論壇

Vol.1 Chpt.3 Declined Aristocrat (2)

In the pitch-dark room, a girl was crying out loud, burying her face in my chest without any scruple.

I felt guilty, because I did not deserve such trust her. I was thinking what else I could do to repay her trust. No one would not pity her, such a poor girl, Anastasia. She had just lost her home and everything to the monsters' attack, and the ring on her hand which was holding my collar, would no longer respond to her.

Perhaps she had not yet accepted all of this, but she was already the only surviving member of the family, left alive after such a traumatic experience. I did not know whether she was grieving her own fate, or worrying about her future, or concealing something else. She was nearly at her wits' end, which was why she had thrown herself into my arms without scruple.

I embraced her, gently stroking her back. A girl's frame was slender and soft, her breasts pressed against my lower ribs. Her hair was emitting a fragrance, but my sense of compassion had suppressed any thought of desire.

She cried for quite some time, my chest felt numb the pressure. The lights of the night shops and the streetlights gradually dimmed, and the outside world fell into darkness. The crying turned into sobs, then gradually faded, until it ceased.

‘Sorry, I lost my temper.’ Only after stopping her crying, did Anastasia climb off me and sit on the edge of the bed beside me.

‘Did Veronica ever tell you things about me?’

I nodded.

‘About my family... There is no more I can tell...’

‘I care it not.’

‘Is that so...’

I would rather believe that your survival was merely a miracle.

I stood up, spelt a simple sorcery to light the oil lamp on the wall. The dim light made the room's furnishing clear, and also allowed me to see Anastasia's red-rimmed eyes and tear-streaked face.

There were a few books scattered about, all seemingly having survived the border with her. Among them was her genealogy, nearly broken, its cover already riddled with countless stickers and mended patches. Some remaining pages and scrolls were placed in an open box, accompanied by a glue pot and threads.

There are also two small portraits, one of which was a portrait of Anastasia, apparently painted when she was in her late teens. She did not seem to have changed much, except that the colour of her hair and eyes had lightened, or it might just be that the lighting made the colours in the painting appear deeper. But what caught my attention was that she was wearing a school uniform of the Middle Academia, with a year written next to a signature.

I had a portrait in a similar style as well, but it was painted after I graduated the Senior Academia, and that signature contained the year of graduation. Estimating it, she and I were in the same grade, yet I had no impression of her.

There was another painting of her family. The Baron Lodowiec had only one daughter, who was Anastasia, but the painting depicted four people. One of them was clad in full armour, holding the helmet in his hand, with the upper part of his neck coincidentally burnt. Anastasia and her mother were seated in the front, while the two men stood behind the ladies. No doubt, he shall be the fiancé of Anastasia.

‘Then, could you tell me about this?’ I pointed to my middle finger of my left hand, indicating for her to look at her ring.

‘Oh, him. I don't really know him well. We had not known each other for long. He was the most outstanding warrior subordinated to my father. Around one year ago, he became my father's deputy.’

When it came to her fiancé, Anastasia had an unusually calm tone.

‘He was not a noble. He changed his surname by engaging with me, which was originally intended to continue this family. You know, a commoner, who was noticed by the Chivalria, then chosen by my father to join his ranks, serving together on the border. My father always placed him at the forefront of our territory, and he always managed to survive in the great dangers. Since I graduated and returned home, the disturbances monsters had decreased in recent years, so my father began looking for a son-in-law to take in, and he was recalled back to his side about a year ago.

As she spoke, as she rotated the ring, she kept her gaze fixed on it.

‘Sounds like an excellent choice?’

The image in the painting was also burly and imposing, and one can imagine that such a dignified body could not be topped with an ugly face. Moreover, the Chivalria had certain requirements for the appearance of its applicants (hence, almost only the naturally beautiful scions of the nobility were there).

‘Then, may I ask you, if you were to marry a noble woman in her thirties, would you be willing?’

Although I had no such opportunity, I would like to answer no. After all, my life is not that miserable.

‘Thus, he was an uncle?’

‘Right, and he had settled down with a family.’

‘That means that-- did he do this just for the title? So he abandoned his original family?’ I was a bit surprised, but such absurdities among nobles were not uncommon in history.

‘Yep, yet not. First, are you looking me down so? Thinking he had absolutely no interest in me?’ Anastasia frowned slightly, looked up at me, then quickly averted her gaze.

‘Nah, nah! Such a narrative would make people think you are a seductress, Miss Anastasia. Please believe me, no man would not be charmed by you. In fact I myself...’

