1231 Wedding day ③ ~ Marriage ritual ~

"... I am honored to have received such a guest tonight at the wedding of my descendants, Wellhead and Baron Ruamat's daughter, Corfir."

By the greeting of the Marquis of Banam, the marriage ceremony began in earnest.

As I listened to the words that resounded heavily, I reassessed the appearance of the Great Hall in the light of the flames.

This great hall was extremely large. I heard that there are more than 200 attendees today, but if you pack a little, it will be able to accommodate about twice that. However, without hiding the extra space by collision, etc., the vast site was open without any surplus.

This is probably the annex built behind Banham Castle, as evidenced by the holes in the roof, even though it's on the ground floor. In Genos, we built the facility separately as a palace, but it was only treated as part of the same castle, and when we set foot in this place through the stone corridor, we didn't have any sense that we had moved to a separate building.

On the left and right side of the wall, there are maidservants, surnames, and military officers wearing gowns. Behind them, there are a number of candlesticks and lanterns lit. On the front side, an elongated table was lined up at equal intervals, and crocheted banquet dishes awaited the start of the feast.

There are a number of small round tables all over the hall. Since it seems that it is Genos's unique custom not to use plates for banquet dishes, if you want to calm down and eat food, you should use them. However, there was no preparation of chairs, and the round table was unified to a height that could be used while standing.

The walls and floors are made of gray stone, and there are no wall hangings or carpets.

However, the floors were brushed to the brim, and the walls were decorated with various sculptures. It's lit by the candlelight, creating a wobbly, geometric shadow. The flames and shadows seemed to be the most important ornaments here.

In addition, the image of the goddess Eila leading the wedding is heavily engraved on the wall behind the platform lined up only by Wellheid and Corfea. In Genos, there were idols everywhere, but in this banner, the figure of God was also represented in the mural.

The goddess Eila holds a large chalice, so I won't mistake her appearance.

However, this is also probably made about 500 years ago. Flatteringly, it was a sculpture that could hardly be described as an elaborate workmanship - but by that time, it should not have felt like rough vitality.

Eira is also the goddess of the moon, so the shape itself is not majestic. Eila, who was engraved on your wall, watched the appearance of the Great Hall with an extremely quiet expression. However, the art of sculpture was not sophisticated, and it was a coarse touch somewhere -- but the artisans' desire to express Eila's depth of love and beauty still seemed to be intense in this era.

More than 200 people stand still while Eira looks down on them.

The figures of the attendees were also dimmed by the huge fire burning in the center of the Great Hall. It was a familiar sight at the feast on the edge of the forest, but the fact that the nobility dressed in fine clothes and their equivalent would be illuminated by primitive flames - after all, it would create an invisible atmosphere that could not be said.

"... then we will begin the marriage ritual"

And a great multitude began to ascend upon the throne, according to the word of the head of the house of the marquis.

The silver bells in those hands echo a crisp, clear tone. Since the number of surnames stretched to 20, they softly filled the vast space of the Great Hall while their tones intertwined like thin threads.

The maidens lined the walls behind them, but Wellheid and Corfea remained immobile.

The maidens keep ringing their bells with a certain amount of depression. Then, being guided by those tones, a new people rose up on the stage.

She was an old woman in a light yellow long-sleeved shirt and two girls who looked like maids. The long coat had a simple design, but the cylindrical hat and shoulder hangings were embroidered with gold threads and luxurious embroidery.

The maidservants march forward to receive the Spear of Wellheid and the Holy Grail of Corfea. Then, when the priestess and the old woman were in the center of the stage, Wellheid and Coffier knelt face to face.

The priestess has a quiet face reminiscent of the goddess Eila, and receives a bright red ritual spear from one of the maids.

Then, when he struck the mouth of the chalice held by the other maid with the tip of his spear, he shook it over the groom and bride in a relaxed manner.

Beautifully shimmering clear shrubs scattered from the tip of the spear, they descend on Wellhead and Corfea's head.

The priest returned the finished spear to the maid and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

As a signal, Wellheid and Corfea get up and remove the crown they were wearing. And when Wellheid had put his crown on Coffia, he bowed down, and put his crown on Wellheid.

"... the sun and moon rings, which never intersect in this world, have intersected in the present." In the name of the moon god Eila and her companion, the sun god Alil, the Banam Marquis Wellheid and the Baron Ruamat Baron Corfir joined their souls together as partners. ”

A priestly old lady declared in a very quiet and resounding voice.

"Until the day I return my soul, I will never forget the joy and happiness of today... the moon god Eilah is always watching over you."

Wellheid and Corfea stared at each other, then turned to the audience.

When the maids near the wall sounded the bell in a grand way, the people in the Great Hall clapped their hands. Of course, I decided to do it with a solemn feeling.

