Chapter 8 Part 23
Translator : PolterGlast
Unlike the glamorous
and bustling reception hall, the school building was quiet at night.
Jihad guided Nozomu to
his office in the school.
Jihad turned on the
room's magic light and urged Nozomu to sit on the sofa. They took their seats
facing each other.
"I think we're
good here."
"So, what do you
mean by not getting involved with Iris?"
In response to
Nozomu's question, Jihad poured water from the jug in his hand into a glass and
gulped it down in one gulp.
Jihad opened his mouth
slowly as he looked down at the empty glass he had just drank.
“First of all, let me
tell you what Victor-dono told me regarding this matter. According to him, a
representative of the Waziart family will be visiting the academy at this
party. Also, they would like to hold a meeting here in Arcazam to discuss the
soon-to-be concluded agreement between Forsina and the Dizzard Empire."
Victor told Jihad that
once the agreement had been concluded at the meeting, the agreement would
become effective and diplomatic relations between the two countries would be
established.
"Regarding this
matter, Arcazam's council has given its approval. There is no doubt that
Arcazam's position is ideal for the first agreement with the Dizzard Empire,
which until now has not established diplomatic relations with any
country."
At the same time, if
things went well, it would be possible to bring information, human resources,
and technology from the Dizard Empire to Arcazam.
Not only that, but
Dizzard Empire's side could also establish a precedent of negotiations and
consultations with other countries, which would facilitate the numerous
inter-state negotiations that would take place in the future.
Nozomu also understood
what Jihad meant and nodded quietly.
“We believe that the
reason the head of the Waziart family, a prominent figure in the Dizzard
Empire, attended this party was to make this agreement known. That was probably
done in consideration of the national security of Forsina Kingdom, the benefits
to Dizzard Empire, and the impact on the various countries. The party was
originally intended to be a meeting place for the students of Solminati Academy
and the dignitaries of various countries, but under certain circumstances, such
as in this case, some consideration was given."
Originally, the main
purpose of the party was to build bridges between participating students and
various countries, but as long as dignitaries from other countries gather, it
was inevitable that situations such as negotiations and discussions between
countries would occur there.
For this reason,
Arcazam also took into consideration the tacit understanding to a certain
extent, and did not condemn the event.
Although Vitora's
participation was quite unexpected even for the school, the participation of
Waziart family in the party itself was not a problem.
“But if there is a
possibility of danger to the school's students, it would be a different story.
Especially in the case of an important student like you, who is in potential
danger from the vampire princess ..."
Originally, when
Victor told the school that a representative of the Waziart household would be
coming to Arcazam, the school had planned to have Jihad attend the meeting.
When it came to
dealing with such a powerful person from a foreign country, there was no one
but Jihad who was qualified for the job.
However, as it turned
out, even Jihad was no match for them. This made it impossible for the school
to keep the Waziart household in check by force, in case of emergency.
Furthermore, what the
school did not expect was that the head of Waziart household had a peculiar
interest in a certain person.
Moreover, the school
had to be wary of this particular person, a student to whom the school had
given a great deal of attention.
"Regarding this
agreement, the academy is not aware of the backstory of the Francilt and
Waziart households, but we do have some idea of Victor-dono's thoughts
regarding the purpose of the agreement."
The purpose of the
agreement was to ensure the national security of the Forsina Kingdom.
Jihad understood that
it was a move to keep its powerful neighboring country, the Cremazzone Empire,
in check.
And his thinking was
almost the same as Victor's aim.
"The problem is
that Victor-dono may have been using you from the beginning to bring the
Waziart household into the public eye."
"…… What do you
mean?"
"That vampire
princess is not even showing interest in the person with whom she is making the
agreement, Victor-dono. It is not difficult to imagine who would want to
establish this agreement."
It was the Francilt
family, not the Waziart family, that wanted to establish the agreement.
And Jihad believed
that Victor himself also understood that Vitora was not interested in him.
"I don't know to
what extent, but at least in my opinion, it is by no means unlikely that he
used you to gain the interest of the Waziart family."
Whether Viktor might
have used the enormous bait called Nozomu to draw the Waziart household into
negotiations was a concern that came to the surface of Jihad's mind.
