Swaaah.
Every time a wave washed up against the sandy beach, a cloud of foam would burst and spray out. Drops of water were born from the low waves, and sunlight shone over the clouds. The aquamarine sea was so beautiful that it couldn't be expressed in words.
It was an attraction in a distant land. This was Piris, where all ships of the coastal kingdom, Soldun, passed by. It was the city with the most beautiful beach on the continent. During the civil war which was several years ago, this scenery had been unknown as Theodore had landed on an uninhabited island far from the beach. Many things had changed in a few years.
Theodore looked at the peaceful scene and raised a glass cup on the table to his lips. A refreshing lime-flavored liquid flowed down his esophagus.
"...Mm, this is good." Theodore didn't like the bitter taste of alcohol, but this alcohol fit his taste well. Veronica laughed as she raised the glass at a similar timing. "Really? I know how to make this. If you want to have a drink when we get home, just say it."
"What? Becky, you know how to make cocktails?"
"It is a small hobby. Don't you know my temperament? I can't get drunk, so I often drink alcohol. Few people know this, but there are some cocktails that were named by me."
Maybe it was due to the excuse of taking it with food, but many people didn't know that 'alcohol' was a deadly toxic substance to the body. The blood of a dragon, which broke down all types of poisons with its innate immunity, couldn't leave that ingredient alone. However, putting aside the context, it was an interesting story. Veronica was someone who drank more and more of the cocktails because she couldn't get drunk.
Theodore laughed inwardly without showing it and looked at Sylvia.
"Hiccup."
He was concerned since Sylvia was hiccuping with a red face.
"Sylvia, are you okay? Would you like a cleansing spell?"
"Ah, hiccup. No, I'm fine. I like drinking and can use the cleansing spell afterward."
Sylvia was different from Veronica, whose expression didn't change even after a few drinks. Cleansing magic was available, but Sylvia didn't want to ruin the atmosphere. Clearly, she didn't want to be treated as a child by Theodore and made excuses. Sylvia leaned against Theodore's left shoulder, giving off a more bewitching allure than usual.
"Theo..." A lime-flavored voice reached him.
It had been several days since the wedding. At first, the young man and women acted subtly, but they soon became familiar with each other's flesh. Theodore stroked Sylvia's disheveled hair a few times and kissed her exposed forehead.
"What, are you playing alone? Huh?"
"―Becky, oof."
Veronica kissed his right shoulder and his earlobe, before moving to his lips. This was an embarrassing gesture of affection in bright daylight. It would be shameful if someone saw her act so blatantly, but fortunately, the area with the table that the three people were sitting at was of the deluxe class. So, they were the only ones in the room overlooking the seaside.
Veronica removed her lips and said in a deep voice, "Hua! It would be better if we were alone, but it isn't bad to have three people. We have visited the beach of Piris. Where will we go next?"
In response to Veronica's words, Sylvia asked, "Wouldn't it be nice to wait for the night sea?"
"Well, is there anything other than a lighthouse on the sea at night? If you want a good night view, Austen's capital of Edirne is good."
"Austen? I thought it was just a desert..."
The two of them had become sisters in a few days. Theodore watched their conversation with strange emotions.
Red and gold, blue and silver… From personality to appearance, there wasn't one thing that matched. The relationship, which would've never become a close one without Theodore, was tangled up by ties of marriage, making the two women family.
'There are many lessons to be learned from life, even if I am a transcendent who has realized the principles of the world.'
After the wedding ceremony, every day was new. It was like he was born again every day. Yesterday, they ate seafood dishes cooked in the East Continent. The day before yesterday, they visited sophisticated craft stores in the Andras Kingdom. As he promised to his brides, Theodore could go anywhere and do anything. When they thought about what they wanted to eat, they visited the place that day. When they thought about a place they wanted to go, they crossed the continent and the sea.
'...Come to think of it, it is different from the books.'
If his past self in the academy had seen it, he would've sighed. Unlike during the days when he only saw magic, Theodore now had the luxury of seeing things apart from magic. Theodore looked between his two brides and smiled. "Now, where shall we go?"
Veronica and Sylvia responded like they had been waiting.
"Belfort Harbor! I have to pick up the pendant I ordered the day before."
"Then let's go to Edirne. Sister says that the night view of Edirne is very good."
"Okay, then shall we get up?" Theodore left a few gold coins as a tip.
Then the three people raised their bodies from their chairs. It was a bonus to pretend to be drunk and hold each other. Theodore held the waists of Sylvia and Veronica lightly. They were walking down white marble stairs when they encountered an unexpected figure.
"Um...?!"
"Ah."
The half a head of white hair and wrinkled face made it possible to imagine the depths of the past years. The person's attire was a mixture of eastern and western clothing and was quite unique. That was natural since the person was the head of a family who had moved from the East Continent to Soldun.
They had encountered Baek Jongmyung of the Baek Family.
