2: Sequel: The Platinum Maiden, Her Best Friend, and a Changing “Everyday”

It had been a turbulent time with Chrysos’s sudden visit and the way that she ended up getting wrapped up in all that “princess” stuff, but things were finally calming down again for Latina.

She flawlessly carried out her daily work at the Ocelot, and also acted as a big sister to Theo and Emma.

It would be a lie to say that she hadn’t admired the princesses she’d seen in the picture books she read every day as a child, and the romance novels that resonated with her after she came of age. But now, Latina couldn’t help feeling like she’d have preferred those stay fairy tales. She was undoubtedly of royal birth and also the fiancee of a man considered a champion the world over, as well as the heroine of an epic admired by a great many young maidens, but that hadn’t all really sunk in until now.

And if she was being honest, employing recipes Kenneth had come up with using the grain that made up Vassilios’s primary diet (which she had received from the envoys) was far more important to her.

“I think it should be something akin to wheat, so...”

“Amazing... It’s edible...”

“You said you tried lightly baking it, right? So I tried kneading in fat and then baking it. And it may not be a bad garnish for some sort of stew...”

The batter had been thicker than the type used for crepes, and it had a sweet aroma despite how lightly baked it was. It was also both soft and exceptionally moist. This was the result of more than just simple baking. Latina could tell that much from just a single bite.

Kenneth had made it sound easy, but he must have tried out all sorts of things before arriving at this flavor. Latina felt even greater respect for her master, and then started to cry, realizing that even the ingredients from her old country could be made edible with enough effort.

The tears fell so plentifully that Kenneth actually backed away for a moment.

“It really is different when you cook it properly... They had the concept of cooking, but that was all...”

“Is Vassilios really going to be alright?”

“I’d like it if delicious food spread further there, but to do so it would be necessary to increase the rate of import and self-production of food, to increase the amount overall in circulation. If people started monopolizing delicious meals, lots of others would starve to death.”

“That’s... The food being bad may have been slowing down the rate it was being used, huh? That’s a real desperate measure, but I guess it’s something they’ve had in place for years...”

That evening, Latina secretly gave Kenneth’s carefully prepared, lightly baked bread made out of Vassilios grain to Dale for dinner. Dale seemed to have noticed it was something different, but he never managed to guess at its identity. And Latina didn’t ever tell him what it was, either.

That sort of everyday life was only natural to them.

An everyday life where no real changes stood out brought its own sort of happiness for them.

Just when Latina thought that such days had returned, she left to enjoy the first nice, relaxing visit with her best friend in a while, only to let out a shrill, hysteric, “Huh?!”

Chloe had welcomed Latina into her room, which didn’t seem to have changed a bit. And now she was just sipping tea as Latina sat there frozen in shock. Seeming a bit bored, almost, she started meaninglessly fidgeting with her bed cover with her finger.

“Huh? Huh? Chloe? What do you mean?”

Latina’s brain had apparently managed to snap out of its torpor, and immediately she began a flurry of questions.

“Even if you ask me that, all I can think to say is that I meant what I said...” As her gaze wandered a bit, Chloe then repeated the words that had caused her friend to freeze, “I’m getting married.”

“Just when did that happen?!” Latina screamed, so loudly that it must have reached outside.

She had thought things were back to normal, but apparently the world had no intention of settling down.

Latina and Chloe had known each other for quite some time now. To Latina, Chloe was the first friend she had ever made.

Back when she lived in Vassilios, she hadn’t had anyone she could call a friend. The only ones around were her parents, adults related to them, and chamberlains. She hadn’t felt lonely, though, because her other half had always been around to play with her.

But then she was exiled from her home, torn away from her other half, and lost her parents. She had lost everything once, and so everything she had gained here in Kreuz since Dale picked her up was utterly irreplaceable to her.

And her best friend, who accepted her without any discrimination or condescension, even when she could only speak awkward Western Continental at best, was at the top of that list. It was Chloe who brought her into the group with the other children, and taught her how to play around and get into mischief. All of her happy childhood memories were shared with Chloe.

Chloe was also the one Latina had discussed her romance with.

Latina had feelings for Dale ever since she was young, and she felt no need to hide that fact from her best friend. And besides, it was only natural for a maiden in love to want to boast about her sweetheart.

But with that said, it had only ever been one-sided, with Latina always being the one to talk.

Chloe hardly ever talked about romance, and all discussions on such matters never involved her.

And so, Latina was unable to hide her shock at her friend’s sudden engagement.

“Huh? Did you get set up with someone or something?” Latina asked, voicing the first reason that came to mind for this sudden development.

“No... That’s not it...” Chloe protested awkwardly.

She looked bashful, as if she was embarrassed. It would seem that she was fully aware how out of character it was for her to partake in this sort of romantic gossip.

“Then just who are you marrying, Chloe...?!”

There was a reason Latina was steadily growing more and more hasty.

Latina had cared for Dale ever since she was little, and ever since her feelings reached him and they were engaged, he had positively smothered her with affection. And both of her late parents had raised her, which was rare in Vassilios, plus they had a gentle, harmonious relationship. Then there were Kenneth and Rita, who got along so well as they ran the Ocelot, day in and day out.

In part due to that upbringing, Latina was a fairly strong proponent of love for love’s sake.

So naturally, there was no way she wouldn’t be interested in hearing more about this sudden development.

“No, well you see, Rudy’s...”