‘Yourself what?’ She bluntly glared at me and demanded an answer.

‘--consider charming a lot are you.’ I tried to choose a more mannered response.

‘Then you got no reaction moments ago...’ She whispered, but not quietly enough for me not to hear, yet I had to pretend I did not.

‘My father sent a large sum of money to his wife, issued an order to shift, let her move to the outer royal city. That was equal to being promoted to a higher rank for one who lived near the border. The price was that the woman had to divorce him. It was said that their family was not very harmonious; thus there was little dispute, the matter was decided.

Thus, only Anastasia's ow wishes were neglected.

‘Then, the baroness did not...’

‘Please mention her not.’

She closed and straightened her legs tightly, clutching the hem of her dress, but a single tear still escaped her eyes naughtily.

‘A noble’s daughter is born to be a tool at others' mercy. Only my mother could sympathise with such feelings. She was the only solace I had for the accursed place... I always wanted to escape. The time I spent studying in the capital was the easiest days of my life. I had thought of staying in the capital for good, even if it meant being confined to those towers alone.’

She stood up and paced to a wardrobe embedded in the wall, took out a stained (perhaps bloodstained) box a drawer, and inside it was a set of female uniform the Senior Academia, looking quite new.

‘Who would have thought I would be forced to take off this cloth? That man excused with my mother's illness to get me expelled school, took me back home, and that was when everything I just mentioned could happen.

Like most dwellings in this region, a candlestick and idol would always be placed in a corner near the window, dedicated to a goddess or a saint, but Anastasia's altar only held a cross. She drew the curtains, lit six candles, and casually stroked the metal cross.

‘If there is a goddess, perhaps none of this would have happened? I believe not in god, I cannot believe: if goddess saved me, she must have killed men who should have been saved. If god let those people live, he must have subjected me to suffering. Then, who should I confess to, who should I accuse?

She knelt down slowly, supporting herself with the cross, and her body gradually tilted, until she fell onto the altar.

‘Alanzo, I am a woman of cold blood. This is the destiny I deserve-- to have my last bit of pride ground down in such a place as dirty as my heart. What is the difference between those dirty men and monsters? Being violated and humiliated by monsters or such men is all the same...’

‘That man I despised, fought to the brink of exhaustion against the monsters, to protect me, did not fall even when his limbs were torn apart. I could not remember whether it was his blood that ran dry or his breath that gave out first.

Anastasia placed her hand with the ring on her chest, gripping and pressing it tight with her other hand, as if she wanted to suppress that pain with her delicate body. Without anyone divine to believe in or pray to, all in all could only be held captive in the heart, throttled at the throat. I was clear, she was essentially kind; that kindness made her unable to take off that ring.

‘Do blame you not so, Anastasia! You have not done anything wrong! I am very grateful for your trust, just as I admire your beauty and demeanour. Your pride is enough to prove your kindness, even if you are unwilling to believe in anyone anymore.’

I knelt beside her, opened my arms. I did not think she needed my hug, but at least at that moment, I wanted to hug her. I did not want to depress my affection for her any more than she was suppressing her pain.

‘Fantastic, is it not? We have only met for a few hours, what do you know about me then?’

Our destinies are intertwined-- I was about to say so, but she had already responded, by hugging me.

‘So fantastic... You too have heartbeats. You are just some common one...’

She put a hand on my chest, looking into my eyes. In the darkness, these dim-coloured eyes somehow made me feel warmed. Her face also softened considerably, even showing me a smile.

‘How gorgeous...’ I could not help saying it out.

‘Is it? Do you like?’

Anastasia's face was incredibly close to mine at this moment. I could smell the fragrance of her hair, feel her gentle breath, and sense the slight tickle caused on my face by her exhaustion. This sense gradually intensified until my lips touched that warm, soft touch.

My first kiss... Maybe it was not bad? No, was I dreaming? I held her tighter, the soft body pressed against me, with its faint rise and fall, making my heart rate and breathing accelerate violently. I also felt the same rhythm on her back with my hand.

For a devout believer, such actions are forbidden before the two take their oath. So she put down the cross. Compared to the creeds, she trusted more the struggling guilt in her heart, and that feeling was far more real than these hollow things.

I felt my lips being moistened as her tongue touched my dry lips. I tried to relax my tense face and jaw so that my mouth could open slightly, allowing her soft tongue to carry its moist nectar and bathe my mouth, which had been tasted bloody due to dryness.

Because it was the first time for both of us, her movements were slow, as if inviting me, and I did my best to respond to her guidance. We moved cautiously through the maze, like exploring a complex, dimly lit labyrinth.

