With the coronations of the Grand Duchy of Lichtenfels, the Principality of Gemios Bridge, and the Flug Beast Duchy having concluded yesterday, all participating countries of the Amister-Philias Federation Heavenly Empire have successfully achieved independence, and the Philia Continent is now unified under its first-ever federal state.
Although the incompetent nation of Retisencia still remains, their military, which was attempting to attack Vagenbach, was annihilated, causing further internal turmoil. They no longer have the capacity to interfere with other nations.
Nevertheless, a state of complete complacency is not an option, so border surveillance is being strictly maintained.
“The wedding reception for the nation and our partners is essentially covered by the coronations, so I don’t think we need to consider that part separately.”
“Eh? Is that alright?”
Today, at Amagi Castle, I, Ed, Lucas, His Majesty Reinhardt, Rex-san, and Dart are gathered to discuss the joint wedding reception we plan to hold.
Well, the men will only decide on the date; the women will handle the finer details.
“Even if it’s an intimate gathering, won’t the number of guests from each of us individually be quite large?”
“That’s the part that’s giving me a headache.”
Indeed.
Lucas and Dart each have one wife, Ed has two, His Majesty Reinhardt and Rex-san have three, and I myself am officially married to six. Furthermore, Ed and I both have multiple underage fiancées.
Princess Elice and Princess Maruca have already had their receptions, so they can be excluded. There is a proposal to not invite their relatives, nor the relatives of Ed’s and my fiancées.
However, while Princess Elice and Princess Maruca are fine with this, it becomes a delicate matter for Ed and me.
Ed’s fiancée, Camellia, is an orphan, so she has no family. But Fiana is Fiana’s sister.
My situation is even more complicated. Yuri’s partner, Mana, is His Majesty Reinhardt’s sister. Mako-san is a guest, just like me. But Lydia and Ludia are twin daughters of an Associate Dragoon Master, and Athena is the daughter of a Holy Mother Dragon. All three will come of age in a few months, so it would be better to hold a reception for them all at once.
“Lucas, Dart. Do you two plan to take a second wife?”
“Not at the moment.”
“I do, but she has just turned sixteen, so our marriage will be about a year from now.”
Dart’s plans for a second wife are undecided, but Lucas already has a candidate.
She is a crafter from Prada Village, an elf two years younger than Flam.
Since Flam left Prada Village last summer, she has been the eldest sister figure to the children.
Naturally, she’s also on good terms with Flam, and I’ve met her a few times.
Like Flam, she aspired to be a crafter. She was originally planning to leave Prada Village upon reaching adulthood, but after hearing about the exploits of Flam, Raus, and Rebecca, she wished to leave the village quickly as well. She petitioned the village chief and accompanied Cardina, an Order member from Prada Village, when she returned to Feel before winter.
At that time, Lucas was participating in the Torencia expeditionary force, but he had met the elf girl, Clara, many times when she was working at Prada Village. Before he knew it, they were engaged.
Well, I know about her too, so I had her join the Wing Crest and gave her a Gate Crystal.
It was also right before the coronation, so she’s currently struggling to get used to it.
“I see. Regarding Dart’s wife, Marquis Frederica will likely put in considerable effort, but I will also keep it in mind.”
“Oh, I appreciate that…”
Dart is genuinely taken aback, but if it’s an introduction from His Majesty Reinhardt, unless there’s a terrible incompatibility, it’s as good as a done deal. It’s unreasonable to expect him not to be surprised.
“The location is decided as Arca’s courtyard, but before deciding who to invite, shouldn’t we first set a date?”
“The middle of next month should be fine for that. There will be an International Conference and a Knights’ Conference held just before, so if we don’t schedule with ample time, things will get difficult.”
That was also a factor.
The International Conference will primarily focus on reporting the status of each country one month after the coronation.
In addition to reconstruction support, there’s also the issue of escorting people relocating from abandoned cities. The conferences are expected to be held once every few months for a while.
And then there’s the Knights’ Conference, which will bring together the Grand Masters of the Ritter’s Guild, including the Order.
In the Ritter’s Guild, the Order is at the apex, but below that, there’s no hierarchical difference among ranks, including Faisers.
Therefore, it has been decided that the meetings will be held around a round table, from which it gets its name.
According to Mako-san, Ritter, Ritter der Tafelrunde, is German for Knight, and Knights of the Round Table. However, in Helios Orb, the languages of Earthly nations are irrelevant, and even though there are words for knight other than Order and Ritter, such as Knight, Chevalier, and Cavalliere, it’s likely that past guests called it that, and it stuck, leading to a situation where the same word has multiple pronunciations.
Incidentally, Ritter der Tafelrunde is slightly different from German.
In German, it would actually be Die Ritter der Tafelrunde, so it’s difficult to determine if it was a convenient abbreviation or simply an arbitrary coinage.
As for the Knights’ Conference, it is held monthly, and attendance by either a Grand Master, a Conform Master, or an Associate Master stationed at Float is mandatory.
Like the Order’s Guild, their duties include auditing noble territories, and Ridders are also dispatched to other guilds, so coordination is necessary.
It’s currently chaotic due to the newly established nation, but it’s predicted that eventually, it will settle into regular briefing sessions.
Furthermore, since next month is the first Knights’ Conference, it’s not unlikely that unexpected agenda items will arise.
Therefore, it might be best to leave about a week after the final scheduled date of the Knights’ Conference for the reception.
“The Knights’ Conference? Rex-san, you’ll be attending, of course, right?”
