The next morning, I felt incredibly energetic. I wondered if it was because I had slept so soundly the previous night. With this energy, I could participate in today’s “Wait a moment” with vigor. So, Colette had made that request in anticipation of this. Truly, she had excellent foresight. Alright, I’ll give it my all today!
“Kelvin, you can rest today. I’ll fight.”
“W-What did you say?!”
It was only a moment after I had cheerfully crossed over to the Northern Continent, but the instant we arrived at the castle of the Grellverelka Empire, the main venue for today, Sera said that to me. Wait, wait— Why?!
“Don’t make such a predictable reaction. Today marks the halfway point of the continuous wedding ceremonies, and there are still four days left, you know? Plus, the opponents get even more mysterious as the days go on. From what I heard, yesterday’s ‘Wait a moment’ was quite a stretch, wasn’t it? It’s the smart move to take today as a truce and prepare for the battles ahead.”
“A, a day of rest like that… Sera, I appreciate your kind intentions, but I slept soundly last night and my stamina is fully recovered—”
“—My foolish son! Do you mean to say you can’t comprehend Sera’s thoughtfulness?! Is that the line a man who intends to become Sera’s official husband should utter, you foolish son…!”
Ugh, here we go.
“P-Please calm down, Father-in-law. I just want to reduce Sera’s burden even a little!”
“Your true feelings?”
“…I, I want to fight. I want to fight with my own hands.”
I said it honestly. Well, I couldn’t lie about this feeling. I couldn’t lie to Sera!
“Yes, then I’ll just accept that feeling. Thanks, Kelvin.”
“Waaah!”
I collapsed in tears.
“Ku fu fu, even the Grim Reaper is no match for Sera-sama. It was good to witness. It’s like reminiscing about Gustav-sama and the Queen in their prime… Kuuuh…!”
“Y-You fool, Victor! To say such things on such a happy occasion… Guh…!”
Victor and my father-in-law also collapsed in tears. The ceremony hadn’t even begun, yet we were already on the verge of annihilation.
“Honestly, what are we even doing. Well, since that’s the case, rest today. The opponent today has a bad compatibility with Kelvin, to begin with.”
“Cough, I understand. But the opponent today— Aren’t there just no one in this world compatible with Kuon? Her Unique Skill, ‘Paramita,’ nullifies all kinds of power in this world. Both abilities and magic.”
In fact, even in a sparring match, I had been defeated by Kuon. No matter how much magic I amplified with ‘Mana Overload,’ it would disappear the moment it touched her. Pure physical attacks would connect, but that was entirely her domain, and hand-to-hand combat was honestly out of the question with my skills. Furthermore, unlike us, who had our non-physical abilities sealed, she could freely use magic from another world, which was also troublesome. That spell, ‘Vector,’ was it called? In her world, it was considered a low-level spell, and she said she could only use that… Well, by perfecting only that spell, its versatility was incredibly high, and frankly, it was incredibly difficult to deal with. Ah, even recalling it now, she was a truly worthy opponent to conquer.
“…Excuse me, Sera-san?”
“It’s no good.”
“Ah, yes…”
I tried to ask for one more cry, but she immediately understood and refused. Damn it, daaaamn it…!
“Well, well, don’t be so frustrated. If you’d like this old woman, I’ll spar with you anytime.”
“Whoa, really?! If Kuon says so, then my future is bright— No, why are you here?”
As if it were the most natural thing in the world, Kuon was right beside me. Moreover, she was patting my head as if soothing a child. Yes, you do appear quite suddenly, don’t you? If I had taken one wrong step, my delicate heart might have stopped.
“Was it too early for the reception? I worked hard to prepare for today, so I arrived quite early. Phew, I actually had trouble sleeping last night, which is unusual for my age. Ah, congratulations today.”
“Ah, thank you very much— But no!”
Kuon was in the exact same cheerful mood as when I last met her. She didn’t seem to be lying, and she genuinely seemed to have been looking forward to this day. She was already dressed in her orange combat attire and looked ready to start.
“Sera, this lass— No, is she the bride today?”
“Yes. Doesn’t she look very strong?”
“…Indeed, she is strong. This is perhaps the first time I have seen such a refined physique. And if what my foolish son says is true… Hmph, she’s more than just a strong enemy?”
“But that’s precisely why she’s worth defeating, isn’t it?”
Ah, Sera is also brimming with the will to fight. Wait, if you get this motivated here, my own desire will only increase…!
“Oh, you’re quite motivated too! Let me see, you’re Sera-san, right? I overheard your conversation just now, but are you planning on having a ‘Wait a moment’ with me one-on-one?”
“Naturally. I have no intention of imposing unfavorable conditions on you.”
“Oh, nice! Your eyes are set on victory. I’m looking forward to seeing how you’ll fight me.”
“Oh, I don’t mind starting right now, you know? The timing of ‘Wait a moment’ is up to the challenger, and you seem quite motivated too.”
“Haha, what should I do~?”
“…”
Sera and Kuon exchanged glances with smiles, releasing silent pressure. Geez, they’re provoking each other with killing intent like this…! This is bad, this is bad. The brake called my reason is about to break…!
“…Just kidding! Old woman, I consider myself more sensible than Maria, so I have no intention of starting here. If I’m going to fight Sera-san, I should do it in an appropriate place.”
The moment Kuon said that with a cheerful tone, the oppressive atmosphere from before vanished as if it were a lie. Ah, it was nice oppressive feeling though…
“Is that so? Well, as I said before, I’m leaving the timing up to you. Whenever you like.”
“Thank you for your consideration, bride. …By the way, Kelvin-kun has been making all sorts of faces silently, is he alright?”
“He has a slight recurring condition. But it’s normal, so he’s fine.”
“Don’t say things like that. It’s just a mild fit.”
“Doesn’t that mean the same thing in the end?”
“It does mean the same thing.”
Damn it, don’t get along using me as a topic!
“And Kuon, you finally accepted our invitation today. You didn’t show up for the ceremonies yesterday and the day before, so I was a little worried if you would really participate?”
“Speaking of which, that’s right. I thought your friend Maria, who seems to like weddings, would attend all of them.”
“Ah, about that… Normally, Maria would attend all the ceremonies, but this time she had an unavoidable engagement.”
“…Was that the same for Adams and Rukil?”
“Haha, let’s keep that a secret. For Maria, it seems unlikely she can attend today’s ceremony either. But she should respond to all invitations from tomorrow onwards. Yes, that’s all I can say for now.”
“Hmm?”
I see, she can participate from tomorrow onwards. Even though she says that’s all, she’s giving quite a hint. I can vaguely guess, but… No, for now, I should concentrate on the enemy in front of me. Kuon is a formidable enemy among formidable enemies. Sera, do you properly understand that? It’s not too late to switch players now, but is that a no?
Yes, yes…
