We live in the foothills of Dragon Peak.
A loving couple.
Jingling, jingling, the resonant, cool sound of the staffs held by the miko surrounding the venue echoed.
The honor guard, composed of wyvern knights lined up on both sides of the attendees, held up flags. The flags fluttering in the wind were the national flags of the Yorttenitos Kingdom and the Armēdo Kingdom. And, the crest of the Dragon Knight Order was depicted on them.
Madrine, dressed in a ceremonial miko’s attire called Chihaya, stood before the altar, holding a staff with a large crescent moon at the tip, the symbol of the Head Miko. Flanking her were Kiiri, Inea, and Ruiseine, also in solemn attire.
The ceremony was officiated by Madrine, the Head Miko of the Yorttenitos Kingdom. Her three close friends served as the sponsors of the ceremony.
And, before Madrine stood Slaton, clad in a magnificent outfit bestowed by the Yorttenitos Kingdom.
From our seats, we could only see his back, but the tense atmosphere was palpable even from here.
Riiin, a bell-like sound resonated in harmony with the sound of the staff.
Guided by a miko holding a shrine bell, the bride entered the venue.
With slow steps, she proceeded down the aisle created between the attendees towards the altar.
Her attire and makeup were peculiar.
She wore layers of several types of cloth wrapped around her body, and her exposed skin, including her face, neck, and arms, were adorned with patterns drawn in vermilion and gold leaf, unlike anything I had ever seen.
It was said to be a traditional formal wear passed down through a family of ancient sorcerers.
The bride, Creacio, with her long hem trailing behind her, was more beautiful than usual.
Combined with her unique attire and aura, sighs of admiration escaped from the attendees.
Slaton turned around. He took Creacio’s hand as she ascended the three steps and led her to his side.
The miko who had been leading the way moved aside to both sides, ringing their bells, and all eyes in the venue turned to the couple standing at the altar.
The sounds of staffs and bells continued to ring. The purified air vibrated crisply, and a sacred space enveloped the venue.
With a prayer chanted in Madrine’s clear voice, the wedding ceremony of Slaton and Creacio began.
Under a cloudless blue sky.
The royal capital of the Armēdo Kingdom. A place where the Great Shrine was scheduled to be built. A special ceremonial ground had been set up in what would likely become the courtyard.
The building in the back was also decorated for the sacred rites, indicating that the shrine was wholeheartedly blessing the couple’s marriage.
And with good reason.
The wedding ceremony of Slaton and Creacio was the first major event to be held at the Great Shrine, which was in the process of reconstruction.
Resia and other royalty and nobles held ceremonies at the Great Shrine in the secondary capital, Ambis. In fact, everything except for ceremonies of high standing that absolutely had to be held at the Great Shrine in the capital had been moved to the secondary capital.
As someone associated with the Great Shrine in the capital, therefore, the wedding ceremony of Slaton and Creacio, companions of the hero, held even greater significance.
Madrine’s long invocation continued.
Slaton and Creacio stood side by side, harmoniously repeating the words along with Madrine’s invocation.
Participating in the solemn ceremony, we, along with the attending dignitaries and close friends, watched over the couple.
Over the next half-day, a Kagura dance by the miko and ceremonies passed down through the sorcerer lineage would be performed.
The ceremony continued within the shrine grounds, and its proceedings could be observed even from the distant outer grounds.
The Great Shrine was still under construction, after all. While pillars and some walls had begun to be erected, it could still largely be considered a wasteland.
The people of the capital, unable to enter the Great Shrine grounds, watched the wedding ceremony from a distance.
No, perhaps more popular than the wedding ceremony itself were the Wyverns lined up in the plaza in front of the Great Shrine, and Duranel, the Earth Dragon.
As it was the wedding of a Dragon Knight, twenty knights from the Yorttenitos Kingdom’s Wyvern Knight Order had visited.
The Dragon Knights were holding flags beside us, but the Wyverns were stationed in the plaza. The Wyverns, adorned and made up for the ceremonial occasion, looked magnificent even from my perspective.
