"An adventurer?"
Hearing Idess's answer, Kurose Akira's expression turned a little strange.
An angel fallen from the divine realm?
An angel…
That shouldn't have anything to do with Liu Xue's adventurer, right?
After all, Liu Xue's adventurer was only a half-angel—not a true angel…
"You're the last one. Hurry and choose."
Seeing Akira spacing out, Idess immediately reminded him.
At that moment, only one feather remained out of the four.
"Do I even have a choice left?" Akira chuckled, picking up the final feather in his hand.
"Since you've all chosen, inject your magic into the feather," Idess instructed the four of them. "The one containing the Truth of Light will shine with a dazzling golden glow."
Following her instructions, everyone began channeling their magic into their feathers.
Katrin went first—but her feather showed no change at all.
Next was Ivsha. Still, just as Idess had described, there was no golden radiance.
Naturally, their gazes shifted toward Roxia.
They watched as she slowly raised her feather. Golden magic, delicate as drifting willow threads, flowed steadily into it.
And then—
The feather began to glow.
A brilliant, radiant gold.
"It seems Miss Roxia's feather is the real one," Ivsha said with a soft smile.
"So beautiful… that gold…" Katrin murmured in awe. She had never seen such a dazzling hue before.
Akira felt happy for Roxia as well.
But Idess remained calm—too calm. There was even a trace of surprise in her eyes, subtle enough that most wouldn't notice.
"So mine is just an ordinary angel feather, huh?"
Akira smiled and infused his own magic into the feather.
But in the very instant his magic entered it—
The feather erupted in golden light.
Though not as brilliant as Roxia's, it was still unmistakable proof that it contained the Truth of Light.
"What's going on?"
Confusion spread across everyone's faces as they all turned toward Idess.
Wasn't there supposed to be only one feather with the Truth of Light?
Then why…
As for this unexpected result, Idess merely gave a perfunctory reply, "Perhaps I remembered wrong~ Just consider these two feathers as my wedding gift to you. Don't disappoint each other."
"…Thank you."
Akira couldn't shake his suspicion.
Idess had always been meticulous and cautious—someone who would never misremember something like this.
And yet this time…
There was only one plausible explanation.
Among the four feathers, only one truly contained the Truth of Light.
But between him and Roxia… one of them possessed magic that inherently carried the Truth of Light.
And that person—
It definitely wasn't him.
Which meant it could only be Roxia.
As the Pope of the Holy Light Church, possessing the Truth of Light didn't seem entirely unreasonable… right?
Or perhaps… it was unreasonable.
Because in this magical continent, any being whose power was rooted in "Truth" was called a Witch.
As the Pope of the Holy Light Church, Roxia's power should come from the Light's bestowed authority—the power of divine laws—not the Truth of Light itself.
After all, the power of Truth came from witches—beings who pursued truth with obsession, madness, and even the audacity to peer into it.
It was not something willingly granted by the laws to their followers.
Simply put—
Believers gained power through faith, receiving blessings from the laws.
Witches, on the other hand, dissected truth through their own ideology, forcibly seizing its power.
Their strength was not recognized by Truth—it was stolen.
But Akira knew one thing for certain.
There was no way Roxia could be a witch.
And the Holy Light Church would never allow a witch to ascend to the position of Pope.
Which left only one possibility…
Her power might originate from a witch.
Just as that thought formed—
Idess's voice cut through his train of thought.
"Alright~ Time's almost up. We should begin preparing for the wedding."
She clapped her hands, drawing Akira's attention.
"Huh? Didn't we just play a small game?"
Akira froze in disbelief.
He clearly remembered it being midnight just moments ago. They had only played a brief game—how could…
But when he turned to look outside the window—
The sky was already glowing faintly with dawn.
The time… was 6:30 in the morning.
"What the hell…?"
Akira muttered under his breath, his mind struggling to process it.
They had just picked a feather…
How could six or seven hours have passed in an instant?
What exactly happened?
He glanced at Roxia.
Her expression remained as calm as ever.
Meanwhile, Ivsha and Katrin looked just as shocked as he felt, clearly disturbed by the sudden passage of time.
But before he could question Idess—
Noise erupted from outside the Rose Manor.
"Lady Idess, it's time."
Mary's voice came from beyond the door.
"Let's go~"
Idess stood, her cool gaze brushing over Akira as she spoke softly,
"This wedding must be witnessed by all the people of the Star Kingdom. Their king will lead them to embrace the stars."
Gulp.
Akira swallowed.
For some reason, it felt like he was participating in something monumental—a revolution, even.
Though he barely understood what was going on…
It didn't feel bad.
Soon, Idess led them to the palace of the Star Kingdom.
Since the previous war hadn't reached the main hall, the ceremony would be held there.
Akira glanced around.
Even at 6:30 in the morning, thousands had already gathered outside the main hall.
And these were only the citizens of the Star Kingdom.
Envoys from dozens of other nations had yet to arrive.
By the time everyone assembled, the crowd would likely exceed ten thousand.
"Get inside quickly. You'll come out when the time is right."
Idess urged them forward—they couldn't appear before the public just yet.
So Akira entered a waiting room inside the main hall along with Roxia and Ivsha.
But at that moment—
He pulled off a perfect "bug exploit."
As a player, he had access to one-click outfit switching.
He saved his formal attire, swapped into casual clothes, and quietly slipped out of the room.
As for Roxia and Ivsha—they had no such luxury. They could only wait for the ceremony to begin.
Once outside, Akira saw Idess surrounded by a group of people.
Yet, for some reason, everyone deliberately kept their distance from her—at least three meters away.
Technically, Idess wasn't supposed to be the host of this wedding.
