Chapter 20
Chapter 20
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: Divorce Ceremony (2)
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Kailin had come to me saying she would prepare the divorce ceremony.
Come to think of it, there had indeed been a divorce ceremony left between us.
"It's not like divorce just wraps everything up."
Well, from a modern person's perspective, one might think there's no need for a whole ceremony when you're already breaking up.
But this was a fantasy world firmly rooted in medieval times.
Divorce could never be that simple.
Especially for nobles.
"We have to hold the divorce ceremony."
If we'd held a wedding ceremony, then naturally, we had to hold a divorce one too.
We'd announced our marriage to the world, so we had to announce our divorce just as publicly.
Commoners might skip it, but nobles typically held divorce ceremonies.
"Not our family, though."
Of course, our family—which bore a noble title but hardly acted like nobles—probably wouldn't bother with such things.
I personally didn't care either way.
But Kailin's family was surprisingly sensitive about formalities like this.
"They're not the type to skip something like this."
Even if they were on the brink of ruin.
They'd never let their noble pride take a hit.
I admired their noble airs sometimes, but it was a shame how that very pride hastened their downfall.
Anyway, there was no reason not to hold the ceremony.
If it meant spending my own money, maybe, but since Kailin was offering to handle it, why refuse?
I gave her the go-ahead.
"Sure. A month from now? Got it."
"See you then."
Kailin left after hearing my response.
A month later...
In just one month, my marriage to Kailin would finally be over.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ After Kailin mentioned the divorce ceremony and departed, things wrapped up smoothly.
Dipne came by to formally apologize to Levia.
"We're so sorry... We'll do whatever we can to make up for causing such trouble."
Summoning the spirit had been fine.
But taking over the church and putting everyone in danger? That was undeniably their fault.
It was definitely the Magic Tower's responsibility.
Of course, I'd resolved it nicely.
But they still had to take accountability for what happened.
In the end, they agreed to compensate the church with various goods and funds in the Magic Tower's name.
"We'll gratefully accept whatever you offer...!"
Levia didn't make a fuss about it.
True to her love of money, though, she was inwardly thrilled at the prospect of compensation.
The negotiations concluded smoothly.
Now it was time for the Magic Tower folks to leave the village.
"Heading out now?"
"Yes, Davian. Kailin says she's not interested in mid-tier spirits, after all..."
Once the mid-tier spirit had appeared,
Dipne had argued to stay longer, study it, or look for others.
But Kailin rejected the idea outright.
There was no more reason to stay, she'd said.
And the Magic Tower group had to follow her lead.
She was the chief researcher, and the highest-ranking member present in the village.
They dismantled the magic circles they'd set up.
And on the day that work finished, the Magic Tower members departed.
"Thank you so much for chatting with me all this time."
I exchanged goodbyes with Dipne.
It had been a short stay, but maybe we'd grown a bit close.
Honestly, I hadn't felt much attachment, but she might have over those few days.
She'd normally have talked with Kailin a lot.
But Kailin had been in a foul mood since the incident.
So Dipne had come to me instead, and I'd listened to her patiently each time.
"No big deal. Really."
Did she really need to thank me for that?
I wondered.
Truth be told, I got it—Dipne had lived such a lonely life and was prone to loneliness.
"No, really, thank you. As a commoner... no one at the Magic Tower hangs out with me. Even among commoners, using magic makes me an outcast. Thank you for not treating me like that."
Just as she said, she had no friends.
Magic required training from childhood to master.
Commoners faced huge barriers to becoming mages.
The Magic Tower was full of nobles, so as a commoner, Dipne was shunned there.
And regular commoners admired her magic but didn't befriend her.
She'd always been alone.
Kailin was the only one who'd ever talked to her.
That's why she'd followed Kailin like a friend.
"Poor girl."
Levia was her friend too, in a way.
But Levia and Dipne differed completely in interests and personality.
Dipne didn't particularly enjoy talking with Levia.
So she'd stayed lonely.
That's partly why I'd humored her without complaint.
And she'd loved it.
Anyway, now it was time to go.
She looked quite reluctant.
"Ugh..."
But she couldn't stay forever.
She hesitated, then steeled herself.
"Um... Davian? We're friends, right?"
"Yeah, friends."
No harm in calling her that.
Dipne beamed at the word.
"Ehehe. Friends. See you next time."
She waved goodbye, promising a reunion.
Though who knew if we'd meet again, once she joined the Hero Party.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ After the Magic Tower group left, a brief peaceful routine returned.
Training, checking on the baby—that sort of calm daily life.
Having the darkness spirit Satsubi around might've changed things a bit.
"Hm... like this?"
"Satsubi!!!"
The new darkness spirit I'd contracted with, Satsubi.
I trained with her every day.
To wield her power smoothly.
"Doesn't seem to be working well, huh?"
Spirit arts were surprisingly tough.
I wished I could make a house-sized orb of darkness like Satsubi.
Mine were only about human-sized.
And originally, they'd been palm-sized; this was progress after grueling effort.
Using a spirit's power apparently required training too.
Like the spirit's true power wasn't fully mine yet...?
That was the feeling.
"No info on spirit arts."
It'd be nice to power-level more easily.
If I'd had talent in swordsmanship or magic, I could've leveraged my original story knowledge.
Spirit arts were a shame in that regard.
"Enough moping—time to train."
Not that I was dissatisfied.
No, I shouldn't be.
It was my one unique ability.
My training was haphazard and unstructured, but my skills were steadily improving.
I was more content than before.
Time flew by again.
"Finally... the day is here?"
About a month had passed.
The divorce ceremony with Kailin was approaching.
I hadn't forgotten, of course.
It was an important day for me too.
Time to get it over with.
With that in mind, I headed to the church and met Levia.
"Sister Levia."
"Yes, Brother?"
Levia was diligently tending to Eleana as usual.
I called her over and got straight to the point.
"Mind if I head to my family home for a bit?"
"Ah, for the divorce ceremony?"
She immediately understood.
A month after Kailin left, she knew everything she needed to.
"Yeah. It's a hassle, but..."
"I see."
Levia nodded.
"Safe travels. I'll take good care of Eleana."
She smiled reassuringly.
Don't worry, just go.
"Thanks so much. I really appreciate it."
"I'm happy to help you, Brother."
Her words put me at ease.
No one else but Levia was so trustworthy with the baby.
"Alright, off I go?"
I left Eleana with Levia and set out for my family home after so long.
For the divorce ceremony with Kailin.
To sever ties with her completely.