Makoto)
“Takki-dono!” (Fuji)
As I was thinking that, Fuji-yan suddenly leaned in close.
Fuji-yan has a Mind Reading skill.
He easily read my thoughts.
“You must not wander around today-desu zo. You were strictly told by Sasaki Aya-dono and Lucy-dono, weren’t you?” (Fuji)
“Ah… Yes…” (Makoto)
I obediently nodded.
It is as Fuji-yan said. Today I’m forbidden from going out without permission, as per strict orders from the Lucy and Sa-san combo.
I heard that Lucy and Sa-san are with Princess Sofia.
“We’ve prepared some light snacks and drinks here, so please help yourself if you get hungry. There are also magazines to pass the time. Although we obviously couldn’t prepare any game consoles, there will be people coming to greet you, so please stay in this room! You absolutely must-desu zo, Takki-dono!” (Fuji)
With those strong words, Fuji-yan hurriedly left the room.
It seems he came to check on me in between greeting the royalty and nobles from various countries.
(Can’t be helped, I’ll just behave and stay in this room.) (Makoto)
I’m not particularly hungry, but I gaze at the so-called light snacks that have been prepared.
On a long table that could seat six people, there are: salads, sandwiches, pasta, pizza, a fruit platter, colorful cakes, and an array of other dishes.
It’s not ‘light’ at all.
On the neighboring table, there is not only water and tea but also fruit juices, beer, wine, spirits, and many other drinks that I’ve never seen before.
(There’s no way I can eat or drink all of this…) (Makoto)
Since they took the trouble to prepare this for me, I took a sandwich and drank some strongly acidic fruit water that resembled orange juice.
I don’t know much about food, but it was the best sandwich I’ve ever had.
But is it really okay to serve so much food before the ceremony?
I’ve heard that there will also be food served during the ceremony.
(Good grief, Mako-kun☆, what are you saying? There’s no way the main lead of the wedding can leisurely eat during the ceremony~)
Such a voice echoed in my mind.
It was the Water Goddess Eir-sama.
“Huh? Is that so?” (Makoto)
(Of course~. Today, you’ll probably be listening to congratulations from over 100 people. You won’t have time to eat until late at night, so make sure to eat now☆) (Eir)
“Eh…” (Makoto)
Even though I had been warned in advance, hearing it so definitively from a Goddess dampens my spirits.
(Fufufu… You have to endure it since you’re marrying my beloved Sofia-chan☆) (Eir)
“Yes… By the way, Eir-sama, will you be attending the ceremony?” (Makoto)
Unlike Noah-sama and the others, I hadn’t extended an invitation to Eir-sama.
Princess Sofia, the Water Oracle, said she would handle the communication.
(I plan to watch from the Divine Realm. If I were to descend, it would be through Sofia-chan’s body, but I don’t want to intrude since she’s the bride today.) (Eir)
“I see, that makes sense.” (Makoto)
The Goddess needs the body of her Oracle to descend.
In the case of Eir-sama, it would be Princess Sofia, who is the Water Oracle.
So she plans to refrain from descending today.
(But what really surprised me was Noah! She finally decided on an Oracle!) (Eir)
“Yeah. She was reluctant at first though.” (Makoto)
Noah-sama invited Momo to become an Oracle recently.
In the end, Momo agreed, so she now holds the title of ‘Oracle of the Spirit Goddess’.
That said, Momo continues her peaceful life, unlike the other seven Goddesses’ Oracles, thanks to Noah-sama’s hands-off approach.
Noah-sama isn’t very enthusiastic about gaining new believers.
(By the way, didn’t Momo-chan dislike Noah? She used to call her an Evil God and tried to make you stop being her believer.) (Makoto)
“Rather than hate her, it is more like she just sulked because I kept talking about Noah-sama.” (Makoto)
(Oh my, oh my☆ You’re such a sinful man, Mako-kun.) (Eir)
I heard a knock at the door as we were having such a trivial conversation.
“Come in.” (Makoto)
I replied.
(See ya~, good luck with the wedding☆) (Eir)
Eir-sama’s thought transmission ended. The door opened with a click at the same time.
“Heya, Takatsuki-kun. Congratulations on your wedding today. You look great in that formal attire.”
It was Sakurai-kun who had entered.
“Haha, thanks, Sakurai-kun.” (Makoto)
I smiled politely and thanked him.
Everyone I met complimented my attire, but seeing myself in the mirror, I can’t help but feel a bit awkward.
It’s probably because I’m not used to wearing such clothes.
“The guests attending are amazing. All the top figures from various countries are here.” (Sakurai)
“You are also included in those, Sakurai-kun.” (Makoto)
Sakurai-kun is currently the deputy King of the Sun Country of Highland.
He’s the No. 2 of the largest country in the West Continent.
Normally, someone like him wouldn’t come alone to such a place, but with Sakurai-kun’s cheat skill as the Light Hero, having bodyguards would only be a hindrance.
Since it’s a sunny day, he’ll fully recover in a second no matter how badly he’s injured.
