The second objection match ended in Rion and Alex’s total victory. The battle had concluded as quickly as I’d feared but in a way I had not remotely expected. Rion had not conceded defeat after realizing she had no chance, and neither had she been trampled in an overwhelming display of Dorothy’s might. She had used the rules to her own advantage, used her relationship with her friend, and come up with a move only she could accomplish. She’d explored every avenue available to her to defeat the god named Dorothy head-on.
At the end of the fight, Dorothy had looked upon Rion as a dear friend, admitted her defeat, and jumped into the slashes herself. Colette’s esoteric technique had instantly activated, simultaneously allowing Dorothy to avoid death and sealing her defeat. She had lost, covered in wounds and unable to show her true power. Such an outcome was an extremely hard one to withstand for anyone who lived for battle. If I had been in that situation, I would probably have died emotionally much sooner—that was how frustrating it would have been for me. Still, in the end, Dorothy had been smiling. She’d been impressed from the bottom of her heart and sincerely celebrated her friend. It seemed like she was saying that she had no regrets, since her friend had clearly given so much thought to fighting her.
“Well, that just shows that we’re different people. In fact, we’re not even the same species, and our minds are structured completely differently. I mean, I’m satisfied with the end result, but I guess I wished you’d feel more responsibility for the amount of power you have.”
“What? Are you unhappy with something?” Dorothy asked.
We were currently in the church. The objection match was over, and the marriage had been given the green light for real, so the first step was preparing for the ceremony. Or rather, it was almost time for the real thing. Normally, it would be way too early for such an event, but all our guests had arrived early, probably because they’d caught wind of the fight. At any rate, the ceremony was bumped up, and we were about to get into it. Instead of taking deep breaths, I was giving Dorothy some advice.
Yeah, it’s never good to get too full of yourself.
“Regardless of how the match went, you’re able to marry Rion-san. Isn’t that all that matters?” Dorothy asked.
“Well, yeah, but...you know?”
Dorothy sighed. “Don’t worry. If I ever do end up fighting you, I’ll be trying to crush you immediately. Ah, no, if I were to incorporate the lessons I’ve learned from Rion-san today, I’ll be aiming to crush you even before we start fighting. Just like Rion-san has become a demon of anti-god tactics, I’ll become a god of anti-Grim Reaper tactics.”
“Oooh, that was good. I’ll be holding you to that promise, got it? You got it?” I said.
“You really are an incorrigible sicko,” Dorothy said after an exasperated pause.
Normally, that would be a terrible insult, but when it comes to battle, I’ll take it as a compliment.
“Hey, Kelvin! The ceremony’s about to start!” Uld called out to me.
Whoops, looks like they’re ready. Uld, who was serving as our minister today, beckoned me over.
“Okaaay! Right then, I gotta go,” I said.
“Ah, okay. But...why is an adventurer your minister?” Dorothy asked, posing the question just as I was leaving.
Yeah, I wondered about that too at first, I thought. Though he was serving as our minister, Uld was still in his usual clothes, and Colette, the Oracle of Deramis, was right there. So...why? Well, it seemed like this was how Parth held their weddings. It was customary to ask someone you often relied on to serve as the minister. If I were to rank who in Parth I relied on, Clare and Uld would be at the top of the list. And since Clare was busy cooking, I’d asked Uld.
“You’re late, Kel-nii!” Rion complained.
“Sorry, sorry. Dorothy was just telling me how cool you were. Oh man, the way you fought was such a surprise. I should have expected it from a demon of anti-god combat.”
“That’s not something you should say to your wife-to-be! Jeez!” Rion exclaimed. With that, she puffed out her cheeks cutely. Her pitch-black wedding dress suited her perfectly, and now, with how cute she was acting...
Agh, seriously! I can’t even look straight at her.
I took a moment to compose myself.
Okay. I’ve regained a little bit of calm with Nerves of Steel.
