Chapter 5 Episode 32: The Wedding, Part 2
“That was quite the fiasco...”
The ceremony had concluded with the crowd going wild at the surprise wedding gift from the gods. The rest of the wedding party and I followed the newlyweds off of the altar and straight into the revelrous reception...and I promptly got lost in the sea of people. I was taken far away from the bride and groom as though it were on the wings of a bird, where I was overwhelmed by all the guests who couldn’t get any closer to the couple, all of them ecstatic that the happy couple had just been blessed by the gods.
The wedding guests, nearly delirious with excitement, raved about everything that could have possibly pleased the gods: the bride and groom themselves, the wedding gown, the decorations, the food... The storm of praise even reached me, once they found out I’d built the statues and oversaw the construction of the altar. It drained me a bit, since I couldn’t quite get as excited about it all as an ex-Japanese man without much religion in my life or culture (though I believed in the gods now, of course).
In any case...
“Thanks for the help,” I said.
“No need to thank me for that. I just happened to be on my way back from picking up some food and ran into you.”
I wasn’t about to disbelieve her either. The self-proclaimed matchmaker, Yui the fairy, ended up rescuing me from the avalanche of people. Like a seasoned waitress, she was carrying five dishes in total, with both palms, both forearms, and even the top of her head occupied with one large dish piled high with food apiece. She set the plates down on a mysteriously unoccupied table, took a seat, and began to dig in. There were other people around, but they seemed completely uninterested in us, which I attributed to what must have been her power. When I concentrated, I could sense something similar to a Conceal barrier... Though it was so faint that I would have never noticed without suspecting its existence.
“Why don’t you take a seat until the commotion settles?” she offered.
“Sure, if you don’t mind.”
I took the chair across the table from her. “Is it rare for the couple to receive a blessing from the gods like that?”
“Rare, and quite honorable, but not unheard of. It’s happened to some of the couples I’ve set up, but the last one was thirty years ago. Of course, I can’t speak to the percentage of couples who receive it on a worldwide scale... What’s surprising is the number of blessings they’ve received.”
“So it’s more than usual, then?”
“As far as I know, most couples receive none, and the ones who do usually just receive one. But our couple... I sneaked over and asked. Both of them were blessed by Lulutia, the groom by Kufo and Tekun, and the bride by Wilieris and Gain. That’s five blessings in toto,” the fairy explained in detail, being aware of my Japanese origins.
So they got blessings from more than just the ones I made statues of?!
Yui sneered at me. “What’s with that smug look? That wasn’t your handiwork, was it?”
“I didn’t do anything myself, but I have a bit of a hunch about why we had such a glut of blessings this time... Since you were a familiar to my predecessor, I feel like I can trust you. I’ve had the opportunity to speak to the gods, using my Oracle skill; they do watch our kind from time to time. They may be watching to see if we’re getting along in the new world, or because something about us caught their interest, or maybe to make sure we don’t abuse the powers they’ve given us for evil.”
“I see. So they had their eyes on you, and the wedding was like a free bonus, so to speak.”
“I believe so.” If Tekun’s there, they’re definitely drinking it up in the divine realm, and I could easily imagine Kufo and Gain handing out blessings like candy... Besides, humans seem to take those blessings much more seriously than the gods ever do.
“You seem very close to them.”
“I always make an effort to talk with them whenever I’m visiting a chapel.”
“I wouldn’t say that around most people if I were you. Especially not clergymen. It’s my understanding that they spend years in training only to receive a few short words from the gods once in a while. They may not believe you and deem you a liar, and they would be more than jealous if they believed you.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it. In fact, I’d appreciate it if we just kept that info between us.” Plus, I sure as hell wasn’t going to mention that the gods and I would drink copiously whenever we met up!
Speaking of, I realized that the self-proclaimed matchmaker fairy had cleaned two of her large plates during our conversation.
“Did you want some...?” she asked, giving me a threatening stare.
“No, I’m just impressed by your appetite. I never imagined fairies to be big eaters.”
“Most fairies are smaller than me, after all.”
“Speaking of, you look indistinguishable from any person. Some form of transfiguration, I’m guessing?”
“You Earthlings are a sharp bunch. Not that I’ve met anyone from Earth other than Shiho and you, but still... I’m a bit smaller than I appear, but I can blur that line with my powers, and this makes it a lot easier for me to blend in with people. Not very fuel-efficient, though.”