And even more so.
Many people were captivated by the giant Golden Winged Dragon elegantly circling above the capital city.
Friel was present as a special ambassador to bless Slaton and Creacio.
In the Yorttenitos Kingdom, royalty always attended the wedding ceremonies of Dragon Knights. However, the King could not overexert himself due to his health, and Prince Grave was too busy managing administrative affairs. Caster’s Earth Dragon would not arrive in time, so Friel was hastily appointed as a special envoy.
Friel, who had turned fifteen this year, was in the midst of his year of departure.
But I never expected Slaton and Creacio’s wedding ceremony to be so grand.
The ceremony, attended by representatives from both the Armēdo Kingdom and the Yorttenitos Kingdom, proceeded grandly yet solemnly.
“Congratulations to you both!”
“Yeah, thanks.”
“Thank you, Elnea-kun.”
After the lengthy ceremony concluded.
The reception was held on the grounds of the royal castle.
Slaton was, after all, the hero’s partner. It seemed the country mobilized for such occasions.
We congratulated the newlyweds who came to greet us.
Slaton had changed from his full Dragon Knight regalia into the unique attire that Creacio had been wearing.
“But I never thought Slaton would join Creacio’s family.”
“Well. Creacio’s family line has a tradition of being renowned sorcerers. They outrank me, who became a Dragon Knight out of the blue.”
“So, if you have children, will you raise them as sorcerers?”
“What do you think?”
Creacio looked at Slaton, seeking his opinion.
Creacio’s incredibly happy expression was radiant.
“Well, I don’t know if it’s a boy or a girl, but the first child might be. However, if they show promise, I’d want them to inherit my legacy too.”
“A Dragon Knight who can use sorcery might be cool too.”
“Ohh, that’s a good idea. In that case, I’ll send them to you for training, so please take care of them.”
“Eh. You won’t raise them yourself!?”
“I want to, but I know it’s better to entrust them to you. It’s frustrating, but true.”
“Yes, in that case, leave it to me. Yufi and Nina should raise them properly!”
“E-Elnea-kun, please don’t say that!”
Creacio’s scream made Yufilia and Nina puff out their cheeks.
“Creacio, how rude. We will raise them to be splendid adventurers.”
“Creacio, how rude. We will raise them to be splendid heroes.”
Yufilia and Nina, saying they wanted to have a little chat, whisked Creacio away.
We saw them off with smiles.
Slaton was smiling too, so I’m sure it’ll be fine. As for their subsequent complaints, I’ll leave them to her husband, Slaton.
“After me, it’ll be Resia’s turn. And then, finally, yours.”
“Ugh. What should I do…”
Seeing Slaton’s magnificent ceremony, my desire to prepare something equally proper grew that much stronger.
“Hahaha. I’m looking forward to it.”
Slaton slapped me on the back repeatedly and returned to his greetings.
“It was a wonderful ceremony.”
Next to approach was Friel, the fourth prince of the Yorttenitos Kingdom.
He was in a splendid princely attire for the ceremony.
Accompanied by nobles and daughters of wealthy merchants from the Armēdo Kingdom, he undoubtedly showed off his popularity to me.
“Hey. It’s been a while.”
We shook hands.
“I thought Friel would spend his year of departure at Dragon Peak.”
“Yes. That’s what I intended as well. However, my abilities are simply not sufficient to be allowed into Dragon Peak yet. I felt that living in Dragon Peak by relying on the strength of Earl Yugra and the Jikglies was not the right path. I believe in starting with the fundamentals! So, I am currently training in the eastern border region of Yorttenitos.”
“You’re working hard. I need to make sure I don’t fall behind.”
Friel seemed to be making good progress.
He looked more robust, perhaps due to being trained by the three Dragon Race individuals accompanying him as attendants to Lord Yugra. In contrast, I…
It’s strange.
Even though I’m doing training that should build muscle, my physique isn’t growing at all. I can’t catch up to Mistral’s height no matter how much time passes. Boohoo…
Today too, friends who were invited to the wedding ceremony sadly told me, “You’re still as cute as ever.”
