Chapter 245: Wedding_The Demon King Seems to Conquer the World

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 On July 31, Emperor History Calendar 2322, two weeks after the third anniversary of Carol’s passing, I found myself attending a wedding.

 In Shanti culture… or more urately, in the cultural sphere of the Holy Marsh faith, which originated from the Great Shanti Empire, weddings were held in front of a marsh. In the royal capital, there was a temple specifically for this purpose, and behind this temple, there was a pond. Although it was actually called a marsh, it didn’t have the appearance of one, being quite clear, and it was known as the Sacred Marsh of the royal capital.

 The term “Sacred Marsh” referred to the ck Sea. These types of marshes were not called Sacred Marshes. In this context, the “Sacred Marsh” referred to a special ritual where water from the ck Sea was transnted, making the marsh a kind of branch of the Sacred Marsh. During the Great Empire era, when ess to the ck Sea was avable to people, it was natural to fetch seawater directly from there. However, after the copse and restricted ess to the ck Sea, a culture developed where newly established temples would transnt water from the first generation transnted marshes. Marshes that had water transnted directly from the ck Sea long ago were considered highly prestigious, and the royal capital’s temple had one of these distinguished marshes. Although importing ck Sea water nowadays wasn’t particrly difficult, there was resistance to dismantling long-standing cultural practices, so there hadn’t been any requests from the clergy to change this tradition.

 Even so, the pond in the capital was beautiful. The culture of the noble Karakumo households might sound rough if described as “crude,” but it was more urately “rustic” and simple, often just a in pond. In contrast, the Sibyaku pond, crafted to suit the Witches’ tastes, was splendid. A stone bridge led to an ind in the pond, surrounded by various trees creating a grove. The pond was meticulously maintained, with no household waste entering it, ensuring clear water even in the middle of summer. Combined with the calcted aesthetic of the surroundings, this spot felt like an ancient forest, despite being within Sibyaku.

 “—Do you vow to take each other’s hands and walk together, in wealth and poverty, in sickness and in health, until old age?” (??)“…Yes.” (Do)

 “I do.” (Telor)

 The ones making these vows were Do Godwin and Telor, who had just discarded the surname Chartres to be Telor Godwin. Telor looked ted, on the verge of tears, as if this was the peak of her life.

 “Ugh, sob, sniff…” (Hinami)

 Though I was seated at the head table, I was ced in the front row for a direct view. Next to me, Hinami Welz was sobbing uncontrobly. She had been looking after Telor since their escape from Kilghina, and the emotional impact was clearly immense for her. She held a handkerchief, now a soggy mess.

 “…Here, take this.” (Yuri)

 I whispered, handing her my handkerchief.

 “…Huh?” (Hinami)

 “One handkerchief doesn’t seem to be enough.” (Yuri)

 I felt like I was watching a bizarre event, so there was no need for me to wipe away any tears.

 “…Thank you.” (Hinami)

 Hinami pinched her nose to wipe away thest of her snot, took my handkerchief, and used it to wipe her fresh tears.

 “…Hic.” (Hinami)

 Hearing a sound I wasn’t supposed to, I turned to my left and saw Myaro with a handkerchief to her eyes.

 No way.

 Thinking my ears had deceived me, I looked again and indeed saw her eyes were moist. Although she wasn’t crying as intensely as Hinami, Myaro was clearly moved to tears. She was focused on the scene of the couple exchanging vows and didn’t seem to notice I was watching her.

 In front of me, the bride and groom shared their vow kiss.

 Hmm…

 —

 “Haah, I’m exhausted.” (Yuri)

 Leaving the celebration early, I moved to the Hou Household’ second residence and immediately loosened my tie.

 “It was a lovely wedding. I was really moved.” (Myaro)

 Myaro, who had apanied me, said.

 “Even so, was there really anything to cry about?” (Yuri)

 “What, you saw that?” (Myaro)

 “I saw it.” (Yuri)

 Is Myaro the type of girl who cries unconditionally at weddings, regardless of her personal connection? No way, that can’t be it.

 “I know how dedicated Telor-san has been… After the battle, Do-san was in a pretty rough state after the battle.”

 After Carol’s death, indeed, Do had been fervently leading the army in a vengeful campaign to erase his unpleasant memories.

 “There was a time when Do-san kept Telor-san at a distance, and they didn’t see each other for about 6 months. Those two have ovee many obstacles together. Today was the fruition of all that.” (Myaro)

 Hmm. Well, for Do, Telor’s blond hair probably reminded him of Carol. Perhaps, they had a falling out because Telor approached too eagerly during a sensitive period. I don’t know the details, but it seems a lot happened. Honestly, I couldn’t care less.

 “Well, I guess everything turned out as it should. So, did Gin end uping?” (Yuri)

 Gin Toga was currently upied with stabilizing and managing the Kilghina region and had imed he was too busy to attend the wedding. Since Gin could ride an eagle, I suspected that was just an excuse.