"This event is
held for the future of the students, and although there may be some political
bargaining, the way Victor used you as a pretext and gave you away as a prize
is unacceptable. In fact, there is still a great deal of commotion in the
venue."
Regardless of Victor's
true intentions, Jihad could not tolerate any behavior that would cause harm to
the students.
From the school's
point of view, it would be a natural decision.
Especially in the case
of a particularly sensitive student like Nozomu, who could be both peculiar and
dangerous.
Therefore, Jihad
clearly stated to Nozomu:
"You are a
student of Solminati."
Behind those words, he
clearly meant, "You are not to be involved in this agreement at all."
And once again, the
academy had made it clear that they would not be involved in any way with the
Francilt family, even if they did not say so.
"... Iris,
too-."
"But before that,
she is the next head of the Francilt family. The premise is different."
Nozomu stated that
Irisdina was also a student like him, but his words were easily denied by
Jihad.
Irisdina Francilt is
the next head of the Francylt household of Forsina, one of the biggest
contributors to the current turmoil.
Hence, Irisdina's
duties as a head of the family come with her obligations as a landlord.
On the other hand,
Nozomu's position is that of a commoner student, regardless of his ability.
Even if he possessed
some kind of extraordinary power, he would have no political influence or
responsibility at this point.
"Your true identity
has not been made public, but if it were known, who knows where it would affect
you? Moreover, you have no control over that power yet."
Moreover, Nozomu's
control of his power was still unstable.
Rather, the very fact
that he is "hiding" such power could lead not only to a political
bomb, but also to a real disaster.
"It is too
dangerous for you to be involved with the Waziart household right now. Both for
you and for your friends."
“……”
He wanted to be of
help. No matter how much he thought and wished so, the reality was like a
chain, entangling Nozomu's legs.
Understanding the
problems he now faced and Irisdina's current situation, Nozomu clenched his
fists and bit his lip in frustration.
"I don't want you
to misunderstand me, I am not abandoning them. The fact that Victor invited the
Waziart family to this city and made it known to the public means that the
terms of the agreement have almost been agreed upon. I can only assume that they
are at least talking about making it public."
Seeing Nozomu's
condition, Jihad continued his words slowly, perhaps with the intention of
comforting him
"Until the
agreement is made official, it's better for her and for you to maintain some
distance. Do you understand?"
“…………”
Nozomu clenched his
fists as if to stifle the sense of frustration and helplessness spreading deep
in his chest.
As if to show his
frustration, blood dripped from his palm, carving red spots on the white marble
floor.
==============================
While Nozomu was in
the midst of meeting with Jihad, Irisdina was silently questioning her own
father in the carriage on the way home.
In the rattling
carriage, Irisdina's stern gaze was fixed on Victor.
Viktor, on the other
hand, was looking out the window as if he didn't give a damn about such a look
from his daughter.
"Father, what
does this mean?"
In response to
Irisdina's question, which could be called impolite, Victor glanced at her,
exhaled deeply once, and opened his mouth.
"First of all,
the secret agreement that our ancestors had made with the Waziart family has
been annulled due to the loss of the written contract between the two families.
However, the fact that the Francilt family had a secret agreement in the past
does not disappear, and above all, if we unilaterally break the contract, there
will still be friction between us and the Waziart family."
"Is this some
kind of an agreement to dissolve that, and then hide it from the public? What
are the details?"
"I will not go
into the details, but I will say that it is a restricted trade agreement. We
will pay all the necessary costs for the implementation of the agreement. That
is the terms of the agreement."
Irisdina nodded in
understanding upon hearing Victor's words.
From the point of view
of the Waziart family, the Francilt family is a family of wrongdoers who had
reneged on a past agreement.
Regardless of the fact
that Irisdina and Victor were unaware of the existence of the secret agreement,
it was a family matter and had nothing to do with the Waziart family.
That was why, in order
to wash away that stigma, they had to present and hand over something more than
what corresponded to it.
For this reason,
Victor had promised the Waziart family that he would provide them with a great
deal of financial resources.
"The purpose of
this agreement is not only to hide the secret agreement, but also to bring the
Waziart family and the Dizzard Empire into the public eye and to strengthen the
national security of our country and, by extension, of the continent. I have
already spoken to the king about this agreement."
