Chương 104: Chapter 104: Rules of Engagement
"Looking good, eh, sir?"
"…not really."
I grimaced when Sergeant Michael Marko let out a hearty chuckle, feeling uncomfortable and uneasy in my attire. These were the formal clothes that Lilith bought me when we went out a few days ago. As arranged, they arrived and were sent straight to the military base, and Lilith requested that I wore them today.
"Ugh…"
Formal attire, with a long-sleeve shirt, tie and fancy stuff. This really wasn't my kind of thing. I wanted to wear my Redwood jacket over everything, but it would ruin the outfit and it would be too hot. Besides, I wasn't going into combat today, so I didn't need it.
I hoped.
"Anyway, thanks for yesterday, Mike. You guys really helped me out a lot."
"Nah, it's our duty." Marko slapped my shoulder. "Rather, we should be thanking you. For exposing Kreguer's atrocities and revealing his conspiracies against the royal family…yeah, we're grateful to you for stopping all that."
"His majesty Emperor Regis is the one who uncovered all his schemes, though. He's the one we should be thanking."
Marko guffawed at that. "That might be true, but you are the one who executed the plan and defeated Kreuger. All the plans and strategies in the world will come to nothing if the people actually on the ground aren't able to pull them off."
"Those people on the ground include all of you, you know. I wouldn't have been able to do it without any of you."
"Yeah, yeah, you already thanked the battalion yesterday. We heard it until our ears are bleeding. And you've given us all a day off today, so take your break, sir."
Thanks to the incident of yesterday, as well as accomplishing the mission of defending the tomb, I had rewarded my battalion with a vacation. The majority of them had decided to leave camp to visit Haefield City and have fun.
"Speaking of which, why are you still here, Sergeant?"
"Oh, I'm going home after this. Can't let you be the last one to leave, Major. And I'm not exactly looking forward to seeing my wife." Marko laughed wryly. "She'll be dragging me out to visit relatives today…even though all I really want is a good sleep."
I returned the smile and friendly gesture, clapping him on the shoulder.
"Go see your wife, Mike. We'll be heading out to Moria tomorrow, so it's best to spend as much time with her as possible before we depart."
"Is that an order, sir?" Marko grinned, then shook his head. "You shouldn't be worrying about me, young man. Now go and enjoy your youth. You've a date waiting for you."
"Thanks…wait, it's not exactly a date, though."
The typical light novel protagonist response. How cliché. Well done, myself. I was behaving like the usual dense protagonist.
"It's something similar, right?" Marko's expression had turned mischievous. "Come on, you're not a kid anymore. There's nothing to get embarrassed about."
"Yeah, yeah. Thanks, Sarge. I'll see you tonight then."
"All right, sir. Enjoy!"
We parted ways at the gate of the military camp. Marko headed toward the direction of his house while I proceeded toward the meeting place. Unexpectedly, Lilith was already there, waiting for me at the front of the gate.
Damn, I screwed up. I shouldn't have kept the lady waiting. This was bad.
Fortunately, Lilith didn't seem like she cared. When she spotted me, she smiled brilliantly, her pretty face radiating an air of attractiveness and joy.
"Well then, shall we go? I hired a carriage for today, so…"
As if to punctuate her declaration, a carriage pulled up in front of us, a horsemen in a fancy black suit tipping his top hat in greeting as he reined in his horse. Lilith nodded, and I proceeded to open the door before gesturing for her to board first.
I knew to do this much, at least.
"Thank you."
"No problem."
After Lilith boarded the carriage, I proceeded in after her. As I took my seat, I glanced at her and found my breath taken away by her beauty.
Lilith was wearing a long, evening-black dress that swept all the way to her feet, a formal gown that gently accentuated her curves and complemented her flowing, fiery hair very well. She had also tied her hair stylishly into an elegant bun, which was completely different from how she usually hung her long hair loosely in casual attire or uniform.
"Are you ready?"
Catching my gaze, Lilith smiled gently and inquired. I nodded.
"Uh, yeah."
