"The wedding is the day after tomorrow, but are you mentally prepared?"
In response to my question during the meeting at Manpukutei, where the ceremony would be held, Serna answered "yes" with a smile, but Anri was so rigid with tension that she didn't seem to hear my voice. If she was like this two days before, she'd be completely useless tomorrow. And on the actual day... her heart wouldn't stop, right? I was worrying about that, but when I shifted my gaze, Dad and Mom seemed to be thinking the same thing, wearing worried expressions.
"Let's do the meeting with Anri first, then let her rest until the actual day."
"That would be best. Even if she's one of the main characters of the wedding, the groom is just a supporting role for the bride, after all."
It seemed Dad had—something happen at his own wedding with Mom, so he didn't intend to demand much of the groom. Mom, sitting beside Dad, nodded as if she completely agreed.
After that, though it took some time, we managed to finish Anri's meeting. We sent her to a corner of the dining hall looking completely drained, then held Serna's meeting. That one took only a fraction of the time Anri's did, so overall we finished right on schedule.
"Anri's probably not moving today. Tenma, take her to her room."
"Sure."
Dad told me, so I offered my shoulder to the dazed Anri and led her to her room... but she was so out of it that rather than leaning on my shoulder, I was essentially carrying her. The moment we reached the room, I tossed her onto the bed. The futon was quite rumpled, but since Serna would be looking after her later anyway, I left it as-is and went back to Dad and the others.
"Dad, I left Anri in her room."
"Oh good. Then, Tenma — store this for me, will you?"
While I'd been taking Anri away, it seemed Dad had been steadily progressing with the cooking. He handed me the finished dishes, pot and all. I stored the pot in the Magic Bag and would plate everything properly on the wedding day.
"Having a Magic Bag really helps — we can prepare food days in advance, which makes the actual day so much easier."
Since we could save the finished dishes in the Magic Bag, all that remained on the day was to take them out and arrange them on plates, which meant we could move with much more breathing room. Of course, even if we could make all the food beforehand, some things needed to be added during plating, so it didn't completely free us from cooking. But still, having less work meant we could enjoy ourselves more.
"Well then, I'll head home for now. I'll come back tonight."
Saying that, I stepped out of Manpukutei and nearly bumped into a man standing outside the door. I gave a slight nod of apology, and he nodded back the same way, but he didn't enter Manpukutei — he simply walked away. It was suspicious behavior, but I decided he might just have wanted to see what the place looked like inside. Even so, when I turned back, sure enough, the man was gone.
"He didn't seem hostile... but I should keep an eye out, just in case."
Just to be safe, I went back into Manpukutei and reported to Dad, but he said such people showed up fairly often, so there was no need to worry too much.
I thought he might be a bit too optimistic, but Dad was a former adventurer who still trained regularly, so he said there was nothing to worry about.
"Well, most of Manpukutei's guests are adventurers, and regulars at that, so they're not going to be caught off guard easily."
When I returned to the mansion and told everyone, that's what Primera said. She was right, of course — I was just worrying too much. But Cain and Chris, grinning like idiots, got on my nerves a bit. And before I could do anything about it, they stopped grinning, so I couldn't even get back at them.
"If only Lion were here... I could take my frustration out on someone."
"That might be a bit much..."
Primera flinched slightly at my words, but Albert, Cain, and Amour all nodded, so my idea wasn't wrong... probably.
"Well, setting aside how to handle Lion, I'm planning to eat dinner at Manpukutei again tonight, so if you're planning to go out, come back early or meet us directly at Manpukutei."
With those words, the group dispersed. No one had any particular plans to go out, and they each moved about the mansion at their leisure. Incidentally, I was feeling a bit tired and planned to sleep, but for some reason Albert and Cain followed me all the way to my room. And in Cain's hand was a deck of cards...
"All right! Revolution!"
"AAAAAHHH!"
And just like that, a Daifugō tournament was held in my room. For the record, the one who triggered the revolution was Cain, and the ones who screamed were Chris and Amour.
"Hey, Albert. Without Lion here, we never know who Cain's going to target."
"Yeah, but that means the game gets more intense... fold."
Without Lion to be Cain's specific target, the question of who would finish last became more uncertain, resulting in a highly competitive game. Well, when we'd played before, not just Cain but Albert and I had also targeted Lion, so really the game had just returned to its original form.
The Daifugō tournament got heated, and before we knew it, it was time to head to Manpukutei. I never did manage to get to sleep, but playing had cleared my head and my fatigue seemed to have blown away.
"All's well that ends well, huh?"
"Hm? Did you say something?"
Amour seemed to have caught my muttering, but couldn't make it out clearly, so I dismissed it as nothing and headed for Manpukutei. Albert and the others were there, so the mansion servants had tried to prepare carriages, but since we'd all need to ride, it would require several. We decided to walk instead. Of course, with Grandpa and me there was no danger, but since some people might be dead drunk on the way back, we decided to stow them in Slarin's Dimension Bag.