For the current
Francilt family, the past secret agreements are a deadly poison, but that
poison can also be a medicine when used in the right way.
If it was about
compensation for unilaterally breaking the past secret agreements, money might
seem to be an easier option, but once a great deal of money was involved, it
would be impossible to deceive the eyes of the public.
If this were to
happen, the secret agreements that the Francilt family had made would also come
to light.
To prevent such a
reeking mess from spreading uncontrolled, a suitable cover story could be put
together by involving those with whom one shared an interest and shared a
common secret.
And the fewer and more
powerful the parties to be involved, the better.
In this sense,
Victor's persuasion of his country's king to bring him in was undoubtedly the
best move he could have made.
The problem was that
the Waziart family is a vampire and has had conflicting relations with the
human race in the past, but this too could be minimized by limiting the places,
people, and goods with which they trade.
Furthermore, if the
Francilts were to provide all of their assets, it would make them look good,
and to a certain extent, it would keep the pursuit of those from other families
who were unaware of the situation to a minimum.
Of course, Irisdina
understood this as well. She would also make the same choice if she could.
"I understand
your reasons for fulfilling the agreement. But I don't think that's the only
reason ......"
What Irisdina was
concerned about was whether Nozomu would be included in their "offer"
to the Waziart family.
At the moment, Nozomu
is a student at the Solminati Academy and has no direct relationship with the
Francilt family or the Forsina Kingdom externally.
However, such things
were irrelevant in the world of politics.
There were plenty of
excuses to be made, and plenty of ways to get things done.
And Irisdina knew that
her father, too, would use devious means if he had to.
In fact, Victor
responded to the great invasion ten years ago by using such means.
"Whichever path
we take, we have no choice but to press our way through. We have to rinse out
the wrongdoings caused by our ancestors..."
"So you would
even use your benefactors for that purpose?"
Irisdina let out a
groan as she bit her lip tightly...
A burning rage welled
up and burned deep in her chest.
What Victor was doing
was a very natural thing for a politician to do.
If the agreement with
the Dizzard Empire further strengthened the national security of Forsina, and
if many other countries followed suit and established relations with the
Empire, it would be a trump card against the demon beasts' invasion that might
occur again, and it would contribute to the stability of the continent.
In the long run, it
would be a good thing, an agreement that would benefit the Francilt family,
Forsina, and the Dizzard Empire. To put it bluntly, it seemed almost perfect.
But there was no such
thing as perfect politics. Behind the pleasant words and results, there would
always be someone else's invisible sweat and blood.
And this
"someone" is likely to be a figure that Irisdina will not be able to
ignore.
For Irisdina, this was
something unacceptable.
"Irisdina,
protecting something also means not protecting the other thing at the same
time. You know that, don't you?"
Perhaps reading his
daughter's fury, Victor's gaze and words were directed at Irisdina, not as a
father, but as a politician.
His sharp, piercing,
rock-like eyes and heavy voice rapidly pulled the spirit of the next head of
the Francilt family out of Irisdina and rapidly cooled her agitated emotions.
And Irisdina, whose
raging emotions were rapidly cooled, was forced to understand even more deeply
the situation in which they were now placed.
Now that things had
grown so serious, the Francilt family had to make this agreement at any cost if
they wanted to survive.
If they failed, the
Francilt family would face retribution from the Waziart family and lose the
king's trust.
And they would fall in
the blink of an eye.
Even if they could
survive as nobles, at the very least, the families that Irisdina held dear
would surely be ruined.
Victor would be held responsible
and imprisoned, and Irisdina and her family would be forced to leave under the
influence of their political opponents and relatives who would try to evade
their responsibility.
The consequences after
that would be beyond imagination.
Therefore, in order
for the Francilt family to survive, this agreement had to be concluded at all
costs.
"But things were
more complicated than I thought."
And the brilliant mind
of Irisdina, as the next head of the Francilt family, had incisively raised the
offer of Nozomu Bountis to Vitora as one of the most viable options.
"~ ..."
At the same time, a
sense of disgust, as if a centipede were crawling all over her body, and a
chill, as if she had been left under a winter sky, enveloped Irisdina.
Irisdina hugged
herself to endure the biting chill and disgust.
Victor's eyes were
cold, which was unimaginable from his usual childlike nature.
