Chapter 115. Black Wedding (1)
Chapter 115. Black Wedding (1)
1
-O God.
-Help me.
A girl offered up a prayer, and it was granted.
And so.
-O God.
-Help us.
A boy who had stayed by that girl's side as her butler, as her childhood friend, offered up a prayer, and his was granted too.
2
"First, we must change the arrangement of the venue."
Raviel spoke as if whispering.
"Now that we know where the apostles will appear, we can concentrate the special task force and the warriors there."
I had realized while preparing the wedding that the bride and groom were granted enormous authority. We could seat the guests invited to the wedding however we pleased.
If we wanted, we could even seat nobles who were sworn enemies at the same table. Of course, our reputation would be ruined and we would take some abuse, but did that matter? Crushing the apostles of the other world came first.
'If only I could have stolen her blessing too, things would have been much easier.......'
Unfortunately, my skill, [I Want to Be Like You], could not copy the blessing that Golden Thread Plum had used.
-Zombie, I told you. The Tower is brutally cold in the strangest places.
The guardian spirit wore a gleeful expression, as if delighted that I could not get a free ride.
-Aren't you already receiving several [blessings] right now? When you fought Agwi, and even now—the protection of the god of beauty, the protection of the snake god, whatever.
'Yeah, yeah. Those are treated as separate from my skill, is that it?'
-Right. Those, to be precise, belong to the category of "buff effects granted by a Constellation using its own skill." The operating mechanism itself is like that, so what can you do? If you're upset, go storm the Constellation that buffed you and die to them.
'Fine, I get it. Anyway.'
I grumbled. Hearing explanations about operating mechanisms made it sound like some computer game, but what lay before my eyes now was not a game—it was reality.
The Heretic Questioner thrust that reality at me raw.
"If there is an apostle skilled in mental attacks, we must reduce the scale of the guests far below what it is now! Especially if that apostle's blessing is to recreate [one's happiest memories]!"
The candlelight flickered and crackled, illuminating the Heretic Questioner's face.
Midnight.
The three of us had gathered in the toilet room and put our heads together. The layout of the wedding venue and the guest invitation list lay on the table. Raviel's toilet room had transformed into our secret war room.
"The most lethal poison in the world never hurts anyone. It makes them happy! There are not many people who can escape the poison of happiness scattered by the [Evangelist of Everlasting Happiness]!"
"...The problem is this."
Raviel tapped the guest list with her long finger.
"The more we reduce the scale of the guests, the harder it becomes to deal with the [Warhorse of the Eternal Plains]. This apostle summons a force numbering no less than ten thousand. If we increase the scale, we fall to the mental attack; if we reduce it, we are crushed by sheer numbers."
"Hmm, a valid point. It truly is not easy......."
The two of them sank into thought. The candle burned down.
"Leave that to me."
I spoke up.
The two of them turned to look at me.
"Do you have a good idea, Death King?"
"Yes."
I nodded. Then I explained my plan. As I continued speaking, Raviel's and the Heretic Questioner's expressions gradually changed.
"...Indeed."
Raviel wore an admiring look.
"My consort truly has a wide network. If we establish the operation according to my consort's plan, there will be no problems."
Just as my respect for her was unadorned, Raviel did not hesitate to praise me. I felt a little embarrassed.
"However, I have one condition."
"What is it?"
"Please allow me to wear black as well, Raviel."
"......."
Raviel closed her lips.
In the Empire, the only person permitted to wear black on a wedding day was the one who would become the head of the family. It was not a color that I, a duchess, was allowed to wear. But even so, I had to wear black.
"It is not that I suddenly wish to act as the master of the ducal house. It is just......."
"No, you need not make excuses. I have known since our past life that my consort is not a person who covets power."
Raviel shook her head.
"It merely weighed on my mind—the customs and traditions of the Empire. And I cannot disregard my consort's wish over something like tradition and custom. Hmm, I shall prepare the clothes my consort will wear."
"Thank you."
The three of us met eyes and nodded. It was mere coincidence, but at the very moment we nodded, the candle on the table flickered.
All preparations were complete.
3
Evening approached.
The most prominent nobles of the Empire began entering the venue.
