Chapter 8 Part 27
Translator : PolterGlast
Early in the morning,
two days after Irisdina was told by her father about the agreement with the
Waziart family. She was walking alone on her way to the school.
Combined with her
originally dignified appearance, she had always had an ethereal atmosphere, but
this morning she was covered in an icy atmosphere, as if she were in an ice
field.
Passersby were
intimidated by Irisdina's menacing atmosphere, their faces tightened, and they
quickly moved away from her.
Seeing the frightened
reactions of those around her, Irisdina sighed.
"This is not
good. I can't even mend my expression..."
Realizing that her
emotions were leaking out, she repeatedly took deep breaths, trying to calm her
raging heart.
Little by little, the
raging emotions that had been leaking out of her body gradually subsided.
At the same time,
Irisdina put a lid on her own mind to prevent her emotions from getting too
riled up and leaking out again.
She was used to this
kind of emotional control. This was something that could not be avoided if she
had lived in an aristocratic society.
While being aware of
her own frozen heart, Irisdina thought about what she was going to do.
(The reason my father
wants me to continue attending the academy is so that I can use Nozomu as a
bargaining chip when the time comes. However, I can't bring myself to put him
in front of that woman again ...)
Having witnessed
firsthand Nozomu's out-of-control state and having actually crossed blades with
him, Irisdina understood that his current state was as dangerous as walking on
needles.
More than anything,
Irisdina is indebted to Nozomu in a way that she could never repay him.
He saved her sister's
life when her soul was about to be extracted, and for that, Irisdina still
couldn't thank him enough.
She would never allow
herself to use him as something like a bargaining chip.
More than anything
else, her own feelings reject the idea of offering Nozomu to the vampire
princess with all her might.
But Irisdina's
thinking and reasoning as a noblewoman calmly impose that his presence is
necessary to protect Somia.
Contradictory
thoughts. The conflicting emotions and reasons. In the midst of endlessly
repeated unanswerable questions, Irisdina shook her head to refresh her
thoughts once again.
The final settlement
of negotiations for the agreement has not yet begun.
Of course, Irisdina's
groundless fears would disappear if the negotiations went off without a hitch,
but she could not believe that the head of the Waziart family, who had just
shown up, would remain silent at the final round of negotiations.
Victor thought the
same way as Irisdina, which was why he had decided to keep Irisdina attending
the academy.
(But what should I do?
Dizzard Empire has no ties to any other country. The connections of the
Francilt family and myself are meaningless.)
Whoever the
negotiation partner is, if there is a certain degree of previous interaction
with the other party, then that relationship can be used to force the other
party to compromise on the terms and conditions. But in the case of the current
one, with whom Francilt is establishing diplomatic relations for the first
time, there are almost no precedents or ties that can be used to gain the upper
hand in negotiations.
(Why did father decide
to push for the negotiation with the Waziart family in the first place...)
Victor had said that a
monetary solution alone would leave a lasting trail, but as time went on and
Irisdina independently obtained information from her own connections, she
slowly, but surely, began to understand the concerns that her father was not
telling her about.
(Concerns about the
convergence of the factional conflicts in the Cremazzone Empire and the rapid
expansion of military forces...)
In recent years, the
Cremazzone Empire has been in turmoil due to factional strife, but the turmoil
in that country seemed to have been settled a few months ago when one faction,
the Vuitton faction, purged the main leaders of the opposing factions.
As a result, the
countries bordering the empire were worried that the eyes of the empire would
turn toward the outside of the country.
Moreover, there seemed
to be some disturbing movements within the Vuitton faction, which had been
victorious within the empire, and this further stimulated the wariness of the
various countries.
Currently, the
Cremazzone Empire and Forsina, as well as the power of the various countries,
are in a state of balance.
However, the empire
originally possessed great potential national power, both in terms of resources
and population.
If it were to be
unleashed, the power structure of the continent could change drastically, which
the upper echelons of the various countries believed would happen within a few
years.
