Chapter 232
Chapter 232
Short Vacation (4)
Rudian rubbed his eyes with his hand and let out a sigh.
"...If you suddenly take off your clothes like that, people will misunderstand."
This was a reception room, not a bedroom, and right now Elli was waiting quietly nearby. Most importantly, Maria's outfit under her outer coat was simple everyday clothes.
"Even if they misunderstand, I don't particularly care?"
"......"
"I've conveyed my feelings to you, and I'm waiting for your answer."
SWISH!
Maria naturally sat down next to Rudian and leaned against him.
"So isn't this much okay?"
"Isn't there... too little distance between us? After saying that to Rebecca during the day..."
At those words, Maria smiled awkwardly.
"Mm, when you put it that way, I have nothing to say, but actually what happened during the day was just petty interference born from jealousy. I was so envious and jealous of Rebecca, who's always by your side."
"Is, is that so?"
Since she threw such a direct curveball, he found himself at a loss for words instead.
Rudian forcibly calmed his pounding heart and looked at the top of Maria's head.
At the sight of the two men and women, Elli quietly voiced her observation.
"It looks good."
"...Be quiet."
"Master lacks romantic experience despite his strength and status. I think crossing the line like this wouldn't be a bad choice..."
"Hey, hey!"
"I'm serious, Master. With several beauties around you, what are you doing not touching any of them yet?"
...This one is subtly pushing from behind, isn't she?
No, before that, even if I wanted to make some progress, there are three people watching with wide eyes, including you.
Even though all three are non-human entities unrelated to human romance, Rudian's face wasn't thick enough to ignore that and proceed with the matter.
Maria covered her mouth with her hand and laughed.
"Hehe, thank you, Elli. But still, if I cut in line while Rudian hasn't made up his mind yet, I don't know what resentment I might hear from the other girls."
"Is that so? Master is quite indecisive."
"That's what I'm saying."
At Maria's words, Rudian couldn't say anything.
Then, she muttered in a small voice.
"I wouldn't particularly mind if there were several people."
"Cough!"
Even though she muttered quietly, being this close, there was no way that voice wouldn't be heard.
Immediately, Rudian coughed violently as if he had choked.
"Rudian, you said it yourself, didn't you? That you wanted to embrace mountains of money and create a household of three wives and four concubines and live happily until death."
"No, that was... just a universal wish..."
Seeing him trail off, Elli let out a long sigh.
"We have a long way to go."
It's quite amazing that a look of disdain can be detected in that expressionless face.
Rudian cleared his throat and changed the subject.
"So, anyway, did you come because you had something to ask? Or..."
At those words, Maria stopped teasing Rudian and got to the main point.
"Mm... you could say it's an extension of what happened during the day."
For some reason, Maria's expression darkened slightly.
"Unlike Rebecca, I'm not good-natured enough to boldly overlook that incident."
"......"
If Luciella was strong outside and strong inside, and Rebecca was strong inside and gentle outside, then Maria was strong outside and gentle inside.
"There's something that's bothering me a little."
"Tell me."
After hesitating for a moment, she finally brought up the question she had been holding in her heart.
"First, those who attacked us. Were they... the future of our 'current selves'?"
It seemed like they had reached a conclusion among themselves, but Maria appeared to want Rudian's confirmation.
Rudian shook his head.
"That's... a bit different. They were... let's say the branch of the future that those guys would have originally faced."
In the dark and quiet space lit only by a few candles, Rudian confessed to Maria the biggest secret he had been hiding until now.
But Maria realized that Rudian's answer wasn't sufficient.
"That future was what we would have faced if you hadn't appeared, right?"
"...Right."
Only after hearing that confirmation did Maria sigh as if she finally understood everything.
"Haa...."
Then she looked up at the ceiling and sighed slightly.
"As expected, we were enemies."
"......"
"As I said before, where you came from, what kind of being you are, is still not important. However, the clear hostility and hatred that the crimson Rebecca, Gray, and Sir Crux showed me at that time... made me think about your existence again."
"...That's."
Maria's emerald eyes came into Rudian's view.
Somewhat melancholy, and somewhat relieved...
Such emotions.
"Yes, if I hadn't met you, I would have waged war on this entire continent. To protect Psychic Luminous, which had now become a Magic Tower and officially belonged to the empire, but would have still been buried in darkness if not for you. To raise the miserable human rights of psychics who were ostracized by magicians."
Currently, psychics in the Morian Empire belonged to professions that received quite considerable treatment.
The psychic theory that Rudian had given them was now perfectly analyzed and established, making it possible to considerably break down the wall of innate talent that had been greater than magic.
With Bellatrix, who could be called a giant in the magic world, and the four great Magic Towers taking a neutral stance, plus receiving the emperor's strong support, the revival of psychic abilities was natural in a way.
"I can roughly guess. If my future had unfolded as I think it did... I can understand why Luciella, Crux, and Gray, who are nobles of the Morian Empire, looked at me with such eyes. Ah, Rebecca is a bit unexpected."
"But it's just a future that no longer exists."
"Right, you changed it."
SWISH!
Maria slightly turned her leaning body and climbed directly onto Rudian's thigh.
Then she stretched out both hands and gently caressed Rudian's cheeks.
The two made eye contact.
"Hmm, should I just pounce on you like this?"
"Hey, hey, hey."
