On the day of the wedding, the entire city of Kazdel was immersed in a sea of joy.
The festive atmosphere had not ceased since the early hours of the previous day. Loyal city guards stood watch in every corner of the city, while countless jubilant citizens of Kazdel ran past them with happy, satisfied smiles on their faces. Perhaps many years ago, such smiles would have seemed out of place on those same faces. But now, they felt natural, ordinary even, and precisely because of that, all the more precious.
The players had partied through the entire night. As the first rays of dawn touched the land of Terra, they raised their bottles and laughed toward the sunrise.
Good morning, Terra!
And the ceremony was proceeding smoothly.
According to the arrangements made by the high-ranking officials and the master of ceremonies, Felix would first present the engagement rings in front of the Capitol Building. After that, he would lead his brides along the main avenue of Kazdel on a ceremonial procession, receiving the blessings of the people.
Then would come the grand carnival, beginning at noon and continuing until the following day. During that time, all drinks provided by the official Kazdel Mobile City would be free. The hardworking city guards would finally be able to relax and enjoy the city with their families, while their duties were taken over by Clever units.
Inside the Capitol, the banquet hall had been filled with tables and chairs. Because of the sheer number of Felix's brides, along with their friends and family members, the architects had expanded the hall during this period just to accommodate so many guests.
The role of best man had naturally been fiercely contested, and after Kazdel's training room was practically flattened in the process, the final choices were Anthony, Feist, Enciodes, ACE, and Logos.
As for the bridesmaids, because there were simply too many candidates, five were selected in the end: Saria, Blaze, Lavinia, Talulah, and Swire.
All of them were dressed in suits and formalwear, and the combination of handsome men and beautiful women instantly set the tone for the entire event. As best men and bridesmaids, they naturally began busying themselves with the final preparations for the venue.
___
Felix was awakened by the gentle ringing of the alarm.
He narrowed his eyes. The sunlight outside the window was soft and mild. Supporting himself up, he began washing up. After splashing his face with warm water, he looked at himself in the mirror.
At first glance, almost nothing had changed since the day he left Laterano.
And yet, something had changed.
A fundamental change, from the inside out.
He smiled faintly, then began to change clothes.
A knock sounded at the door.
Felix answered with a low hum. The door slid open automatically, revealing ACE in a suit, standing outside. Seeing Felix in the middle of buttoning his shirt, ACE could not help twitching his lips.
"Why do I feel more nervous about your wedding than you do?"
"This is my first time too, alright?" Felix slowly fastened his clothes. "It's just that I've got a big heart."
Then he added casually,
"By the way, how did things go with that Phidia girl I introduced you to last time?"
ACE instantly blushed and coughed several times.
"Today is your wedding. Can we talk about your business instead of other women?"
Felix snorted in disdain.
"That Phidia girl has been in Kazdel for years already. She couldn't stand the rigid rules of her tribe, and she believed that the life of an operator was the only way she could rediscover herself. So in a sense, she's doing the work she truly loves."
He glanced at ACE.
"With a girl like that, ACE, how can you call her 'another woman'?"
"Uh…"
"So, when exactly am I going to meet my sister-in-law?"
"This…" ACE's face turned even redder. After a moment, he let out a soft sigh and scratched the back of his head. "That title… do you really think I'm worthy of being your older brother now?"
"What's there to be unworthy of?"
Felix combed his hair into a mature style, put on his handsome suit, and said,
"Do you still remember the day I infiltrated Babel as a messenger?"
ACE's smile widened.
"Of course. At the time, I thought Dr. Kal'tsit was going to drive you out, but I never expected her to let you stay, and even permit you to remain there for a while…"
"It was your kindness to a complete stranger that made it possible. That's who you are, ACE. We became friends from that moment, didn't we?"
"Yes."
"And do you remember Chernobog? If I hadn't been there, if it had really been Talulah you faced, would you still have insisted on staying behind to cover our retreat?"
"Yes."
ACE answered calmly, without the slightest hesitation.
"If Felix hadn't been there, then in that situation, I would have been the strongest one left. If I didn't stay behind, then who would?"
