novelAlta 193 – The Ex-Master’s Wedding – II
193 – The Ex-Master’s Wedding – II
193 – The Ex-Master’s Wedding – II
The main hall of the school had been converted to a banquet hall for the wedding. And it was there that Roxy and I headed back to after the ceremony was over.
While it would have been nice to just up and leave, Roxy had a lot of guests that had come a long way just to see her.
So, instead of bailing, we were seated in the middle table of the banquet hall for guests to come up and give blessings to.
It also meant we'd be here for a while, but Roxy seemed to be fine with it, so I'd just smile and nod.
And speaking of blessings...
"Congratulations on your marriage, Master! And congratulations to you too, Senior Brother!"
I had to do a double take when I heard those words. And then I did a triple take when I saw who it was. "Zanoba?"
I vaguely remembered him from Rudeus's memories. But... from what I remembered, he didn't look like this.
The Zanoba that Rudeus knew was thin and a bit pale. That was because he spent most of his time indoors making figurines.
But the Zanoba here...
The general appearance was the same. Bob-cut brown hair and glasses. But the 'vibe' was different.
If I had to sum it up... Zanoba was that super enthusiastic buddy who was way too hyperfixated on something.
The Zanoba here though looked like he spent a lot of time traveling and adventuring.
His face was a bit tan, and there were wrinkles around his eyes from smiling.
Also, instead of a mage, he was dressed more like a martial artist. Like, he had the whole flowing robe thing and everything.
"Hm?" Zanoba tilted his head and said, "Ah! Has Master already told you about me?" He smiled and adjusted his glasses. "As expected, Master has already predicted our meeting."
...I think it would have been obvious that I'd meet him here?
Wait, but Roxy didn't mention him yet?
I glanced over at Roxy.
Roxy blushed and said, "I forgot, okay?"
...Fair.
I definitely had been living rent-free inside Roxy's mind for a while now, haha.
"Regardless!" Zanoba held out his hand and said, "It is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance, Senior Brother!"
I shook his hand and said, "Likewise. Though... Senior Brother?"
Did an eastern devil from China or something possess this guy? Maybe a cursed artifact from Earth?
Zanoba nodded. "Of course!" He let go of my hand and then pulled out a worn book from his robes. "Since you are Master's first disciple, you are my Senior Brother." He flipped through it and then stopped on a page, holding it up to me. "See? Like this!"
I blinked and then stared at the book.
And when I did, I was confused.
Not because of the content. I figured that weird stuff could pop up in the world at any time due to the distortions. Some Chinese Martial Arts novels popping up didn't surprise me.
But what did was the fact that the handwriting there was definitely mine.
Well, mine in English.
The book was enchanted to let anyone read it though, bestowing its knowledge on the reader even if they didn't know English.
...Wait. I think I remembered seeing a picture of 'me' in a Chinese Martial Arts robe back in Laplace's empty castle.
Was this something from him?
Zanoba snapped the book shut and then slipped it back in his robes.
As he did though, I managed to catch the title.
...Yeah, sounds like me. Aha...
"In any case!" Zanoba placed his fist in his palm, saluting us. "May you two have everlasting happiness! ...Ah! And I hope you enjoyed the art pieces I made!"
Roxy nodded. "Thank you for that, Zanoba. Although..." She took a look around the banquet hall and let out a wry smile. "Did you have to do make so many?"
Statues of me and Roxy in various romantic poses.
Ballroom dancing, standing back to back, holding onto each other and staring with loving eyes...
The detail was insane. And apparently causing my new wife a great amount of embarrassment judging from her red face.
Zanoba patted his chest and said, "I put my heart and soul into making the perfect series for you, Master! Rest assured, these will go down in history commemorating your marriage until the end of time!"
"...Tch." Roxy muttered. "Why are your statues so hard to break?"
"Master?"
Roxy smiled. "Nothing. Thank you again, Zanoba."
Zanoba smiled. "Of course! Then I will leave you two for now!" With a wave, he wandered back into the crowd of guests.
When he did, I looked at Roxy and said, "Just how did you teach that guy, Roxy?"
It was a complete personality flip from how he was supposed to be.
I mean, Cliff was also a bit different, but at least the core of being a genius was there, but Zanoba here was acting like he stepped out of a martial arts movie.
Roxy sighed. "He was a bit too entertained by the miscellaneous stories in that training manual I gave him."
"It looks like it... And where did you get that thing anyway?"
Roxy shrugged. "I collected a lot of weird things when I was traveling as an Adventurer." She paused and said, "Did you need something in particular?"
"No. But if you found stuff like that..."
I rubbed my chin.
