Chapter 200: Wishing Blessings Upon the Two
As Bion finished speaking, people began to come up from the stairs on the sides of where Ramin and her group were standing. Emerging on the right side were mainly Lizardmen.
Bion pointed in that direction and said, "That’s the groom's party."
From the left, a mix of various species were emerging.
"And that’s the bride's party."
Then, from behind where the gods were seated, messengers came pouring out. They were also a mix of various species in uniform, and among them were guardians of the pantheon that Ramin recognized.
The messengers began to lay out chairs and large tables on the floor, and as the first row of messengers finished and left, another row of messengers with plates in both hands followed and began setting the tables. Some of the messengers seated the guests, some wrote down the guest list, and some began to write congratulatory messages with brushes as tall as themselves for the wedding according to the Pantheon's tradition.
Soon after, a group of messengers approached and said, "Bride, please come this way."
"What? ...Me?"
“Preparations will take a while, so we should get going now. Please, come with us."
Before Hwee-Kyung could say anything, the messengers pulled her arms and pushed her back to take her away.
Then another group approached and said, "All of you, please come with us."
Ramin could understand why Sairan had to go, but she couldn’t understand why herself and Juran had to follow, so she asked, "Us too?"
"You’re not going to stay here like that, are you? Please, come along."
Ramin looked down at her clothes. She was still in the disguise of a laborer. Ramin and her group were then surrounded and escorted down the platform and through a door, into a large hall. However, from there, the messengers took Sairan and Juran somewhere along the corridor.
Ramin was led to a small bath by a Platy messenger.
"...You want me to bathe?"
"No, just stand still. We'll do the bathing for you."
"What?"
Soon, more messengers appeared in the bath, and they held brushes, towels, buckets, and soap. Before Ramin could react, a messenger poured water from a bucket over her.
"What are you doing?"
"This is the sacred water of the Golden Bird Who Doesn’t Fly. It heals wounds."
"That's not what I was asking.”
"This is soap made by Limitless God themself. It smells of flowers."
Then soap came flying into Ramin’s face—that was how it seemed like for Ramin although the messenger was personally washing her. After a rather aggressive bath, the messengers dried an exhausted Ramin off, dressed her, and then led her back to the top of the tower where the wedding ceremony was taking place. Juran, looking refreshed, greeted her with a smile.
"You've arrived too, noonim."
"...My nose is burning."
"Oh, I think I inhaled some of the soap bubbles too."
Suddenly, the sound of musical instruments filled the air, flower petals were scattered, and a feast was being set up for the wedding.
While Ramin looked around, Juran said, "The couple hasn't arrived yet."
"I have no idea what's happening."
"Neither do I. Shall we find a place to sit?"
"Sure."
Ramin and Juran headed towards the groom's side first. Initially, everyone had been maintaining their manners as the gods were watching, but after a few drinks, half of them were standing and a few were resting their feet on the tables and drinking directly from the bottles. Avoiding that side, they moved toward a quieter spot where they could talk.
Then a Lizardman stopped and talked to the two."Are you Ramin and Juran?"
It was hard to determine a Lizardman's gender at first glance, but thanks to their attire and specific scale patterns, Ramin was able to recognize who this Lizarman was.
"...You're Zaol, aren't you?"
"Yes... I'm the wife of Lakrak."
"The first mathematician."
"There were many before me who knew mathematics."
"But none of them thought to teach others the way you did."
Zaol laughed.
"Did you know Sairan was my messenger?"
"No, I did not."
"He was a sincere and smart boy, but he went unrewarded for a long time. I'm glad that's been corrected now. Thank you both for helping."
As Ramin was rendered still at Zaol’s unexpected words, Juran replied, "It's an honor."
Unable to find a seat among the Lizardmen, Ramin and Juran headed to the bride's side. Among Humans dressed in the old-fashioned attire of Automation, Goblins in dark clothes occupied a spot. The apparent Goblin leader stared at Ramin, and as they tried to simply walk past the Goblins, another Goblin came up to them.
"Ramin, Juran. Our leader wishes to see you."
"...Leader?"
The Goblin pointed to the Goblin leader. The Goblin leader stood up and used sign language.
The subordinate Goblin translated, “Our leader has been protecting Hwee-Kyung for a long time. Then he helped Hwee-Kyung escape from Black Scale and risked his life with us. He has always regretted not being able to uphold his vow to protect her throughout his life."
"...And?"
"You have taken on our will and continued it, so he wants to express special gratitude for that."
The leader then bowed deeply, a gesture that even Ramin could understand.
The Goblin continued, "Our leader made a special request to the gods that when you need help, they would grant their assistance."
"What?"
"You may go now. There's someone behind you looking for you."
Just as the Goblin said, a Human man approached and stopped Juran.
"You must be Juran and Ramin."
Juran recognized the man instantly. “I am Hwee Juran Muel, it is an honor to meet you, Gyo Joong.”
It was Gyo Joong, Hwee-Kyung’s second husband, a merchant of the Gyo family and a longtime friend of Hwee-Kyung.
"No need for formal greetings. I'm just glad to see that my descendant has survived these times of rough currents."
"It's been an eventful journey."
"I'm grateful for your survival, but..."
