episode_0003

Eldoria.

A magical kingdom where diverse races coexist in peace.

Here, there was once a family that made their living through matchmaking—the only one of its kind in the world.

The Espoza Family.

Distinguished by their sky-blue straight hair, this prestigious family had practiced matchmaking for generations in Eldoria.

In this otherworldly land, the concept of marriage through intermediaries was unfamiliar.

The first head of the Espoza Family recognized this gap in the market and pioneered the matchmaking business in Eldoria.

The response was explosive.

Not only did Eldoria’s citizens—who, for various reasons, struggled to marry naturally—flock to them, but countless individuals from other nations and races sought out the Espoza Family for matrimonial purposes.

The founding family head amassed immense wealth and was even granted a fiefdom and knighthood by the King of Eldoria.

His descendants inherited the family business and continued the matchmaking trade.

The Espoza Family’s territory flourished, and the matchmaking offices they operated expanded across Eldoria.

Then, one day, the flow of visitors to their offices ceased entirely.

As if the entire world had been placed under a spell.

The King of Eldoria agonized over the sudden collapse in marriage registrations and birth rates, but the problem remained unresolved.

The Espoza Family, too, was thrown into turmoil.

For decades, they endured on the capital they had accumulated and the productivity of their fiefdom.

But eventually, their situation deteriorated so severely that the Espoza Family had no choice but to sell off all their matchmaking offices—save for one—and even their territory.

The once-great family scattered, their past glory now a distant memory.

Relatives engaged in life-or-death legal battles over the sole remaining matchmaking office.

After what seemed like an eternity of litigation, the youngest son of the Espoza Family’s seven siblings emerged victorious.

He and his wife vowed to pass this last office down to their only daughter.

That daughter’s name was—

Rosenhite Noien von Espoza.

But perhaps due to the stress of the prolonged legal battles, Rosenhite’s parents—on the year she turned nineteen, the age of adulthood—transferred ownership of the office to her and passed away from cardiovascular disease.

After bidding farewell to her parents, Rosenhite spent what should have been her most vibrant years observing the traditional three-year mourning period while studying diligently to become the greatest marriage matchmaker.

Exactly three years later.

At twenty-two, Rosenhite visited the last remaining matchmaking office of the Espoza Family—the one her parents had fought tooth and nail to protect.

The office was small, but it exuded a warmth that made anyone who entered feel as though they, too, could find happiness.

Yet, it seemed long neglected, with dust thickly settled in every corner.

Rosenhite resolved to give it a thorough cleaning.

But as she scrubbed away—

She suddenly lost consciousness and collapsed to the floor.

“W-Wedding officiant? M-Me…?”

The expressions of the dragon-man Arjendor and the elf-woman Selyenne were unshakably firm.

Ugh, this is such a hassle… and a burden…

But if I refuse, they’ll both probably cry.

…Come to think of it, doesn’t Eldoria have churches?

This is a standard Western fantasy world, so the church’s influence must be significant.

Officiating a wedding means blessing the newlyweds in the name of the divine, so shouldn’t a clergy member be the one to do it?

With that in mind, I responded as cautiously as possible.

“Well… Since officiating falls under the domain of religion…

I’m not sure if I’m qualified for such a role.”

Before Arjendor and Selyenne could even show disappointment, Cosmo, the cat robot, projected a blue screen from its forehead and exclaimed:

“A reply just came in from the Eldoria Diocese!

They say Master Rosenhite may officiate tomorrow’s ceremony!

Additionally, the church will send several clergy members to celebrate at the event!”

“What wonderful news!”

Arjendor, visibly excited, spread his wings and leaped into the air with a shout.

Selyenne, carefully levitating herself, rose to his height and planted a kiss on his right cheek.

The dragon-man caught the elf-woman in his arms midair and descended.

Ugh, so sweet it’s sickening.

Cosmo watched the entire scene with delight.

Once safely landed, Arjendor—still holding Selyenne—grinned from ear to ear (or rather, horn to horn) and said to me:

“President Rosenhite… We’ll see you tomorrow!”

Selyenne also spoke softly.

“Thank you, President.”

Struggling to maintain my composure, I forced a reply.

“R-Right. Well, have a good night, both of you.”

The two members—who had gone from first meeting to marriage in an instant—left, and Cosmo looked up at me.

“Master Rosenhite, your eyes keep spinning in circles.”

Huh? Mine?

I pulled out a small hand mirror and checked my reflection.

Sure enough, my yellow pupils were spinning like a cartoon character’s.

The blush was just the cherry on top.

…….

I slapped my cheeks with both palms—chak! chak!—to reset my expression, then asked Cosmo:

“Sigh… I really need to rest now. Should I sleep in the office?”

“If you slide the right bookshelf in the office, a bedroom will appear!

It even has full plumbing!”

Now that’s good news.

Leaving the restaurant, I walked through Eldoria’s night market and gazed up at the sky.

Countless stars twinkled in a myriad of colors.

Each one must hold its own world within it.

Just like the nameless leaves I saw on the roadside tree last night.

…Come to think of it, Arjendor’s way with words has improved.

I guess the position really makes the man—or dragon.

Lost in sentimentality, Cosmo suddenly dropped a bombshell.

“Master, did you enjoy your free meal today?”

?

Why does this little brat get under my skin so much?

