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“Good day. Thank you very much for the invitation. Even so, I must say, you’re quite amazing, Margrave Baumeister.”
“What’s so amazing about me?”
“You will find almost no demons who own a private beach.”
The number of deals between the Baumeister House and the company run by the demon queen continued to increase. Today, the demon queen, Lyra-san, Mall, and his friends followed my invitation and came to our usual private beach.
Elise and my wives were also present. We were swimming in the sea, doing barbecue, and playing beach volleyball.
The demon queen wore a pink swimsuit with the form of a dress. It looked very lovely on her. At the very least, it didn’t give one the impression of her being a demon queen.
Even so, she’s the person with the biggest mana capacity among those I met. However, I’ve never seen her use magic
Maybe she can’t use magic? No, that cannot be. She simply might have no opportunity to use her magic back in the demon country.
“Is something the matter, Margrave Baumeister?”
“Your Majesty, don’t you use magic?”
“I use it rarely, but usually I’ll depend on magic tools. There exists magic that has been passed down in the royal family. Every once in a while, I practice that magic with Lyra.”
“Even if you might have lost your power as a ruler, training the legendary magic of the royal family is indispensable.”
Wearing a violet bikini which emphasized her top-notch figure, Lyra-san explained the circumstances.
“Is that magic passed down through books or something like that?” Katharina asked Lyra-san, as someone possessing a lot of interest in the matter of magic.
“Yes, it’s one of the many heirlooms left behind by the royal family.”
“It must be quite valuable.”
“No, written copies were sold at bookshops. We own the real one, but leaving aside its cultural value, its monetary value isn’t…well, it’s treated more like an ancient document.”
Even books describing the treasured magic of the royal family don’t fetch much of a price in the demon country, huh? Somehow, it’s quite saddening.
“In the first place, only a few people can learn the royal family’s magic, and on top of that, there’s no one actively trying to learn it either. It’s simply of little use in today’s demon society. So, at most, unemployed people with lots of spare time might bother, I guess?”
“””*twitch*”””
Mall and his friends reacted to Lyra-san’s explanation. Have those three possibly learned the magic of the royal family during their period of unemployment?
“Margrave Baumeister, the royal family’s magic is impossible with our mana capacity!”
Mall and his friends’ mana capped out at the intermediate level, so it seems they cannot use the special royal magic.
“What sort of magic is it?”
“Since it’s something used by the demon king, it’s a spell allowing you to blast away an enemy army or something like that, I’d say.”
“It’s called royal magic, but it’s basically an area-affecting annihilation spell.”
Once I heard Ramul and Sylas’s explanation, I could see why it might have no use in today’s demon country. It’s pretty clear that using such a spell in an inhabited area would cause a lot of trouble. Or rather, it’d be still okay if it were just treated as trouble. In the worst case, it might be seen as a terrorist attack.
“The royal magic is something you use in critical situations. I’ve been training it on a regular basis and will use it without hesitation, if the need should ever arise.”
“What a wonderful resolve, Your Majesty.”
Lyra-san was the only one being deeply moved when the demon queen declared her determination while throwing out her very humble chest. Going by the standards of the Lingaia Continent, they make for a beautiful picture of a lord and her retainer, but the demons likely regard this as outdated thinking.
“Having said that, it’s unnecessary in the current era. It will likely end with me and my children merely memorizing the spell.”
“Well, you’d be arrested if you fired it off in the city.”
Yeah, she’d definitely be sent to jail for murder and damage to property if she did something like that. Even I can tell as much.
“I don’t think you need to learn it anyway, Margrave Baumeister.”
“You mean because I can already use magic with a lot of firepower?”
“Correct. Its incredible firepower is its sole feature. Therefore, it makes little to no difference to the big spell advanced magicians as you use.”
“I see. So, has your mana capacity already stopped growing, Your Majesty?”
Arnest, who was participating in our little outing, asked the demon queen. He wore a striped body-suit swimwear, covering his body from the neck to the knees and elbows.
“No, I’m still young. Besides, it seems like I have a relatively big mana pool among the many generations of demon kings. At present, I have already exceeded the average mana capacity of all past demon kings.”
“That is truly incredible.”
“Professor Arnest, you too possess a considerable mana capacity, don’t you?”
“It is not really that useful for my research. The only time when I felt thankful for having such a big mana pool was when I crossed over to this continent, I suppose.”
Considering all that, you cooperated with Duke Nürnberg quite a bit, didn’t you? You operated his device to obstruct magic.
