“Three people are missing.”
The moment I heard Plona’s words, I completely forgot what I was going to say.
Ahaha, Plona’s acting skills have really improved. She said it with such a sad expression that I almost fell for it.
But seeing my lethargic body bounce back with shock therapy, it seems the method had quite an effect.
Could it be that this was the prank she had prepared from the beginning? Since I had been out for so long, maybe it was to help me regain my sense of reality quickly when I opened my eyes.
If that’s the case, Plona certainly chose an effective means.
But I hope she refrains from such low-quality jokes in the future. I really got startled for a moment, thinking it was real.
“……Aria.”
Lavina? Why are you making such a face?
I already caught on. I mean, it doesn’t make sense. Logically, those three couldn’t have been caught.
They wouldn’t have lost the chance to escape, even if they couldn’t win. If they had the time to flee while carrying me, that makes sense.
Right, Eleonora wouldn’t join in on such a prank, would she? She’s always so honest and serious—
“Master, you didn’t misunderstand.”
“Eleonora.”
Unlike before, her tail drooped and her gaze was restless.
Finally, I faced the reality I hadn’t wanted to acknowledge. I had no choice but to confront it.
“W-what do you mean? But, if it were Martini or Stella, they could have easily—”
“We stayed back to buy time for us to escape… to face Luminous.”
After ending the age of vampires led by the first Progenitor, Martini and Jeil, who had survived for 1900 years in this land, which was not friendly to vampires, and even Stella, who was capable of breaking through the impenetrable Mist Labyrinth, how were they unable to escape?
Only after hearing Lavina’s intentionally vague explanation could I finally understand.
The answers were hidden in what was omitted, and predicting it was not difficult at all.
“You were trying to protect me?”
They stayed back to buy time to escape with me.
There would have been no other way to escape while carrying a burden like me.
I didn’t want to believe it. Somewhere deep inside, I had already realized the truth, but I didn’t want to accept it.
Like a ghost possessed, I staggered out of the room.
Vampires passing by the hallway looked surprised and lowered their heads, but I couldn’t care less about others’ gazes.
I had to confirm it with my own eyes. I couldn’t accept it otherwise.
“Martini.”
I looked around one by one at places they might have been.
The office, training grounds, and armory they had used right after we occupied Randell were all checked.
“Stella.”
But I couldn’t find any trace of them anywhere. Only a faint echo remained in the personal quarters assigned to the three, proving they had previously been here.
“Jeil.”
The harsh reality would not allow me to find any fragments of hope.
At some point, I lost track of where I was going and walked aimlessly.
The moment I stopped, I felt like it would all be over, so I couldn’t bring myself to stop.
Somewhere in my heart, I understood that nothing would change by doing this, but I moved my legs as if it were a compulsion, fearing the moment their deaths were confirmed.
But my weakened body couldn’t even walk properly. How frustrating it was.
“……Master.”
The moment my legs gave way and I collapsed, Eleonora, who had been keeping her distance, rushed to catch me.
Eleonora hesitantly reached out and wiped my tears, and that’s when I realized I was crying.
“Ahahaha.”
I found it amusing.
Even though I couldn’t kill Luminous, even in this pathetic state where I couldn’t even walk properly, the ability to produce worthless tears was still intact.
Eleonora carried me back to where Plona and Lavina were watching from a distance.
While they moved me to a place where they would no longer be seen, I finally faced the reality I didn’t want to accept.
“……I killed them, didn’t I.”
“Aria, that’s not true.”
“They could have escaped easily if I hadn’t been there.”
Lavina kindly denied it, but the truth didn’t change.
They died to save me. Even though I was in a state where it was uncertain whether I could be saved, they staked their lives on the slim possibility because I was still breathing.
This can’t be right. This isn’t what I wanted.
What would happen if you all died, leaving me behind, the one who owed a debt of gratitude?
You said you wanted a future for the vampires. What are you doing just leaving without seeing a new era with your own eyes?
If you leave like this… then what am I supposed to fight for now? What will I struggle for?
…Ah, right. There are still people I need to protect.
I have to protect them. I must protect them. That is my given responsibility and duty.
