Chapter 160.1 - The Situation of the Meeting That Couldn’t Be Spoken About (1/2)
“So, what will you be doing now, Ryouma-kun?” [Reinhart]
For some reason or another, I was asked that during breakfast.
My answer was a given.
“I’m thinking of looking for a demolition job at the adventurers guild.” [Ryouma]
“A demolition job? Nothing wrong with work and all, but why?” [Reinhart]
The reason is because last night’s meeting.
I was participating for the first time, so the meeting started out with a confirmation of the things that have already been completed and a progress report on the ongoing jobs. When I was starting to understand the situation…
“I have a proposal.” [Hyuzu]
The groom, Hyuzu-san, suddenly said that.
His proposal was aimed toward the entire venue, and he wanted to entrust a portion of the construction to me.
“The venue for the ceremony is at the rear garden, right? And the wedding ceremony will be done in the elven manner? Even the maids alone should be able to handle that.” [Elize]
“They’re doing the Elven Ceremony, yes, but a human church needs to be built at the center of the venue.” [Ryouma]
“…What does that mean?” [Reinhart]
“I thought the exact same thing last night. I was all, ‘What is he talking about?’” [Ryouma]
When I thought back to the situation last night, I can’t help but want to wryly smile…
In order to explain this, first I need to explain the particularities of the wedding ceremonies.
“Let’s start with the human wedding ceremony. Curtly put, in human wedding ceremonies, the vows are made according to the church, before a clergyman, friends, and families, right? The reception may vary depending on one’s financial standing, but that’s not the case for the ceremony itself.” [Ryouma]
After confirming that the duke, his wife, Serge-san, and Pioro-san all nodded, I continued.
“Unlike human wedding ceremonies, however, in the elven style of wedding ceremonies, tables and food are lined up around an open space, while an elder or person of high social standing (someone with responsibility) will take on the role of the clergyman. The vows are similarly made in front of one’s friends and relatives, but after that, the people will share the food and begin a banquet.” [Ryouma]
There are more elves living in human towns nowadays, but in the olden days, the elves lived in small villages built in nature. It was under that kind of environment that they became acquainted with humans and the custom of celebrating weddings in villages naturally came to be.
Also, although this wedding ceremony is credited to the elves and is known as Elven Ceremony, the ceremony itself doesn’t actually have anything to do with race and is regularly practiced in rural areas.
The wedding ceremony of Hyuzu-san and Rurunez-san will be the Elven Ceremony just as the madam had said, but this was decided due to the number of participants.
In order to accept even more friends coming to celebrate, they decided to go all out on the people attending the meeting, the volunteers, and even the reception.
But most importantly, it’s because it was believed that Rurunez-san has always admired the elven way of the wedding ceremony.
“But the truth is that she’s long admired the human way of doing the ceremony. Although it’s not a lie that she does like the elven ceremony too.” [Ryouma]
“She’s a girl, so it’s only normal for her to fuss over the kind of ceremony. She could have just said so if she preferred it that way.” [Elize]
“She has a tendency to be reserved, after all…” [Reinhart]
She never said anything, but Hyuzu-san noticed and made suggestions to change the program accordingly.
At first, everyone at the meeting thought it would only make things needlessly complicated, but when they found out that it was what Rurunez-san wanted, they started giving out ideas. In the end, Hyuzu-san asked for my cooperation. He knew that I built my store in less than a week, so he figured that if it was me, I could make their plans a reality. He also said that just asking is free.
His frankness is really his strong point…
Rurunez-san hadn’t spoken out originally because she didn’t have the nerve to, but she was really happy that Hyuzu-san noticed her feelings. Hyuzu-san also noticed that she was happy, and although he was originally talking seriously, somewhere someway the atmosphere turned sweet, and the people participating at the meeting looked at the soon-to-be-wed couple with envy and weariness.
But this was something that Hyuzu-san ‘achieved’, so although the people in the meeting were fed up of their sweet atmosphere, they just watched over them. Some of the men were crying tears of blood, though.
“I don’t really feel like talking about their lovey-dovey atmosphere, so I’ll just skip that part, but anyway… In the end, it was decided that the stage will be made in the style of the church. The stage will have to accommodate the idols I make, the groom, the wife, and a representative from the clergy. Of course, there also needs to be some leeway left or it’ll be too cramped. The entrance needs to be big, so that others can see from outside.” [Ryouma]
I think something like the roofed resting areas in parks or a small shed should do.
“The off duty gardener and guards will also be lending a hand, so as soon as the design is decided, it will only take one – to be safe – two days to finish.” [Ryouma]
“Right. If it’s you, well, you do have a track record. I’m sure you’ll be able to finish the construction in a short time.” [Reinhart]
“I want to see the different sights of this town and check its guilds out, so I figured I might as well get a job that can also help me obtain some materials.” [Ryouma]