"Heh heh heh~"
Kurose Akira hummed to himself as he prepared a cup of coffee.
He had just taken a sip when the teleportation array suddenly flared with dazzling light.
A moment later, Ivsha stepped lightly out of the glow.
"Mr. Akira! Where are you?"
The first thing she did upon entering the guild was look for him.
The moment she spotted him sitting on the sofa, she immediately walked over with a bright smile.
"Mr. Akira! I have good news!"
"Good news?"
Akira set down his coffee cup and asked, "What kind of good news?"
"It's from the Holy Church of Light~" Ivsha naturally sat down on his lap as she continued, "Sister Kelly said our church has been awarded the title of the best church in the Star Kingdom district this year! We'll be allocated a nice sum of funds! Though… it's only ten silver coins~"
"Only ten silver coins? The Church of Light is really stingy!" Akira couldn't help but complain on her behalf.
This was the best church in the Star Kingdom district!
And they only gave ten silver coins?
That was even less than what Ivsha earned in a single day as an adventurer in the guild!
"Who was just speaking ill of the Church of Light?"
Suddenly, the teleportation array lit up again. Lucia stepped out gracefully, her gaze locking directly onto Akira.
You.
You seem insufficiently loyal to the Church of Light.
"Cough, cough~ Talk about timing!"
Akira coughed twice, quickly averting his gaze.
"The funds aren't the important part~" Ivsha hurriedly smoothed things over. "What matters is that the Church of Light will send a Saintess to inspect us, along with official certification. It means the church in Blue Moon Town has finally received recognition from His Holiness the Pope."
"I see." Akira listened carefully, then shifted his gaze toward Lucia.
He couldn't help but wonder—was this all her doing?
"Why are you looking at me?" Lucia cast him a cool glance, then picked up the coffee on the table and took a sip.
Her delicate brows furrowed slightly. Then her golden-red eyes turned toward him as she said, "Did you forget the sugar? It's bitter."
"No, I added two cubes." Akira shook his head.
"Two cubes? Why is it still so bitter?" Lucia seemed puzzled and took another sip.
The bitterness still lingered. In the end, she simply blamed the coffee beans.
Akira didn't dwell on it. Instead, he turned to Ivsha.
"Ivsha, could you call everyone out? I have something to tell you all."
"Of course, Mr. Akira~"
Ivsha nodded gently and walked toward the rooms where Alice and the others were staying.
"Alice~ Viro~ time to wake up~"
"Is it something you need to tell everyone in person?" Lucia took Ivsha's place and sat beside Akira.
"Yeah, I'll tell you in a moment." Akira nodded, intending to wait until everyone had gathered.
Seeing this, Lucia pinched the back of his hand lightly and whispered, "Tell me now."
"Alright, alright! I'll tell you first."
Unable to resist her insistence, Akira said, "I'm going to attend a wedding tomorrow."
"Whose wedding?" Lucia pressed.
"Mine," Akira replied casually.
"Yours?"
Lucia fell silent for a moment.
Then, very quickly, she asked, "You picked up another strange commission, didn't you?"
"Sigh~ I really can't hide anything from you." Akira smiled helplessly. As expected, nothing could be concealed from the Pope.
"Explain."
Lucia crossed her legs, her golden-red eyes studying him intently. "What kind of wedding is it, and what role are you playing?"
"I'm the groom," Akira answered with a smile, his right arm naturally wrapping around her slender waist.
"The groom?" Lucia immediately said, "Decline this commission. Now."
Her tone was resolute—leaving no room for argument.
"Wait!" Akira quickly added, "Don't you want to hear who the bride is?"
"Who!?"
"Vivian."
"Vivian?" Lucia narrowed her eyes slightly, lowering her gaze as she murmured, "It seems the Star Kingdom has reached the end of its road."
"???"
Akira's eyes widened instantly.
Sure, the Star Kingdom was the weakest of the three human kingdoms, but surely it wasn't so fragile that—
…Well.
Actually, considering Lucia was the Pope of the Church of Light…
Even in its fragmented state, at least a third of the Church still obeyed her.
That alone would be enough to wipe the current Star Kingdom off the map.
"Just listen to me first!"
Akira quickly explained, "Princess Vivian is only the nominal bride. The real bride isn't her—it's someone else."
"Someone else?"
"Yeah." Akira nodded. "It's a commission from the Rose Duchess. She wants to use a fake wedding to resolve the internal turmoil of the Star Kingdom. So both the groom and bride will be members of our guild."
"You're saying the bride is from our guild?" Lucia's interest was instantly piqued. She stared at him without blinking, as if some idea had just taken root.
"Technically, yes—but the candidate has already been decided." Although Akira didn't fully grasp her thoughts, he sensed something unusual in her emotions and quickly added, "Ivsha will be the bride. You know, this was all Edith's—"
Before he could finish, Lucia cut him off.
"You're saying this was Edith's decision?" she asked coldly.
As she spoke, a golden magic circle began to form beneath her feet, glowing brighter by the second.
"Wait—what are you doing? Lucia!"
Before Akira could finish his sentence, both of them vanished instantly.
When he opened his eyes again, they were already in the living room of the Rose Manor.
Across from them, Edith sat on a sofa, legs crossed, leisurely sipping tea.
As if she had anticipated their arrival, she elegantly set down her teacup and asked, "What brings you here?"
Lucia stepped forward without hesitation, locking eyes with Edith.
"I hear you're planning a fake wedding?"
"Yes."
Edith didn't bother hiding it. After briefly glancing at Akira, she said to Lucia, "The Star Kingdom needs a joyous occasion to cleanse its unrest. This is a political maneuver. According to our agreement, the Sun Theocracy has no authority to interfere."
