324. Pre-Wedding (2)
“Wow, are you really getting married?”
“…”
“Well, I’ve never done anything like that, so I can’t really offer any advice.”
“…Can you at least keep your mouth shut for now?”
Suddenly, he grabs the head of the young viscount who had just regained his usual high spirits and was uttering such words.
He had barely escaped a tense atmosphere just a while ago, and now he’s making matters worse.
“By the way, you look healthy, which is a relief.”
This guy had something to do with Professor Mobius, or so it seemed. Fortunately, looking at him now, he seemed fairly well off.
It was hard to look at him when he was on the verge of death and had shaved his head, but now, apart from his slightly haggard appearance, he was somewhat presentable.
In response to my words, the young viscount shrugged his shoulders as if in agreement.
“Well, aren’t you fortunate too?”
“What do you mean?”
“It seems like you have become a bit more relaxed compared to before.”
“…”
Not knowing how to respond to those words, I simply scratch my head awkwardly.
“…Just like that.”
After keeping silent for a while, I let out a sigh and open my mouth.
“My mood has improved a lot.”
Not that it’s necessarily a good feeling.
Uncovering my past traumas one by one doesn’t exactly feel great, but at the same time, just having someone acknowledge and understand it makes me feel a bit more relieved.
“You are not alone, how many times have I told you that?”
Suddenly, the image of Elenoir saying those words comes to mind.
This is the second time I remember hearing it.
“…In that aspect, no matter how grateful I am, it’s not enough.”
Well,
I may not know about other things, but through those two experiences, one thing became clear to me.
That I want to protect those around me.
And that others want to protect me.
Though it was never expressed verbally, that lesson is surely engraved in my mind.
As soon as I hear those words, Viscount Bogert smiles warmly once again.
“So, you’ve decided to get married all of a sudden!”
“…”
“Congratulations. Even though I’m unmarried myself, Armin and Astrid also had a great time during the early days of their marriage. I hope your future is filled with blessings.”
“…”
“That being said.”
Trying to steer the conversation back to its original direction, away from topics that make my head want to explode, I calmly respond to Viscount Bogert’s seemingly nonchalant remarks.
“Did you fulfill your wish of finding our mother?”
“…”
“Yes?”
“Can’t you be a little grateful towards me for that?”
“…”
As Viscount Bogert blinks his eyes as if questioning what I just said, I continue speaking firmly.
“Of course, if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have even known that such a thing happened to our mother.”
“Is that so?”
“But in the end, it was me who twisted my body to survive.”
“…”
“I want to receive compensation for the suffering I’ve endured.”
Lord Vogart, who had a bewildered expression as if hearing such crazy talk for the first time, continued in a voice that seemed to have lost its soul.
“…You’re truly something else, aren’t you?”
“…Shut up.”
I know I’m forcing it.
Actually, when you think about it, it’s not entirely wrong, is it?
“No, look at this. Dowd Campbell. I’ve suffered in my own way, too.”
Lord Vogart opened his mouth with a voice that, unusually for this man, sounded unjust.
“I sacrificed my hard-built political support, started a civil war by sacrificing it all, directed it in a direction where no blood was shed, laid the groundwork for you by deliberately making it noticeable to Matop, and sold my body to bring you into this exclusive Matop. How difficult it was-“
“What’s your point?”
“…”
“Haven’t I suffered?”
“…On top of that, I was a terminally ill patient-“
“-You were.”
Interrupting Lord Vogart’s words with a sly smile.
As if to say, “Well said.”
“I was treated in Matop’s facilities.”
“…”
Actually, that was also a way to bind Mobius’s mind to me.
Their technological prowess is truly a scam. They can do crazy things like transferring a person’s mind by creating an artificial body, so fixing one sick body isn’t that difficult.
“If you saved me, you should expect me to work. You can understand that even if you don’t know the other reasons, right?”
“…You’re such a devil. Oh, excuse me. You really are a devil, aren’t you?”
“…”
No words.
Lord Vogart, lost in thought with his mouth shut, opened it after a while.
“Asking me to work probably means talking about the Successor Nation, right?”
I nod seriously in response to Lord Vogart’s words.
That’s the fundamental reason why I’m making up this forced story of becoming a fire attribute virtuoso just to manipulate this person.
Viscount Bogeot, if the original course had not deviated from its natural progression, he would have been a genius in the war that thoroughly stripped our Emperor in the imperial civil war.
He’s no mere human adorned with the empty title of an undefeated conqueror.
“I’d like to request your command.”
“Command?”
