(201) Volume 20 10 — Seulroeo’s Wedding Ceremony
Volume 20 Chapter 10 — Seulroeo’s Wedding Ceremony
KMC Media was so quiet that you could even hear the sound of saliva being swallowed by the person sitting next to you.
When Weed had revived, everyone focused solely on the video feed.
Even the departments responsible for video editing stopped working.
From the screens installed inside the General Manager’s office to the President’s office, all were showing the same footage and from the moment Weed resurrected as a Dragon, everyone watching the video was awestruck.
The Power to Reject Death combined with the effects of the Copper Plate of Rest had resurrected him into a Dragon!
“This is absurd.”
“How is this…”
Due to the effects of the Copper Plate of Rest, Weed had been resurrected as a Dragon despite the low level of his skill Power to Reject Death. But due to the huge penalties applied, Weed could not use the full potential of being a Dragon in battle.
Also being in an underground dungeon had been very unfavourable for the large flying-type monster.
However, despite the numerous shortcomings, his eyes still gleamed threateningly.
Weed’s resurrection as a Dragon had caused everyone to shudder.
Just watching it as it is had caused the station’s staff to be left in a daze but what about the viewers that will watch the enhanced version of the video after being edited!
Royal Road viewers will definitely be shocked watching this epic moment.
“Oh, how I envy you.”
“After all, this is Weed were talking about. No other person can go on such an adventure.”
The video was so full of excitement it had the station staff fully engrossed.
Director Kang, together with his assistants, was now deliberating on how they will configure the video for broadcast.
“Captions… no, we don’t need to put those in. It’s already good as it is.”
Placing captions doesn’t give the impression that it will stand out. It’ll just make it look frivolous.
Everyone was captivated as they continue to watch Weed as a Dragon but unfortunately, Weed still died a second time.
But with Kubichya finally defeated, the difficult S-class quest has been completed.
Soon, the inhabitants of Versailles Continent will start clamouring once more as the news of Weed’s success dawns upon them like a divine message from heaven.
To think that from the beginning, Director Kang and the rest of the KMC Media staff doubted the probability of success of the S-class difficulty quest!
After Weed had died, the video feed in the cinema room had cut off. There were no more images being relayed nor was there any sound.
All was quiet for a while.
And as if struck by lightning, they immediately began yelling as they return to their respective tasks.
“Change the title of the special program. ‘Weed’s Crusade’! No, wait! Not that one. ‘The Ultimate Undead’, how does that one sound?”
“We will have an increase in broadcasting time, facilitators are asking for consent to modify the broadcasting schedule in our homepage.”
“Calls from various companies are pouring in though we’re just lashing out with each other for the cover ads’ unit pricing.”
The advent of the Dragon was about 2 minutes and 56 seconds!
For just about 3 minutes, this will become a legend not only to the viewers but also in the whole game broadcasting industry.
***
Lee Hyun exited from his capsule and sat idly while feeling a huge sense of loss.
“Now I don’t have access till 24 hours have passed.”
He had used Acid Breath to take down as much Chaos Warriors as he could. But even if he was able to do a breath attack, he doesn’t know the full extent of damage it dealt.
In addition, he was resurrected as a Dragon but with skills only that of a Beginner level!
His Flight skill, Dragon’s Roar, and Acid Breath were at Beginner level 4, level 6, and level 3 respectively.
He could not afford prolonging the battle against the Chaos Warriors for his health rapidly declined so he resorted to use one huge breath attack.
“Anyway, it was quite difficult.”
Lee Hyun stood up and started cleaning.
If he had turned on his television, he would have seen the contents of his quest playing in full swing but he was only interested in watching the news and the show ‘Unveiling Versailles Continent’.
Watching television other than that is only a waste of electricity!
“Now that I’m done with housecleaning, it’s time to do some sweeping and polishing.”
Washing the bed sheets, cleaning the refrigerator, maintaining the chicken coop, there were many things that he still needed to be done.
The season was now in autumn with plenty of fallen leaves accumulating.
“Autumn sure comes by so fast.”
Lee Hyun had always been very sensitive and sharp to dry and bleak winds.
“I’ll need to start soaking kimchis soon.”
Before winter arrives, it is important to start preparing kimchis!
Just as he was about to do more maintenance in the house, he was suddenly interrupted.
Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong
Somebody was incessantly pressing the doorbell at the front door.
No Peddlers.
No Religious Solicitors.
The doorbell looks like it’s about to break.
I’m going to charge whoever presses and breaks it.
That person had definitely seen the warning sign but still continues to persist in pressing the doorbell.
Lee Hyun went to open the front door and was surprised to see Seoyoon there. It seems that she hurriedly came to his house as beads of sweat were forming in her forehead.
When she had first visited, she had taken the chickens but now it seems she wants a rabbit when he had asked for an exchange for Tori.
“Hello, how long has it been? Come on, step inside.”
Lee Hyun greeted her like a close friend and invited her inside the house. He then gave her a cup of naengnokcha (T/N: cold green tea).
“Nowadays, the weather is starting to get cold and I should be serving others hot green tea but for now, this should help cool you down.”
“…”
“Shall I bring some honey?”
Seoyoon had a very worried look on her face and showed little interest for the green tea.
‘Although I died… Why did he gladly welcome me?’
When Seoyoon had died, she immediately came out of the capsule.
Earlier, KMC Media had contacted her regarding the part of her appearance at the core of the quest. But of course, she did not do any direct negotiations but instead left it to the lawyer in charge of her.
Normally, they don’t need the consent of a person to air their appearance but since this was a quest concerning Lee Hyun, they needed her consent for the show.
Afterwards, they came to an agreement to limit her appearance to only where she had a mask on her face and had her thin leather clothes covered with her armor.
She had then enquired KMC Media about the situation in Las Phalanx.
Geumini had died while Weed experienced death twice.
Seoyoon by then had been far more concerned on how to console the grief-stricken Lee Hyun than to care about the drop in her level and skill proficiency.
But Lee Hyun just welcomed her when she had arrived.
“Don’t want to drink green tea? Oh, how rude of me. I haven’t served any fruit.”
Normally, Lee Hyun would display a completely different behaviour.
But in Royal Road, Seoyoon lost her life fighting against Kubichya. Her valiant efforts led to the successful hunting of the Chaos Daejeonsa.
Naturally, he was thankful but as he turns around his head, he quickly began to formulate a scheme for the item distribution.
‘I’ll feign ignorance for the time being.’
As he was peeling an apple, Lee Hyun was drooling over the idea of gaining more items.
Not even a shred of guilt as he began to scheme!
“Ah, damn it, he was broke. How can he not drop many items when he died?”
He carefully peels the apple as he speaks in guile.
Even if she were to watch the broadcast, she still wouldn’t be able to know what items he had acquired. It was because Kubichya died while he was inside Weed’s mouth.
‘Is it too much if I say only one item came out? But it was a boss… it was also a monster related to a quest, she might doubt my claims later.’
Lee Hyun then spoke in a small voice.
“Still, it wasn’t all that bad. What came out were 5 equipment items, or was it 3? Ah, it was 4. Anyway, that’s what he dropped when he died.”
He originally got 5 items but thought of reducing it somewhat by 2. However, if there were only 3 items to split up, one person will only get one item.
Eventually, he compromised with 4 items so it can be divided by 2 while looking less suspicious.
“I think Kubichya was wearing very good equipment. But frankly, I think that it is unlikely that we will be able to wear that equipment.”
As Lee Hyun continued to speak, he was also feeling frustrated. It was because he wasn’t able to check the items that he had acquired.
‘In order to divide them, I needed to properly determine their value first.’
In Versailles Continent’s time, they had approximately spent a few months of hardships together. In the course of their adventure, Seoyoon had contributed a lot so anymore deceit would be unfair to the effort she had displayed.
After all, it is only common sense to divide the items equal to the contributions.
However, one item was removed so she only gets 2 items where 3 items would have been a proper reward!
‘Good. It seems she has no complaints.’
Seoyoon covered her mouth with the tea cup and gently smiled in relief. Her natural smile was like from a different dimension compared to Lee Hyun’s rotten smile.
When Lee Hyun created the Freya Statue, he had imagined the beautiful Seoyoon smiling.
And right now, in front of his eyes, her smile exuded such a charm that he can’t help but feel attracted to her!
But Lee Hyun could not even look at her straight in the eye.
It was not because he haphazardly lied about the items he acquired from Kubichya but because of her expression, the look in her eyes contained a sign of deep affection.
