Chapter 23
Alice had been running away all day.
For some reason, she panicked every time our eyes met.
She seemed to be hiding it as much as she could, but...
[Victor, did you perhaps do something wrong to that child?]
‘As I thought... Her Highness had noticed.’
[How could I not, when she makes it so obvious? She must be absolutely terrified.]
‘I don't really know, either. Aside from that one time before, we haven't properly met.’
From the perspective of an observer, it was plain as day.
Perhaps I should say she was the sort of person who couldn't lie.
The girl avoided me by pretending not to notice my gaze or subtly slipping away.
‘I have something to take care of.’
I couldn't let her keep running away from me.
So I skillfully maneuvered her into a dead end.
An alley with hardly anyone around.
She can't run away from here, at least.
I casually raised an arm, blocking the girl's escape route.
“Miss Alice.”
Only then did our gazes meet.
For some reason, her wall-colored eyes were brimming with tears.
“I finally caught you. You've been running away all day...”
“Y-y-yyes...”
No.
Seriously, what's wrong with you?
This is only the second time you've seen me.
I asked inwardly, exasperated.
‘Your Highness.’
[What is it? My loyal retainer.]
‘Do you think my face is really that ugly, Your Highness?’
[......You are wearing a mask, are you not? I have never seen what you look like without it.]
‘Oh, right.’
It definitely wasn't because I was ugly.
Besides, though it felt strange to say it myself, my unmasked face was quite handsome.
I was lost in thought for a moment, then came to my senses and brushed the irrelevant thoughts aside.
Whatever the circumstances, dealing with the matter at hand came first.
‘My schedule is busy today.’
I had to keep moving diligently.
I could talk about that inexplicable reaction with her a little later.
I opened my mouth first.
“How about we go on a date for a little while? Just the two of us.”
“Y-yes... Yess...?”
Her pupils wavered this way and that.
She looked as though she had received a tremendous shock.
“It's nothing serious. I have someone I'd like to introduce to you, Miss Alice.”
“S-someone you're going to introduce... to me? Why, why all of a sudden...?”
“We agreed to become friends, remember? The day I found your necklace.”
“Ah...”
“Since we're becoming friends anyway, I wanted to introduce you to another friend of mine. You're not used to academy life yet, are you? It's better to know at least one more person.”
“I-is that so...”
“You'll come with me, won't you?”
“......”
“Miss Alice?”
“Y-yes! Yes...! I-I'll go! Let me come with you!”
The girl fidgeted, but eventually started following me.
Watching her like that left me with mixed feelings.
I had only said “date” as a joke, but had she really hated the idea that much?
Even I felt hurt seeing my favorite character from the original story react like that.
‘I still have to drag her along, even if by force, since I have business with her...’
I felt sad.
Maybe I had gotten my hopes up for a moment, but was I destined to have no luck with romance in this life, either?
Just as I was sighing softly, something wriggled in my front pocket.
Soon, Her Highness poked her head out.
[Victor, you are quite mischievous.]
‘Your Highness? What do you mean?’
[A date. Is that not what you called it? You could simply have said you had business with her, but you said it just to tease her and ended up worse off than before...]
‘Well, in the broad sense, it isn't wrong, is it?’
[......?]
‘If a man and a woman are walking cozily together, that's a date. What else would it be?’
[I-is that so?]
As if.
Why are you accepting that?
[Th-then... does that mean I have actually been going on dates with Victor all this time...?]
As expected of vampires.
Perhaps because they were a conservative race, she was rather clueless about things like this.
‘Come to think of it.’
A race that stoned people in the streets if they failed to maintain premarital chastity.
A race that even took the Mind-Body-Spirit Virginity Theory as a required liberal-arts course.
Besides, vampires supposedly served only one spouse throughout their entire lives.
A race of unmistakable purity.
‘Come to think of it... pureblood vampires live for about three hundred years, don't they?’
Ordinary vampires usually lived for about two hundred years, but purebloods were different.
Especially those with a strong inheritance of royal blood, like Carmilla, were exceptional.
The nobler the bloodline, the stronger their power became.
‘How old are you, Your Highness?’
[Hmm! I turned thirty this year!]
‘......’
[Victor? What is the matter?]
