A Journey and My Usual Whim (10)

A few days' walk from Janpemon brought me out of the cluster of small nations and into Ladrenian territory.

Strictly speaking, this was only Ladrenia's northern fringe, far from the heart of the country and the Holy City, home to the religion's central temple.

On my leisurely journey, I visited one small village in northern Ladrenia.

My travels are dictated by whim. Sometimes I follow the roads, while other times I ignore them and cut straight through the fields and forests, but I still often stop at any towns or villages I happen to see.

Of course, that changes when circumstances demand it, but whether in a town or a village, staying at an inn meant I could at least enjoy a warm meal.

I also quietly enjoy observing the slightly different ways people live in each place.

And today, in the little village I'd visited, I ran into an event that was probably quite ordinary, but unusual for me.

The old-fashioned church was decorated with several flower wreaths, while small children scattered petals from baskets filled with them.

Everyone was smiling, eating the food and drinking the wine set out on the tables, and speaking words of blessing.

Perhaps because it was such a small village, it seemed that every villager was taking part in the festivities, and even I, who had happened to stop there that day, was invited to join them.

Yes, today was the day when the village's young men and women were joined together as husband and wife.

It was a most auspicious day—the day of a wedding.

However, this wasn't a wedding joining only one pair.

Two couples were taking center stage at once and receiving everyone's congratulations.

Apparently, to make the ceremony as grand as possible, couples intending to marry in this village deliberately chose the same date.

Or perhaps, as with the harvest festival and other celebrations, the date for weddings was simply fixed as this one day each year.

Having the whole village turn out for the young people's weddings probably made it a holiday for the village, as well as an important form of entertainment for its residents.

Anyway, as an outsider, the village's circumstances had nothing to do with me. Since I had been invited, all I had to do was offer the young couples my heartfelt congratulations and enjoy the food and wine being served.

The sliced meat pies, whole roasted birds, and wine had probably been brought in from outside the village for this occasion.

Looking around, everyone seemed to be having a wonderful time.

Naturally, no one was enjoying this day more than the two happy pairs—the couples themselves.

Somehow, I found myself wishing I could do something for them, too.

If only I had arrived one day sooner, I could have gone into the forest and brought down a boar or a deer.

Even so, I couldn't help noticing that although it lay far from the center of the country, this was still a village in Ladrenia, and everyone was deeply devout.

It was only natural for the priest overseeing the ceremony and blessing the two couples to recite sacred verses, but the villagers, too, voiced their thanks to the God of Abundance whenever the food brought them joy, and even when they let out a breath after drinking.

As a High Elf, I couldn't really relate to reverence for the gods, but I found their devotion wonderful.

Ah, that didn't mean I hated gods.

Quite simply, while a god might be a great being who created humans, that was not the case for High Elves.

Rather, to High Elves, gods felt more like wayward younger brothers and sisters born from the same creator, who had then gone off somewhere after making all sorts of messes.

I could sincerely admire the power that had created so many races, but to me, a god was not someone to revere, but an equal on the same footing as me.

The humans they had created were no different; they were my equals, too.

Of course, I would never say any of that aloud, since it would only anger people who worshiped gods. But even when I was alive in my previous life, I probably hadn't been as devout as these villagers.

Incidentally, for some reason, the gods felt more distant to me than dragons and phoenixes—and especially spirits.

This was mysterious even to me, but I wondered whether it had something to do with the fact that the gods were treated separately from the Five Ancient Races.

Anyway, leaving gods and the ancient races aside, it had been a peaceful and pleasant ceremony.

But if it had been Huresio, who was part of the elf caravan, he would have made the occasion even more enjoyable with a song.

Or if it had been Rebis, he might at least have drawn likenesses of the two couples.

But I had no special talent like theirs, so I could only cock my head and wonder what I could possibly do.

Then I noticed that a touch of dampness had mingled with the wind.

The food, wine, and warm atmosphere had captivated me and dulled my senses, but it seemed that rain was on its way.

At this rate, it would begin before the ceremony was over.

Naturally, it was a natural phenomenon, and there was nothing to be done about it.

But these devout people might start wondering whether today's wedding was not blessed by the gods.

The God of Abundance was, after all, a god of bountiful blessings, and could hardly be unrelated to the weather.

Ah, but if this thing called divine protection truly existed, then the God of Abundance must have been blessing the weddings being held in the village today.

After all, by coincidence, I had stopped at this village today and been treated to such satisfying hospitality.

For this village, that coincidence could reasonably be called the protection of the God of Abundance.

I had found a gift I could offer this village and the two couples being married.

I quietly appealed to my friends, the wind and water spirits, who were preparing to bring the rain.

I asked them to hold off the rain that was about to fall.

It would be troublesome if it never rained again, but I wanted them to wait at least until tomorrow.

According to the knowledge I brought from my previous life, a wedding was a “hare day.”

A “hare day” was an auspicious day marking a milestone, and the term came from hare, meaning clear weather.

People even spoke of a “hare stage” for a grand occasion, since blue skies were welcome at celebrations.

So I would give the two couples being joined together today a blue sky.

Of course, I would never call it my gift, and if rain fell tomorrow, the devout villagers would rejoice, taking the one-day delay as a blessing from the God of Abundance.

If that was the case, it was for the best.

For the villagers, feeling the blessing of their god would be more meaningful than having a visiting High Elf clear the skies.

The rain I'd enjoy tomorrow with that thought in mind would surely feel pleasant to me, too, even while traveling.