Chapter 6: A Premature Wedding and a Peculiar Prayer

Long before dawn, Qing Yu was roused from his slumber by Aldoran’s summons.

“Wake up, Qing Yu,” Aldoran called out, her knuckles rapping against his door. “We ought to visit the church for prayers today.”

Ten minutes later, Qing Yu, his hair a disheveled mess, finally opened his door, presenting himself before Aldoran.

“Um, Aldoran, what’s amiss…?”

“Go take a bath; we’re meant to pray at the church today. The wedding is tomorrow,” Aldoran stated, rising onto her tiptoes to gently smooth Qing Yu’s tousled hair as she observed his bewildered expression.

“What?! If my memory serves, the wedding isn’t until the day after tomorrow, is it?”

“After your drinks with Lance, you slept for an entire day, so the wedding is, in fact, scheduled for tomorrow.”

“What?!”

Qing Yu instantly snapped to full awareness. He had never anticipated the wedding would arrive so swiftly; though Aldoran had mentioned it previously, the reality still caught him entirely unprepared.

He’d known this ‘loli’ for less than a week, and hadn’t yet fostered any romantic feelings for her!

While she had certainly been kind to him—buying him stacks of clothes, providing him with delicious food and drink daily, and granting his every wish—and while he had indeed contemplated marriage, this felt undeniably rushed!

“There’s no avoiding it; this is fate’s decree,” Aldoran stated, shrugging her shoulders, having effortlessly seen through Qing Yu’s innermost thoughts. “You needn’t fret. I am not the sort of scoundrel who would abandon you after marriage to pursue other men. As for a lack of emotional foundation, that can be nurtured over time.”

“Um, it genuinely feels too soon, doesn’t it?”

“Nonsense. If you feel a lack of security, I can vow in my own name, right there at tomorrow’s wedding, that I shall never again touch another man besides you, nor will I ever treat you poorly. With such an assurance, there will be nothing left to worry about, will there?”

“Hmm…”

Given Aldoran’s solemn promise, Qing Yu found himself with seemingly nothing left to fear. Aldoran hardly struck him as someone who would ever act perfidiously.

Moreover, considering Aldoran was destined to be the future Divine Master, the number of individuals aspiring to become her spouse would undoubtedly be beyond counting. Having been so fortuitously chosen himself, perhaps he truly had no grounds for complaint?

“In that case… then… very well…”

Aldoran merely hummed in acknowledgment, and a garment materialized seemingly from thin air in her hand, which she promptly tucked into Qing Yu’s embrace.

“Now, hurry along, take a bath, and change into these clothes.”

An hour later, immaculately groomed and clad in a flowing white gown, Qing Yu reappeared before Aldoran.

“Um… Aldoran… aren’t these clothes… a bit much?”

“What’s the matter? It’s merely to help you grow accustomed to wearing a wedding dress ahead of time.”

Uncharacteristically, a mischievous smirk played upon Aldoran’s typically impassive face.

“But it’s far too mortifying for me to go out dressed like this, isn’t it?” Qing Yu protested, his face a mask of misery, the very essence of ‘unwillingness’ etched across his features.

“In any case, you’re already so adorable; what harm is there in dressing a little cuter?”

Aldoran propped her chin, her gaze playfully assessing Qing Yu’s ensemble, though her voice remained as devoid of inflection as ever, leaving Qing Yu with an unsettling sense of oddity.

“Aldoran… but I really can’t…”

Qing Yu was convinced that if he stepped outside in this attire, he would forever lose face among others.

“You truly are disobedient, aren’t you?”

“But…”

Qing Yu was on the verge of tears, yet none would come.

He, however, had no means of resisting Aldoran; she could effortlessly lift him with just one hand.

“Alright, alright, I won’t tease you any further,” Aldoran conceded, ceasing her playful torment of Qing Yu. With a mere flick of her wrist, as if by some arcane magic, another garment materialized in her hand.

“Try this on instead, and see if it fits.”

Qing Yu accepted the garment, which proved to be a meticulously tailored black tailcoat tuxedo.

“Honestly, Aldoran,” Qing Yu fumed, his cheeks puffed and flushed a vibrant red, like a perfectly ripe apple. Though Aldoran appeared quite endearing, he now perceived her as nothing short of a mischievous imp.

****

“Doesn’t this suit you rather well?” Aldoran remarked, her hand intertwined with Qing Yu’s as they strolled down the street, all the while continuing to impart general knowledge about this world to him.

The streets buzzed with an extraordinary liveliness that day. Banners adorned the roadside stalls and shops, the marketplace teemed with bustling crowds, and a circus captivated onlookers with its spectacular performances. Everywhere, Qing Yu saw peculiar script he had never encountered before, yet he found himself able to read it without the slightest difficulty.

“This is a blessing from the Frigga Emblem (TL Note: A magical symbol or crest that bestows power or abilities upon its wielder.), enabling you to comprehend and read the languages and scripts of this world,” Aldoran explained. “You are, after all, an individual from another realm.”

“Indeed, it seems everything inscribed there pertains to your upcoming marriage,” Qing Yu finally realized, a sudden epiphany striking him. The language Aldoran and Lance had spoken was utterly alien to anything he had ever heard on Earth, yet he had understood their every word with perfect clarity.

“Come to think of it, Aldoran is truly formidable…”

“These are merely the fruits of my good fortune, having been chosen as the wielder of the Odin Emblem.”

“By the way, Aldoran, is it customary in your world for everyone to visit the church for prayers before marriage?”