“Rudy?”

“No, not Rudy!”

“Right. I figured there was no way he could be the one.”

That was a rather awful thing to say when he wasn’t even around to defend himself.

“He’s one of Rudy’s colleagues...”

“Then... he’s a guard?” Latina asked, tilting her head. There were quite a few members of the guards amongst the Ocelot’s regulars. Latina thought them over as she recalled each and every one of their faces.

“No, not one of the customers from the Ocelot. He says a lot of the elites frequent that place, so it’s hard for him to work up the nerve to go there.”

The regulars included the captain of the guard, as well as a number of highly skilled elites amongst the guards. And so, it would be no surprise for any normal member of the group to not feel up to visiting all that often. Though with that said, there was also no shortage of young folks who weighed that against the charm of the adorable waitress who worked there and ended up deciding to go in the end.

“I see...” Latina stated in understanding, then turned to face Chloe once again. “But still, just when did that happen? And also...” Latina started, then suddenly paused, a look of dejection on her face. “Why didn’t you tell me...?”

She thought that she would be the first one to hear of her friend’s romance. She had no basis for that, but they were best friends, so that was what she thought. But maybe she was the only one thinking that, and perhaps Chloe no longer considered her a best friend.

It was a bad habit of Latina’s to immediately jump to pessimistic conclusions like that, but Chloe had been her best friend for years, so she was well aware of that.

And so, Chloe thrust out a plain and simple explanation.

“Now just who was it who went missing when I wanted to discuss this, I wonder...?”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry...!”

She remembered all too clearly.

Dale and Latina had gotten engaged when she was still a little young for marriage by Labandese standards. But now, several years had passed, and she was old enough that it wouldn’t be remotely strange for her to be married.

And Latina was well aware that she was at fault for not being by her best friend’s side during that period.

“But still, just how did it happen?”

“...Well, at first I was to be set up with someone from a textile wholesaler who I knew through work... And we happened to see each other now and again, and he told me not to do it...” Chloe explained after looking at Latina with a teasing expression as the girl apologized in a fluster. But as she talked about her fiance, her expression softened and she felt at ease inside.

Chloe and her fiance had started to grow close because Latina had gone missing. Up until then, she didn’t see him as a possible romantic partner, and he was just someone she saw now and again and made small talk with.

When Latina went missing and then Dale disappeared too, the regulars of the Dancing Ocelot started giving their all to look into what had happened.

Amongst them was their childhood friend Rudolph, who ran all around Kreuz and discovered the key clue that there existed a girl who looked identical to Latina, mainly via testimony from the gatekeepers.

Another of their friends, Sylvia, left not only Kreuz but all of Laband in search of Latina.

But Chloe was just an ordinary person living in town, and she wasn’t able to do a thing.

She really hated herself, not being able to do anything for her precious best friend she had known since childhood. It was so very hard.

Thanks to the Demon Lords of Calamity the world was teetering on the brink, and the guards and adventurers were volunteering to maintain order at the risk of their lives.

And yet, there was nothing she could do. If only there was at least some way she could help.

As those thoughts ran through her head, her legs ended up taking her to the temple.

This temple for Ahmar, patron god of Laband, was where the night festival was held, and also where people came to pray for the safety of those who took up the sword to fight for their own sense of justice. Her friend’s beloved had made a name for himself as a champion, so she prayed that he would be successful and they would come back safely.

She had also frequently visited the temple of Akhdar along with her friends, and was quite familiar with it. She prayed that her friend who was running all around would be safe. And above all else, she prayed to the god who watched over travellers for news of her best friend’s whereabouts to arrive even a moment sooner.

She rarely ever visited the temples, but now she went to as many as she could and prayed, as if she depended on it.

The one to call out to her back then had been Patrick Hartmann. He was a young guard who had once seen her home after they’d all attended the Ahmar night festival together.

As a guard, it was Patrick’s job to preserve public order around town. Because of that, it wasn’t rare in the least for him to be out on patrol. And the two had grown close enough that when they ran into each other on such occasions, they would exchange greetings.

He had called out to Chloe because Kreuz had been growing less and less safe.

Thanks to the absolute vigilance of the guards and the leadership of the adventurers, Kreuz was foremost in terms of public order for Laband, but even so, it was hard to call it “safe” compared to how things were in times of peace. And so, it was plenty possible that a young woman walking around all on her own and looking helpless could end up getting wrapped up in some sort of trouble.

“Yeah... It’s alright, I’ll be fine.”

If she were her usual determined self, that statement would have sounded persuasive even without anything to back it up. But at the time, there wasn’t even a hint of her usual unjustified level of confidence. The smile on her face seemed somehow empty and pitiful.

“If it’s just on your way home, then I’ll walk you back.”

“I told you, I’m fine...”

“I was in the middle of delivering orders to the unit in that part of town, anyway,” Patrick said with a smile, taking care not to directly argue with her claim.

Thinking back on it, Chloe figured that was when her perception of him started to shift, bit by bit.

It was also Patrick’s advice that lead to the creation of a symbol for the adventurers and those with similar feelings to fixate on.

“If you’ve never done it before, then you can just bring it up with someone capable of such things. After all, people who can gather everyone together are important, too. Of course, it would be nice if you counted me among your connections, too...”

When they met in the Backstreet Bakery while he was buying a mountain of snacks for his squad and she was grabbing lunch, he mentioned that to her and provided her with a task to handle.

