The Sea Wedding Festival

After returning from the ruins left by Flamme, they had cleaned up the entire coastline in just a few days.

It wasn't that they had a change of heart or anything; it was mainly because they heard that the town was about to hold a festival, and the client specifically came to inquire whether the cleanup could be completed before then, promising that no matter when the mission ended, they could stay in the house until winter was over.

Without further ado, let's go full steam ahead and get to work! So, in just a few days, the entire coastline was completely transformed.

Kanne and Lawine had already left after returning from the ruins. Before they left, I heard that they had skipped class to go treasure hunting. The end of the semester was approaching, and they had to hurry back to study.

During this time, Lorenzo also told Frieren and Fern about the possibility that he might travel to the past in the future.

Frieren only expressed a token surprise after hearing this, and then went back to studying the grimoire that Flamme had given her.

Fern showed great interest in this.

"If there were a way to go back in time, wouldn't I be able to see Lord Heiter again? I could even see my parents again."

"This is theoretically possible."

Lorenzo answered carefully.

"But I don't know how I got back to the past, and there might be various limitations, so it's best not to have too much hope."

Even after saying that, Fern remained in a good mood for several days.

Soon, the so-called celebration arrived.

This is the first time I've participated in a festival in a town other than the Holy City since I came to this world, and it feels quite novel.

Although the celebrations in the Holy City were lively, they always felt somewhat solemn. Church symbols and clergy in formal attire could be seen everywhere on the streets, and even the themes of the parades and performances were generally religious, giving people the feeling of participating in a large-scale religious ceremony.

The celebration in this seaside town is completely different.

The residents simply tied strips of cloth of different colors under the eaves, used seashells and glass as decorations, and hung lanterns all over the road leading to the coast.

The streets were lined with makeshift stalls.

Charcoal-grilled fish, creamy seafood soup, crab porridge, and hot fruit wine cooked with spices—a variety of foods characteristic of seaside life are mixed together, and the aroma they exude even briefly overpowers the salty smell of the sea breeze.

Children ran around in the crowd, holding up small lanterns made of seashells, while adults stood in small groups by the stalls, chatting about all sorts of everyday matters.

"The celebrations here have a unique charm."

Like Lorenzo, Fern was also attending a festival outside the Holy City for the first time, and naturally looked at everything in front of him with great curiosity.

"The Holy City is full of priests maintaining order, making one feel that one cannot do anything too impolite."

"But Fern wouldn't do anything impolite, would he?"

"Frieren asked."

"I'm never the one to worry about."

Fern looked at her.

Frieren didn't press the matter further, knowing that a little thought would reveal that the topic was highly disadvantageous to her.

The main venue for the celebration was the coastline they had cleared out some time ago.

The shoreline, which was once littered with shipwrecks and debris, has now been cleaned up. Residents have set up a row of stalls along the coast, and in the center stands a huge bonfire that is more than two people tall.

Several long chains made of seashells and stained glass hang between the wooden stakes, making a crisp sound when they are blown by the sea breeze.

The elderly person in charge of entrusting them quickly emerged from the crowd.

"Thanks to you all, this year's celebration can finally return to the coast."

As he spoke, he handed several pendants made of white seashells to the three people.

"It's a local custom; anyone who helps with the celebration receives one of these Sea Lantern Talisman."

Does this celebration have any special origin?

After carefully putting the seashell pendant away, Fern asked.

The townspeople call it the Sea Wedding Festival.

The old man looked out at the sea.

"Don't let its current appearance fool you. Our town used to be a fairly large port city with frequent ship traffic. But precisely because of this, piracy was rampant in the Glanz Strait, seriously threatening our maritime trade."

"Later, the city's governor led a fleet that spent several years clearing out the pirates entrenched near the strait. To celebrate the victory and declare sovereignty over the sea, the governor held a 'marriage with the sea' ceremony here."

"Marry the sea?"

Fern looked puzzled.

"That's right."

The old man smiled and nodded.

"It is said that on that day, all the ships in the city were adorned with flags, and the governor sailed out to sea in a magnificent ceremonial boat, declaring to the vast ocean before the eyes of the people: 'O sea! I want to marry you, and you shall belong to me forever!' Then, in front of all the people, he threw a gold ring into the sea, symbolizing the eternal union of the city and the sea."

The idea of people marrying the sea may sound a bit strange, but it's not hard to understand for a city that relies on shipping and fishing for its livelihood.

The sea brought them food and wealth, but it could also take away ships and lives at any time. They revered it, depended on it, and at the same time wanted to conquer it.

The so-called engagement is probably a symbol of the complex relationship between this city and the sea.

"Later, this ceremony gradually evolved into an annual celebration."

The old man continued to explain.

"Although the city has long since lost its former size, and the port no longer sees as many ships docking, the townspeople still hold Sea Wedding Festival every winter, praying for calm seas and the safe return of those who go out to sea."

At this moment, Lorenzo inexplicably remembered the pile of cleared wreckage. It seems that the sea, as his "wife," has a rather unstable temper.

When in a good mood, it brings fish and wealth; when in a bad mood, it seizes the boat and its occupants, and occasionally throws the remaining wreckage back to shore as a reminder of how the previous marriage ended.

"Would they throw gold rings into the sea now?"

"Fern asked."

Of course not.

The old man quickly shook his head.

"If a gold ring were thrown out every year, the town would probably go bankrupt in just a few years given its current situation. These days, the ceremony only uses a gold-plated silver ring."

Perhaps this is why the ocean's temper has worsened.

"Every year on the day of the Sea Wedding Festival, the town mayor will board a ceremonial boat and depart from the harbor, recite the oath in the middle of the strait, and then throw the ring into the sea."

"The ceremonial boat will depart from the harbor as the sun begins to set."

The old man raised his hand and pointed to a golden ship moored in the distance.

"The ships in the harbor will follow behind, and you can go to the shore to watch if you're interested."