(So that is why both
father and the king decided to establish diplomatic relations with the Dizzard Empire...)
In short, the essence
of the negotiations this time was not about to ensure greater national
security, but about avoiding an imminent crisis.
The word
"national security" might mean the same thing, but it has a
completely different connotation.
Given the urgency of
the situation, Irisdina could no longer do anything about it on her own.
(As far as the country
is concerned, if we don't have diplomatic relations with the Dizzard Empire,
the balance of rivalry with the Empire will be broken within a few years.
However, I don't think that Vitora will be so naive as to sign the
agreement...)
Irisdina looked up to
the sky as she recalled Vitora's appearance at the opening ceremony.
She was the focus of
attention not only from the masses but also from high-ranking nobles, yet she
had the ability to act without any regard for the eyes of those around her, and
the charisma to bring those around her into her life whether they wanted to or
not. Although she is a person who is the epitome of arrogance, she also has
more presence as a monarch than anyone Irisdina has ever known.
(Even so, I cannot let
Nozomu and Somia be involved in this negotiation. No matter what it takes, I
have to make sure that the negotiation is concluded on terms that exclude those
two...)
If the negotiations
fail, it was easy for Irisdina to imagine that either her beloved sister or her
beloved love, or both, would be hurt.
The oath she swore as
a child to protect her family, her longing as a girl, and her sense of duty as
a nobleman are once again violently fighting each other deep in Irisdina's
heart, and the pain is like being stabbed with countless needles.
(There is no such
thing like a castle that cannot be penetrated. There must be something.
Something...)
The final negotiations
have not yet begun.
While reminding
herself of this fact, Irisdina continued to desperately circulate her thoughts,
which were becoming dulled by impatience.
It was like searching
for a single flower in a forest shrouded in fog.
"Good morning.
Ai."
Irisdina's thoughts
were interrupted by a bell-like, dainty voice that called her.
She looked over to see
Tima, dressed in her school uniform.
Behind her were the
usual friends, including Nozomu, Mars, and Shina.
Perhaps because she
had been thinking about Nozomu earlier, the moment Irisdina's gaze caught sight
of the person she was thinking of, her heart, which should have been frozen,
shuddered with a heavy thump, and the emotions that should have been covered up
almost erupted at once.
"Good morning, Iris."
"Yes. Good
morning, everyone."
Irisdina managed to
hold back her shaking heart and tried to keep her tone flat.
Nozomu's gaze turned
to the side of Irisdina. He was checking on Somia, who was always next to
Irisdina when she went to school. But today, the girl who should always be
there is not there.
"Where is
Somia-chan?"
"She is taking
the day off. Somia has been targeted by the Waziart family before, so she's
staying at the mansion until negotiations are finalized."
"I see..."
Somia has been ordered
by Victor to remain at the Francilte mansion until the negotiations with the
Waziarlt family were concluded.
In response to
Irisdina's matter-of-fact words, Nozomu, who understood the situation, fell
silent, not knowing what to say to her.
A moment of silence
flowed between the two of them.
Both Nozomu and
Irisdina felt as if there was a bottomless valley lying between them.
"Let's hurry up,
we're going to be late."
Prompted by Irisdina's
words, Nozomu and the others also started walking towards the school.
Nozomu and Irisdina
were walking in the front, followed by Shina, Mimuru, Tima, Mars, and Feo.
As they walked down
the main street leading to the school, Nozomu asked Irisdina, who was walking
next to him, a straightforward question.
"Iris, about the
negotiations with the Waziart family, is it really possible to establish
diplomatic relations with vampires in the first place?"
What Nozomu was
concerned about was whether it was possible for a great noble family of a great
nation to establish diplomatic relations with vampires, beings that suck human
blood.
"Actually, the
past head of my household has made secret agreements with them. However, it was
done a long time ago, and probably it would be impossible now... well, at
least, that's how we perceive it..."
