Chapter 399 – Side Story 14   - Kim Gi-Gyu (3)

“So that’s what I want. If any of you have anything to say, I’ll listen.” When Gi-Gyu announced, the meeting room became dead silent. Their faces indicated that they were all contemplating.

As expected, Old Man Hwang was the first to reply. “All right. I think that will be good enough to satisfy everyone.”

Old Man Hwang looked around the room. No one seemed completely satisfied, but they didn’t object. Gi-Gyu grinned at them. Just as they wanted, he would have a huge wedding, but it would be a little different from what they had hoped. He would do it his way.

“I’ve made compromises for you, so you must do the same,” said Gi-Gyu.

“All right,” Paimon replied.

“Yes, Grandmaster,” Hal added.

When the two nodded, the others also changed their mind and nodded in agreement.

Gi-Gyu announced, “Then I guess it’s all decided, right? Shall we end the meeting then?”

“Sounds good,” replied Old Man Hwang.

***

“I don’t understand,” said Old Man Hwang.

“What do you mean?” asked Gi-Gyu. They were still in the meeting room, but it was now mostly empty. Only a few, including Gi-Gyu, were sipping tea and chatting among themselves.

“Don’t you think this will only make things more complicated? This doesn’t seem like it’s what you wanted, Gi-Gyu.”

“Mr. Hwang.” Gi-Gyu smiled. “Honestly, I didn’t put too much thought into it. I realized finding a compromise that satisfied everyone would be challenging, so I concluded that doing what everyone wants would be the best approach.”

“I guess.” Old Man Hwang nodded. “Something that will satisfy everyone… Frankly, I think a few wanted to oppose this idea, but they aren’t stupid enough to do that.”

“Of course. I agree that they can’t be stupid like that.” Gi-Gyu’s face momentarily turned cold before returning to normal. He had also briefly exuded his aura to warn everyone that his decision was final. Gi-Gyu had done something like this only a handful of times before, so there was no doubt that no one would fuss about his choice.

“That was scary.” Paimon put down his tea cup. “I don’t think anyone will argue now. Those in the meeting are responsible for making decisions in Eden, so everyone will support you if you have them on your side. You know that, don’t you?”

“Of course,” replied Gi-Gyu. He and Old Man Hwang grinned at each other.

Old Man Hwang murmured, “After the wedding, I’ll be able to go on a real vacation.”

Gi-Gyu asked, “But you go away on vacations all the time.”

“Those weren’t proper vacations. After the wedding, I’ll take a real vacation with Lord Paimon and Min-Su. Will that be okay?” asked Old Man Hwang. He took care of Eden’s day-to-day proceedings, so only Gi-Gyu could permit his vacation.

“All right,” Gi-Gyu replied.

***

Tens of thousands of people gathered, but the big space accommodated the crowd easily. This space also had many beautiful buildings, all organized like a showpiece.

In addition to these humans, just as many foreign species had gathered here. The humans and other various species stood together but didn’t look out of place. Everything looked harmonious as different creatures stood under the same blue sky, surrounded by beautiful architecture.

However, the most shocking thing wasn’t the crowd gathered here—it was the orderly way they were all standing in.

“Maintain order!” one of the guards yelled, even though it wasn’t necessary. Everyone knew where to stand and what to do, even without being told. Humans could also be seen riding griffins and harpies while mole and warm creatures stayed back not to harm anyone.

Everyone here was present for one reason.

“The wedding will begin soon! Silence!” one of the guards ordered. Today was their king’s wedding day. Those gathered here today weren’t just average ordinary creatures. Everyone here was aware of Gi-Gyu’s existence, and they were here to congratulate their god on his nuptials.

“He’s finally getting married!”

“He and Lady El look so beautiful together!”

“I can’t believe this is really happening…”

“It’s a huge honor to see this in person!”

“There will be a photo time later, right? I will take lots of pictures, and they will be my family heirloom!”

People whispered among themselves in excitement. Everyone here knew each other. Those here weren’t just aware of Gi-Gyu’s existence—they also knew about what had happened in the old world, including about Gi-Gyu’s sacrifices.

These people believed him to be their god, and they didn’t believe he was being neglectful by not actively ruling the world. They thought his existence was enough to keep peace in their world and revered him with all of their hearts.

“The ceremony is about to begin!” one guard announced, and silence fell again. No sound could be heard except for the quiet yet excited breathing.

Thud!

The death knights stepped forward, creating loud sonorous noise.

“Uwahhhh!” the crowd cheered. Everyone stared at the entrance as the guard announced, “The groom will enter now!”

A muscular man in a beautiful tuxedo walked in. People screamed in excitement, “Oh Tae-Shik! Oh Tae-Shik!”