“Oh, right. His Majesty sent a message. He said that for Elnea-kun’s wedding ceremony, His Majesty himself will be attending, so please inform him well in advance.”
“Y-Yes. I will keep that in mind.”
Given the matter with Laira, I had expected it. But to have it stated so plainly creates unnecessary tension.
This is troubling…
The banquet hall was filled with luxurious food and drinks, and Priscilla-chan and her friends were enjoying themselves, their mouths smeared with food. Laira was being dragged around by Priscilla-chan and Ares-chan. Normally, Laira would be too shy to hide in such a lively setting, but today she was in charge of the young girl group, so she had no choice.
The lively banquet continued. Amidst it all, while I was blessing Slaton and Creacio, my own thoughts caused my stomach to churn, and the delicious food stuck in my throat.
“Are you alright?”
As I was trying to disappear into the background to rest in a corner of the venue, Mistral came over.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Seeing you two has made me realize I need to have a proper ceremony too.”
“Fufufu, don’t get too worked up. Your ceremony is our ceremony as well. Shall we all discuss it?”
“That’s right. Let’s make it something that will go down in history!”
“That’s overdoing it.”
When I made a fist to get fired up, Mistral playfully nudged me.
“We think any form will be fine.”
“Even so, I want everyone to be happy.”
“Well then, let’s have a little expectation.”
“Muuu. Just a little?”
“Then, a lot?”
As Mistral and I were laughing, Grandma walked towards us. At first, I thought she had just come to a corner of the venue, but her gaze was fixed on Mistral and me.
Mumumu.
I’m currently trying to suppress my presence. Mistral is also playing along, so to an ordinary person, we should be out of their awareness from afar.
“Thank you for today, for my grandchildren.”
Grandma, coming before me, bowed her already stooped back even further.
I noticed a few people in the venue wearing the unique attire that Creacio was wearing, the formal wear of sorcerers. Among them, she mentioned grandchildren.
“Are you perhaps Creacio’s grandmother?”
“Oh, ho ho. Creacio would be my great-grandchild.”
“Uwah. Please excuse my rudeness.”
Perhaps due to her bent back, Grandma only reached about my chest height. Looking up at us with a gentle smile, her face was etched with deep wrinkles.
Mistral and I bent down to greet Grandma.
“You are Elnea-kun. And you are Mistral-san of the Dragon Race.”
“You know about us?”
“Of course, I do. After all, you are the hero of the Human Race.”
“Eh, hero, how dare you.”
I’m getting shy.
“However, this is our first meeting. How did you know about us?”
“Mistral-san. You both possess a very peculiar aura.”
“Aura?”
The aura of the Dragon Race. The aura of Dragon Energy. I can think of a few possibilities. But I thought ordinary humans wouldn’t be able to sense that?
Perhaps they possess an intuition that distinguishes races, like other species do?
But I’m human…
“It’s something like… an aura that transcends human limits. Yes, someone similar… a long time ago…”
Looking up at Mistral and me, Grandma narrowed her eyes as if recalling memories.
We held our breath, anticipating that we might hear something important.
Just then.
A man ran into the venue from outside, looking flustered.
He was someone who worked at my family home, if I recall correctly.
The man scanned the venue with an anxious expression. Was he perhaps looking for me or one of my family members?
I let my presence return so that the man would notice me.
“Elnea-sama!”
The man immediately found me and rushed over, saying in a breathless voice:
“Thieves have invaded the mansion!”
“What!?”
Mistral and I exchanged glances.
My family home is under constant strict guard due to the importance of the people staying there. The guards are not private soldiers but members of the Royal Army and guards, and the staff were originally from the Royal Palace.
An intruder managed to bypass such skilled personnel?
“Elnea, go back for now. I’ll handle this situation.”
“Yes, I’m sorry.”
I have a bad feeling about this.
This is no ordinary band of thieves.
My instincts were screaming something.