Irisdina, on the other
hand, sounded as if she was recalling something in response to Nozomu's
question. Irisdina began to talk about the current position of vampires while
raising another question.
"For Nozomu and
the others, how do you think vampires are ?"
"Umm, a
blood-sucking creature? Or a powerful race that can turn themselves into bats,
or have tremendous regenerative and magical powers?"
"And there's also
a story about how they turn people into monsters."
"Well, yeah. I
suppose that is the general perception of vampires."
Irisdina quietly
nodded her head in affirmation of what Mars and the others who were walking
behind her were adding to what she was saying.
Vampires have a
history of being recognized and persecuted as beings that turn people into
monsters.
The impression of
vampires on the Arkmill continent is that they are monsters that are
irreconcilable with people, regardless of whether they are human or demi-human.
In fact, there are
still stories in the villages and towns of many countries of people being
turned into monsters by vampires, and the vampires being defeated by heroes.
"... Have any of
you ever met a vampire other than those of the Waziart family?"
"N-, no, I
haven't..."
Everyone present
except Irisdina nodded in agreement with Nozomu's answer.
Not to mention Mars,
who originally lived in Arcazam and Nozomu, who came from a rural village, and
Shina, an elf who escaped the Great Invasion, even Mimuru and Feo, who both
were beastmen, had never met a vampire before.
"I suppose so.
Hardly anyone on the continent has ever actually met a vampire. It should be
impossible. After all, since the establishment of the Dizzard Empire, vampires
have been holed up almost completely within the Empire. The main reason why vampires
have been exclusively regarded as a species that harms people is because they
'suck blood and turn people into monsters'. However, recent research in Arcazam
proves that is not true."
"...Eh?"
"A research
published some time ago showed that vampires do not intentionally turn people
into monsters."
Nozomu and the others
were surprised to learn this unexpected fact.
If this were the case,
it would mean that all the old tales and common beliefs were completely false.
"But even the
school's library is..."
In the midst of all
this, Tom voiced his doubts.
In order to study
alchemy, he often went to libraries and other sources, and among them, he found
references about vampires.
And in one of those
references, it said that as far as vampires are concerned, they turn all those
whose blood they have sucked into the same vampire.
"The resources in
the school's library come from all over the world, but many of them are old.
Especially the more recent materials are often placed in a separate section of
the library, and some of them are not in the library, but in the Gloaurum
Institution."
However, Irisdina
flatly dismissed Tom's words.
Arcazam has one of the
best research institutions on the Arkmill continent, the Gloaurum Institution.
The latest research,
in particular, is conducted continuously at the Gloaurum Institute, so
materials are sometimes kept in the institute's building instead of being
brought down to the library.
"As I mentioned
earlier, since the founding of Dizzard Empire, vampires have been holed up in
their territories, so the documents collected are inevitably from long ago, and
even those in the library lack credibility."
The academy's library
has a collection of documents from all over the world, but according to
Irisdina, the documents themselves are sometimes lacking in credibility.
"In the first
place, blood is an essential food for vampires, but if they were to turn every
single person into a vampire every time they sucked blood, their blood supply
would eventually run out, wouldn't it?"
Irisdina's words
convinced everyone present.
If every time they
sucked blood, they would turn people into vampires, vampires would eventually
run out of food and would destroy themselves.
"So you're saying
that they can be somewhat selective about whether or not they would turn
someone into a vampire?"
"Yes. The process
by which a person turns into a vampire is also fairly well explained. That is
why both my father and the king stepped up to the plate to see if they could
negotiate with them."
Whether or not the
great vampire was able to control, whether or not they could turn someone into
a vampire, and whether or not the reason for this was known, is very much a
matter of great importance.
This is also because
Arcazam was able to gather and research documents from all over the continent,
and was able to pin down the discrepancies in the documents from the various
regions.
"Then why are
there still stories about vampires turning cities into dens of monsters?"
