Let’s Head to the Church – Part 03

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Translator: Kell


“What in the world is going on?”

When I opened the tavern the next morning, I was dumbfounded.

There’s a lot of work to be done in a newly-established village. As soon as one problem is taken care of, another one pops up, such as renovating buildings, repairing roads, cultivating deserted fields, and collecting firewood for fuel.

Every day I prepared breakfast in the tavern to fill the villagers’ stomachs during the busy morning hours. It was my job and duty. You might as well call my tavern a food pantry at this point. I was in charge of managing the food supply, making sure that all the villagers had enough to eat.

Villagers sometimes went into the forest to gather fruits and cook for themselves, or do whatever they wanted, but basically, filling their stomachs at my tavern had become a daily routine.

Naturally, there was no circulation of money within the village. The money we had belonged to the village, which we used to buy stuff from other towns and villages after talking it over. Right now, we didn’t need to buy anything from outside.

In many ways, the village was gradually developing.

“Why the hell is there only one customer this morning?”

The usual people were not in their usual spot during the usual hours. A trivial matter like this was practically an anomaly in a small village.

As soon as I opened shop, people came in droves in just minutes, but today there was only one guy—Bear. I could only assume that this was some nasty prank.

“Where are the others?” I asked.

“No idea,” Bear replied. “But I got this…”

He presented a letter, its seal still intact.

“From whom?”

“Probably my wife.”

“Probably?”

“She can’t read or write. Neither can I. But I found it under my pillow this morning.”

His wife must have asked someone to write for her. He came to me so I could read it for him.

“I’m opening it,” I said.

“Go for it. No, wait! What if it’s about a breakup?!”

“Shut it, man. I already opened it.”

I mercilessly tore open the envelope and pulled out the paper. “Let’s see… It’s the witch’s handwriting. Wait, I’m not exactly good at reading, either.”

“Stop! Please, don’t read it! I’m leaving the village. I’m gonna pack my stuff right away!”

As my eyes went over the short sentence, I went silent. Despite declaring that he would pack his stuff immediately, Bear still had not moved, curious about the contents of the letter.

I turned my eyes back to the letter, and frowned deeply. “I see. This is not good. Really awful.”

“Wh-What did it say? Is she breaking up with me?”

“It says come to the church.”

“To the church?! Why?!” He was practically screaming.

“The villagers are all there. Help me out. We’re having breakfast over there. I don’t wanna waste food.”

“W-Wait! Why are they all there?! Why are you bringing them breakfast?! Come on, man. What did the letter say?! Read it out loud for me!”

“You want me to read it or not? Make up your mind.”

“I can’t, okay?!”

Oh, boy. He’s completely lost it.

“I guess we’ll find out when we get to the church. The unity here is nothing to scoff at. That’s a village of outcasts for you.”

I didn’t know whether to laugh or be appalled. Up until a moment ago, I was out of the loop, but now that I knew the truth, I was willing to keep the secret. I understood now why the villagers kept it from me until the last minute.

“What does that mean? You’re scaring me, man! I’m not going to the church! I’m going home!”

“Quit yapping, and just go!”

“No! There’s no point in being human if we’re breaking up. I’ll go back to being a Beastfallen! I’ll ask the witch to give me the soul of a bear!”

“I would advise against it. The pain’s excruciating.”

I handed the things over to Bear, loaded the cauldron onto the back of a wagon, and headed for the newly-built church on the outskirts of the village.

After a short walk along a narrow path surrounded by trees, I heard a rustle, and my nose caught the appetizing smell of food. I was wondering what Lily was going to do with all the ingredients and tableware they got from my place, but it turned out it was for a party.

Yes, we were celebrating.

Bear and I were on our way to a party that we knew nothing about. When Bear realized this, he shuddered and tried to run away several times, but each time I pulled him back and somehow managed to bring him to the church.

The moment we made it through the narrow path and our field of vision widened, a breathtaking scene greeted us.

The wooden church, gleaming white with freshly-painted plaster, was the finest building in the village. The villagers alone couldn’t build it, so the church sent a carpenter to give instructions.

It was strange. I’d been spitting on churches my whole life, but when one was built in my village, I felt relieved and reassured.

The villagers were all gathered in front of the church. A long, shabby table made of wooden planks placed on a pile of firewood was filled with food, and the surrounding trees were decorated with colorful cloths.

The scene was a picture of happiness. It was plain to anyone that a spectacular wedding was being held. The priest and a young woman in a dress—Bear’s wife—stood in the middle.

Bear’s wife was a tall woman. She looked small compared to Bear, but she was just as tall as the priest. The two were having a pleasant conversation, but when Bear and I appeared, they, along with all the villagers, went silent.

