Four days passed since Wiliam returned to Lont and the preparations for the wedding were in full swing. The small town became lively and everyone gathered to join in the festivities. The hunters hunted for big and small game for the feast that was about to come.
Matthew was the heir of their current Lord, Mordred. This made his wedding a "big event". The old towns of Fushia and Xynnar were now under the jurisdiction of Lont and being overseen by James' subordinates.
After the Beast Tide, several refugees sought protection from the only town that had survived in the Western Region. Because of this, the population of the two towns grew and had even reached half of their original population.
Naturally, as subjects of the Overlord of Lont, the people there also decided to join the festivities in order to show their support to their current steward. However, just as everyone was completing the finishing touches, a messenger from the King arrived in Lont and told Mordred that the king would bestow a peerage upon James.
This noble title was the reward that the king had decided to bestow on James for his participation in the Beast Tide invasion at Windkeep Citadel and his help in subjugating the Dungeon Outbreak in the Duchy of Aberdeen. However, since James had passed his rule on his son, Mordred, the peerage naturally fell into his hands.
(A/N: The Baronet of Lont is Mordred since James had retired from his position.)
Naturally, Mordred would need to go to the capital in order to formalize the bestowment of his peerage. However, he was not in a hurry. He would accompany William, Matthew, Leah, and the rest, back to the capital and just meet the king afterwards.
The Western Region was still in a state of recovery. Even though some of the lands had been claimed, there were still a few without any owners. The king needed some trusted people to oversee these lands. He wanted these lands to be cultivated in order to help the kingdom recover financially through trades of goods and resources.
The towns of Lont, Fushia, and Xynnar, combined, were big enough for someone with the title of Viscount to manage. This was also a major factor that affected the King's decision. If he were to make Mordred a Marquesse then he would definitely encounter staunt opposition from the nobles of the kingdom.
His original plan was to make Mordred an Earl, but after giving it more thought, he decided to play it safe and just settled for Viscount.
When this news arrived in Lont, William gave his gramps two thumbs up in his heart. He was amazed at how James was able to secure benefits while doing as he pleased. Naturally, the townspeople became ecstatic with the news because Mordred's inherited rank was only that of a baronet.
-----
Leah didn't want to have a grand wedding, but her future husband's position was a bit special. Because of this, she didn't have a choice and allowed herself to be dressed up by an overenthusiastic Anna and Helen.
"How envious," Wendy said as she looked at the white dress that Leah would be wearing for her wedding.
"Why are you envious?" Spencer asked. "When you get married, your wedding will be grander than this."
Wendy gave William a side-long glance, while blushing. This gave Spencer a headache because his sister's feelings for William remained strong even though the latter asked her to start their relationship as friends.
William, on the other hand, was feeling at peace. After he had his talk with Celine, the guilt in his heart had been cleared up. He had also considered Wendy's feelings for him, and had a private talk with her before they left Celine's house.
----
"If your feelings don't change after my duel with Rebecca then we can discuss taking the next step in our relationship," William said with a serious expression. "Until then, it would be best if we get to know each other first. Also, bear in mind that I might have multiple wives in the future. If you are fine with having a scumbag like me as your boyfriend then I will seriously consider making you my girlfriend."
William had made it clear to her that he was not a gentleman who would only have one love in his life. This way, Wendy would know exactly what she could expect if she decided to have a serious relationship with William.
Instead of answering William. She just nodded her head. Wendy also wanted to know if the feelings she had for William were real, or if it was just the result of having been saved by him while inside the Goblin Crypt.
-----
"Spencer is right, I'm sure that the man that Wendy is going to marry is a very lucky guy," William commented with a smile.
Wendy blushed and averted her gaze, which made Spencer click his tongue in irritation. He was really dissatisfied with Wendy's current infatuation with William.
The next day…
Hundreds of people stopped their daily routines and lined up in the center of the town of Lont. Matthew was standing on a raised platform along with Owen as he stared at the Northern Gate of Lont.
William and Eve rode Ella's back as the little girl dug her hands inside the basket in front of her that was filled with flowers. She threw them on the ground while giggling. Which made the scene quite endearing.
Right behind Ella, several teenage beauties from Lont walked while throwing flower petals as well. Not far from them, a beautiful young lady wearing a white dress walked while carrying a bouquet.
