Mushoku Tensei — Chapter 191 - Cliff, the Wedding

Cliff's Perspective:

"Lize."

"What is it, my love?"

"Are you nervous? Tomorrow is our wedding."

"With my love beside me, how could I be?"

Indeed.

Why be nervous at all?

Showing weakness in front of one's beloved is a grave mistake.

I rested my hand on Lize's belly. Seven months already.

"Does Cliff want our child to be a boy or a girl?"

"A boy, of course. I'll raise him properly as my heir."

"And if it's a girl?"

"Same thing. I'll change Milis from the ground up before she's grown — just like the Asura Kingdom — so that girls can inherit too."

"As expected of my love. Come here and kiss me."

The kiss didn't last long.

Afterward, Lize rested her hand on her belly and spoke quietly to the child not yet born. She said many things.

The device for weakening the curse still needs adjustments. With Lize pregnant, she can't experience it properly.

Once the wedding is behind us, I'll ask Rudeus for one more favor. Track down Orsted and invite him to assist with the experiment.

Hmm.

None of the high-ranking elders know Lize exists. I wonder what their faces will look like tomorrow.

---

The day of the wedding.

Nanahoshi arrived first.

She used the teleportation array and came directly to Milishion.

When she saw me, she called out.

"Oh! Cliff."

"Nanahoshi, welcome."

"Don't be so formal. Where's your wife? Actually, I've never even met your wife."

"You'll meet her soon enough."

"Alright. So where exactly are you getting married?"

"Follow me."

I led Nanahoshi to the largest and most sacred church in Milis.

Everything was already arranged. Everyone who had come to witness the Pope's wedding was present.

When they saw me walk in with a woman, their expressions froze, but they recovered quickly, realizing Nanahoshi couldn't possibly be my wife.

Nanahoshi tilted her head back and looked up at the ceiling.

"Oh! How magnificent. In my previous life, ah, never mind, I've never seen anything like this."

"This church is the greatest in the world, by any measure. Sit here."

I brought her to the most sacred spot in the entire church.

The Heavenly Battle between Lord Milis and the Demon.

Just below that great depiction, a row of chairs had been set out.

"The very front row."

"Rudeus and his family will sit here too when they arrive. Front row is reserved for you, them, and my grandfather."

"Not bad. So when the time comes, you'll be right here before... uh..."

"Lord Milis."

"Right. You and your wife recite your vows before Lord Milis?"

"Yes. We make our vows before Lord Milis."

"Oh, I see. Will there be a banquet?"

"There will. It's being held at the Milis Church."

"That makes sense. When does it start?"

"At dusk."

"Isn't that basically now? Where is Rudeus?"

"He makes his entrance last."

"You say that like the two of you are the ones getting married. Fine, I'll just sit here and wait."

"Mm."

---

Evening drew close.

I had changed into my attire.

The wedding garments Lize and I wore were Milis-style, the kind that represents a lifelong devotion to one person, and one person alone.

I stood at the most sacred corner of the church.

Directly before the Heavenly Battle between Lord Milis and the Demon.

This was the deepest point of the church, and also the place you'd reach by walking straight in from the main doors.

The high-ranking members attending the wedding numbered just over a hundred. All of them were seated.

I stepped forward, cleared my throat, and spoke.

"First and foremost, I thank you all for coming to my wedding."

Applause. Then I continued.

"This Milis Church beneath our feet, the original church, has always been a place where only the Pope himself may marry.

And yet, few Popes throughout history have actually done so. Most were already married by the time they rose to the position, simply because of their age.

Among all the Popes who have ever lived, I am the youngest. The only one capable of bringing change to Milis at this age. One of the very few who could ever marry here."

A murmur ran through the crowd after I finished. The old men below put their heads together.

Hmph.

"I'm sure many here hold grievances against me. I've never even announced who my wife is, and here I stand giving speeches. So then."

I clapped my hands.

"Enter. My love. My wife. Elinalise."

The words fell.

The great doors slowly opened.

Lize walked straight in.

She wore a wedding dress. No veil.

Nearly every face in the room went slack. The hall erupted.

"Impossible — it really is a Long-Ear..."

"Has the Pope gone mad? He's putting someone like her on display?"

"Elinalise... I feel like I've heard that name before..."

"I know this woman. She has no right to set foot in a Milis church!"

"She's... pregnant..."

"So what? His Holiness must have lost his mind!"

They questioned her blood. They questioned her past. For the child in her womb, there wasn't a single word of blessing.

But I believed in Lize. She had prepared herself for this.

Just as I'd expected, she walked toward me with a smile.

Beautiful. No matter how many times I see her, I can't help but think it.

I waited. She walked slowly forward. Neither of us cared about the whispers or the slander.

