Side Story Chapter 56 - Wedding Ceremony of Blood (1)
ăâŠWhat? Youâre coming back from where?ăThe long-haired man, Jörmungandr, wondered if he was hearing things right. He was already feeling quite uncomfortable having polymorphed into a human form, which he wasn't familiar with, but the words of his little sister, Hel, made him dumbfounded for a moment.
ăBrother.ăUnaffected, Hel was sitting on a sofa with her feet on the table as she applied nail polish to her fingernails.
ăWhatâŠ?ă
ăAre your eardrums blocked?ă
ăâŠă
ăSo annoying. Why do you keep making me repeat myself?ă
Jörmungandr had a strong urge to smack the back of the head of this troublemaker. Hel was unaware of his feelings, busy examining her nails. Her index fingernail was sparkling more brilliantly than usual, most likely because she had used a polish that was made of finely grated rubies.
ăI went to that princess palace or whatever itâs called.ă
ăExactly, why did youâŠ!ă
ăDuh. I went to give her a letter.ă
Jörmungandr barely contained the curses that were about to pour out.
ăYou donât know me? Iâm Hel. The third president of the Temper Cult. I should do at least this for my oraboni, whoâs going on a long trip.ă
Jörmungandr rubbed his throbbing temples. He shouldâve known from the moment Hel insisted on coming along. His foolish little sister had finally done it.
This place was none other than the One-horned tribeâs village. Monsters who considered the godly and demonic societies to be beneath them in terms of strength lived here. It wasnât an understatement to say this was the inside of a lionâs den, no, a dragonâs den.
But his fool of a sister climbed over the walls and visited the princessâ palace, the place where the very bride of this wedding was staying! It was true she had only pretended to be the princessâ guest and given a letter to one of the guards, but roaming around without any permission was an act of looking down on the One-horned tribe.
What would happen if the One-horned tribe decided to make an issue out of this? They were as famous for their stubbornness as they were for their strength. Jörmungandr felt dizzy from trying to figure out what he was going to do if the One-horned tribe called them out for this. But the troublemaker behind all this was composed as ever. What should he do about this?
âIâm already feeling like Iâm going to lose my mind after my brother's disappearance. ArghâŠ!â Jörmungandr didnât know why his brother and little sister ended up in this state whenever Yeon-woo was involved. He didnât want to think of this any longer.
He stabs anyone he doesnât like in the back without any hesitation, and when he likes someone, he hits them in the front. You wonât find anyone as unchanging as him.
Edora had a hard time understanding if this letter was praising or criticizing Yeon-woo. The letterâs tone seemed very respectful, but the content suggested otherwise.
âNo. I think she is a fan.â Based on how well the writer knew Yeon-woo, it seemed to be a positive letter. However, Edora wasnât jealous or anything. Rather, she was grateful that there was someone who cared for Yeon-woo this much.
Edora somewhat felt her frustrations from not being able to see Yeon-woo alleviate. At the same time, one part of her was concerned. Sheâd heard about how celebrities received pictures with their eyes scratched out or cursing letters written in blood when it was rumored they were going out with someone⊠She wondered if this letter was going to be something like this. The first sentence didnât seem indicative of anything horrendous, but there could always be a twist.
Still, Edora carefully treaded on. Fortunately, the sentence after that didnât have anything that she was worried about either.
Since youâre someone such an unchanging person has chosen, Iâm sure you must be an incredible person too.
Actually, it was completely the opposite.
Heâs someone who has always fought alone⊠I hope he no longer has to walk such a path. I hope you always stay by ###âs side.
The entire letter was filled with blessings for Yeon-woo and Edoraâs future. Hel was genuinely happy and relieved that Yeon-woo wasnât going to be lonely anymore. Edora could easily picture how Hel looked as she wrote this letterâshe had probably been smiling.
I was very encouraged seeing him steadily walk forward on his own path. Through cheering him on, I was able to escape from the limits I placed on myself, andâŠ
After that, Hel wrote about why she liked Yeon-woo, and how she came to cheer him on. She laughed with him, cried for him, and chatted with him⊠It seemed she had been living vicariously through Yeon-wooâs travels.
So I hope very much that you two are happy. Although Iâm sure it wonât happen, on the veeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeery off hand that it might happen, if he makes you cry unnie, come to Niflheim right away! Iâll welcome you with both arms and fight against him on your side!
Edora found herself smiling as she read the letter. She had never met Hel, but it felt like sheâd gained another ally.
ââŠWait. But why is she calling me unnie?â Remembering that Hel was a demon who was at least thousands of years old, Edora straightened her back and stiffened.
P.S. Donât think too deeply about the minor details! Ohohohoho!