Barely over a month had passed from the announcement of the marriage to its preparation. It was a wedding carried out at a seriously breakneck pace, but there was no noble bold enough to refuse an invitation to an Ivansia betrothal. No matter how much they badmouthed Raviel in private, they had to smile brightly on the surface.
Power was a thug.
"...The arrangement of the venue is strange."
Even such nobles tilted their heads once they actually entered the wedding hall. Holding the ceremony outdoors rather than in a temple—that much was understandable. A union between a noble and a commoner was difficult to bless, after all.
But.
"What is the reason for gathering the warriors in one place?"
The head steward who had entered the groom's dressing room—my adoptive father—asked.
"Moreover, this arrangement... forgive me, but it seems to assume that a battle will break out. Those useful in a fight have been concentrated at the front, while ordinary nobles have been placed at the rear."
"I have no idea what you mean."
Surrounded by attendants and being dressed, I replied with perfect nonchalance. The old gentleman swept away a chuckle.
"It looks as though the useless rabble who would only get in the way of a fight have been shoved to the back, while only the usable pawns have been gathered at the front. Would it be rude of me to put it that way?"
"My lord husband must have her reasons."
"And the lady herself has a sword at her waist."
"Yes, I enjoy practicing and training in martial arts as a matter of course. Should the one who is to become the moon of Ivansia shine weakly? And there may be a pack of ruffians who cause a disturbance at the wedding. One must prepare for every eventuality."
"Indeed. Preparing for every eventuality......."
The old gentleman smiled bitterly.
"I understand. Then I shall also inform the comrades who came with me to prepare for every [eventuality]. My, my. To think that Her Grace the Duchess of Ivansia chose me as the lady's adoptive father for this very reason......."
The old gentleman bowed to me and left the dressing room. He probably intended to tell his special task force subordinates to prepare for battle.
This, too, was a reaction I had induced.
'The more people who can remain calm even if an unexpected situation occurs, the better.'
Raviel was already moving people behind the scenes.
[Dissident elements dissatisfied with the marriage are planning a terrorist attack].
Such a rumor spread quietly, by word of mouth. Not everyone would believe the rumor, but nobles are psychological creatures. Simply planting a seed of wariness in a corner of their minds would definitely have an effect.
"Kyaaaak!"
That effect came faster than expected.
'They're here.'
I shook off the attendants and hurriedly rushed out of the dressing room.
At the same moment, a voice that in this world could probably be heard only by the Heretic Questioner and me rang out.
[The apostle of 'Ox that Harvests Ruins' manifests.]
[The apostle of 'Warhorse of the Eternal Plains' manifests.]
[The apostle of 'Evangelist of Everlasting Happiness' manifests.]
The same sunset glow I had seen yesterday spread out. The sky shattered, and through the cracks broken like a windowpane, the three apostles emerged.
"Good heavens......."
"O God, what in the world is that......."
The guests rose awkwardly. They were all the same in being seized by horror. But if you looked closely, their postures differed. The warriors instinctively gathered among themselves and gripped their sword hilts, while the nobles who did not know how to fight glanced around so they could flee at any moment.
And.
"Heretic Questioner!"
More than anything, my actions had changed.
"Yes, Death King!"
The Heretic Questioner, who had been waiting in front of the dressing room, answered.
"From now on, I will ride on the Death King's back!"
"Okay!"
"Divine Art, Sending the God (送神)!"
That was the Divine Art the Heretic Questioner had used back when I first realized he was a psychopath—when the Demon King of Fall Rain and the Goddess of Protection had set a trial and we had been divided against each other.
The effect was teleportation.
-Huh?
The destination was the crimson sky.
-Wha, what!
It was directly behind the apostle of the hammer—Lady Golden Thread Plum, the baron's daughter.
Golden Thread Plum turned to look at me in alarm. Clang! The holy sword I swung and the hammer she raised collided. The gravity of the high sky pressed down on me. Feeling my body plummeting vertically, I shouted.
"One more time!"
"Ahahaha! Yes! Divine Art, Sending the God!"