I had been treating her halfway like a little sister, but she was quite a bit older than me.
In human years, we were probably about the same age, but...
‘I should continue treating her with proper respect.’
As a kid from the Land of Courteous Manners, I couldn't help feeling conflicted.
While I was turning over one random thought after another,
The steps leading Alice along reached their destination.
“Ah, we've arrived.”
“This is... the A Main Building?”
The A Main Building.
The space used by the students of Class A.
This building alone was about as spacious as an ordinary university campus.
Alice merely looked around with bewildered eyes.
“U-um... why have we come here...?”
“Someone I know is enrolled in Class A.”
“Is the person you said you would introduce...?”
“That's right. The person we're looking for now.”
Classes should have ended by now, anyway.
I had contacted her in advance, so she would show up if we waited.
How long did we stand around awkwardly like that?
A familiar head of blond hair appeared in the distance.
A girl came running toward us with a bright smile when she spotted us.
“Ah... Sir Victor! You were waiting here!”
“Miss Lanne. It feels like it's been a while.”
Lanne Kihano.
The protagonist of the original [Lanne & Grandia Academy: The Märchen].
At the same time, she was the second-ranked student in Class A.
She was the girl with whom I had crossed paths during the entrance exam.
I greeted her sparkling blue eyes warmly.
“This is our first time seeing each other since the entrance ceremony, isn't it?”
“Yes! It's been a week! We only happened to meet eyes briefly at the entrance ceremony, so I was disappointed!”
“Hehe, you're as spirited as ever, Miss Lanne. I was sad to be separated from you, too.”
“I can't tell you how surprised I was when I saw our class assignments. I naturally assumed you would enter as the top student of Class A.”
“I'm flattered you thought that highly of me, despite my shortcomings.”
“I don't say things I don't mean!”
As one would expect from the protagonist.
Lanne was already pouring out positive energy the moment they met.
Her boundless delight at seeing me made her look like a retriever wagging its tail furiously.
“Come to think of it, have you been keeping the favor I asked of you?”
“The favor... Ah, yes! Of course! I've been keeping my mouth shut very carefully!”
“Then that's a relief. As I told you that day, I have personal circumstances to consider.”
“Yes, I understand! Sir Victor, you saved my life! The least I can do is grant such a small request!”
Some time ago, I had asked Lanne for one favor.
To keep secret the fact that I had hunted Jangbungi.
I had also asked her to keep quiet about the power I had displayed and my eccentric behavior.
‘An apostle of the Evil God... If it became known that I had dealt with the [Reader], it would cause me a great deal of trouble.’
I didn't know how the faculty would react, either.
They might immediately connect it to the conquest of Purgatory's seventieth floor and start treating me with suspicion.
Fortunately, Lanne was very thorough about keeping promises.
“It was certainly a strange request, but don't worry!”
“That's reassuring.”
“Come to think of it, I've heard rumors about you, sir! I hear you made an incredible showing in the last exam!”
“I must really be the talk of the academy if even you have heard of it, Miss Lanne.”
“It's news about the first friend I made at the academy! How could I possibly ignore it?”
A brief exchange of small talk.
After finishing our greetings, I got straight to the matter at hand.
“Shall we get to the main point? The reason I asked you to meet today, Miss Lanne.”
“Ah, yes. You said there was someone you wanted to introduce me to, didn't you?”
“That's right. Let me introduce you. This is Miss Alice.”
“Nice to meet you, Miss Alice! You're a classmate of Sir Victor's, I see.”
“Ah, um, h-hello? N-nice to meet you...”
Snatch-.
Lanne clasped her hand and shook it without hesitation.
Alice could do nothing but shrink back.
The reason I had gone out of my way to introduce these two was...
‘Lanne's presence... will help Alice.’
Nightmare (惡夢).
Alice's original sin.
Her ability was a madness triggered by dreams.
‘It was powerful enough to become a calamity someday, but the problem was that she couldn't control it...’
Alice was inexperienced at controlling it.
She had been born with that constitution.
This was why she tried to hide her ability and why she refused to participate at all in events like duels.
She was afraid someone might get hurt because of her mistake.
She was afraid her accursed power might kill someone.
The poor girl was always trapped by her compulsions.
