★131
ASTERI'S POV
A week after taking care of my biggest obstacle for now, I had a lot to deal with, so I wanted to take a new step in this experiment.
"I want to get married."
Rimuru spat out his tea in a perfect spray
"Pfft-what?!"
Honestly, I wasn't any better. That question hit both of us like a truck full of plot twists.
"You heard me. I want to get married."
I came again. As a matter of fact, I'm serious about it.
"This will be a huge step for me considering the fact that I'm becoming more 'human' every day."
"Look, I don't know what you think about marriage, but that thing is on a whole different level."
He said, putting his cup down.
"I'm sorry, but I'm only here for approval and understanding. You can't turn me down, so don't even bother trying."
I must see through this session to the end.
"I know. But...Why so sudden?"
"Your boy Benimaru changed the topic. He went beyond traditions and married two women. For some reason, I feel like you're behind it."
"What?"
"I'm talking about the traditions in your previous world. You've been known for making weird innovations. I'm one hundred per cent sure they're from your previous world."
"Well, that's true. Benimaru got married to Momiji first."
Rimuru began.
"Albis was in love with him as well, but the customs of this world had kept her from marrying him. Still, polygamy wasn't truly taboo here. Tempest is a multicultural, unconventional nation; people lived by their own rules. If anyone wanted to go against tradition, they could."
"I wasn't interested in the story, but thanks. Also, I don't care whether this world forbids polygamous marriage. We Asterians aren't bound by the world's settings to begin with."
Rimuru blinked, trying to process that.
"So…"
"So?"
I replied, unfazed.
"Let me guess,"
He said carefully.
"Lady Hinata?"
"And…"
"Hmm. Lady Elfaria, I suppose?"
"Wrong order."
I said.
"But yes. And?"
He stared at me.
"Wait. And? Are you getting married to more than two women?"
"Yeah. Is that a problem?"
Rimuru nearly dropped his cup again, then forced a strained smile, waving both hands quickly.
"A—absolutely not! Just… don't go around marrying every lady in your harem collection like it's a hobby."
I raised a brow, unimpressed.
He sighed, rubbing his temples, half exasperated, half amused.
"You say things like this so casually. Do you even realise how ridiculous it sounds?"
"Heh."
I chuckled.
"If that was the case, I'll be taking that Pink Princess back home."
"Wh... Shuna?"
"Yeah. I've got a soft spot for her, but it's better I keep myself in check. Anyway, want to know how many I'm planning to marry?"
Rimuru leaned back, already looking exhausted.
"I'm out of surprises at this point… but go on."
"First and foremost, Hinamatsuri. Constant, default, embodied."
He nodded slowly, bracing himself.
"Second is the Queen of Raja, Towa."
He blinked.
"Huh? The Queen of Raja?"
"We've had a long-standing relationship since I arrived in this world. She's on the list."
"O…kay,"
He said, drawing the word out, clearly trying not to react too strongly.
I paused, tapping my chin.
"Now… who's the third again?"
I acted as though I genuinely had to think about it. That was enough. She took the bait immediately, pinching my side hard.
"Ow. Alright, alright—Lady Athena."
I said, pointing at my shoulder with a small wince.
Rimuru stared between us, his expression caught somewhere between disbelief and reluctant acceptance, as if he'd walked into a situation he wasn't equipped to judge.
"Who's that?"
"Oh, can't you see? I suppose you wouldn't. She's shy, so she prefers to stay invisible."
Rimuru frowned.
"You know. The 'little girl' with the white slime."
"She said she's not a little girl."
I added flatly.
"And the white slime introduced itself. Its name's Mimu. Star Slime Mimu."
"I—I'm sorry."
"Yeah. She's the one. Tragedy struck her world, and I was late. I couldn't save her mother so at least I could fulfil her wish."
"Oh. I'm sorry."
"Don't be. It's my fault."
"Her wish was to have you marry Lady Athena?"
"Nope. She believes I'm here 'destined one', so why not. Besides, I love her."
Athena face turned red at my words.
"Please tell me that's all."
"Unfortunately, no."
I replied.
"Mikasa or Elfaria. The former hadn't made a move since the tournament, but Elfaria had it for a while. Not to mention, she tried to hit on me the other night."
"Seriously? Elmesia's niece?"