Wellheid and Corfea keep their mouths shut. Perhaps that is the wedding arrangement passed down to Banam.

However, Wellhead was smiling happily, and Corfea was smiling and weeping again.

The priest and the two maidservants turned backward and hung their heads deeply over the goddess Eila, before moving under the altar. Then the bell-ringing maids followed, and only the bride and groom were left on the stage.

“This will terminate the marriage. Next, we will present you with a flower of blessing.”

When the maiden name of the touch clerk said so, a large number of maidens came up to the stage and stood to the left and right of Wellheid and the others.

And the maids holding the grasshopper are approaching us. There were a lot of white and yellow flowers piled up there.

"Your Highness, please take the white flowers and the ladies the yellow flowers." I ask the groom and the lady to offer the bride a blessing flower. "

As the maid explained, we each pinched the flowers.

Then another maid comes and guides us to the altar. The flower offering seemed to take place in reverse order of admission.

Therefore, the first to be led to the stage was the three members of the Marquis of Genos.

Odifia went up the stairs with her hand held by the guide's maid.

Six members of the Dershare princess, Vermes, and the Count family followed, followed by Devias, who became a group at the edge of the forest. Dalí-Sauthi and I ascended to the podium after Sauthi's youngest sister, and Ai-Fa finally saw Wellhead and Corfea up close.

Both of them had a clear smile on their faces.

Korfir seemed to have watered down his tears, but there was a new radiance in his eyes. Wellhead was peeking at her enthusiastic temperament, burning her cheeks more clearly than Corfea.

"Congratulations, Wellhead."

When I offered the white flower, Wellhead laughed with joy.

But apparently, even if you reach this stage, you won't be allowed to open your mouth, just keep your head down. I also bowed to Wellheid and Corfea, and then I left the altar.

After that, other attendees sacrificed flowers.

And the first to speak was Gazran-Rutim.

"Now we can't even see the wedding of the nobility after the wedding in the station town. Banam and Genos are probably different in different parts of the world, but Banam is probably more ancient. I find it very interesting.”

"Yes, even at an aristocratic wedding, there is a crown exchange." There was a flower exchange at the wedding ceremony in the station town, but it looks more similar to the wedding ceremony in the forest. ”

“Yes, this is also proof that all humans used to be brothers and sisters.”

Ghazlan-Rutim looked very emotional.

Ravitz's eldest brother snorted, "Fufu."

"So, is it the same as sacrificing fangs and horns to sacrifice flowers?" Or is it the same as sacrificing flowers on your birthday? Anything like that can be tampered with. "

“Yes, exchanging belongings with a loved one or giving a blessing at a place of sightseeing may be a natural way of doing things for humans. If you think about it, it's possible that a similar behavior happened.”

While saying that, Ghazlan = Rutim's expression remained the same.

"But then, it bears witness that we have similar hearts and minds, without distinction between nobles and hunters." Isn't that a pleasant story? ”

"Hmm. I don't want to win by arguing with you." A very clever human being was born in the woods. "

Ravitz's eldest brother enjoys this situation so much, while hating it. And Ai-Fa, who was still silent, stared at the bride and groom on the podium with the same seriousness as before the ceremony.

"... both Wellhead and Coffey seemed happy, and I'm glad to hear that."

When I whispered in that way, Ei = Fa responded "Umu" as if she had returned to me.

"These people are not like their compatriots in the forest, and they are not as close to interaction as Levi and Terrier-Mass... but I am glad that they have come to this place."

"Yeah. Wellhide is a life-and-death thing." I'm not impressed either. "

"Both life and death? That's a lot of rhetoric."

"No. In the confrontation at the Tulane County House, we were shot together." I don't think it's a big deal. "

When I repeated my words like that, Ei = Fa smiled with her eyes alone.

"There is no danger that our lives will be threatened by this." Otherwise, I will take you out to such a place. "

"Oh, I see. What makes you feel that your life is in danger is just a coward."

Ei = Fa frowned wildly, and her face grimaced toward me.

Being in a beautiful banquet costume makes my heart more noisy than usual. Ai = Fa, who had peered into the back of my eyes, smiled softly at an angle that no one else could see.

"It's not like you're shaking like a child, but just floating and patting." Well, even if you shank it, it's just adorable. "

"Ei = Fa, that sounds like a lot of stuff."

When I gave him a smile, Ei = Fa smiled even more charmingly, “Maybe so.”

I wonder if the flames reminiscent of a feast on the edge of the forest remind the people of the edge of the forest. Not only me and Ai = Fa, but also the surrounding faces seemed to be a little exuberant. Not to mention Rimi-Lou and Sautti's youngest sister, Raina-Lou and Toure-Din were not feasts at the castle, but rather the glow of their eyes as if they were standing at a feast at the edge of the forest.