“I see. If you don’t mind me asking, what kind of food do you like?”
“I’ve lived here for so long that I rarely eat anything raw. When living in nature, your choices are decidedly limited. Most of us prefer nuts, fruit, flower nectar and honey. Some fairies like to eat more unconventional things, but that all depends on the individual, just like with humans. At any rate, fairies can survive without eating, as long as we have magical energy from nature. Any other food or drink is for enjoyment more than nourishment. Our bodies can convert them to energy, of course.”
“Well, that explains a lot. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome... Incidentally, did you finish the gift we spoke of?”
“I did. I wouldn’t say it was smooth sailing all the way, but I’m happy with how it turned out.”
“Very good to hear. It seems my suggestion wasn’t wasted on you.”
At that moment...
“Ryoma?”
“I wonder where he went...”
I heard Reinhart and Elise calling from somewhere behind me. I turned to find them weaving through the crowd, apparently looking for me.
“Looks like I’m wanted. I’d better get going now, Yui.”
“Sure. I doubt you’ll get swallowed by the crowd again if you’re with them.”
“Thanks again.”
“I’m looking forward to watching them receive your gift.”
I parted with Yui and joined the duke and duchess. They hadn’t given the newlyweds their gift yet either. I produced my gift from the Item Box, and we joined the line of gift-givers. But since the manor workers in the line kept letting us cut in front of them, we hardly had to wait until we were at the front of the line, just in time to see Bahtz, the head chef, hand Lulunese a box and a plated slice of cake.
“This brings back memories...”
“My lamon cake. I baked you one when I was just a sous-chef. You wouldn’t stop nattering about how much you enjoyed it.”
“I loved that cake, but this is even better.”
“Naturally! I haven’t honed my skills to become head chef for nothing, after all. I thought you might have liked the old recipe, but I couldn’t resist the chance to try to one-up myself.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less from you, Bahtz. This one is wonderful too. It’s so fluffy.”
“Oh, Ryoma gave me new ingredients for that just the other day. I couldn’t wait to try it.”
Elise turned her head to me. “You gave him advice, Ryoma?”
“I wouldn’t quite call it advice. Maybe small talk is more accurate... Remember the bath bomb I made you, Ma’am? All the ingredients are actually edible. I told Bahtz that they could also be used to make cake sponges fluffier.” I had given him leftover ingredients as well, but I didn’t expect him to have already made use of said ingredients.
Then Bahtz seemed to notice us, and said, “Well, I’ll see you later. There’s plenty more where that came from in the box, so please enjoy it, both of you. And Hughes, you take good care of her...”
“Thank you.”
“You bet,” Hughes answered.
As Bahtz retreated into the group of onlookers, his gift was handed off to a maid; she seemed to be in charge of storing the gifts.
Then, I gestured to the duke and duchess. “After you.”
They stepped forward. “Congratulations, Hughes and Lulunese.”
“Thank you, Your Grace,” the newlyweds answered in unison.
“What’s the matter, Hughes? You’re not acting like yourself.”
“Heh, just thought I’d be a bit more official, y’know?”
“I can hardly blame you, though it just looks weird to me... I have something to give you, from the two of us.” Reinhart handed Hughes the expensive-looking wooden box he had been carrying, which the groom opened immediately.
“Oh, my!” Lulunese exclaimed.
“A suit of armor...made from dragon scales?!”
“My father’s familiar had just shed its scales, so I put them to use. I expect many more years of work from you, Hughes, and now you have Lulunese to think about as well; with that in mind, we wanted to do everything we can to make sure you come back from dangerous jobs. Besides, you’ll need to stand out once you’re promoted.”
“Wow... Thank you,” Hughes said. “I’ll make it worth your while in the field.”
“I’m looking forward to it. Lulunese, keep an eye on Hughes, would you? He’s acting all stoic now, but he doesn’t always watch where he steps.”
“Yes, Your Grace. I will always support my husband to the best of my ability, and be the best maid I can be in your service.”
“There’s nothing to worry about, Lulunese.” The duchess smiled. “You’ve always been of wonderful help to me. And hopefully you will for many years to come.”
Tears formed in their eyes, and applause naturally rose from the crowd. Reinhart and Elise decided against prolonging their conversation, and stepped aside to let me through.