“Yes. The Grand Order’s Master and the Associate Order’s Master will both participate unless there’s an immediate crisis. Also, for the Faisers’ Guild, we’ve decided to appoint a Conform Faisers Master.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. After all, for the Faisers’ Guild and the Priests’ Guild, Esperanza, where the Treasure Tree is located, is a sacred place. Therefore, they wish to strengthen its security.”
The Grand Priests Master holds the same view.
Indeed, I’ve seen the Great Temple of Esperanza built within the Treasure Tree, and it’s even more magnificent and divine than the new headquarters of the Priests’ Guild established in Float.
For the same reason, the Grand Priests Master and the Associate Priests Master will also be stationed at the Esperanza branch, alternating every six months, similar to the Faisers.
Since there are originally two Associate Priests Masters, it seems to have been decided without any major issues.
“It can’t be helped if it’s a religious matter, but didn’t the Faisers’ Guild also take on the responsibility of guarding the various Priests’ Guilds?”
“That’s correct, but unfortunately, we are overwhelmingly short on personnel. Therefore, we are currently cooperating with the Ritter’s Guild to provide security, which is no different from before.”
Originally, the Faisers’ Guild had only about 200 registered members, so guarding all the Priests’ Guilds is not just a matter of being short-handed; it’s a fundamental impossibility.
Therefore, the Priests’ Guild and the Faisers’ Guild plan to first provide security only for the headquarters in Float and the Esperanza branch, and as personnel becomes available, they will dispatch staff to the main offices established in the capitals of each country, with the ultimate goal of stationing Faisers at all branches.
Of course, it’s not easy to increase personnel, so it’s unclear how many years or decades it will take.
“At the Knights’ Conference, the expansion of Faisers will also be on the agenda. Some Ridders are also pious individuals registered as Priests, so we will give priority to those individuals for guarding the Priests’ Guilds.”
I didn’t know that.
However, there aren’t many Ridders who are registered as Priests, and even within the Order, there are reportedly only around 300.
It’s problematic to dispatch them all to the Faisers’ Guild at once, so they are considering dispatching some on a trial basis and then completely transferring them if there are no issues.
The income of the Priests’ Guild is primarily from donations, but they also perform various ceremonies such as weddings and harvest festivals.
However, with mandates for not only Priests but also Faisers, it’s understandably difficult.
Therefore, not only each country but also lords and guilds reportedly donate significant amounts annually.
“We’ve deviated into discussing the Knights’ Conference, but our main topic is the reception. Let’s get back to it.”
“Yes.”
It was an interesting topic, but it was also a form of escapism.
“So, the reception will be at Arca a week after the Knights’ Conference, then?”
“The time and place are fine with that.”
“We’ve also hunted a large amount of ingredients, so you don’t need to worry about food.”
We went to the Solpre Labyrinth, the Instant Labyrinth, and the Krater Labyrinth.
“That would be a great help. I will arrange for the butler for service and the cooks.”
That’s a lifesaver.
Initially, I thought of asking the Crafters’ Guild and the Butlers’ Guild in Feel, but while cooks might be available, the butlers, especially with Yuri’s appointment, are a bit short-handed.
The eight butlers contracted by Wing Crest and Mirei, along with Hilde, will help, but it’s not enough. I was wondering what to do.
“The remaining issue is the guests.”
“Indeed…”
The date and location of the reception, as well as the servers and cooks, were quickly decided.
However, the biggest problem is still the guests.
Inviting family is a given, and with the royal families of Amister, Torencia, and Lichtenfels already confirmed to attend, that’s a significant number.
Moreover, Ed and I still have underage fiancées, so if we invite their relatives, Valentia will also be added.
“Yamato has six wives and six fiancées, Edward has two wives and two fiancées, the Grand Order’s Master has three wives, I and Dart each have one wife, and His Majesty has three?”
“Elice and Maruca were married four years ago, so exclude those two.”
“Is that alright?”
“It’s a wedding reception. If we invite everyone, including them, it would be endless.”
That’s true.
However, they are also guests from other countries. Could this cause problems with countries that are not invited?
“We have that concern as well, so if possible, we should invite them. It’s also a good opportunity to show Arca to each country.”
“I see, that’s true.”
Come to think of it, that makes sense.
When dispatching reinforcements to Torencia or advancing to Solemne, Orders and Fathers traveled through Arca.
After learning Traveling during the advance, they no longer used Arca as a route, but many Orders, Fathers, and Hunters have seen Arca with their own eyes, and the kings are aware of the rumors.
Especially Torencia, Lichtenfels, and Valt have become like family to me, so not only have I spoken with them, but they have also visited.
The Emperor of Solemne and the Imperial King of Retisencia would likely scheme to obtain them and even dispatch forces, but I don’t think the monarchs of the participating countries in the Federation Heavenly Empire would say such things, so I can rest assured on that front.
Currently, only Amister and Torencia have been given Gate Crystals and Gate Stones. Amister is the leader of the Federation Heavenly Empire, and Torencia’s has been given to Hilde personally, so the Gate Stone of the Snow Fairy Palace will be removed after her abdication to Princess Brynhild.
Amister’s Gate Stone is also in His Majesty Reinhardt and Sayuri’s mansion on Ou Renten Street, so it can practically be considered a personal loan.
I never thought we’d actually be inviting the monarchs of various countries, but at this point, there’s no turning back.
I’ll have to give up and start making lists of other guests.
