After finishing the memorable first “Wait a moment,” Shutra and I proceeded to the wedding ceremony at the church, which we also managed to complete splendidly. It’s strange to say this about my own ceremony, but with the trial parade and the fierce battles with Silvia and Emma happening just before, it ended anticlimactically, almost too smoothly. Yes, the parade was to blame for that. The vows and the kiss, which should have been nerve-wracking, were completely overshadowed by the parade. Yet, even so, happiness could still be felt. After it was over, a warm, buoyant feeling lingered in my heart. I hope Shutra felt the same—or rather, looking at her expression, I could tell without her needing to say a word. In any case, we were happy.
And so, Shutra’s and my ceremony was finally reaching its last event: the reception. This gathering, held in a banquet hall carved out of a portion of Trisen Castle, was attended by our family and friends, and honestly, it was quite a distinguished assembly, even on a global scale. We are currently going around greeting everyone.
“Kelvin, I’m sure you understand, but please take good care of Shutra. If anything happens, I’ll cut you down myself, understand? I won’t hesitate to do it.”
“General, if that happens, I’ll cut you down with him! Master is Master, so perhaps he’ll be rewarded with a day off!”
“No, Azgrad and Hoover, weren’t your weapons spears? Wouldn’t you rather pierce something?”
“Indeed, King Azgrad. Therefore, for such occasions, I believe the role should be entrusted to me, whose forte is the sword…!”
“General Dan!?”
“Oh, should I join in too, then? Rosaria, dear, how about joining Mama?”
“Heh, that sounds interesting. I’d be delighted to join you.”
“Seraphia and Rosaria too!?”
“Kelvin-san, your retorts are filled with joy.”
Of course, this included my brother-in-law, the General, and other Trisen officials.
“Shutra, your match earlier was wonderful! Especially the scene where you saved Kelvin at the end, it brought tears to my eyes!”
“Sera-nee, you were so moved you cried.”
“N-now, Rion, we agreed not to talk about that!”
“Waaaaah! I was moved to tears too…!”
“Gerard-san was moved throughout the entire time. He even left his seat midway, so as not to bother those around him…”
“Gerard-san, the ceremonies continue tomorrow. Do you think you have enough moisture…?”
“Not enoughhhhh…!”
“Sniff, sniff, Shutra-chan was truly beautiful… Kelvin-sama, fighting alongside her, was more divine than ever, I just— I was overwhelmed by everything! How can I even express the joy of being able to support you in the battle arena!? Truly, one can only look up in… awe!”
“Colette, you have your own ceremony coming up later, so please try not to die before then?”
“Ah, Mel-sama is worried about someone like me…”
“Mama, Colette-san might be on the verge of dehydration.”
“Kuromel, let’s leave her be for now. If you worry too, Colette will truly dry up.”
“Kelvin-aniki, congratulations today! As your best subordinate, to be able to welcome this day together—”
“—Dahak, you talk too much. Congratulations to the Master. And congratulations to Shutra. Yes, that’s all.”
“It… it’s a happy day, isn’t it.”
Our own group of companions were all here too, making for quite the chaotic scene.
“Mmm, the food is delicious. Ah, congratulations Shutra. Congratulations Kelvin. Thanks to you, I can fully enjoy this feast. It’s very delicious.”
“S-Silvia, the main people are here today, so let’s stop eating for now…”
“Heh, it’s alright. If Ronoa is enjoying it so much, I’m glad too.”
“Uuu, Shutra’s kindness touches me deeply… I am truly indebted…”
“Don’t be so worried. Oh, by the way, I wanted to ask Emma something.”
“Me? What is it?”
“It’s a bit late to ask after the ‘Wait a moment’ ended, but couldn’t we have maintained an invincible state by fixing Colette’s ‘Shrine’ with ‘Chains of Sin’? I recall hearing you could use multiple at once, so if you’d used them on yourself and Silvia, you’d have been invincible in a way… Was it truly impossible to fix the reversal of death?”
“Ah, you’re asking about combat. Well, considering it’s you, Kelvin-san, it’s typical… No, it was possible. If you had wanted to, Colette’s ‘Shrine’ could have been fixed.”
“It was possible!? …Isn’t that too strong? That would be like a pseudo-Nitto-ojisan, right?”
“It is strong, but the magic power required to maintain that state is immense. Honestly, it’s incomparable to maintaining normal health.”
“Ah, I see… So there’s no such thing as a free lunch, huh…”
“Hahaha, I’m sorry for getting your hopes up. However, I did consider whether it could be used in some part of the strategy. But, the outcome of this sparring match was conditional on the activation of the secret art, wasn’t it? Even if we fixed the secret art and reversed time, the fact of defeat due to its activation wouldn’t change.”
“Mmm, that’s why it was excluded from the strategy. It would be meaningful in a real battle, but in this fight, it would just be a waste of magic power. Hugmof.”
“Oi, you dark-haired brat who thinks he’s so great! Not just Silvia and Emma, but let me greet you too—”
“—Yes, yes, it’ll get troublesome, so let’s keep Nagua quiet. Instead, we’ll offer our congratulations.”
“Mmmph—…!”
“Both of you, may you be happy forever. We all sincerely wish you happiness.”
Silvia, Emma, and fellow party members Ariel and Kokudori also offered their warm words. Although Nagua is currently restrained, he probably feels the same. Yes, I understand without him needing to say it. I really do.
Many other people also came to offer their congratulations. Some would even attend other ceremonies continuing tomorrow, and I am truly grateful for that. Once we had circled all the tables, it was time for a brief respite. Returning to the main table, we had a moment, albeit short, to ourselves.
“…Phew, tomorrow is Rion’s wedding ceremony, so we have to move to Pars early in the morning. Even though I was prepared for it, this is still quite a packed schedule.”
“Oh, Kelvin-san? Are you already thinking about another woman? Even though we are still in the middle of our ceremony.”
“Ugh…! I-I’m sorry, Shutra. How could I…”
“Moo! I want to say something childish, but tomorrow’s opponent is Rion-chan. As a close friend, I’ll make an exception.”
The bride Shutra, chuckling like her mischievous childhood self after pulling off a prank, smiled. That smile is quite effective against me, Shutra-san?
“That’s right, we shouldn’t be tired from today with the ceremonies and the ‘Wait a moment’ continuing tomorrow… I’ve decided. Until midnight, it’s time with me, and after that, we’ll have ample time for sleep. Is that alright with you, Kelvin-san?”
“Of course. Do you have any particular desires for what we do before then, Princess Shutra?”
“Are— are you expecting me to say it myself…?”
“…”
It seems I still have to work hard until the very last moment today.
