Chapter 185

“Mmm…” Vill furrowed her brow and stopped fondling my belly. After a five-second pause, she slowly rose to her feet. “…I’ll go after her. Discord in the Komari Club could bring us trouble.” “Yeah, yeah. Go.” I felt oddly uneasy as I watched my naked maid leave. What’s she gonna say to her? An alarm rang in my head, telling me I shouldn’t leave the two alone. “You’re such a worrywart, Komari.” Nelia looked up at the ceiling. “You’re upset about Villhaze giving another girl attention, aren’t you? That’s a waste of energy, honestly.” “No, I’m not. Vill can be friends with whomever she wants.” “I understand the desire to monopolize someone. I’d love to have you as my maid 24-7, too.” “Stop assuming you know how I feel! And I’ll never be your maid!” “I don’t need to assume anything. It’s written all over your face. Anyway, trying to get someone all for yourself is impossible. Even Gertrude has plenty of things she has to prioritize over her lady. A good monarch knows how to accept the circumstances while maintaining a good relationship.” “Ugh…” Nelia had a point. I didn’t have the right to control Vill’s relationships. She was also right in that I didn’t need to control them. I mean, I’d already confirmed it back during the Vampire Riots. Vill had said my blood was sweet. That she’d be by my side forever. If she’d been lying, then I was ready to freak out and dance naked. “…You’re right. A scholarly intellectual must be imperturbable.” “That’s my Komari! You’re the strongest vampire there is! And together we’ll rule the world! The slaughter champion can’t be bested by such trifling matters.” “You should stop reading Six Nations News. It makes you stupid.” Nelia laughed out loud, even though I wasn’t joking. Anyway, it was best not to worry about Vill. A strong person was always calm and collected. “Commanderrr,” Esther said with tears in her eyes. “When should I stop dancing?” “You’ve been dancing this whole time?!?!?!” We’re having a serious discussion over here, y’know? You take things too literally… But really, the blame is on the maid for knowingly taking advantage of your character like that. Nelia and I panicked and tried to get Esther to stop. As my sicko maid’s superior, I had a duty to scold her. That reminds me, Vill said something about sleeping in my bed. Then punish her in bed I shall. Once she closes her eyes, I’ll blow into her ear. I won’t stop until she repents… So I got out of the bath, oddly excited. “I am truly sorry, Lady Komari. I’ll sleep with Lady Colette tonight.” “………………………………………………………………………………………Wha…??” We’d gotten a room for two and another for three. I had been getting ready to sleep while waiting for Vill in the three-person room, but once she’d arrived, she’d broken the news that she had other plans. “I’m sorry for breaking our promise. I’ll be in the two-person room with her.” “…Oh. I see… Sure. Yeah, not like we really promised. I never said yes. In fact, I’m glad I get to enjoy a good night’s sleep by myself.” “Is that so? Good night, then.” “Yeah. Good night.” She closed the door. I was at a loss for words as Vill’s footsteps faded away. …What? Why? She’s sleeping with Colette? What about my plans to punish her for making Esther dance naked? Did my maid just abandon me? “Commander, could you turn off the lights? We have to wake up early tomorrow.” “Uh…” “Commander? Is something the matter?” “WAAAAAAAAH!!” “EEEEEEEEEEEEP?!” I did a somersault on my bed. Or tried. I fell headfirst onto the carpet. “An enemy attack?!” Esther stood up in shock. I ignored her and flapped about like a fish. “Why?! Why…? Why did she…?” “Oh, I see. You’re sad you don’t get to sleep with Ms. Vill.” “I’m not sad!!” I glared daggers at Esther. “I’m sorry, Commander. Of course you enjoy your solitude!” She bowed. I did not like that reaction, either. “Esther, what do you think?” “Me? About what?” “About Colette. Isn’t she too chummy with Vill?” “Is she? Ah…but I do think something definitely happened between them. