Machina needed something tangible as proof, which was why she proposed to Merlin.
No longer were they just two helpless orphans keeping each other warm, but something more certain, a relationship set apart—unique, and one of a kind.
The wedding was the most crucial step.
For two orphans living in the Slums, there was no need for any sort of formalities—the wedding was simply the only way to announce their bond to everyone.
For Machina, who lacked any sense of security and desperately needed something to rely on, and even for Merlin himself, the wedding was something that had to happen.
Merlin, who had never been married in either of his lifetimes, began to seriously consider how to hold a wedding.
For Merlin, who hadn’t set foot outside the Slums since arriving in this world, it was a bit of a challenge.
He had no idea how weddings were conducted in this world.
He could still remember the basic process from his previous life.
Meet the parents? But both of them were already orphans…
Forget it… whatever customs this world had, everything would have to be kept simple in the Slums.
Merlin and Machina, together with their friends, searched the long-abandoned Church, trying to find any record related to weddings.
“Hey, Merlin, look what I found.”
They did find something, but the wedding blessing was a bit too heavy.
It was nothing like what Merlin had imagined.
In Merlin’s mind, a wedding should be a sweeter, happier ceremony. Even if some parts of the blessing were a little heavy, it certainly shouldn’t be this heavy throughout.
To be honest… it was a bit of a letdown.
If this was the blessing at a sweet wedding, it would probably ruin the entire atmosphere.
It was almost like it was clearly telling the newlyweds—
“Hey, ahead lies hell. Even so, do you still want to get married?”
Yes, even so, Merlin had no intention of backing out.
He had already promised Machina, and he had already made up his mind.
The pedal was already to the floor—hitting the brakes now would only cost more.
Merlin began to understand how newlyweds from his previous life must have felt.
Yet, this blessing wasn’t all that bad to Merlin; he never really believed in love anyway.
There were plenty of drawbacks to marriage—no argument there.
But even so, Merlin’s heart had been touched by Machina’s proposal, and he accepted.
Even if hell lay ahead, he wanted to give it a try for Machina.
For the first time after more than ten years of loneliness, he felt that even if he were deceived, he’d accept it—if it was by this person.
Luckily, everything was simple.
Otherwise, if he had to go through all the formalities like in his previous life, Merlin didn’t know if he’d have the patience to see it through.
They spent several weeks preparing the wedding, and their friends did everything they could for it. To outsiders, it might have seemed crude, but for these young ones, it was already their limit.
The location was the old, long-abandoned Church, and the only guests were their dozen or so friends.
Of course, there was no priest—the wedding blessing was read by John, one of the children who was held in some esteem among them.
He was more meticulous and earnest, and Merlin was willing to trust him.
In the end, the two of them answered in unison.
“Yes, I do.”
They slid smooth, polished iron bands onto each other’s ring fingers.
“Till death do us part.”
As John finished, their friends broke into applause, and the wedding came to an end.
❉❅❆✼❊
Life after marriage turned out surprisingly good?
Though nothing material or in their daily lives had changed, inside, their hearts were warm.
Merlin still went out during the day to sell his homemade Potions, while Machina stitched together clothes and quilts from scraps she found. At night, the two would go searching through nearby junk heaps for usable materials.
Nothing in their routine with each other had changed, yet it felt like something inside had shifted?
Perhaps it was the sense of “permitted closeness”?
Even if they were still living in that cramped, tiny corner.
Holding hands, hugging, the occasional brush of skin.
Welcoming each other at the door upon sensing the other had come home.
Before they were married, Merlin had at least tried to keep some “friend’s distance” between them. Whenever he sensed Machina trying to be more affectionate, he would instinctively shy away.
Now, Merlin chose to accept it and pulled her into his arms.
Life was much harder than in his previous life, yet surprisingly, it was still pretty good?
It was these tiny, almost trivial details that built up into a sense of happiness.
Of course, Merlin had no plans to go further than that.
Marriage was one thing, but anything else was still too soon. Fortunately, Machina hadn’t asked for that, or else Merlin really wouldn’t have known how to handle it.
Because he truly believed this was something he couldn’t compromise on—at least not for a few more years, not until they left the Slums.
Merlin, of course, didn’t plan on staying here forever. Having come to a fantasy world, he couldn’t just be a frog in a well for life.
He planned to wait until he was old enough not to be looked down upon, and until he’d saved up some money, then leave the Slums with Machina.
With the knowledge from his past life, Merlin could make handy little gadgets and Potions. He was learning Alchemy bit by bit and had already come up with some formulas—he was just limited by the materials available in the Slums.
Once the time was right, even if he didn’t become fabulously wealthy, Merlin believed he could at least guarantee their daily needs.
If possible, after he’d established himself, he wanted to take their dozen or so friends away too.
Maybe form a small Guild together and continue living simple, happy lives.
And if they saved up enough, maybe they could travel and see new lands every now and then.
Everyone would find happiness, and right now, they were steadily moving toward that goal—it wasn’t just some pipe dream.
Merlin believed that day would come very soon.
In that picture of happiness, not a single person would be missing.
❉❅❆✼❊
Half a year had passed since the wedding.
Life had changed a little.
As Merlin’s Alchemy skills improved, everyone’s days grew a bit better.
Machina began moving about the dangerous Slums even during the day.
Her body had gotten stronger and stronger—she was no longer the sickly little girl from two years ago and didn’t need special care from her friends.
Most importantly, Machina could use Magic.
It started during a scuffle between small gangs, the kind that was commonplace. Hiding nearby, Machina saw Merlin about to get hurt, and in a moment of panic, unleashed Ice Magic.
According to the others, Mages were rare in this country—so rare they could attend the Royal Academy without paying tuition.
Machina didn’t care about any of that. All she knew was she could now be useful to Merlin, and she could use her Magic to protect him.
Merlin, meanwhile, sped up his plans to leave.
With such an opportunity, it would be a waste not to take it—sending Machina to study was for the best.
It was just moving up the schedule a bit—no big deal.
Until that day—
Knights came to the Slums for the first time in a long while and surrounded Merlin and the others.
“Heard there’s an Ice Mage here?”
“Are you insane? Sending such a young girl to the Battlefield?”
“Don’t hurt them!”
A ragtag group of children stood no chance against well-armed adults—they never stood a chance from the start.
Tears streaming down her face, Machina cupped her husband’s cheeks in her hands.
“It’s all right, Merlin… it’s all right… I’ll be back soon, I’ll come back safe.”
All Merlin could do was clench his fists in helpless acceptance of being protected by his wife.
“I’ll write you letters, and I’ll send you Potions that might help on the Battlefield.”
“Mm… I’ll wait for your letters.”
“Machina…”
Seeing the impatient looks from the Knights, Machina realized it was time to part.
“Well then, I’m off.”
“Mm, I’ll wait for you here.”
“That story I told you before, about the stars—do you still remember it?”
“Yeah.”
“Next time we meet, I’ll give you one, a Star-Colored Rose.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“See you next time, my husband.”
“See you next time, my wife.”