Mushoku Tensei — Chapter 170 - The Wedding

The wedding with Aisha began.

In an ordinary cathedral, I stood face-to-face with her, dressed in her wedding gown.

How to put it...

Parents, wives, friends, Orsted watching from a distance. I was happy. But something felt a little strange about it all.

Hmm. Holding a wedding in front of my own daughters was even stranger than I'd imagined.

Since this was a ceremony for just the two of us, Cliff's officiation was formal. Proper. He opened his book and spoke.

*I will ask each of you the same question. It is a long question, please hear it in full before you answer.*

*Rudeus Greyrat, do you take Aisha Greyrat to be your wife? To live with her according to God's teachings, to be joined with her as one before God. To love her. Comfort her. Honor her. Protect her. To love her as you love yourself. In sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, to remain faithful to her until the end of life?*

"I do. I promise Aisha, from this day forward, in good times and in bad, in wealth and in want, in sickness and in health, I will love her and cherish her until the end of time."

*Aisha Greyrat, do you take Rudeus Greyrat to be your husband? To live with him according to God's teachings, to be joined with him as one before God. To love him. Comfort him. Honor him. Protect him. To love him as you love yourself. In sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, to remain faithful to him until the end of life?*

"I do! I promise my bro, Rudeus, from this day forward, in good times and in bad, in wealth and in want, in sickness and in health, I will love him and cherish him until the end of time."

Cliff nodded. He closed the book of vows.

"Then, bride and groom — your personal vows?"

Aisha and I turned to face each other.

She was truly beautiful.

The gown covered part of her face, but in that moment I could feel it anyway, her smile, the tears she was holding back.

"I, Rudeus Greyrat."

"I, Aisha Greyrat."

"Take Aisha Greyrat to be my wife."

"Take Rudeus Greyrat to be my husband."

We looked at each other. We joined hands.

Smiling, we spoke together.

"My partner in life. My beloved.

I will cherish our friendship and our love — now, in the future, and forever.

I will trust you and honor you.

I will laugh with you and weep with you.

I will love you faithfully.

Whatever the future brings, good or bad, hard or easy, I will face it with you.

Whatever life awaits us, I will always be here.

Just as I extend my hand for you to hold,

I will entrust my life to you.

The ones you love will become the ones I love.

The god you believe in will become the god I believe in.

Where you die, I too shall be buried.

Perhaps God will ask more of me. But no matter what comes, you will be by my side. In life and in death."

-----

When we finished, Aisha and I embraced. We kissed.

Afterward, I turned toward the audience and waited for Cliff to read the final portion of the vows.

Paul and Zenith were watching us with smiles.

Lilia was wiping her eyes, with Zenith's handkerchief.

Sylphie, Roxy, and Eris held the children, murmuring to each other quietly, all of them smiling.

Norn was watching us with what looked like... a hint of envy.

Nanahoshi had her head tilted, but she looked genuinely content.

Orsted had insisted on sitting at the very back. I couldn't make out his expression from here.

Kirenu was clapping, enthusiastic and bright.

And then there was the Cat-and-Dog Duo Aisha had invited. They were still terrified of Orsted's curse, but they were managing strained smiles.

While I was taking all of this in, Aisha tugged at my hand.

"Brother, the priest is about to say the final vows. Pay attention."

"Oh, right..."

Cliff heard our murmured exchange and smiled.

"There are no more vows. What comes next, I say to you as a friend, and as these final words from the priest of this wedding."

He cleared his throat with great solemnity.

"May you be happy."

------

We laid out a banquet inside the cathedral.

Not a large crowd, but this much was still called for.

Aisha was over with the wives and daughters, chatting happily away.

As for me, I sat on Paul's side, drinking with Cliff, Nanahoshi, and Orsted.

"Rudy~"

Mother Zenith called my name, leading Mother Lilia by the hand as they walked over.

"Mother? What is it?"

"Oh~ I was just thinking, I didn't properly give you my blessing at your last wedding, so I'm here to make up for it."

"You did bless me last time, Mother. You patted my head."

"How does that even count!"

Zenith let go of Lilia's hand. She pulled me into an embrace.

"Rudy, bend down."

"Oh..."

I bent down. I felt something warm and damp on my forehead.

Zenith kissed my forehead.

"Rudy, be happy. And make my daughter Aisha happy too."

"I will."

Mother Lilia stepped forward and did the same.

"Young Master Rudy, Aisha has many immature sides. I hope you can be patient with her."

"Aisha is very mature — in both mind and body."

"Hmm. I know that, really. It's just that in my eyes... she's never quite grown up."

"I understand, Mother Lilia. Until about a month ago, I thought the same thing..."

Lilia gave a quiet, slightly pained smile and nodded.

"But she has grown up, in the end. And with Young Master Rudy by her side, I feel at ease. Aisha told me very early on that she wanted to marry you. I didn't know what to do, so I could only quietly support her."

Just as the moment was settling into something warm and tender, Paul pushed back from the drinking table and made his way over.

He didn't offer me any words of blessing. He simply pointed at himself.