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have abandoned you like that.” “She abandoned me?” “Oh no! It was a poor choice of words. She only postponed you!” I felt like I’d been hit on the head with a hammer. So Vill was prioritizing Colette. An odd feeling of restlessness budded within me. This was not just jealousy. I felt like Colette’s innocent gaze had changed something in Vill. Nelia had laughed at me for being such a worrywart, but I wouldn’t deserve to be her lady if I didn’t worry about this. “Let’s go, Esther! We can’t stay put!” “Huh? Go where?!” “To their room! It’s not fair they get to hang out all alone! We’ll join them!” “But it’s already ten? That’s lights-out time in the aca…” “Stop being such a Goody Two-shoes for a second! Vampires are supposed to be nocturnal!” “Wai… Commander?!” I dragged Esther out of the room. It was clear I’d have nightmares if I went to bed like this. I had to check in on Vill and Colette if I wanted a good night’s sleep. Nelia Cunningham wandered down the alleys at night. She had no destination in mind. She simply wanted to observe a city of the Netherworld and take a mental breather. The blue night sky was bizarrely bright. The street gleamed with the lights of the moon and stars. Nelia sighed as the breeze cooled her body. “I’ve got to pull myself together.” The leader of the Komari Club was Komari. But the vampire princess was their last resort. Of course, she had the capability to be at the top, but she still had much to learn—Nelia had to pull her forward. When she had gotten captured while under the effects of Nerzanpi’s spell, Nelia had heard her mentor asking her to look after Komari. It was very likely that had been a hallucination. Maybe her sense of duty had manifested in the form of Yulinne. Either way, she had to guide Komari. Because she was her friend. Her savior. Her blood sister. And her comrade in arms for world domination. The former Goddess had also asked her to take care of Komari. She had probably been insinuating there was a future where she disappeared. And indeed, now Pandora’s Poison had foretold her death. “I have to keep her in my sights. I shouldn’t have gone outside.” Nelia was particularly worried about Komari, considering the girl’s woes regarding Colette. Until now, Komari had been the center of attention. Always surrounded by people and fawned over. She had to be disconcerted about Colette flipping that dynamic on its head. “Good evening.” Cloing. A switch flipped. Nelia nearly let out a shriek, thinking she had come across a ghost. That biwa bard was standing by a shop’s signboard. “Tremolo…right? What are you doing here?” “Going for an evening walk, just like you. The stars are as beautiful as ever.” Tremolo smiled rosily. Nelia was just a little nervous. There was something unfathomable about this girl. According to the employees at the guild, Tremolo Parcostella was a member of the moon-rank mercenary group Star Citadel. In other words, she was a skilled warrior. “There’s something I want to tell you about.” “What? You were waiting for me?” “Yes.” Tremolo’s smile widened. She produced a newspaper from her vestment and handed it over. “This is part of tomorrow’s morning issue. I have a connection with the publisher, so I borrowed it. There’s something about you in here.” Suddenly, noise overtook the city. Someone screamed from afar. The night sky turned white for a moment. “…? What’s with all that?” “Human life is but a fruitless flower in this sad, mundane world. Conflict is routine.” “Don’t tell me…” “Keep calm. You’ll understand once you’ve read the article.” Nelia fearfully looked down at the newspaper. She read in silence for a few seconds, but no more. That was all she could take. Panic seized her, and she turned around and ran. “Farewell. This is all I can do for you.” “Thanks! And you should run while you can, too!” Nelia clicked her tongue as she ran straight back to the inn. They had gotten caught up in something unbelievable. Was Komari all right? Was Colette all right? She could hear the flames of war from afar. From behind, the cloing of the biwa echoed. The two-person room was empty. Vill and Colette were nowhere to be found. Why? Did they escape by themselves? No way. Vill can’t just leave me behind like that. I’m (Dad is) paying her for her job! I’m gonna sue her for salary theft if she doesn’t come back. Got it?! Come back! “C-calm down, Commander! You