And so, today arrived—our wedding day.

Wearing a dark blue jacket adorned with gold and silver embroidery, paired with pure white formal trousers, I walked alongside Rio, who was dressed in an off-shoulder white dress intricately decorated with lace. We were making our way to the temple.

“This is... a little embarrassing.”

“Hehe... but I think I’m a little happy.”

Rio, walking arm in arm with me, looked up and smiled brightly.

As we walked the path to the temple, passersby called out, offering congratulations like “Congratulations!” or teasing comments such as “You two are really in love, huh?” Hearing such well-meaning words, I was reminded that not everyone in this world was bad.

“Yeah... Thinking about how I wouldn’t be here with you if I hadn’t been summoned to this world, I guess it hasn’t all been bad.”

“Mhm.”

Back in our original world, we had barely any connection. Though we were classmates, I could hardly recall any conversations between us.

“You’ve finally arrived,” an elderly woman dressed in priestly robes greeted us at the temple. She was the same one who had assisted us before.

“Good morning. Thank you for performing the ceremony today.”

“Heh heh heh, no need to be so formal. We can begin right away, but have you invited any guests?”

“Ah, yes. They should already be here.”

On our way to the temple, we had stopped by the Rashiyu Trading Company, where Fleur had told us she had gone ahead to the temple. That meant there was no issue.

“I see, I see. Then let us begin. You may watch from here,” she added, directing her words at Nir.

Hearing this, Nir sat down quietly and let out a wide yawn.

“The bell will ring soon. That will be your cue to walk slowly down the aisle towards the altar.”

“Understood.”

As we listened to further instructions and precautions, the temple bell suddenly tolled loudly from above.

The unexpected sound heightened my tension. Though, in a way, this was the signal to begin.

I glanced at Rio beside me, and we nodded at each other. As she took my arm, I focused my gaze straight ahead on the goddess statue behind the altar and took my first step forward.

From behind, I could sense people entering the temple in a rush, but in this solemn atmosphere, turning back was not an option.

I even heard Nir’s voice from behind, but I was certain he was offering his blessing in his own way.

With the light streaming in from the window behind the goddess statue, it almost appeared as though the statue itself was glowing. The illusion made me squint slightly.

Just ahead, standing before the altar, was the old priestess who had given us instructions earlier. She now wore a slightly more ornate robe, and her expression had turned completely solemn.

Once we reached the altar, we both knelt down on one knee. Seeing the priestess nod, Rio and I placed our hands together and closed our eyes.

The priestess turned toward the goddess statue and began reciting a solemn prayer. As she spoke, I felt as though the light beyond my eyelids was growing brighter.

The murmuring of the gathered guests gradually grew louder. What was happening? I had observed a wedding ceremony here before, but back then, I only vaguely thought that the statue had seemed to glow slightly. Was it actually glowing this time?

As I pondered this, I sensed the priestess turning back toward us.

“Shu, and Rio. Open your eyes.”

Obeying her words, I opened my eyes—and gasped.

The priestess was glowing. No, that wasn’t it. The goddess statue behind her was shining brilliantly. What the hell?

“Now, let us proceed with the vows before the goddess.”

“Y-Yes.”

Though I had many questions, now wasn’t the time to ask them.

“In times of joy and in times of hardship, in wealth and in poverty, in sickness and in health, until death do you part—do you swear to love and cherish one another?”

That’s right. From now on, Rio and I would live together in this world. Strange occurrences were to be expected—this was a world of magic, after all. The priestess was proceeding with the ceremony as usual, so nothing out of the ordinary must have been happening.

Thinking that, I felt my nerves settle. I turned to Rio with a smile, and she returned it. Yes, everything was fine.

““Yes, we swear.””

“Then, seal your vows with a kiss.”

Standing, we faced each other before the goddess.

“Rio, give me your left hand.”

“Huh?”

She let out a small sound of surprise but obediently extended her left hand. Taking it in mine, I retrieved the ring I had bought yesterday from my storage and slid it onto her ring finger. The self-adjusting feature kicked in, ensuring a perfect fit.

“This is...”

“It looks good on you.”

The golden ring, crafted with orichalcum, featured a softly glowing blue magic stone embedded in it. This was a ‘Substitute Ring’—a magic item that would protect its wearer from a single fatal blow.

“Thank you.”

Rio beamed as she gazed at the ring, and I returned her smile.

Placing my hands gently on her shoulders, I watched as she turned her gaze toward me and slowly closed her eyes.

Leaning in, our lips met—and at that moment, the already glowing goddess statue radiated an even more intense light, engulfing my vision in pure white.