‘This is getting awkward.’
Lee Hyun then tried changing the topic.
“I’m going to return to cleaning… would you like to help?”
Not even entertaining her but instead gave a proposal to clean the house. Nevertheless, Seoyoon just nodded.
“Let’s sweep the yard first. There are so many leaves collecting.”
While sweeping the yard, Seoyoon was being playful unlike her usual self.
She even tried to sneak some piles of leaves to Lee Hyun’s area!
With the relationship they built up from attending lectures in college and going on to adventures in Royal Road together, she was able to play around.
They then went to clean the chicken coop and as they release the chickens, the smell reeked into the yard.
A perched rooster with an upright comb then went to attend the hens which were accompanying their chicks.
With a lot of cleaning to be done, Lee Hyun had realized that there would be a lot of water splattering so he immediately check the clothes Seoyoon was currently wearing.
‘Approximately around 200,000 won.’
She was wearing quite an expensive coat.
“I’ll clean up this place, how about you do the dishes? After you’re done putting them away, take out the pots and bowls and wash them clean.”
Seoyoon nodded and went inside the house.
With the windows open, the sound of water flowing from the sink can be heard.
A man cleaning the chicken coop and a woman washing the dishes, it was like a scene resembling a young married couple’s life.
‘Having her clean had been a great help so I’ll have to prepare something delicious for dinner.’
Lee Hyun then decided to make a large serving of sweet and sour pork.
CRASH!
Silence then returned, only the sounds of flowing water drifted for a while.
Then the sound of washing dishes could be heard again. But not even a minute has come to pass and yet it happened again…
CRASH!!
While cleaning the chicken coop, Lee Hyun had tears in his eyes.
“A-Are those my dishes?”
Without any sign of a reply, the sound of washing the dishes continued.
Seoyoon earnestly tried to wash the dishes. Although she made a mistake of putting them away with wet hands which had caused it to slip but fortunately, there were no longer any dishes breaking that ensued.
On that evening, Lee Hyun showcased his sweet and sour pork and ate it while watching television!
After watching art and drama programs, it was time for Seoyoon to go home. Lee Hyun then hastily wrapped a book in a newspaper and gave it to her as a gift.
“This book has a lot of life lessons.”
This was the first time in Lee Hyun’s life that he had given a gift to a girl aside from his sister.
“This is absolutely not for the items I obtained in Las Phalanx, just thought you might like to give this a read.”
The title of book was called <<Non-possession>>. (T/N: Probably refers to this )
***
In the Versailles Continent, users were listening in the temples of the Dwarves and Elves.
“A divine message has descended upon us. An indomitable warrior had put a stop to the scourge that threatened the peace of the continent.”
“Damn, that’s one extraordinary human.”
“Warriors of the forest, let us go back.”
Warriors that were gathered to organize an expedition have disbanded.
KMC Media have achieved the highest recorded audience ratings and the people watching their broadcast couldn’t even fall asleep until dawn while Bards, in homage to Weed’s adventure, wrote and sang songs.
Oh, Great Hero
We will always remember that in the land of the forgotten was where you had an adventure
Your steps will become the milestones for those who wish to venture
Your sculptures that remained in the various parts of the world
Grants us courage to make our paths unfurled
While Weed reaches the highest of praise, Drinfeld’s reinforcements arrived at Las Phalanx. They were the elites of the Hermes Guild composed of Priests, Wizards, Knights, Assassins, and Thieves.
A representative Knight then began speaking with him.
“If these people aren’t sufficient enough to kill Weed then I shall message Rafael.”
Drinfeld confidently replied:
“These men are enough. With these many Wizards, we’re sure to make this land into Weed’s grave.”
“The pride of Hermes Guild is at stake, handle this flawlessly.”
Facing the Necromancer has been there constant worry but now with the additional Priests, the natural enemy of the undead, they will be able cleanse them.
Through the broadcast of KMC Media, they were able to know that Weed can transform into a Dragon so they were now extremely wary of him.
“For the honor of the Hermes Guild, we must kill him.”
“Wizards, Priests, and Knights… we will certainly stab him to death.”
***
When Weed had reconnected, he was back at Inferno Dungeon where the race war took place.
The aftermath of the fierce battle has left the area disfigured with plenty of melted rocks and scattered remains.
“Ahem.”