The Heretic Questioner shouted as if delighted. The next moment, we appeared behind Golden Thread Plum once again. I swung my sword down with all my strength at Golden Thread Plum's now-empty back.
-Ugh!
Golden Thread Plum barely blocked my attack this time too. But the two unexpected surprise attacks were fatal. Her posture had crumbled.
Whoooosh!
She, who had originally intended to descend stolidly from the sky, began simply falling, her posture broken.
-I don't know what petty trick you pulled! It's useless anyway!
Golden Thread Plum shouted. The wind pressure from her fall whipped her golden hair into a mess.
-My body is unyielding! Nothing can wound me anymore! I am invincible! The Ox that Harvests Ruins gifted me a body that cannot be wounded!
"You sold your soul to an apostle because you didn't want to get hurt?!"
-What business is it of yours!
Golden Thread Plum shrieked.
-Everyone only ever looks at Raviel Ivansia! That annoying bitch! She's only lucky to have been born into a good family, yet she acts all high and mighty as if she understands all the sorrow in the world! I'll kill her! I'll take everything she has, every last bit of it!
A shabby, squalid desire.
But I, of all people, did not mock Golden Thread Plum. No matter how much you paint and disguise it, what ultimately drives humans is naked desire. I knew because I had been that way myself.
However.
"You should have known that the world is full of people worse than you! Baron's daughter!"
Therefore, there were words I could shout.
I gripped the hilt of the holy sword tighter.
"A person knows the pain they have suffered themselves! So when another person screams, sick with pain, they can guess how lonely it is and feel compassion! Birth means nothing! Everyone drowning in pain and screaming is my fellow human!"
-Ha, what bullshit! Who lives like that!
Golden Thread Plum sneered. The wind pressure surged. She looked up at me as she fell through the air.
-You can't even wound me anyway! My body is unyielding, unbreakable, and undying!
Right.
If a person could be changed by mere words, they would have changed already. That words were powerless. That to help a scream, force was necessary. That was why the doctrine of the shadow gripped a sword.
"Sparkle!"
[Sparkle answers the hero's call.]
"Change from the Sword of Idols to the Sword of Compassion!"
It was the moment I gave the command.
[Yes, Hero.]
Black murk flowed from the holy sword. Squelch! The sacred blade was instantly stained with a blackness like filthy water.
The opponent's ability was powerful yet simple.
『That person is clad in one of Mutia's blessings, Inviolable Body!』
『Literally, she takes no wounds.』
But I had a way to break it.
『My ability is pain.』
The sword I had obtained in my master's world.
『Those cut by me feel pain.』
『Yet no wound ever remains on the body, nor does it lead to death.』
『Pain without wounds—that is my ability.』
The second ability possessed by the Goddess of Protection.
It was compassion.
"Sylvia Evanail!"
I shouted Golden Thread Plum's true name as I brought the sword down.
"From now on, I'll kill you!"
-Ha.
Golden Thread Plum sneered. She showed no sign of even trying to dodge my strike. Her expression said: stab me if you dare. Trust in the blessing she had received. Absolute confidence sustained her.
-Go on, kill me if you can.......
Golden Thread Plum could not finish her sentence.
Instead, a scream tore through the air.
-Aaaaaaagh!
My blade pierced exactly through her heart. No wound formed. The blade passed through Golden Thread Plum's chest as if transparent. No blood splattered.
-Guh, ha, hk?
But the pain existed.
-Aaaaaagh! Aaaaaaagh!
A blood-red scream tore across the red sky. Falling like a single streak of a meteor, Golden Thread Plum howled in agony. Her voice pierced the wind and spread through the sunset glow.
"Heretic Questioner!"
We were falling from the sky. The ground was rapidly approaching. I stabbed Golden Thread Plum's heart once more.
Just before we crumpled to the ground.
"Now!"
"Divine Art, Sending the God!"
The Heretic Questioner shouted as if he had been waiting. He used Divine Art repeatedly. Flash! Flash! With each teleportation, our falling speed decreased. At the last moment, we landed lightly on the ground. We had escaped the fall.
But Golden Thread Plum did not escape.
BOOOOM!