Lize reached me. We took each other's hands.

CLAP. CLAP. CLAP.

While everyone else was hissing and muttering, applause broke out.

From the front row.

Nanahoshi and my grandfather.

"The bride is lovely!"

"Mm. My granddaughter-in-law is splendid."

I smiled. Lize smiled too.

Not a polite smile. A real one.

So far, our wedding had received exactly two blessings, Nanahoshi's and my grandfather's.

The old men below were still murmuring.

By now they were surely calculating how to drag me down from the papacy. How to destroy what I've built. Even after everything I'd done for Milis, every reform, every improvement to ordinary people's lives, they still wanted me gone.

The reason was simple. I'd touched their interests.

Heh. None of them are nobles, yet every last one of them is greedier than nobles.

They dared to speak and act this way for one reason: they thought I was only bluffing with borrowed authority.

Even with Rudeus already in Milishion, they clung to wishful thinking.

They were gambling that he hadn't come for my wedding. That he'd only come to see his grandmother.

How laughable.

I turned to the priest.

"Priest. Let's begin."

The moment I finished, someone stood up.

A man of about forty. One of the church elders.

"Your Holiness? Are you in earnest?"

"Oh? Of course I am."

"A Long-Ear, even setting that aside, we all know her history now. She is nothing but a promiscuous woman!"

"Do you want to die? Say that about my wife again."

The man clenched his fist. Cold sweat ran down his face.

But he pushed on anyway.

"Regardless, regardless of anything! She is unworthy of setting foot in the most sacred church of Milis!"

That was all it took. The crowd stirred.

The whispers became voices. Voices I could hear clearly.

Curses.

Doubts.

Rage.

Were any of them actually devout?

If they were, they'd know the teachings of Lord Milis. Lord Milis doesn't withhold blessing because of a person's past. Lord Milis blesses the love that is real and true, the love that stands before him now.

These people weren't defending their faith. They were hiding behind Lord Milis's name to tear Lize apart.

The priest hesitated, lost.

Lize's grip on my hand tightened.

My dear friend. It's time.

And the man who had stood up, emboldened by the crowd at his back, pressed forward with a grin.

"A Long-Ear is simply unworthy of this church! Much less a Long-Ear with that kind of history!"

At that moment,

the great doors swung open again.

The hall went quiet.

My dear friend Rudeus had arrived, with his family.

He walked in without a word. No announcement, no greeting. Just him, his wives, and his daughters, moving calmly toward the front.

Everyone waited in silence.

But when Rudeus reached the man who had stood to slander Lize, he stopped.

Just briefly. He turned his head.

"What is your name?"

"Gi — Ginir..."

"Ginir. Mm. A fine name."

"Th, thank you, Lord Rudeus..."

"My dear friend's wedding will not see blood. You and your family, either leave Milishion before tomorrow and go wherever you like, or die in beautiful Milishion."

He said it without raising his voice.

Then he turned and walked away, straight to the front row, without once looking back.

The man's legs gave out. He crumpled to his knees.

Before sitting down, Rudeus looked out over the seated crowd.

"If anyone has objections to the Long-Ear race, now is the time to say so."

Silence.

Not a single person opened their mouth.

Rudeus nodded with a slight smile.

"Good. No objections, then. One of my own wives carries Long-Ear blood, so I trust no one will be voicing any slander against the Long-Ear race going forward."

Still silence. Most of them had lowered their heads now, the ones who had been loudest during the commotion.

Finally, Rudeus turned to face Lize.

"Thank you for your help in the labyrinth, for what you did for me and my father. My mother's happiness today owes something to you."

"There's no need for thanks, Lord Rudeus. Your father and mother were my comrades. It was nothing more than what I should have done."

"Drop the honorifics. You're my dear friend's wife."

Lize smiled and nodded.

Rudeus gave me a nod, then settled in beside Nanahoshi with his wives and children.

After that exchange, every last doubt below was gone. I was certain of it.

As expected of my dear friend. His timing was perfect.

A few sentences. That was all it took, to make our bond clear to everyone in the room, and to acknowledge Lize's place as my wife.

Thank you, Rudeus.

I cleared my throat and addressed the crowd.

"This is my dear friend, Rudeus Greyrat.

I trust no one here needs an introduction.

You all know what Lord Rudeus has accomplished.

The enemies he was meant to cut down, he cut them down.

The road he was meant to walk, he walked it to the very end.

The faith he was meant to keep, he kept it.

From this day forward, a crown of righteousness awaits him, and I will stand upon his shoulders to bring change to Milis."

I smiled.

"But that is for another day. This is my wedding, and my dear friend came here for my wedding."

I turned back to the priest.

"Priest. Begin the vows."

➤ Next: Friends — Words Unspoken