After dying twice while in his modified Lich form, Weed has now returned as a human.
“I have to check how much level and skill proficiency I have lost as well as the items I acquired from Kubichya.”
Level and skill proficiency were confirmed first before the items acquired.
“Stat Window, Skill Information Window!”
Two levels had dropped making his current level at 383 while Sculpture Mastery dropped by 25%. Handicraft, Tailoring, Smithing, Sculpting Blade, and his other skills had a dropped between 10-17%.
While brimming with frustration and grief about the reduction of his skills after all the hard work that he has done, Weed immediately pulled out the items he acquired.
The heavy Chaos Daejeonsa Boots and Plate Armor Set, a map, and a sword with a reddish glow, the Red Star!
A smile escaped Weed’s lips.
“Identify!”
He had decided to check the armors first.
Kubichya’s Boots:
Durability 37/105;
Defense: 68;
The boots worn by the Chaos Daejeonsa Kubichya.
Imbued with a special authority that compels warriors into submission.
Restrictions:
Level 500;
Strength 800;
Chaos Warriors and Barbarians only;
Options:
Able to use Blink spell.
Health +8,000;
Can intercept attacks rising from the ground.
Warriors are forced to submit.
Depending on the level and the scale of subordinates, there will be a temporary increase in Leadership.
As for the Plate Armor Set, its Defense is 280 and had a level restriction of 550.
“I wouldn’t have died if I was wearing such armors.”
Next was the Las Phalanx’s Underground Area Map, it had a complex structure that much like of a spider web and had a lot of holes drawn on it.
There were a lot of other areas which leads to the underground passages of the dungeon. The entrances of the dungeons in Las Phalanx have special structures and midway through the passages, another passage would be created.
“Having a map is useful in various ways.”
Finally, the long-awaited moment of checking the Dragon Sword.
At this moment, Weed could not suppress his emotions any longer as his heart leap with excitement.
“Identify!”
Red Star:
Durability 192/210
Attack 190-215
A sword created by a Dragon.
The sword was made using a part of its bone.
A portion of the Red Dragon’s power is imbued within and is resistant to magic.
This sword was stolen from the Dragon and has been looking for it ever since.
Restriction:
Level 570 or higher;
100% Fire Resistance;
Must have the ability to control fire.
Options:
Very light.
Reduces the consumption of stamina when using skills.
Agility +10%
Durability does not easily diminish.
Attacks can pierce through armors.
Increases the chance of inflicting a maim status by 250%, reducing the opponent’s fighting ability.
Can penetrate through any magical defense.
Power of fire is amplified by 100%.
Absorbing the fire attacks of fire attribute races will increase your strength.
Magic Resistance +30%
Monsters below intermediate level will be extremely intimidated.
Enhances the power of sword based attack skills.
Can remove all negative buffs.
Grants the user the special skill ‘Red Star’.
Whenever you take out the sword for battle, there is a 0.01% chance that you can summon a Dragon.
Skill Red Star:
Unable to verify.
Difficulty in identifying.
Deeply related to fire attribute magic.
Seulroeo’s Wedding Ring (♂):
Durability 40/40
An emerald ring that symbolizes hope, youth, and eternal love. Crafted by a Dwarf artisan who had poured all his heart and soul into this work.
The ring obtained by Seulroeo filled with his aspirations to marry the woman he loved.
It is a set together with its other ring (♀) counterpart.
Restrictions:
Unmarried young man.
The female partner should be the one to place the ring.
Options:
Enhances mana concentration and increases magical damage of spells by 27%.
Speeds up the rate of learning spell incantations.
35% increase in Mana Regeneration.
Fame +1,200;
Grace +40;
Culture +40;
Intelligence +40;
Wisdom +40;
Charm +150;
Grants the user the barrier magic skill ‘Shield’.
Weed had mixed feelings about items.
“I didn’t think I’d acquire Seulroeo’s Pair of Wedding Rings. But as expected, I now have the Dragon Sword.”
The Red Star can deal high damage and has many Options. However, the level restriction is very high.
It was something that cannot be easily sold due to its fire resistance wearing restriction.
Furthermore, it would be difficult to put up a price for such extremely rare loot!
“I don’t even know who to sell this to.”
Weed felt greatly disappointed as he looked around the ground for his scattered items. He had died twice and so did the amount of his dropped items, among them were his Talrock’s armor, some sewing tools, and several sculptures.