"It has been a long time, Lord Baek."
Hearing Theodore's greeting, Baek Jongmyung was speechless with surprise for a moment. Then he regained himself and greeted politely, "It has been a while, Sir Theodore. I didn't know we would meet again in a place like this. Have you been well in the meantime?"
"It is as you can see. I am better than ever."
"Hahaha! A true hero, it is good. Since there was no news that you came..." The quick-witted Baek Jongmyung gathered his eyebrows together in a humorous manner. "This Baek has taken up your precious time. I will tell anyone about this, so please enjoy yourselves."
"Thank you."
"Huhu, it is a great grace that you are teaching my son. I am looking forward to the future." Baek Jongmyung bowed one more time and walked past them. He knew it would be difficult to get involved in the love affairs of young people.
Not long after Baek Jongmyung left, a huge burst of laughter emerged next to Theodore.
"Kuk! Ahahahaha!"
"Huhut, huhuhuhut!"
The two people on Theodore's arms laughed belatedly after Baek Jongmyung left. They couldn't help it since the encounter had been so sudden. Each one of them was one of the top five magicians on the continent, so this was a story that might be talked about even 10 years later.
"I-It is really indecent."
The two women laughed while Theodore opened his mouth, 「 Transition, Belfort. 」
There were still many places that the three people wanted to go, and time was flowing urgently. Magic flashed as he intended to relax once again. Their honeymoon was still far from over.
* * *
Two months passed by.
It wasn't a long or short period of time with the full moon rising up and descending four times. In the meantime, Theodore, Sylvia, and Veronica wandered around the entire continent, leaving countless memories. They saw a flickering aurora. They searched through sandy wind and found a city of mirage in the sky. They walked in the deep waters of the sea and found the volcanic crater where Brasmati resided, which only Veronica explored.
There were numerous beautiful sights in the world, and the three people saw them again and again.
"The sky is already dark. Shall we go back?"
Even so, they returned to the same place whenever they wanted to rest.
"Yes, I'd love to take a bath."
"Let's go. To our home."
Veronica and Sylvia nodded at Theodore's words and grabbed his hands. The feelings weren't as shape as when he first experienced it, but the warm body temperature was still conveyed. This was natural for a family.
Flash!
They were now accustomed to the timing and closed their eyes. By the time the flash faded, the three people had already arrived at their destination. Then in front of Theodore's party, somebody bowed. He wore plain clothes which had no wrinkles. With wrinkles and a white mustache that showed he had the wisdom of life, Armand, the owner of the gorgeous old house, greeted the return of the three people, "Welcome back, Master."
Theodore had never promised a certain time to return, so Armand came out at a really amazing timing. Was it his half a century worth of experience that made it possible for him to achieve? Having received Armand's greeting, Theodore handed over his coat. "You got the right timing today, Armand. Do you really have foresight?"
"Huhu, it is just an old man's intuition. Just like how farmers know if it won't rain tomorrow and how merchants can smell money."
"Then there are too many magicians in the world. I hope I don't lose my employee soon."
Armand smiled at the joke and clapped his hands, calling the maids to accompany Veronica and Sylvia. Similarly, the maids had considerable experience. The maids took off Veronica's and Sylvia's shoes with familiar movements, removing the dust and debris from their hair and clothing. They were afraid to even blink.
'I am now quite familiar with it, but I can't help feeling a sense of discomfort when looking out the window.' Theodore gazed out the window with a subtle expression.
Their honeymoon home was located in the birthplace of the Miller family, while the Miller Barony was now under direct control of the royal family. Dennis Miller had become a marquis and moved with the residents to a new area. There was no good mining vein here, and the farmland wasn't wide either. Thus, Kurt III had a villa built on this land.
-It is a place that holds great significance in its own way.
The king had then sent a few maids and a retired butler. Although Theodore had heard the story, he hadn't known the villa had been transformed into a honeymoon house.
"Theo!"
Theodore was following Armand's instructions and heading to the bathroom when he turned back at the voice. Veronica and Sylvia stood on tiptoe at the same time and kissed his lips.
"You know that you are dealing with both of us tonight, right?"
"Are you planning to sleep alone?"
They were soft whispers, seemingly planned in advance.
"...Yes, I'll be waiting."
Satisfied with Theodore's soft answer, the two beautiful women smiled and stepped back. They then disappeared with the maids. Armand, who had been watching the exchange, said to Theodore, "There won't be any servants walking around the bedroom tonight."
Theodore's eyebrows twitched as he asked, "Armand, what does that mean?"
"I'm just letting you know. Cough!"
Theodore looked at Armand before looking out the window and sighing. Was it because he felt that the stars in the night sky were brighter today? His expression darkened as he looked at the stars. There were two months left until Wrath would fall to the ground. Theodore was reminded that the day of destruction was approaching.
The end of their happy days was near.