“Plona, Eleonora, Lavina.”
“……Yes.”
“Shall we run away like this?”
The words slipped out unconsciously. I realized what I had just said upon seeing Plona’s surprised expression.
“No, no. That’s not what I meant to say. Forget it. I’m sorry.”
What on earth am I saying? Those I have to be responsible for are not just these three.
If I can no longer repay my debt to Martini and Jeil, then it’s only natural to protect the vampires they left behind.
A wave of self-loathing washed over me. The thought of running away while ignoring those who had died at my command in front of an unbeatable enemy made me sick.
After all, I’m not fit to be king. That’s something Martini or Jeil would fit much better.
But I must do it. I must make them able to win against an unbeatable enemy.
I have to turn the impossible into the possible to prove that the choices of the three who saved me were not wrong.
Otherwise, their sacrifices would have been in vain.
*
“Is Aria going to be okay?”
“Since Eleonora followed her… the worst-case scenario shouldn’t happen.”
In response to Lavina’s worried question, Plona replied.
But it was clear that even Plona, giving that answer, did not truly believe Aria would be okay.
After all, she would have been in shock. They had been worried about the three vampires they left behind until Aria awakened, so how much more would it torment her?
—I’ll take full responsibility. But before that… could you give me just a little time alone?
Responsibility. It was a truly peculiar word. They couldn’t shake off the feeling that the term “responsibility” was binding her.
Yet, knowing it wasn’t a good choice to leave an unstable Aria alone, they couldn’t refuse her request.
No matter what kind of words of comfort they might say beside her now, she surely wouldn’t hear it.
Of course, they couldn’t afford to let Eleonora keep watch from a distance until Aria’s senses were fully restored, but they had to take that measure.
“What happened with the rebellion?”
“Fortunately, it seems it was the work of only a few nobles. I just received word that Selina dealt with it five minutes ago.”
Rebellion.
This was why Plona and Lavina were huddled together while Eleonora was tailing Aria.
Two days ago, Selina Bertica had contacted us from Bertica Duchy.
If Selina, who usually handled small protests herself, took the trouble to inform us, it must have been quite an organized movement.
The Luminous United Kingdom is fundamentally a group composed of various races centered around Aria’s charisma and overwhelming power.
Particularly from the perspective of existing entitled human nobles, the actions of the United Kingdom must have been quite disturbing, so it’s not surprising that an incident arose as soon as the absence of the queen and grand duke became known.
“At least that’s a relief. Selina’s skills must have been good after all.”
“I think that’s part of it, but according to her, the scale of the rebellion itself wasn’t very large.”
In fact, aside from the vampires, beastmen, and elf slaves liberated by Aria, it was obvious that Aria would be despised by humans, yet surprisingly, it wasn’t entirely the case.
While human resistance, who were lower-class, was indeed the greatest compared to the other races, oddly enough, Aria had garnered quite a bit of support from humans than expected.
Except for overall matters related to the United Kingdom, Aria didn’t interfere significantly with the rights of the upper nobles in Bertica Duchy or Armes Duchy. The very fact that she kept alive even the royalty of the defeated nation and made them grand dukes is proof of that.
The upper nobility obtained eternal life by becoming vampires in exchange for swearing loyalty to the queen, somewhat relinquishing their existing powers.
Since the more one has, the more afraid they are of death, they gained a long-term benefit in exchange for giving up a bit of short-term interests.
Those who rejected becoming vampires like this were purged by Selina long ago, so there shouldn’t be any discontenting members among the upper nobility who would plot a rebellion.
Even among the extremely poor and a few commoners, there was a warm welcome for the queen’s rule.
From the perspective of the residents of the slums, after Aria took power, the living conditions had drastically improved, as she guaranteed a decent life for high-quality blood.
For commoners, under the queen’s orders to promote anyone with ability regardless of human status, the doors to advancement that had previously been restricted because they weren’t aristocrats were now wide open.
The discontented individuals were the nobles of relatively low rank, like viscounts or barons.
They’re neither enough to gain privileged treatment from the vampires nor capable of proving their usefulness through merit, and the only thing they have to flaunt is their noble bloodline. They were the backbone of this rebellion.
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