Despite my affirmative reply, I couldn't help but feel nervous. We were going to meet with that butler from the Scarlet family, after all.
Trying to calm my nerves, I glanced out of the window and watched the scenery flash past us outside. The destination was a high-class commercial district, which was supposedly the original location for officially establishing the engagement. Perhaps because it was the weekend, the streets outside the carriage window were bustling with lively crowds. Luxuriously dressed people commuted across the shops, leisurely strolling.
Good for them, I thought bitterly. None of them seemed to have noticed the crisis that had almost befallen them last night…or the impending war with the human kingdoms.
Yesterday night, after everything was settled, the only news I heard of Bradley Kreuger's death was that it would not be publically announced. That much was obvious. If the public head that the heir to one of the Four Great Noble Houses had committed high treason, there would be quite the massive outcry and unrest.
Apparently Bradley had arranged for the human knights to disguise as private soldiers under his command, and had them infiltrate Haefield behind both his father's and family's backs. He was also reported to have worked in the shadows to orchestrate the illegal excavations of ancient royal tombs and blackmailing any rivals.
I suspected that he didn't actually do this behind his house's back, and that his father actually played a major role in all this. Whatever the truth, it didn't matter. Bradley had been killed by me, and thus he was conveniently made the scapegoat for all these crimes. I wasn't very comfortable about leaving the Kreuger family to continue holding power despite the scandal their heir was involved in – and the coverup seemed extremely suspicious – but there was nothing I could do. I didn't have the political acumen or intelligence needed to deal with such matters. I mean, readers were calling me stupid, idiotic or less than average intelligent all because I decided to walk up to talk to a necromancer in the first couple of chapters in this story.
There was no way I would be smart enough to play a political game with cunning opponents who had been hiding and covering up their crimes for decades, or even centuries.
Well, at least I killed Bradley Kreuger. His father would be next on my list if he was stupid enough to attempt revenge. But before worrying about all these politics, I was more focused on my next goal. Next week, I would be proceeding to Moria. There, I would most certainly confront at least one of my former classmates again.
Thanks to this battle, I was able to kill Kishimoto Hikaru. There were about ten targets left, including the final boss, Kobayashi Kenji.
I'll definitely kill all of them.
Those ten were the ones who actively bullied, like Tsukishima Tomoyo and the other six. Unlike the Iron Knights, or Suzuki Shirou's bunch, they verbally abused me, and sometimes participated in trying to beat me up, so they were on my hit list.
Nine down, including Sakaguchi Seiji, who Lilith killed, and Samejima Hiroki, who Kobyashi sacrificed, and Ooyama Eiji, who Takeda Tetsuo exiled. Almost a third of the class was down, and another third of the class were off the list, so…a third left to kill.
I was getting there…
"We've arrived."
"Ah…"
While I was lost in my murderous thoughts, the carriage had finally pulled up in front of our destination.
Glancing outside, I saw the grand entrance of a high-class restaurant that usually served the nobility or the wealthy. It was obvious that Claire McAlterize had arranged for us to meet there to discuss the engagement.
After the horseman reined the horses and pulled the carriage to a stop, Lilith and I alighted the carriage. Claire was already waiting for us outside a nearby shop, and she hastily hurried to meet up with us. Once she joined us, the three of us entered the restaurant, a waiter at the front politely waiting to lead us to our seats.
The interior of the restaurant was strangely empty. Apparently Claire had reserved the restaurant beforehand, so only the staff was present. The waiter patiently waited as we got seated around a relatively small table, and then left to inform the chef to begin cooking. Once he was gone, Claire bowed deferentially to the two of us.
"Welcome, Ojou-sama, and Tomoyuki Tanaka-sama."
Straightening her posture as she sat rigidly on the luxurious chair, Claire then lowered her head apologetically.
