Chapter 245: Wedding
New chapter of The Demon King is out! (2/2 chapters)
Special appreciation to my Patreon supporters:
PS1: Consider donating through Paypal or you may click here to voluntarily support my work.
PS2: Click links here to read Demon King 244and Incompetent Bratty Prince 13.
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 accurately, in the cultural sphere of the Holy Marsh faith, which originated from the Great Shantilla 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 Black 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 Black Sea was transplanted, making the marsh a kind of branch of the Sacred Marsh. During the Great Empire era, when access to the Black Sea was available to people, it was natural to fetch seawater directly from there. However, after the collapse and restricted access to the Black Sea, a culture developed where newly established temples would transplant water from the first generation transplanted marshes. Marshes that had water transplanted directly from the Black Sea long ago were considered highly prestigious, and the royal capital’s temple had one of these distinguished marshes. Although importing Black Sea water nowadays wasn’t particularly 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 accurately “rustic” and simple, often just a plain pond. In contrast, the Sibyaku pond, crafted to suit the Witches’ tastes, was splendid. A stone bridge led to an island 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 calculated 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?” (??)