Please Give Me the Younger Sister, Not the Older One - 2
“So… she said she’d marry you if you accept the condition.”
“A condition?”
I could understand why Adelia was struggling to say it. After all, he was offering to marry her daughter despite her poor health, and yet they were the ones setting terms.
“What kind of condition?”
“She said she wants a gold ring as her wedding ring.”
“A gold ring…”
A gold ring was a rather expensive thing.
Wasn’t the going price a gold coin?
That was basically the equivalent of a farmer’s annual salary.
There was a reason commoners usually settled for silver rings when they got married.
Isabel doesn’t strike me as the kind of girl who’s obsessed with money.
The Isabel I knew was extremely frugal.
Because of Rose’s Punishment, her body could barely support itself, so she tried her best not to burden her family any more than necessary.
This is a kind of insurance policy.
She was probably asking for a gold ring so that, if I ever ran off because of her illness, her family’s finances could hold out for a while.
That way, she could still be of some use to them.
“Understood. I’ll prepare a gold ring.”
“Ian, are you sure?”
“It’s for the woman I love. Why wouldn’t I be?”
A gold ring wasn’t a problem for me at all.
If I thought about the one gold coin I’d spend to obtain the Great Root Herb, it was actually a bargain.
Besides, I’ve extorted plenty out of the village chief already.
Of course, Adelia, who didn’t know any of that, could only misread me.
“You really have fallen for Isabel, haven’t you? Sobs…”
I was left at a loss when Adelia suddenly burst into tears.
She must be awfully happy.
I stepped away and let her cry to her heart’s content.
.
.
.
The next day, I visited the church again to buy the gold ring.
There, I ran into Reyna, who was sweeping the floor with a broom.
“Good morning, brother.”
“You’re diligent this early in the morning, Sister.”
“Diligence is one of a nun’s virtues.”
Reyna greeted me with a bright smile as always, and once again, she offered to show me the way.
“Have you come to pray again today?”
“No, I’ve come to buy a gold ring.”
“Oh my, are you getting married?”
“That’s right.”
“Will you be settling down in Entiel Village after the wedding?”
“Yes. I’ll be spending the rest of my life here.”
“Congratulations. I’m not from this village myself, but I’d say there’s no better place than here. The air is good, the water is good, and there’s a church too.”
“The last one seems to be the biggest reason.”
“Hehe. Wait here for a moment. I’ll go tell the Mother Superior.”
With that, Reyna disappeared for a while and returned with a woman who had dark gray hair.
“I’m Vanessa, Mother Superior of this church.”
“...I’m Ian, a hunter.”
I kept it off my face, but I was startled by Vanessa.
I didn’t realize she was just a mob character in the game. She’s younger than I expected.
Vanessa looked to be in her late thirties, no matter how I saw it.
Considering that the position of Mother Superior in this world was no easy post to hold, reaching it at that age was fairly impressive.
And although she wasn’t as stunning as Isolde or Reyna, Vanessa’s beauty was still considerable, as expected of a world born from an eroge.
“I hear you’re purchasing a gold ring. Have you prepared your offering?”
“Here it is.”
I handed her one gold coin.
Vanessa inspected it briefly, then placed it into the offering box.
“I’ll have the ring ready by the day of the ceremony.”
“Mother Superior, I do have one request.”
“And what would that be?”
“My wife isn’t in good enough condition to go through a normal wedding ceremony.”
I explained Isabel’s state to Vanessa.
Apparently she knew Isabel as well, because she looked genuinely startled.
“So your bride is Isabel?”
“If it isn’t disrespectful, could we hold the ceremony at my house instead?”
“Not at all. On the contrary, we’ll provide support on our end.”
“Thank you.”
I was surprised by her unexpectedly enthusiastic reaction.
I’d thought Vanessa was the conservative, rigid sort who wouldn’t bend an inch, but apparently not.
Well, whatever.
I didn’t know why she’d responded that way, but thanks to her, I’d be able to save quite a bit on wedding expenses.
“Reyna, I’ll be making the ring. Please prepare the holy water.”
“Are we holding the ceremony today?”
“The sooner, the better.”
“Yes, brother. Please follow me.”
She even set other work aside and focused on my wedding to Isabel.