won’t find her in the trash can! Or in the cups! There’s no point inspecting every object in the room!” “Uhhhhhh… Where did they go?!” “Their things are still there, so I doubt they left. I can’t think of anywhere inside the inn they would be, though… Maybe they’re stargazing on the rooftop?” “That’s it! Let’s go!” How dare she go stargazing without her boss? I mean, I’m not trying to get in their way. It’s just that, as the leader of the Komari Club, I have a duty to know where they are and what they’re doing. “Wait, Commander.” Esther stopped me. “I—I think you should leave Ms. Vill alone.” I felt like my heart had fractured. I never would’ve thought Esther would say something like that. “Wh-why…? Because we should go to sleep early for tomorrow…?” “No, I didn’t mean it that way… I’m just wary about her prediction.” Esther looked down at me with real anxiety on her face. “Pandora’s Poison showed that you die by her side, right? Then…wouldn’t the best way to elude your death be to stay away from Vill?” “Ah…” “Maybe she’s also reached the same conclusion.” I accepted it for a moment. …But no. I was going to die in five days. Not tonight. “There’s no one coming after me yet! We should be talking about what to do with her! So we gotta hurry to see her!” “O-okay…?” I pulled Esther by the arm and ran upstairs. I forced open the door to the rooftop, and the nocturnal spring breeze swept through my hair. Stars filled the sky. Definitely a view that would make you want to go stargazing. Sakuna would probably be losing her mind right now if she were here. I walked down the cobblestone rooftop and soon found someone. My heart nearly exploded. The two girls were sitting shoulder to shoulder, hugging their knees. Staring at the stars. Just then, Colette grabbed Vill’s hand. They held hands warmly and heartily smiled at each other. The moving youthful moment infested my brain. “Huh? What are they doing?” “Commander?! Your face is blank!” “You want me to smile at this?” I stared at Vill and Colette’s backs in despair. I had never seen the maid chat intimately with anyone else. Something prickled at my chest. The seed of anxiety grew and grew until a black flower bloomed. Then a tsunami of incomprehensible emotions washed away my consciousness. “U…uweh…” “Huh? Uh…Commander?” “Wah… WAAAAAAH!!” “Commander?! Hold on!” I did away with my shame and bolted over there. I had already forgotten what Nelia had told me. I felt like Colette would take Vill away from me if I didn’t do something. But then, God decided I hadn’t suffered enough already. “Ah.” I tripped. My foot caught on a step, and I fell face-first onto the cobblestone. This was the second face-plant I’d been through since coming to the Netherworld. The pain and shame were the least of my worries now, though. The two girls heard me and turned around with wide eyes. “Lady Komari?” “Terakomariii? What are you doing here?! It’s time for the babies to go to sleep!” Clearly “I was just passing by” wouldn’t be a good excuse, but I was too proud to admit I’d come there to monitor them. The best course of action was obvious: play dead. “You’re eavesdropping? Just when I thought you couldn’t be any nastier, you…” Colette walked up to me in anger. Okay, I’ve come up with the perfect excuse. I’ll tell them I was on my bed when I was teleported to the rooftop all of a sudden. So I raised my head. “Huh?” Colette immediately looked to her side. I followed her gaze. We were on the seventh floor, so you could see the whole town. A regular small city. There was one irregularity, though: The sky was getting brighter in the distance. It looked like a building was on fire. The boom of an explosion followed. Then thunderous cannon fire. Then a siren. Colette shrieked and covered her ears. Was that an emergency alarm? “This doesn’t look good… The army is attacking,” Vill said. “The army?! But this is a neutral city under the control of the guild! Why would they…?” Colette shivered, pale in the face. Earlier, that old Warblade had told us the city wasn’t entirely safe. That Aruka’s army was invading neutral territory, too. “Is everyone okay?! Things took a turn for the terrible!” Nelia sped into the scene like