A change of scene—this time, in the Caputo Territory.
Shouzo, the strongest mage, was still living in a secluded house under watch and guard.
But because the curse binding him provided a certain degree of safety, he was permitted to go out as long as he was escorted.
Today, he had come to Paulette with a single letter in hand. Though she was busy as the next head of the family, she agreed to see him—because it was Shouzo.
“Lady Paulette, could you take a look at this letter for me?”
“A letter?”
“Yes. I just want to make sure there aren’t any spelling mistakes or missing punctuation...”
If that’s all, he didn’t need to come to me specifically...
Paulette felt a little troubled, but she also understood wanting to choose carefully whom to show a personal letter to. And since the letter was only a single sheet of stationery, she decided to honor his request and read it over for him.
“Hmm...”
Before worrying about spelling mistakes, the writing itself...wasn’t very good.
At the same time, it wasn’t written carelessly. If anything, it was clear he had taken his time—slowly, painstakingly—yet it still came out clumsy. Seeing that it wasn’t laziness made it impossible to call it rude.
Paulette moved on to checking the short letter for errors.
To Master Sansui Shirokuro and Lady Blois Shirokuro,
Congratulations on your upcoming marriage. As I cannot attend the ceremony in Sepaeda, I send this letter of celebration from Caputo.
You already have a happy family. Please continue to protect it from here on. I doubt there will ever be anything you need from me, but should anything arise, please let me know. I will do what little I can to assist.
Shouzo Kyoube
First of all, it was extremely short. So short that, by Paulette’s standards, it might seem insufficient as a wedding congratulations. From a composition standpoint, it felt like a letter with many gaps—something that made one want to insert an extra line between each sentence.
But for anyone who knew Shouzo Kyoube, it was impossible to take badly.
“Is verifying the spelling really all you want me to do?” Paulette asked him knowingly, her expression warm and gentle.
“Honestly, I wanted to write something better. Something longer.”
Shouzo admitted he wasn’t satisfied with the result—but insisted no additions were necessary.
“But I couldn’t think of anything else to write... And I’m scared of saying something weird and upsetting them... But if I asked you to write it, then it wouldn’t be my letter anymore...”
Shouzo Kyoube—the Scarred Fool. He had done his best to think of words to celebrate their marriage, and this letter was the result.
“All I could think of were these plain, ordinary lines... But I thought maybe it’s better not to add anything unnecessary...”
“Yes. I’m sure Lord Sansui will be pleased.”
There was no need for a wedding letter to move someone to tears. If the feeling of celebration was conveyed, the number of words was trivial.
“Lady Paulette, did you write a congratulatory letter too?”
“Yes, I did. Once I finish checking yours, let’s send both letters together to the Wynne family in Sepaeda.”
Meanwhile, in the Domino Republic, Fuushi Ukyou was working through a mountain of documents alongside Setenve, who was now officially his wife.
And to that pile of paperwork, Ukyou had added yet another task. Setenve’s face twisted slightly in displeasure when she saw it.
“A congratulatory letter for Sansui Shirokuro and Blois Wynne, is it.”
“Oh, come on, Setenve... Don’t tell me you’re against it?”
“Of course not. We’ve taken advantage of him often enough. To not even congratulate him on his wedding would be unforgivable. I—and the royal family—still know shame. Besides...”
Sansui Shirokuro had traveled all the way to attend Setenve Arcana’s wedding, and celebrated it with her.
It had made her a bit embarrassed, but undeniably happy.
“This time, it’s our turn to celebrate his. Since we can’t go in person, sending a letter is only proper.”
“You’re right. For us, this is work too. Important, meaningful work.”
In the Disaea Territory, two Japanese people were having a similar conversation: Namely, it was Byoubu trying to persuade Shun Ukiyo to write his congratulatory letter.
“Shun, writing a letter is easy—especially for a wedding. You put the recipient’s name with the proper honorifics, write some seasonal pleasantries, say ‘congratulations on your marriage,’ wish them lifelong happiness, sign your name, and you’re done. How can you neglect something that simple? It’s rude.”
“I agree with everything you said. But whenever I write a letter, something terrible always seems to happen.”
Pandora, the Armor of Disaster, naturally brought misfortune to its surroundings. As its perfect wielder, Shun avoided involving himself in celebratory occasions. Wishing to behave like the ominous being he was, he had been abstaining altogether.
“That’s exactly why you shouldn’t think every misfortune in the world is your fault. Bad things happen when they happen. Don’t overestimate yourself.”
“Eliminating dangerous elements is the safest approach. Besides...”
Shun took pride in his profession—but he also understood how others viewed him.
“No one wants to be congratulated by an assassin.”
“Then I’ll write the letter for both of us and include your sentiments. Is that acceptable?”
