Chapter 49 Wedding Rite
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Marina stole a quick glance at the bold princess. Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes. She looked down briefly and wiped them away with a finger. Then she raised her head toward the girl who had just finished dressing. She offered Suzuri a warm smile.
Suzuri lifted her face once. She bowed low again. Then she rose from the bed without a single creak. Every gaze from her master and sisters fixed upon her. Her ears flushed red with embarrassment, yet she spread her arms wide and closed her eyes.
It would not be something simple like shinobi attire.
Yuuri recalled the moment she had swiftly donned it in a dark space, prepared for battle without lowering her guard.
The skill required time to gather power. She kept her arms and legs apart so the layers would not interfere. It had to be something grand and intricate.
Still, she was about to let a man embrace her. Why choose thick layers? What did she intend to wear?
The realization struck Yuuri, and he remembered her words. His face grew warm.
She acted as a servant with firm resolve. Yet at heart, Suzuri remained a modest girl. It made sense that her face turned red as well.
”—I am ready. I come to you.”
Her clear words shattered the prolonged silence.
If she visualized the outfit in her mind with near certainty and manifested it through the skill, the wait made sense.
Darkness Wrap activated. Black mist enveloped Suzuri.
But the deep black soon shifted to white. Pure white fabric wrapped around her toned body layer by layer, like a traditional jacket.
Yuuri did not know the names of each part due to his limited knowledge.
But Suzuri knew them. That was why she could wear them.
A girl’s dream. She must have imagined wearing it before the man she would spend her life with. Suzuri had learned every detail and held it in her mind.
White garments with fine embroidery. Numerous strings and belts secured them in place.
Yuuri could not remain bare as the matching partner in this attire.
As a small gesture of respect, he pulled a sheet from the bed over his shoulders. He waited for Suzuri to complete her transformation.
”—You look beautiful.”
Ashley let out a soft exclamation of wonder as the full sight emerged.
Yuuri could not help but nod vigorously at her spontaneous words. This was likely the attire from Suzuri’s family lineage. Even Ashley, who had never seen it before, called it beautiful. As someone with some familiarity, Yuuri watched with quiet pride.
For Marina, who might have worn it herself under different circumstances, the sight touched her heart deeply. She had believed she would never witness this joyful moment again. Now her new little sister brought it to life before her eyes.
Yuuri’s thoughts drifted briefly.
Until now, he had allowed the servants to approach him unclothed.
He had discovered costumes for amusement in the bedroom closet’s corner. But after real swords and magic in this world, his preferences had shifted. Cheap, hotel-style outfits no longer appealed. He could not use his best gear from the labyrinth either. So he had settled for bare skin.
Now a new member had joined who used skills to create practical clothing regularly. Darkness Wrap did vanish shortly after leaving her body, which was unfortunate. But if he granted her a skill to produce garments from the start, she could master it just like Darkness Wrap. Yuuri glanced at Marina with that idea in mind. The clever girl had already arrived at the same conclusion. She returned a playful smile.
Yuuri had unlocked the family workshop skill. Food and household needs were covered, but clothing still lacked variety.
For labyrinth battles, daily life, and intimate nights, he wanted no issues with attire. His expectations rose high for Suzuri’s contribution.
”…All right. Suzuri, you may use the skill. Show me the look you desire.”
”Thank you…!”
Suzuri sensed the longing Yuuri held, perhaps through a servant’s keen intuition. She pressed her forehead even lower into the bed.
”Please forgive my fear…! This body is meant to accept Yuuri-sama’s desires, but please grant me a chance to change attire!”
”—Ah! You will use Darkness Wrap, right?”
Change attire. The uncommon phrase puzzled Yuuri for a moment. But quick-witted Marina understood immediately and clapped her hands. Hearing the skill name that could produce any desired gear, he finally realized she wished to dress properly for offering herself to him.
The shinobi girl delivered a stiff, formal speech. In a flash, she moved to the bed’s corner. She pressed her forehead to the sheets and curled up like a turtle.
In that instant, her long black hair swept through the air. Her back, usually concealed, now revealed itself clearly. The smooth curve of her spine rose like a testament to a warrior’s strong build. It held a functional beauty. Her back bore no marks and appeared healthy. Yuuri wanted to touch it and feel its softness.