“Yes, in principle, that is the custom. Every couple preparing for marriage attends the church on the day before their wedding to offer prayers and receive the priest’s blessing.”

“And what precisely are weddings like in your world?”

Given that this matter directly concerned him, Qing Yu felt it imperative to gain a thorough understanding.

“It’s rather similar to your world, with the key difference being that, as women are the dominant s*x here, it is the men who don wedding gowns.”

Aldoran then added, her voice unwavering, “Even during more intimate acts, it is the women who take the lead.”

“Th-that’s how it is… Then, Aldoran… on the day of our wedding…”

‘He was still merely a child! Such matters were surely far too premature! And with Aldoran as the dominant one…’

“If you are unwilling, I can refrain from such acts for now, though ultimately, we are destined to have children of our own,” Aldoran stated with an air of complete nonchalance.

The Emblem had already revealed to her that she and Qing Yu would indeed conceive children.

“I-I see.”

Qing Yu’s mind drifted to a certain equestrian deity he had once read about in an Earthly myth. He silently prayed that Aldoran would not prove to be similar, lest his body truly be unable to endure it.

“Rest assured, if you have no desire, I will not compel you.”

Aldoran, once more perceiving Qing Yu’s inner turmoil, couldn’t help but let out a soft sigh.

‘My wife is perpetually preoccupied with the most peculiar thoughts,’ she mused. This constant stream of bizarre notions from Qing Yu left Aldoran, endowed with the power of telepathy, confronting them all day long.

‘Furthermore, Qing Yu seems to have a peculiar fondness for associating me with some lightning-wielding stud.’

‘Perhaps, it wouldn’t be amiss to occasionally suppress this particular ability of mine?’

Lost in thought, yet still holding Qing Yu’s hand, she continued onward, only to find themselves, before they knew it, standing at the grand entrance of the church.

Gazing up at the church’s spire, which seemed to pierce the very clouds, Qing Yu involuntarily swallowed hard.

The sheer scale of this church was truly immense.

From its exterior, the cathedral appeared to span more than two stadiums combined. Seen from a distance, it resembled a colossal, pristine white beast, reposing serenely upon the earth. Up close, Qing Yu felt as insignificant as an ant beneath the foot of such a behemoth.

“This is Leixi Cathedral (TL Note: A grand religious edifice, often a central place of worship, found in the ‘central courtyard’ region of this world.), the largest church in the central courtyard, constructed with the aid of the dwarven race,” Aldoran explained, continuing to lead him by the hand into the massive structure. “It is fashioned from white jade, forged by the dwarves, and boasts a hardness capable of withstanding an explosion powerful enough to obliterate Phil Town. Infused with immense magical energy, it can, when necessary, erect a barrier spanning a hundred-kilometer radius, delivering comprehensive strikes against anything within its confines.”

“Lady Aldoran, you have arrived.”

The moment they stepped inside the cathedral, a beast-eared maiden, clad in pristine white, promptly approached them.

“Please, this way.”

As if by prior arrangement, the beast-eared maiden offered no inquiries, immediately beginning to guide the pair.

“Um—”

“You must be Lord Frigga, correct?” the beast-eared maiden inquired with a smile, not waiting for Qing Yu to complete his sentence before continuing, “Tomorrow marks Lady Aldoran’s wedding ceremony. As per tradition, Lady Aldoran is certain to come here to pray today, so we have made all preparations in advance, awaiting both Lady Aldoran and your arrival.”

“Oh, I see. Then, how precisely should one offer prayers?”

“There’s truly nothing complicated about it; it’s simply a matter of offering prayers beneath the statue representing the World’s Will,” Aldoran clarified. “For instance, any wishes you harbor, anything you desire, can be vocalized before the divine effigy.”

“But Aldoran, aren’t you destined to become the future Divine Master? Logically, you should effortlessly obtain anything you desire, so what purpose does prayer serve for you?”

Qing Yu scratched his head, a distinct expression of bewilderment clouding his features.

“It is not as you perceive. In our ancient legends, long before the dawn of creation, our destinies and all that we are meant to possess were already irrevocably determined.”

Aldoran shook her head, her statement only serving to deepen Qing Yu’s confusion.

Thus, still harboring his questions, after traversing pillar after towering pillar, the trio arrived before a colossal, faceless divine effigy.

The statue’s appearance was extraordinarily peculiar. It was simultaneously sculpted with both male and female characteristics, devoid of a face, and its body contorted into a strange, indescribable shape, resembling a bizarre amalgamation of various creatures. Furthermore, it was adorned with an assortment of enigmatic carvings, bearing no resemblance whatsoever to any conventional deity.

“In our legends, the World’s Will represents all things; it is that which was determined even before the world’s genesis, and it is the ultimate conclusion of all. It is everything, and it is fate itself. However, it does not truly exist; it has no physical form. This current statue is merely an image conceived by artists,” Aldoran explained, gently pulling Qing Yu down to kneel beside her. “Yet, what it symbolizes is the destiny of all beings in the world.”

“What?! This thing?!” Qing Yu exclaimed in utter shock. ‘This is far too bizarre! No matter how one looks at it, it’s nothing but a monster! This world’s aesthetic sense is truly peculiar!’

“Precisely so,” Aldoran affirmed, lightly pressing a finger to Qing Yu’s lips, her gaze fixed upon the immense, lifeless statue. “My encounter with you, and the children we are destined to have in the future—all of it is brought forth by it.”

“Now, let us commence our prayers.”