Shun thought for a moment, then turned toward Byoubu.
“Is there still time? If so, I’ll write one now—quickly.”
“Yes, hurry. And don’t make any spelling mistakes.”
In the Batterabbe Territory, Saiga Mizu was finally beginning his full training as the next head of the family.
It was, of course, extremely difficult. Neither Tainted Blood’s mimicry of movement nor Time Power’s predictions offered any help here. He had to study steadily, assist with the daily work, and learn things one step at a time.
He was only inheriting the current administration’s methods—yet he was learning firsthand just how arduous that truly was.
“Ugh... Looks like that’s the last of today’s lessons.”
Receiving instruction from the current king—his now official father-in-law—Saiga Mizu spent long hours pinned to his desk. The moment the session ended, he collapsed in exhaustion.
“Ah, you’ve really been working hard.”
“No... It’s only expected of the next family head.”
He answered while still collapsed over his desk, struggling through a field where all his previous training meant absolutely nothing.
Maybe putting a person in charge just because they’re strong is actually a terrible idea.
In the Magyan Kingdom, they say the strongest man becomes king—and Saiga had been chosen as the next in line for the throne for that same reason.
In truth, strength was basically his only redeeming quality, and he was starting to feel like he had climbed entirely the wrong career ladder.
I should’ve taken a role like Kyoube... Some kind of personal mage or specialist...
Of course, the job of a family head is not something accomplished alone. At least in Batterabbe, decisions were always made after consulting many advisers.
But even those advisers wouldn’t want a leader who understood nothing of their work and had no interest in learning it. And to join discussions and recognize problems, he had to understand what was normal and what wasn’t.
I have to keep working hard.
He sometimes regretted the path he chose, but quitting was no longer an option. It was because he knew—deeply—how much had been done for him. That awareness was what drove him to push himself forward.
And the fact that you can keep pushing—that’s proof you’ve grown.
The current king watched his son-in-law warmly.
If he had tried to give the Saiga Mizu they’d first met this same training, the boy would have run away at the earliest opportunity.
A strength that could withstand pain, endure it, and overcome it—Saiga had gained that alongside his strength in battle.
He gained that because Happine, Zuger, and Princess Sunae were there for him. And...
Because of that, the current king felt no anxiety whatsoever.
“A-Actually, um...”
Still exhausted, Saiga pulled a letter from his pocket. He had written it in the tiny fragments of time he could spare from his already overwhelming schedule.
“I’d like to send this wedding congratulation letter to Mr. Sansui... Could you check it for me? I’m pretty sure they’ll read it during the ceremony.”
“Of course, I’ll take a look.”
Saiga’s concerns were valid. No matter how close they were as friends or as master and student, he was still the next head of a house, and Sansui was another family’s combat instructor. A letter between them had to be phrased with great care.
But the current head already understood even before reading it how much effort had gone into writing it, and how much gratitude and celebration it contained.
At the main Sepaeda estate, Douve Sepaeda was happily writing a letter when Tahlan Magyan arrived.
He had already finished his own letter for the wedding ceremony and was simply waiting for Douve to finish hers.
“Douve, we need to send the letters soon or they won’t arrive in time. I understand you have a lot you want to write, but at this rate they won’t reach them before the ceremony.”
“Oh, right... I forgot. Here, please send this.”
Douve handed Tahlan a sealed envelope.
“Oh? So you already had it ready.”
“Yes, it was finished—I just hadn’t given it to you. Sorry for troubling you.”
So then...what was Douve writing now?
“If that’s the case, who is this letter for?”
“My, how nosy you are... It’s for Sansui and the others, of course.”
Still smiling gently, Douve finally revealed the truth.
“When I started writing the wedding congratulation letter, I found myself wanting to write all sorts of other things too.”
“I see.”
“I’ve known Sansui, Blois, and Lain for such a long time... To me, they were like my brother and sisters. I was always selfish with them, always causing them trouble.”
“Oh my, that must have been difficult for them.”
“Yes, but really—what else was there to stave off the boredom?”
In front of the husband she loved, Douve reminisced about her once tedious days.
“The kinds of things I want to write aren’t appropriate for a formal wedding letter, so I’m writing another one. It’s not as if our relationship is limited to exchanging letters only at weddings.”
She wanted to congratulate them abundantly, and afterward, she wanted to share even more. Seeing his wife like this, Tahlan smiled with genuine delight.
“Heh heh, then I’ll go send the formal letters now. If we make them wait too long, it won’t be fair to the person delivering them. And once that’s done, I’d like to hear more of these memories you share with Lord Sansui and Lady Blois.”
“But of course. And you’ll tell me your stories as well, won’t you?”
People who could sincerely rejoice in the happiness of others were truly blessed, and these two were exactly those kinds of people.