A Wedding in the Collapsing World
The moment Yuria stepped into the wedding hall, every gaze turned toward her. It was only natural. She was the star of this place, more beautiful than anyone else present. Even Kyle, who had been thrashing about in a frenzy, stared at her in a daze.
Yuria walked slowly toward me. Her steps along the aisle were light and unhurried.
I stepped forward from the altar and held out my hand to her. Yuria smiled brightly as she took it, and together we ascended the platform.
Elena, the officiant, watched us with a sour expression. Still, she would not sabotage the wedding. Even if she disliked the task, Elena always saw her duties through properly.
"Congratulations on your marriage. As for married life... well, as a single woman, I can hardly offer advice. Still, you two will figure it out. Let's move on. Bride, Yuria Grace, do you swear to love and respect the groom, Yujin Frucus?"
"I swear."
Yuria's answer came without the slightest hesitation. It was no lie. In her everyday life she already loved me and respected me more than anyone else ever could.
"Groom, Yujin Frucus, do you swear to love and respect the bride, Yuria Grace?"
"I swear."
What else could I possibly say?
It was only the process of marriage—a formality, nothing more. Even so, I felt my heart lift in a strange, unexpected way.
"Is that so. Then go ahead and kiss already. You've done it plenty of times, so you should be used to it."
Elena's dry voice nearly made me laugh. I glanced at Yuria's face. She paid Elena's attitude no mind at all.
I faced Yuria and kissed her. Our lips met slowly. Of course our tongues intertwined—but, given that this was a wedding, I kept it modest. Looking at her moist lips, I stepped back with a lingering sense of regret.
"Mmph! Mmmmph! Mmph!"
An irritating noise made me turn my head. The restrained Kyle was thrashing again. Taking the opportunity, I pulled Yuria tightly into my arms.
"Ah..."
Yuria's small reaction drew teasing sounds from the surrounding guests. Kyle's violent outburst was only to be expected.
"Get off her. What do you think you're doing at a sacred wedding? You there, groom—stop sneaking a feel of the bride's ass."
"I wasn't."
I grumbled as I removed my hand from her backside. If Elena's Illusion Butterfly Art had not been suppressing my desires, I might have taken Yuria right then and there.
After that, the ceremony proceeded like any ordinary wedding. The maids sang a congratulatory song, and the younger ones scattered flower petals.
Then Elena held out a small, elegant box toward me.
It was not a ring. Yuria was already wearing one—the ring I had given her long ago. I had never once seen that ring leave her finger.
I opened the box slowly. Inside, a small blue gemstone rested with an antique air.
"That's..."
"It's the Dragon Lord's Heart. Yuria. This wedding is nothing more than a rehearsal. The real one... we'll have to hold outside, won't we?"
"......"
I tensed. If Yuria failed to follow my intentions here, it would be a disaster. I had no desire to see her turn back into the Yuria of madness.
"Yes, Master. We must go outside."
Yuria smiled. I was relieved she did not refuse the Dragon Lord's Heart.
"You don't have to call me Master."
"Calling you 'Husband' wouldn't be bad either. But... in the end, calling you Master feels most natural to me. Other titles can wait for later..."
I picked up the Dragon Lord's Heart. Though it looked like a blue gem, its texture was just as hard as one.
I brought the gem to Yuria's mouth. Her cherry-like lips parted, and I placed the blue stone inside. The gem settled on her tongue, then melted smoothly and was absorbed into her body.
It was done.
The power of the heart would be absorbed by her.
...What? Why aren't we leaving the mental world? In the original, didn't we exit right away?
I was still reeling in confusion when Elena spoke flatly.
"Look at the sky. It's collapsing from the edges. An hour? That should be enough for this entire mental world to crumble completely."
She was right. From the edges of the sky, it was slowly falling apart. Beyond the collapsing heavens lay nothing at all.
The reason it did not vanish immediately was probably because this mental world was not formed by Yuria alone. I could think of no other cause.
There's something that bothers me a little... that demon brat Baron Glebet mentioned. Vitsol, was it? That bastard never showed up until the end. Given the nature Baron Glebet described, it makes sense, but...
There was no telling. He might appear at the very last moment and ruin everything. Nothing was more foolish than trusting a demon, so I kept my guard up until the end.
What followed was the wedding reception—the meal. A wedding feast naturally meant a buffet. Yet Yuria and I could hardly focus on eating. One person after another came up to offer their greetings. Even though they were fakes and this wedding would end without a trace, neither of us ignored them.
"Congratulations on your marriage."
"A well-matched pair."
"I pray that the blessings of Goddess Serion fall upon you both."
Last of all, Yuria and I approached Kyle. We left him bound but freed his mouth.
"Yujin!!! That place where you're standing! That place is mine! Yuria should be by my side!!"
"That's just your wishful thinking. Yuria is by my side. Now. And forever after."
Yuria took my left arm and linked hers through it. The restrained Kyle looked up at us. His face twisted.
"No! This isn't right! It's all fake! Look over there! The sky is collapsing! This whole world is fake!"
"This world and those people might be fake, but we are real. No matter how much you deny it, that won't change."
"Nngh... Master..."