Despite Arnest’s usual behavior, his mana capacity ranks among the top three in the demon country, so it’s kind of amazing that he seriously considers his own mana pool as ‘not really that useful.’
“But, it’s incredible that there are people with more mana than Wend.”
“It is!”
Luise and Doushi were surprised by Arnest’s mana capacity. Doushi’s mana pool was slightly smaller than mine. However, given that it was still growing despite him being beyond forty, you can definitely label Doushi as a special case.
“I just thought of this, but won’t you match your vessel with Arnest’s, Margrave Baumeister-sama?”
“I don’t want to do that with Arnest.”
If I had to answer why, it’s mostly an emotional issue. Besides, I’ll likely exceed Arnest’s mana in a few more years.
“I do not want to do it either!”
Even Doushi doesn’t want to match his vessel with Arnest either. Yep, this is no rational issue, but an emotional one.
“In that case, will you do it with me?”
“I’m not sure about it, to be honest.”
“Why? For the demons of old, mana was the source of power and riches. Ancient documents mention that they requested a vessel matching the demons, who possessed a bigger mana capacity than their own, even if they had to lower their head for it.”
Does that mean they even asked hostile demons? It sounds like they’ve been using vessel matching a lot more openly than humans.
“There’s a custom among humans…”
I explained to the demon queen that humans wouldn’t match vessels across genders unless they’re family or in a relationship.
“I think we should respect each other’s culture and customs. In that case, the vessel matching with Arnest…”
“No!”
“Absolutely not!”
Doushi and I strongly refused to match our vessels with Arnest.
“You certainly appear to be unpopular, Professor Arnest.”
“I have been merely walking the path of genuine research.”
Of course, it’s not only that. Another reason is that he also gave us a lot of trouble during the final stage of the civil war. Anyway, I hate the idea of matching my vessel with Arnest.
“No helping it, if you don’t want to. I’m going to play beach volleyball. Fujiko, Lulu, Philine!”
“Aye!”
“Coming!”
“Let’s decide on the teams.”
The three children were going to play beach volleyball with the demon queen.
“Wendelin-sama, thank you very much for the new swimsuit.”
“Sure, but don’t show it to Margrave Breithilde.”
“Okay.”
I gave Philine a light-green dress-type swimsuit, but even such a modest swimsuit goes way beyond this world’s strict dress code for women. Since I might be scolded if she showed it to her father, I asked her to wear it only when we were together at this private beach.
“Alriiiiight! Let’s go! Secret Skill: Demon Queen Serve!”
The four girls started playing with the demon queen, and Fujiko played against Lulu and Philine. The demon queen had the first serve. The name of her technique sounded a bit scary, but it was just a plain serve without any mana loaded into it. Lulu received it easily, and Philine returned it to the other side of the field. Fujiko received that ball in return, and so on.
It’s great that all four of them are quite athletic.
“It’s quite difficult to move on the sand. You don’t seem to have many problems with it, though, Lulu.”
“I’ve lived on a sand beach for a long time, after all. But, it’s my first time playing volleyball.”
Because the village where Lulu used to live was built on a sandy beach, she didn’t struggle to move in the sand. Given that she had to always rush over whenever a serpent appeared to repel it, her muscles naturally adapted.
Nothing less of a southern girl.
The swimsuit she was wearing today was one of Candy-san’s creations. It was a light-blue dress-type.
“Is that so? We have all sorts of sports games in our country.”
“Don’t you have any wars?”
“Fujiko, are you hailing from a belligerent country or something?”
“Since I heard that you’re demons, I thought that you were always fighting.”
The demons in the books, which Fujiko read at home, apparently constantly fought over who was going to rule their land.
“Fujiko, such demons only existed several ten thousand years ago.”
However, when the demon queen got appalled by Fujiko bringing up such an ancient story, the ball plopped down in her blind spot.
“Yay! Eat my feint toss!”
“Whaaa───! That’s unfair! Philine! Use the Date family’s hidden Save technique!”
“Eyy!”
“Not bad! Lulu, you too!”
The four girls had fun playing volleyball while chatting. Other than those four, Lyra-san was drinking a tropical juice while lying on a beach chair to heal her fatigue from everyday’s work, Arnest was writing a report on an underground ruin he had explored (yes, even at a time like this), and Mall’s group was watching the barbecue.
“Sensei, the meat is done.”
“The fish as well.”