“I’ve laid the groundwork. From the Empire to the tribal alliance and even the Demon Tower. It’s a force that can maintain a balanced ratio even if the Emperor and the ‘full-scale war’ unfold.”
“…In truth, just a portion of what you’ve listed would be overwhelming based on external power alone.”
“That’s when they haven’t concealed anything on their side.”
Bogeot, in response to my words, nodded in agreement, shoulders shrugging.
“The Emperor is… quite notorious even within the Empire.”
Bogeot spoke with a grim expression.
“There are stories related to their ‘maneuvering behind the scenes’ involving Duke Tristan, Guardians, and the curse intertwined with the royal family. It’s said that the Emperor is quite infamous.”
…
It resonates somewhat with the original story I know.
The Emperor. The supreme priest in the world.
And the one playing the darkest role in the world.
I’ve encountered him once before, and even then, instead of tearing me apart head-on, he chose to hold his breath and accumulate power.
“…Fighting against someone like him is not something just anyone can do, so I might have to personally deal with it when it comes to that… but I can’t. I’ll probably be extremely busy when a full-fledged fight breaks out with him.”
Probably.
In the upcoming ‘final chapter,’ I’ll have to negotiate with others as well.
The possibility of being too busy to even pay attention to the overall ‘command’ is extremely high.
“Pioneer.”
“…Hmm.”
Even Viscount Bogeot couldn’t find words to add to that name, just letting out a deep sigh.
So.
The fact that he somehow holds ‘favor’ toward me, whether it’s the Emperor or that guy, suggests a high probability of having similar directions in the ‘grand purpose.’
Perhaps, ending up with the outcome I least want to face.
“They both dislike the Emperor or that guy.”
“Really?”
“Yes, they do.”
I, as much as possible, hope that it doesn’t flow in that direction.
From Noble mtl dot com
“…Well, anyway, I can’t help but understand your concerns about that dark-haired woman inside. I get why you’re asking for my assistance.”
“Yes. So, since you’ve decided to sacrifice for our mother, might as well see it through to the end-“
He starts to speak but slightly furrows his brows.
Lord Vogart’s peculiar smile while looking in this direction was quite unsettling.
“…Why do you look at me like that?”
“No, it’s just different.”
Lord Vogart, stroking his chin as if amused, spoke.
“Now you call her ‘Mother’?”
“…”
“Before, didn’t you distance yourself, calling her Professor Astrid?”
Well, I did.
Exhaling deeply, I wiped my face with both hands.
Originally, it would be strange for me to harbor any doubts, even though she is alive, about why she disappeared for so long without contact, considering that I personally confirmed it with my own eyes. And, on top of that.
“It’s not a role you can keep playing with a distance forever. Above all.”
“Above all?”
“If it helps now, we should lend a hand to anyone.”
“…”
“Eleanor is probably just a beginning.”
“…”
“There are several more women standing in line after that.”
“…”
“Starting tomorrow is the real issue.”
Well.
Receiving sympathetic looks from a former enemy is a unique experience in itself.
●
They say marriage is the grave of life.
It’s a saying that comes out after being deprived of the freedom that was so easily enjoyed before marriage.
And.
I’m in a state where I can deeply empathize with that sentence in a slightly different way.
“It’s a bit different, though.”
“Oh?”
“You’re in a situation that’s more like heading to a grave than getting married, wouldn’t comparing the two be unfair?”
…
His words resonate deeply, and I glance around.
This place is a clothing store to pick out wedding dresses. Eleanor dragged me here with her arm locked around mine, practically forcing me to come.
The issue is…
“…”
I turn around silently.
Eliya is trailing behind, almost shooting sparks from her eyes.
I wonder why she’s even here, but her attitude seems to be indifferent, as if it doesn’t matter if Eleanor invited her or not.
“What about this one, dear?”
Eleanor, effortlessly adorned in a new dress, brings up the question.
The problem is…
It wasn’t directed at me; it was a question aimed at Eliya, who followed along with a blazing assertion.
“Does it suit her?”
“You… look, lovely.”
The beginning of the sentence elongates because Eliya said so while grinding her teeth.
The stark presence of the faint scar on her forehead is chilling.
“Hmm.”
Nodding, Eleanor spoke.
There’s a faint hint of a smile at the corners of her mouth, as if subtly mocking or perhaps slightly amused.
“Today, I plan to ask you various opinions.”
“…”
“Probably.”
Eleanor’s gaze sweeps the surroundings.
It’s as if she’s examining, though unseen at the moment, the ‘other someones’ who undoubtedly might be around.
“It would be nice if others also had such an opportunity.”
With a provocative smile, Elnor’s figure makes it hard to breathe.
Can I stay alive?