“I asked who you think you’re pointing that blade at!”
After using the portal at Sailbridge to teleport straight to the mansion, I ran out into the garden. If Melza was home, I knew she’d be there.
It wasn’t long before I was proved right—I found her just as a man in armor was about to bring his sword down upon her.
“…You… What are you doing here?” the man shouted.
Ignoring him, I ran to my fiancée’s side. “Melza! Are you okay?!”
“Yes… I’m fine. You must know such ruffians could never lay a hand on me… H-Hugh?!”
“Thank goodness… Really, thank goodness…!”
Overcome with relief, I embraced her before she could finish speaking.
Thank the heavens she’s safe…
“Hugh… Hugh…!” she exclaimed, returning the embrace. She was like a lost child reuniting with their mother.
“You! Both of you! Face me!”
As Melza and I rejoiced in each other’s safety, the armored man grew impatient. He slammed his sword into the ground and shouted at the top of his voice.
What an eyesore.
“I’m busy. Quit being a nuisance,” I growled.
Relieved that Melza was safe, I was finally able to regain my composure. Still, having our reunion disrupted had soured my mood, and I made no effort to hide my displeasure.
“…Heh-heh. I’d heard the rumors, but to think you’d actually developed feelings for that monster. Pathetic.”
“…Who are you?”
“Do you take me for a fool? Why would I attack under cover of night only to reveal all my secrets?”
Well, I couldn’t exactly argue with him there… But that wasn’t the only thing I needed from him.
“…Take back what you said.”
“Hmm? Take what back?”
“No one calls Melza a monster. Take it back,” I muttered, my voice so low I surprised even myself.
“Heh-heh… Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! What’s wrong with calling a monster a monster?! I thought it was just a rumor, but seeing my men go down right in front of me, I now know it’s true!” The man sneered. He was mocking me…and my beloved Melza. “Idiots, both of you! How dare you, a monster, forget your place and develop feelings for a human?! And you’re no better—falling for a monster!”
Ah… I could feel my heart freezing over.
Silently, a cold voice whispered in my ear, telling me to erase this worthless waste of space that dared sully the woman I love with his hateful words.
But first, I had to tell this scum what I thought of him.
“…Who exactly is the monster here?”
“What?”
“You broke into someone’s home and tried to kidnap a fifteen-year-old girl simply because you can’t hold a candle to her grandfather on the battlefield. And when your despicable scheme didn’t go your way, you insulted her and degraded her honor… It seems to me that you’re the monster.”
“…How dare you! Shut your mouth!”
I must have hit a nerve. The armored man was now furious.
“I won’t stay silent. Melza is the most wonderful and virtuous woman in the world, full of love and compassion. When no one else loved or valued me, she accepted me, embraced me, loved and supported me. You should do some self-reflection before you call her a monster. You’re the monster, you stupid, pathetic beast!”
“Enooouuugggghhh!”
Unable to take any more, the armored man raised his blade again and hoisted it over his shoulder.
“Melza… I’ll teach this man a lesson. With this—my saber—I’ll make sure he understands how amazing a woman Meltreza of Woodstock really is.”
“Hugh… Yes… Thank you…!” she exclaimed, large tears falling from her ruby-red eyes.
With that, she gently pulled away so as not to interfere with the coming fight.
“Now then…” I began, facing my foe. “I get a sense of déjà vu from you—the way you hold yourself and that longsword of yours… You’re not Gilbert, are you?”
“…?!”
At this, the man froze up as if he’d turned to stone.
“Ha-ha, I see… Then you must know what a disgrace I made of your son in front of the second prince and all those other students. And you must know I mopped the floor with him, too.”
“……”
Sure enough, the man said nothing to confirm my suspicions. He couldn’t, however, hide his indignation. His shoulders were heaving in rage, and he was repeatedly stomping his feet on the ground.
“Why don’t you come at me, then? Commander of the Imperial Guard.”
“Aaauuugggggh!”