In the midst of this, there is only one person shedding tears.

Whoever it is, it is Faye-Behm.

Mora = Naham and Malfira = Naham sat close to it in a hurry, so I decided to approach you in search of Eifa.

"Are you all right, Faye-Baime? Well, I think it's okay, but...."

"Yes... I'm not sad and shed tears... so don't worry about it"

Speaking like that, Faye-Bame keeps spilling her tears with an angry look on her face. It is woven with a hand-held woven cloth, but it does not seem to have caught up with it at all.

"Faye-Behm was also impressed with the Levites' wedding. Is it something like that?"

"Yes... I heard that Corfea has also survived great hardships and passed this day... so my heart will be shaken." I apologize for the embarrassing appearance. ”

"There's nothing ugly about it at all."

Mora-Naham said that in a clear tone.

The face that reminds me of Moai is as expressionless as usual, but a very gentle light shines in the small eyes instantly behind the high eyebrows.

"I didn't know why Faye-Behm was crying, so I got upset... but I don't think I need to be ashamed of anything. The tears that Fei-Beim shed will be a blessing for both of them."

"I-If you say that to me, don't be embarrassed."

Faye-Baim continued to spill tears as her face turned red. Marfila-Naham looks relieved and smiles.

On the podium, flowers are sacrificed one after the other. And the flowers were decorated with two seats and a table brought in by the nieces.

After nearly a quarter of a minute of flower dedication, Wellheid and Corfea sit in flower-laden seats. Wellhead was enveloped in white flowers, and Corfir in yellow flowers, which seemed to be another scene of fairy tales.

"Well then, I'd like to start the feast... but today, not only the culinary turn of Banam Castle, but also the many banquet dishes offered by the people from the forestside who came from Genos." Enjoy Gibba's cuisine and sweets, which have been awarded the medal by His Royal Highness the Dakarmas of Jagal. ”

When the son-in-law of the tactile clerk said so, he heard a cheer as if he could not hold back. Until now, congratulations have been conveyed only by applause, so this is the first time such a cheering has taken place. And the people who stood in close proximity seemed to have abandoned their previous hesitations and looked towards us.

"Hmm. If you're upset, you'll be surrounded and unable to move." Let's fill our bellies. "

Georg-Zaza left the scene after hurting her sister and Toole-Din. Zei = Din immediately followed it, so it seems that the same four people acted as yesterday.

We'll move along with that. The aristocrats seem to be standing around greeting, but this is an impossible commoner. I wanted to say hello while eating banquet food.

"It looks like the Ruu family is solidified by the four of them." So, let's make a pair with Fa and Souti. "

While saying that, Dalí-Sauthi laughed at me and Ai-Fa. Along the way, Sweety's youngest sister is laughing as she burns her cheeks. Ai-Fa responded with "umu" as she walked slowly in the way of the Lady.

"After all, this place should be a group of four people." There are no signs of danger, but they are all strangers, so you will need to be careful. ”

Hmmm. It's really crackling to have so many strangers at an aristocratic feast.

While exchanging words like that, Ai-Fa and Dali-Sauthi were both soft on the surface. Rather, it feels more relaxed than the usual castle feast. The red flames of this 500-year-old building made an unusual impression on the hunters around the forest.

The people around us keep an eye on us, but they don't try to speak out. They must be a little wary of the people around the forest who are not familiar with their appearance there. In any case, we have been infamous in recent years. Even if those infamies had been dispelled, it seemed natural that how to deal with the family of hunters who took on vicious beasts in the forest would be somewhat hunterish.

Still, Ei-Fa and Dalí-Sauthi shouldn't feel like they're being given a particularly hot look. The wild vitality of the hunters on the edge of the forest is likely to attract that kind of gaze. In addition to that, Ei = Fa was supposed to attract more attention than anyone else because it was this beauty.

Then we arrived safely at the edge of the wall, opposed to the pile of dishes that had crocheted.

All of these tables are lined up for an unfamiliar banana feast. Ei = Fa seemed a little frustrated, but she didn't try to complain.

"We are also the banquet attendees." You should really taste the cuisine of Banam Castle. ”

Dali-Sauthi searched the dishes on the table as he spoke.

In order from the right, it is a lineup of sautéed caron meat with blood, milky white soup based on caron milk, and mysterious dishes hung with thick cheese. All of them were in the form of small plates, quite different from the former feast of Genos.

Hmmm. In the meantime, I think we should stay where we are looking at the taste.

Dalí = Soutie shared the sautéed and cheese dishes on the same plate, and Souti's youngest sister had a soup. By the way, they are not allowed to eat from the same plate because they are not family members living in the same house.