"Manpukutei seems quieter than usual?"
Normally at dinner time, Manpukutei would be so loud with adventurers and guests that you could hear the commotion all the way out on the street. But today, there was none of that noise.
"There seem to be guests inside, so maybe it's just one of those times... but let's go in and check, shall we?"
Grandpa was right — once we went inside, there were about the usual number of guests, but most of them seemed to be probing for something.
"You finally made it! Tenma, get to the big room on the second floor right away!"
Dad, realizing I was the one who'd come in, pointed frantically toward the second floor.
"Before that, can you tell me what happened?"
"Yeah, right... to put it simply, Anri's two older brothers showed up separately, ran into each other here, and started arguing. Then Viscount Abyss showed up incognito, and now things are in a really awkward atmosphere."
Just hearing that made me want to turn around and go home. Well, I couldn't do that, of course.
"I really want to go home... but I guess I have no choice. Grandpa, Albert, Primera — come with me."
When I called the three of them, Grandpa and Albert nodded immediately, but Primera looked surprised — she hadn't expected her name to be called. Also, for some reason Amour, who'd been enthusiastically ready to go, looked equally surprised.
"Grandpa is my advisor, Albert is there to restrain Viscount Abyss if anything happens, and Primera is for Serna's sake."
"What about Anri?"
"Leave her alone. I'd honestly rather leave handling her two brothers to her... since she couldn't do it, things ended up in this weird atmosphere."
After explaining the roles I'd assigned, I mentioned Anri's name but made it clear from the start that I was ignoring her. Amour seemed satisfied with that, but the others looked like they had something to say.
"Just to be clear, this isn't because I hate Anri, or because he's a man and I'm being casual about it. This is Anri's side of the problem, and I just want Anri to take some responsibility."
As I explained my reasoning, I got a measure of understanding, but Chris, Albert, and Cain still seemed somewhat skeptical.
"Well, shall we head to the room where Serna and the others are?"
With heavy steps, we went to the second floor and stood before the room where Serna and the others were. A heavy, oppressive atmosphere seemed to spill out beyond the door. When I knocked and opened the inside, the air was even more suffocating than I'd expected, and I nearly reflexively slammed the door shut.
"Pleased to meet you, Viscount Abyss. I'm Tenma Ōtori — I'm the one who planned this wedding for Serna and Anri."
"Bonito von Abyss. Head of the Viscount house, which has served the Duke Sanga family for generations."
Entering the room, I greeted Viscount Abyss first. His reply gave me a somewhat difficult impression... but—
"It's been a while, Viscount Abyss."
"Oh! Primera-sama, it's been a while!"
When Primera greeted him, his previously stern expression completely transformed into a beaming smile. Incidentally, Albert had greeted him at nearly the same time, but... it seemed only Primera's figure and voice had registered in the Viscount's eyes and ears.
"That's how it is. I don't mind..."
While watching Primera and Viscount Abyss talk, I was about to call out to Albert, who looked somewhat lonely, when he spoke before I could.
"So, in the meantime... how is Serna doing?"
Among everyone in this room, Serna was probably the most objective person to talk to, so I more or less forced the question on her. Serna glanced at Anri once before speaking.
"First, Anri's eldest brother came and was talking in the dining hall, when the second brother showed up."
Based on what I'd heard beforehand, the eldest brother was on good terms with Anri but was disliked by their father. He worked at the Gloriosa Trading Company but wasn't recognized as the heir. The second brother was inferior to the eldest in terms of work, but was their father's favorite — the father had apparently told acquaintances that the second son was his heir. Furthermore, Anri and the eldest brother shared the same mother, but the second brother was a child the father had fathered with another woman, and had been taken in after his mother died when he was twelve or thirteen. Because of this background, the brothers didn't get along.
"On top of that, the second brother — who's seen as being on the father's side — showed up suddenly, so he got into an argument with the eldest. And then Viscount Abyss happened to arrive, so while it didn't quite come to blows, the atmosphere remained tense even after they moved locations..."
I'd expected Viscount Abyss to mediate or at least hear them out, but instead, he'd quietly come along with them to this room that Dad had hastily prepared and simply drank tea in silence until we — Primera, specifically — arrived.
"And so, Anri's brothers..."
"I'm Daniel."
"Falman."
The two, seated apart, immediately spoke their names. The eldest was Daniel, and the second son was Falman. When I asked each of them why they'd come to see Anri, Daniel said he'd heard Anri was getting married and had come to offer his congratulations before their father could, while Falman said he'd come to convince Anri to cancel the wedding. That was why the two had argued in the dining hall — once Daniel learned of Falman's purpose, it had devolved into "Go home!" and "Listen to what I have to say!"
"In that case, should we ask Falman to leave?"
