Chapter 270: Side Story: The Adventures of Isaac Adler (6)
"I think I've finally shaken off the pursuit…"
Resting my chin on my hand inside the carriage, I let out a sigh as the scenery near the border came into view and muttered to myself.
"Now the real problem is figuring out what to do next…"
Using the long-dormant system, I narrowly avoided being kidnapped.
However, simply crossing the border won't resolve everything.
Those after me aren't just limited to the Breeding Coaliation.
The weight of all the sins I'd committed as Isaac Adler in this world was far too heavy. Honestly, if some girl from a nearby village – whose face I didn't even remember – stabbed me with a knife while asking why I abandoned her, I'd have to just accept it as something I deserved.
"Switzerland seems like the best option for now."
To escape the immediate danger, I chose Switzerland as my next destination for asylum— a country right next to the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Among the neighbouring countries, France was Lupin's exclusive domain, and Italy was unsuitable due to the professor's connections with the mafia.
Furthermore, given the current era, heading into Germany was too dangerous. And if I were to go further east into Romania or Poland, I would get too far away from Britain.
On the other hand, Switzerland maintained excellent neutrality even in this world.
As befitting a magical realm, it was one of Europe's safest nations, fortified with powerful ancient defensive magic and magic-suppressing barriers.
If I could successfully seek asylum in Switzerland, I should, theoretically, be able to secure at least temporary safety from those terrifying individuals who had turned against me.
… Of course, that's assuming I manage to make it there safely.
The issue was that the personnel chasing me likely knew this fact just as well.
Once I was within Switzerland's borders, it would be nearly impossible for them to drag me out by force— unless they were someone like Gia Lestrade with overwhelming brute strength.
If I were in their position chasing someone down, I would probably try to settle things before they crossed into Swiss territory…
"Huh? What's this?"
Just as these thoughts ran through my mind while keeping my guard up,
"Ah! Ahh! Ahhh!"
A panicked cry suddenly erupted from the coachman driving the swift carriage provided by Her Majesty.
… Shit.
They say even tigers appear when spoken of. Apparently, I had unintentionally triggered an incredibly strong flag.
"Huff."
Realising I was under attack, staying inside the carriage was tantamount to suicide. Taking a deep breath, I leapt out of the moving vehicle.
"……!"
The moment my body hit the ground and rolled, an intense wave of pain surged through me, though it wasn't unbearable.
After all, I had been slashed with blades before, endured (somewhatsexual)torture in the professor's mansion basement, and even jumped off a waterfall.
"Shit, this hurts like hell."
No, after rolling a few more times, I reconsidered. This wasn't something I could just grit my teeth through. Maybe I should've just let myself get kidnapped quietly?
"… Ugh."
Regardless, since I'd made an emergency escape, I had to quickly come up with my next move. Should I hide in the nearby bushes? Or throw myself into the river flowing beside me? If not that, then perhaps…
… Come to think of it, there's a simpler solution.
As I nervously scanned my surroundings, I suddenly remembered the emergency flask tucked into my coat. Without hesitation, I began rummaging through my clothes.
"……?"
However, my hand found nothing where the flask should have been.
"Ah."
Wearing a bewildered expression, I spotted the shattered remains of the flask lying several metres away and let out a short cry of despair.
"Fuck."
It seemed the flask had fallen out and broken while I was tumbling out of the carriage.
… No, it's fine. Maybe I can lick up the spilt liquid.
For the sake of my freedom, pride was something I could easily discard. Ignoring the searing pain coursing through my body, I gritted my teeth and began crawling toward the broken flask.
- Crunch…!
But just as its remnants came into view, someone's foot stomped down on it, shattering it completely.
"At last."
"……."
"At last, we meet again."
Feeling a wave of emptiness at the situation, I slowly raised my head at the sound of an excited voice coming from above me.
"Heh… Hehehe… Heh…."
What entered my sight was a red-haired girl looking down at me with dead eyes and an eerie smile spreading across her face.