Thinking of the ACE he had never met in his previous life, Felix suddenly realized that, the first time he had ever known of him, ACE had already been nothing more than a cold series of characters in an archive.
Felix patted him on the shoulder.
"Doesn't my outfit look pretty good? Logos said it was inspired by the design of a Banshee evening suit."
"Logos may be a little pretentious, but his taste is impeccable," ACE said.
Felix and ACE walked down the corridor as if they had never had that conversation at all. Felix still needed to review his speech once more. Before the wedding, he had to address all of Terra, because that was his duty as king.
Before pushing open the door, Felix turned around and lightly punched ACE on the shoulder.
"I'll arrange for her to have dinner with you as part of a mission. Hurry up, win her over, and get married. When that day comes, I'll handle the arrangements for your wedding too. How about it?"
ACE's gaze softened.
He simply nodded.
He did not say thank you, because there was no need to.
Felix had written the speech himself. Saying he was going to read it again was really just another way of retracing the state of mind he had been in when he first wrote it.
"Your Majesty, the stage in front of the Capitol Building has already been prepared for you."
"Thank you for your hard work, Theresis." Felix looked up at the pink-haired general. "You still haven't used any of your vacation days. I suggest you go relax at the beach."
"This body is already used to the sensation of battle. I have long forgotten what relaxation feels like."
"Are you even terran?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
"People need to work, but they also need to rest. Theresis, you've kept yourself tense for too long. Your future still has plenty of room to shine. I don't want to see you collapse here from exhaustion."
Theresis bowed his head slightly.
Felix smiled at him.
"Don't worry. I'm giving Theresa leave as well, so you and your sister can take a proper break together."
"As you command."
Anthony was pacing back and forth, directing the staff to handle various tasks. Nearby, Enciodes was seated to one side, speaking by phone with a researcher from Kjerag.
Felix tucked the speech manuscript into his pocket. There were less than twenty minutes left before he had to go on stage, and he was ready.
"Teacher, you look especially dignified today."
"When has your teacher ever not been dignified?"
Feist laughed awkwardly, knowing full well that Felix was teasing him. He coughed twice and said, "Your Highness, the nobles of Rim Billiton have begged us for mercy and sent over a large amount of resources and engineers. At this rate, construction can be completed two months ahead of schedule."
Felix indicated that he understood. After giving a brief report on the development progress of the second moon, Feist quickly left.
As he walked through the narrow corridor, Felix noticed that the Sarkaz officials of the royal court on both sides were lowering their heads respectfully toward him.
Felix's gaze passed over their faces, and then he strode forward without stopping.
Whoosh—
The sound of the crowd surged like a tide.
Felix narrowed his eyes.
Outside the Capitol Building, colorful banners fluttered in the air. The square was packed with people, all of them waving and shouting wildly toward Felix from beyond the city guard perimeter. High above, a huge screen suspended in the sky displayed Felix's handsome and composed face.
That was Terra's applause.
There were Sarkaz, Sankta, Feline, Perro, and many more, even players… the people of Terra had all gathered here, gathered in this single moment. Their hearts pounded wildly, yet they all gradually fell silent when Felix stepped onto the stage.
The Liberation King should have that kind of presence.
"I am very glad that all of you are here today to witness my wedding."
Felix's voice rang out clearly.
"I said before: what right do I have to start a family before the demons are destroyed? Countless warriors gave their lives in the war against the demons, and all we could do was avenge them and save Terra."
He paused, then spoke again, his voice stronger.
"So I want to say it one more time: we won! The threat of the demons will never exist again! Terra endures!"
The crowd erupted into thunderous cheers.
"Now, the demons have been destroyed. Terra is no longer under threat, and the land enjoys favorable weather. Both our culture and our technology are changing rapidly, from transport routes that link every city to Oripathy no longer being a terminal illness. None of this would have been possible without our efforts, without our spirit of exploration and progress."
He raised his head slightly.
"But I want to ask all of you this: are we satisfied with only this?"
Did that mean they would now remain content with the status quo and stop moving forward?
"No! We will not stop! Terra's exploration will never stop!"