"Do you have any
other questions?"
“…………”
"Then we're done
talking."
Before she knew it,
the carriage had already arrived at the gate of the Francilt mansion.
The maid who had come
to meet them reverently opened the carriage door, and Victor disappeared into
the mansion with Mena, without even looking back at his daughter.
For a moment, Irisdina
sat stunned on the seat of the carriage, but eventually she got out of the
carriage in a groggy manner.
Her complexion had
turned so pale that it was recognizable even in the dark of night.
"Ane-sama……"
"Somia..."
Upon hearing the word
"Ane-sama", Irisdina raised her eyes and saw Somia coming out of the
mansion and walking right in front of her.
Somia was the intended
target of the secret agreement.
Perhaps she had been
told about the matter beforehand, but her expression was tinged with anxiety and
concern, and her eyes were brimming with tears.
“Ane-sama, u-, um… are you okay…?”
Irisdina's intelligent
younger sister, although she already understood the situation she was in, was
concerned about her sister's haggard condition.
Seeing her healthy and
lovely appearance, Irisdina forced herself to put a lid on the disgust that
welled up in her, and mobilized all the muscles in her face to smile.
"It's all right.
Don't worry."
"But ... about
Nozomu-san..."
Irisdina smiled to
reassure her sister, but Somia's expression did not clear up at all. As if that
wasn't enough, Irisdina reached for Somia's head.
"It's okay. I
will never let anyone touch either him or Somia."
Perhaps, wanting to
reassure her little sister, Irisdina kept stroking her beloved sister's head
slowly, putting her feelings into it as best she could.
"It's alright,
it'll be alright..."
She kept saying so, as
if telling herself, over and over again...
===============================
After returning to his
room in the mansion, Victor went to the liquor cabinet at the end of the room
and quickly took out a bottle of liquor, opened the cork, and slurped it down
in one gulp.
What he gulped down
was the distilled liquor that Madam Parline liked to drink.
The strong, burning
sensation of the liquor burning his throat almost made Victor choke, but he
forced himself to gulp it down, as if he were trying to swallow down the
discomfort that was rising up from his stomach.
In the blink of an
eye, more than half of the bottle's remaining liquor had disappeared into
Victor's gut.
"~ ... Damn
it!"
Even after drinking
the entire contents of the bottle, Victor's frustration did not disappear.
As if to dispel his
unquenchable discomfort, he threw the empty bottle in his hand against the
wall.
The bottle smashed
against the marble wall and shattered with a hard, crashing sound.
Not paying attention
to the scattered pieces of the bottle, Victor grabbed another bottle of liquor
from the liquor cabinet. A bottle of liquor was far too little to relieve his
current frustration.
At that moment, there
was a knock at the door.
Victor replies in a
rough tone, "come in", and the door opened to reveal Mena.
"Viktor-sama."
"... Mena. How is
Somia doing?"
"Miss Somiriana
is refusing to leave her room along with Miss Irisdina."
"I see. Somia
should take a break from school for a while. At least until this matter is over
..."
Opening the lid of the
bottle in his hand, Victor gulped down another bottle of liquor.
The second bottle
Victor picked up was a fermented liquor made from grain that had come from the
East.
The price alone of
this expensive gem is even more expensive than the distilled liquor, but Victor
gulped down almost half of it in one gulp.
At the sight of her
Master, Mena frowned for a moment, but she kept a composed and unaffected
demeanor.
“What about Miss
Irisdina?”
“Irisdina will be
attending the school as usual, because we need her to get in touch with that
brat."
Victor believed that
the school had already warned Nozomu to stay away from the Francilt family.
And, in fact, as
Victor thought, Jihad had advised Nozomu to do so.
Contrary to Jihad's
concerns, however, Victor did not use Nozomu for political purposes.
It would be too risky,
politically and technically.
However, the situation
was already imminent.
Considering all the
circumstances, the Francilt family had to take all possible measures.
Perhaps a little less
irritated after gulping down a large amount of liquor all at once, Victor began
to drink the other half by taking small sips of the remaining contents.
For a moment, a
silence passed between Victor and Mena.
"Was that so
unexpected?"
It was Mena who broke
the silence.
In her tone of voice,
which sounded like she was confirming something, one could sense a certain
conviction in it.