He felt remorse for Suzuri, who apologized sincerely. But a refined, beautiful girl bare and bowing low on the floor—how could any man not feel desire? He wanted to voice that strongly. Her bodily grace and the chest pressed outward by her knees made his already firm eagerness stand even taller.
Suzuri leaped back with a flushed face. She felt shame for losing herself in the act while disregarding her master. She had not noticed her surroundings until her name was called.
”I-I am truly sorry! Ashley-dono showed me the proper way to behave, yet I could not follow it…! A rude girl like me should only serve for quick satisfaction!”
The sudden question surprised Suzuri. She looked up with wide eyes.
Her skilled older sister had encouraged her. She had become absorbed in attending the same eagerness together.
”Come on, I kept you waiting. From here, Suzuri is the star. Can you leave it to her? Or does big sister need to assist with something?”
Marina released her hold on the eagerness without concern. She urged Suzuri, who had lost track of when to stop due to her sister.
Marina’s mind seemed to diminish sharply during intimacy, which was alarming. But she accepted the reasoning nonetheless.
The logic Ashley used to persuade Marina was convoluted, like something from a etiquette instructor in a former life.
In truth, as a proud princess’s attendant, she could not allow a maid to clean release from between her legs. They both desired to share affection as servants. But a boundary existed in their roles that must not be crossed.
”Mm, it looks so good… But I understand. It is important to show Yuuri that this womb is already claimed, right?”
”No, you must not. This is what I received from Yuuri. I cannot give it away, even to a princess. Besides, letting the release he gave drip out like this is the proper way to thank Yuuri for filling me so fully.”
Ashley’s eyes darted occasionally to the white drip from between her legs. Even the patient big sister had to speak up.
Ashley tried to teach propriety as the older sister, but the willful princess appeared reluctant to part.
”Princess. This is Suzuri-san’s important first night. Should you not step back soon?”
”Uh, I cannot leave Yuuri’s source…”
The eagerness still gleamed under the light, but that was merely saliva from Marina and Suzuri. They had long lost the true essence, yet they continued the cleaning with their mouths. Marina could not decide to release until her turn arrived.
”No, I think Yuuri’s release is all gone by now…”
”Ah. It already feels like… kuh…, just service.”
Ashley had only just recovered enough to move her shoulders slightly. She had accepted her master’s favor and the younger sisters’ touch all at once to demonstrate as the top servant. She had been exhausted until moments ago.
The warmth from her master had no equal. It overwhelmed the servants and did not allow quick recovery. Even so, the reason her breathing had stabilized enough to move a bit was straightforward. The younger ones crowded around the eagerness for aftercare and refused to stop.
Ashley leaned in close with a concerned expression.
The girl in shiromuku turned to Yuuri at Marina’s urging. She knelt with graceful movements.
”—Husband… Just for this moment, please allow me to call you that. I know well that to you, someone like me is merely a small hidden blade, nothing more. And in this place where you hone me, wearing such ornate attire might seem a grave error. But in my village, every woman who goes to a man wears this. I am ashamed, but I could not abandon that dream…!”
Suzuri poured out her emotions. Then she pressed her head to the bed again and fell silent.
If the act in the workshop bedroom aimed solely to strengthen servants as tools for the master, introducing bride attire would feel excessive. Yuuri could understand why Suzuri blamed herself.
But he had never once viewed Ashley or Marina, who stood in the same position, as mere tools.
The same applied to Suzuri. Binding her soul as a servant was unavoidable. Still, he wanted to fulfill every wish possible.
If wearing shiromuku and approaching as a bride was Suzuri’s dream, he had to make it reality.
She saw herself as one blade and held back to elevate her master. Was this the shinobi code, or simply her nature?
Either way, he had to make her understand. Once bound as a servant, the only way to remain close was to be cherished as a woman.
Yuuri stayed silent and raised his hips. He walked to Suzuri, who still kept her head down.
”Suzuri, show me your face.”
He called her name to correct the loyal girl’s misconception.
His voice grew slightly rough to alter her low self-view. She must have thought the anger blamed her for acting like a bride without permission.
When Suzuri looked up, her face twisted as if to mock herself.
”Please punish this maid who misunderstood. If Yuuri-sama’s hand touches me, the servant skill should scatter like mist. Tear this bold dress and turn me back into a tool!”
