(Oh right, Erica’s becoming even more beautiful than she was in the game, isn’t she?)
That’s the only thing Harold could come up with, having no reliable way of finding out the reason behind Francis’ enthusiasm.
Harold had ordered a chop steak for he deemed meat was a must in these occasions. And as he looked for a vacant seat with said steak in his hand…
【”Oh”】
【”Hmm?”】
【”……tsk”】
【”Hold on. I’d like to have a little talk.”】
【”If it’s about Erica, ask her elder brother.”】
【”No, I want to talk with you.”】
【”Exactly. So you should just sit down for now.”】
【”So, what the hell do you want to ask?”】
【”Let’s start by introducing ourselves. I am Francis J. Arkwright. “】
【”I’m Lord Strouse.”】
【”You knew about me from before, right? How come?”】
【”I only knew your name. But that doesn’t mean I’ve ever personally met you.”】
【”Well, I guess that’s right. Because I don’t remember you either.”】
【”….. This looks horrifying, it’s as if you were eating an actual person.”】
【”Well, there is no denying that. But even though your mouth is dyed with blood, I think it actually looks good on you rather than messy.”】
【”If you took some red wine instead, it would look even better.”】
【”In short, it’s the red of the blood that looks good on me, right? Alright, then If you bastards don’t mind, I’ll just use your blood instead of the meat’s.”】
【”【”No thank you.”】”】
【”Francis, you’re supposed to be Itsuki’s friend, right? How come you didn’t even know his younger sister?”】
【”I knew he had a younger sister but I wasn’t told she was that beautiful. Why didn’t you tell me about her?”】
【”Because it was obvious that things would turn out like this if I did that. How could I possibly use my precious younger sister as bait for a lustful demon like you?”】
【”Well, that’s alright. From now on, the romance between Erica and I will-“】
【”Will not start, ever.”】
【”….By the way, Lord”】
【”….What?”】
Itsuki’s overbearing cut-in forced a sudden change in the topic of the conversation, but Harold decided to just roll with it.
【”About yesterday’s incident, I heard from Itsuki that you were shielding Erica, but, wasn’t that overkill?”】
【”I barely grazed them with some blood thirst, those small fries can only blame themselves for not even being able to deal with something of that level.”】
【”How many brave men out there you think would be able to keep calm after receiving a blood thirst like that one at close proximity?”】
【”Even Franck and I would have a tough time with it.”】
【”I thought I was stabbed from behind and died.”】
【”You should have felt something similar from the eyes of those women you had your way with, probably without their consent.”】
【”That joke’s in poor taste…”】
Franc showed a stiff smile. Then Harold directly asked him.
【”Yesterday you said some bullshit about devoting your heart to Erica or whatever. Were you actually serious about that?”】
【”Of course I was serious. It’s not unreasonable for you to doubt me since you know my past, but right now, I intend to terminate all the relations I have with any other woman.”】
【”If you have nothing left to do here, how about you go wag your tail in front of Erica? That way, I can eat without having to look at your face.”】
【”Wait hold on Lord, that’s not what we agreed on.”】
【”What you asked me to do was get rid of the “beasts that look like no more than insects”. Does this man fit those criteria?”】
【”That’s…..”】
【”I guess this isn’t a conversation to have in front of him…. But still, does this mean I have Itsuki’s permission?”】
【”Yeah, sure, knock yourself out.”】
【”No, like hell you do! If Lord doesn’t do anything, then I will!”】
【”This mood isn’t right to profess my love.”】
【”I’m pretty sure it wasn’t the right mood yesterday either.”】
【”Really? I think it was like a passionate scene, where the hero opens up his heart to a lady after finishing his fight on the battlefield while protecting her to the end.”】
【”…… I guess it’s fine if that’s how the scene went in your twisted mind. But, you see, I don’t care.”】
【”Gee, that’s one cold opinion. Well, even if I attempted something right now, I’d only end up getting mixed up in the chaos anyway. But, putting that aside.”】
A kind of cold expression, that didn’t match the frivolous personality he showed so far, appeared on Francis’ face as he spoke his next words.
【”Lord, I still have something I’d like to talk to you about. Would you give me some of your time after this?”】
【”What a hassle.”】
【”Please don’t say that. Well,, I’d like you to just come by my room if you feel like it later.”】
【”This is Lord. Open up quickly if you’re there.”】
【”You really came?”】
【”Are you telling me to go back?”】
【”That’s not it. I was just surprised because I didn’t expect you to come.”】
That was a pretty cruel remark since he was the one who invited Harold. If this exchange happened between a couple, the other party would probably think Francis was having an affair.
【”For the time being, please go inside. Allow me to entertain you.”】
【”But still, you really came.”】
【”Is that all you can say?”】
【”No, I’m just wondering if you’re making light of me. If that’s the case, then it’s really vexing.”】
【”….What do you mean?”】
【”This is what I mean.”】
As Harold asked about Francis’ real intention which he was unable to infer, a rapier was pointed at his throat. And it was at a distance that couldn’t even be measured in millimeters as there was just a paper thin gap left between his throat and the weapon.
(What?)
【”Looks like you’re not even carrying any weapons. That’s so careless of you. Are you completely dumb or are you just that confident in yourself?”】
【”….Is this what “entertain” means in your empty head?”】
【”Yeah, that’s right. Like I said earlier, red, or rather, blood looks good on you. Therefore, I thought I’d dye you in red. With your own blood.”】
(What’s the meaning of this…..)
【”Tell me, what was your aim when you approached Itsuki and Erica? Harold Stokes.”】
Francis appeared to be one of the people who knew Harold’s face and identity.