She had been nothing but depressed, but now there was something she could contribute with, too. That made her happier than anything else.

Chloe drew the rough design work herself, but since she wasn’t a specialist, it was ultimately a bit shabby-looking. As someone who had worked for a long time in the clothing industry, she couldn’t bring herself to present such amateurish work to the world.

It was then that Patrick got involved, and she received advice from an expert who had regular dealings with the guards. This expert in crests and the like adjusted the Fairy Princess design, providing an additional level of polish.

As for the connections needed to actually construct the flag, Chloe herself already had them. As a tailor, she had ties to both workshops that specialized in delicate dying, as well as those well known for their complex, yet sturdy, weaves.

After creating a prototype, she talked to the adventurers of the Ocelot and established a budget. She ended up with far more money and orders than she’d expected, and she couldn’t possibly sew all the flags on her own, so it turned into a big job spanning numerous workshops.

A darkness had fallen over Kreuz’s crafting district, but this special order invigorated the fabric workshops. It was a job which would earn them the gratitude of a great many people, and it also really felt like something worth doing.

When Chloe raised the finished Fairy Princess flag high, Patrick was by her side.

As she raised the flag as if to say, “We’re here looking for you, so hurry up and realize that!” Chloe looked up at the flag and felt a swell of powerful emotions within her.

In the same manner, the distance between her and Patrick gradually shrank over time. Before she knew it, the youth who was once a mere acquaintance had become something far more than that.

That was why Chloe had been unable to bring herself to talk in detail with Latina about Patrick. After all, doing so meant telling her friend the details about how helpless she felt back then, and how difficult it was.

She had already told Latina what she needed to, so she had no intention of tediously dragging things out. After all, everything was over and done with. Chloe was a decisive person, so she got angry, was apologized to, and accepted that. She was entirely satisfied with that.

Really, she was just pleased to have her friend back.

Besides, above all else, it was just too awkward. She felt embarrassed, in other words.

Because she was talking to someone who had known her since childhood, the idea of revealing such uncharacteristically girlish feelings was so embarrassing she felt like she would faint.

And so, Chloe had reported the matter to her friend, hiding her true feelings behind a joke.

Chloe couldn’t help but feel relieved, seeing how Latina didn’t seem to notice the agony she was feeling inside.

“You’re getting married...”

“Will you attend the ceremony?”

“Of course. But still... I thought that I was going to be first...” she muttered, a bit dumbfounded somehow, but then she shot her best friend a smile. “It feels strange somehow, me telling you ‘I wish you happiness’...”

“Well, I wouldn’t exactly decide on something like this with the intention of becoming unhappy.”

“It’s just an odd feeling, like somebody’s stealing you away.”

“Considering how you go on and on about your own romance, I don’t want to hear that from you...”

They both broke out laughing in tandem, realizing just how true that was.

“What sort of person is your fiance?”

“You may have met him once before.”

“Really?”

Seeing Latina tilt her head in thought, as nobody was coming to mind, Chloe laughed in amusement.

Meanwhile, around that time...

“Chloe and I are going to get married,” Patrick suddenly informed Rudolph when the two were on break, only for the latter to spit out the cold water he had been drinking in surprise.

“Gross...” Patrick said, furrowing his brows.

“You... Huh? Are you serious?” Rudolph asked with a grimace.

He had overheard for a while now that his colleague was getting closer to his childhood friend, but to be honest, he thought it had just been crazy talk. Thanks to the strange pecking order that he’d been conditioned to see things with as a child, he frankly couldn’t even imagine someone having romantic feelings towards her.

“You know, some folks say marriage is where a life goes to die...”

“I’ll tell Chloe that’s how you congratulated us,” Patrick responded with a refreshing smile.

“Sorry. Like, seriously. Please forgive me...”

The way he immediately crumbled and started apologizing showed just what sort of relationship Rudolph had with his childhood friend.

And he seemed to have a fine relationship with his colleague, too.

†

Though it was a wedding, it wasn’t as if commoners could afford such luxury as wedding dresses. The ability to order an impractical outfit of the sort that you would only wear once in a lifetime was limited solely to nobles and the rich.

For common folk, they simply wore the best clothes they owned, and then a ceremony was held at the temple of Quirmizi, the god who governed not only the earth and harvest, but also marriage. Kreuz was rather strict when it came to public records, too, so it was also customary to present documentation to the lord’s manor at the same time.

Once you received the god’s blessing and finished the proper procedures at the manor, you announced the matter more publicly. Normally, folks did that by holding a banquet and inviting people from their neighborhood. The custom had the additional benefit of introducing the couple to their neighbors, to help make their future relations easier.

As a commoner, Chloe of course had no plans of ordering a wedding dress and holding an elaborate banquet. However, she did work as a tailor. And her pride as a craftswoman wouldn’t allow her to take this once in a lifetime event with only halfhearted ambition.

Accordingly, Chloe decided to prepare a new outfit from scratch.

“You guards already have uniforms, so fortunately that means I only need to prepare one for myself, which is a big help.”

Fittingly, though, she still kept a strict budget. After a great deal of deliberation, she decided on a fabric that compromised on neither price nor weave from amongst a great number of samples. And the fact that the dying process went just as she had planned was exceptionally encouraging.

As she sat beside her friend who was hurriedly moving along her needle, Latina looked at the design sheet and the incomplete outfit and tilted her head.