“The shrimps and shells look so tasty.”
Agnest, Cindy, and Betty were actively offering me the grilled food while wearing swimsuits made for them by Candy-san.
Being invited to this private beach and receiving exclusive swimsuits from the Margrave Baumeister House basically carried that sort of meaning. Roderich has also been pestering me because of their significant contributions to the development of my territory, and thus, it was decided that they’d officially marry into my family.
All of them, except Agnes, are adults, and since it’s already set in stone, their families have opened branch stores of their businesses in Baulburg. Moreover, it’s planned to open branch stores on Akitsushima Island as well. On top of that, the three girls will be responsible for this network of branch stores.
Of course, they won’t have the time to personally get involved with the management of the franchise, so they’ll be figureheads, just like Luise and Ina. Instead, their relatives and veteran employees, who have been working for their families for many years, will be handling the actual work.
“Sensei, it seems like the sunglasses are selling well to adventurers who are active in the Demon Forest. The sunlight over here is strong, after all. Some of the fishermen are buying them, too. But, it looks like glasses are unusual on Akitsushima Island.”
“Now that you mention it, I certainly didn’t see any glass-wearers on Akitsushima Island.”
It might be that glasses are simply unusual because the island was embroiled in many smaller skirmishes and wars for a long time.
“The flowers are selling well, I hear. The people of that island seem to do what’s called Flower Arrangement, just like the Mizuho people.”
Cindy’s flower store seemed quite promising. The Mizuho people were the same in this regard, but the islanders would buy unusual flowers from outside the island to use them for their flower arrangements. In reverse, the rare flowers growing in the Mizuho Dukedom and on the Akitsushima Island were selling well in the Kingdom.
The number of farms cultivating seeds and seedlings for export has recently grown. Many noble women liked gardening as a hobby, so their seeds and seedlings sold well, too.
“We have also increased the number of branch stores. Since it’d be prone to fail if onii-san were to be involved with it, Rosa-san is handling all of it.”
“That should be a relief, I guess.”
To begin with, restaurants are a business with lower expenses, depending on how you do things. The Akitsushima and Mizuho people──they are of the same ethnic group, but given their strained relationship, they will be offended if you lump them together──appear to be interested in foreign cooking, so Rosa-san had opened several branch stores in Mizuho and on Akitsushima Island.
Moreover, she only entrusted Betty’s big brother with the main restaurant in the capital and the development of new dishes. It’s because she suspected that adding him to the management wouldn’t lead to any decent results. Though I actually think so as well.
“Sensei, it must be hard for you as well with the upcoming wedding ceremonies.”
“Well, it’s mostly because we have to adhere to their customs.”
In addition to my three pupils, I’m also going to marry Ryouko, Yuki, and Yui for the sake of a stable rule of Akitsushima Island. I will have a child with Ryouko, the sole lady of the island’s most prominent Akitsushima family, and have that child become the next family head of the Akitsushimas. The same applies to Yuki, the head of the Hosogawa family, and to Yui, the only daughter of the Matsunaga family.
Roderich said that the same fate awaits Fujiko once she becomes an adult. When I asked him whether he couldn’t decrease the number a bit, he told me he’d rather increase the number of my wives.
『Almost all of the former lord families on Akitsushima Island have declared they would offer a wife to you, Milord. I somehow managed to contain the number of wives to this level. In return, Friedrich-sama and those coming after him will be forced to accept their demands to an extent…』
If the government of Akitsushima Island doesn’t stabilize, the Baumeister House might be crushed in the future. If I have to marry in order to prevent that, it cannot be helped.
Then again, we’re talking about Roderich here. He’s probably trying to establish our family’s dominance on the island by mediating preferential marriages with families that contribute to the land’s rule.
Most recently, Roderich has become so experienced that I sometimes think he’s some sort of prime minister of a major power.
『Anyway, we cannot exclude the three mentioned before. If things go badly, it could lead to a rebellion』
Basically, it means someone blood-related to the Margrave Baumeister, the overall ruler of the land, will be assigned as the top of the island for all coming generations. It’s a full-fledged, political marriage, but Roderich called this a duty of high-ranking nobles.
“Thou sure have it tough.”
“On the other hand, you have it good, don’t you?”
“Right? I told you, didn’t I, Wendelin? The status of royalty of higher nobility is nothing more than a bundle of duties and obligations. Some people go crazy from all those obligations, no matter how skilled they might be. Just like Max did. Wendelin, make sure not to get crushed by it.”