To be taken seriously... there was undeniable mischief hidden in her cat-like smile.
"Recording preparation is complete."
"Hey!"
What's she trying to cause trouble with!
"That's illegal!"
Elli, who was expected to end after just one verse, unexpectedly performed a second verse.
"The scope of voyeurism designated as illegal by imperial law is limited to magical devices... machines don't apply."
"Stop talking nonsense and turn it off."
"...Yes."
Elli closed her mouth as if disappointed and blinked slightly.
Seeing that, Maria burst into small laughter.
"Ahaha, she's really interesting. Is she really an artificial lifeform?"
"Probably. I'm a bit confused these days too."
Whether those things are really artificial intelligence, or whether they're guys with human consciousness or brains implanted in them.
"We are first-class A.I.s created by Adora's creators. We are not organic lifeforms."
"How excellent."
Rudian glanced at Elli once and then sighed.
Then, Maria, who still had a cat-like expression, said this.
"If I pounced on you here, the girls outside wouldn't leave me alone, right?"
"...Huh?"
At that moment, Rudian's gaze shot toward the entrance like lightning.
And he felt it.
The presence of two people who had been quietly holding their breath until now.
'How, how?'
Even so, how could I, of all people, miss the presence of Luciella and Rebecca...!
Toward Rudian, who was gaping in shock, Adi, who had been quiet until now, spoke up.
—Master, they are holders of the Seven-Colored Worlds. And their basic capabilities don't fall far behind compared to Master's either.
'That, that's true but...'
The problem is why you, Adi, stayed silent when you knew!
—They had no hostility either... and you know everything about each other, don't you? Even if they had attacked Master, I would have blocked them well.
'Hey, even so...!'
—Moreover....
'Huh?'
—I somewhat agree with terminal Elysion's opinion too....
"......"
Rudian intuited it.
In this place right now, there wasn't a single ally on his side.
CREAK!
The door opening carefully.
When did they even come in? Luciella entered the room with Rebecca, her face slightly reddened.
"No, no...."
Rebecca aside, why even Luciella?
"Is, is there a reason I shouldn't come?"
Luciella acted rather boldly instead.
"No, not particularly...."
Luciella carefully entered and sat on the opposite side of Maria.
"Ah! That seat!"
"Give way a little today, Rebecca."
Luciella lightly gestured and pulled out a bottle of wine from the wine storage that former Gude Belstad had prepared.
"Excellent telekinesis."
"This much isn't worth making a fuss about anymore."
Luciella smiled and lightly popped the cork.
Having obtained the purple world and finished a great battle in coordination with Rudian, Luciella showed a much more honest and confident appearance than before.
Now she had thrown off the constraints of rank and position to some extent... so she was showing her most true self.
Luciella drank straight from the wine bottle like a trumpet and said this.
"Rebecca aside, I didn't know Maria felt that way too. You two looked like close friends, not like you were in a romantic relationship."
"Mm, we were definitely in that kind of relationship. My seeing Rudian as the opposite sex is somewhat recent."
"Haa, I was planning to snatch him when the time came... life really isn't easy."
"......"
Rudian blinked, not knowing what was happening right now.
No, precisely, he didn't want to know what was happening.
Luciella continued speaking with somewhat distant eyes.
"We've overcome one big crisis, but honestly, even this feels like just a hill compared to what's to come. Soon... I felt like a truly helpless situation would unfold."
"So you decided to be honest with your feelings before it's too late?"
At Maria's smiling words, Luciella nodded with a slightly frustrated, reddened face.
"Yes, originally as a princess, I couldn't even marry as I wished. Even though I had stepped into the hidden world long ago, that obsession bound me until recently."
"So, the reason you came here?"
"It's no different from yours, Maria."
Having downed the entire bottle of wine, Luciella simultaneously grabbed Rudian's hand and made him stand up.
"Luciella?"
"Whether it's Rebecca or Maria... I think everyone's feelings are the same. So I'll say it."
With trembling eyes.
And with reddened eyes.
Luciella said this.
"I like you."
"...!"
"At first you were just a benefactor... it would have been in the Great Southern Forest, when I started to seriously be conscious of you."
She had emotionally run away from Delphione and joined Rudian's group, and when she rose to Sword Master in the Great Forest, she had definitely said this.
"I said 'I want to stand shoulder to shoulder with you.' It was from that time."
In fact, that was her own euphemistic confession.
Luciella smiled awkwardly and shook her head.
"Haa, originally I wanted to say it in a more atmospheric way, in a noble manner... but there's definitely not enough time to create such an environment."
"......"
Luciella von Delphione.
A supporting character in the original work and a woman who lived a more troubled fate than the protagonist Abel's party.
She was one of the trio that he had wanted to fix the unhappy fate of, along with Maria and Rebecca, and ultimately became a person who lived a completely different life through Rudian's efforts.
"Luciella...."
"Ah, damn. Now that I've confessed like this... I'm really nervous, you know? Hehehe...."
For some reason, the surroundings were quiet.
No emotions like killing intent or anger were felt at all.
As if they had been waiting for Luciella's words, Rebecca and Maria sat quietly watching her.
Luciella slowly closed the distance with Rudian.
"So. What I want to say is."
"......"
"If you don't like it... tell me."
Slowly, her face began to approach largely in his field of vision.