“I think that some sort of large accessory would look nice here...”

“It just wasn’t in the budget.”

“Right... And it would be too expensive for me to give it to you as a gift, to congratulate you...”

“Yeah, if you went that far, I’d probably end up getting mad.”

While looking at her friend, who had reacted just as expected with her commoner’s money sense, Latina wagged her index finger back and forth looking troubled.

“But you know, you could still borrow one. I’ll get permission, so how about it?”

“I can’t say I’m not interested, but... I mean, I’d be terrified of something happening to it...”

“I can keep an eye on it in the meantime.”

That proposal had Chloe seriously excited.

Naturally, she had an interest in the sort of expensive jewelry that would normally be out of her grasp with her financial standing. Plus there was the fact that Latina was assuredly thinking of borrowing something from Dale’s home village of Tislow.

Chrysos, who had been staying in Kreuz until just a few days ago, ruled over the nation of Vassilios, which was blessed with all sorts of abundant ores underneath the ground. And Tislow was a foremost producer of magical devices, which used such materials. Plus there was that tough old Granny Wendelgard and her son Randolph. A plan to combine the resources of that neighboring country with Dale’s own personal connections was only natural.

Jewelry-styled decorative magical devices that served as exemplars of Tislow’s specialty were delivered to Kreuz using a special postal service. Countless such goods had been sent to present Chrysos as examples, and to be gifted to her depending on the circumstances.

By the way, Chrysos had a very strong interest in the chic goods produced with Tislow’s techniques for processing jewels. She seemed very interested in taking some home with her, in the hopes of cultivating such an industry in her own country.

However, Tislow was Dale’s home village. That was the one point of which Chrysos disapproved. If she accepted such expensive gifts, then it would be like a favor owed to Dale, which she found deeply unpleasant.

Dale succeeded in convincing Chrysos to accept them, though, by pointing out that Latina had the same sort of jewelry. Apparently her desire to match readily surpassed her dislike of Dale.

The jewelry that hadn’t been presented to Chrysos was currently still in Kreuz.

With that said, it would be far too careless to just casually leave them sitting around in the attic of the Ocelot. And so instead they were being stored at the bank in the Azraq temple, but Latina figured she could get permission if she wrote a letter to Granny Wen in Tislow explaining her circumstances.

Granny Wen doted on Latina just like Dale did, but at the same time, she trusted Latina enough to know such requests would not be made lightly. And though Latina could get immediate permission if she sought it from Dale rather than Granny Wen, she was honest enough not to try something like that.

“What color gem would be good...? Maybe something similar to that of your outfit...?”

“Are we really going to be able to choose all that?”

“Well, there aren’t a ton, but they were intended as samples to begin with, so there’s a pretty diverse selection.”

“Then what about an opposing color? I mean, if I’m getting the chance, that would stand out more...”

“Would it be better to have a simple design, or one with lots of ornamentation?”

They passed the time engrossed in their discussion, the outfit in progress laid out before them.

Latina was enraptured by the outfit her best friend had selected for her big day, but that was only natural. She was, after all, a girl of the age to be interested in fashion.

The question of what she would wear to the wedding was of utmost importance, too.

“Hmm...”

Latina was digging through her box of clothing in the Ocelot’s attic. She had grabbed her best outfits and was laying them out.

“It would be good to have a different color from Chloe... This one’s cute and I really like it, but it’s not the right season...”

“If you’re worrying that much about it, are you going out somewhere?” Dale asked, tilting his head as he looked at Latina. He wasn’t planning to go out, so he honestly had no idea what she was so worried about.

“Um, Chloe’s getting married.”

“Is that so?”

Dale was acquainted with Latina’s best friend, as she occasionally came to visit at the Ocelot.

“And so, I was wondering what I should wear...”

“You’d look cute in anything, Latina.”

Dale’s attention was, of course, entirely lavished on Latina rather than what she was doing.

“What should I do with my hair...? Should I buy a new accessory...?”

Latina brought one hand up to her head, and was lost in thought.

Ribbons were just too childish. Considering her hair color, silver accessories may bring things together nicely. No wait, maybe she should splurge a bit on gold, to have something truly brilliant. Her thoughts just kept on racing through her head.

“Should I buy you something?” Dale asked, but Latina just said, “No,” with a bit of a troubled frown.

“I get the feeling that you would go overboard and buy me something more suited for an evening party, Dale...”

“Wouldn’t you rather have something high quality than something cheap?”

“I wouldn’t really wear it often enough to get something like that...”

Dale tilted his head. He had a very selective sense of aesthetics, due to being raised in a town foremost among jewelry producers in Laband, and his perception of value was also completely apart from that of a common man. Plus his “normal” encounters with such jewelry involved high society and nobility, which left him a bit biased.

With her commoner’s mindset, Latina certainly wouldn’t be able to bring herself to regularly wear the sort of accessory Dale would select, and in fact would end up immediately storing it in the bank at the temple of Azraq.

She could tell that much from how splendid the bracelet he had given her for their engagement was.

“Still, that girl’s getting married, huh...?”

He may have had a fiancee the same age in the form of Latina, but it still blindsided him to hear such news about a girl he had known since she was a child.

“Should I... perform the ceremony?” Dale asked, wanting to offer his blessing.

“Wah?” Latina reacted, looking clearly confused with a complex expression on her face. “Dale? But why?”