"As the vampire
princess said, the reason for this is due to 'blood intoxication'. There are
other causes for the process of turning people into vampires. I suppose that
area is still being researched at the Gloaurum Institute."
That said, even if
they had the foundation to negotiate with vampires, whether or not they could
actually conclude the negotiations was a different matter.
After a brief
conversation, silence returned.
Nozomu and Iris Dina,
both heading to the school side by side, but the atmosphere between them was
still heavy.
Nozomu, perhaps unable
to bear the atmosphere, opened his mouth.
"Iris, when are
you going to do the negotiations with the Waziart family?"
"... It will take
place at my mansion in a week's time. All the servants will be out of the
mansion except Mena."
"A week ... That's
fast."
"Yeah. Since the
terms themselves were already agreed upon, I guess there was no need to wait
that long ..."
Although it might be
called a negotiation meeting, when it comes to finalizing a formal agreement,
the terms and conditions are usually already agreed upon in advance.
However, this time,
the vampire princess is present.
Nozomu had no idea
what kind of action the unpredictable princess was going to take.
The only thing that
stirred Nozomu's frustration was the unpleasant feeling like a snake crawling
up his spine.
"Iris, shall I
keep Somia-chan with me during the negotiation meeting?"
"What?"
As if rushed by his
impatience, Nozomu ended up blurting out such words.
Once the restraints
were removed, the words that had been held back began to pour out of his mouth.
"The bell that
Iris requested me to make, I'll borrow a furnace to build it today, so I can
give it to you tomorrow. At that time, I'll take Somia-chan out with me and
I'll protect her during the negotiation meeting. How's that sound?"
Nozomu's suggestion
was, to say the least, extremely imprudent.
He has been directly
told by Jihad to keep his distance from the Francilt family, and the Francilt
family has also been nailed to the ground that the school would not be able to
cooperate with them.
On the other hand, for
the Francilt family, Nozomu's suggestion was a great opportunity.
Although Arcazam has
offered to provide a place for the negotiation, they have been told that they
would not cooperate any further, but if it was an offer from Nozomu himself, it
would be a different story.
The reason is that it
was Nozomu who disobeyed Arczam's decision, and it could be said that the
Francilt family was not to blame.
In fact, Irisdina
believed that the reason Victor told Irisdina to continue attending the school
was to get Nozomu to make an offer of cooperation.
"The target of
the secret agreement was Somia-chan. If that's the case, I think we can protect
her in case of an emergency if we stay by her side during the
negotiation..."
For the Francilt
family, it was a perfect situation.
However, this offer
was nothing but a deleterious drug for the current Irisdina.
The rekindled
conflicts erupted into flames, violently shaking the lid that was supposed to
have sealed it.
While being tossed
around inwardly by a problem to which even she herself has no answer, Irisdina
tried desperately to keep her expression on her face so that she would not show
her agitation.
However, no matter how
much she tried to mend her expression, her head was so messed up that she did
not know what to say back to him.
"Nozomu, that's
impossible. Jihad-sensei told you not to have anything to do with my family,
didn't he?"
The words that came
out of her mouth out of reflex were words of rejection toward Nozomu's suggestion.
Her disgust at her own
attempt to take advantage of Nozomu outweighed her reason as an aristocrat.
The one who was most
surprised by this action was Irisdina herself.
As someone from the
Francilt family, she had to keep Nozomu in her grasp. She had to bring Nozomu
in. However, instead of doing so, she threw it away.
As an aristocrat, she
has always been able to push aside her own emotions and see through the true
intentions of her opponents.
It would not be too
late for her to accept Nozomu's offer. Her rational mind began to make a
commotion that she should accept Nozomu's suggestion.
"…Certainly,
that's what Jihad-sensei said to me. But I am..."
"If Nozomu and
the others were to be involved, it would mean going against the decision of the
academy. If that were to happen, it would, if done poorly, shake the very
foundations of Arcazam, which has always maintained a neutral stance. Besides,
to put it bluntly, you have no effective authority or position in diplomacy
right now..."