“Congratulations, you two.”
“Thank you, Master Ryoma.”
“You’ve done so much for us, Ryoma. I can’t thank you enough as it is...”
“This is something I wanted to give you.” I handed him the wooden box I had produced from the Item Box.
They immediately opened my gift too.
“Oh, my!” Lulunese exclaimed.
“What a beaut! Is it glass?” Hughes took out a pair of drinking glasses, each of translucent red and blue color apiece and etched with intricate patterns of white lines, in the style of the Edo kiriko. The crowd fell quiet for a moment, before showing two different reactions.
Part of the crowd seemed genuinely interested in the glassware; this group included Serge and Pioro, along with people whom I assumed weren’t so superstitious. The vast majority, and many of them older, looked like they wanted to make a comment; that wasn’t too surprising. Just like in Japan, glassware and other breakables were considered bad luck for weddings, since anything that could cut or break was construed as alluding to the severing of the marriage.
I had expected this, of course, so I produced an additional glass I had prepared from the Item Box.
“Hughes, Lulunese. Have a look at this.”
“Is that another glass?”
“Looks a little wonky, though.”
“Indeed. It’s from one of my failed practice runs before I made those two... Now watch what happens when I do...this!” With that, I threw the practice glass onto the solid brick tiles beneath our feet.
With a clunk, the glass bounced a few times without breaking, and rolled towards one of the maids standing nearby.
“Excuse me, but could you get that for us?”
“Oh, right away!”
I thanked the maid as she retrieved the glass for me. “I know it looks like glass, but it’s actually not.”
The material only looked like glass; it was actually a kind of hardening sticky solution made into the shape of a cup, which acted like a durable plastic. This was Yui’s grand idea; if breakables were bad luck, then my gift needed to be unbreakable. Accordingly, she got the idea when she saw the faux stained glass windows I had made by coloring the hardening sticky solution. I went to explain my gift to the couple, as Yui had advised.
“Those two are both made of the same material, so they’re quite difficult to break. Unfortunately, nothing man-made can last forever. While they’re very durable, these glasses will eventually lose their shape if you continue to treat them without care or throw them away. But if you use them with care, I believe their brilliance will last you a lifetime. Think of it as a reminder to treat your marriage with the same level of care. May your relationship forever shine as brightly as it does today.”
The crowd stirred in understanding, then erupted in applause.
“Ryoma... Thanks for such a thoughtful gift!” Hughes said.
“I swear, I will keep them nice and shiny,” Lulunese followed, and the bride and groom became teary-eyed again.
Most of the spiel came straight from Yui, but the gift, and the intentions behind it, came straight from my heart. I could not have been happier that I was able to give them something they liked.
■ ■ ■
Later on...
“Master Ryoma. Have you ever thought about selling those?”
“Hold up, Serge. Glassware’s got plenty to do with my business too. Rich folks are quite particular about what they take their food and drink from as well.”
“I’m sorry, both of you, but those take a lot of time to make. There’s no way I could dream of putting them on my shop shelves.”
The Edo kiriko, as its name suggested, was a traditional art form that originated towards the end of the Edo period. I had made my faux Edo kiriko glasses by putting a thin layer of colored hardening sticky solution above clear hardening sticky solution, then etching away the outer layer to draw a pattern using Disc Grinder, a new spell I developed by making Polish Wheel thinner and rounder. I had invented a new magic spell that required more concentration, and slogged through the difficult process of flawlessly carving a pleasing pattern into the glasses. I barely managed to finish the two I gave the couple after spending all night on them. There was no way I could mass-produce them for sale.
“Did you not get any sleep last night, Ryoma?” Reinhart asked.
“Is that why you were swept away by the crowd earlier? I swear, you’re going to work yourself into an early grave...”
“No, it’s nothing like that. Also, Serge, Pioro? I could teach someone how to make them, so outsourcing the production to a glass artist could be a possibility.”
“I wouldn’t mind that,” said Serge.
“I wanted to sell them as a wedding gift set, with a card of your pitch in the box... But if they were glass, I don’t think I could make that work.”
The usual four, now very much interested in the faux Edo kiriko, continued conversing with me while enjoying the reception to our hearts’ content, giving the newlyweds our biggest congratulations.
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