 “He didn’te. I guess it’s understandable. It’s not good to overthink it.” (Myaro)

 “He probably had his reasons. Seeing someone you admire end up with such a fool is something no one wants to witness.” (Yuri)

 I understand that sentiment. Anyone would feel that way, given who the spouse is.

 “Do isn’t a fool, but it’s a bit ironic. Do, who was heartbroken by you, Yuri, is now causing the same pain for Gin. It’s a strange twist of fate.” (Myaro)

 Myaromented wryly.

 “…” (Yuri)

 “Anyway, this will likely encourage the Kilghina people to lean more towards unification rather than separation. It’s unfortunate for Gin, but from a national perspective, things have settled quite neatly.” (Myaro)

 That’s true.

 Although Telor probably isn’t thinking about it, she has a role as a symbol of the Kilghina Kingdom. If she had married Gin, a former noble, it would have given too much legitimacy to the idea of a direct sessor. While separatists and nationalists in Kilghina are now few, they aren’t entirely extinct. Provoking them would be unwise.

 With her marriage to Do, the Kilghina royal lineage formally ended, extinguishing any lingering sparks of rebellion. Telor is more than happy to take on the Godwin surname, so no problems are likely to arise. Their union is a natural urrence, not orchestrated by anyone, but it is a wee development.

 “That’s right. Well, the city-states area will be dealt with soon enough. The Galilia Union won’t be able to act as they have before.” (Yuri)

 “Entering the second year, we’ve found effective ways to govern the Kuran people. With this year’s tax revenue, there should be some surplus production, leading to more stability.” (Myaro)

 Military operations required massive amounts of supplies and food, which needed a stable supply chain. The rear must be well-controlled to support the front lines effectively. If recently conquered territories were directly behind us, the military’s movements became more cumbersome.

 Granaries in these new territories were naturally empty, so it took time to cultivate and store enough food to function as a supply base. Simultaneously, bandits and brigands needed to be dealt with to ensure safe transport routes. Rebellion in the rear territories during a campaign would be disastrous, so potential uprisings must be quashed. Only then, a stable supply chain could be established to support the military’s operations.

 The governance policy Myaro and I devised was simple, “Land ownership is guaranteed for one generation, and taxes will be lower than before. However, children will be taken under our care for education”.

 The prohibition onnd ownership transfer, the arrest of Catholic clergy, and the criminalization of denying the Crusaders’ past invasions were among the various minorws, but these three policies formed the main directives. Thest one causes the most friction, but with the elimination of the 7% tax, effectively lowering the tax rate, we had managed to suppress discontent to a level that prevents rebellion. The policy of exempting taxes for the year of upation had also been effective, and the rationale that people could freely move south if they dislike the conditions, as they were not being wrongfully bound to thend, also seemed to be working.

 We confiscatednd fromndlords who exploited serfs tied by debt and redistributed it to those serfs for cultivation. Even if self-sufficient farmers moved south, where higher tax rates and a fresh start await them, many prefer to stay put.

 The number of Shanti people from Shantinion to Sibyaku was insufficient to fill the former territories of the Grand Shanti Empire. Considering the conquest of the southernnds after the east was subdued, it was crucial to stabilize the governance of the former Grand Shanti Empire territories now. Eventually, the Shanti poption would need to increase, but for the next 50 years, we will need the Kuran people to continue cultivating thend.

 “Well, it’s almost time for another war season.” (Yuri)

 The army was advancing up to the frontiers of the Galilia Union. We would likely engage this year.

 “Yes, the Galilia Union is not a mere rabble like the city-states. We will need to be fully prepared.” (Myaro)

 “We should seriously start nning our strategy.” (Yuri)

 In thest two years ago, we had set the Galilia Union as our next target. We had hired apetent individual from the Albio Republic, not as a spy but to infiltrate and gather detailed internal information. With reports nowing in, it was time to seriously review them and formte our strategy.

 “But first, there’s a task I need you to take care of.” (Myaro)

 “Hmm? What is it?” (Yuri)

 “It’s about the new Hou Household Engineering Research Institute. We received a message from Lily Amian declining the position.” (Myaro)

 “What?” (Yuri)

 This is news to me.

 “The institute is intended as a base for weapon research, right? It’s a pretty significant project. What are we going to do about it?” (Myaro)

 —

 TLN: Please note that the map is avable in the previous chapter of 245. It’s an intermission chapter. If you notice about the map, the year is still 2320/2020. However, this chapter started saying it’s currently in 2022. I’m not sure if it’s typo or maybe it’s true. I’m thinking there’s no way the Shaalta Kingdom can take over almost all Papal States country immediately after winning the war in 2320/2020. If that happens in between 2320/2020 until 2322/2022, it’s logical.

 In conclusion, I’ll leave the map as it is for now.

MillionNovel

Chapter 245: Wedding