"About
what?"
"For the head of
the Waziart household visited us in person. That has never happened
before."
"Well,
yeah..."
Vitora's sudden visit
was unexpected, even for Victor.
The head of the
Waziart family didn't even show up at the previous negotiations, let alone at
the apology meeting Victor went to in person.
Of course, Victor had
heard from Irisdina that Rugato had told her that Vitora was not interested in
the secret agreement, but this was not sufficient to make a conclusion.
At first, Victor thought
that Rugato's words were a message that he was not interested in listening to
what they had to say, but after persistent negotiations, he realized that
Vitora was not at all interested in the Francilt family or the past secret
agreements.
If Vitora had been so
determined to fulfill the past secret agreements, she would have come to
Arcazam long ago to reap Somia's soul, without regard to the eyes of those
around her.
She is a monster with
that kind of audacity and the power to push through her arrogance.
"Damn, I didn't
expect the consequences of cleaning up after the foolish people of the past to
be so messy ......."
Victor's prediction
was decisively off the mark because of the sudden change of heart of the head
of the Waziart family.
The name of Nozomu had
never been mentioned in the negotiation process up to this point, nor had it
ever been mentioned by the Waziart family.
Negotiations were
going well, and for Victor, it was more difficult to negotiate with his own
family's relatives and with the various parties involved.
This was partly
because Rugato was trying to smooth things over for his own master and people,
who were not interested in the Francilt family or the secret agreement.
In other words, Victor
did not even need to use Nozomu politically in the first place.
"Sir, who in the
world leaked Nozomu-sama's identity to the Waziart family?"
"Given the
timing, the most suspicious person is Egrod. If he doesn't know about the
existence of the beings keeping an eye on Nozomu Bountis or the fact that he is
currently unable to control his powers, then it is quite possible."
Although it was
possible that it was the chairman of Arcazam who had heard about his true
identity with him, in the first place, Egrod's underlings were also residing in
this city.
As for Jihad, he
believed that it was almost certainly Egrod who leaked Nozomu's identity to the
Waziart family, and that Mekria, his close aide, was involved in the matter.
"Sir, is there
any chance that Zonne-dono will make a move on this matter?…”
"I doubt it. That
old man is a dragon, and this is only a matter between human races."
Zonne is currently
teaching Nozomu as a Dragon Slayer, but his position is that of a mentor, but
at the same time, he is a guardian of Tiamat.
His position is both
delicate and peculiar. He is monitoring Tiamat, while at the same time teaching
Nozomu.
However, he is only
cooperating with them as a dragon race.
Naturally, there is no
reason for him to cooperate with the human race, and he would not try to interfere.
"Besides,
Zonne-dono is testing that brat. He won't intervene unless it's really the
worst-case scenario."
And for Zonne, the
crisis of the Francilt family was not a matter for him to meddle in.
He only intervened in
Azel's case because Tiamat was about to be resurrected by the intervention of
the Dragon Race.
More importantly for
Viktor, the current situation put the Francilt family in a state of isolation.
With just a single
prediction gone awry, the situation was quickly being driven into a dead-end
situation.
(It's lucky that we
are not being removed from Arcazam, but we can no longer get the school to
cooperate with us...)
Jihad told Victor,
"I can't help you any more", but he did not say, "Get out of
Arcazam."
He kept the school
neutral, but left the Francilt and Waziart families open to negotiation.
Victor understood that
this was the best compromise Jihad could make.
(So the rest is up to
me…)
Once again, Victor
made up his mind and took out an envelope from the drawer of his office desk in
a firm, steady manner, despite his heartbeat and intense heat caused by the
rapid consumption of alcohol.
White, lavishly
decorated, and bearing the seal of the Francilt family, it was used by the head
of the Francilt family to personally announce his intentions.
"...... Mena, I
have something to entrust you with."
"Are you sure? If
I were to hand over this letter, I'm afraid the ladies would resent you for
it..."
Victor handed an
envelope to Mena, who, perhaps sensing the contents of the envelope, asked her
master with a slight furrow of her brow.
"Of course, I'm
prepared for that. I will not change what I will do. I will definitely protect
them."
As Victor made his
declaration seriously yet forcefully, Mena sensed her master's determination
and bowed her head deeply.