"First, please allow me to apologize to the both of you. The issue this time…it was caused by my ineptitude, and I will take responsibility for my rudeness and mistakes. It is fault for trying to force the engagement without thoroughly evaluating Lord Kreuger and misjudging his character completely. I have no idea how to atone for my rudeness toward both Ojou-sama and Tomoyuki Tanaka-sama. Before I return to the Scarlet Family and repent for my errors by receiving a severe punishment, I would like to request for your forgiveness."
"..."
Both Lilith and I hesitated for a few moments after listening to the heartfelt apology from Claire. If she put it that way, even Lilith couldn't be angry at her.
Later, I heard from Lilith that Claire was a knight who was taken in by the Scarlet household at a very young age, when she was orphaned. Consequently, she became extremely devoted and loyal to the Scarlet family because they provided for her and raised her to be a respectable knight. This deep loyalty was what drove her to resort to drastic measures in order to serve the Scarlet family and answer their expectations.
Even though I wasn't pleased with the way she handled the matter, I had no intention of blaming her either. She did what she thought was right. That was all to it.
"Lilith-san…"
I glanced at her, wondering how she would deal with this.
"Can you raise your head? It is shameful to lower your head in public, especially when we're inside a restaurant."
Lilith replied coolly. Despite her cold expression, I could hear the gentleness in her tone. Clearly Lilith had no intention of blaming her butler either.
"As for the matter this time, I am also at fault. I made things difficult for you, Claire. I was the one who forced you into a corner. That's why we are even. There is no need for you to apologize."
Even though it was slight, I could see the two girls exchange understanding glances with each other.
I wasn't very sure of Claire's background, but I could see that she had reached an understanding with Lilith. There obviously was mutual respect between the two, and I even detected a trace of sisterly bonds.
"Those words are wasted on me. That said, it seems that my mission has been successfully accomplished."
"Huh?"
Both of us couldn't help but exclaim in confusion at Claire's sudden statement.
"Tomoyuki Tanaka-sama's ability as a warrior…as a vampire knight…and his intelligence that allowed him to see through Lord Kreuger's conspiracies and countered his schemes. I have most definitely borne witness to them. Moreover, he is acknowledged by his majesty Emperor Regis Gremory himself, and is an outstanding military officer of substantial rank in the Helsfort military, one of the most prestigious armies in Morten. The head of the elder council, as well as all the elders, will certainly judge you as suitable for being the fiancé too."
"…huh? Wait, what?"
I stared blankly at Claire, who was smiling humbly. But the gears were already shifting in my mind, and I roughly understood what was going on here.
"Ha…"
I sighed and then turned to Lilith, dropping my voice to a whisper.
"Lilith-san, I'm guessing you still haven't told her that our relation was an act?"
"I did not have the time to do that. I was intending to tell her now, but…"
Lilith herself was flustered at the unexpected turn of events, and wasn't able to react appropriately to Claire's bombshell.
"Um, Claire-san, I…"
"Please rest assured that I will do everything within my power to convince the council of elders in Haecient to accept you as the fiancé. From here on, you can leave everything to me."
"No, that's not the point. I…"
"Well then, I shall take my leave. I have already paid the bill for dinner, so please, the two of you can take your time. It's the least I can do to apologize."
With that, Claire rose to her feet and left her seat.
"Well then, excuse me. Ojou-sama, I will visit you someday again."
"You too. Please take care."
Claire responded with a bow to Lilith's gentle smile. The latter was no longer flustered, and had returned to her cool, usual self. In fact, there was a mischievous smile floating on her beautiful face.
"…no one's listening to me…"
I gave up. It was clear that no matter what I did or said, nobody would pay me any attention. And if I vehemently denied the engagement or yelled after Claire, it would seem too suspicious and cause trouble for Lilith.
In fact, I had an inkling of a suspicion that Claire already knew the truth, or at least suspected it somewhat. But she didn't want to go through all that trouble again, so she was brushing my protests off and leaving hurriedly before I could clearly say anything.
Boy, was she smart or what?
"She's gone. I'm a little worried about her when she returns to Haecient, about the punishment that awaits her, but I think she'll be fine."