"I've waited for this day for so long. When you were in Britain, I prayed and prayed that you'd come closer to where I am. Finally… finallyfinallyfinallyfinally…."
Watching her trembling with exhilaration as she muttered to herself, I stared blankly for a moment before tilting my head and asking her a question.
"… Who are you?"
A brief silence followed after that.
"Adler, don't you remember me?"
"H-Haha, well…"
In that silence, the red-haired girl glared at me with a fierce intensity, her question hanging in the air. I racked my brain for a long time, but nothing came to mind.
"Uh, Miss, who are you again?"
"… Seriously?"
Her voice tinged with disbelief, the red-haired girl muttered, her expression crumbling.
"I waited for you in Romania for years, thinking only of you."
"……"
"And you've forgotten me already?"
There was nothing I could say to that.
From the looks of it, she must have been someone I met before I was reincarnated into this world.
So, it was not really my fault…
"You said you fell for me. You said you fell for me while watching me read romance novels in the library."
"Ah."
"You even took my first k-k-kiss in that library. You saved my life, and then you lied to me, making me think I owed you nothing, manipulating me to be so ungrateful as to throw water at you without knowing the truth…"
As her story went on, cold sweat started dripping down my forehead.
"After all that, you're telling me you've forgotten about me…? What am I supposed to do after all the time I spent in Romania, growing stronger just for you…?"
Right. The person standing before me now was the victim of the first case I took on after being reincarnated into this world— aside from the queen. She was also the pureblood vampire Princess Joan Clay had been after.
Diana Wilson— a core figure of theRed Mana League, whom I seduced under the professor's orders and then sent away to Romania after lying to her about saving her life.
Why was she here?
As far as I knew, Diana Wilson had been recuperating in Romania, still unaware of her true nature as a vampire.
After all, for a pureblood vampire like her, anywhere outside Romania would be a death sentence.
But here she was, attacking me at the Swiss border, fully transformed into a vampire with powers surpassing Joan Clay's, and even leading what appeared to be her army of vampire subordinates.
What on earth was going on here?
"Sh-Shouldn't you still be in Romania?"
"I've fully awakened as a pureblood vampire now. I don't need to stay in that damned place anymore. I'm not on borrowed time any longer."
Leaning closer to me, her crimson eyes glowing, Wilson whispered in a low voice.
"Ah, but it was indeed a perfect place for me to build my power. Do you know that half of the Romanian government is already under my control?"
"Huh?"
"Well, it was all possible because Professor Moriarty supported me fully. Haven't you heard about it?"
Only then did I roughly understand what had happened and cursed inwardly.
… Damn you, Professor!
She had already established connections in Romania. If I got caught here, there was no way out.
Because if she was on the professor's side, I would probably be dragged back to Britain right this instant…
"Anyway, let's go to Romania together now."
"Huh?"
"I more or less know your situation. From now on, I'll protect you, Adler."
As I thought this while shivering with fear, my ears perked up when I heard Wilson's next words.
I doubted my own ears for a moment.
"At any rate, I owe you for my life…"
"… W-W-What if I don't want to?"
"Look, I'm sorry, but there isn't really an option left for you. But if you cooperate quietly we will treat you to the best of our abilities."
Just as I quickly decided that going to Romania for recuperation might not be bad after all,
"I apologize, but I can't let that happen."
A very familiar voice came from right behind me.
"As long as I'm alive, such a thing will never happen."
"What…?"
Princess Joan Clay appeared from somewhere with Silver Blaze by her side and glared at Diana Wilson with equally red eyes.
"… What are you? A half-breed?"
"This is the first time seeing someone call noble British royal bloodhalf-breed."
"Forget about that; leave him alone since he's mine."
"I feel the same, now, how should we deal with this precarious situation, hmm?"
And just a few seconds later…
The vampire civil war that had ended since the Crusades resumed right before my eyes.
***
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