Contrary to Nozomu's
appeal of reason, Irisdina's words move in the direction of distancing herself
from her connection with Nozomu.
However, at the same
time, her emotions also appeal to the fact that there would be no point in
rejecting Nozomu with such a stubborn attitude.
He is a man who, once
he makes up his mind, will stand up, even if he breaks. He is not a person who
stops at merely oppressive words.
If she wanted to stop
him, she would have to use more direct force to force him to stop.
Thus, rejecting him
emotionally and verbally would be counterproductive. Instead, he would be more
stubborn and try to protect Irisdina and the others.
In other words, he
would try to protect Irisdina and her family, without regard for his own
safety.
This would lead to the
worst possible outcome for her.
Irisdina herself no
longer understood her own actions.
Although her words
were calm, her thoughts and feelings were all in disarray.
"But!"
"Nozomu, that's
enough."
"...Eh?"
"I said, that's
enough. Forget what I said to you before. And forget about that bell I asked
you for."
In the end, she began
to move in the direction of completely severing her connection with Nozomu in
an effort to suppress everything.
She crushed Nozomu's
words with a cold, emotionless stare.
Nozomu was speechless
at the emotionless expression on Irisdina's face, as if she were a puppet.
Irisdina as a
noblewoman and Irisdina as a girl. She froze both her thoughts and her heart,
keeping a lid on the raging emotions that were about to leak out, and crushed
both of her conflicted selves herself.
As Irisdina's emotions
fade from her eyes, an intense sense of frustration struck Nozomu.
"Iris, wait a
minute..."
I can't let it go on
like this.
Nozomu, sensing the
danger in her eyes, which were turning into a pair of cavernous eyes, tried to
approach Irisdina, but she quickly walked away from Nozomu, and then walked
faster away from him.
"It's an
extremely crucial moment for both of us. I'll keep my distance for a
while..."
Irisdina left Nozomu
and the others behind as she cut her words short and then walked away from
Nozomu at a quickened pace.
(I am a terribly
harsh, contradictory, and selfish woman...)
Feeling Nozomu's
bewildered gaze on her back, Irisdina gently ran a finger across her lips.
Her mind flashed back
to the one time she and Nozomu had locked lips.
When Nozomu had
rescued Lisa from the Abyss Grief and was still in a coma, Irisdina had kissed
the comatose Nozomu out of an impulse.
Irisdeena herself has
long been aware of her own feelings towards Nozomu.
She is so attracted to
him that she can no longer stay away from him.
(These feelings get in
the way in front of Nozomu...)
Neither can she
discard her desire to protect Somia, nor her longing for Nozomu.
Then he had no choice
but to throw away everything she has in order to protect both of them.
Not as the next head
of the Francilt family. As a mere human being, swallowing every contradiction,
she had decided to sacrifice herself completely in order to keep the vow she
had made to her late mother.
Glancing back over her
shoulder, she peeked into the face of her loved one.
The sight of Nozomu
clenching his fists, his face distorted by his own incompetence, makes her
heart tingle, even though it was supposed to be frozen.
(I wanted that present
from Nozomu...)
At such a cry as a
maiden, Irisdina ruthlessly trampled it down with her ice mask.
====================================
Staring at Nozomu's
back, stunned by Irisdina's departing figure, Mimuru whispered in Shina's ear.
"Shina, this is
your chance."
"What.."
"You know what I
mean, don't you?"
"…………"
Shina, realizing the
meaning of Mimuru's words, responded in a nonchalant manner, but Mimuru also
kept her gaze fixed on Shina, as if to say, "Don't fool yourself."
Their gazes crossed
for only a few seconds.
Shina, understanding
Mimuru's silent suggestion, turned away, as if rejecting her suggestion, and
started walking again on the way to the school.
"Gosh..."
Mimuru continued to
stare at Shina's back while letting out an exasperated sigh at her stubborn
best friend's attitude.