His genuinely innocent tone made me speechless, but I managed a retort.

“Oh, shut it. It was so sweet I thought my teeth would rot.

At least it was dinner. There’s no such thing as a free lunch.”

The AI cat fired back instantly.

“But tomorrow’s lunch is a free wedding buffet?”

Wait, how does it even know—

Oh. Right. It handled all the venue bookings.

I shrugged.

“Well, that’s something to look forward to.”

Seeing I wasn’t going to engage further, Cosmo wrapped things up.

“Then, Master Rosenhite, you’ve already made a grand start on your first day.

You’ve worked hard today!”

The next day.

The city square of Eldoria’s capital was packed with a bustling crowd.

What’s all this…? I wondered—until I noticed the significant number of dragons and elves mixed in.

Ah. They’re all guests.

The presence of clergy in bishop hats and staffs confirmed it.

Hundreds of round tables and chairs filled the square.

A long red carpet divided the seating areas, leading to a stage and podium at the end.

Cosmo really went all out and rented the entire city square.

With the robot cat in tow, I headed to the podium for a final check.

…….

Soon after, the guests took their seats, and the bride and groom made their entrance.

Arjendor wore a sleek black suit with red accents matching his hair, while Selyenne arrived in the same nature-friendly mint-green dress from yesterday.

Clergy, dragon acquaintances of the groom, elf friends of the bride, and even human citizens of Eldoria—hundreds had gathered.

Cosmo sat on a high chair behind me, watching over the newlyweds and guests.

At least having it here makes me less nervous.

After scanning the crowd, I swallowed hard and began the ceremony.

“The weather today is lovely.

I’m Rosenhite, the officiant for this wedding.

I run a small matchmaking agency in this city.

Honestly, I never expected so many of you to attend.

Nor did I anticipate officiating the wedding of two clients I matched.

The outstanding Arjendor and the noble Selyenne—

Just as the two of you have found each other in such a wonderful bond,

I believe our lives can take unexpected, beautiful turns as well.

It brings me great joy to witness your union,

and I’m certain your families and friends share that happiness.

Now, groom—do you truly love the bride?”

Arjendor nodded fervently.

“Yes!”

“Bride, do you truly love the groom?”

Selyenne closed her eyes briefly before answering calmly.

“I do.”

Wait, what’s next…?

I checked the script Cosmo had prepared and continued.

“With these vows confirmed,

let us pray before the divine.

{Prayer omitted}

By this affirmation, you are now husband and wife.

Do you, groom and bride, pledge unchanging, true, and eternal love before the divine?”

“Yep!”

“Of course.”

The dragon-man and elf-woman answered simultaneously, then kissed.

The guests erupted in applause, marking the end of the official proceedings.

Well, at least there are no cameras here.

After piling my plate high at the buffet table and digging in with Cosmo (this robot cat eats well…), an elderly dragon couple and an equally aged elf pair approached me.

“Um… President Rosenhite?

We wanted to thank you… for marrying our children.

We came to pay our respects.”

I froze mid-bite into a smoked chicken leg upon realizing these were the newlyweds’ parents.

But I quickly set the chicken down, stood, and bowed.

“Oh! You’re the parents of our clients!

There’s no need for thanks!

They were wonderful people—they’d have found happiness even without me!”

Ugh, I didn’t mean to spout such empty flattery.

Cosmo, too, set down its sashimi (?) and executed a perfect bow.

If both sets of parents are here… that means they’ve already met.

How did everything go so smoothly?

The dragon elders bowed deeply, their gratitude sincere.

“President… Our Arjendor…

We’d given up hope anyone would take him…

Yet you matched him with such a precious wife…”

Before I could respond, the elf elders spoke.

“Our Selyenne… Sigh…

We’d all but disowned her…

Thank you so much, President…”

Then, all four presented two large golden bundles.

“It’s a small token, but please accept this…”

“No, this is too much—”

I forced a smile and verbally refused, but my hands were already holding the bundles.

The elders bowed politely and returned to their families.

Cosmo’s eyes gleamed at the sight of the gifts.

“Master, let’s hurry back to the office and open them!

I’ll pack the food!”

With that, it zipped off to fetch a wooden box from somewhere and dashed to the buffet tables.

As I stared in disbelief at the greed-filled AI cat, a clergyman approached and cut straight to the point.

“President Rosenhite? Come here.”

“Huh?”

“Did you not hear me? I said come here!”

…I sense hostility.

“Well… I have another appointment soon—”

I stood, ready to flee with some excuse, but he suddenly grabbed my left wrist and tried to drag me away.

…?

Is this guy insane?

This is way out of line.

I relaxed my wrist slightly—

Then, when the priest least expected it,

I yanked down with all my strength!

With a snap!, my wrist slipped free, leaving the clergyman stunned.

Seizing the opening,

I drove my right heel straight into his kneecap.

The priest collapsed with a groan, too shocked to even scream.

Other clergy gasped and rushed over, escorting both me and the injured priest to their table.

…….

Soon, we arrived at the clergy’s seating.

Now seated among them, I faced a room full of stares.

The male priests eyed me suspiciously.

The highest-ranking among them, an archbishop, addressed me politely—

But his words were anything but gentle.

“President Rosenhite.

We apologize for the abruptness…

But tell us…

Are you, by chance… a witch?”

…Huh?

Did he just call me… a witch?!