"The Sun Theocracy won't interfere," Lucia replied coldly. "But right now, I'm speaking to you as a member of the Puff Fantasy Guild."
Her stance was firm—utterly unyielding.
"As an adventurer, you say?" Edith smiled with mild amusement. "Then what is your request?"
"I will play the role of the bride."
"Everything else is negotiable. That is not."
"This matter must be handled by me—"
Back and forth, Lucia and Edith argued, neither willing to give ground.
Akira didn't even attempt to intervene.
This was no longer a battlefield a mere mortal like him could step into.
Still, Lucia was one of the very few who could give Edith a headache.
Even if Edith supported Vivian in becoming the ruler of the Star Kingdom, she still couldn't confront Lucia head-on.
Seeing no end to their argument, Akira simply sat down on the sofa and found something to occupy himself.
He took a sip of the tea—it was slightly bitter.
Then his gaze shifted to the plate of desserts in front of Edith.
While her attention was completely on Lucia, he stealthily grabbed a piece and took a bite.
Instant regret.
Why was it so sweet!?
Bitter tea paired with an ultra-sweet cake—Edith's taste in food was… truly peculiar.
"Guildmaster!"
Suddenly—
The topic shifted to Akira.
Both women turned to look at him simultaneously.
"Huh?"
Akira wiped the cream from the corner of his mouth. "What's up?"
"We've come up with a compromise," Edith explained. "Would you be interested in marrying two princesses at once?"
"…Huh?"
Akira froze, momentarily unable to process what she meant.
"In the Star Kingdom, there are many rules regarding marriage," Edith continued. "Although it is officially monogamous, those with Star Blood—the royal lineage—are permitted multiple wives to preserve the purity of their bloodline. Only children with Star Blood are eligible to inherit the power of the stars."
"So, the more wives, the better."
"I understand the logic," Akira replied. "But isn't Vivian supposed to be the king? Would the people of the Star Kingdom really accept their ruler—"
"They would," Edith said confidently, folding her arms. "For a simple reason."
"Because you also possess Star Blood."
"I…"
"Remember this," Edith added. "The Star Kingdom worships the stars—not royal families. I don't know where your star power comes from, but if you're willing, I could even support you in becoming king."
"Me? A king?"
Akira felt a flicker of temptation.
But only a flicker.
If it actually came down to it, he'd definitely back out.
"Ahem—"
He cleared his throat. "So what exactly is your proposal?"
"Catherine, the second princess of the Star Kingdom, has been prepared since birth to devote herself to the kingdom," Edith said, elegantly lifting her teacup. "I believe she would be willing to become your 'wife.'"
"You mean… marry two at once?"
Akira instantly grasped her meaning, though he was still surprised this was the outcome of their argument.
Two princesses, all at once?
…Ahem.
"I don't mind. It depends on whether you do," Edith said with a casual shrug, taking a sip of tea as she waited for his answer.
"Well…"
Akira glanced at Lucia.
Her expression was calm, but there was a faint trace of anticipation in her eyes.
He shrugged. "I don't mind either."
"Good. However…" Edith nodded slightly, then looked at Lucia. "I only have one ring. The second will have to be prepared by the Church of Light."
"That won't be necessary for you to worry about," Lucia replied coolly. "I will prepare everything."
Yet, at that moment, a faint, almost imperceptible smile flickered across her exquisite face.
"Since that's settled, we'll head back," Akira said, activating his spatial ring. "See you tomorrow."
"Mm~"
As his words fell, Akira and Lucia disappeared from the Rose Manor.
The moment they left, the entire manor changed dramatically.
The once-luxurious estate instantly transformed into a dark abyss.
The furniture twisted into crimson flesh, as if the entire building existed within the body of some monstrous being.
Edith slowly stood and spoke into the air, "I need your power."
A strange voice echoed from all directions:
"Offer—his life force."
...
After returning to the guild, Akira and Lucia informed everyone about the wedding.
"R-Really? Master, you're getting married?"
"Married? Human, who are you marrying? Me?"
"M-Marriage!? That's not allowed! We—"
The guild erupted into chaos at the news.
Only Lucia, Loserine, and Ivsha—who already knew—remained calm.
"Ahem~" Akira cleared his throat. "Don't misunderstand. This is just a commission. It's a fake wedding."
"A fake one?"
Alice and the others exchanged confused glances.
"Simply put, you'll all accompany me to the venue tomorrow. The 'brides' are Ivsha and Lucia," Akira explained.
"Oh… so it's with Sister Ivsha and Sister Lucia?"
"Tch~ boring!"
"A fake wedding? Viro doesn't understand…"
They more or less grasped the situation—it was just a mission, not a real marriage.
"Alright, I'm heading out for a bit. Stay in the guild and behave, okay?" Akira said with a smile.
"Okay~"
He then opened the chat interface and searched for Xu Feiyan.
Today, he needed to deliver the Key of Moonlight Truth to the Crescent Priestess.
But…
"Huh? Feiyan isn't online?"
Her avatar was greyed out.
That meant she hadn't logged into the game.
But it had already been six or seven hours since she went to sleep—she should have been awake by now.
Frowning, Akira decided to temporarily exit the game to check.
The moment he took off his VR headset, he was startled to find Xu Feiyan lying on her side beside him, quietly admiring his face.
"Feiyan!?"
"I—I!?"
Her eyes widened in surprise as she quickly pulled back. "I just woke up…"
"I… see?" Akira smiled faintly.
"Let's log in. We need to head to the Moonlight Summit."