〈 86화 〉 The Unblessed Wedding (2）
*
”Thanks! I owe you my life, young man!”
”W-well, it’s nothing…”
Even though I was dragged here half-heartedly, I couldn’t just wear a long face during a ceremony meant to bless the couple’s future. With gritted teeth, I forced a smile.
An unexpected request from a lady, asking me to officiate her daughter’s wedding since the priest couldn’t make it for some unavoidable reason.
Of course, I wanted to refuse at first.
Even if it was from a frequent shop lady, I couldn’t carelessly step into a crowded place with the Saintess by my side.
However.
‘I’m going!’
It was too much for me to withstand the Saintess’s insistence that we absolutely had to go to the venue.
I resisted as best as I could, but in the end, I had to give in to the Saintess’s overwhelming will when she tried to dramatically throw off her recognition-obscuring hood in the middle of the street.
So now, my only option was to finish the officiation quickly and get as far away from this place as possible.
”Don’t worry! While you’re officiating, I’ll take good care of the young man’s daughter!”
”It’s not my daughter…”
”Not your daughter? What do you mean! She looks just like you! You should have mentioned it earlier if you had such a cute daughter! Who’s the mother? Is it someone I know?”
”Haa…”
The lady bombarding me with endless questions while sitting the Saintess on her lap felt uncharacteristically harsh today.
And the Saintess, who just watched the whole thing like an audience, looked twice as annoying as usual.
”Alright, now the main guests, the bride and groom, are finally entering!”
At that moment.
A young man, presumably a friend of the groom, suddenly shouted out loud, and two elegantly dressed individuals strode in from the other side, making the church instantly festive.
There were only about twenty people, but the heartfelt wishes for the couple’s happy future made this small space as lively as a grand ceremony.
”Oh my! Oh my! I’m losing my mind! This isn’t the time! Young man! Hurry up!”
”Ugh…”
When she wouldn’t let me go just moments ago, now she was hurriedly pushing me forward, so I stumbled toward the officiating stand.
The marriage ceremony of this system is incredibly straightforward.
The two lovers promise a future together, exchange rings, kiss, and it all ends with the clergy sprinkling Divine Power to bless their future.
However, couples who don’t receive the clergy’s blessing fall out of favor with the gods, and that belief has spread widely among the populace, making the faith in this custom a bit overly blind.
Consequently, people living near the capital of the system often tend to hire a dignified clergy member for their wedding, even if it means going into debt.
There have even been tragic stories in the news of merchant couples who tried to hire a high-ranking priest but ended up homeless soon after.
And when couples face trouble, many blame the insufficient dignity of the priest who officiated their wedding.
But this tendency mainly applies to wealthy individuals with a certain level of financial stability.
For the majority of the common people in the system, there isn’t much reason or luxury to follow such customs.
So, it’s common for the commoners to invite an officiant who merely looks like a priest and have a modest ceremony with a few dozen friends.
”Ahem!”
Once I climbed up to the officiating stand, I exchanged courteous glances with the bride and groom right in front of me.
Just as I was about to recite the wedding vows I had memorized over and over during my priestly training…
”First, let’s get to the vows and declaration…”
”Forget that! Let’s just kiss first!”
”Right! Right!”
”…”
I was caught off guard by the sudden enthusiastic support from the guests.
Honestly, it wasn’t surprising.
Unlike the meticulously formal weddings of the nobility, weddings of commoners often reject such tedious traditions, so it would be more common for these ceremonies to deviate from planned procedures.
Glancing at the audience, I saw that even the lady who summoned me was not discouraging the enthusiastic guests, but rather cheerfully urging me to get on with it.
Though they would be a bit embarrassed by the surroundings, the bride and groom seemed to share the same sentiments as the guests.
”Hahaha.”
A wave of laughter quickly engulfed the tiny church.
This heartwarming atmosphere, unlike the solemn weddings of nobility, surely belonged to their way of life, unrestrained by annoying formalities.
Honestly, I preferred it this way.
So, I decided to put aside the complex vows I had in mind and the facade I normally maintained, if only for this moment.
”Alright! Then let’s skip all the complicated procedures!”
”Ohhh!”
As I raised my voice while gripping the officiating table firmly, the already lively atmosphere intensified even more.
”So, bride! Do you love the groom?”
”Yes! I love him!”
”And groom! Do you love the bride?”
”Yes! I love her as much as the heavens and the earth!”
”Then let’s quickly exchange rings! Let’s get those lips to touch!”
”Hahaha! This priest knows a thing or two!”
Even though my unfamiliar loud voice was rapidly draining my already exhausted stamina, what mattered was that this would speed up the wedding.
So I kept mustering all my remaining strength into my voice.
As the excitement of the guests pushed the ceremony toward a joyful conclusion with the ring exchange and a sweet kiss…
”Big brother.”
A voice like a cold hand slipping under thick winter clothes unexpectedly gripped my heart.
I’ve called myself that countless times, but she had never once used that term.
As I slowly turned my head towards the nostalgic yet strange sound, I realized that her chilling breath was fluttering right in front of me.
Just moments ago, the surrounding noise that was buzzing in my ears quieted down, seeming to fade into a gentle wind, and I felt the stillness gradually enveloping me.
”S-Saintess…?”
I mindlessly called out her revered title, forgetting that I should keep her identity concealed.
But for some reason, the guests who had been celebrating suddenly seemed oblivious to the shocking revelation that had just slipped from my lips, still immersed in raising the mood here.
As if they were unaware of my words, or perhaps even our very existence.
Thud-thud.
Finally, the Saintess, who had been inching closer, slowly removed the recognition-obscuring robe she had been wearing over her head.
Holding the ring box she had taken from me, her face adorned with a bright smile, she looked entirely otherworldly, unlike anyone I could imagine living in the same world as me.
Her white hair, gently swaying in the breeze coming through the window, had the tips tinted a serene sky blue.
Ah, just like that time when the Hero’s hair turned completely white.
A gentle smile spread across her face.
At that moment, an old memory covered in dust burst into my mind like a drop of paint dissolving in water.
Why?
Why had I forgotten about it until now?
I remembered that I had seen that graceful smile before.
That she and I had met once in the past.
It wasn’t a dramatic story worthy of becoming a singular event, but surely it wasn’t a memory so trifling that it could just be cast away into the depths of oblivion.
But my doubt couldn’t find resolution.
The soft sensation that landed on my lips uprooted my spirit from my body.
”S-Saintess! Ah, no! Ugh!”
Before I could voice a protest, another’s delicate lips had shut mine tight.
The lovely, fragrant softness was incomprehensibly comforting.
It was only when my consciousness was sinking deeper into this dizzying ecstasy that it morphed back into awareness.
Boom!
From outside my awareness came a resonating, ominous blast.
”Saintess─!”
The Hero’s frantic voice calling out to me rang out like the dying wail of a falling soul.
*