Due to Weed having accumulated a lot of Infamy and having the Murderer’s Mark, he had dropped a lot of items more than usual.
As he was recollecting his items and the ones obtained by his undead during the battle, Seoyoon appeared having just reconnected together with the arrival of Golden Bird, Eunsae, and Yellowy.
“Good to see you are safe and sound.”
Weed caringly stroked Yellowy. Yellowy then heartily rubbed his face and licked him with his tongue, something that he would normally not do.
‘Master, thank you. I did not know that you were keeping an eye on me and saved me. Sorry.’
‘I would’ve died in at that place. How can I ever repay you…’
To the outside, this would’ve been seen as a very touching scene but never in their wildest dream would they be able to think of what was Weed’s true intentions.
Eunsae, flapping its wings, landed on Weed’s shoulder. It was a gesture of affection.
Among the sculptures of life, only Eunsae had a nature of that of a girl. And this time, it seems to have a change of heart about Weed.
“I should be distributing Kubichya’s item drops by now but since we can’t wear the boots and plate armor set, I’ll sell it first and give your share later, okay?”
Seoyoon nodded. Since she has yet to return to a town or castle, the number of items she had acquired in the fields previously and the ones she received here has been stockpiling, exceeding her current item capacity.
“But you can take this one.”
Weed handed over the male ring of Seulroeo’s Pair of Wedding Rings to her while he held onto its other remaining female ring half.
“I’ll distribute this equally between the two of us.”
“… ?”
Due to the wearing restrictions, Weed must be the one to give a proposal and while he offers the ring to Seoyoon, his face had become bright red as an apple.
The meaning of a ring is never a small deal to a woman especially if its wedding rings!
*Ttiring!*
- Wearing Seulroeo’s Pair of Wedding Rings will fulfil his dearest wish.
If worn, the effects of the ring will let you act out his long-cherished and unfulfilled desire.
Seulroeo’s wish is to have a wedding with his fiancée, do you wish to proceed?
The unmarried man and woman will enact the part of Seulroeo and his fiancée Letia Evelynn in order to fulfil their wishes and release them from their regrets.
Weed, of course, had no other choice but to proceed.
The unique class item has an effect of increasing Mana Regeneration which is very essential to hunting.
And after a while, the two which were inside the Inferno Dungeon of Las Phalanx together with the sculptures of life had their surrounding area suddenly transformed into a majestic castle.
- You have arrived at Castle Evelynn of the Niflheim Empire.
This place is the manifestation of Seulroeo’s dream, an illusionary world called ‘Magus Phantasm’. Although illusionary, the items acquired here can be owned.
Weed and Seoyoon was then approached by butlers and maids.
“Ahh, this is what happens when I’m late in waking you up. Today is the wedding, we must prepare quickly. The clothes sent by the tailors have already arrived, come quickly Master Seulroeo.”
Weed’s appearance was the same way as before, just plain ordinary, but the maids see him as Seulroeo.
Weed was then forced by the maids to get moving. Seoyoon as well was led by the other maids to another room.
“Oh my, you have such smooth skin.”
“Just one look at Lady Letia and you can already tell that she is a peerless beauty. Master Seulroeo is truly one lucky man.”
Weed could hear the voices of the maids talking to Seoyoon while walking down the hall.
A maid then asked Weed.
"Are you properly taking care of your skin?"
"Ah, there's eye-wax stuck in there. Hurry and go wash your face."
Yellowy, Golden Bird, and Eunsae were left standing idly in the hall. But soon after that, a ranch manager and a garden custodian appeared and took them along somewhere else.
***
Weed was taking a bath inside a bathtub filled with hot water with his head swathed in a towel. In Royal Road, taking a long bath will make one feel refreshed.
- You will recover from fatigue much faster.
After the bath, if you eat a meal, you can recover up to 20% higher that of your maximum stamina.
After a comfortable bath, Weed then rested for 30 minutes. He had then put on the suit the tailor had sent though it was very uncomfortable to move on.
Taking advantage of the situation, Weed used his Identify skill to check the wedding suit during the era of the Niflheim Empire. The item grants an increase in Grace and Charm and gives a considerably good impression towards the opposite sex.
- You have acquired the methods for producing wedding suits for high nobilities.
