CH 148

“Your Excellency, Your Excellency. When you rest in a while, will you help me with my swordplay?”

“I don’t consider myself skilled enough to teach anyone…”

“Shall we play a game of chess, then? I want to make up for yesterday’s defeat.”

“My lady, I apologize, but we’re not on a leisure trip right now. And I… I think you’re a little too close to me. Would you mind moving away from me a little?”

“Yes. Tsk. I wish we could’ve just shared a horse…”

“What? Did you say something?”

“No, nothing.”                                                                                                                                         

Lorraine smiled brightly before moving her horse an inch from Luke’s steed.

“Wonderful, how wonderful. Look at those two, sticking together like a twin-headed ogre. Look at that little fox. She’s so straightforward. Kieeeh? Look, look! Look at her trying to flirt by flipping her hair back,” Mirian murmured while hovering around the two figures. Then, she landed on the mane of Lorraine’s horse with an insidious smile.

She snuck a look at Eugene and Luke, who were in right front of Lorraine.

“Ptooey!”

Neiiiiiiiiighhh!

Lorraine’s horse reared with surprise after a sudden baptism of spirit phlegm.

“Agh!”

“Hmm?!”

Lorraine shouted with shock, and Luke jumped out from his saddle like lightning.

Fwoosh!

He then caught Lorraine just as she was about to hit the ground in a ‘princess carry.’

“Kehehe! Aide number two! You’re pretty good, hmm? You should be grateful, you little fox. You are, aren’t you? If things go well, make sure to repay me in gold, silver, and treasures. Since there are two of you, pay me double! Kiheheheheheheheh!” The spirit giggled insidiously while gazing at the pair of cockroaches with interest.

Luke could not hide his concern as he supported Lorraine’s back and thighs with his muscular arms. “My lady! Are you all right?”

“Ah! Ah… Yes.” Lorraine’s heart began to pound crazily, and her cheeks flushed red. Naturally, it wasn’t because she was thrown off her horse. The young, handsome count’s eyes were filled with sincere concern, and the warm breath that grazed her with his every word showed no mercy to her tender heart.

“L-Lady Lorraine! Are you okay?” Bonmer shouted with worry while belatedly rushing toward her.

“Her horse seems to have been spooked. Fortunately, I don’t think she’s hurt. Please take good care of her, sir,” Luke spoke up.

“Ohh! Thank you, sir!” Bonmer shouted with gratitude. Luke ticked all the boxes—skills as a knight, manners, and an attitude befitting a noble, as well as deep consideration even for prisoners and treating them with honor. The young count was a rare talent that even Bonmer coveted. Most others his age would be ignorant and blinded by their desire for merit and accomplishments.

‘But they might one day clash with our family… What should I do?’ 

Bonmer’s gaze naturally headed toward Eugene at the front of the group. Judging by the fact that Eugene’s face was filled with irritation and annoyance, it appeared that the young count’s master was rather disdainful toward Lorraine.

And it was true…

“She’s a pain in so many different ways,” Eugene muttered.

Lanslo responded with a laugh. “Haha. Isn’t that what relationships between men and women are all about? Well, of course, it’s natural that you don’t see her in a favorable light.”

Eugene narrowed his eyes after seeing Lanslo’s mysterious smile. “Relationships between men and women? What are you talking about?”

“Huh? Are you saying you didn’t know?”

“…” Eugene frowned instead of answering.

Lanslo burst out laughing. “Hahaha! I don’t know what to say. I thought you gave Lady Lorraine the permission to accompany you because you already knew.”

“What are you talking about?” Eugene asked.

“Lady Lorraine has Count Crawlmarine in her heart,” Lanslo answered.

“…What?” Eugene was dumbfounded. Was she in her right mind? She had a thing for Luke after she was taken prisoner for doing something stupid?

“She joined us on our journey to appeal to Count Crawlmarine. If she returned after paying her ransom, she wouldn’t have been able to see him anymore,” Lanslo explained.

“You aren’t joking, are you?” Eugene asked.

“No. Although I like jokes, I wouldn’t joke around when talking about something like the future of the Fransil family and the Crawmarine family,” Lanslo responded with a serious expression.