That’s probably why he came alone today.
“Well, the group that just arrived…” (Sakurai)
Just as Sakurai-kun was about to say something, we heard screams and loud voices in the distance.
I use [God Eye] to look in that direction.
“Oh, it’s the Ancient Dragons.” (Makoto)
“I never expected hundreds of Ancient Dragons to show up.” (Sakurai)
“That’s strange. I thought only a few would come. Maybe a handful of the White Dragon-san’s acquaintances.” (Makoto)
“They all wanted to attend because of their gratitude for taking care of them in your battle against a Demon Lord a thousand years ago, is what the Holy Dragon, Helemerck-sama, said.” (Sakurai)
“A Demon Lord…? Oh, you mean the Ancient Dragons from the battle against the Immortal King Bifrons. There were about 300-400 of them, I think.” (Makoto)
I had forgotten.
For the Ancient Dragons, a thousand years isn’t such a long time.
“You have a lot of connections, Takatsuki-kun.” (Sakurai)
Sakurai-kun chuckled.
“It seems like I have more acquaintances among the inhuman than humans.” (Makoto)
“That’s just like you, Takatsuki-kun. And I heard you invited not only the Spirit Goddess Noah-sama but also the Sun Goddess Althena-sama to the wedding.” (Sakurai)
“They said they’d come if they could.” (Makoto)
“Haha, Noel was really worried.” (Sakurai)
Queen Noel -Sakurai-kun’s wife- is also the Light Oracle.
If the Sun Goddess descends, it will be through Queen Noel’s body…
(Should I apologize later…?) (Makoto)
Maybe it was short-sighted to casually invite the Goddesses.
But considering how much they’ve helped me, I couldn’t leave them out…
“What’s wrong, Takatsuki-kun? You look troubled.” (Sakurai)
“Hmm, I’m wondering if I was too casual in inviting the Goddesses.” (Makoto)
“Now you’re worrying about that?” (Sakurai)
Sakurai-kun gave me a baffled look.
Indeed, it’s too late now.
“But the Sun Goddess seemed busy, the Moon Goddess gave an ambiguous response, Eir-sama won’t be able to come, and the Destiny Goddess is working overtime. So in the end, only Noah-sama might be able to make it.” (Makoto)
It’s a bit disappointing, but it can’t be helped.
“…Is the Spirit Goddess Noah-sama really going to descend?” (Sakurai)
Sakurai-kun looked serious.
“That’s what I’ve been told.” (Makoto)
“A Goddess on the same level as Althena-sama… I will have to warn the guests of the Sun Country to not do anything rude… No, I should tell all the guests…” (Sakurai)
Sakurai-kun was muttering something to himself.
He’s so serious.
“It’s okay. Noah-sama is tolerant.” (Makoto)
“Althena-sama told me in a dream to be cautious because she is a fickle Goddess.” (Sakurai)
“What?! The Sun Goddess appeared in your dream?!” (Makoto)
“She showed up because she said, ‘It’s unfair that only Noah gets attention!’” (Sakurai)
“She’s competing with Noah-sama…” (Makoto)
Those two Goddesses are always competing with each other.
I couldn’t help but think, if a Goddess appears in your dreams, isn’t that more like an Apostle than a Hero? But apparently, they don’t show their forms, and it happens very rarely.
My Goddess, Noah-sama, appears up to seven times a week at most.
Though recently, it’s been a bit less frequent.
Her appearances have decreased as the wedding approaches.
Even when I go to see her, she’s a bit cold.
Maybe it is because I have been busy with the wedding preparations, so my prayer time has been shorter.
“By the way, I was surprised to hear that the Spirit Oracle is that personage.” (Sakurai)
Sakurai-kun’s expressions are changing a lot today.
“Yeah, I’m glad Momo took on the role. I would get nervous if it’s someone I don’t know.” (Makoto)
“Hey, Takatsuki-kun, until recently, that person was the Great Sage of the Sun Country. It’s a good thing I got the information in advance. It would have caused a huge uproar in the Sun Country.” (Sakurai)
Sakurai-kun’s expressions are changing a lot today.
“That’s an exaggeration.” (Makoto)
“Not at all. Takatsuki-kun, your network of connections is seriously off the charts.” (Sakurai)
Hmm, is that so?
Maybe.
Just as I was having a random chat with Sakurai-kun…
“Makoto-sama!! There’s trouble!!”
Suddenly, a small figure teleported into the room.
(Speak of the devil…) (Makoto)
It was, of course, Momo, the new Oracle.
■Comment Response:
>Momo sure changes classes frequently. From livestock to vampire to vampire (sage) to sage to oracle.
-Indeed. Momo changes so much.
>I bought volume 8 of the manga adaptation of Zero Believers. The Oracles were depicted very attractively, and I really enjoyed it.
-Thank you very much. Volume 8 covers the Sun Country arc, so there are many new characters, making it fun.
■Author’s Comment:
I’m feeling unwell, so I’m going to bed early. Please take care of yourselves in the summer heat and beware of any illnesses going around.
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