Chapter 85: An Eternal Oath
It was an hour after the battle.
Megumin and I stood in front of each other. My digestive tracks are still jumbled and Megumin's arm still swings lifelessly beside her. We were healed just enough to get us from 'barely alive' to 'just dying' because it's time to make our vow.
Aqua stood beside us, her divine aura shining forth to the entire audience. For our wedding today, it's not Aqua the Archpriest who's going to solemnize this wedding. It is the goddess of Water and the Neo Axis Order who's going to solemnize this wedding.
"So, the loser has to do what the winner says, right?"
"Right,"
"Then I want you to take my hand and accompany me in this wonderful world, to be by my side through thick in thin in our lives of adventuring, to stay beside me in the days beyond and everything that follows after."
"It's not like I have a choice, do I? Besides…"
Megumin gave me a sweet smile.
"You were right, I was holding back,"
Then, Aqua began to speak.
"Do you, Archwizard Megumin, take Satou Kazuma, to be your wedded husband? Will you promise to love him, comfort him, and stay beside him through sickness and health? Will you spend your life together with him until the rest of your days?"
"I do,"
"Do you, Adventurer Satou Kazuma, take Megumin of the Crimson Demon, to be your wedded wife? Will you promise to love her, comfort her, and stay beside her through sickness and health? Will you spend your life together with her until the rest of your days?"
"I do,"
"You may begin the exchanging of rings,"
Right, ring first, then kiss…
"To be honest, I was so caught up in preparing our showdown that I completely forgot about the sequence of wedding events so…" I took out a small box. "I'm just going to assume that I'm supposed to give this to you now."
Megumin took one look at the box and smirked.
"It's better be good,"
"Could be good, but I'd damned if it wasn't the most expensive thing I've ever bought," I opened the box, revealing a beautiful red ring with black streaks. "Pure Coronite Diamond carved with adamantite manatite alloy, because you certainly don't have enough fire power with you,"
I grabbed her wounded arm and slipped the ring to it. The ring glows a little with power and her arm mended itself. It wasn't a smooth process since she gritted teeth a little, but it returned back to new soon after.
Then, Megumin helped me wear a similar ring. Just like that, I felt my insides being turned inside out before finally a powerful soothing sensation washed through my body.
"I now pronounce you, Husband and Wife. You may now kiss the bride," Aqua said.
After that, I grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her into a deep kiss. The cheers from the audience was quite deafening. There were no seats or formalities whatsoever, the guests for this event are literally adventurers and monsters.
We kissed for like half a minute before letting go.
"By my divinity of the Goddess of Water and Neo Axis Order, I hereby bless thy marriage. May your love triumph over all obstacle and all the hardships you might face ahead of you."
A flash of holy light washed over us. A warm sensation spread all over my body and I felt mine and Megumin's heart beat as one.
---
I looked at the crowds and took a deep breath to calm myself. On my right, Megumin is holding her microphone like lifeline. It's her first time singing and Aqua just drilled the lyrics into her head for only thirty minutes before the show starts.
You see, after the vow, Megumin challenged me, saying that I haven't give her my demand. She said that simply asking me to marry her was just a cheap way out of it. I took up her challenge and now she regretted ever making that bet.
"Are you ready everyone!?" Aqua yelled on my left. Behind her is the Darkness who's going to replace Megumin as the drummer, and Yunyun who's going to play the keyboard. Darkness doesn't really have a Bard skill, but with Aqua's Puppet Orchestra, she can make Darkness play as long as she doesn't resist.
By the way, Darkness has the highest magic resistance in this party, so… This might just crash and burn.
"Alright, one, two, three!"
The spotlight swept across the crowds. And we started the music.
Together we fought through all the pain and joy
Even if misery fell upon us once again
And the flowers bloomed, in the cold snow
It'll be ok, I'll be with you, That's a promise forever.
My heart beats, in this beautiful Melody
Our heart beats, in this beautiful Symphony
In this place, the witness of our magic
We will shake someone, at least one milli, but it will be forever.
Let's run, with our heart together
Let's search for that infinite rainbow
Under this bright blue sky, bless this amazing world even more!
A wish someday it becomes Emotion
A truth that always leads to a Question
It still continues, in our adventure,
In this wonderful blessed world
I don't want to give up if it's just a dream
I am not even afraid of getting hurt at all
And the flowers bloomed, they learned our love
It'll be ok, it's right here, I am looking every day.
The blue sky, it sings of our Melody
Together, we aim for the perfect Wonderland
And the hope, we want to protect forever
We will move tomorrow, even if it was, only for a milli
Run forth despite our weakness
I found the only one Starlight
But it's so fragile, you see? Let that future have more passion!
In the maze we find a station
In the dark we find the Solution
How far really, can we go?
In this forsaken, sinful world!
Megumin stopped for the musical transition and simply watched with wide eyes as the crowds kept cheering her name. From the rowdy adventurers, the weird and powerful crimson demons, to even the monsters scattered in the crowds.
She then looked at me, beaming with that precious smile of hers. Even I who has spent almost my entire life in this world with her couldn't help but fall in love with her again.
The mistress of destruction, the girl with a screw loose, the explosion loli, the strongest member of Fantastic Dreamers, the unstoppable force, the most powerful Crimson Demon, and my dearest wife.
Megumin…
My heart beats, spreading this melody
And through it, I reason with my sympathy
The path you choose, the path you have drawn for us,
It will shake someone, at least one milli, but it will be forever.
Let's run with our heart together
Let's make an invincible Potion
It's such a perfect brew, bless this amazing world even more!
A wish someday it becomes Emotion
A truth that always leads to a Question
It continues, in our adventure,
In this wonderful, blessed world!
In this wonderful, blessed world…