Volume 18 - Prologue

The high-class inn where the Black Cat of the Wind is based in the Kingdom of Austin.

According to Meena's report, a young man had come here to raid the place.

I had no idea what he was talking about, so I went downstairs to see what was going on.

「Hey, so first of all, let's calm down and then talk, kyaaa!」

Serina took on her opponent's longsword with her own longsword, but was pushed back a bit.

Her opponent seems to be at a good level.

「Alec, you bastard ......!」

The young man's eyes burned with hatred when he recognized me, but I still didn't recognize him.

If I had met such a fresh brown-haired handsome man, I would have been so pissed off that I would have erased him from my memory immediately, so I can't even rely on my memory.

「Who the hell are you?」

That's what I'm going to ask you first.　

「My name is Frederick von Denwein! As a knight! I challenge you to a duel!」

A duel?

If someone who doesn't know what's going on or a strangers is suddenly points at me and says that, ”I'll accept!” I can't say that.

「Frederick, I think. What's the reason for the duel? Did I do something to offend you?」

「Don't play dumb with me! You slept with my childhood friend and beloved fiancée, how dare you......!

My fiancée, you say? Well, whose is it?

「Alec ......, did you make a move on a girl who has someone like that? That's terrible.」

Serina gave me a reproachful look of disdain, and you've made up your mind.

You should question his story a little bit.

I would never touch a woman who had a fiancé.

If I knew that, though.

..........It's possible that I didn't know about it.

But normally, when you're about to be penetrated, she'd say, "I-I have a fiancé!" she would say with tears in her eyes.

Well, even if she say that, I would definitely insert myself in such a situation.

「So, what's the woman's name?」

First, I ask him what her name is.

「What? Y-You don't even know her name and you're messing with her?」

Frederick was surprised, but even I would have asked for the name of the woman before I fucked her.

「Now, now, now, Frederic, that's not going to help us much, and my darling is very popular, so I have too many ideas. I wonder, can't you at least tell us the name of your fiancé?」

Saki intervened and said.

「Of course. I have no intention of hiding anything from you. Her name is Elisa Michelle, a Knight Templar of the Holy Jurisdiction.」

「「「 Ehhh!? 」」」

The female members of the group were surprised to hear that it was Elisa.

I didn't know he had a fiancée, I mean, she didn't seem like man at all.

「I see, Elisa, huh. I did eat her.」

「You ate her!」

「But Elisa never told me that there's anyone like you, okay? I mean, if you're her fiancée and childhood friend, why don't you just go to bed?」

I say to Frederick.

「I-It's not like I'm supposed to sleep with her.」

Frederick was upset because he smelled like a virgin, but it was a sin to fail to eat his childhood friend because of his handsomeness.

Elisa has long since passed the rite of passage into adulthood, and I've heard that she's now twenty years old.

It's hard to understand how someone could neglect a beauty like that for so many years.

「Excuse me, Frederick-san, let me ask you something. ...... Are you really Elisa's fiancé?」

Serina seemed to wonder about it and asked for confirmation.

As expected, even Elisa, who was not a fan of colorful love, would have said something beforehand if she had a fiancé.

「Hmph, that's where your suspicions start. Fine, I'll explain it to you.」

Frederick sighed in exasperation, put away his sword and began to speak.

「I come from a venerable family that has been temple priests for generations, and we were neighbors with her family. The Templar Knight that Elisa was appointed to is also a prestigious position, chosen from hundreds of knights and only one, and it is customary for the Templar Knight to take a temple priestess as his wife. In other words! The genders are reversed, so in this case, it's only natural for her to marry me, the son of a priest.」

Frederick explained with a radiant look on his face, as if to say how it was .......　

「「「Hmmm」」」

The more I listened to him, the more I suspected that this guy had a selfish interpretation.

「Have you ever talked about this with Elisa?」

「Of course. When I told her that temple knights have to marry temple priestesses, she always looked depressed and said, "If it's a tradition, I guess I have no choice". ......」

「Wait a minute, I don't agree with that.」

Saki was quick to point out that Elisa's guy might have been thinking of marrying a woman to another woman. (TLN: sorry i'm bit lost here, here the line 　早希がさっそく指摘したが、エリサの奴、女同士の結婚を考えていたかもしれないな。)

「Yeah, and if she look depressed, it's not because she really want to get married.」

Serina also said.

「N-No, but Elisa said she could talk to a guy without any hesitation, and we're generally good friends. ......」

「Fredrick, take that story to Elisa at once. If she says she'll marry you, then I'll accept the duel again.」

That's what I told him.

「I'd like that. At the very least, you need to make sure she's willing to marry you. Not that it's any kind of customary thing. By the way, Alec and Elisa close, too.」

Serina said in the same way.

「No, b-but that's ......」

「Fredrick, you've got the wrong idea about women. It's not like they get along with each other just because they had a sex. A man and a woman get along. If you two really love each other, you don't care about the men in your past.」

I say, trying to be dandy.

Well, I wouldn't want to marry a used woman either.

「Kuhh, I didn't expect to be told off by you of all people. ...... But Elisa is in the Holy Country now. When I go back there and come back to Austin again, what guarantee do I have that you haven't run away?」

「Run away? Me?」

A black sea anemone or an S-ranked "Okama Doria" or even an unknown knight of level 45 is not a threat to me.

I snickered at him.

「Kuh ......! But no matter what the story is, you're coming with me to the Holy Country, Alec. Elisa has been discovered in connection with you and will soon be examined by the Inquisition.

「What? Did that idiot honestly tell them that she had sex with me?」

「I don't think so, but if the high priests find out about the relationship, an inquisition is inevitable. If you say that you will take Elisa as your fiancé, the inquisition may only give you a mild warning,......, but now there is a conflict between the papists and the privy involved, and it is difficult to read.」

Rather than Elisa slipping up, it was more likely that she was caught in the middle of a factional war in the Holy Country.

「I understand. Then let's head to the Holy Country immediately.」

I immediately made a decision.

「Ooooh, I see, you're coming.」

「Don't get me wrong, Frederick. I'm not doing this for you. It's for Elisa.」

「Hmph, I know that much.」

「Then, I'm going to go talk to the headmaster about my leave of absence now. Saki, you get ready for the clan's departure. We'll all be on board.」

「All right, it's a war.」

Saki said with a grin.

「W-wait, what do you mean, war!?」

「It's simple, Frederick. If the tribunal punish of Elisa with a lighter punishment, then there's no trouble. All is well with the world.」

From there, my expression changed drastically, and I glared at Frederick.

「But if there's even the slightest chance of a serious punishment, I'll be ready for it. You're not going to tell me that you won't fight the execution of your beloved fiancé, are you?」

「O-of course. But, hmm. ......」

Frederick was a pathetic fellow as he averted his gaze and began to worry. He should not be worried about whether he should take the woman's life or his job.

After all, he had called her the love of his life.

I don't want him to use love as a light word.

「Well, We're off.」

I took the jacket from Saki, threw it on, and headed to the school, leaving Frederick in a state of stupor.