Suzuri shouted with a weak, forced smile. It pained him to watch.
This shiromuku was the heart of a pure girl. If he tore it and held her down, he would gain a convenient tool that never refused.
But he did not want that.
He wanted Suzuri’s heart. He wanted to face her as a complete person with emotions.
So he could not accept her misguided self-blame.
”—No way! Are you foolish? A remarkable woman like Suzuri came to the door in bride attire? Of course I will accept you! …Get ready. You will be my third wife after Ashley and Marina. I will keep you by my side forever and make you smile always!”
”Eh? Eeeeeeh!? But it’s me!? I am so rigid and can only wield a weapon…! And I come from common folk, not noble like my big sisters…”
To silence the mouth that only spoke lowly of herself, Yuuri placed his palm over it and cut her words.
Why did a capable girl like Suzuri overlook her own strengths? He did not know the reason, but if she missed it, he would highlight it. He took her hand so she could not flee. He looked into her lowered face and listed the virtues he had observed in their short time together.
”Your greatest strength is the spirit to risk your life for friends! I will say it now—Marina already admired you when you turned to stone. You excelled as a scout up to this fifty-seventh floor. And your resolve to wait eighty years without surrender—no one can replicate that! You consider your actions ordinary, so you overlook how others treasure you.”
Yuuri praised her, but Suzuri tried to open her mouth for more self-deprecation. He could not allow it yet. This time he pulled her neck close and pressed their foreheads together. He stared until her cheeks flushed and her eyes darted. Then she closed her mouth.
”You belittle yourself as common, but I am common too. Still, your manners show refined training. You sit with three fingers down or hold your hem when you kneel, like just now. Anyone taught to do that naturally is a true lady, title or not. …And such a lady comes to marry a failure like me who fled the capital? Of course I will accept you.”
Suzuri realized he had noticed her small habits. Her face reddened and she fell silent.
Her home must have trained her rigorously to create the Suzuri of today. Her low self-regard likely stemmed from never receiving praise for all that effort and sacrifice.
She could not escape now. Yuuri moved his forehead away and looked directly at her. He asked.
”Suzuri, do you hate it? Do you hate becoming my wife so much that being a tool who only obeys is better since you cannot leave?”
”No, that is not true! Yuuri-sama is loved by my big sisters, and you watch over me too… And you have such powerful skills, and your body is strong and admirable…♡”
She began firmly in denial, but Suzuri’s voice grew soft and she mumbled. At the end, she glanced at his chest through the open sheet and her cheeks burned. As a warrior’s child, a trained man’s physique must appeal to her.
Yuuri felt glad he maintained his form. He clenched a fist inwardly and smiled at Suzuri, who had revealed a glimpse of her heart.
”I forgot something important. I think Suzuri is pretty and cute, and your toned body is wonderful too. …So, please become my wife.”
”Thank you… But really, is it all right for someone like me to be Yuuri-sama’s wife?”
At this point, her fear was simply her nature. Yuuri gave up on that.
But she clearly made excuses for her feelings. He pointed at clear evidence. She followed his finger with her eyes to the spot. When she saw it, her neck flushed and she waved her hands.
”Th-this is…! I do not have such improper hopes…!”
”By the way, it did not show when you said to make you a tool.”
The spot he indicated was out of Suzuri’s sight unless she considered it—her lower belly.
It glowed dark red with a bright ring of light. It pushed through many thick layers of fabric to reveal itself. It seemed to declare the desire hidden within Suzuri.
”Wow. Suzuri, you cannot hide that you want to be a bride.”
”Unlike us, your feelings for Yuuri hold you back.”
All eyes fell on the crotch tattoo that stained the shiromuku.
It was a powerful tool of the family workshop skill that revealed the master her inner desires.
Suzuri felt shame that her true heart displayed clearly. But she already stood at the bed’s edge. Stepping down would mean abandoning the tool pretense. She had no escape.
Yuuri placed a hand on her neck to prevent her from curling up like a turtle. He looked straight into her night-black eyes.
”—Listen, Suzuri. I will say it again and again. If I keep you close, I want a wife. I want to see you smile from the depths of your heart. I cannot turn you into a tool for that. If I am wrong, correct me. If you fear, I will support you. A clever girl like you can offer ideas and make me feel secure. Do you understand?”