‘Woo...yih!’

I withdrew my right hand, unintentionally sliding it to her waist, touching her sensitive abdomen side. She let out an unsatisfied sound, disrupting her breath, and her probing tongue became softened with her twining lips. I pushed out her limp tongue by this chance and greedily entered her mouth, sucking on her abundant saliva. Our nose tips touched, causing a tingling sensation at between the brows.

Her waist was very soft and slender, and I could feel the elasticity of her skin through her clothes. Gently stroking her, slightly applying pressure, she embraced me more tightly, her body as if about to collapse, so I held her even closer.

I could feel my face turning red because her lower abdomen was rubbing against my crotch, something had already erected, and every slight movement made my congested lower body feel the threshold of expansion. My hand slid up her waist and ribs, stopping just as it was about to touch her breast, while also feeling the touch in my mouth and the warmth of her body against mine.

‘Feeling a bit... breathless...’

She was gasping for breath, a glistening thread between our lips was dripping down, and in the faint light, I saw her pale face was already flushed. My right hand was pressing against her ribs, my fingertips almost touching her breast, but she did not seem to notice, just slowly withdrawing the hand that was holding my waist.

‘You, supposed to be your first time, right?’

I trembled violently because her hand had already moved to my crotch, lightly stroking my swollen lower body.

‘Only then, can I be rid of my sins... Take this, my--virgin...’

Her voice grew quieter and quieter, but her actions grew bolder. Before I could clearly understand her words, she had already loosened the lace, ready to show her breasts.

‘No, you can't do this!’ I quickly stopped her by grabbing her hands.

‘Why? You saved me. It was you who saved me! Do you want me to contain this pain more? Do you... not want to do it with me?’

‘Nothing like this! Think clearly, Anastasia!’

I raised my voice, almost shouting at her, at least to calm her down before she completely lost her composure. Was she willing? Or was it just by her guilt, wanting to make a sacrifice, with me just being a substitute? Because I had ‘saved’ her, too, and I was still alive.

‘You clearly know nothing about me! I’d be just an unknown man who happened to intervene when someone provoked you in the tavern, acting heroically to protect you. Maybe my student was an excellent Chevaliere, for she brought you out of the place you hate, but that means not I am her kind. I could just be a fraud who covets your body. Everything I did has only been to get you to this point!’

‘You are a liar! Every word you spoke was hell gibberish!’

I could not stand seeing her cry, especially when she looked directly into my eyes, so I lowered my head, not caring that my gaze was fixed on her exposed chest.

I stared at those delicate curves, as if confronting my own feelings: Did I really have affection towards her? Or was my sympathy majored? I could easily accept her ‘kindness’ and satisfy my male fantasies about her beautiful body, but what about after then? Would we just part ways? I would surely feel guilty, not it?

‘Why do you think enduring that little pain and losing some insignificant thing in your body could wash away your guilt? What value is that? Anastasia, you are being too tangential. At least regard me not tangential so! Doing so, you are no different those women who spread their legs for money!’

I spoke with a guilty conscience, for if I did not sting into her flesh with my words, she might suffer deeper harm than this.

‘You... you even...’ She choked up with tears, her words then stuck in her throat, but I had no intention to stop yet.

‘Anastasia! Do you dare to take off that ring, and think with your ration; is your noble finger ready for me to put on a new ring for you, or am I willing to put on a ring for you?’

She lowered her gaze to the ring and hesitated.

‘I need time to consider, and so do you. I... will definitely come back and see you...’

I caressed her cheek, wiping away her tears, as if comforting a crying little girl. Then I stood up and left, walking down an empty street.

    ————

Mistake! I did not go back to the main road. Now I understood the feeling of being like a headless fly, that outcome of reaping what I sow. I had trapped myself in this maze of alleys, with only a few candles lit at the corners providing faint light.

‘I cannot just go back to Anastasia for help, not?’ I looked behind my way and realised I did not have much confidence in finding the way back.

Advanced mages could communicate with spirits, and outside the Missionaria mages gather, each year there would be two or three students the sorcery course of the Senior Academia who could also master this skill. But with my average aptitude, I could only learn basic spells among such a kind and the use of various relevant props.

There was another sorcery that could mimic slime on the skin, allowing people to climb on vertical walls, but my highest record was two yards (two Berde yards: slightly less than 3 metres) off the ground, then dropped, with all knocked out and stars appeared. So, I could not just climb up to a building’s roof to check the location.