Was it worth doing some more dungeon clearing to see if there was something useful against Being W?
Food for thought.
But that aside...
"So Zanoba was that other student you were talking about?"
Roxy nodded. "Yes." She paused. "Well, there was technically another. But that lasted only a day after I found out how much of a lecher he was."
"...The guy's still alive, right?"
Roxy hummed. "I don't know about now since the time-space distortion happened. But he was definitely still alive when I came back to visit you in Buina village. A bit damaged, but still relatively healthy."
I raised an eyebrow. "...So the student takes after the master then."
"Pardon?" Roxy blinked. "What do you mean?"
"Nothing~."
Roxy narrowed her eyes.
Before she could say anything though, we had to deal with the next guests wishing us well.
This time, it was Dad, Mom, and Mama Lily.
Dad walked over and smiled. "Congrats, Kid. It's finally over."
I let out a sigh and said, "Yeah. Weddings are exhausting." I furrowed my brow and looked at Mom and Mama Lily. "Wait. Was that why we didn't have one for Mama Lily?"
Mom laughed and then poked Mama Lily. "Well, what do you say about that, Lily?"
Mama Lily blushed and said, "I-I still think that it would have been a waste of money. Besides, I was already pregnant, and we only needed the paperwork..."
My eyes widened. "You skipped the wedding because you thought it'd be too much money?!" I looked at Dad.
He held up his hands and said, "Hey, Kid. I'm not a genius like you who can pull gold out of thin air. Weddings are expensive."
I flung my hands up and said, "I figured out how to make gold when I was like five, Dad!"
Dad froze and then ran over to pinch my cheeks. "You brat! You should have told me then! Do you know how much math I had to do to balance our expenses!"
"Zen yu shudda askt!" I brushed off Dad's hands and glared at him. "Come on! I made a whole ass house and you didn't think to ask if I could make gems or something?"
"Of course not! Who in their right mind thinks you can pull gems out their ass just because they could build a house?!"
"It's basic alchemy!"
"What the hell is alchemy?!?!"
Mom, Mama Lily, and Roxy burst into laughter.
I felt my face heat up and then leaned back, crossing my arms.
Dad did the same thing and then clicked his tongue.
Mom smiled and then walked over to hug me and then hug Roxy. "Congratulations you two."
I smiled. "Thanks, Mom."
Roxy nodded. "Thank you as well, Zenny."
Mama Lily walked over and then patted my head. "I heard from Rika how you treated her." She looked over at Roxy and said, "Be gentler with Roxy, okay Rudy?"
"Wait, what?" My face felt like it was burning. "D-D-Did she... Are my wives talking about how I am in bed to you two?!"
Mom giggled and then walked over to ruffle my hair too. "That's a secret between ladies, Rudy."
Mama Lily let out an apologetic smile.
I let out a deep sigh and rubbed my hands in my face.
Dammit.
I already had to deal with the second-hand embarrassment of hearing my parents having sex throughout my childhood, and now they're hearing about how I do in the bedroom from my wives...
It wasn't like I had anything to be ashamed of really, but like...
Ew! That's so weird!
What the fuck?
Aaaahhhh.
Roxy frowned. "Wait." She looked at Mom and said, "What did Rudy do to Rika?"
Mom giggled and said, "It's more like what he-"
Mama Lily elbowed her.
"Ow!"
Mama Lily smiled and said, "It is a secret."
Roxy frowned.
Dad clapped his hands. "Alright. I think that's our cue to leave." After that, he grabbed Mom in a hug from behind and lifted her off the ground.
"Wha- Paul! Put me down this instant!"
"You're having too much fun, Zenny."
"Not enough! I want to talk more with my new daughter-in-law!"
Mama Lily sighed and started walking away with Dad. She looked back at us one more time and said, "Congratulations again you two."
And then we were alone again.
But not for long.
Immediately after they left, Norn, Aisha, and Stella showed up.
Norn ran over to me and placed a flower wreath on my head. "Congrats, Big Brother!" She ran around to Roxy and put one on her head too. "And congrats, Big Sister!"
Next, Aisha walked over and shyly held out a hand-stitched portrait of me and Roxy. "C-Congratulations you two. It's not much, but I'll wish the best for Rui and Big Sis."
Roxy let out a bright smile and gratefully took the gift from Aisha. "Thank you so much, Aisha. And thank you as well, Norn."
Norn gave Roxy a thumbs up and said, "Of course! You'll need all the luck you can get tonight!"
Stella gasped. "Onee-chan!"
"What?" Norn tilted her head. "It's true, isn't it? Rika and Eri sai- Mmmph!?"