"My two dears — what about me? How about a kiss?"

Zenith looked at him.

"Dear, what are you doing in front of the children?"

Lilia nodded along.

"Sister Zenith is right. That sort of thing really shouldn't happen in front of the children, whatever the occasion."

"It's just a kiss."

Zenith sighed. Then she took the lead.

My parents kissed right in front of me. First Zenith, then Lilia. Zenith's was deep. Lilia's was a single light peck before she turned her head away.

"Ah! What are Grandpa and Grandma doing!"

Lara Greyrat made her untimely entrance.

My wives were right behind her. Sylphie was smiling. Roxy too. Eris had that restless look she gets.

Aisha was already in motion, she walked straight up and took my hand.

"Aren't we supposed to be the main characters here?"

"Huh?"

Aisha cupped my face and kissed me.

I heard my daughters shriek.

Afterward, I kissed each of my other three wives in turn.

And my daughters, of course.

I lifted them one by one and kissed each of them on the forehead.

Once the commotion settled, we moved into the drinking portion of the evening.

Zenith didn't spoil the mood with any scolding, she and Mother Lilia took turns pouring wine for Paul and feeding him. My four wives did the same for me.

Nanahoshi drank freely, loudly declaring that she was a dragon and absolutely would not get drunk.

Cliff threw himself into the revelry. He said that since becoming Pope, he hadn't let loose like this in a long time.

Kirenu sipped quietly and occasionally chimed in with Mother Zenith to say something sharp about Paul.

Orsted, like Kirenu, sat in silence with his drink, though he stayed a little apart from everyone.

I went over to check on him at one point. He smiled and told me to go back to the table. He said he liked watching us make a mess of things.

Truly a good friend.

As for my children, Norn had taken them off to tell stories. Aisha said Norn was now the undisputed Children's Story Queen. Apparently all her stories were power fantasies about me and Ruijerd.

The meaning of that escapes me.

------

Night fell. The wedding ended.

As if by some wordless understanding, the wives took the three children to their room.

I waited in the empty room alone.

Not nervous, I'm an experienced man, after all.

It's just... how to put this.

For some reason, even though I hadn't started imagining anything yet, my body was already reacting.

Then Aisha opened the door.

She was still in her wedding gown.

Not the one from the ceremony.

Something else, a specially made one. Custom. Where the fabric fell and where it didn't... left certain things just visible enough.

"Brother~"

I raised my hand and cast Silence Magic.

Aisha smiled.

"Brother, your Silence Magic has a flaw, you know."

"Huh?"

"If you inject a bit of mana to disrupt the room's balance, you can hear everything perfectly clearly."

"How do you know that..."

"I've eavesdropped plenty of times. Peeked too~ Finally, it's my turn to be the main character."

She walked toward me. Sat down beside me. Without saying a word, she started undoing my clothes. Her hands moved slowly across my chest. Warm breath drifted against my neck.

"Wait..."

"Brother~ you're not going to say we should drink something to set the mood, are you? You already had plenty earlier."

"But, now that we're alone, shouldn't we at least talk for a bit... before we start?"

Aisha nodded seriously.

Her hands, however, were not cooperating with that nod.

"Brother~ I put a little Love Potion in your wine earlier. See? I haven't even done anything yet and you're already like this..."

"So that's what it was. I did feel a little foggy on the walk back."

Aisha smiled. Her hand moved lower.

She kept talking while she touched me, unhurried.

"Didn't Brother want to talk? Then let's talk about Brother's weak spots. I know them all, you know. For instance... here..."

Very direct.

The faint, slightly rough texture of the wedding gloves.

I held myself steady. Aisha pushed further.

Just as I was about to reach the peak, she stopped.

...What?

"Brother... uncomfortable?"

I blinked.

"It's... it's fine...?"

Aisha pulled off the gloves, now wet at the fingertips. She looked at them. Touched what was on them, as if confirming something.

"My hands have sword calluses..."

She said it quietly. Then that bare hand came for me.

Not a grip. Not direct at all, one finger at a time, slow, deliberate, climbing. Like something gentle scaling a surface. Barely there. Just... caressing.

"Different from Sister Roxy or Sister Sylphie, isn't it?"

"Mm..."

"Sister Eris trains with a sword too. Has she ever done this for Brother?"

"Rarely... Eris prefers things more straightforward..."

"Brother~ if you can still hold a conversation, I'm not doing enough~"

So this was the technique Aisha said she'd learned.

Had to be Roxy who taught her.

Aisha kept moving. Kept talking.

"Brother, your face is so red."

"Aisha..."

"Alright, I won't torment Brother anymore..."

She accelerated.

------

"Mm... what a waste."

Aisha licked her hand clean, right in front of me.

Then she slowly tore her wedding gown.

Only the key parts. Just enough. As if she already knew exactly what I'd want.

She lay back on the bed and reached for me with both hands.

"Brother. Please..."

A pause.

"...Be a little rough."

That single sentence.

It shredded the last of my reason completely.

➤ Next: Aisha, Morning