***

Gi-Gyu had decided to hold a joint wedding. And it seemed that most people loved the idea. Everyone here knew today’s grooms and brides very well.

‘He will be our god’s stepfather.’

‘He’s marrying our god’s mother!’?

Everyone was genuinely happy for the two and felt honored that they could attend the three weddings simultaneously.

The groom and his bride were now at the altar. The title “God’s Mother” suited Su-Jin well. And she looked especially beautiful today.

“Uwahhh!” people shouted again.

Oh Tae-Shik was a famous figure in Eden as well. He had risked his life to save countless people during the last battle against Chaos’ monsters. Because of this, he was just as popular as Lee Su-Jin.

Thud! Thud!

After two more steps from the Death Knights, the second groom entered. Today, three couples were to be married. When the second groom, a tall, handsome man, appeared, people began giggling.

“Ha! Why does the groom look like that?!”

“Does he not want to get married?”

It was no wonder people were confused because the second groom didn’t look happy. He seemed to have heard people’s whispers, so he forced a smile on his face, but people laughed even louder because he looked ridiculous.

The second groom was Jupiter. He no longer went by Kim Gil-Gyu, and the people of Eden were now aware of his past. Despite this, Jupiter was surprisingly popular. The women saw him as a handsome “bad boy.”

The girls went wild.

“You’re so hot!” “Hng… No, Jupiter…!”

“Jupiter is supposed to end up with Gi-Gyu!”

One of the guests nearby yelled at the swooning women, “Shut up, you stupid girls!”

Some time ago, Old Man Hwang had made a documentary about the bromance between Gi-Gyu and Jupiter. It had gone viral, creating fan groups that wanted the forbidden relationship to blossom. This documentary was destroyed by Gi-Gyu and Jupiter soon after, but the fan clubs still existed, producing never-ending fan fiction.

When the second bride Soo-Jung entered, the crowd cheered loudly, “Uwahhh!”

Soo-Jung was also incredibly popular. The world was aware of her notorious past as Lucifer, who had almost destroyed the world. Despite this, she remained popular due to Eden's efforts to promote her image. On top of this, Soo-Jung had also worked hard to change her reputation. With a new nickname—Saintess, she had traveled worldwide to help and save people. Only Baal and a few others still called her Lucifer.

After she reached the altar, another silence fell. Divine energy filled the air, and the Death Knights took another step.

Thud!

“Huh?!” The crowd gasped when they realized that the sky was turning dark. They looked up to see hundreds of dragons flying in the sky.

“The Dragon Knight’s Order!” exclaimed someone in the crowd. The dragons were so big that they had covered the sun.

Hal, the knight on the biggest and darkest dragon, shouted, “Attention! Breathe!”

Kaboom!

Hundreds of dragons shot Breaths. Various colors and energies entangled in the sky, but the last Breath by Dark swallowed it all.

Boom!

Another explosion occurred, and a bright rainbow appeared in the sky seconds later. It was finally time for the last couple to make their entrance.

Gi-Gyu, in a bespoke suit, and El, the goddess in white, walked down the aisle.

***

“Gi-Gyu, I know I asked for a big wedding, but this is…” Tae-Shik blushed awkwardly.

Gi-Gyu replied, “What’s wrong? It’s nice to get married together, isn’t it? You like this, don’t you, Mother?”

“I’m not sure if it’s okay to be married alongside my son like this,” Su-Jin sounded hesitant.

“Who cares? I’m the god of this world, after all.”

Tae-Shik muttered to Su-Jin, “He always asks us not to bring that up, yet he’s using it as an excuse now.”

Then, Jupiter complained sharply, “What the hell is this? I never asked for something like this.”

Jupiter had been half forced into doing this. Jupiter and Gi-Gyu had similar personalities, so Jupiter also never wanted an extravagant wedding. He had only agreed to it because of Soo-Jung.

Soo-Jung whispered, “What’s wrong? I think it’s really nice.”

With a smile, she continued, “We should be honored that we are getting married alongside our god and his goddess.”

In the end, Jupiter shrugged quietly.

Meanwhile, Gi-Gyu asked El, “Are you okay with this?”

“I am.” El smiled and lowered her face demurely.

The ceremony was still going on, but it finally ended when Oh Tae-Gu, the officiant of the weddings, announced, “You may now kiss your bride!”

The wedding was finally over, and the crowd gasped in shock when El abruptly kissed Gi-Gyu deeply. But soon, people began to whistle and cheer for them.

Looking up at Gi-Gyu after the kiss, El continued, “...am at your command.”

His face red, Gi-Gyu whispered, “I love you, El.”