Eugene muttered in disbelief, “This is crazy…”

However, he soon raised his head and took a glance backward. Lorraine was following Luke like a lost puppy, and Luke was constantly glancing back as if he were worried about her.

Eugene asked, “And what did you mean when you said I allowed her to accompany us because I already knew?”

“Because Lady Lorraine is from the Fransil family. Regardless of the whole issue with them proclaiming to be a duchy, they are still a recognized family in Brantia capable of aiming for the throne, right? So I assumed that you were going to tie the knot between Count Crawlmarine and Lady Lorraine to swallow the Fransil family,” Lanslo answered.

“Hooh.” The irritation disappeared from Eugene’s face at once. Wasn’t this actually a plausible plan?

“What should I do now, then?” Eugene asked.

“Huh? You’re asking me? Even with your devilish brain?” Lanslo was dumbfounded.

“…” Eugene licked his lips without answering. To be honest, he was confident in handling most issues and problems, but matters relating to relationships were an exception. How could he plan around something that he didn’t know about?

“Well, I guess…” Lanslo nodded with apparent understanding. It wasn’t a huge secret that Eugene lived a life disconnected from any romance. Even Odd, the merchant, seriously considered whether he should get a particularly beautiful prostitute for Eugene.

“You guess? What does that mean?” Eugene asked. He felt slightly offended by Lanslo’s behavior. However, the knight simply grinned in response. “It’s nothing. Anyway. You should just let it be.”

“Let it be?”

Lanslo glanced at Lorraine, who was slowly creeping her way closer to Luke once again, then explained quietly, “If you tell Count Crawlmarine to get along with Lady Lorraine, he will surely follow your orders faithfully. However, that would simply be obeying your orders and not following his heart.”

He pointed at his heart before continuing. “The problem is that women can notice such things almost perfectly. In particular, Lady Lorraine must have been courted by many nobles and knights as a direct descendant of the Fransil family. To distinguish between a man’s true feelings and lies will be as easy as eating cake for her.”

“Hmm. That’s for sure.”

In truth, Eugene knew nothing, but he nodded for now. Lanslo had to hold back his laughter at Eugene’s audacious act.

“That’s why we have to let it be for now. Lady Lorraine obviously has Count Crawlmarine in her heart. And although Count Crawlmarine seems to be slightly annoyed, he doesn’t really hate her. Lady Lorraine’s feelings for Count Crawlmarine will eventually deepen as time goes by,” Lanslo explained.

“Hmm.” Eugene was still confused. However, Lanslo was popular with women anywhere he went regardless of their status and age. As such, he found Lanslo’s words to be quite trustworthy in that department.

“Anyway, if everything goes well between those twin-headed ogres, then…? Then the Fransil family… Ah! That will do,” Eugene muttered. Although he was completely oblivious to matters between men and women, he was extraordinarily sly when it came to other issues. He had a rough idea about how to take care of the Fransil family once Luke and Lorraine paired up with each other.

“Did you come up with any good ideas?” Lanslo asked with expectation.

Eugene nodded. “I’m planning to use the ‘good knight, bad knight’ once more.”

“Kieeeh! Sir Eugene may be no good when it comes to dating, but for other things, he’s… Kuagh!”

“Pffft!”

The spirit was immediately flattened after her attempt to attack Eugene with the truth, which made Lanslo immediately burst out into laughter.

***

“Master Reyma. Messengers have returned from the Riwad family.”

“Hmm. Come on in.”

A well-dressed aristocrat and a knight entered the large, luxurious military barracks. The structure’s floor was covered with many rugs, and it resembled a luxury inn.

“How did it go? How much does Count Crawlmarine want for ransom?”

“Well… there have been some issues.”

“Issues? What is it?” Reyma, the eldest son of Viort Fransil, asked with a frown. Were they perhaps demanding an impossible amount of money as ransom?

“Lady Lorraine isn’t in Castle Riwad.”

“What did you say? D-don’t tell me…” Reyma stuttered. His expression became fierce as the thought of execution came into mind. 

The noble quickly shook his head. “No. It’s not what you think it is.”

“Then what is going on? Why are you saying there are issues?” Reyma asked.