“Don’t worry. I’m not that ambitious anyway.”
I’d consider it odd to start a rebellion just to push my will through like Duke Nürnberg. After all, I believe it’s fine for me to be a stupid lord who only serves as a figurehead.
“Luckily, thou hast Roderich at thine side, Wendelin. Even in the Empire, that man would have been qualified for the post of prime minister. Thou hast not the qualities necessary to become a tyrant, so thou can adhere to calmly planning things.”
“If I don’t do that, I won’t be able to handle matters. At this point, the Baumeister Margraviate is like a small country.”
In the future, our territory should exceed the Breithilde, Browig, and Holmia Margravates. Our relationship with the Kingdom is also important. And our connections to the Empire and the Mizuho Dukedom will also play a role.
Then again, I don’t have much clue about diplomacy. I think I’ll keep outsourcing it to Roderich altogether.
“So, I heard thou won’t be inviting many people to the ceremonies.”
“It’s because the ceremonies won’t be held at a church.”
Although they have been declining in recent years, the Akitsushima family itself is a family of priests. Because of their Shinto-like religion, it’d cause a big backlash on the island if we held the ceremonies according to the Church’s customs. That’s why we plan to hold wedding ceremonies that fully comply with the rules of Akitsushima Island.
Currently, Matsunaga Hisahide is pooling his efforts into the preparations. The wedding ceremonies will be held on the island, and only a limited number of people will be invited.
“Given those circumstances, my uncle won’t be attending either.”
“I see. I guess it’d be asking too much for Cardinal Hohenheim to participate in the wedding ceremony of a different faith.”
“That is one part of it, but if he attended, he would also be put in a position where he would need to pressure them into converting to our religion.”
That would probably cause a backlash by the residents of Akitsushima Island. Knowing all that, the church won’t send any of its members.
“They’re using the excuse that it’s ultimately a family matter of the Baumeister House,” Elise explained.
“I suppose that would be the smartest way to go about it,” Therese commented.
“His Highness the Crown Princess will be present, though.”
“…That man has really taken a liking to thou, hasn’t he, Wendelin?”
I think it’s rare to find someone who has virtually no friends despite having no reason to be disliked.
I’ve explained to His Majesty and His Highness that this time’s marriage was aimed at securing a stable government of Akitsushima Island for the Baumeister House. As far as the royal family was concerned, they had no objections to this.
The reason is the discovery of an uninhabited continent around 300 kilometers south of Akitsushima Island. The Lingaia, which had been sent east to explore, also found many islands and land.
Many monster domains exist on the continent, and its full extent is unclear as of yet, but the Kingdom’s policy has been set. They’ll leave the troublesome ethnic groups to the Baumeister House, while they will concentrate on occupying and developing the new uncharted lands.
“Usually, His Highness the Crown Prince would be forced to rule the island after marrying Ryouko, Yuki, and Yui. But now Wendelin seems to be doing it in his stead. It’s only natural for him to be grateful.”
As far as the Kingdom is concerned, they can simply reap the benefits from the Akitsushima Island, which has been stabilized by the Baumeister House. I think it’s only logical for the crown prince to take part in the ceremony.
“Also, Margrave Breithilde-sama and Margrave Browig-sama will be present too.”
The Holmia House is currently busy because of the demons, and since we aren’t particularly close to them either, I didn’t invite them.
“It’s apparently going to be a wedding ceremony with an unusual format, so I should observe it in preparation for the future.”
Actually, the demon queen and Lyra-san plan to attend as well.
Seeing how a new continent has been discovered, the Kingdom’s expansion is going to continue for a good while. So far, the trade negotiations with the demons are at a standstill, but my trade of magic tools, which can’t be built by the magic tool artisans on the Lingaia continent, has become an open secret at this point.
The Kingdom apparently wants to obtain and study magic guns and cannons in the future, but they won’t be able to obtain such items through the trade routes used by Lyra-san and the other demons. Such weapons are being strictly managed in the demon country. And Lyra-san likely wouldn’t put herself in danger of getting arrested to smuggle weapons either. I mean, she can earn more than enough of a profit by simply selling repaired junk, and scrapped or second-hand vehicles, as well as ships.
“Three big nobles are aiming to obtain vehicles and ships, huh?”
“They can’t build them themselves, after all.”
I sold the vehicles I got from the underground warehouse to the magic tool guild, but it sounds like their research is somehow stuck. There’s no way technology will progress so easily, so it’s inevitable that something like this will happen.
