The main ceremony was in shambles after the blue dragons had crashed it, so the wedding began with the after-party.
However, in dragon weddings, there were no actual rituals—such as an exchange of vows between the bride and groom—so it wasn't that big a problem.
So, on to the after-party…
Basically, it was totally different from the reception.
After all, it was held with all participants in their human forms instead of their dragon ones.
The after-party took place in a spacious building intended for events. The round tables were piled high with mountains of food. Still, given the size of the dragons I'd seen at the main party, this seemed sensible.
The lively crowd of horned, chatting dragon-people were making short work of their meals.
If you'd said it was a perfectly ordinary buffet-style party, you would have been correct… Although everyone was consuming extraordinary portions.
Even the older folks were polishing off enough for five people.
Laika was probably constantly holding back, too. If she'd tried to eat more, she probably could have.
We set to work on the food as well, but there were so many different types that we were stuffed before we could sample the whole spread.
"Mom, my tummy's full…"
Shalsha was the first to drop out, so Falfa took her over to a chair by the wall. I was proud of her for acting like a proper big sister.
Falfa ate quite a lot herself. Since the twins ate different amounts, you'd think their figures would have been different, but they looked the same. Maybe it was because they were spirits.
Halkara ate way more than I'd expected her to.
"For some reason, when I eat, it seems as though the nutrients go to my chest and rear," she'd said.
She didn't overeat and make herself sick, but she ended up in trouble on another front.
"Woooow, this liquor is reaaaally stiff. C'n barely stand up…"
She drank something alcoholic and ended up plastered almost immediately.
As she swayed and stumbled, she kept eating, but the only ending I could see for this was all that food coming right back up.
"Honestly. The creation of Nutri-Spirits is that elf's sole saving grace."
Beelzebub was scarfing down a heaping plateful of spaghetti.
"Demons eat a lot, don't they?"
"Partaking of delicious food is the key to good health."
I thought you were beyond worrying about health once you'd lived for three thousand years, but going out of my way to point that out would probably have been gauche.
As a dragon, Laika ate the most of all of us. This was a buffet, and just from what I'd seen, she was on her seventh plate.
"You look insatiable for a human, but this is normal to you, isn't it, Laika?"
"I'm hungry because I fought, so this is a bit more than usual."
Evidently, the concept of dieting doesn't exist for the dragon race.
I've been talking only about the food, but of course, there was more to it than that. After all, this was a wedding.
"Lady Azusa, let me introduce my sister and her husband to you again."
In human form, the bride and groom were a lovely couple, an attractive man and woman.
The bride was a beauty who resembled Laika—after all, they were related by blood—while the groom's chiseled features could have made him a Hollywood star.
"Lady Azusa, Lady Beelzebub, it's thanks to you that we have been able to proceed with our wedding. My wife and I are both grateful to you."
"Really, thank you very much. Please continue to lend your support to our red dragon tribe."
In response to their courtesy, I immediately bowed my head. "No, no. I only helped you out a little, that's all…"
"I see you are well aware of your place. If you continue with your adulation, I suppose I could lend you a hand again."
Beelzebub put her hands on her hips, striking a triumphant "Ahem!" pose.
"You're being too arrogant! Modesty, modesty!"
"What for? I am great, so what is wrong? This is normal for me."
Great! From now on, I'll manipulate Beelzebub with constant flattery.
Just then, there was a slight shift in the mood.
The blue dragons' leader had come over to us. She was holding a single rose.
"Oh, you're Cocoa Latte!"
"It's Flatorte! Why can't you remember my name?!"
Ah, right, she was being held as a hostage.
"Um…Leila…"
Flatorte stood in front of the bride and averted her eyes as she spoke.
"Congratulations. Be happy from now on."
Then she handed the rose to Leila.
Hey, this blue dragon has a decent side.
At first, the bride looked surprised, but she took the flower with a smile.
"Thank you, Flatorte."
"I lost this time. As the loser, I'll congratulate you sincerely."