For Weed who have the sewing skill, it was a great opportunity for him to learn how to make a new suit although what he learned seemed to be rather useless.
Defense is almost zero, it easily wears off due to low Durability and its special effect is to inflict a minor charmed status. To make matters worse, getting it wrinkled will lead to a drop in the Grace and Charm stat!
‘Collecting the suit materials and creating it is difficult.’
After donning the suit, the maids then started fixing his hair.
By applying a strange pomade, his hair had become smooth and shiny and was combed in a hairstyle that he had never done before.
‘Just apply shampoo on the hair and rinse it then dry it using a towel.’
To Weed who prefers a pragmatic way of life, this was an unfamiliar experience to him.
Combing through his forelocks, his hair was then parted in a 7 to 3 ratio.
Weed was very embarrassed as he looked through the mirror and awkwardly made a request.
“Wouldn’t it be okay to just let down my hair like normal?”
“Oh, would you like to have it done in the usual style, Master Seulroeo?”
“…”
With that as the maid’s response, Weed was unable to reply.
‘I’ll revert back my hairstyle after the wedding. For now, I’ll just have to endure until this is over.’
In Weed’s entire lifetime, he had not once experienced putting on makeup.
The maids then let Weed look into the mirror.
“I think Master is looking very handsome.”
Hearing them speak about his appearance made Weed frown for he knows that everyone was forcing themselves in speaking words of praise.
And then, soothing music began to flow.
“The wedding is about to start, Master Seulroeo.”
“I should be going then.”
Weed wanted to finish this event fast.
Any man would definitely be able to sympathize with him. It’s like feeling the accumulated fatigue of accompanying a woman in a department store while keeping up appearance.
“You should go and exchange greetings with the guests but pay a visit to the officiant first.”
“Can’t I just have the wedding proceed immediately?”
“Lady Letia needs a lot of time to get ready. In a wedding, the bride must be distinctively beautiful.”
With Seoyoon still undergoing a bridal makeover, Weed was unable to hasten the schedule.
Weed’s wedding was going to be held in front of a blue fountain hall where the guests were currently standing looking at him.
‘Anyway, this is not even my wedding… I should go and greet the guests.'
“Seulroeo, your theory on the arcane arts that reduces the time of spellcasting is amazing. It’s already enough to qualify you in winning this year Matam’s Scholar Award.”
- You have acquired a magical ingredient, Blue Lizard’s Tail.
Weed hastily straightened his suit and offered a handshake.
“Thank you for coming to my wedding.”
“I can’t believe that Count Byron’s successor is already marrying, time sure quickly passes by.”
- You have acquired 800 Niflheim Empire gold coins.
Wizards and nobles came to attend as guests. From them, presents and congratulatory money were pouring in so Weed gladly and courteously greeted them.
After that, the officiant, Bishop Cyprianus, began the invocation.
“We are gathered here today to join this young and promising wizard-nobleman, Sir Seulroeo Byron and the gem of our Niflheim Empire, Lady Letia Evelynn in holy matrimony.”
The wedding ceremony was then started with a pompous musical performance.
After the first song ended, the officiant then introduced himself to the noble well-wishers.
A symphony expressing the joys and sorrows of life then played afterwards.
Weed was surprise to know that a wedding ceremony had so many processes involved. He had wanted to finish the ceremony as soon as possible but then the servers arrived serving the guests at their tables their dinner and glasses of cold drinks.
‘I guess it would be inadequate to brew Samdasoo Green Tea Bags during a wedding day… The preparation process would be too long.’
Yellowy, Golden Bird, and Eunsae were among the guests.
Yellowy was served with fresh vegetables while Golden Bird and Eunsae were served with a meal of cooked eel and snake cuisines without any seasonings.
“Entering the groom, Sir Seulroeo Byron.”
After the words of the officiant, Weed gallantly walked into the wedding aisle.
‘I’ve gained a lot of profit.’
Weed had made a killing and now, all that is left to do to complete the wedding is exchange the rings.
There wasn’t anything to it apart from Weed putting the female ring in Seoyoon’s finger and receiving the male ring so it was easy peasy.
After presenting himself to the officiant and the guests, Weed now stood still.
“And here come the most beautiful bride in the world.”
The orchestra then began playing a clear melody. Slowly walking down the aisle was Seoyoon wearing a pure white wedding dress.