“Why...? I mean, the wedding will be at the temple of Quirmizi, right?”

“That’s right.”

“So for a normal citizen’s ceremony, they’ll just assign a regular priest, yeah?”

“Isn’t that plenty, though?”

“Well yeah, I guess. But... I’m considered a high ranking priest. So wouldn’t having me do it make things more auspicious?”

“Wha?” she let slip again, which was a habit when she didn’t understand something. It was like a question mark for her, and just happened reflexively.

While hesitating a bit due to her reaction, Dale went ahead and explained his skills.

“I have divine protection from Azraq too, but... My divine protection from Quirmizi is of a high enough rank to perform religious ceremonies, and I’ve had training as a priest.”

A special trait of those known as heroes was that they possessed divine protection from multiple gods. On top of that, Dale’s home village of Tislow was considered a holy ground of Quirmizi’s, having received great favor from that god.

There were a number of aspects to his status as a hero that Dale wasn’t fond of, so he didn’t spread it around that he possessed such divine protection. But on the other hand, the title of “hero” ultimately belonged to an ability, not a job. And so officially, Dale’s occupation was that of a high ranking Quirmizi priest.

That was why Dale had brought up the idea, but Latina still looked troubled.

“It’s like I can’t even imagine how many things you can do, Dale...”

It was a rather strange feeling, being told that by a prodigy like Latina.

“Hmm... I’ll ask Chloe next time I see her.”

“I see.”

Dale seemed to have already lost interest in the wedding itself, and was now looking over the outfits Latina had spread out. Being his usual self, he was thinking that if he only had a bit more notice, he could have put in an order with a tailor for her.

And since Latina knew precisely how Dale was, she’d intentionally waited this long to begin preparing. As someone who enjoyed cleaning up and keeping things tidy, Latina didn’t wish to end up with more outfits than she needed.

The following day, Latina mentioned Dale’s proposal to Chloe.

In one hand, she held a bundle from a confectioner she had discovered just the other day near the high class residences of the western district. She had found it back when her sister was visiting and she was frequently visiting the western district. Normally she wouldn’t purchase anything from such an upper-class establishment, but they sold such brilliantly decorated sweets that would be just perfect for the celebratory banquet for the wedding.

Chloe certainly looked surprised to see Latina show up with such an expensive-looking bundle, but when she heard the surprisingly reasonable cost, she was an entirely different manner of shocked.

When she set the plate of baked goods with their flower-shaped cream decorations down, it was like the table had been adorned with a bouquet of flowers.

Feeling like it would be a shame to see that beauty crumble, she shoved one into her mouth whole, puffing her cheeks up. It was even fluffier and more delicious than she had imagined.

“Ah, it’s delicious.”

“They must use the sort of butter that only high-class shops have...”

They also drank tea while chewing away.

Latina couldn’t help but smile when she saw her best friend’s outfit, which was now rather far along.

“You’ll be done soon, won’t you?”

“I suppose.”

“Um, Chloe, about Dale...”

Latina then explained Dale’s proposal to Chloe, only for an extremely doubtful look to cross her friend’s face.

“Hey, Latina...”

“Hmm?”

“What would you do if you were in my place?”

“Yeah...”

“I want to have a modest wedding fitting to my status as a commoner.”

“Right.”

“If a world-famous big shot hero showed up, and then performed the ceremony... Just how do you think it would turn out?”

“I don’t think I’d want him to do it,” Latina immediately replied.

He had been her fiance, and before that her guardian for many years, but still, considering her commoner mindset that reaction was quite natural.

“That’s how it is.”

“I see.”

Becoming too famous was a problem in its own way.

“I think it’s best to just do things normally,” Chloe said with a nod, a pretty typical attitude.

“Um, is it alright if I attend along with Dale?”

“Well, he is your fiance, so I have no reason to refuse, but... I’d certainly appreciate it if you could get him to restrain himself.”

“Yeah...”

In that way, Dale’s proposal ended up getting turned down.

The two didn’t bring up how much anxiety the priest who had to perform the ceremony in front of him would face. After all, Dale’s face and status were well known amongst Quirmizi priests. It would only become obvious on the day of that the priest in charge was even more nervous than the bride and groom, having to perform while being observed by a champion who was also a higher ranking priest than he was.

Let us pray for him.

A day in which it was a little cloudy, but not altogether bad weather... That was the sort of day on which Chloe’s wedding was held.

The wedding ceremonies in Kreuz were a little different than the one Latina had once attended in Tislow. As a priest, Dale had taught her that.

“This is the norm for Laband as a whole. I think it’s the same in different countries too, but it really does vary by region. But still, Tislow really is unique.”

“I see.”

Dale gave that simple lecture while walking alongside Latina, dressed in his usual outdoor attire. It wasn’t the sort of formal outfit he needed to wear when making an appearance in high society. Dale had gotten used to being called “deplorable,” but even so, he knew that if he dressed too nicely, it would make him stand out a bit too much.

“It wasn’t a mistake to attend, was it? It’s Chloe’s wedding, but it would be a problem if we screwed it up...”

“You shouldn’t worry so much about it. What matters most is your desire to celebrate their union.”

Latina had a worried look on her face, and was clad in a bright green dress. She had ultimately decided on that cute favorite of hers after all of her worrying about the matter. Part of her reasoning was that she wanted to wear something different from Chloe, who was today’s big star.