But with the Star King dead, and Princess Vivian's mother being a Night Witch, circumstances had shifted.
Thus, Idess—elder sister of the groom—and Katrin's biological mother had taken on the role of hosts.
As for Katrin's mother…
Akira glanced toward a middle-aged woman in the distance, surrounded by nobles of the Star Kingdom.
He remembered Idess mentioning that Katrin's mother was merely the daughter of a noble family—not royalty.
As for why the late Star King chose her…
It was said to be because of a prophecy.
What exactly that prophecy entailed was unclear, though it apparently had something to do with Katrin.
Even Idess only knew fragments.
Elsewhere, Akira spotted Prince Telles and Prince Laps.
Their expressions were dark—clearly displeased with the wedding.
Compared to Laps, who wore his anger openly, Telles concealed his emotions well, maintaining his usual cold, debt-collector-like expression.
"…Him."
Akira suddenly noticed something off about Prince Laps.
His face looked pale.
Almost like… he had lost too much blood.
Could it be that the vampire he kept couldn't sustain itself anymore?
Just as Akira was carefully observing his suspicious enemies—
A slender, snow-white hand rested gently on his shoulder.
At the same time, a voice like a nightingale's song whispered by his ear,
"Hey~ what are you looking at?"
"!"
Startled, Akira spun around.
His brows lifted slightly in surprise.
"Saint Winnesha? What are you doing here? Don't tell me—you're the envoy from the Holy Light Church?"
"That's right~" Winnesha replied with a cheerful smile. "But I'm not the only one here. Her Holiness is coming too~"
"The Pope!?"
Akira froze.
Did that mean…
Roxia's true body and her avatar were both in the Star Kingdom!?
"Where is she?" he asked, scanning the surroundings.
"I arrived first. Her Holiness and the delegation will be here shortly," Winnesha explained.
"I see."
Akira nodded thoughtfully, casually glancing at her.
This saint really did stick close to Roxia's true body…
"By the way, were you invited to the wedding too?" Winnesha suddenly asked.
"Yeah," Akira answered without hesitation, his tone utterly sincere.
"Huh… I thought you were the groom," she said casually.
That single sentence instantly made Akira's expression turn grave.
She… just guessed that, right?
Just as the atmosphere grew quiet—
Suddenly, everyone's attention shifted in the same direction.
"What's going on?"
Curious, Akira followed their gaze.
In the distance—
Brilliant starlight shimmered in the air.
And faintly, as if carried on the wind, came a melodious, enchanting song.
This spectacle…
The Elf Queen had arrived.
No sooner had the thought formed than a Star Knight rushed over to Idess, breathless.
"Elves! The Elf Queen herself has arrived!"
The crowd erupted instantly.
"The Elf Queen is here!?"
"She didn't even attend the old Star King's wedding—why is she here now?"
"She wasn't even present at the Light Pope's coronation! And yet she came today?"
"Is this the Rose Duchess's influence? No wonder even the old Star King feared her!"
"A terrifying woman… With this many cards in her hand, who in the Star Kingdom could restrain her now?"
"Shh! Keep your voice down—Prince Telles is listening!"
"…"
"The Queen herself, huh…" Idess murmured, visibly surprised.
She stepped forward to greet her.
The moment they met, the Elf Queen spoke first,
"Rose Duchess, the Elf Kingdom has come in response to your invitation, to offer congratulations on the Star King's wedding."
"Your Majesty, welcome," Idess replied immediately.
Meanwhile, hidden among the crowd, Prince Laps was practically seething—veins bulging across his forehead.
"Damn it! Why is the Elf Queen here personally? Then my plan—"
Before he could finish, Prince Telles's voice echoed in his mind.
"Today, you will not cause trouble."
"If we don't act now, we'll never get another chance!" Laps shot back through mental transmission, teeth clenched.
In recent times, the expansion of the Rose Territory had severely threatened their survival.
They had once believed that by joining forces, they could crush it completely.
Instead, no matter the battlefield, they were the ones at a disadvantage.
Even when they held superiority in numbers and equipment—
Defeat still followed.
Only a handful of battles had ended in victory.
At one point, Laps had even suspected faulty intelligence.
But the reality was undeniable.
In just one month, a third of his territory had been seized.
Telles had suffered fewer losses, but defeat still outweighed victory.
If they wanted to win—
This was their only chance.
But Telles gave no reply.
He simply remained silent.
"So he's planning to sabotage things, huh…"
Akira narrowed his eyes.
The vampire-infested prince had long since lost his sanity.
It just hadn't erupted yet.
"Hey! You jerk! I knew you'd be here!"
Suddenly—
Someone slapped Akira's left shoulder again.
He turned—
It was Princess Elena of the elves.
"You came with the Elf Queen too?" Akira asked.
"Of course~" Elena nodded, then shifted her gaze to Winnesha beside him.
As an elven princess with access to the elven intelligence network, she naturally knew who Winnesha was.
"Oh~?" Elena crossed her arms, her tone playful as she said to Winnesha,
"Isn't this the Holy Light Church's saint? What are you doing next to my man?"
"?"
Akira hadn't even processed it yet.
"Your man?"
Winnesha looked at him, puzzled. After a brief pause, she replied to Elena,
"I wasn't aware you had that kind of relationship."
Akira's expression stiffened.
At this rate… he was definitely going to die someday.
"Relax, I'm joking~"
Elena waved her hand with a light laugh, continuing,
"With his status, how could someone like me ever reach him?"
Surprisingly, Winnesha seemed to share a strange sense of mutual understanding.
"Fair point," she agreed.
Akira: "?"
His expression grew complicated.
These two… their words definitely had layers.
But today was his wedding day.
So, in a rare show of generosity—
He decided to forgive them.