Apparently, she wasn't a bad girl, deep down. I sensed something like friendship between them, as well as a long history.
"Yes, Forever-alone Flatorte. I'll be happy enough for both of us."
The bride offered a barbed reply.
"What's that supposed to mean?! I-it's not that I can't get married! There just aren't any good men!"
"Oh? And just how many times have you come to me, bragging about finding a good man or making a good match for yourself?"
Possibly having remembered something embarrassing, Flatorte was flushing red.
"Hmph! You know what, go ahead and divorce! If you have a kid, I'm not sending congratulations!"
Flatorte ran off to a corner of the venue.
"Looks like a complicated relationship, Laika…"
"The red dragons and blue dragons are rivals, but they aren't sworn enemies. It's a nuanced affair. It's possible you would need to be a dragon to understand this, but…"
No, I think I get it, kinda.
After that, Laika and I went to fetch what I'd set my sights on since the beginning of this after-party: dessert.
Dragon puddings, egg tarts, and cheesecakes are all rumored to be masterpieces.
They say you have a second stomach for dessert, and I plan to eat heartily.
"Oooh! There are so many delicious layers underneath this subdued sweetness! It's like a dream!"
Laika and I sat in empty chairs against the wall of the venue.
"Um, Lady Azusa, could I ask a favor…?"
For some reason, Laika seemed hesitant.
"Sure, what is it?"
"C-could I rest my head on your lap…?"
That was an unusual request.
"You see, it's something my elder sister often let me do long ago."
Oh, I see. This wedding had taken Laika's sister from her.
"Sure. You're welcome to rest your head in my lap as much as you like; that's nothing. Go on, lie down."
"I apologize for asking for something strange."
Shyly, Laika settled her head into my lap.
"I've always been more athletic and a better fighter than my sister, but I feel as though whenever something troubling happened, I always slept with my head on her lap. The firmness was just right…"
"I see. Your sister's married now, and asking a married woman for something like that seems a little mean to her husband. Is that it?"
"Yes, that's… That's more or less it…"
Laika sounded embarrassed.
Even if you always live bravely and earnestly, sometimes you just want someone to pamper you.
"You can think of me as a big sister instead of a teacher, if you'd like."
"No, this is an exception. Just for now…"
"In that case, take your time and enjoy this 'exception' to your heart's content."
Come to think of it, I have daughters, but I don't have a little sister.
It might be nice to think of Laika as a sibling.
Laika and I passed this curious little while together.
I've been alive for three hundred years, and it's probably all right to have times like this that are difficult to classify.
A hubbub rose from farther back in the venue.
When I took a closer look, Halkara was lying on the floor.
What is that girl doing…?
Falfa and Shalsha were calling to her, but she wasn't opening her eyes.
"Big Sister Halkara, wake up!"
"Miss Halkara, that's not very clean."
"Hic… Are you sayin' you can't drink my fruit liqueur…? Hic…"
Right now, she was the most conspicuous thing in the venue. She definitely drew more attention than the bride and groom.
Look, try not to embarrass yourself too much, would you…?
"Hell's bells, that elf is trouble."
Beelzebub went up to her and slung Halkara over her shoulder.
"I shall take you somewhere with a bed or a sofa."
She really is a decent person. Are demons allowed to be this good?
However, Halkara was too defective to receive a kind gesture without incident.
Her face suddenly went pale.
"Ughk… I feel icky… I'm gonna throw up…"
"Wha—?! Hey! Don't you throw up on my back! Don't you dare!"
Beelzebub had blanched as well.
"You can say that, but it's definitely coming up…"
"If you do, I'll tear you limb from limb and burn you to ashes, body and soul!"
"I-I'm going to die! Oh, oh no, this is really bad! Ughk, uugh!"
"Bathroom! Where's the bathroom?!"
In the end, the two of them disappeared into the restroom.
Halkara was not murdered, so they probably made it in time.
At the end of the after-party, everyone sang a song to bless the bride and groom. It was a cheerful dragon folk tune.