Though I must admit I’d like them to at least produce some results, given that they have the actual goods as a reference on hand.
“I’m looking forward to the wedding ceremonies.”
Lyra-san’s eyes were filled with joy. I’m sure she’s expecting this to be a good opportunity to make some profit.
＊
And then, one month after the beach party, the wedding ceremonies between me and Ryouko, Yuki, and Yui were held on Akitsushima Island. The ceremonies were performed in the renovated and expanded shrine of Otsu. The rituals were very similar to those in Japanese wedding ceremonies. Ryouko, Yuki, and Yui wore white kimonos and head-dresses.
“My dear husband, please take care of me for the rest of our lives.”
“Please take care of me as well. But, are you okay with this?”
“Yes. Back when I led my troops against Kanenaka, I was very worried and anxious. You saved me from this situation when you suddenly descended from the sky. I’m happy that I can now become your wife.”
Ryouko must have been very insecure and anxious as the family’s figurehead.
“I also felt very relieved at that time. After all, I cannot use any magic.”
The Hosokawa family, which has assisted the Akitsushima family for many generations, thrives on knowledge and education, but, in turn, it has had unusually few members capable of using magic.
I guess it means I came to their rescue just as they were worried they wouldn’t be able to repel Kanenaka, who excelled in the military arts.
“Then again, given my role, you were the only one treating me as a woman, Milord.”
With Ryouko being demanded to show generosity since she was a figurehead, Yuki had to occasionally steel her heart. Even now, she’s still respected by the retainers and residents, but they also fear her. This is probably also why you didn’t hear anything about a romantic relationship with Yuki.
“Therefore, I’m quite happy right now.”
“I see. So am I.”
In my eyes, Yuki is easy to talk to. She has been assisting me well.
“I’m just an extra to Ryouko-sama and Yuki-san.”
At some point, Yui had emerged as the third woman. But, I guess it’s no wonder, seeing how she’s the daughter of Matsunaga Hisahide, who not only is a magician and lord but also managed to survive the treacherous world of the central area.
“My father will be happy as long as Akitsushima Island becomes stable and continues to develop from now on. The child born to me is going to become the next head of the Matsunaga family, so he has been very strict in his demands to my future husband…”
Despite appearances, Hisahide is very doting on his daughter. Because of that, he set the bar very high for the husband of his darling daughter.
“At one point, Miyoshi Yoshitsugu-sama wished for me to become his wife, but Father turned him down.”
I wonder just how high his standards had been to reject a marriage with the child of his former lord.
“You being present at that time was a big help, Your Lordship. We are well aware of your circumstances that might make it hard for you to visit the island frequently. But, whenever you visit, the three of us will do our very best to welcome you warmly.”
I wonder whether there are many level-headed women like Yuki on Akitsushima Island.
“It’s not Earl Baumeister anymore, but Margrave Baumeister, huh? Oh well, whatever. One day I’ll overtake you and become the lord of this island!”
“Humph!”
“Master…that hurt.”
“We are in the middle of an important ceremonial occasion! Behave yourself!”
“Yes…”
Instead, there are many idiots among the men of this island?
That simpleton, Sou Yoshitoshi, showed up and got hit by Doushi’s fist for being rude. Behind him were the three delinquent girls.
“Having said that, I cannot win against my first obstacle, my master, at present!”
“Of course!”
I doubt a human capable of that has been born yet. I suppose Yoshitoshi and the three girls won’t think of anything stupid while Doushi is in good health.
“For now, you’ve been entrusted with the island, so we have splurged on the congratulatory gifts.”
That was no exaggeration either. Yoshitoshi and the three girls were carrying a huge load of gifts.
“Why are you guys so rich?”
“It’s because of the high demand for parrots!”
The former lords, whose only redeeming feature was their military arts, lost their purpose on Akitsushima Island after it became peaceful. Their talent as civil officials was unknown, so many of them moved over to the monster island, where Lulu used to live, trying to make a living like Yoshitoshi and the three delinquent girls. They were using their excess power to hunt monsters.
Nowadays, a new village has been built on the site where Lulu’s village stood. Yoshitoshi and the others spent their days there, training and going out on subjugations.
The feathers of the parrots, which inhabited the island in ridiculously large numbers, were so popular as material for making high-class clothes and beddings that even Lyra-san was buying them.
“You earned that much?”
“No matter how many we get, it’s never enough. And, no matter how many parrots we kill, they never run out!”
