episode_0110

A serene plain where not even the sound of ant footsteps could be heard.

In the chaotic scattering of white bones, a group of adventurers were engaged in a life-or-death battle against the ruler of the abyss, Behemoth.

Roarrrrr!

The legendary monster thrashed about like a madman, covered in wounds all over its body.

However, within its desperate struggles, there was already a sense of resignation.

No matter how it scattered electric shocks,

Rolled its feet on the ground,

Vigorously swung its iron-like front paws,

The adventurers faced it head-on, tearing it apart.

“Hahaha! Look at this! My power level is at 400%! I’ve never experienced anything like this in my life!”

“The strength is quite substantial, isn’t it? It needs to be at this level to savor the thrill of battle!”

“I heard that Behemoth meat is heavenly in taste, comparable to dragon meat. I can’t wait to taste it. Sigh…”

“Haha! This is really fun! The taste of dodging and striking is so clear! Yes, this is what I wanted! Not insane people surpassing monsters, but facing monsters at an appropriate level!”

Up close or from afar, the adventurers did not look normal at all.

Under their thorough domination, the legendary monster Behemoth slowly met its end, and thus, the insane adventurers who subdued Behemoth.

“…I’m getting bored again. My body hasn’t even fully loosened up yet.”

They expressed regret as they looked at Behemoth, now dead with its tongue sticking out.

Thus, the mad adventurers conquered all the dungeons except for the Southern Great Forest, one of the Four Great Dungeons.

While their achievement would go down in history, they still could not find satisfaction.

“After experiencing such an epic battle, how can we be satisfied with just this?”

Their journey of the past six months.

The feeling of constant danger back then was something they longed for.

The thrill of growing stronger while traversing diagonally felt like a drug to them.

“…At this rate, we might get so bored that we’ll commit suicide. We need to find new stimuli quickly.”

“But aren’t there none? There are no worthy opponents left on this continent for us to be satisfied with. If we want to find them, we have to cross over to the Eastern Continent…”

“Even if we cross over, it’s only a matter of time before we exhaust all possibilities. We need to find stimuli that we can continuously obtain.”

After contemplating for a while, the adventurers finally came up with a decent idea.

“How about raising disciples?”

“Disciples? Hmm, that doesn’t sound bad… Do we have any promising talents set aside?”

“We don’t, but we’ll probably find some soon. If it’s a child between Beatrix and Karl, talent shouldn’t be an issue.”

“Indeed, it seems like it would be satisfying to teach. Watching them grow rapidly should bring a sense of accomplishment, right?”

While the adventurers laughed heartily, gulping down bowls of kimchi stew, they suddenly remembered one forgotten fact and wore dumbfounded expressions.

“W-we haven’t had the wedding yet, have we? It’s been a month already, surely we didn’t forget, did we?”

“Who knows. From the atmosphere before we left, it didn’t seem out of place no matter when it happened.”

“…If the wedding has taken place, it will greatly disrupt our plans. We can’t entrust a child to a despicable comrade who didn’t even attend the wedding!”

“For now, let’s pack up the Behemoth’s remains and return to the city. If the wedding has already taken place, we can go congratulate them immediately; if not, we can wait for news.”

Persuaded by the calm reasoning of the orc, the adventurers gathered Behemoth’s remains and returned to the city. Upon arriving at their lodging and preparing to have dinner, a staff member from the inn approached them and handed them a letter.

“Oh, members of the ‘Aesthetics of Muscles’ party? You’ve received mail. It’s from the Pasible family, they say.”

Adventurers hastily checking their mail for the word “Pashible Family.”

Sure enough, as they expected, a wedding invitation was enclosed in the mail.

Worrying if they were running out of time, they slowly began to read through the invitation.

“…The wedding is tomorrow?”

After reading all the invitations, they collectively wore dumbfounded expressions and started muttering under their breath.

While the date wasn’t past due yet, it wasn’t an ideal situation either.

Their current location was at the eastern edge of the continent, while the wedding was taking place in the imperial capital located in the central region of the continent.

By conventional means, they couldn’t attend the wedding.

Well, by conventional means, that is.

“Ingam, use the ‘rocket’ here. With a ‘rocket,’ we can definitely make it. We’ll reach the capital in no time.”

“…Indeed, without your method, it seems impossible.”

After venturing into a deserted field, the dwarf, Stroheim, excitedly retrieved a large and beautiful rocket from his dimensional bag.

They securely tied themselves and their companion to the rocket.

“The dwarf’s scientific prowess! To the Empire!!!”

And off they soared towards the empire.

—–

Once they had decided to get married, everything moved swiftly.

Using endearing terms like “darling,” they confirmed the wedding date, and the engagement was sealed right then and there.

During the month they had obtained, I prepared for the wedding with Karl.

Preparing the wedding dress, sending out invitations to those who should attend, and various other tasks filled what seemed like a long month, but time flew by, and only one day remained until the wedding.

The day before the wedding was uneventful.

We had been extremely busy for almost a month, so Karl and I were exhausted.