The ground shook as if a small meteorite had fallen. Dust rose. Unlike the previous round, Golden Thread Plum's descent had become a true fall. The people who had been caught up in her hammer swings and suffered damage were gone too.
-Hik, hiik, kuh... e, ah......?
There was only an apostle convulsing from the pain of a pierced heart.
I adjusted my grip on the sword.
"Does it hurt?"
And I walked slowly toward Golden Thread Plum.
"It must hurt."
Hearing my footsteps, Golden Thread Plum flinched. Letting out a whimper, Golden Thread Plum staggered to her feet.
-H, help me!
Golden Thread Plum did not listen to me. She simply cried out desperately for rescue. Toward the evening sky. Toward the minions of another Constellation.
-We have an agreement! A c, contract! If you just stand by and watch, Mutia won't tolerate it! Your Constellation won't like it either!
-Hmm.
The general mounted on the pegasus spoke.
-How strange. Not a Constellation... no. A fragment of a Constellation, then. By what means you obtained such a piece, I cannot begin to guess.
The general slowly raised his banner.
-But the fact that you are an obstacle to be subjugated remains unchanged. Warriors who follow the warhorse, awaken.
And the summoning unfolded.
-Grooooar!
Hundreds, thousands of ghosts revealed themselves. The ghosts reflected in the red sunset looked exactly like blood-soaked murderers. Screams of horror erupted from all over the wedding venue.
The opponent's ability was absolute.
『The Battlefield of the Sanctuary is an area-of-effect skill. It affects the entire region.』
『The effect is tremendous—[it fixes the summoned beings' abilities at the peak of their lives]!』
『Each and every one of those ghosts is an elite among elites. They are the souls of warriors who followed Mahos!』
But I had a way to break it.
"Gong-ja."
Raviel, who had approached behind me before I knew it, spoke. When I turned around, Raviel was holding something in both hands.
"Put this on."
It was a black cloak.
Raviel draped the cloak over me as if wrapping a scarf around me. The white tuxedo I wore was soon hidden by the black cloak. On the black fabric, the crest of the Ivansia family was embroidered in silver thread.
Even as she did so, the legion of ghosts drew ever closer.
"Y, Your Grace!"
The guests made up of warriors looked at Raviel in confusion. Unlike the previous round, they had properly formed ranks and built a defensive formation, but the march of the ghosts was terrifying in itself.
"What should we do? Give us your orders......."
"Shut up and stay still."
"......."
Raviel answered curtly and finished putting the cloak on me. Her attitude said that a legion of ghosts was nothing to worry about.
"Hmm."
She looked over my attire and nodded.
"The cloak suits you well."
"Thank you for granting my request. Still, this much I had to keep."
"I understand. Finish it however you wish."
"Yes."
I smiled and turned my back.
An enormous number of ghosts were charging toward us.
『The Battlefield of the Sanctuary is an area-of-effect skill.』
『It fixes the summoned one's abilities at the prime of their life.』
『It affects the entire region.』
I slowly raised the black sword.
And spoke.
"Hundred Ghost Reincarnation (百鬼還生)."
From beneath my feet, shadow spread like dusk.
[Activating skill.]
Evening.
The sky was dyed red with the sunset, and the horizon was shrouded in shade, pitch-black.
-What......!
The general, who had been charging forward boldly leading his pegasus, faltered. The ghosts following him stopped too. The charge that had been so confident of easily slaughtering us was blocked by the shadow that buried the ground.
"My lord."
One of the shadows spoke.
"Have you called?"
Agwi knelt on one knee.
Her appearance was different from usual. She was not in the form of the delicate Estelle. Dark red mud covered Agwi's entire body and flowed from her ceaselessly. That appearance was the very [Demon King of Fall Rain] I had once faced.
『It fixes the summoned one's abilities at the prime of their life.』
It was not only Agwi.
Behind her kneeling figure stood warriors clad in ink-dark robes. Each had a different face, a different origin, a different life, but they were one in black.
"We behold the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Heaven!"
Those who had become the proof of my life.
Wearing the black cloak, I spoke.
"Please fight for me."
The followers of the doctrine of the shadow all clasped their fists in salute.
"We receive the Young Cult Leader's command!"
The moment to begin the war had come.