At that point, I thought it was about time for us to head home, but…
"Since you are here, will you not stay in the inn at the crater?" Beelzebub suggested.
"Hmm? Come to think of it, you said there were hot springs here, didn't you?"
"Indeed. Actually, the hot springs are why I ventured here in the first place."
"All right, we'll stay!"
When I told Laika we wanted to stay as a family, she made the arrangements immediately.
Since I was the hero who'd quelled the uproar, they put us up for free.
***
At the moment, we were soaking in a hot spring.
As you'd expect from a volcano, the inn had several open-air baths. Not only that, but it was deluxe. Each room had its own splendid private outdoor bath.
"Falfa is really good at the breaststroke!" my older daughter exclaimed.
"All I can do is doggy paddle…"
My daughters were playing around in the spacious bath.
"Hey, no swimming— Actually, never mind. This is a private bath, after all. You can swim, but don't play so hard that you overheat."
"Okaaaay!" "Mm-hmm."
They'd agreed, so it was probably all right.
All the members of the group who weren't children were relaxing in the water.
"To dragons, this sort of bath isn't unusual, but it's fun to go with everyone this way."
Laika was sitting on my right.
"You're right. The water really is nice."
I'd fought enthusiastically today, too, and it was good to be able to soothe my fatigue away.
If you were wondering, Halkara was sitting on my left.
"A hot bath is a woooonderful way to sober up, isn't it? It feels so gooood…"
"It seemed like you were just getting in one bad scrape after another, Halkara, but all's well that ends well. Look on the bright side."
"Yes, I wiiiill. Hmm…? I seem to have gotten overheated…"
"So it didn't end well, either!"
Somebody reached in from behind us, pulled Halkara up, and laid her down on the rocks.
"For hell's sake. Just cool off there. We're outdoors, so you should recover soon."
Yup, it was Beelzebub.
"I'm pretty sure we were in different rooms, but no point in bothering about that now, I guess. There's an open spot by me. Come on in."
"Hmm. I shall."
Beelzebub took the seat Halkara had vacated.
"Being near you is fun. Never a dull moment, I'd wager."
"Not sure fun is the word I'd use for a lot of it. Still, you saved us this time. The town is safe thanks to you, Beelzebub."
"I told you several times already. I didn't vanquish those blue dragons for your sake. It merely turned out that way. You are free to express your gratitude if you so desire, though."
"Then I will. Besides, you probably would have helped if we'd asked you to anyway."
"W-well, maybe… Never mind that. Let me fight you one-on-one again."
"Yes, yes, I know, Sis."
There was a weird pause.
After I said it, even I was like, …Huh?
"Why am I your sis?"
"Well, you help with all sorts of things if I ask you, and you're good at taking care of people, and… I'm not sure how to put it. You're just big-sisterish, so…'Sis'… Pfft! Snrk-snrk!" After that, I laughed out loud. "Yeah, that's it. I have two daughters, Laika's my little sister, and you're my big sister, Beelzebub. That's not a bad family to have, is it?"
My laid-back life wasn't solitary anymore, but now that my family had gotten bigger, the more the merrier. A concept change for my three hundredth year.
"I'm your little sister…? I see…S-Sister."
"I'm delighted to hear you call me that, Laika."
"You are indeed my little sister, as one who provides no end of trouble. You are not mistaken."
Beelzebub sighed and nodded.
"Mommy, you look like you're having so much fun!"
"That's a great smile, Mom."
My daughters could tell I was happy, too.
"However, in that case, you've left one out, have you not?"
Beelzebub glanced behind us.
"Haaaah, the night wind is sobering me up and cooling me off…"
Oops. I forgot about Halkara.
Her apparent age made her look like a big sister, but I was actually older, and there was nothing big sisterly about her anyway.
"Halkara is…um…a junior coworker who's a handful?"
"Madam Teacher, that's not fair!"
Everyone except Halkara burst out laughing.
When you can't stop laughing, that's proof you have a good family.