‘Besides... Alice's power also causes mental deterioration.’
The nightmares continued.
She reached a state where it became difficult even to distinguish reality from dreams.
Until she could fully control her ability, the madness would continue eating away at Alice's mind.
‘That's why she needs Lanne.’
The protagonist, Lanne Kihano.
She radiated positive energy in every direction.
It wasn't merely a feeling; she actually went around carrying divine power.
She had been born with a vast quantity of divinity inside her.
Therefore, simply keeping the two of them close together would significantly lessen Alice's nightmares.
‘Well... that would only be part of the solution.’
I could take care of whatever remained.
Alice had two years left before she blossomed into a calamity.
There was still plenty of time.
For now, it should be enough to reduce her mental stress.
Since it involved the sensitive power called Nightmare, I needed to approach it carefully.
And, as a bonus, I could give her a dependable friend.
‘She was even ostracized, or something similar, in the original story.’
Even in a cesspit, humans find ways to divide the muck.
There were also occasional descriptions of Alice being unable to fit in with her class.
To prevent that as well, I wanted to place our protagonist by her side.
I said with a bright smile.
“Miss Lanne. You said you would grant me one request, no matter what it was, didn't you?”
“Of course! Sir Victor, you saved my life, after all.”
“Then please take good care of Miss Alice.”
“If she's your friend, then she's my friend, too.”
“I'm delighted by how readily you agreed.”
“U-um... Lord Victor? W-what exactly are you talking about...?”
That's right.
Alice had just been forcibly sold a friendship.
Against her will.
“You're okay with this too, aren't you, Miss Alice?”
Well.
It would be good for you anyway.
I'll make sure you don't become a calamity.
Just look at Lanne. Isn't she friendly and nice?
“Y-yes...”
“I trust you'll get along well.”
“I look forward to getting to know you, Miss Alice!”
“Yes...”
Alice could do nothing but nod without replying.
A warm, friendly atmosphere.
One matter was settled, at least.
***
Friendship Matchmaker.
Several hours after the academy day ended,
The moon and stars had appeared in the sky, which had grown dark in the meantime.
Taking advantage of the night, I quietly slipped out of the dormitory building.
[Victor? Where are you going at this hour of the night?]
“We have to avoid being seen by others. Once again, nighttime seems to be the best time for activities.”
[If you don't count how tired it makes one...]
“Get some sleep. It's quite a long way tonight.”
I left the building and looked for a suitable point.
Then I used wall clipping to leave the academy entirely.
We walked through a dark alley.
By then, Carmilla had dispelled her transformation and returned to her original form.
“You were rubbing yourself against the floor in another strange pose, and then the location changed without a trace. No matter how many times I witness it, it remains fascinating.”
“Hehe, I'm afraid I can't tell you the details. It's a trade secret.”
“I wasn't expecting you to. More importantly, we've left the academy entirely today, haven't we? It doesn't even seem to be nearby...”
“That's right. We've come quite far today.”
I looked around us.
A city.
Perhaps because it was night, it had a somewhat sinister air.
We walked side by side, crossing the dark landscape.
I spoke at a leisurely pace.
“This city is a long way from the academy. You remember where we first met, don't you? Near that sewer.”
“The sewer... You mean the district where I nearly faced execution.”
“That's right. Fortunately, I arrived before it was too late.”
“It remains a terrifying memory. But why have we come to a city like this out of nowhere...?”
Her Highness shuddered and tilted her head.
I answered while staring at the screen floating before my eyes.
The air had cooled slightly.
“I have something to take care of.”
Ding-!
[Sub Quest]
-Title: Vulgar Slaughter, Groveling Survival.
-Contents: Prevent the New Kingdom's vampires from building a ‘human ranch.’ Rescue the people kidnapped by the vampires.
-Penalty for Failure: Destruction of the city of ‘Riventa.’
-Reward: The eternal favor of the city ‘Riventa.’
[Time Limit: 2 hours 59 minutes 57 seconds]
I toyed with the mask.
Before I knew it, I was holding a balloon sword with vivid, multicolored hues.
In my other hand was the pure-white fragment of a stake I had used before.
The corners of the mask's mouth twitched as though in delight.
“Shall we go?”
The daily vampire hunt was underway.