As far as accessories went, she just had on a golden hairpin and her engagement bracelet from Dale. Even so, that was enough to make her cuteness seriously stand out. Her greatest accessory of all, though, was the gentle smile that crept across her face when she prayed for her precious best friend’s happiness.

A certain faithful pup stood by Latina’s side, his tail wagging.

It was Chloe’s big day, so Vint’s usual poncho was brand new. Of course, it had been handmade by Latina.

“You’re always adorable, but it really is something special when you’re all dressed up, Latina. You’ll end up standing out even more than the bride!” Dale exclaimed, his usual sort of deplorable nonsense. He had said something similar back when his younger brother was getting married, which really called into question his “unshakeable” restraint.

“You said something like that before, but still... That sort of stuff’s really not okay, at least not for today.”

Because she strongly felt that the star of today needed to be her friend, Latina actually firmly shot Dale down for once. She even gave Dale a stern look while making an x with her two index fingers.

Still, though it was the norm, even if Latina tried to intimidate someone, the other person would completely fail to feel threatened. She was just far too much like a small animal.

“Woof,” Vint let slip rather listlessly. It was hard to judge under the circumstances if that was him agreeing with Latina, or him regretting how soft she was.

They were walking the same path towards the crafting district that she had traveled many times since she was a child.

She had made countless visits to her friend’s house over a long stretch of time. She had so many memories there it was hard to recall them all, from frivolous conversations to youthful discussions about love.

Chloe was going to move into a new home with her husband, so starting tomorrow, she wouldn’t live here anymore. Latina would no longer be paying the place frequent visits like she used to.

When she realized how much her everyday life would be changing, Latina’s eyes started to grow damp. But she just shook her head gently and drove the thought from her mind. If she were to start crying before the wedding even started, Chloe wouldn’t just be astounded, she would full on scold Latina. Latina somehow managed to get her thoughts back in order, with the image of her friend’s angry face in the back of her mind.

After being welcomed by Chloe’s parents (who were in even more formal attire than usual), Latina headed on inside.

There she was greeted by Chloe in her now complete outfit. Her friend was just the same as usual, not betraying a hint of nervousness.

“Welcome.”

“Yeah.”

Chloe’s clothing had a simple and refined look, lacking any frills or anything of the sort, making for what was perhaps an overly stylish wedding outfit. But still, it suited Chloe well. At first glance it appeared to be a simple unornamented dress, but when she moved a second skirt came into view, with a large red floral pattern on it. It had turned out to be a rather exquisite design, overall.

Latina held out a box containing a piece of jewelry, offering it to her friend.

“Here, it’s the broach I promised.”

“Thanks.”

Chloe nonchalantly accepted the box and opened it, only to freeze in place. You could almost hear the creeeeeak as she slowly turned to face Latina.

“Gah... Latina... I really can’t help but be scared of this getting stolen or something...”

Inside the box was a beautiful brooch, made up of a large ruby surrounded by elaborate golden ornamentation. The shining jewel alone would be so expensive that a commoner could normally never possibly lay hands on it. It made sense, though, seeing as it was meant to be a sample presented to the ruler of a nation. And there was no way Tislow wouldn’t go all out, considering the circumstances.

“About that, I thought up a bit of a good luck charm.”

Chloe’s timidness was only natural, but even so, Latina plucked a single one of her own hairs.

“It may not be all that pleasant, but here, I’ll entwine my hair like this.”

As she said that, Latina wrapped her plucked hair around the metal fittings on the back of the brooch. Her hair was so lightly colored that you would likely never notice it if you didn’t know it was there, at least when it was just the one strand.

“Right. And?”

“If I do this, he says he’ll be able to find it as long as it’s in Kreuz, at least for the next few days.”

A silence fell over the room.

Latina’s statement caused an awkward expression to flash over not just Chloe’s face, but Dale’s as well.

Apparently Latina was having the pup accompany her even to her friend’s wedding in order to guard, and if necessary track down, the expensive brooch. On the off chance someone was struck by a sudden urge to steal it, they would quickly be faced by a mythical beast’s hunting skills.

Vint was ready and raring to go with a triumphant look on his face as his tail wagged happily along. After all, it was only natural for this loyal hound to get fired up when Latina made a personal request to him. There really was no guarantee in the least that any potential thieves would be able to walk away unharmed.

“Well, it’s an auspicious occasion, so I can’t imagine anyone like that showing up anyway...”

“Yeah, that’s true.”

“Right. I don’t think you need to worry about it.”

While Chloe and Dale had more or less turned away from the reality of the situation, Latina wore a carefree smile on her face.

Neither Chloe nor Dale knew that Latina had thought her pup was just there in case it was misplaced. She hadn’t even considered the possibility of a thief.

Having regained her composure, Chloe affixed the borrowed brooch to her chest.

In an instant, her simple outfit suddenly became quite brilliant. Naturally the crimson gemstone played the main role there, but the tasteful outfit as a whole also served perfectly to help it stand out so well.

“Wah... You look amazing,” Latina immediately uttered, and Chloe was far from dissatisfied, herself.

She could set aside any manner of reservations for the chance to wear such a brilliant ruby, and honestly, she was overjoyed.

“It really is impressive.”

“Yeah. It really suits you, Chloe.”

It had always been hard to deal with the way she could say such things with an innocent smile, even when they were children.