That monster domain is a paradise for parrots, after all. Since adventurers will have the tables turned on them if things go badly, Yoshitoshi’s group is probably valued highly for being able to hunt down many of those parrots.
“Okay, so you’ll be staying on that island for a while then?”
“Using the buildings of the old village is harsh. We’re going to build a new house since we have enough money.”
I’d say they’re doing pretty well to be able to build houses so suddenly.
“Well, the number of people living there has grown.”
“Hehehe, we’re going to accumulate riches on that island and use that to retake our home island one day.”
“I will raise plenty of children and then march on Akitsushima someday!”
“Be happy and spend your time peacefully while you still can!”
I understood everything from the statements of the three delinquent girls. At the same time, happiness welled up in me as well. I had never expected him to win over those three girls. Yoshitoshi is an idiot, but he might be an unexpectedly good guy.
“Wend, are you sure?”
“Isn’t it fine?”
Luise was worried, but as long as they say whatever they want to say like this, it’s going to be okay. If they really plan to start a rebellion, they wouldn’t be so open about it.
“His Highness is currently in the middle of business talks with Lyra-san?”
“So it seems.”
The three big shots, whom I introduced to Lyra-san, immediately went into action and are now talking about something with her while looking all serious.
At present, it’s popular to engage in private trade with the demons through independent routes in the Kingdom and Empire. Any high-ranking noble who didn’t get involved in this business at this point would be deemed a blockhead.
No matter how much the government struggled with the negotiations, noble territories are like independent countries. But the nobles belong to the Kingdom or Empire. Even if they do private trade with the demons, there are rules they must abide by.
It’s not like those rules are written down somewhere; if you import weapons, for example, you cannot complain if they’re interpreted as inciting insurrection. Actually, several noble houses requested weapons from demons, but it seems like the Kingdom immediately launched an investigation.
If they actually bought any, they’ll definitely lose their current peerage. Apparently, this happened to some noble families in the Empire, who tried to import weapons from the demons. Then again, it appears those nobles were tricked by the demons and only had their money stolen.
Lyra-san mentioned that, recently, shady demons had begun participating once the private trade with humans proved profitable.
Making a profit without being deceived is a part of your capability as a noble or royal.
“Wend, it’s about time.”
“Got it.”
At last, the Akitsushima-style wedding ceremony is going to start for real. Once the three brides and the groom showed up, a few dozen shrine maidens started to dance on the shrine’s ground to offer their respects to the gods.
“Ryouko, you’re not going to dance because you’re one of the brides?”
“I will show my dancing later, if you wish. It’s not like dancing is just a job to those shrine maidens.”
With the Akitsushima family serving as head priest, the shrines, which had been split up thus far, were reorganized under the Otsu shrine as the main shrine. The best shrine maidens gathered from all over the island, performing today’s dedication dance, but most of them were daughters of wealthy merchants, village chiefs, wealthy farmers, or former lords.
“Today, a festival is also being held in front of the shrine. Since the island has been unified, many people have gathered. It’s also an opportunity for the shrine maidens to show themselves off to the men.”
Shrines accept unmarried women as shrine maidens, and the women are taught many things while also being trained to become good wives. During festivals, those shrine maidens would be asked to dance. If a man saw one and took a liking to her, he could request a marriage interview with the shrine. If the woman agreed, they’d have a marriage interview, and if both gave their okay, it’d lead to a marriage.
“Even if the first wife is decided through political marriages, it often happens that men find a concubine or two in this setting.”
I guess that means it’s a chance for the women to become concubines to an influential lord. Many of the shrine maidens were pretty, and their dances were elegant and charming.
“Dear, do you see a girl who fancies you?”
“Hahaha, I just thought they’re pretty while watching them dance.”
Seriously…please spare me from getting any more wives.
Once the dedication dance ended, a priest offered a prayer and then had us do the three-times-three exchange of nuptial cups. This part closely resembled the ceremony between Erw and Haruka. But I guess that’s only natural since Haruka is from the same ethnic group.
“As of now, you four have become married in front of the gods.”
The wedding ceremonies held on Akitsushima Island, alongside the festival for the renovated shrine, were a huge success. The island’s residents rejoiced over the newfound peace and positively accepted their new ruler.
There is probably still a lot to do, but with this, the Baumeister Margraviate is fully set. I decided to do my best for a bit longer so I could quietly retire as soon as possible.
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Translation Notes:
