Chapter 133: Monster Showdown (7)


    "H, Hey, guys."


    Witnessing the sudden, abnormally skyrocketing probabilities, Isaac Adler looked up at his subordinates with a sceptical expression.


    "... No, could it be?"


    Then, he posed a subtle question while staring at Celestia Moran and Princess y who were looking down at him with a frigid expression.


    "Y-You''ll save me, right? You won''t do anything strange, right?"


    As he started to wriggle his tied-up body while gauging their reactions, the two henchwomen exchanged subtle nces with each other.


    <i>- Stomp, step...</i>


    "Guys...?"


    Eventually, the two women moved towards Adler while keeping their silence."... Ah."


    As Moran raised the butt of her air rifle and Princess y began conjuring red mana in her hand, Adler closed his eyes with a liberated smile on his lips, epting his fate.


    <i>- Bam...!!!</i>


    In the next moment, a crisp striking sound echoed through the outskirts of the walkway.


    "...... Eh?"


    Adler, shivering with his eyes shut, soon realised that he’s consciousness hadn’t faded as he had expected. With that realisation in mind, he opened his eyes with a puzzled expression.


    "........."


    And the first thing he witnessed was the copsed Silver ze— two bumps protruding from her head and her eyes spinning into swirls.


    "What are you doing, Dad?"


    "Why are you shivering so much?"


    Adler observed the scene with his eyes blinking and a nk face… until he heard the soft voices of Moran and Princess y.


    "Did you just... grant my request?"


    "... I am your hunting dog, aren''t I, Dad?"


    "It wasn''t really for you, to be honest. I just couldn''t stand to see this poor beast forcing herself to take care of trash like you.”


    As Adler cocked his head and listened to their words, a touched expression manifested on his face.


    "Guys~"


    Staggering to his feet, Adler then slipped his arms out of the now-loose ropes and hugged Moran and Princess y tightly.


    "I love you~"


    And then, with an innocent smile and a twinkle in his eyes, he began to rub his cheeks against theirs.


    ""..........""


    As they were hugged, both looked sideways, their eyes trained on Adler, and their eyes instantly turned cold.


    "This isn''t the time or ce for this, Dad."


    "Correct, so let go of us, now."


    "Huh?"


    Both of the women spoke simultaneously at the next instant.


    "You must hide immediately."


    "... Why?"


    "This incident has drawn not only the attention of the supernatural entities but also of some suspicious and highly dangerous organisations."


    Upon hearing her reply, Adler tilted his head with a na?ve expression, prompting Princess y to sigh and begin her exnation.


    "Of course, that alone wouldn''t be a problem. However, the issue is that these groups might coborate."


    "... Coborate?"


    "Except for the damned Queen''s dogs, most are either intelligence organisations or illegal groups. Working together for amon goal is hardly an issue for them."


    "Are you certain?"


    "Our battle with the royal knights was systematically interrupted by them. The attackers included at least three types of ability users."


    With that, Princess y turned towards Adler and asked,


    "Of course, you''ve prepared for such a situation, I assume?"


    "........"


    "Wasn''t it you who devised this insane n?"


    Adler, feigning ignorance, merely shrugged his shoulders.


    "... Dunno."


    "Madman."


    Immediately, Princess y cursed under her breath and grabbed Adler by the cor, her voice raised.


    "Let’s not even talk about somehow aplishing that insane n of yours, just escaping this park isn''t even an easy task now!"


    "Ugh..."


    "And what if they catch us, huh? What are you going to do then?"


    Still appearing clueless, Adler was vigorously shaken by the princess as she vented out her anger on him.


    "... But that''s a bit strange, isn’t it?"


    At that moment, Celestia Moran, observing the scene with narrowed eyes from start to now, suddenly began questioning Princess y.


    "Weren''t you just reluctantly being manipted after falling for Dad''s schemes?”


    "........."


    “Isn''t it better for Dad to be captured by them than to continue being treated like a cat or cleaning the hideout while wearing a maid''s outfit?”


    Hearing that, the light in Princess y''s eyes began to dim.


    "..... Isn’t that right, Princess?"


    Moran, with a sly voice, began to subtly prod her.


    "Moran...?"


    Adler, sweating profusely as he watched the princess looking dazed as if she had just received an awakening after hearing those words, quietly whispered to Moran, who was still looking up at him.


    "Why suddenly bring this up?"


    "You should be reviving the vampires, not wasting time here."


    But Moran, still staring intently at Adler, continued to hold onto the princess''s sleeve and carried on the conversation.


    "........."


    <i>… Dad is surrounded by too many women.</i>


    As a result of her subtle prodding, the silent Princess y began gazing intently at Adler, her lips quietly curling upwards.


    <i>I alone am enough...</i>


    "Hmph, I know that too!"


    However, right that instant, the princess crossed her arms, whipped her head around, and raised her voice once more.


    "If my powers hadn''t been sealed by Adler, I would have betrayed him long ago!"


    "If you say that in front of me..."


    "But since I still haven''t recovered enough strength to defeat a true vampire, I have no choice but to live in captivity..."


    "...Lies."


    Looking up at the princess with a cold gaze, Moran began to speak. Her icy voice started to resound through the walkway, piercing through the princess’ mumblings.


    "Is that something someone who wiped out half the knights with just a few drops of blood should say?"


    "........"


    "Andst time, when it was just us, you coldly turned away the subordinates who came to our hideout to rescue you…”


    "Uh, ugghh! I''m already running out of strength!"


    In a panic, Princess y covered her mouth, twisting her body unnaturally.


    "Don''t misunderstand, you bastard!"


    She then turned her gaze toward Adler and began raising her voice.


    "... I, I will."


    But her outburst was short-lived. Soon, she began to stutter, eyes downturned.


    "I''ll protect you."


    As her words ended, a brief silence ensued in the walkway.


    "Pardon?"


    "I''m not doing this because I''m worried about you or like you! It’s only because I’ve been using you all this time, that''s all!"


    As Adler stared at her with a nk gaze, the princess blushed and screamed out loud.


    "Just, just… It’s just that the existence of a true vampire is helpful in a multitude of ways for rekindling the Red Mana Alliance, so..."


    "........"


    "I''m just reluctantly helping you, a nuisance, at my own expense. So consider it an honour."


    Upon hearing this, a genuinely flustered expression began to appear on Adler''s face.


    <i>… At this point, do I really need to get kidnapped?</i>


    <strong><em>Deliberately creating a situation where the monsters fight each other and the unknown, suspicious groups coborate, isting Princess y, who is clearly the least loyal.</em></strong>


    "Princess, but..."


    "H, How dare you! I will not entertain objections. Remember, royal British blood flows through my veins."


    It was because his perfect n was increasingly going awry with each passing second.


    "... How will you protect me?"


    "I, I could just kidnap you from here."


    "What?"


    "It’s a staged act. I’ll divert their attention to the Red Mana League that I oversee."


    Thus, when Adler threw a puzzled question, the Princess immediately proposed a solution— a feat befitting the fourth smartest woman in London.


    "The League is scattered all over Britain, so we could buy some time to escape to America or even a third country."


    "... And after that?"


    "W, We settle in a new ce and start afresh."


    The suggestion seemed quite normal and appealingpared to the insane solutions he was used to hearing from all the women in his life, causing Adler’s gaze to waver ever so slightly.


    "... I, I''ll pretend to be your wife. To gather all the vampires scattered across the country, we''ll need the authority you possess as a true vampire."


    "......"


    "Of course! It will merely be a masked performance! Even that would be an honour for someone who is merely a hostage in a kidnapping y!"


    Having said her piece in a loud voice, the princess crossed her arms and turned her head aside.


    "If you are unwilling, just say so..."


    "But, Princess."


    Adler, gazing intently at her, raised a question with a look of confusion.


    "... If this kidnapping act goes on forever, wouldn’t it be no different from marriage?"


    "What did you just say?"


    She eximed, visibly shocked.


    "How dare you!"


    However, apparently, there was nothing else she had to say. Hence, no reply came after her outcry.


    "..... Dad."


    In the meantime, Celestia Moran had quietly approached next to Adler and began whispering while holding onto his sleeve.


    "I will kidnap you, for real, I mean."


    "........"


    "I’ll tie you up with chains and inflict a bit of harm here and there, nothing serious. And then, I’ll circte the photos among the monsters and the unknown organisations after us."


    "... Huh?"


    "On the back of the photo, I''ll even write a message saying, ."


    Her eyes glinted darkly under the moonlight.


    "That way, no one will chase after you anymore. It’s several times safer than the Princess’s method."


    "But Moran..."


    "I’ve done this plenty of times, so I can pull it off wlessly... What?"


    "... How is that different from real kidnapping?"


    Adler asked in a slightly frightened voice, but again, no answer came.


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    "In my opinion, both options aren''t particrly good."


    ".........!?"


    Until that moment, that is. A vaguely familiar, yet not at the same time, voice began to echo from the walkway covered in fog.


    "Isn''t that so, Isaac?"


    "Professor...?"


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    Meanwhile, at that time, in London''s finest hospital.


    "Miss Jane Moriarty. Did you sleep well?"


    "Hmmmh."


    Professor Jane Moriarty opened her eyes in her single hospital room and stretchednguidly as she faced her attending doctor.


    "Your recovery speed is unbelievable for a human, I’m positively astonished. It seems you can be discharged soon..."


    "... Thank you."


    Hearing this, she thanked her with a grateful look, a sharp re hidden within, and began imbuing her concealed hand with grey mana.


    "However, it would have been better had you not made that stateme..."


    "Pardon?"


    But just before her grey mana could im another life, the professor retracted her mana altogether. She even stopped speaking mid-sentence and made a startled expression for some reason.


    "Ah!?"


    Abruptly, she rose from her bed the next moment, beads of cold sweat leaking down her forehead.


    "Adler..."


    Ever since the day she met Isaac Adler, she had been constantly watching over him; however, now, his presence seemed strangely obscured, as if veiled by smoke— the cause of her anxiety and /genesisforsaken