Unable to handle such sudden praise from her friend, Chloe averted her gaze. Latina just tilted her head in confusion, but Dale noticed Chloe’s ears clearly turning red.

“Chloe?”

“You don’t really have time to be wasting right now, do you?” Dale interjected, extending a helping hand.

“That’s true!”

When Chloe suddenly stood up there was still some red to her cheeks, but Latina didn’t seem to notice. Dale, meanwhile, managed to stifle an awkward smile.

With that, they headed for the temple of Quirmizi, accompanied by Chloe’s family.

It was a commoner wedding, so it wasn’t exactly some splendid, complex ceremony. In fact, it was the bare minimum of a ritual, held before the altar. For that reason, it was the norm for the bride, groom, and attendees to simply gather at the temple of Quirmizi on their own.

Chloe’s wedding was no exception, and they chatted away casually on the way to the temple in the central district. The groom and his family were already waiting there. After a brief greeting, the group crowded into the temple.

As one would expect, Latina was looking curiously around the inside of the temple, which she wasn’t very familiar with. Fitting to being part of a temple to the god of the earth, the large space being used as a waiting room was decorated here and there throughout with reliefs of flowers and harvests. The wooden chairs lined up there had been polished until they were an amber color, with the wood grain showing beautifully. And the marble flooring somehow felt similar to the style used in Vassilios, which evoked a strange feeling in her.

The temple of Quirmizi had a rather relaxed atmosphere compared to those of other gods, so they didn’t question the pup accompanying the group. And perhaps because Latina had made sure to explain things properly in advance, Vint was behaving far more like an obedient hound than he normally would, simply standing by the Fairy Princess’s side and wagging his tail.

Dale was particularly surprised to see Vint like that, realizing that the pup really could get his act together if he tried.

The bride, groom, and their families headed further into the temple to offer donations.

Not long afterwards, the guests were lead into the room of worship by a priest. It was a wide-open space, filled with dazzling light.

The blue sky was clearly visible through the massive windows in the room. The bottom halves of the windows were stained glass, and the brilliant floral designs cast colorful shadows across the room as light passed through them.

The chairs had a rustic, simple feel, but when the shining light from the stained glass fell upon them, it created an otherworldly sort of space.

There was a stained glass window behind the altar, too. It had a harvest design on it, and the brilliant glass colored in the orange of the god almost seemed to give off light of its own to illuminate the room.

“Wah...” Latina let slip, seemingly unintentionally.

This was a room of worship meant for weddings, so she would normally never see it. This room meant for special occasions possessed a different sort of beauty than the noble manors and the imperial palace that she saw in the capital, a gentle one extolling the temple’s god. It really was no surprise that Latina ended up feeling such admiration.

Latina turned to look at Dale by her side, and then tilted her head a bit.

“Dale, you’ve got a sort of serious look on your face.”

“I guess you could call it an occupational disease...? I just get nervous when everything seems to be going as planned, I guess...”

“It’s not like I don’t understand, but please don’t go saying anything that will cause trouble, alright?”

The two whispered as they talked. Each of them held a single flower in their hand.

Each of the attendees present had one, and they were meant to be presented before Quirmizi. Just like in Tislow, in the Quirmizi temples across Laband, flowers were considered crucial for religious ceremonies. That meant there were many nearby florists contracted with it, in addition to business from passing flower merchants.

The families of the bride and groom were already seated in the front row, waiting for the ceremony to begin.

Before long, the doors to the room opened, and two priests came into view. They each gave a deep bow to the attendees, and then the guests started quietly whispering amongst themselves.

The priests then opened the doors wide. The first to enter the room of worship was a lone third priest dressed in formal attire. He had decorative orange cloth over both shoulders, which displayed rather abstract flower and harvest designs. The priest headed straight for the altar, then turned so that he was facing the attendees with his back to the window.

It was then that the bride and groom appeared, as if they had been awaiting that signal.

“Waaah...” Latina let slip, overcome with emotion at the sight of her best friend wearing the sort of gorgeous headdress considered the symbol of a bride. It was made using silk blessed by the temple, serving as a sort of protective amulet. Such headdresses, made of numerous trailing layers of silk and gorgeously decorated with flowers, were only ever prepared for weddings. The flowers were the orange of Quirmizi, and the headdress went perfectly with her dark hair and subdued outfit. It was impossible to see her as anything but a bride.

“She’s really getting married...”

The reality of the event hit Latina hard. She had been trying desperately to ignore it, but her ability to hold her tears back seemed at its limit, as her vision was starting to grow blurry.

When Chloe noticed her friend, she gave a strained smile that was very much like her.

“Why are you crying, Latina?”

“I don’t know... But I wish you happiness, Chloe.”

As she gave her blessing, Latina held out the single flower she had been holding close to her chest.

“...Right.”

Patrick was the one to accept it, but he turned and handed it to Chloe.

With a formal smile on his face, Dale also handed the groom a flower.

As they approached the priest waiting at the altar, the number of flowers held by the bride and groom continued to grow. Those bundles of flowers were then to be offered up to Quirmizi, as proof of how much the couple had been blessed by those around them.

The priest began a prayer. It was in neither Western Continental nor the language of spells, so only priests could understand what was being said. Still, the grace carried by the words was lost on none present. The guests naturally sat up straight, and their hearts were filled with thanks towards the god and prayers that the couple would be blessed in their new life together.

