Chapter 992: Chapter 992: I Want Them All! (Finale)
A full moon hung high in the sky outside the palace. Bathed in its light, the interior seemed veiled in a thin layer of gauze, casting the entire hall in a soft, hazy glow.
The guest seats were almost completely filled, yet at the main seat of honor sat only Meteria.
The groom of this wedding had already taken his place.
Bell had been inside the venue from early on, making preparations.
Under normal circumstances, this should have been the moment when Bell entered together with the bride. However, considering that there was more than one bride, that arrangement was scrapped. Bell had no intention of letting his wedding instantly turn into some inexplicable battlefield.
At this moment, Bell felt a faint but undeniable nervousness. This was his first time facing marriage.
His first wedding across two lifetimes, with absolutely no experience to draw from. He honestly had no idea what he was supposed to be doing right now.
"Bad boy, feeling nervous?"
Meteria, seated at the main position, immediately noticed the tension her child was trying to hide.
"...Mother, if you didn’t say anything, I might actually be able to calm down."
Bell frowned slightly. Hearing his mother’s amused chuckle only made him even more tense.
"Oh, come on. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Everyone’s nervous at the start."
Meteria comforted her naughty child with complete ease.
That made Bell feel a bit conflicted, and he leaned closer to whisper a reminder.
"Mother, don’t say it like you’re experienced. My birth was entirely your own doing. You’ve never taken part in a wedding."
"So what if I didn’t personally take part?" Meteria snorted softly. "When I was a ’World,’ I personally witnessed countless couples become husband and wife. Doesn’t that count as experience?"
Meteria didn’t deny what her child said. After all, Bell’s birth really had been her own decision, at most asking Abel to help cover things up.
Still, even without attending a wedding herself, she believed her experience was more than sufficient.
’Mother, that’s a spectator’s perspective, not firsthand experience.’
Bell really wanted to say that witnessing a wedding and experiencing one were completely different things. But right now, he didn’t feel like arguing. He was probably too nervous.
Even so, talking with his mother did help him relax a little. At least he wasn’t as stiff as before.
It was because of that brief moment of ease that Bell noticed the empty seat beside Meteria.
That seat belonged to Shiki Ryougi.
When Bell’s memories first awakened, it had been Shiki Ryougi’s help that allowed him to grow properly. Her role was different from Meteria’s, but the help she gave him might have even surpassed his mother’s in many ways.
That was why Bell had wanted Shiki Ryougi to sit beside Meteria at the main seat and witness his wedding.
"Mother, where’s Shiki Ryougi?"
Meteria glanced at the empty seat, a faintly mischievous smile appearing on her face.
"She’ll be fine. She’s definitely one of the witnesses for your wedding. I imagine she went off to prepare some congratulatory gifts."
Hearing that, Bell no longer felt any doubt.
"She really didn’t have to go through all that trouble."
Bell hadn’t planned on receiving wedding gifts in the first place. They weren’t ordinary people who needed things like red envelopes at a wedding.
Still, if Shiki Ryougi had prepared something, he wouldn’t refuse it. After all, it was the thought that counted.
[Alright! Welcome, everyone, to this wedding!]
Ganesha’s voice echoed throughout the palace via loudspeakers, instantly quieting the chatter in the hall.
[Our groom is already in position.]
A beam of moonlight descended, illuminating Bell and drawing every gaze in the palace toward him.
[Now, let us introduce the groom.]
[One of the creators of the New World, and one of the key figures who granted the gods the gift of "growth."]
[He was a mysterious adventurer of the old world, and he is a creator of the new.]
[In the old world, he worked in the shadows to change everything. In the new world, he accomplished it all.]
[For this, please allow me, Ganesha, to express my sincerest gratitude!]
[And his name is Bell Cranel!]
At that moment, every god present at the wedding stood up in unison.
Wasn’t this gratitude exactly what they all wanted to express?
To grant "growth" to gods who once had no path forward—what an incredible blessing.
Their past madness, ideals, and impulses finally had an outlet. They had gained what they longed for most, and more importantly, they could see a path ahead.
For the gods, this was nothing short of fortune.
And all of it had been given to them by the seemingly young man standing before them.
How could they not show their thanks?
[Alright! Everyone, please be seated. Next, the brides will make their entrance!]
The gods quietly returned to their seats.
As Ganesha’s voice fell, points of starlight began to scatter across the floor.
A beam of moonlight touched the ground, and the starlight gathered, forming a human silhouette.
[The first bride is Hestia, the goddess of the hearth!]
[She was the first Familia God acknowledged by Bell, and it was under Hestia’s lead that Bell embarked on the path to becoming the strongest!]
Hestia’s position as the main wife was virtually unshakable, just as Ganesha had introduced her.
[Next, the second and third brides: the forge god Hephaestus, and the trickster god Loki!]
Moonlight bearing a jester-like symbol shone to Hestia’s right, while symbols of flame and hammer appeared to her left.
Loki and Hephaestus, both dressed in pure white wedding gowns, emerged together amid the starlight.
[Next is the fourth bride, the goddess of beauty and love who once captivated the gods of Orario—Freya!]
A symbol representing love and beauty appeared beside Loki.
Freya, whose very essence was charm, was now at the most radiant moment of her life.
Her pure, conservative wedding dress seemed to speak of her fate and her choice.
Every member of Freya Familia stared in a daze.
They had never imagined the Freya they adored could be this breathtaking. Yet today, they were not the focus of her gaze, but mere witnesses to her happiness.
[Finally, the fifth and sixth brides. They share the same fate, the same circumstances, and now the same identity as brides. They are the moon goddess, Artemis!]
A moon symbol appeared on Hephaestus’s other side, as two moon goddesses with different hair colors stepped forward together.
One was serene, the other lively, like two faces of the same moon.
The only thing they shared completely was their status as brides.
[With that, all six brides have entered. Next, the groom may—]
Suddenly, Ganesha’s voice cut off.
Bell, who had been about to walk toward Hestia, froze as well.
The space in front of Hestia twisted violently. When the distortion faded, three more figures appeared before Bell.
"...!"
Seeing who they were, Bell nearly lost control of the emotions he usually kept firmly in check.
"You... how did you end up in the bride lineup? And you even brought them with you?"
The woman lifted her veil, revealing a smile brighter than ever.
"I never told you this before. Emotions are your greatest weakness. So I don’t mind using that weakness to bind you."
"For me, this is a bold experiment."
Bell covered his face, utterly speechless. His perfectly planned wedding had been completely overturned.
"You really went all out with this experiment, Shiki Ryougi."
His gaze shifted to the two people standing beside her.
"Ais... Haruhime..."
Unbelievable. Three unexpected brides had shown up at his wedding to steal the groom.
Bell took a deep breath. He finally understood what his mother had meant earlier.
This really was one hell of a gift.
[Oh! A sudden twist! Three more brides have appeared! Two of them are stars of Loki Familia—Ais Wallenstein and Sanjouno Haruhime!]
[And the last one is even more extraordinary: one of the creators of the New World, one of the former "Worlds," Miss Shiki Ryougi!]
Ganesha’s naturally theatrical voice echoed through the palace, plunging the wedding into complete uncertainty.
[The groom was unaware of this development. So, what will our groom choose?]
’What choice do I even have?’
Two girls he had deliberately tried to distance himself from were now standing at his wedding in bridal gowns. That alone spoke volumes about their resolve.
As for the third one—
Bell took another deep breath. His earlier nervousness was completely swept away by the shock, and at the same time, he made the most shameless decision of his life.
"I’ll take them all!!!"