Since I and Ei = Fa have no need for any hesitation, they acquire two dishes in the same way. Then he stepped back from the table, and each of them had a mouthful of food - Ai-Fa and Dalí-Sauthy frowned at the same time.

”This is a taste... unaccustomed to my tongue.”

“Hmm. The food you eat in the castle town of Genos seems to have another mysterious flavor.”

What they said was a mysterious dish hung with cheese.

The currant milk soup that I and Sweety's youngest sister gave me was really innocent, so I decided to tilt my neck together.

“At the first evening dinner, there wasn't that much weird cooking, was there? Is it a taste that doesn't suit your mouth?"

Hmm. I wonder if Asta would have a different impression?

"Well, what do you say?" I exchanged plates with Ei = Fa.

I checked and found meat and vegetables hidden under the cheese. The reddish Karon meat, the spinach nanal, the carrot nenon, and the barb chamomile. However, from the plenty of semi-liquid cheese, there was a smell that I could not smell much.

(But I don't think the ingredients we don't know are used. What kind of seasoning is it?)

As I squeezed my heart, I took the meat covered in cheese and Nanar to my mouth.

As soon as it's ready, the unfamiliar taste spreads into your mouth.

This seems to be the sweetness of sugar and the acidity of Mamaria vinegar. Although each of them has a familiar taste, it was mixed with the flavor of the cheese, which turned it into a very fervent flavor.

“I see, this may be a bit of an unfamiliar taste.”

"Hmm. If I had been prepared from the beginning, I might not have been so surprised." I thought it would be normal cheese, so I may have been disturbed. "

Dalí-Saudi ate the same dish again, smiling bitterly.

"After all, it doesn't seem to taste good enough to frighten your face." However, I don't think it's that good... how would Asta describe this dish? "

"I see. This is what I felt from the last day's dinner party... the food at Banam Castle may be a reflection of the food from the former camp town of Genos. Bananas should have started using jaguar ingredients such as sugar within the last two years, so we're still at the trial and error stage.”

“Hmm. Until we started trading with Genos, we didn't get a chance to deal with jaguar ingredients in Banarm. But is Mamaria's vinegar also made with bananas?"

“Yes, and conversely, it seems that salt and white Mamaria vinegar were the main seasoning in Bananas until recently. That's why they're actively using it in their cheese dishes... maybe adding extraneous condiments like sugar and tau oil to it is a new trend.”

“I see. In Genos, Asta and the cooks in the castle town knew how to handle sugar, tau oil, and so on, so they were able to learn from the people in the camp town... but Banam doesn't have any apprentices either.”

"Yes, it looks like the people in the station town were struggling at first." I think Jan and I finally saw the way. ”

Banam, I hear, is not as rich as Genos. As a result, it was not possible to handle the outpatient ingredients with high values in vain, and it was thought that the trial and error period was prolonged as a result.

"However, I was not dissatisfied with the dishes from the dinner party the other day, and it seems that this meat dish and soup dish are not difficult to eat." I'm sure the Banner Masters are doing their best. "

Ai = Fa recovered her gentle expression and said so.

Although it was true that cheese dishes alone were not edible, they did not seek to use as many ingredients as the former cooks of the castle town of Genos. It seemed to me that even the sincere character of the Banam people was represented in these dishes.

"It seems that there are no deficiencies in the use of tau oil or sugar in this meat dish." I think the white Mamaria vinegar and pepe flavor are in good harmony. "

"Oh, if you think it has a nostalgic flavor, is Pepe used in this dish?"... even around the forest, you want to eat food that uses pepe again. "

Pepe is a vanilla like a nettle. In Genos, Aria, Poitan, Tarapa and Pepe were still in short supply, so we hadn't spoken for a long time.

"Besides, from the dinner party the other day, I think Chum Chum is used a lot." I think it was an ungrown ingredient in Dalaym, but is it easy to get in Banam? ”

Sweety's youngest sister raised such a doubt, and I said, "That's right."

“I bet you're buying cham cham, rohyoi, and ramampa fruit from the west of Selva. The bananas should be a little bit westward than Genos, so I think those ingredients are easy to get."

"I see. It looks like Ma Pra is also used in this soup dish... Was it grown in Selva as well as Jaguar?"

"Yeah, Ma Pra and Ma Gigo would have. Bananas are probably more familiar with these vegetables than Arias, Chatch, or Nenon, who can be harvested in Genos.”

When I replied that way, Sutti's youngest sister burned her cheeks with a more exuberant look.

"Just about two days in the wagon will change that." Somehow, it feels very strange... and I am truly glad that I was able to confirm such a difference with myself. "

I'm sure the other rabbits are chewing on the same emotions as her.

We decided to step forward in search of the next dish, floating high. [M]