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Chapter 1013

“Can they really do that?” I cried out.

I mean, there was no way I’d allow it to happen, but I also didn’t want to start an international incident here, especially over what I considered a misunderstanding. One of these guests was the princess! They wouldn’t be speaking so boldly if they knew what they were seriously saying. I turned to the Tibult family for help. After all, they were the ones who had been here and should understand things the best.

“Do you hate us?” Octin asked, looking up at me with tear-filled eyes.

“You…”

“Father, perhaps you shouldn’t tease him too much.” Octius laughed.

“Are you going to do it or not? I’ll even tolerate a kiss!” The woman crossed her arms over her chest.

“Haha… don’t worry!” Octavia stepped forward. “How about he just kiss me? Oh, but my chest is quite large though.”

If they were describing her chest, there wasn’t much sign of any breasts, just pects, but they were pretty large if you were being technical, not that that option was that much better.

“Ehhh…” The three church girls didn’t seem to know what to make of the situation either. “I’m not so sure about that.”

“Fine! You say I don’t go for small chests?” I snapped, feeling like I was losing my sanity there. “Then, how about this?”

I reached forward and grabbed the girl herself. She was flatchested, after all, and also pretty.

“Wh-what?” She cried out as I pulled her and kissed her.

“Ahhh…  he went for her.” Octin pouted.

“D-dad! You’re married!” Otto cried out.

“That’s true!” Octin raised his finger like he had just remembered that. “Then, good Deek here must have been trying to protect my vows…”

“I’m almost certain that isn’t it…”

“Mmm! Mmm!” The girl struggled helplessly as I kissed her thoroughly.

However, she couldn’t say I didn’t like flat-chested girls after that, right? I finally let her go and she stumbled back, gasping for breath.

“Y-you… you!” She said it twice.

“Is that satisfactory now?” I asked.

Her face turned red. “I-I’ll remember this!”

She grabbed the other two girls, who looked just as surprised as she was, and then fled the area. I let out a breath as I saw them go. I wasn’t sure if that would make things more difficult between me and the church of the daughter later on. When I had time, I should bring Garnet over here. I regretted not inviting her already. Well, she technically wasn’t in my harem.

To the best of my knowledge, she wasn’t even affected by certain harem skills I had tried out on a certain night. However, she had an association with the church of the mother that I wasn’t too clear on, and she had the flat-chestedness that the church of the daughter revered, so it was a good combo to have.

I had come here just to relax, but I realized now I just knew far too little about the Ost Republic. I had been dealing with issues in Aberis for so long, I didn’t feel ready to start dealing with the issues of another country. At the very least, we were through the door now. I could finally just sit back and enjoy a wedding.

Chapter 1014

After the church committee had provided us such a rude welcoming, we continued on into the church. We needed to be introduced one at a time. We managed to get in line just as they were announcing the last few guests. We technically should have been near the beginning of the list. This would make Aberis look bad in the eyes of the other guests, but there was no helping it at this point, I supposed. The giant cathedral had several stage boxes on the top. Aberis was granted one of them, which ultimately also decided how many guests we were allowed to bring.

The box fit only ten people. The four Tibults and the four of us constituted eight of those spots. The remaining two were reserved for the ambassador and his wife, neither of which I had ever met. At the very least, they had arrived early and provided proper respect, as was their job.

“Lord Octin Tibult, Duke of Aberis, general of the southern border.” A man announced in a dry voice. “He’s arrived with his three children, Marquis Octius, Count Otto, and Countess Octavia.”

The four of them walked into the room beyond.

“Princess Eliana Aberis, escorted by Lord Deek Deekson, Earl of Aberis, keeper of the wilderness.” He continued.

“Am I an Earl now?” I whispered.

“Shh… just accept it,” Eliana whispered back.

The other two girls were just considered servants, so they filed in behind. Raissa’s eyes were big as she took in the whole place. Faeyna had initially been confident, but after the church had insulted her breasts, she was slouching slightly and trying not to bring as much attention to herself. I would need to make it up to both girls later, but for the moment, we were in enemy territory and needed to just deal with it.

“Deek Deekson!” A voice suddenly called just as I was looking for the direction Lord Octin had gone so that I could follow him.

My eyes moved scanned the crowd to see who had suddenly called my name when they fell on a man who had been glaring at me. Of all the people I had thought it would be, I hadn’t realized it’d be the groom. He was already at the front of the altar, waiting to receive his bride. That would be Alysia, or so I had heard from Harem. However, an Osterian man I had never seen before in my life suddenly called me out when I entered the room and was now glaring daggers at me.