“Brother, are you surprised?”
“Yes. I didn’t expect you to go this far.”
“Hehe. Helping a beautiful love like yours is part of our teachings.”
“I see.”
Apparently they thought I was marrying Isabel with a pure heart.
Her condition was famous even at the church, and on top of that, there was Helia’s blessing involved, so I supposed that kind of misunderstanding was inevitable.
That’s not it at all.
The reason I was marrying Isabel was purely to obtain the Great Root Herb. It had nothing to do with the beautiful love Reyna had imagined.
Still, does it matter?
If they misunderstood me in a favorable way, there was no reason to correct them.
In particular, if my reputation at the church improved, it would be useful later on.
I should take everything I can before we’re forced to withdraw.
For one reason or another, the church would eventually be forced to pull out of Entiel Village.
It wouldn’t hurt to prepare in advance for that day.
“Brother, you can pray here until the ring is finished.”
“I don’t know much about this, but is there a reason I should pray?”
“Yes. With a devout heart, we must inform the goddess of your love.”
“...Understood.”
Before I knew it, I’d ended up spending two days in a row in the prayer room.
It was annoying, but there was nothing I could do about it.
I’ll just think of it as building goodwill.
.
.
.
The wedding was held in the early evening.
Ordinarily, a wedding under the Sun God’s faith was supposed to take place inside the church, but because of Isabel’s condition, most of the ceremony was kept simple.
“Before we begin, Brother Ian, please come receive the ring.”
“Yes.”
I took the gold ring from Vanessa.
Does the Mother Superior need to have jewelry-making skills too?
Vanessa had clearly put real effort into it, because the words Ian’s Woman were intricately engraved inside the ring.
It would have taken more than ordinary dexterity to make something like this.
“Next, we’ll proceed with the washing of innocence.”
Vanessa used holy water to wash Isabel’s slightly reddened hand.
“Sister Isabel, this may hurt a little.”
“Ugh…”
As if the pain from Rose’s Punishment was already tormenting her, Isabel squeezed her eyes shut.
Perhaps to ease her suffering, Vanessa did not spare the precious holy water.
After washing Isabel’s hand, Vanessa did the same for mine, rinsing it with holy water as well.
The holy water looked like ordinary water, but I could feel something being washed away with it.
“Finally, we have the vow of covenant.”
Vanessa took out a chalice filled with holy water and held it out before me.
“Brother Ian, do you swear before Helia, who governs the sun, that you will love Sister Isabel in times of suffering, in times of sorrow, and in times of poverty?”
“I swear it.”
Without hesitation, I drank the holy water in the chalice.
It turned out to be nothing more than salt water.
“Sister Isabel, do you swear before Helia, who governs life, that you will serve Brother Ian as your husband in times of joy, in times of happiness, and in times of prosperity?”
This time, Vanessa held the chalice out to Isabel.
“I sw… cough, cough. I’m sorry.”
“Take your time, Sister. There’s no need to rush.”
It’s hard for her even to answer because of Rose’s Punishment.
Vanessa waited until Isabel could slowly drink the holy water.
“I swear… I will serve him as my husband.”
After Isabel drank the holy water, Vanessa traced the sign of the sun and declared,
“By the name of Helia, who governs love, I hereby certify that these two have become husband and wife.”
Once all the wedding procedures were finished, Reyna, who had been standing behind us, whispered to me.
“Brother, it’s time to present the ring.”
“Understood.”
Following Reyna’s instructions, I took Isabel’s left hand.
Then I slipped the ring onto her ring finger myself.
“Isabel, I’ll make you happy from now on.”
“...How?”
The unexpected question short-circuited my brain for a moment.
One look at her cloudy eyes and face twisted with pain told me everything I needed to know.
She held no hope, and because she held no hope, she’d noticed that I didn’t love her.
Just as she expected, I didn’t truly love her.
“That’s something I’ll have to show you through my actions, not my words.”
But my mouth answered of its own accord, without my consent.
“So I will absolutely make sure you become the happiest woman in the world, Isabel.”
At my confident reply, Isabel seemed so startled that, for the first time, she showed a real emotion.
And I, too, wondered why I had blurted out such a thing.
Possession life really isn’t easy.
—