The Villainous Noble’s Father - Chapter 17

What in the world is going on here…?

Alan stands firm, holding the holy sword and maintaining a protective barrier. Behind him, Leonard carries Yulia bridal-style, watching me without letting his guard down.

This feels like I’m the villain boss. No, maybe more like a mid-tier boss in the story?

Based on what I know from my past life and the evidence I’ve gathered, there’s no doubt, the one who’s seduced Leonard is the demon, Yulia.

At first, I figured she was the classic succubus you see in stories like this. But it turns out she’s actually a vampire. It’s not a widely known fact, but her family, the House of Count Sederholm, has had ties to demons since before the Great War. That’s what first made me suspicious of her.

After I sent Leonard and the others out for survival training, I had people from the house look into her. And the more we investigated, the more certain I became.

The current head of the Sederholm family is a vampire. And it’s highly likely both his daughters are as well.

Yulia operates just fine in sunlight, so she might be a half-vampire, a dhampir, or perhaps a pure-blood vampire. But honestly, that detail doesn’t matter. I don’t discriminate based on race or class.  If someone is useful, I’ll value them. If they’re a threat, I’ll deal with them.

Given how detailed Yulia’s background is, along with her design, maybe there was a hidden storyline involving her in the original game, one I just never saw. If I had been a diehard fan of that game, maybe I’d have drawn a different conclusion.

But I’m not. I’m the Duke who guides this nation’s future and Leonard’s father. And now, someone has seduced my son and is threatening the nation from within.

What should I do with such a dangerous presence? There’s no need to think twice. The only option is to eliminate her.

“Leonard. This is your doing, isn’t it? Do you even understand what you’re doing?”

“Not at all,” my son replies with complete confidence.

…Seriously?

“But Yulia’s the one who helped me become who I am now. She’s someone I owe a lot to. And now, my father, someone I admire, is trying to kill her. I can’t just sit back and let that happen.”

Hmm. From Leonard’s perspective, that makes sense. So… he admires me, huh? I’d like to ask more about that later, but for now—

“I’ll explain everything to you later. But I’m not changing my decision—”

“That’s why we’re running.”

At that moment, an explosion of wind tears through the courtyard.

BOOM!

Ugh! Feels like a typhoon!

“Settle down!”

CRACK! With a sound like something breaking, the storm vanishes. The three of them are gone.

“Clever… They even used chantless casting.”

Before I knew it, I was smiling to myself as I stood there, alone.

Later…

“Run! Run! Al! That distraction won’t last more than a few seconds!”

“I know that, but… hey Leo, did I really need to come with you?”

Al grumbles, but keeps up a full sprint, staying alert behind us.

It’s late at night and the royal capital is fast asleep. We dash through the streets without stopping once. We head straight down the main road, aiming for the city limits. Even though this is one of the biggest cities on the continent, right now, it’s scarier than the most dangerous dungeon.

Why? Because the person chasing us is the Grand Duke of this country, a one-man army and a literal grim reaper.

“What are you talking about? You gave that whole dramatic speech about helping a friend, no way you’re getting off the hook now.”

“…Honestly, I already regret it. The Lord paid me so well too. Ugh, think he’d forgive me if I begged hard enough?”

“Ha! No way I’m letting you off the hook now. Let’s go!”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Joking as we go, Leo and I leap. We jump onto the rooftops and start running, changing direction as we go. It’s a tactic we used all the time back in the forest.

First, run on the ground. Then, when the time is right, escape into the trees or in this case, rooftops.

Simple, but surprisingly effective.

We move in a zigzag across the rooftops, careful not to leave any signs behind.

“We’ll keep going until we’re out of the city walls and head south. Everything north of here is under my father’s control.”

“Sounds like we’d better flee the country.”

“If it comes to that, yeah. But even the banks in other countries are under Father’s influence. We’ve got some cash, but how far can we get…?”

“Goodbye, my savings…”

We leap through the air above the capital together.

The capital is a fortress city surrounded by high walls and those massive walls are now in sight.

“Um, Lord Leonard! That thief, no, I mean, Alan is right! It’s not too late! You should just turn me in and apologize to the Lord! You don’t have to get dragged down for someone like me!”

Yulia yells desperately.

She’s been clinging to me the whole time, probably because we’ve been running at full speed. I hold her tight, making sure she doesn’t fall, and leap over the tall wall marking the city’s edge.

On the other side is a wide open plain.

“That’s not it, Yulia. This is probably for me.”

My father isn’t some cold-hearted monster. I’m sure he has a reason for wanting to kill Yulia. A reason that would benefit the nation, the territory, everyone.

But still.

“No matter how good the reason is, if I let you die, I’ll never be able to forgive myself. So yeah, this is just me being selfish.”

“L-Lord Leonard…”

Yeah, this is just my selfishness. A childish tantrum from a kid who doesn’t want to follow the rules. And I know that.

“I know this is stupid. But even so, even so. Yulia, Al, will you come with me?”

“O-Of course!”

“…Sigh. Fine. I mean, I did get caught up in the moment, after all.”

“Well, I guess this suits a rebellious teenager like you. But, do you even have a plan?”

“Yes. According to Father’s schedule, Al and I are supposed to duel during the entrance ceremony. If we can stay on the run until then, wait, huh?”

Who… am I answering right now?

“I see. So your idea is that I’ll be so annoyed the schedule’s off, you might be able to force a compromise from me. Not a bad strategy… but you’ll need a stronger bargaining chip.”

We’re at the southern edge of the capital, beyond the fortress walls. We ran full speed and stayed as cautious as possible.

But…

“Still… You really think you can outrun me?”

You can’t escape the Black Reaper.