As the ceremony reached its climax, Latina was overcome with emotion and tears finally burst down her face.

Dale held her hand tightly as he recited the incredibly familiar prayer from memory.

By the time the ceremony was over, the handkerchief Latina had been holding was completely drenched.

There was no way that Latina could possibly hide how much she had been crying, so when Chloe saw her best friend like that, she gave a rather awkward smile.

“Seriously, why did you cry like that, Latina?”

“I don’t know... I’m not sure, I just kind of ended up crying...”

“Well, I guess that’s just like you.”

“I wanted Sylvia to see it too...”

When Latina mentioned the name of their other friend in Vassilios, Chloe broke out in a slight awkward smile.

“Sylvia... Well, what matters most is that she seems to be enjoying her work more than anyone, right?”

“That may be so, but still...”

It had been Sylvia’s dream since they were children to visit that unknown neighboring country, and now she was over there greedily gathering up all sorts of information about its climate and culture and the like. Latina may have been born there, but having been raised in secret in the depths of the shrine she didn’t even know basic Vassilios customs, so it was only a matter of time before her friend knew more about the nation than she did.

At some point, a travelogue of her home country was sure to be published stamped with her friend’s name. And honestly, Latina found that thought exhilarating.

“And besides, when it comes to Sylvia... I honestly wouldn’t be all that surprised if she came back from Vassilios with a kid...”

Latina just gave an awkward smile in response to Chloe’s statement.

It really wouldn’t be strange in the last for Sylvia to go and do something that completely subverted their expectations.

“Now then, now it’s your turn next, Latina.”

“...Yeah.”

Latina gave a bit of an embarrassed smile, then glanced over at Dale.

Dale was a step removed and talking to the Quirmizi priests, so as not to interfere with the conversation between the two best friends. He was famous and was considered a high ranking priest even if that wasn’t how he made a living, so it was no surprise that these priests would want to talk to him. And considering his own position, Dale couldn’t exactly turn them away.

After Latina finished checking how Dale was doing, the pair resumed their conversation.

“Unlike me, you’ve got budget to spare, Latina, so... How about ordering the sort of dress that’s popular with nobles nowadays?” Chloe said, now fully exposing her craftswoman side.

Dale’s ample finances were clear to see just from the engagement bracelet Latina always had on her person, and there were also plenty of big-shots waiting in the wings to act as sponsors.

It was no surprise that a craftswoman would be incredibly excited about the opportunity to create an elaborate dress using materials and accessories of the sort that a local tailor would normally have no access to.

“Normally I’d never have a chance to make something like that, so please let me do it. Scrutinizing what sort of design would be best and gathering materials and all that will be fun, too.”

“Wah...?”

Latina was honestly perplexed, seeing her friend get so wrapped up in her work and start rushing ahead. Naturally, that meant she let that familiar sound slip and tilted her head a bit.

“I think... If I’m having a wedding ceremony, it’ll be in Dale’s home village.”

Dale’s home village of Tislow had a unique culture all its own. And Latina knew full well that Dale took great pride in being one of them.

And so, ever since Dale proposed, Latina had assumed it was only obvious that their wedding would be held in Tislow.

“It’s sad that you won’t be there to see it, but I know the traditions of his home village are very important to Dale... Plus the wedding won’t just be for me and Dale, but also for welcoming me into his family.”

Chloe was silent.

“I think a dress would be lovely too, but the wedding outfits in Dale’s home village are passed down from generation to generation... And I think that’s wonderful in its own way.”

Chloe made a complex face at her friend’s response, but Latina didn’t notice.

Latina also wasn’t aware of the fact that her friend had connections with a certain massive nonprofit organization through the Ocelot’s regulars. As Chloe was the one who had created the Fairy Princess banner, she had deep ties with them.

But above all else, Latina was simply unaware of the huge influence that she held.

The wedding ceremony would be held in Tislow.

That news would hit the large group of people in Kreuz who had been looking forward to the once in a lifetime chance to see the Fairy Princess as a bride just as hard as a death sentence.

But with that said, Chloe didn’t realize the information she had obtained was quite that important.

Ultimately, the one to leak that information was her brand new husband, Patrick.

Chloe was aware that since Latina had lost her birth family at a young age, her new family and place in life were incredibly important to her. And so, she didn’t want to deny all that by objecting to her friend’s plan.

Still, she couldn’t help feeling unsatisfied, since at some point she had convinced herself that she would be the one to create Latina’s wedding dress. And as a result, Chloe ended up grumbling about her friend’s decision to Patrick.

In turn, Patrick discussed the matter with a certain coworker who was his age.

That coworker happened to be childhood friends with his new wife and her best friend. It had just been raised as a bit of light teasing gossip, because it was well known amongst the guards that Patrick’s colleague had feelings for the best friend of his new wife.

Rudolph’s reaction when he heard that news differed from what Patrick had expected.

Rather than blushing or getting mad, he went completely pale.

In his head, Rudolph was predicting that this news could lead to ever worse riots in Kreuz than when the Demon Lords of Calamity were on the move.

Having correctly assessed the seriousness of the matter, Rudolph hurriedly reported the information to his superior.

What came next was truly instantaneous.

A certain organization forged in times of war took action with similar haste to if this had been a national emergency.

As a result, a notice was delivered to the Dancing Ocelot stating that Latina had been kidnapped by a group calling itself the Platinum Fairy Princess Protection Committee.