Hearing the groom suddenly speak out, the entire room went quiet, and all the eyes in the room fell on me. The man stepped down from the altar and began to march up the red carpet toward me. I pulled Eliana behind me before stepping forward, trying to keep from showing my confusion or fear. The man’s step faltered slightly as he approached. He had seemed to be expecting to tower over me, but as he closed the distance, he started to realize I was nearly as tall as he was. He was still taller than me, but only by a bit. After a few slow steps, he regained his traction until he stood right in front of me. A sneer formed on his face.

“Yes?” I asked, hoping this was just another misunderstanding and finding myself regretting not just staying in Chalm.

“You are Deek Deekson.” He stated this as a fact.

“I am,” I responded.

“You thought yourself clever by hiding to the very end.” His voice was loud and crisp so everyone in the room could hear. “You thought that I wouldn’t upset the wedding to challenge you if you arrived so late.”

“Huh?”

“Well, you failed! I challenge you in the Osterian Karn!”

Several people gasped, including Eliana. I looked over at her for verification.

“The Karn is a fight to the death.”

Chapter 1015

“Do not act so confused.” He declared. “I know you’ve been more than familiar with my future wife!”

This led to more gasps. The groom was a an Osterian man who wasn’t particularly attractive. He looked a bit old to be the groom of Alysia. He had dark black hair with just a bit of grey in it. He wasn’t as muscular as me, but he moved with a grace that reminded me of Octius or Octin. This was a man who knew how to fight. His expression was filled with anger and disdain.

“We’re friends.” I tried to defend.

“Hmph! Like I can believe that! I’ve heard that you’ve seen her naked and that she has seen you naked in turn.”

“That was… I mean…” I didn’t know how to respond to that.

Technically, we had fought each other until our clothing was in tatters. However, there wasn’t anything sexual about it.

“You also declared her as your woman, and threw your arms around her.”

“Oh… that…”

I wasn’t sure things exactly happened that way. I had been jumping off a cliff to rescue Alysia when I grabbed her. As for declaring her my woman, I don’t seem to recall that at all. Then again, I had made that declaration to so many women, maybe I had? I needed to stop running my mouth! It led to situations like this!

“It’s an archaic tradition from the old Osteria. In Aberis, it has been abolished.”

“Heh… that’s because you puny humans fear anything that takes away your safety.” The man chuckled.

“What exactly is the Osterian Karn?” I asked Eliana, rather hearing her explanation than his voice.

“When a groom is to marry a woman, he can initiate a challenge to the death towards anyone he thinks his woman has lingering affection toward. This way, there is less risk that she yearns for someone else. He closes off all avenues for her so that her heart becomes completely his. It’s supposed to occur months or weeks leading to the wedding, but to initiate one now disrupts the ceremony.”

“Hmph! I won’t be denied my right just because the accused is a coward!” The man declared snobbishly.

“What if he dies?” I asked.

“Haha… you think I will die?” The man laughed. “Nonsense. I am an Osterian, while you’re just a puny human. Even if your levels were double what my sources say they are at, you wouldn’t stand a chance.”

I had no clue what levels they were saying if they knew how many jobs I had, nor if what he was saying was even true. All I could say was that he was pretty confident, while I didn’t want to be involved in this fight at all.

“Eliana is mistaken about one thing.” Octin had returned when he heard what was happening, “This doesn’t necessarily need to be a battle to the death. Although the groom will try to kill the accused, if the accused kills the groom instead, he forfeits his life.”

“How is that fair?” I cried out.

“Of course, the groom can also spare the accused if he defeats him, but I anticipate this won’t happen.”

So, it was a situation where he could kill me, but I couldn’t kill him. This felt like the dumbest tradition I had ever heard. It gave him a free shot at killing anyone he considered an enemy all while maintaining his safety.

“It isn’t completely risk-free.” Octin continued as if reading my mind. “If he should lose, while his life won’t be forfeit… the wedding will be. As the accused must put a life on the line, so must the groom.”

“Whose life?” I asked as the groom made an ugly expression like he didn’t want me to know this part.

“The groom puts his bride as collateral. If he loses, then the bride becomes the accused’s slave to do with however they wish.”

“S-seriously?”

“Well, as Eliana said, it is an archaic tradition. Many men would let the woman go. Others show their true colors and take advantage of her. A groom who loses truly ends up in a humiliating state.”

“Enough banter!” He shouted. “I am General Draven Nova of the Osterian Bloodwights. Tonight, I will offer Alysia a plate with your head on it as my wedding gift!”

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