Her appearance right now cannot even be compared to when she wore a wedding dress during the school festival.
She could only be described as all the beauty in the world combined as she walked down the aisle.
Weed then began to reminisce.
‘Back then, I was the one who took her veil off.’
Their relationship already has come a long way.
‘Come to think of it, we have gone to many different places together.’
It all started with their chance meeting in the instructor’s cabin during his novice days in Rosenheim Kingdom. Then when he shapeshifted into Orc Karichwi, they travelled together in the Plains of Despair. After that, they went into an adventure together in the north, planting the Wood Elf Seeds and hunting the Bone Dragon.
And in Las Phalanx, she fought together with him though it ended up costing her life.
Although it had been difficult for Weed to do his work since Seoyoon is nearby.
But it is not an exaggeration to say that the many sculptures he modelled after her were by far the most beautiful creations that he had ever done.
After all, the first Grandmaster Piece that he had created was a sculpture based on her. Even his first Moonlight Sculpture was also based on her.
Upon realizing that the wedding dress-clad Seoyoon was drawing near, Weed forcibly stopped his recollection.
Through various coincidences, his fate is now once again intertwined with Seoyoon’s though he is still afraid to accept it. It was because he believes that another man well-suited for her existed somewhere. Weed then reminded himself:
‘Grandmother once told me, a woman’s appearance doesn’t mean everything.’
While these many thoughts were running through his head, Seoyoon was approaching closer.
With the words of his grandmother in his mind, Weed decided to calmly evaluate Seoyoon.
- If the girl is pretty then you’ll be happy for 3 years, if she is a wonderful cook then you’ll be merry for 30 years, and if she is smart then you’ll have 3 generations of bliss.
‘Seoyoon is extremely pretty so there should be an additional number of years. So 6 years of happiness?’
Even after becoming her boyfriend or husband, it would still be hard to ignore Seoyoon’s lovely appearance. You’ll even think you’re in heaven if you see Seoyoon’s sleeping face next to you when you wake up!
However, such dazzling appearance would wane in 6 years, although he wasn’t very sure whether this would even apply to her.
‘After 6 years, she would still be on her 20’s and I have this feeling that she will be even more beautiful as time goes by… Anyway, marrying a woman that knows how to cook will have 30 years of happy life at best.’
He had already tasted the food Seoyoon expertly prepared complete with condiments inside a lunchbox with a note written from her. It was a meal done with considerable skill, not inferior to even Weed’s.
‘I guess 30 years of bliss since she knows how to cook.’
They would be able to cook together if Weed had such a wife and spend the rest of their years developing and improving recipes.
Seoyoon also has good enough grades in the University of South Korea even without attending a class, although when she took on a lecture together with him, she was actually a good listener and always taking down notes. During exams, she would give him the notes on the parts he didn’t understand and when he took a peek inside her bag, what he found were foreign theses and technical books.
She reads a lot of books during her spare time.
‘She has a good head on her shoulders.’
Even with his grandmothers evaluating criterion, he could not lower Seoyoon’s score.
‘Obviously, there are demerits. It is just simply concealed, every people has their bad points somewhere. Like snoring… and so on. Although, she was sleeping quietly during our MT.’
In a flash, Weed remembered that certain moment.
‘She leaned over to my side when she had fallen asleep back then. That is quite a bad sleeping habit. She also eats and drinks a lot of my meal, didn’t even exercise proper moderation of only picking up 2 side dishes with her chopsticks.’
Weed was somehow trying to nitpick at Seoyoon’s faults. He is even trying to point out any minor faults in her habits. Even way back when he hunted together with Seoyoon, his mind was fixated on misunderstanding her as a wicked person.
After Seoyoon did a light greeting they then held hands.
The officiant then clapped his hands to proceed with the ceremony.
“It is truly an honor to officiate such joyous occasion… The groom, Sir Seulroeo, born at Herod’s Castle, came to an early realization on how to control the flow of mana and later became the disciple of Master Montau… The bride, Lady Letia, born in the prestigious House of Evelynn, cultivating flowers and trees as an avocation… This wedding ceremony holds great meaning for the Niflheim Empire… The wedding of this virtuous man and woman…”
Weed let out a sleepy yawn as he endured the boring procession. There was no point in memorizing the contents of the officiant’s message like as if it was going to be on a test.