At first, I’d been dubious about the black dress, but actually seeing her wear it made me realize how good a choice it was. Rion had chosen a black dress because pure-white and red dresses had already been used by Leonhart during the Beast King Festival. Personally, I didn’t count those instances, but Rion’s maidenly heart was most important in this case. At any rate, I decided to give Leonhart a punch in the face next time I saw him. He deserved some sort of comeuppance for eliminating white and red as options.
At any rate, the ceremony was finally upon us. Under Uld’s excellent leadership, the preparations had finished ultra fast. Our guests were already seated, I was standing next to Rion, and Uld was in front of us, carrying a barrel-sized tankard of booze.
Wait, why does he have that?
“Here’s the vows stein. Drink it, Kelvin,” Uld said.
With that, he handed me a tankard that was a more appropriate size for Mel. It was literally a huge barrel of booze. This was the essence of a Parthian wedding: Rather than using a sake cup to seal the marriage, we were using an entire tankard.
But I still feel like this thing’s bigger than what I was told. What kind of joke is this?
✦ ✦ ✦
✦ ✦ ✦
“The husband-to-be has to show his resolve to walk with his wife from now on by downing this all at once,” said Uld. “By the way, the custom is to measure the amount of alcohol based on the husband’s strength, so, well...show us what you’re made of, Kelvin!” He looked extremely apologetic, but he still said it without mercy.
I...see. So, it’s the largest of barrels to match my level...
“Okay,” I said after some thought. “I expected this. Watch my heroics, Rion!”
“Um, do your best, Kel-nii!” Rion cheered.
Rion predicted so much during her fight with Dorothy. As her older brother and husband, I can’t afford to do any less! Save me, Heavy Drinker skill I borrowed from Gerard! Let’s do this!
A number of voices rang out from the crowd as I drank.
“Ohhh! He’s really downing the whole thing in one gulp!”
“Come on! You can do it, Kelvin! We’re with you!”
“So this is what love can accomplish!”
“No, it’s something I accomplished,” said Gerard.
Thank you all! The cheers from Parth’s adventurers gives me strength! I think I heard a small amount of dissenting voices, but I’m sure that’s just my imagination! So I’ll do my best!
“Pwahaaah! I... I did it! I drank it all!”
“Yeeeaaaahhhhh!” everyone shouted in unison.
The entire venue erupted in cheers, shaking the building. It rivaled the noise one might hear at a packed stadium.
Thank you! Thank you all! But please stop shaking the building for now. I’m grateful for your support, but seriously, wait. I managed to diffuse the alcohol, but this amount of liquid is still a lot. I’m full to the brim— Urp! Ugh, I should have taken the Hearty Eating skill! But I still did it— Oh crap, I really think I’m about to barf! Aaagghhh, don’t shake the building!
“I knew you could do it, Kelvin!” Uld exclaimed. “Well then, next, the wife-to-be must share the kiss of oath with her husband!”
Huh?! No, wait! Can’t you see what state I’m in, Uld-san?! I’m covering my mouth, desperately trying to hold it all in! And you want the wife to initiate the kiss?!
“Give a hot one to Kelvin, Rion! He just overcame his trial!” Uld urged. “The wife needs to keep a firm hold on her husband but also properly reward him for a job well done! That is the Parthian way!”
No, wait, what do you mean a firm hold?! That’s really weird wording—
“Mmm!”
Before I knew it, my hand was moved aside and Rion’s face was right in front of mine. I felt a soft sensation on my lips.
“Mm!” Rion completed the kiss. “Hee hee! So this is how alcohol tastes. It’s sweeter than I expected.”
It took me a moment to reply, “Well, I’ll be. You still have the effects of Rami’s Unique Skill?”
The moment I saw Rion’s bashful smile after pulling away from me, I realized I’d been completely purified. My physical condition was back to normal.
Well, uh, yeah... The only thing I can say is that surprise attacks aren’t fair.