ââŠâ
As if Hel had read Edoraâs mind, she had left a plausible postscript. Psh. Edora grinned. She carefully folded the letter and placed it back in the envelope. She probably would remember this letter for a long time.
âIâm going to cherish it and keep it safe.â Edora stood up, her heart feeling warmed. But suddenly, a question occurred to her. Hel called herself the third president of the Temper Cult. Then⊠âWhoâs the first and secondâŠ?â
* * *
Lastly, chinyeong.
Finally, the day of the ceremonyâs last step arrived. On this day, the groom would head to the brideâs house and greet her, and the wedding could commence. That meantâŠtoday was the wedding day!
Bustle, bustle. Clamor, clamor! It was beyond noisy outside. Not only had the guests who were staying in the village come in front of the annex, but even those who were here to watch the wedding were gathered in front of the annex. There was an endless buzz thrumming from the people who were here to watch Yeon-woo bring his bride.
However, Yeon-woo didnât hear any of it. From early in the morning, he had to get dressed in ceremonial clothing, brush his hair, apply light makeup, and brush his eyebrows. He was so out of it that he didnât even remember everything. âWhewâŠ!â
After a busy morning, it was now almost time to leave, and Yeon-wooâs heart was beating faster than ever. Thump, thump. What if his heart actually jumped out of his chest at this rate? He already had cheongsimhwan and sleeping pills to calm down, but he didnât get a single wink of sleep last night. It was evident how nervous he was from his face.
Just then, Rhea carefully approached with a smile. âAre you that nervous?â
âMâŠother.â Yeon-woo awkwardly turned his head toward Rhea. He opened his mouth to say something, but his voice wasnât leaving his throat.
âYou donât need to be so nervous. Everyone goes through it at least once.â
âButâŠâ
âOhoho. Youâll be fine. You know, on the morning of our wedding, your dadââ
âStooop! Wife! What are you saying?!â Kronos frantically ran in and cut Rhea off.
âThatâs a shame. Iâll tell you next time.â
Kronos waved his hand. âNothing happened!â
âIâd like to hear this embarrassing bit of history sometime.â
âOf course, Iâll tell you.â
âArrrghhh!â
Yeon-woo cracked a faint smile seeing Kronos pull out his hair. Thankfully, he could feel his nervousness easing. His father and mother had probably come here for that very purpose. He was always grateful toward them.
WhewâŠ! After letting out another deep breath, Yeon-woo slowly stood up. âLetâs go.â
* * *
Buuuuu. With the toot of a horn that was reminiscent of a boatâs whistle, the process began. Click, clack. Thum, thum, thum. Yeon-woo left the annex for the palace with daechwita music, the sound of traditional winds and percussions, following him.
The onlookers all moved forward.
âO-Ooooh!â
âFinally!â
âThe groomâs walking!â
The guests had only seen Laplaceâs procession before, so the appearance of the real groom was quite the spectacle. On top of that, Yeon-woo wearing the imposing traditional clothing of the One-horned tribe was a sacred sight to see. Nobody would think he was nervous based on his appearance.
âDang! Heâs definitely a looker.â
âWell, Heaven Wing was always famous for his looks!â
âHe did make a lot of female players cryâŠâ
A few players who lost their first loves to Heaven Wing recalled their painful past and cried tears of blood. Just then, someone brought up a question. âHuh? Speaking of Heaven Wing, where is he?â
âYouâre right! I havenât seen him.â
âHuh? Huuuh? Me neither! I havenât even seen anyone who resembles him.â
âArenât they twins? His parents, niece, and friends are all here, but does it make sense for his little brother not to be?â
âDidâŠsomething happen?â
âYou idiot! Heâs the leader of Arthia and there are the gods of Olympus to help him. What could possibly happen?â
âR-Right! Haha, hahaha!â
A conversation filled with anxiety was brought up, but it was soon buried under the cheering. And as the two strangers said, the twin brother who didnât attend his siblingâs wedding was watching the ceremony from a book, high above the clouds.
ăâŠSomethingâs a bit weird.ăAfter a moment of silence, the first person to speak was Shanon.ăA wedding? Neither me nor Hanryeong have heard anything about this! Neither did BooâŠ!ă
Shanon also went on and on about that song about Yeon-wooâs temper, but Yeon-woo wasnât someone to forget those closest to him. He would never have become the main ego of the Black King if he was.
The issue was that Sesha, Kronos, and Rhea could see Yeon-wooâs wedding, but the emperors, Cha Jeong-woo and Heavenly Demon, could not see it. It didnât make sense⊠Shanon and the others turned toward Jeong-woo and the Heavenly Demon.
ââŠâ
ââŠâ
Cha Jeong-woo and the Heavenly Demon pressed their lips tight without saying anything.