a bullet. She then sighed in relief at the sight of us. “Aruka’s army is here. They’re gonna kill us.” “All right, time to dive into bed and pray to God,” I said. “Huh? Commander…?” “Er! I meant, it’s time to fight back against Aruka!” “We don’t need you to bluff right now. Lady Cunningham, what do you think we should do?” “Run.” Nelia spared no words. “We’re endangering the city. We should leave.” “Hmm? What do you mean?” I asked. “They’re after us.” Nelia spread the newspaper she held at her side. I stared at it. SHRINE MAIDEN ON THE RUN – ARUKAN ARMY ON THE SEARCH The shrine maiden offered by the Mulnite Empire to the Aruka Kingdom’s inner palace for the sake of reconciliation, Colette Lumiere, escaped after an accident during transport. The Aruka Kingdom declared this an act of treason on the part of the Empire. Relationships between the two countries have soured even further. The Arukan Army has accelerated its process of invading nearby countries to approach the Imperial Capital of Mulnite. It has also announced its search for the “Komari Club,” a fire-rank mercenary group who is believed to have taken the shrine maiden. His Majesty the King has demanded they be killed on the spot. It appears the flames of war are growing fiercer around the world. All innocent citizens are advised to be on the lookout. “…What the heck??” I said. “Colette was offered as a sacrifice to stop the war, but she didn’t want that and ran away. Why would they do this to her…?” Vill asked. The newspaper says why already. Colette was a member of a famous shrine maiden lineage in the Netherworld Mulnite Empire. She was of noble blood, valuable as a hostage. ““““………”””” Everyone stared at Colette. She fidgeted in silence until Vill called her name, and then she raised her head. Colette’s face was red for some reason. “C-can you blame me?! I don’t wanna be in a harem!” She screamed from the bottom of her soul. As loud and as hard as her body allowed. “They treat me like a tool! Me, an offering?! I just wanna live in peace in my hometown! And I hadn’t found my childhood friend yet! Everything would’ve been over if they’d sent me to that stupid inner palace…” Colette pulled the seams of her clothes and looked down. Anxiety, guilt, and all sorts of other emotions appeared to be boiling within her. “…The cart just toppled over by some sort of miracle… I thought the Scholar had saved me. How could I not take the opportunity? I didn’t do anything wrong. But…” Colette looked at us. Fear crossed her teary eyes. “I put you in danger… I’m sorry.” Should she have told us from the very beginning? I wasn’t so sure. I understood how she felt. If she’d told us the army might go after her, Vill could have left her behind. “Vill… I…” “Lady Komari.” Vill ignored Colette. Her mind was made up. I didn’t need to say anything. Colette looked at me on the verge of tears. I didn’t hesitate. “Don’t worry, Colette. We’re not gonna leave you here.” “Huh……?” “I am mad, though! This darn Netherworld is all messed up! There’s two suns, weird plants, and now Aruka wants to kill us…! But you’re our friend! And our guide in this world! So let’s run! Together!” “So it’s settled!” Nelia smiled. “Roger that!” Esther saluted. Colette was baffled for a moment before a smile came to her face, and she gave her thanks. “You’re nicer than I thought.” “Who do you think I am?” I responded. “Lady Colette, Lady Komari is the most generous person in this whole universe. She already forgave me for my crimes of giving her bread rolls to Lady Lolocco in exchange for a photo of her naked in the bath when she was little.” “I didn’t know about that! No way am I forgiving you for that!” “Vill, why are you so fixated on Terakomari? Did she brainwash you? It’s actually gross seeing this as a third party.” “Huh? It’s…gross…?” Vill was shocked. She deserved it. Maybe this would change her outlook so she’d become a prim and proper maid. “What’re you all blabbing about?! We have to run!” “Commander! We have to go back to our room to grab our belongings!” Nelia and Esther urged us to leave the rooftop. The turmoil in the city grew. I felt bad about it, but it was better not to look back. We had to focus on saving ourselves.