Follow us on:
Facebook   Discord   RSS



Side Story 10 – Day of Blessings

Leave a comment



Author: Kaburagi Haruka Original Source: Syosetu
Translator: Mui English Source: Re:Library

Wrapped in unfamiliar clothes, I, feeling tense, stood in front of the door. The door in front of me creaked open.

For a small church in this remote area, the door was quite magnificent.

Beyond it, the villagers of this village had gathered. Their gazes concentrated on me as the door opened.

“…!?”

In Nicole’s state, I was used to being the center of attention, but in this Reid’s body, I was hardly noticed. So, for a moment, my body stiffened.

Tearing my feet from the floor, I moved forward. As all the visitors saw me start to move, they erupted into applause.

The pulpit where Maria usually delivered sermons had been removed. Instead, Maria, adorned in more luxurious vestments than usual, stood with Ashella assisting her. Behind them, Lyell, dressed in unfamiliar holy knight attire, was present.

As I stepped forward towards Maria, she let out a small smile.

“You look quite good in that formal attire.”
“…Leave me be.”

I usually preferred dark navy coats or clothes with dark hues, but on this day, I was clad in a white formal suit.

Of course, when I was Nicole, I favored the uniform of the magic academy or clothes with a similar design. But not on this day.

Wearing a predominantly white formal suit that was impossible to ignore; it was a color scheme I would never choose in my everyday life.

“At last… we can proceed with your wedding.”
“Looks like I made you wait.”
“Well, you certainly did.”

With a radiant smile, Maria declared. For her, it was a calculation that she had been waiting for twenty-six years from my previous life. Yes, today was the day for the wedding ceremony between Cortina, Finia, and me.

The fact that I was in Reid’s appearance from my previous life, wearing an unfamiliar white outfit, and the influx of acquaintances from both my past and present lives—all of it was for the sake of the wedding.

In addition to the villagers, the guest seats were filled with not only Gadius and Maxwell but also Letina and Michelle, and others. Those who had connections with me—as in, Nicole—gathered in large numbers.

Even Whitey and Master, the Wind God were here, making it a chaotic spectacle.

“I never expected even the gods to show up. Quite the development we have here.”
“Just leave them be. They’re the type to show up anywhere.”

Next to the figure in white and my master, even the Guild Master from Stollar was in attendance. Apparently, she was also acquainted with Whitey. She stood beside Whitey, munching on a cookie held in her hand. She was completely in a spectator position, enjoying the show.

As we were talking, the grand doors opened again, and Cortina and Finia entered.

I turned to look at them and was momentarily struck. There was Finia, clad in an elegant long dress, and Cortina, in a lively dress with a shorter hem, creating a contrasting impression.

Between them, Fina —adorned in a cute dress— accompanied them, scattering flower petals on the road for the two as she led the way.

She was desperately scattering the petals, but as they ran out, she stopped and started looking around in a fluster. Her cute appearance was truly fitting for my sister.

However, it couldn’t be left unattended. As I pondered what to do, one of the guests handed a basket to Fina.

Then, they gave a thumbs-up to Cortina.

It seemed like this situation was already anticipated by her.

“Thank you!”
“You’re welcome.”

The guest responded to Fina’s energetic voice. Their voices echoed within the cathedral, and laughter could be heard from various places.

Cortina and Finia, who had come right in front of me, left me speechless as I continued to gaze at them in awe.

Seeing me in such a daze, the two exchanged glances and chuckled softly.

“I’ve never seen Lord Reid with that expression before.”
“Why are you looking so half-asleep?”
“I mean, you two look so beautiful…”

I uttered it as if squeezing it out. The two blushed, with Finia bowing her head and Cortina turning her gaze away.

Indeed, Finia exuded a mysterious beauty, almost too beautiful to touch. Cortina, on the other hand, displayed an innocent and charming allure, creating an atmosphere that made one want to dote on her, unlike Finia.