The pitch-black alleys occasionally had gusts of wind sweeping in, rattling the metal doors and windows, with the occasional barking of dogs, the screeching of cats and the sharp cries of rodents, creating a gloomy and eerie atmosphere around. A few chills ran down my spine, and I lifted one corner of my coat, placing one hand on the grip of the gun, which brought me some slight comfort. After all, such a big commotion had just occurred. If someone came looking for revenge, I feared I might end up exposed for all to see in this no-man's-land, and it was even possible I’d be captured and tortured for fun.

These mercenaries, who had been dealing with monsters for a long time, had somewhat been exposed to the perverted habits of monsters. In the rumours in the royal city, it was often said that prostitutes or even male entertainers were tortured to exhaustion and then carelessly thrown onto the roadside. Those who managed to survive were often mentally deranged, like women rescued goblin caves. What frightening was that they could do this in just one night, even more cruel than the monsters who know merely how to satisfy their animalistic desires.

At a T-junction, the wind whirled chaotically, constantly colliding here. The road ahead sloped away, and the one to the right was completely in my blind spot. I swallowed hard, urging myself to move forward;

‘Yoh-hoh~’

I jumped in fright, quickly drawing my gun and pointing it towards the sound came from, but soon my right wrist was seized, and my rear knee was struck. When I came to, my entire arm and neck were controlled, and I was pinned to the ground in a ‘cross lock’ position.

‘Grrr-- Grrr-rrrrrrr--’

I wanted to break free, but what I touched was a leg pinning my mouth down-- it was bare, with delicate skin and supple muscles.

‘Ugh, y' terrible! Mr teacher, if you like my legs so much, just tell me and I'll let you touch them however you want~’

As expected, it was Veronica that damn naughty girl.

‘Whoo-Whoowoowoo!’ I told her to let me go.

‘Huh? Teacher? What y're speaking?’ She lifted her leg, the elastic skin bouncing off my face up then down, filled with a provocative meaning, and an inexplicable anger flared up in my chest.

‘Woo-Woo!’

‘Ohh-yih! It hurts!’

I bit down on her thigh, the pain causing her to loosen her grip, and I seized the chance to break free.

‘Yah-oh~ Teacher! It's a bit too early to make such rough play, is it not? Sss-- hurt hurt!’

Veronica knelt on one knee on the ground, rubbing the back of her thigh that had been bitten. She was still wearing the clothes I had seen her in at the tavern.

‘Enough is enough! When did you start following me? And when you were touching me, did you charge my gun with your magia?’ I pointed the gun at her angrily.

‘Oh dear oh dear-- Cease anger cease anger, good teacher mine! Is this not helping you land your dream girl~ I'd love to taste Miss Anastasia's sweet kiss, too!’

Veronica teasingly licked her fingertips, then opened her palm, a bullet then fell to the ground with a crisp sound-- the defensive bullet I had been keeping in the chamber. In other words, I had been disarmed.

‘You are such a bitch!’ The moment the words left my lips, I regretted using such vulgar language towards my student. Shame overwhelmed my mind. If I had accepted Anastasia's ‘invitaion,’ everything then would have been seen by this naughty girl!

‘Hmph hmph, you’ve also seen my love affair with Via~’

I had no choice!

‘Anyway, if you know the way, just take me out of the hell, soon as soon!’

‘Since you ordered, Lord Teacher~’

    ————

The sky had turned to dawn. There was yet no one on the street, when I was walking alone on a street near my home. The flat building I lived was just one street away the Chivalria’s wall, and sometimes I would also stay overnight at the office. At this moment, I had nothing to do, merely because someone was occupying my bathroom.

‘She should have finished by now?’

Thinking so, I turned my steps towards my flat, but when I entered, I saw Veronica sitting at the dining table in front of the open kitchen, drinking my favourite tea with my favourite teacup. She was wrapped in my bath towel, with her wet hair cascading down.

‘Y' tea preferences are quite unique, teacher!’

‘Have you not any other cloth?’ I always wondered if this mischievous student had some idiosyncrasy under some particular terms.

The wine-scented dress she changed out of was hanging by the stove to dry, along with a set of pure white laced underwear that did not match her temperament. (By the way, that stove was a magia stove that needs to be manually powered; it was some high-end item a colleague, though it was second-hand.)

I snatched the cup Veronica’s hand and drained the overly strong tea the side she had not sipped from, finally washing away some of the fatigue my sleepless night.

‘Then, you must have many things to explain, right? First of all-- this!’

I slapped the gun ‘bang’ on the table in front of her, and sat opposite.