Her midnight blue hair was tied up in a princess-style braid as she walked elegantly to where her man was waiting for her. Although her face was covered by a veil, everyone knew how beautiful she was.
When she finally reached the platform, Matthew extended his hand to hold her in his embrace. Owen, the Life Magus of Lont, was the Master of Ceremonies. He raised his hand in order to quiet the crowd, so he could start the marriage ceremony.
"We are gathered here today to witness the union of Leah Terrel, and Matthew Von Ainsworth," Owen said. "With the power vested in me by My Sacred Order, I ask you, Matthew Von Ainsworth, do you pledge to honor Leah Terrel with your life, to love, and cherish, today and every day, for the rest of your life?
"I do," Matthew answered.
"I ask you, Leah Terrel, do you pledge to honor Matthew Von Ainsworth with your life, to love, and cherish, today and everyday, for the rest of your life?"
"I do," Leah answered.
Owen raised the ceremonial staff in his hand.
"Bow to the Heavens and Earth," Owen ordered.
Leah and Matthew bowed towards the North.
"Bow to honor the Gods," Owen ordered.
Leah and Matthew bowed towards the South.
"Lastly, bow towards each other," Owen ordered.
Matthew and Leah bowed to each other.
"With the Gods and the citizens of Lont as my witness, I now pronounce you husband and wife," Owen declared with a smile. "You may now kiss the bride."
Matthew gently parted Leah's veil and gave her a long and passionate kiss.
A round of cheering and whistling reverberated through the town as the citizens showered their future lords with their blessings.
James laughed out loud while patting Mordred's shoulder. Mordred held Anna's hand as the latter leaned her head on her husband's shoulder. Tears streamed down from her eyes, not out of sadness, but of happiness, for her eldest son had finally found the love of his life, like she did, many years ago.
William watched this scene with a big smile on his face as he held his adorable cousin in a protective embrace.
Not far from him, Celine, stood wearing a beautiful dress and veil. She usually doesn't join such festivities, but this time she made an exception. James and the people of Lont had been good to her, so she deemed that it was necessary to participate in Matthew's wedding ceremony.
Wendy, Spencer, and Ian, joined the others as they applauded the newlyweds.
Everything was going smoothly when suddenly, dark clouds covered the sky, and thunder roared in the heavens. A strong gust of wind blew over the town of Lont which immediately put a stop to the cheering.
Everyone looked up in the sky and saw three giant black bats with blood-red eyes staring at them as they flapped their wings. Standing on top the bats were three people wearing hooded robes.
Just one glance and one could tell that they didn't come to give well wishes to the bride and groom.
"A wedding? Looks like we came at the wrong time," one of the hooded people, who was standing on the giant bat on the right, said with a cheerful voice.
"Actually, we came at the right time," the man in the middle chuckled. "I like weddings. It is the perfect opportunity to snatch the bride and ravage her in front of her groom."
The hooded person standing on the left raised his hand and a dark orb of magic manifested above him.
"We will all give you two choices," the hooded person shouted. "The first is to submit to us and follow our bidding. The other? Die without a full corpse! Now choose!"
Matthew stepped in front of Leah in order to block the lascivious gaze of the hooded man looking at his wife.
Owen stepped forward and positioned himself in front of Matthew. Deep down, the old man was sneering. He wondered if the three idiots' heads had been kicked in by donkeys. Fortunately, the wedding had just ended. If they came while they were in the middle of the ceremony, the three bastards would have definitely suffered a fate worse than death.
Celine looked at the three intruders in disdain. If they had attacked any of the other towns in the Western Region then their chances of succeeding were very high. The only problem was that they were only a bunch of small fries that had unknowingly stepped inside a Lion's Den.
"Father, let me handle them," Mordred said with a devilish smile.
"Hahaha, there are three of them," James replied. "You can handle one. I'll handle two."
William, who was seated on Ella's back, had the same devilish smile that was on Mordred's and James' faces. The thunder and lightning in the heavens rumbled and made William feel that it was a good opportunity to vent out some frustrations.
'System, change my Job Class to Prince of Thunder.'
< Job class has been successfully changed! >
< I am looking forward to seeing some fireworks! >
William's smile grew wider when he felt the power of lightning within the dark clouds answer his call. He had long awaited the day when he could test the power of the prestige class, but his lack of mana, and encounters, prevented him from doing so.
With such a golden opportunity in front of him, William was dying to send the three morons to kingdom come.