Chapter 270: Side Story: The Adventures of Isaac Adler (6)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 270: Side Story: The Adventures of Isaac Adler (6)
"I think I’ve finally shaken them off..."
Resting my chin on my hand inside the carriage, I watched the scenery near the border roll by. I let out a heavy sigh and muttered to myself, "Now the real problem is figuring out what to do next."
Using the long-dormant system, I had narrowly avoided being kidnapped. However, simply crossing the border wouldn’t resolve everything.
The people hunting me weren't just limited to the Breeding Coalition.
The weight of 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’d abandoned her, I’d just have to accept it as my due.
"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.
In truth, if it were up to me, I’d want to return to my only hope, Auguste Academy, as soon as possible. But attempting to enter Britain recklessly in my current situation, with no one to support me, would be tantamount to suicide.
Among the neighboring 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. If I went further east into Romania or Poland, I would be moving too far away from Britain.
On the other hand, Switzerland maintained strict 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 there, 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 in one piece.
The issue was that the people chasing me likely knew this 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, who possessed overwhelming brute strength.
If I were the one doing the chasing, I would try to settle things before the target ever crossed into Swiss territory...
"Huh? What’s this?"
Just as these thoughts crossed my mind, I felt the carriage lurch.
"Ah! Ahh! Ahhh!"
A panicked cry erupted from the coachman driving the swift carriage provided by Her Majesty.
...Shit.
Speak of the devil. Apparently, I had unintentionally triggered a massive flag.
"Huff."
Realizing I was under attack, I knew staying inside the carriage was a death sentence. 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 the... questionable torture in the basement of the Professor’s mansion, 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 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."
Bewildered, I spotted the shattered remains of the flask lying several meters away. I let out a short cry of despair.
"Fuck."
It must have fallen out and broken while I was tumbling from the carriage.
...No, it’s fine. Maybe I can lick up the spilled 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 I reached the remnants, someone’s foot stomped down, shattering the glass completely.
"At last."
"......"
"At last, we meet again."
Feeling a wave of emptiness, I slowly raised my head toward the sound of the excited voice coming from above.
"Heh... Hehehe... Heh..."
A red-haired girl was looking down at me. Her eyes were dead, and an eerie smile spread 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 tremble with exhilaration as she muttered to herself, I stared blankly for a moment before tilting my head.
"...Who are you?"
A brief, heavy silence followed.
"Adler, don't you remember me?"
"H-Haha, well..."
In that silence, the red-haired girl glared at me with fierce intensity. I racked my brain, but nothing came to mind.
"Uh, Miss, who are you again?"
"...Seriously?"
Her voice tinged with disbelief, the girl’s expression crumbled. "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 wasn't 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. You manipulated me into being so ungrateful that I threw 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 was the victim of the first case I took on after being reincarnated—aside from the Queen. She was also the pureblood vampire Princess Joan Clay had been after.
Diana Wilson—a core figure of the Red Mana League, whom I had 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 like her, anywhere outside Romania should have been 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 an army of vampire subordinates.
What on earth was going on?
"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, 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 understand the situation, and I cursed inwardly.
...Damn you, Professor!
She had already established a power base in Romania. If I got caught here, there was no way out. If she was on the Professor’s side, I would probably be dragged back to Britain 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 shivered with fear, my ears perked up at Wilson’s next words. I doubted my own hearing for a moment.
"At any rate, I owe you 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 was deciding that going to Romania for "recuperation" might not be so 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 the shadows with Silver Blaze by her side, glaring at Diana Wilson with equally red eyes.
"...What are you? A half-breed?"
"This is the first time I've heard someone call noble British royal blood a 'half-breed.'"
"Forget about that. Leave him alone. 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 been dormant since the Crusades resumed right before my eyes.