From what I'd heard, Falman shared the same views as the father and had come to sabotage the wedding. I was about to suggest kicking him out and turned to confirm with Serna when, perhaps having heard my voice, Falman panicked.
"No! I mean — I did want to have the wedding cancelled, that's true, but I'm not opposed to their marriage! In fact, I want them to be happy!"
He started saying things completely at odds with his image up to that point. The rest of us — especially Daniel — were skeptical, when—
"I know it seems sudden, but what he's saying is genuine."
Viscount Abyss, who until then had been fawning all over Primera, finally returned to the composed manner he'd had when we first met and joined the conversation.
"I was skeptical at first too, but after hearing him out, I judged him to be a different kind of person than his father. And it was he who invited me here today."
The fact that Falman had called Viscount Abyss meant he might not actually be trying to sabotage the wedding after all. Daniel still seemed suspicious, but among us, Falman's image was gradually beginning to shift.
"Believe it or not, hear me out first."
After hearing his explanation, our impression of Falman changed completely — even Daniel, who'd been the most skeptical. And it was a story that surprised even Viscount Abyss, who'd heard it beforehand.
"To summarize: Falman is on Serna and Anri's side, and his reason for wanting to cancel the wedding was indeed for their benefit. However, separately from that, his actions were also motivated by his own agenda..."
"That's exactly right. I did have their best interests at heart, but it also would have interfered with my plan. However, I genuinely believed that holding the wedding after my plan was complete would be better for them."
It was true that if Falman's plan succeeded, the wedding after that would be better for Serna and Anri. And even if it failed, they'd just be back to the state of holding the wedding on their own. In fact, even in the event of failure, there was a high chance things would turn out well for the two of them. So either way, as Falman said, it was probably better to proceed after the plan had been carried out.
"Then Falman, let us join your plan as well. We'll hold the wedding first, and then — well, with some modifications, activate your plan afterward. That should improve the success rate compared to doing it alone."
Falman initially showed reluctance to my proposal, but as we talked in detail, he gradually became more enthusiastic. In the end, he bowed his head and said, "Please let me be part of this!"
And just like that, in an unexpected turn of events, Serna's side gained an ally, while the father's side had been reduced to virtually nothing.
---
— Near the entrance of Gunjou City —
"Finally, I'm here... Friends! I've returned!"
"Lion-sama, please refrain from shouting loudly late at night. It disturbs the people around you."
"Sorry..."
Lion, who had been completely subdued by her escort knight, apologized immediately and then bowed to the few people nearby.
The people around had recognized at a glance that Lion was nobility, so while they were startled by her sudden shout, none openly complained. And when Lion bowed, they merely returned a light nod. However, this only applied to the ordinary people nearby — the sentries at the gate immediately called for backup and approached Lion's group to investigate. But when the escort knight showed the crest of the Margrave's house and explained why they'd come to Gunjou City and why Lion had shouted, they were quickly released.
"Then let's head straight for the Duke Sanga estate. However, please keep the horses at a walk within the city. Understood, Lion-sama?"
"Y-yes..."
The gate soldiers, watching the noble adult being lectured like a child, felt a faint sympathy... for the knight doing the lecturing.
The escort knight, completely unaware that he was being pitied, led the way forward and they safely arrived at the Duke Sanga estate—
"Lion-sama, it appears Lord Albert and the others have gone out to eat. The mansion is empty."
"Good — then let's head where they're eating too!"
With that, Lion guessed that everyone would be at the "Manpukutei" that Tenma had mentioned before and set off—
"Lion-sama, it seems quite some time has passed since they left for dinner. If we go now, we might miss them entirely. What would you like to do?"
"That would be a problem... let's wait here a bit longer then."
Lion and her group waited outside for the others to return... but after about thirty minutes, Lion lost patience and declared they were heading to Manpukutei. The knights had no choice but to accompany her, but Lion had started walking ahead before they could even ask a servant for directions, so they hurried to catch up. Moreover, Lion didn't actually know exactly where Manpukutei was, so she ended up wasting considerable time asking a passing drunk for directions.
And to make matters worse, by the time they finally arrived, Manpukutei's dining hall was already closed, forcing them to turn around and head back to the Duke Sanga mansion. Lion's misfortune didn't stop there either — when they returned and asked the servants, they were told that no one had come back yet.
Lion had wondered if they hadn't been at Manpukutei after all, but it was simply that Tenma and the others had used the second-floor meeting room for their discussion with Serna and the others and had eaten there, so they hadn't been in the downstairs dining hall. In truth, Lion's intuition had been correct.
Lion proposed searching the city again, but the knights vetoed the idea, so she obediently had the servants prepare a room and waited there for the others to return.
Meanwhile, at Manpukutei, the dinner — or rather, the drinking party in the name of dinner — was still going strong, so it would be quite some time before anyone returned to the mansion...