Suzuri did not answer. She could not.
The crotch tattoo showed no denial in her heart. But a nod would shatter the tool act. So all he had to do was exploit that gap and make her voice her true mind. It would be simple.
”That is a lovely shiromuku…!”
”—! You know it… As expected.”
In this world, the attire likely passed down only in Suzuri’s home village.
For Marina, who represented royal customs, to recognize it must surprise Suzuri. But no time came to inquire the truth.
Marina spoke with awe.
”Suzuri, I order you. Tell me your true heart. Speak to me what you really want, no lies.”
”I—I—higyu!? ♡”
Yuuri’s firm words made Suzuri’s body leap high as she tried to resist them.
She nearly fell off the bed. He pulled her close and held her in his arms. She had no strength left to push back. Her body trembled intensely. She looked up at him with eyes pleading for help.
”Th-this ♡ my belly feels all mixed up ♡ what is this, amazing, so gooood ♡”
”—That is your punishment. Servants who lie to their master receive it automatically.”
Suzuri must have thought becoming a servant was straightforward.
It was like dying once and being reborn. It went far beyond merely placing a crotch tattoo on a living body. The soul transferred into a body crafted as part of the family workshop skill.
So every thought within a servant’s body remained monitored by the crotch tattoo. If she attempted to conceal anything from her master, it detected it instantly.
”Suzuri. If you truly see yourself as a tool, I will respect that and leave you be. But if you speak your real heart, the punishment will ease. …It is a function to make you give your body to me, so I have to stop it myself. A tool needs that, right? A wife does not. Choose the one you prefer.”
”Fugii, ohoo ♡ I ca-can’t ♡♡”
Suzuri twisted in overwhelming warmth, but she still did not utter the words he wanted.
One more push would suffice. Yuuri smiled faintly at the shy girl and laid her body on the bed. He raised his hips as if losing interest. Suzuri, already at her limit, surrendered quickly.
”W-wait, don’t gooo ♡ I ca-can’t fight like this ♡ I will only be a center to make Yuuri-sama feel good ♡♡—I will ♡ I will be ♡ Yuuri-sama’s wife ♡ I don’t want to be a tool ♡ I want to be your wifeee ♡♡”
Her words emerged unclear, but the bedroom echoed with her clear wish and sweet cries.
Yuuri reached immediately to the crotch tattoo and halted the punishment. But the intense warmth did not fade. Her body shook violently. She twisted to chase the sensation.
He knew it ached, but if they yielded to joy, they had to clarify their wishes first.
”Suzuri, I ask again. You will be my wife, right?”
”Y-yes ♡ I will marry Yuuri-sama ♡ I will never say I am a tool again ♡”
She said that with short breath. Then Suzuri sat up slowly.
Yuuri supported her swaying body. She knelt again and straightened her back. Her heated cheeks and the slightly disheveled shiromuku looked charming.
She took time to steady her breath. Then Suzuri offered a small smile and bowed low.
”I caused trouble and I am sorry. This body already belongs to Yuuri-sama. Yet I treated your care poorly. I feel deep shame. …I am clumsy, but please let me stay by your side.”
”Yes, and I am sorry too. I am just one man who cannot do much alone. From now on, I want to share good and bad times with you. Please take care of me for a long time.”
Their wishes aligned. Suzuri looked up. Their eyes met and they smiled at each other.
No wine or food for this sudden celebration gift. They could indulge in that later as much as desired.
Now Yuuri only wanted the body of the beautiful girl who had given him her heart. He crawled close still in the sheet. He touched her sweaty cheek from warmth. Suzuri did not pull away.
He restrained his rush and took her lips somewhat firmly.
Her rough breath excited him more. He chased her clumsy tongue and gave affection with his.
He savored her lips fully. Then he locked eyes with her and spoke.
”I will hold you.”
”—Yes ♡”
She still wore the shiromuku.
One more step to touch her skin. But with Suzuri’s heart now open, that step felt enjoyable too.
Notes:
• Marina – First Princess of Restea—needs labyrinth escort.
• Suzuri – A scout who braved the labyrinth and lured a petrifying monster to protect her friends, she endured long isolation while frozen in stone and relied on inner magic to preserve her sense of self.
• Ashley – Count’s daughter, royal attendant, has a crush on Yuuri.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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