"I'm sure Claire-san will be fine. She's tough and competent." I sighed bitterly and glanced at Lilith. "Well…so what do we do now? About the engagement, I mean."
"If Tomoyuki-kun is fine with it, I do not mind officially establishing an engagement with you."
Lilith's reply was accompanied with a mischievous smile. Looking at her, I couldn't help but blush a little.
"What if I'm not fine with it?"
"Ouch, you hurt my feelings."
The red-haired girl feigned shock and sadness. But she returned to her usual mischievous smiling self.
"But you did help me out a lot with this request, and I really shouldn't impose on you further."
Right. The request…Lilith had asked me to pretend to be her lover to alleviate the pressure mounted upon her to find a fiancé, after all. Because of her status, position and personality, it had caused me quite a few problems, but I couldn't say I hated it.
I wonder if I did carry it out well enough, though?
As this was my first time…no, as I had never been in a relationship in my entire life – not even once – I didn't know if I was actually able to pull it off.
"I might not have been the suitable person for the job, but I enjoyed it."
I smiled relaxedly as I leaned back in my seat.
"That's right. But sorry…as expected, I am not too fond of indecisive men."
"…indecisive?"
I raised an eyebrow at that. Was I really being indecisive? Maybe it was that incident with Alicia that caused Lilith to have that impression, but I was pretty sure I decisively kicked Alicia away and put a stop to her nonsense.
Well, whatever.
"After being your 'lover' for a week, I became aware of that fact again."
"Yeah, I know. Sorry about that. I'm the worst person to approach regarding these matters, and the worst kind of 'lover', after all."
I couldn't help but shrug bitterly. This was why I had never gotten a girlfriend my entire life. I just wasn't meant for it. There was no girl in the entire universe who would ever like me.
Unless she was as insane as that bitch, Alicia…
Besides, I already knew this would happen. For one thing, this whole lover thing was an act, and was fake, so it was never meant to last. Lilith was the queen of Haemorage, and it was natural that she would require a more competent, decisive, handsome and stronger man as her husband.
However, Lilith slowly drew closer to me and whispered softly.
"But the real you is quite the unwavering person. And I like the unwavering you very much."
"…huh?"
The second I raised my head to stare at Lilith, I suddenly found my lips sealed.
I couldn't see anything…instead, the sweet scent of high-class perfume drifted upward, and the sensation of soft lips filled my mind.
"What?!"
It was just a slight, gentle kiss, but my whole body turned rigid and my face reddened, my head practically turning into a volcano.
"This is a tiny expression of my gratitude for fulfilling my request. Are you unsatisfied with it?"
Despite wearing her usual cool expression, Lilith's cheeks were slightly flushed.
"Uh, no, that's not the problem…"
"Then, one more time…"
While I was still confused by the sudden turn of events, Lilith exploited the opening, leaned in and kissed me again. This time, for much longer.
When she finally released me, she leaned back and smiled, her tongue subtly sliding out to lick her lips.
"Uh…what? Huh? Shouldn't you treasure yourself more, Lilith-san?"
I was mumbling incoherently, my mind swimming too much for me to think properly. I was never smart in the first place, and this was sending me into a mental overload.
"Treasure myself? It's not as if I lost anything, so it's fine, isn't it? Plus, if Tomoyuki-kun really accepts the engagement with me, I do not mind continuing this."
"I would much rather you don't…"
"So you're agreeing to the engagement after all?"
Lilith giggled as she gently traced a fingertip across my cheek. I couldn't help but sigh.
"…I didn't say that."
"You're also not outright rejecting it," Lilith observed in a teasing manner. "It can't be helped. Well then, take some time to think about deciding whether you want to accept the engagement or not."
"Uh, well…"
At least Lilith was several thousand times better than Alicia, and I certainly found her attractive, not just physically but also in terms of her personality.
Heaving a sigh, I closed my eyes and sagged against my chair while waiting for the food to arrive. Yeah, that's right.
Enjoying the expensive, delicious food in this high-class restaurant was way more important than worrying over cliché things like engagements and romance troubles.
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