Gyo Joon turned to Ramin, "Thank you for finding Hwee-Kyung. I'm sorry to the two of you, but I always thought you would fail. I was preparing myself mentally, thinking I might never see Hwee-Kyung again."
Ramin said, "Um, but Gyo Joong?"
"What is it?"
"Well...are you okay with this?"
"What do you mean?"
"This wedding."
Gyo Joong laughed at that remark. "Even though Hwee-Kyung didn't want it, we had our wedding. Even though she didn't smile, it was a proper ceremony. We shared a bed even though she didn't love me. And when I should've been consoling her, she was the one comforting me."
"Really?"
"I loved Hwee-Kyung, but I knew that even after our marriage, I couldn't have her heart, and she apologized for not giving me that. Ironically, she was the one pressured into the marriage by the four families."
"..."
"That's the kind of person she is. I owe a lot to Hwee-Kyung, so with relief, I can celebrate this marriage from the bottom of my heart."
Unable to find a seat and as they walked, Ramin said to Juran, "I feel strange."
"Why?"
"All throughout our journey, I thought I was being punished for the sins I committed."
"But?"
"But now that I think of it, I keep hearing words of thanks."
Juran simply summarized, "Sin is sin, and good deeds are good deeds. What we did—this might be presumptuous of me—but it was something that deserved gratitude."
"...Do you think so?"
"Of course."
"...Maybe so."
Ramin then turned around at the sudden cheers.
"Groom, enter!"
It was because Sairan Muel had arrived.
Sairan was not wearing the Empire's modernized ceremonial attire, but in a traditional groom's outfit which was navy in color and from the era of the Black Scale Kingdom.
Then an even louder cheer rang out.
"Bride, enter!"
Hwee-Kyung was also wearing a traditional bridal gown made of colorful silk.
According to the old aesthetic that longer and wider hems had more value, several messengers were holding up Hwee-Kyung's dress so it wouldn't drag on the ground, and a few of the messengers were still touching up Hwee-Kyung's makeup.
Hwee-Kyung looked around at the guests, and then stopped when her eyes met Sairan's. Whether it was because of the Korean-style traditional makeup with red on the cheeks and forehead or the excited and festive mood, her face was flushed.
Then the wedding ceremony began. Though they had already seen each other's faces, in accordance with traditional wedding customs, they greeted each other behind a veil and shared a drink.
Bion was overseeing many parts of the wedding. From a distance, Ramin saw the gods watching the wedding, talking among themselves in ways mortals couldn't understand. It seemed that even the gods were excited.
Amidst the loud chatter of the guests, some latecomers entered. It was Lakrak and his warriors.
One of the warriors already there said to Lakrak, "Lakrak, you’re late! What happened to that guy with the cut ear?"
"It was a tie again."
"Really?"
"But this time, I can blame it on Sairan."
A smile appeared on Sairan’s face, who was nervous about making a mistake.
Then even more guests lined up. At first, they seemed like a mixture of various species, but Ramin, with her unique sense that other species didn't have, recognized them as her own kind.
‘They’re Vampires.’
Though they couldn’t quite fit into the atmosphere, they talked with Hwee-Kyung.
Cheers and laughter went back and forth. Ramin felt the overwhelming joy and celebratory mood piling up layer upon layer.
Soon after, the couple eventually stood facing Night Sky.
Sung-Woon said.
-Despite facing the most challenging trials for a long time, these two are standing together again. There's no need for any more proof of their enduring love. I hereby bestow them my blessing.
The giant space that was once empty was now filled with guests. Everyone shouted blessings, wishing them happiness.
-Even when we leave, continue the after-party. Let everyone enjoy until they wish.
Bion responded, “Understood.”
-Oh, and send those two back.
"As you wish."
Ramin reacted to the mention of two people.
“Pardon?”
Ramin thought she had certainly made eye contact with Night Sky.
Bion then stomped their foot, and Ramin felt a sudden feeling of everything getting further away.
***
"Open your eyes, Vampire."
Ramin woke up due to the rather aggressive shaking of her head. The first thing she saw was a Garuda’s face. More precisely, it was Mazdari.
"...Huh?"
Ramin looked at the wide ivory-colored leather surface behind Mazdari. It was the envelope of the airship.
Ramin suddenly got up.
"...Was it a dream?"
"Don’t be ridiculous." Mazdari rebuked.
"You and Juran went to the pantheon. You fainted from the shock and had collapsed in the slave labor camp. So while you were unconscious, I brought you onto the Thunderstrider."
Ramin then grabbed her head as she was slightly dizzy, and when she looked down at her clothes, she was able to confirm that it wasn't a dream. She was wearing the ceremonial attire she had been wearing for the wedding.
"Wait, what about Hwee-Kyung?"
Mazdari replied, "Surely Night Sky wouldn’t say that the living and dead couldn’t coexist and kick her out, not after he went to the lengths to bring them together.”
"Then what about us...?"
"I don't know yet. I only followed Night Sky’s words and brought you here. There must be a reason."
Ramin slightly shook her head.
"But we're in the middle of the Union Kingdom. Isn't it dangerous to come here on the Thunderstrider? Oh, and there should be laborers who converted... We should protect them."
"It's okay. A big battle just ended, and the Union Kingdom can't focus only on this place right now."
"How come?"
Mazdari replied, "The revolution has begun."
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