“Oh, Finia, you look beautiful. Like a goddess.”
“G-Goddess, you say…”

In response to my words, Finia glanced briefly at the guest seats behind her. There, Whitey, nibbling on cookies like a squirrel, was present.

I see, being treated on par with ‘that thing’ might not be very desirable. Reconsidering, I corrected myself.

“Retracting my previous statement. You look as beautiful as an angel.”
“Ah, thank you.”

This time, she returned with a beaming smile. Nevertheless, she has become quite bold these days, even feeling displeasure at being likened to Whitey.

“Hey, do I get anything?”
“Cortina, you’re cute like a fairy.”
“W-Wha… Then say so from the beginning!”

Cortina, who had prompted me herself and now stumbled over her words, entwined her fingers nervously, a gesture that was undeniably charming.

“You’ve become able to say such things huh, Reid? How moving.”
“I’ve gained enough experience to understand a woman’s heart.”
“By actually becoming a woman, right?”
“Shut up! Don’t bring that up!”

Even I understood enough to compliment a bride. I expressed my thoughts, and Maria teased me. However, in my past life, I couldn’t even manage that. Maria’s words, in a sense, were correct.

“Well then, let’s stop the lovey-dovey talk and start the ceremony.”

Maria clapped her hands and cheerfully announced. While I agreed with her sentiment, her tone was so light, as if she were about to start preparing dinner, and it didn’t quite match the solemn atmosphere of the occasion.

Yet pointing that out also felt tactless, so I remained silent.

Cortina and Finia stood beside me, and in front of us, Maria began to recite the solemn words of the wedding ceremony.

“Groom Reid. Do you solemnly swear to love and protect both Cortina and Finia in health and sickness?”
“Sure, I do.”

Awkwardly and gruffly, I responded, and Cortina’s elbow jabbed into my side.

Glancing sideways at her, I noticed a sharp, penetrating gaze.

“I mean, I swear.”
“Very well. Now, brides Cortina, Finia… do…you…”

Suddenly, Maria’s voice began to falter.

Wondering what was happening, I looked at her face. It was contorted as if she were about to burst into tears.

“Maria, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell!?”
“You… yo… waahh…”
“What the?! Maria?”

Even Cortina started to panic at this unusual sight.

Maria was an incredibly persevering woman, never showing her pain. During the Evil Dragon extermination and during Kufar’s attack, she faced the situation looking earnest, but she never shed tears.

Seeing her with tears welling up at the corners of her eyes, enduring something, was an abnormal situation for us who had known her for a long time.

“Waaaaaaaaahhhh!”
“Hey, what’s wrong!?”
“Lady Maria!?”

As Maria finally broke down into tears, Cortina and Finia exclaimed in bewilderment.

Meanwhile, I was frozen, overwhelmed by the unexpected turn of events.

“How can I not cry! I get to officiate Cortina’s ceremony! I’m so happy about this that I…”
“…Oh, that’s why.”

It seemed Maria had become overwhelmed with emotion and started crying.

Understanding this, Cortina let out a sigh of exasperation. Thinking about it, officiating the ceremony for the two girls who had been as close as sisters to her ever since my past life has held special meaning for Maria. I could understand her feelings, but having the ceremony come to a halt was highly inconvenient.

“Oh dear, I did anticipate it would end up like this. Oh well. In that case, I’ll step in as a substitute—”

As Maria began to cry, Pope Ashella, who was assisting, stepped forward to officiate the ceremony in her place. However, at a speed that even I might have missed, Maria smacked her on the back of the head.

“I’m the one who will officiate Tina and Finia’s ceremony! I won’t let even the Pope take over for this!”
“Wait, is it okay for you to smack that same Pope like that…?”

We turned our horrified gazes to the collapsed and motionless Pope on the floor. If the Pope died from such a silly retort, it would be beyond embarrassing.

Ignoring my concerns, Pope Ashella abruptly got up and returned to her original position.