The shorter the officiant’s message was the better but it only got even longer when he started glorifying some kind of Saint who can make nature bloom flowers with butterflies flying before him.
‘In the end, it all just comes down to being honoured and blessed.’
Weed barely managed to endure as it finally reached the last portion of the officiant’s message. After that, it was finally the Exchange of Vows, the very highlight of the wedding ceremony.
“Do you take this woman to be your wedded wife? Do you promise to be true to her in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love her and honor her, forsaking all others and holding only unto her as long as you both live?”
For the sake of not ruining the wedding, Weed must answer properly and place the ring on Seoyoon.
“I do.”
Weed clasped Seoyoon’s hand.
As a Berserker, her hands have been accustomed to many battles but contrary to that, it was very slender and had a flawless complexion.
He even finds the nails on her fingers to be very pretty when he placed the ring on her.
This time, Bishop Cyprianus turned towards Seoyoon and asked her the question.
“Do you promise to be true to him in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love him and honor him, forsaking all others and holding only unto him as long as you both live?”
Having a well-groomed hair with makeup applied, Seoyoon wearing the wedding dress had been contemplating on a lot of things.
Her first meeting with Weed to up to this very moment.
They have spent a lot of time together. She became intimately acquainted with him through the animals he raised with Yellowy, Geumini, and the other sculptures of life included.
She has been scared and wary of others but with Weed, she was not.
Cha Eunhee once concernedly said to her:
“Are you going to continue living like this?”
“… … ”
Seoyoon wanted to say something but she was still terribly afraid to talk. It was still yet not possible for her to have a conversation with someone and convey her feelings.
“Life isn’t just about grasping drifting clouds. As a teenager, you should go attend school and get involve in school activities. Go get yourself occupied with something to do every day. Don’t worry about what to tell to your parent even if your grades fell short of a few points.”
It wasn’t that she was saying to waste things after coming out of the examination hell.
“You should go experience the sense of freedom one gets when entering college. Although you need to start preparing for employment during your second year since competition is fierce in trying to land a job.”
The employment war only gets more intense every year. If you don’t prepare beforehand, you’ll only have a hard time getting a good job later.
“Look, right now, I am on my late 20’s and all I’ve been doing is work ever since I went out and fitted into society. But I’m still unmarried so I have to go through those annoying marriage interviews during holidays at my house to quickly find a prospective man to marry.”
Time will make you sensitive to aging, becoming conscious every day that youth is escaping from your body.
“Seoyoon, it’s still too early for you to give up and have your life expire in a cage. After all,”
Cha Eunhee tenderly smiled.
“Happiness can be found even on the simplest of things. You should live like the others and make friends while you’re studying, friends that will walk along with you as your lifelong companions. And if you find club activities in college to be lacking then you should immerse yourself with a hobby.”
“… … ”
“Also, once you enter into a company, there will be times when you’ll feel stressed, angry, and irritated to the point of wanting to write a resignation letter immediately after but if you were to succeed, wouldn’t you develop a sense of accomplishment? As you get older, you’ll start looking for marriage and after that, raising a child during your 30’s and 40’s wouldn’t be so bad.”
“… … ”
“Passing through the age of adulthood is where you experience most of life’s happiness. However, what I’m worried about is that you’ll miss that opportunity.”
Although her expression never changed, she still listened to what she said.
"You aren't living an ordinary life. If you live in your own world without making any friends… then you might not be able to make many happy memories. That's such a waste. You must work up the courage when the time comes. If you don't, the things that you really like and what makes you happy might disappear."
Seoyoon understood Cha Eunhee’s words but her heart was rejecting it.
However, being together with Weed had greatly reminded her of those words. Especially during at that time when the destitute village of Morata held a festival, her heart felt warmth just by being near Weed and made her very happy.
That warmth was comparable to the warmth radiating from their held hands, not a stove running on fuel.
After eating the food that Weed made, going on adventures together and seeing his sculptures, Seoyoon felt that she wanted to become his companion, not just a distant spectator. She had a frozen heart, but she wanted to convey that she loved that warmth so much.
Although it was something she hasn’t prepared and could stumble, she mustered up her courage now that she had to.
Embracing the great fluttering feelings and the nervousness inside her, she spoke with a quavering voice.
“Yes, I do.”