I nodded.
"I think that's all."
"I hope it is."
"So what do you say, Rimuru?"
"The question is what do you want me to do?"
"Give me ideas on how to get this thing going."
"Ok. Here's what you need."
...
..
.
"I see. And do they know about it?"
"I'll inform them. If anyone changes their mind, which might be impossible, I'll let you know."
"The real problem is… who's going to officiate the wedding?"
"What are you even talking about? That's obviously going to be you."
I stood up, brushing down my shirt. Yeah, I didn't wear a coat._.
"There you go again, dumping things on—"
"The wedding will be in five days."
I cut him off before the complaint could fully form.
My tone was calm, but final. I wasn't in the mood to negotiate, and definitely not ready to sit through whatever lecture he had lined up.
Rimuru blinked.
"F-five days? That's not something you just—"
"Be ready, Star Island. Pick the exact time and send word."
I waved a hand like I was assigning routine paperwork instead of a ceremony that would shake half the island.
"See you."
He opened his mouth again, probably to protest, perhaps a panic, but I didn't give him the chance. The world responded as the space around me bent. And with that, I vanished.
Left behind, Rimuru stood frozen with a thousand emotions fighting for dominance—shock, irritation, disbelief… and somewhere beneath it all, reluctant acceptance. If this is what I want, he must do it.
The next day, I spoke to Hinata, Towa and Elfaria.
One after the other. No grand speech, no pressure, just a simple question and a straight answer. It took longer than I expected, but at the end they all said yes. Each of them had their own reasons, their own pace, but none of them turned away.
The moment the last "yes" left her lips, I made an excuse and got out of there. Said I had things to prepare. They didn't know yet that they wouldn't be standing alone at the altar. I left that part for later. No point dropping everything on them at once.
So I took the rest of the day off and pushed the real conversation to tomorrow.
The day after that, I brought Hinata and Elfaria to Raja for a private meeting. Just the five of us in the room.
We sat down, and for a moment no one said anything. They were waiting for me to start. Hinata had that calm look on her face, but her eyes were sharp.
Towa looked composed as always, though I could tell she was curious. Elfaria leaned back like it was just another meeting, but she was paying attention.
I rubbed the back of my neck and exhaled.
"Alright. I'll just say it."
They all looked at me.
"I asked all of you to marry me. It was separately at first but here were are.Together."
Silence followed. But that's exactly what I want.
"I should've said that from the start."
I went on.
"Didn't because I wanted each of you to decide without feeling compared to anyone else. But yeah… none of you are going to be standing alone up there."
I shrugged lightly.
"Tempest isn't exactly traditional. And honestly, neither am I. Still, if any of you have a problem with it, say it now. No hard feelings."
I let the words hang there. No dramatic buildup. Just the truth, laid out in the open.
For some reason, it didn't go the way I expected.
Hinata and Towa slipped straight into a quiet rivalry that had apparently been going on for years. Nothing loud, just that constant back-and-forth where each of them tried to outdo the other in small, petty ways.
Hinata even started sneaking around to "steal points" whenever she could, acting as if this was some long-running scoreboard only the two of them understood.
Towa, being a queen, saw it coming from a mile away. She carried herself like she always did—calm, composed, dignified—but she didn't back down either.
If anything, she leaned into it. Every glance, every tiny gesture between them had this competitive edge. Polite on the surface but a battlefield underneath.
When Elfaria and Athena were brought into the fold, it barely registered to the two of them. Not in a dismissive way. To Hinata and Towa, the newcomers were rookies stepping into a match that had started long before they arrived. In their eyes, there was no way a newcomer was overtaking a veteran.
Honestly, I didn't mind. There was no real quarrel, no hostility. Just tension wrapped in smiles and courtesy. If anything, it made things livelier.
By the third day, it stopped being a big deal. We focused on sending word out instead—formal invitations to the Asterians, the Rajariens, and the people of Tempest. If this was going to happen and it was happening properly.
The fourth day was nothing but preparations. Decorations, arrangements, logistics and all. I made sure to work Atlas and Elaine to their core since they're sent to "look after me". This is me making them useful.
Everyone moving around with purpose, making sure everything would be ready on time.
And then, finally, the fifth day, the wedding day arrived.
To be continued...