Therefore, we took it easy that day, preparing ourselves for the wedding the next day.

It wouldn’t do to show up at the wedding exhausted.

After resting for the entire day, the day of the wedding arrived.

Thanks to the maids’ help, I had finished dressing up since early morning and was now staring at myself in the mirror with a worried expression.

“…Doesn’t something seem off?”

The witch reflected in the mirror was undeniably beautiful.

Shiny black hair, shy black eyes, a white wedding dress that revealed the graceful curves of a woman without any vulgarity, and even a faint blush on her fair skin.

She was undeniably pretty, to the point where anyone would involuntarily admire her beauty.

However.

Despite this, she felt anxious.

A woman deeply in love always wants to be loved more, yearning for more attention.

To others, she might seem like she’s trying too hard.

Would a beauty worthy of phrases like “national treasure” or “peerless beauty” appear desperate to a man? Wouldn’t that be unfortunate?

“Pfft…!”

As laughter bubbled up at the thought of seeming desperate, some tension dissipated.

What is there to worry about, really?

He said he likes me even when I’m calm and reserved, right?

I made an effort to dress up nicely, and who wouldn’t appreciate a wedding dress, essentially a cheat code outfit?

Where in the world would you find a man who dislikes such attire, a garment signifying complete surrender and ownership?

“I’d like to see his face light up when he escorts me. Hehe, then I’ll feel truly comfortable getting married.”

Regaining confidence, she smiled at her reflection in the mirror.

Bang!!!

Suddenly, there was a commotion outside, and shortly after, old friends rushed into the bride’s waiting room.

Even though there was no response, they still came to congratulate her.

I welcomed them warmly with a broad smile, despite their tired faces.

“Did you come in a rush? You all look like you’ve been through a lot.”

As I asked with a tilt of my head, various cheerful responses popped up.

“We did go through a lot…! *cough* Thanks to that damn inspiration! *cough cough*”

“The coward who wore protective gear alone… I wish you’d get hit by a carriage on the way…”

“Sigh… It was a bit tough. But we made it on time, thankfully.”

“I’m sorry, everyone…”

From their conversation, it seemed like they flew here using a rocket, much like during our expedition to the Imperial Capital.

Seeing their somewhat exhausted appearance, I felt both sympathy and gratitude.

“Thank you for coming to congratulate us. We almost had to proceed without any guests, you know.”

It was a modest but heartfelt wedding ceremony.

Well, there weren’t many people we knew, after all.

If we were to count, it would be our colleagues right in front of us, the Grand Duke from the northern continent, and the priests from the Imperial Capital.

There weren’t many people to invite. Apart from the colleagues who had overcome trials together, inviting anyone else would have been awkward.

So, I insisted on inviting only the necessary people as guests for the wedding, and fortunately, my suggestion was accepted.

The guests included the siblings of that rascal Karl and some old friends.

If these guys hadn’t shown up, the atmosphere at the wedding would have been quite awkward.

Bowing with gratitude, I received playful blessings from my colleagues.

“Ha-ha! May you have a joyful married life! May you have sons and daughters and live happily!”

“May the muscles bless your family. I hope you and Karl have a good time together.”

“When you have a child, remember to call me. I’ll cook your favorite dishes.”

“Well, when I get pregnant, I’ll let you touch my tail! You used to like touching it! If you’re annoyed, just touch it, and you’ll feel better right away!”

Playful blessings unique to them.

A playful remark from colleagues who had gone through thick and thin together was enough to bring tears to my eyes, and wiping them away, I expressed my gratitude once again.

“…Thank you all, really.”

“Don’t cry; you shouldn’t cry on such a solemn day.”

“Oh, you didn’t cry?! Ha, you’re as clueless as ever, Karl…”

“Heh-heh, wipe those tears off your cheeks before speaking. You’re still not very honest, are you?”

With a single word from Dwarf Karl, the bride’s waiting room turned into a sea of laughter.

Although I was the target of their teasing… I didn’t feel bad or anything.

Perhaps warmth could be felt even in their mischievous words.

Thump. Thump.

Relaxing with old colleagues’ jokes, I heard familiar footsteps approaching, and they left the bride’s waiting room with hearty laughter.

“Oh, another protagonist is coming this way! Haha! We should let the uninvited guests leave. See you at the banquet in a bit! Save the unfinished stories for there!”

“Yeah. See you in a bit, everyone.”

As soon as they finished speaking, my colleagues disappeared from the bride’s waiting room, and the person I eagerly awaited finally entered.

“Beatrice, escorted by… me?”

As Karl froze upon seeing me, I joyfully approached him and took his hand.

“What’s this? Not going to escort me? Don’t want to marry me anymore?”

Chuckling softly, I teased him, and only then did Karl, with a flushed face, start escorting me.

“No way.”

As Karl escorted me, on the way to the wedding venue, only the sound of pounding hearts could be heard.

Whether it was mine or Karl’s, I couldn’t tell.

It was the sound filled with excitement.