“It’s okay. She’s surprisingly sturdy. Probably influenced by her grandma who was an adventurer.”
“R-really?”
“Yeah. Ah geez, the ceremony has already gone haywire.”
“Mainly because of you.”
“How troublesome. Reid, just hurry up with the kiss and seal the deal.”
“Hey!”

I couldn’t help but voice a retort at her straightforwardness. However, Cortina grabbed my neck and forcefully turned my face toward her, pressing her lips against mine.

“Mpph!?”
“Pfft. I agree; I want to get this stiff ceremony over with.”
“You, seriously…wait, wh—”

Next, Finia hung onto my neck and kissed me as well.

“I agree with Lady Cortina. With so many eyes on us, I can’t fully, umm…”

As Finia spoke, she intertwined her fingers and stumbled over her words.

She seemed to have become more assertive lately. While it was a welcome development, it was embarrassing for me in public.

“Finia… No, it’s nothing.”

If it were the usual Finia, she wouldn’t have taken such bold actions.
Perhaps she, too, was getting carried away by the situation.

“With this, the marriage vows have been made. Blessings to the three!”

As Maria spoke, cheers erupted from the spectators.

Alongside the cheers, there were faint murmurs of envy from a few men. They were all smiles when I was in Nicole’s form, though. They were really something.

Responding to the cheers, I turned around and raised my hand. However, my line of sight suddenly lowered in height.

“W-What…?”

Upon looking down, my body had returned to its usual form as Nicole.

There should have been some pain when undoing the transformation magic, yet there was none. It happened abruptly.

“If it’s a wedding, you should participate in the appropriate form, right?”

Hearing a voice that evoked a somewhat smug expression, I reflexively felt irritated. However, that wasn’t my main concern right now.

The reason being that Nicole and Reid had significantly different body sizes.

Even in height alone, Nicole was about twenty centimeters shorter than Reid.

Yet, her chest was larger than Reid’s. And the result of that…

“H-Hyawaaahhhh!!”

The white wedding suit was now loose and baggy, and my chest was cramped.

Of course, I didn’t wear women’s underwear, so the silk shirt clearly outlined the shape of the chest. The spectators erupted in cheers, but this time, it carried a different meaning.

As I squatted down, covering my chest with my arms, I could hear not only male cheers but also female voices.

“Nicole in men’s clothing… looks great!”
“Nicole, you’re so cool and cute. Oh, don’t you look, Cloud.”
“Nicole in men’s clothing, this will make some interesting ero fanfic material.”

In the front row, there were Letina and Michelle. The last comment seemed to be from the Stollar’s Guild Master, who was next to Whitey.

“W-Whitey! You little–!?”

I shouted and lunged at her. However, Whitey seemed to anticipate the move, gracefully dodging me and pushing open the main door, flying outside.

Originally, we were supposed to be the first to come out from there, receiving blessings from the waiting audience. However, with the sudden appearance of Whitey, the crowd was left wide-eyed.

Following that, it was not me as Reid but as Nicole who came out, further adding to the confusion among the spectators.

“Huh, what? What’s going on?”
“Weren’t Lady Cortina and Finia supposed to come out?”
“A girl in white and… Nicole?”
“In men’s clothing? That looks nice.”

The audience, whether confused or oddly composed, expressed various unexpected reactions. Behind me, Maria’s exasperated voice reached my ears.

“Hey, Nicole! Isn’t the ceremony ruined now!? You really can’t hold still for a moment, can you!”

Maria called out to me, addressing me as Nicole now that I was no longer in Reid’s form. Being called as such made me strangely happy. After all, for her, I was a daughter first and Reid second.


Author’s Note:

I felt that, in the end, I had to depict the wedding ceremony to bring a proper conclusion.

With this, The Hero’s Daughter comes to an end.

Thank you very much for your long-time readership of both the web version and the books.

Please also check out the 10th volume of the book, released today.



 

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

4 Comments
Newest
Oldest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Your Gateway to Gender Bender Novels