Stella covered Norn's mouth and then looked over at me. "I'm tired of saying congrats to you, Onii-chan."
I nodded. "Fair."
"...So I'll say congrats to you." Stella turned towards Roxy and smiled. "Congratulations Roxy nee-chan! I'm looking forward to cute nieces and nephews!"
I chuckled and then let her lead me along. "Still getting used to it, Wife?"
Roxy blushed and said, "I'll get used to it eventually..."
Eventually, we arrived at a pair of double doors. And when Roxy opened them...
"Wow."
I looked around and couldn't help but be amazed.
An sky stretching out into the horizon. A natural spa at the bottom of a mountain.
A gazebo with a four-poster king-sized bed in the middle of it.
There was even a faint breeze blowing through with a nostalgic scent of the fields where I grew up.
Roxy lowered her head and then gazed at me from the side. "Do you like it?"
"I really do."
It was definitely nice having someone else go over the top with something cool like this.
And not only that, staring at everything around, I was inspired.
Although not quite a perfect comparison, what Roxy had here was basically a VR world transplanted into reality through magic.
Like the walls I saw earlier, everything here was artificial, created by mana shaped like matter. But it was so close that when it interacted with actual matter, it became real.
It was a bit hard to explain... but basically it was like the observer effect where seeing it as real MADE it real.
I didn't understand the logic behind it since it was clearly running off elaborately designed and meticulously inscribed magic formation formulae numbering in the billions and self-perpetuating.
But the principle on its own held plenty of merit.
It reminded me a lot of the 'miracle' that Cliff had managed to perform when reclaiming Millishion.
'Faith' was enough to force a phenomenon like that.
But from what I saw here, 'perception' was enough too.
If you could see something as something else, or if you could equate them in your mind, then it should be possible to perform something that was beyond ordinary common sense.
Hm...
This was definitely less complicated than trying to create an internal world from scratch complete with laws of existence, memorizing it, and then pulling it out into reality.
I'd still try that, of course. But this could be a useful shortcut...
"W-Well?"
I blinked and realized Roxy was staring at me.
Roxy turned a bright red and said, "D-Do I still have to teach you everything, Rudy?"
I laughed and then scooped Roxy up in my arms, walking over to the bed. "Of course not. And besides, in this field, I'll be teaching you."
Roxy looked embarrassed. But then she took a deep breath and reached around to hug my neck. "You talk too much." Giving me a quick kiss, she leaned back with her cheeks a bright red and said, "Show me instead."
I set her down on the bed and then began undoing the laces holding her dress behind her back. As I did, I kissed her neck and then whispered in her ear. "Be harsh on my grading, okay?"
Roxy reached up to cover her mouth and stifle a moan.
I laughed and then kissed her. And after that...
-LIV-
In the Magic Continent, while Rudy was taking a very 'hands on' final exam from Roxy, Pierre was investigating some strange areas that Rika had flagged with Paul.
Pierre took a look around, holding up the picture that the Survey Corps had taken. "...This seems to be the place."
Paul tapped the hilt of his sword and looked around. "This is where that weird monument's supposed to be?"
A giant crater in the ground, miles deep. In the center of it, a chunk of a castle peeked out, almost as if it had fallen from the sky.
Considering the warped geography of the Magic Continent after the space-time distortions, it wasn't *too* out of place.
But even so, it was odd.
Especially since Pierre didn't see any hints that it came from a distortion at all.
Paul looked at Pierre and said, "Should we just jump in then? Looks like there's an opening on the side of that wall."
Pierre stared at the castle for a bit and then nodded. "Seems like that's the only way. But be careful."
"Of course." Paul laughed and said, "Can't die before I see my grandkids. I wouldn't be able to live with the regret if I did."
"Well, yeah. You'd be dead."
Paul waved his hand. "You know what I mean."
Pierre rested his left hand on the sword sheathed at his right side and then jumped down.
A short fall, then a soft landing.
Right afterwards, Paul landed on the ground too, his right hand resting on the hilt of his sword sheathed on his left side. He took a quick look around and then said, "Looks like it's all clear."
Pierre nodded. "Seems that way."
The two carefully approached the castle, walking to cover each other's blind spots.
But nothing happened.
Even as they ventured into the darkness, there were no monsters, traps, or even mana.
Pierre frowned and muttered, "Strange. It's too quiet."
Paul nodded. "Yeah." He frowned too and scanned the area. "This place feels like it's a dungeon... but there's no mana or monsters. Is it a distortion?"
Pierre shook his head. "That's impossible. Orsted and I already corrected the flow of time, and any remaining distortions should have dissipated."