His voice carried across the square.
"There is still so much we can do. We can explore the stars. We can build even greater ships to cross the uninhabited universe. We can create an even brighter future!"
His eyes shone like stars in the sky.
Felix drew all of their gazes into his heart, then smiled.
"The war ended in our generation. I hope that those who come after us, our children, will have a happy childhood, free from oppression and cruelty. And I also hope that we, together with our children, can joyfully and freely explore the breathtaking beauty of this land called Terra."
"Our responsibilities have not been cast aside. The next era will not be an age of fear and war, but an age filled with opportunity, exploration, and technological progress!"
As if drawing a line beneath everything that had come before, Felix gave the crowd an encouraging smile.
The applause that followed was thunderous and unceasing.
Everyone had been deeply stirred by the words of the Liberation King. Through Clever's transmission network, those words spread across all the nations of Terra, carrying his blessing to every ear.
The language had been simple and easy to understand, so simple that even children could grasp it. And those children, staring at the screen, looked on with shining eyes full of admiration.
"Dad, I want to become an operator of Tomorrow's Development in the future!"
"The requirements for Tomorrow's Development are very high. At the very least, you'll have to study hard and get excellent grades if you want to join."
_
"Father, I don't want to consider other companies anymore. I want to choose Tomorrow's Development."
"Father supports you! Take good care of yourself when you get to Kazdel."
_
"Mom, I want to change jobs and join Tomorrow's Development. Love you, Mom. I'll see you tomorrow!"
"With your skills, you'll definitely do well there. Go for it, son!"
_
"Mom... Do you think one day I can be a hero like your majesty?"
"Ah... Yes, You can be a hero too!"
Countless conversations like these unfolded all over Terra at the same time.
Felix smiled brightly.
"Now that I've taken up enough of everyone's time, I will hand the microphone over to the emcee. He is my friend and my brother. Although we are not always fighting side by side, I believe that even when we are far apart, we are still fighting toward the same ideals."
When ACE stepped onto the stage, those who knew him and those who did not all greeted him with warm applause.
ACE blushed slightly, clearly embarrassed. Not far away, he saw Kal'tsit holding Amiya's hand. Amiya was smiling so happily that her eyes had curved into crescents, and Kal'tsit was not frowning either. The corner of her mouth even seemed to lift by a single pixel.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for granting me such an honorable task and opportunity. I am ACE of Rhodes Island Pharmaceuticals. I have known His Majesty for about ten years. On this road we have walked together, I have been fortunate, and honored, to keep pace with him. Even though we have stood in different battlefields, I believe that both His Majesty and I have always raised our swords for the same ideals."
The moment the name Rhodes Island Pharmaceuticals was spoken, many reporters began furiously taking photographs. Ever since the first Infected patient had been cured, Rhodes Island had become the focus of enormous attention. Although its headquarters were in Kazdel, its operators rarely appeared in public. So now that one of them had finally stepped into the spotlight, some rushed to take photos while others immediately began writing.
"Alright, we've talked enough. Let us now invite the brides onto the stage."
ACE smiled, spread his arms, and gave a slight nod to Felix.
Felix turned and looked behind him.
There they were—
girls dressed in different wedding gowns.
Each of them had accompanied Felix in her own way, walking beside him through a long stretch of life. He had once promised that he would give them an answer, and yet he had never imagined that so many years would pass in what felt like the blink of an eye. He had kept that promise, and time had not worn down their feelings. Instead, like wine left to mature, those feelings had only grown richer and sweeter.
Walking at the very front were Mostima, Muelsyse, and Theresa.
This had been the order the girls themselves decided on. Mostima was his childhood friend. Muelsyse was someone who had appeared unexpectedly in his life. And Theresa… Theresa had not merely appeared out of nowhere. She had practically descended straight into his life from the sky.
Behind them stood Senomi, Mandragora, and Susie.
The three of them were graceful and radiant, holding hands like close sisters, their eyes filled with admiration and contentment.
At last, they had found their happiness.
Felix's gaze moved further back toward the next four women, and an immediate smile appeared on his lips.