‘Simple that, y'just go visit Anastasia tonight at the tavern, and then go to I ambushed y'. Y' shall know after so.’

‘What kind of explanation does it count for?’

‘Y're definitely going to see the one on your heart anyway, will you not?’

Do not stick out your tongue and wink at me; I know your bad ideas!

‘Additionally, not only were the remains of the former Baron missing, but the Baroness’s body was noto be found. The Chivalry Order concluded that she had died merely because a piece of bloodstained silk, belonging to the Baroness’s personal attire, was discovered at the Baron’s manor.’

‘In this situation, death would be the most fortunate result.’

Alternatively, she could have been captured by some humanoid monsters and subjected to countless tortures.

‘Do ye remember not what Anastasia said about her mom's illness and how she was once her only solace?’

There were various rumours about the Baron of Lodowiec: although this family held a minor title, even nobles as high as marquesses in the vicinity were expected to nod to their authority. For their domain was on the border, the barons of Lodowiec had historically been responsible for defending against monsters the southerner. If this domain were to collapse, the monsters might advance unimpeded.

The last Baron was considered the greatest ‘ambitious figure’ in nearly a century of the Western Island. He continuously led his army to raid the lairs of monsters, expanding the kingdom's border into the treacherous icefields, to the point some believed the monsters in the southern part of the island would eventually disappear. About less than two decades ago, the Baroness fell ill with an unknown chronic condition after several miscarriages, her health gradually deteriorated, and as a result, the expansion of the barony came to a halt.

‘This time, the monstrous invasion was very strange. First, the border walls seemed intact, and the monsters advanced along the trade route leading directly to the capital, as if guided by someone. Except for a few villages along the way that suffered destruction, people in other areas did not even see a shadow. And almost all the monsters retreated after the capital fell.’

Indeed, ordinary monsters would not possess such strong organisation. High-level monsters, such as so-called demons, or werewolves who gain knowledge through mating with spirits, or succubus, might demonstrate intelligence akin to that of humans.

For hundreds of years in war, humans and spirits had nearly wiped out the high-level monsters on the Eastern Continent, and on this small Western Island there had also been no large-scale wars for nearly a century. Although the specific reasons still remain a mystery, known only to the royal family and senior Missioners.

‘You mean... no, that makes no sense!’

‘This is what we hope to prove. Please keep staying close to Miss Anastasia~’

I would like to ask more, but Veronica had already stood up and walked to the stove, taking off the robe wrapped around her body. The bare back and upturned buttocks of the young girl, as well as a pair of bonny legs, were then presented before me. Light passes through the healthy gap between her thighs without any obstruction, and if she bends her waist slightly, I could glimpse her private part.

‘Hey hey hey hey hey! This is not YOUR home!’

I quickly averted my gaze and covered my burning face.

‘Hmph~ I remember you said you got no interest in teenage girls~’

She just put on her underwear and sat back in her original position, deliberately lifting her right leg and slowly drawing a half-circle in the air before placing it on her left leg.

‘Sorry~ that dress is not dry yet! Could you let me sit here for a bit longer? Yeh? There's still some tea left, nice! Oh dear, oh dear, it's already too bitter to drink!’

‘Bear no more with you!’

I snatched the teapot and went to boil more water for a new round of tea. In my cognition, women who like women were usually very repelled by men, but this student of mine seems to have no sense of propriety with anyone. Veronica was the best among the girls in her grade, had even beaten down several boys on the training field.

As for my history classes, I could close my eyes and guess she was daydreaming, and she always dozed off when I turned my back. She remembered my ‘outrageous statements’ better than anyone else, and as for the exams... things like that require not even attending class! After all, the school had given me the so-called passing rate target.

I did hope she could be more disciplined like her girlfriend Via, but Via was also partly to blame for dragging me into this mess.

Could this boring life not just continue? But, if this incident really went beyond imagination, not to mention how many people might die, it could even threaten the kingdom's existence. And, Anastasia...

For reasons I could not tell, my heart was always seized by a sense of unease, a feeling that lingers in front of the sin gate of ‘wrath.’ If I took one step forward across the gate, my reason would be stirred, and I would either draw my weapon without hesitation and fire, or rush forward to shield that girl.

No, I did not want her watching me, being torn apart by monsters in front of her. I might not be able to control my cries, and that would certainly scare her...

‘Oyh, teacher, the tea is about to overflow!’

‘Hisss--’

In a moment's carelessness, the scalding water the kettle splashed onto my hand holding the teapot.

‘All bastards!’ I swore in an out-of-voice rage.