Paul carefully scanned the surroundings and said, "Doesn't that just mean that places like these will be popping up in the place of the distortions?"
Pierre hummed. "...A good theory. But it's not possible. The distortions substitute areas that already exist. They don't modify or create new areas. And besides that..." His eyes flashed gold as he examined the flow of the world around him and its 'destiny.'
If it was something from a distortion, or something unnatural, there would be cracks, or the surroundings would be colored an odd hue.
But everything here was normal. Even when looking at it with his Demon Eyes, it looked the same.
"...This place was always here."
That was the only conclusion. Something that had been here from the start, and only visible now that the forcibly distorted flow of time from Hitogami was fixed.
But the problem was that Pierre didn't know this place.
And he should, considering the number of variations he had seen.
Even if Rudy was an anomaly, the divergence point shouldn't be that far back. At least not far enough to affect something like this.
"Stay on your guard."
Paul nodded. "Don't have to tell me twice."
The castle was tilted, so it was a bit hard to walk. But as they ventured deeper across crumbling rooms, the floor gradually leveled out.
And then eventually, they arrived at what should have been a throne room, judging by the castle layout.
But instead of a throne, an ancient obelisk sat there.
Paul walked in front of it and frowned. "...This isn't the same as the tablet that Rika was talking about, is it?"
Pierre approached the obelisk as well and frowned. "...No."
It was dark, so the actual writing on the obelisk couldn't be read.
Pierre frowned and then swung his sword, sending out a ball of light.
It floated away and then hung in the air like a miniature sun.
Paul whistled and said, "Cool trick."
"It's useful, sometimes." Pierre gave an absentminded response and then stepped forward to read the ancient obelisk.
Paul walked over to look as well and then frowned. "Huh? This isn't Human language."
Pierre frowned. "...Yes. It's Dragon God Tongue."
An ancient monument in a hidden room, written in an ancient text that only he, Perugius, and Orsted could decipher in full.
That alone was suspicious. But when Pierre read what was actually written there...
-LIV-
My name is Laplace Ira Vanitas.
I am the fool who was concerned with appearances and lost everything, falling to wrath.
Let this be a record for the one after.
Killing Hitogami is easy, but as a god, he will persist.
We must remove that possibility.
Kill and bind.
Sever and tie.
I will guard the end. To you, I leave the beginning.
-LIV-
Paul looked over at Pierre and said, "What's it say?"
"...Something ridiculous."
Laplace Ira Vanitas?
Such a person didn't exist. And yet, they clearly did.
Moreover, that message...
Pierre shook his head. "It looks like that's it here."
"What?" Paul frowned and said, "You're not going to tell me what it says?"
"This is something that Being W would be very interested in knowing, so it's safer to restrict the number who know about it."
The obelisk specifically called Hitogami out by name. And it mentioned that killing him was easy...
...Who was that person? Another Rudy? But this place had to be eons old. If anything, it seemed to be at least around the age when the Dragon World fell. Maybe older.
Paul sighed and said, "Great." He ran his hand through his hair and said, "Guess we've all got our work cut out for us soon, huh?"
Pierre sighed. "It seems so. But at least Rudy can enjoy a few moments of happy married life?"
Paul swung his sword to open a portal back to the top of the crater. After that, he chuckled and said, "If he can. It's hard enough to live with two beauties. Four... Can't even imagine it."
Pierre swung his sword to open a portal as well and then said, "Please. I know you've thought about it."
Paul shrugged. "Yeah. But then I considered the implications of living such an immoral life and changed my mind."
"Right..."
"Hey! I'm a faithful man!"
Pierre chuckled and then stepped through the portal.
Paul stepped through his own portal, and the two reappeared at the edge of the crater.
Pierre glanced at the castle one more time before saying, "I'll report to Rika. Thanks again for the backup."
Paul waved his hand. "Just invite me out for a drink next time. We'll let the girls have a night out and unwind."
"Deal."
Paul waved and then said, "I'll head back then." He stifled a yawn and then said, "Gotta get in some rest before Zenny and Lily notice and yell at me."
"Please. You purposefully get them mad because you like being scolded."
"Meh." Paul shrugged. "We all have our tastes."
"...Good night."
Paul laughed and then swung his sword to open another portal back to Sharia. After that, he waved one more time at Pierre and said, "Don't stay out too long. Lina gets scary when she's mad too, you know?"
With those parting words, Paul left.
After that, Pierre turned to look at the castle one last time before muttering, "Kill and bind, huh?" He rubbed his chin and said, "Looks like we'll need some help from that time as well if we want to wrap this up..."
Well, that was a problem for Rudy.
Anyway, now to report to Rika...