The moment I identified him for who he was, the armored man—no, Count Gilbert MacLagan, commander of the Imperial Guard—charged at me with a deafening roar.
His movements were similar to Silas’s in several respects, but in terms of intensity and speed, there was simply no comparison.
“Ngh!”
Twisting around, the commander launched into a powerful full-bodied blow—one meant to crush me beyond recognition. But he wasn’t prepared for my skills.
“…?!”
I easily dodged the oncoming attack.
Without question, the commander of the Imperial Guard was one of the strongest individuals in the empire. But unfortunately for him…I wasn’t far behind my mentor and future father-in-law, the archduke.
“Take this!”
Swiftly drawing my saber from its sheath, I unleashed a flurry of counter blows.
Clang!
“…That’s some tough armor there,” I murmured.
“Heh-heh… Naturally. This is the finest armor there is, passed down through my family for generations. It’s crafted layer by layer, each honed to perfection. No clumsy saber could ever hope to pierce it!”
Blocking my attack seemed to have given him newfound confidence.
“Ha-ha… You brought out your prized armor for Melza…? No, you were expecting the archduke himself, weren’t you? So you’re that scared of him.”
“How dare you?!” he spat back.
The fact remained, however, that he would only have brought his ancestral armor with him if he wasn’t confident he could win in a one-on-one fight with the archduke.
But wait… If he thought he could win just by wearing a suit of armor, a guy this arrogant would simply declare himself the best in the empire right from the get-go. The fact that he hadn’t was tantamount to admitting that he didn’t think he could win against the archduke, even with his special armor.
“…Whatever. It’s time for you to learn once and for all…that I’m the archduke’s successor, and exactly what that means.”
“You little brat!”
Just as he had before, the commander lifted his sword over his shoulder, readying another charge.
I, in turn, raised my saber in front of my face and put all my weight on my back foot.
Then it was time.
“Aaauuugggh!”
In what felt like a replay of our last exchange, the commander threw himself toward me. This time, however, I had no intention of backing down. No—I would beat him head on, proving myself as the archduke’s successor.
“…?!”
Kicking off from the ground with my back foot, I leaped as close to the commander as I could, breaking past his guard.
“Whoooooaaa!”
With a fierce cry, I swung my saber down. I moved faster than the commander, reaching him long before he could so much as touch me.
Screeech…!
The shrill sound of metal twisting sounded throughout the dark garden. A moment later, it was over.
“…I-impossible… What…?!”
The commander’s armor fell apart, splendidly cleaved in two from his shoulder to his abdomen. Blood gushed from his newly inflicted wound as he fell forward onto the ground.
“He wasn’t lying about that armor being tough…”
I sighed, taking in the sorry sight of the defeated commander. Without his armor, my last blow would undoubtedly have cut his whole body in two. His claim about the armor being a family treasure of unparalleled strength had been no empty boast.
“Hugh!”
Before I knew it, Melza, who had been watching in keen silence, leaped out to catch me in an embrace.
“Melza… Did I get here in time?”
“Yes…! You protected me! You saved me! My pride, my dignity…and my heart…!”
“Thank goodness…” I buried my face in her glossy black hair, savoring its delectable scent. “…If you don’t mind, could you drink my blood? As a sign—proof that I was able to protect you? You mean so much to me, Melza… I want you to taste this victory, too, and that includes our success in defeating the bandits.”
“Hugh… Um, are you sure…?” She hesitated, peering into my eyes.
“Of course. For me, seeing you happy is the best reward of all.”
“Well… Ho-ho. In that case…” With a chuckle, she rested her lips against my neck.
Chomp.
“…Mmm… Mmm…”
After plunging her fangs into my neck and drawing first one mouthful, then a second, she gently withdrew.
“Aaah…!”
As the eastern sky began to brighten, her face lit up with a look of indescribable ecstasy.
I paused to admire Melza’s beauty, more radiant than the sunrise.