“The druid who is staying in the castle…” The noble briefly conveyed what he heard from Pythamoras.

“So, you are saying that Lorraine voluntarily followed that vampire noble, is that right?” Reyma asked.

“According to what I’ve heard. I don’t think it’s a lie, since the druid said so personally,” the noble responded.

“Haaa…”

“And Sir Stein says Sir Bonmer accompanied Lady Lorraine to take care of her.” The noble continued.

“I don’t care if that man dies or lives. No, rather, it might be better if he dies. Then we will be able to hold that vampire, Eugene, accountable. It would be better for that girl to do one more favor for the family before she goes,” Reyma said.

It was a cruel thing to say to a member of one’s family, but the nobles and knights gathered in the tent appeared unaffected. They all knew how much Reyma actually cared about Lorraine, although his words appeared to be cold and ruthless. He simply had difficulties expressing his love directly. His love for the youngest sibling was undeniable since he was personally participating in negotiations even as an heir to the Fransil family.

“I don’t think you need to worry too much about her safety. Sir Jan Eugene, as well as Count Crawlmarine, has accompanied her with troops.” The noble pointed out.

“Hmm. Is that so? Their castle must be quite empty, then,” Reyma answered.

“It seems that way, but I can’t say for sure since I didn’t enter the castle. There were Beowulf warriors escorting the druid, and all of them were armed with special armor. Master Reyma, I think the stories we heard in Brighton are true,” the noble said.

“Hmm.”

They had hidden their identities and stopped by the City of Brighton to gather information after arriving in this place. They were initially surprised by the fact that Brighton was incorporated into the Crawlmarine county, and they were once again surprised that the Crawlmarine county possessed an army much stronger and more numerous than they expected. In particular, it was extremely difficult to believe that two vampire knights had supposedly wiped out a death knight, ghouls, and other monsters from the city’s underground.

“Anyhow, where did this knight Eugene and Count Crawlmarine go? Have they gone to occupy another territory?” Reyma asked.

“Well… Apparently, they went to the Batla Duchy. He wants to succeed the duchy,” the noble answered.

“What?!” Everyone’s eyes widened. The Batla Duchy was one of the most famous families in Brantia, along with the Drak family, which was known as the family of the knights of the lake.

“A member of the Tribe of the Darkness inheriting the Batla Duchy? How does that make any sense?” Reyma muttered as if finding it absurd.

The nobles responded cautiously, “It’s not entirely impossible. Hundreds of years have passed, and who knows where the blood of the first duke might have gone? There’s already an elf duke, so there’s no law that a vampire can’t be a duke.”

“If he can prove his legitimacy, the duchy might acknowledge Sir Jan Eugene as the duke. Sir Laplas was the most likely candidate, but he has gone missing after embarking on his quest to knighthood, right?”

“That’s right. I’ve heard that the duchy’s heirloom was lost alongside his disappearance. It might be possible if Sir Eugene has located it.”

“Hmm.”

Reyma tapped his finger against the round table with a serious expression, then suddenly raised his head. “Perhaps… Did Lorraine follow Sir Jan Eugene because she thought he was going to become the Duke of Batla?”

“…!”

The startled nobles exchanged glances, then nodded their heads.

“That seems plausible. If Lady Lorraine becomes a duke’s wife, then wouldn’t Your Excellency naturally gain the legitimacy to climb Brantia’s throne?”

“It’s not like there aren’t any precedents for vampires to get together with humans. Rather, it could be even better since it’s so rare.”

“I agree. It seems Lady Lorraine has found a way to help the family and empower Master Reyma.”

“Haha! Master Reyma! Lady Lorraine has certainly matured!”

The atmosphere quickly turned amicable. Reyma spoke solemnly, trying to stop the corners of his mouth from curling into a smile.

“Ehem! She certainly deserves to be praised if that was her intent, but nothing is certain yet. Let’s contact the family and stand by for now. Ah, just in case, we should avoid anything that might cause conflict with the Riwad territory.”

“We hear your orders!” the nobles and knights answered with bright expressions, knowing that Reyma cared about his family’s interests as much as he cared for his sister. However, they were completely unaware that the true benefits were aligned to the favor of a man who was completely ignorant of romantic relationships.