Yuria and I kissed right in front of Kyle. It was a deep, wet kiss, the sound of tongues and saliva mixing so lewdly that no one could miss it.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!!"
Kyle let out a scream that was half a howl.
"We'll be getting married in the real world too, so take care of us, big brother Kyle."
"Please take care of us, brother-in-law."
"No!! No!!!! Yuria!! You...!"
The world was steadily vanishing. At its center stood Yuria. Elena, Baron Glebet, and Terius had already disappeared. I kept kissing Yuria until the mental world was completely gone.
I returned to reality.
I massaged my stiff shoulders and pushed myself up. It seemed I had collapsed onto the floor.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!"
Kyle was thrashing again. Bound as he was, all he could do was scream.
"I'll kill you! Kill you! I'll murder you, Yujin Frucus!!"
That was Terius. Like Kyle, he was restrained. An armless cripple, yet he burned with hatred toward me. Famous as a berserker, was he? It was almost laughable. What was a bastard like this supposed to be?
I started walking toward him, intending to kick him in the head—then stopped short when I felt the power in my body overflowing far more than usual.
Energy was rising from my gut.
...This. It's similar to the energy I felt when I saw the Dragon Lord's Heart. Don't tell me I absorbed the Dragon Lord's Heart myself?!
My expression hardened in an instant. I had barely managed to feed the heart to Yuria. And now, because of some last-minute variable, she would fail to reach the realm of Grand Master? That was the worst possible outcome.
I spun around and searched for Yuria. She was sitting cross-legged on the floor, eyes closed, concentrating. Black shadows rotated quietly around her. The energy radiating from her was that of the Dragon Lord's Heart—at least thirty times greater than what I possessed.
...So that's it. What I have is only a fragment. Fortunately, it doesn't seem enough to affect Yuria.
The plan was still on track.
The reason the energy of the Dragon Lord's Heart had entered my body was probably the kiss I had shared with Yuria in the mental world.
A stroke of fortune had come to me. Right now I stood at the peak of Aura Expert. If I seized this opportunity without letting it slip...
I could reach the realm of Master.
I rubbed my stomach. I could feel the energy of the Dragon Lord's Heart. Like Yuria, I had to absorb it before it vanished.
"Elena. Sorry, but could I ask you to handle the cleanup?"
"Hmm. Not a difficult task. But what do you intend to do with this one?"
Elena looked down at the floor as she spoke. Beneath her foot lay a peculiar rat. Less than fifty centimeters long, its body and head were those of a mouse, two pairs of fly wings sprouted from its back, and its black tail was shaped like a cross.
No such monster existed, so its true nature had to be a demon. There was only one demon in the vicinity. The demon of desire, Vitsol.
"Squeak, squeak-squeak.... Hey, Elena, was it? Care to make a contract with me? Looking at you, you're an illusionist... my power would suit you perfectly. I can stimulate a person's desires and emotions. I can even see their desires. You could use that power too."
The power of desire would certainly be useful to Elena. Yet she showed not the slightest interest in a demon's power. No—beyond that, she was furious. The mere offer from a demon was an insult to her.
"There are things I despise. Demons, gods, spirits.... I hate creatures like you, and I have not the slightest desire for your power."
Elena put more weight on her foot.
"Gyaaaaaah..."
Vitsol writhed in agony.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaah!! Yuria!!!!!"
"Yujin!! I'll kill you and save Nepia!! Die, Yujin!!"
"Heh heh heh.... It's all meaningless. Meaningless.... I want to die.... Someone, please kill me..."
Kyle, Terius, and Baron Glebet all went berserk. Vitsol had used his power. An annoying ability—invisible and without any detectable presence.
I'm fine. No surging lust either.... Unlike in the mental world, Absolute Mind is working properly.
Since I was fine, Yuria would be fine as well.
What worried me was Elena, yet she had her own desires and emotions under perfect control; she showed no agitation at all. Still, the force in her foot grew steadily stronger. At this rate the demon would be crushed to death.
"Elena! Stop!"
"I stopped."
By the time she said it, two of the demon's wings had already been ripped off. As long as it was not dead, that was enough.
"For now, don't kill the demon. There's a place where we lock demons up and torture them separately. I plan to throw him in there."
"Ah. That place? It is a dreadful spot. Very well. I'll put this demon there. The rest I'll throw into prison."
"Please do. Thanks."
"You intend to stay here, I take it."
"With Yuria like this, I have to watch over her. And I need a little time myself."
Even without me, no one would lay a hand on Yuria. There were no people nearby, and the monsters and beasts had already been cleared out once. Even if something appeared, the shadows surrounding her would not stay idle.
"I have about three days of summoning time left. I'll use the remaining time as I please. You don't mind, do you?"
"Do as you like. Just don't cause any major incidents."
"Do you take me for you? I simply plan to rest quietly before I leave, so don't worry."
Blue butterflies fluttered around Elena. She snapped her fingers, and Kyle, Terius, Baron Glebet, and Vitsol all vanished. Finally, Elena herself disappeared.
Only Yuria and I remained.
I sat cross-legged a short distance from her. It was time to aim for the realm of Aura Master.