All eyes went to Bear. He looked at me for help, not understanding the situation. I pushed his curled back toward the priest and the woman.

“You’re late!” Lifting the bottom of her dress, the woman ran up to Bear.

Bear shrank and took a half step back. “Sorry,” he muttered.

“So? Do you have anything to say after seeing this?”

“Uhm… I, uhh…” Bear looked at the priest. “During a wedding, you can object and take the woman if you win the duel, right?”

“…Excuse me?” the priest said.

The woman gave Bear a blank stare.

“I mean, isn’t this a wedding for you two?” Bear said.

“Are you still asleep? It’s for us.”

“What?!” Bear looked at the priest again.

The priest nodded gravely. “If we were to be married,” he said, “wouldn’t we need another priest?”

Finally understanding the situation, Bear covered his beet-red face with his hands and sank down on the ground.

Understandable. The woman he thought was having an affair with the priest was actually secretly planning their wedding. He cursed his own weakness.

“I’m an idiot,” he muttered, then stopped moving.

The woman crouched down. “You look pathetic like that. Everyone made me a beautiful dress and even put makeup on me, but you can’t even say, ‘You look beautiful’?”

“Hit me.”

“What?”

“I suspected you of cheating on me. I thought you were having an affair with the priest.”

“What? That’s awful.” Smiling, she raised her arms, then granting Bear’s request, gave his cheek a gratifying slap.

The crowd cheered for some reason. In the mid of the applause, the woman, wearing the same smile, asked, “Will you marry me?”

Bear let out a roar. He rose to his feet, held the woman to his side, then ran straight to the priest. “How do we get married?” he asked with great enthusiasm.

With a gentle smile, the priest pointed to the church. “I can explain the wedding procedures to you inside. Can you wait?”

“I can’t.”

“Of course. Then we’ll do it here now.”

Playing it by the ear, huh? Eh, I guess this is about right for a wedding in a small village.

“Ursus,” the priest began without any introduction. “Do you swear with your name, your body, and your soul, given to you by God, that you will take Sarah, the woman who stands before you, as your eternal companion?”

Despite having been called by his real name for the first time in a long time, Bear readily answered,” I do.”

The priest asked the woman the same question, and she gave the same answer.

“Should anyone present know of any reason that this couple should not be joined in holy matrimony, speak now or forever hold your peace.” A brief silence. “Very well. Then in the name of the Most Gracious Goddess, I now pronounce you husband and wi—”

Before he could finish, the couple kissed. The crowd erupted, the cheers and poorly-played instruments celebrating the first marriage in the village.

Wedding ceremonies vary from region to region, and each village has its own style. I smiled at the thought that the wife would probably slap her husband’s cheek at the next wedding as well. What happens first usually becomes tradition.

As I applauded and watched the happy couple, Zero silently crept up next to me.

“I told you, you would find out tomorrow,” she said.

“So you’re telling me that everyone knew about the wedding except me and Bear?”

“Not everyone. Some of them may have been informed by their neighbors this morning. Bear has not made a formal proposal of marriage for some time, so the priest and the women of the village conspired to set up a somewhat large-scale prank.”

“Aren’t you glad he didn’t hang himself?”

Even though it was Bear’s fault for not taking the first step, I couldn’t help but feel sorry watching him suffer like that.

“It is his fault for doubting his spouse,” Zero said. “Had he trusted her, things would have ended with a simple surprise. By the way, did you read the letter to him?”

“The one you wrote?”

“Oh,” Zero said, surprised. “So you recognize my handwriting.”

“Your handwriting kinda sucks. You should’ve asked the governess to write it.”

“But then it would have been pointless.”

“What?”

“The letter did not have a recipient, did it?”

“Ah, right. No.”

No sender, no recipient. But Bear found it under his pillow, so it must have been addressed to him, and since there was only him and his wife in the house, the sender could only be the wife.

“You read the letter I wrote. Do you not know what that means?”

“I have no idea.” I replied with a frown.

Zero chuckled and said, “I suppose not.” She then gestured for me to bend down, and when I did, her lips touched mine for a brief moment.

“Wha… You… Not in public!”

“I will let you off the hook this time,” she said. “Let us congratulate the stars of the day. You can help Rat.”

Grinning, Zero tapped me on the shoulder with her fist and quickly walked away.

I took out the letter I had in my pocket and studied the text written in Zero’s handwriting.

Will you stay with me forever?

A letter with no sender, no recipient, written with Zero’s hands. She probably wrote it assuming that I would read it.

I closed my eyes and shoved the letter back into my pocket.

I don’t think I need to return this to Bear. Zero wrote the letter and it came to my hands. It was safe to assume that it was addressed to me.


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