Chapter 45

“Listen, just to be sure, I have to ask: You really hate the idea of this arranged marriage, right, Cerulia?”

“It goes without saying… Master, I have been your familiar for less than half a year… No, it isn’t a matter of time. I simply do not want to be apart from you.”

Hearing those words was all I needed. There was no longer any room for hesitation.

“But you know, Cerulia—from my perspective, this doesn’t look like that big of a problem,” Mary said, wearing a dubious expression. Since she was calmer than Cerulia or me, her input might actually be useful.

“I mean, if it’s an arranged marriage meeting, you should naturally have the right to refuse, right? If you go to the meeting and then turn him down, you can clear the problem while still saving face for your parents.”

That was true. Cerulia wasn’t being forcibly wed to an Incubus; she was simply being made to attend a meeting. However, the clouds didn’t lift from Cerulia’s tear-streaked face.

“On paper, it is a meeting. But the matter is not nearly that simple.”

“Does that mean the groom is someone powerful and you can’t decline the offer?” Mary pressed further.

“The opponent is an Incubus. They possess an abnormal ability to make any woman fall for them. An Incubus with a high-level education would have even taken classes on how to make a lady forget her former lover. I cannot afford to let my guard down.”

“They have classes for that?!” I couldn’t help but shout. As expected of Succubi and Incubi…

“Conversely, a Succubus can also make an Incubus fall for her. To put it simply, it becomes a contest to see who is more skilled. It is a battle between Succubus and Incubus.”

Somehow, this was turning out to be a different kind of “battle” than I had imagined.

“By the way, I heard that as a result of their meeting, my mother succumbed to my father, fell in love, and ended up being the one to press for the engagement. Apparently, at the time, ‘aggressive’ alpha-types were popular, so my father approached the meeting by crafting that kind of persona.”

If you’re an alpha-type, don’t go to an arranged marriage meeting in the first place, I thought, but I suppose that’s just a cultural difference.

“In these situations, the one who says ‘I love you’ first ends up in a disadvantageous position afterward. Whether the household is run by the husband or the wife is decided by the results of the meeting. Of course, the winner often chooses to break off the marriage entirely.”

“I see. The winner gets the right to decide whether the marriage happens or not. Sounds like exactly the kind of thing Succubi and Incubi would do.”

Mary didn’t seem particularly surprised; she appeared to have grasped the logic.

“According to information from my sister, the Incubus in question is very eager to marry me. If I falter, that will be the end of it.”

The fact that Cerulia was this afraid meant it was likely very easy for them to force a change of heart.

“Since it’s the Demon Realm, the currency varies, but in the values of this world, his annual income is roughly three thousand silver coins. And back in school, he was the captain of the football team.”

High income and a jock, huh? He sounded like exactly the kind of character I’m bad at dealing with…

“I think I understand the situation. Cerulia, you’re anxious about this meeting, right?”

At my words, Cerulia nodded, still weeping.

“It goes without saying that I love you, Master, and do not want to leave. However, in the past, many Succubi have claimed they would easily refuse such a meeting, only to end up married… I cannot be optimistic…”

Cerulia’s body was trembling.

I decided to do what a master should. I reached out, cupped Cerulia’s face, and wiped away her tears.

“Master…?”

“You don’t have to cry anymore. I’m with you. In fact, I’m coming with you.”

“Eh? Coming with me?”

“Cerulia, take me to your hometown. I’ll negotiate directly with your father and put a stop to this meeting myself!”

Simply praying for Cerulia’s good luck isn’t what a master does.

“If the meeting is dangerous, then there’s no problem as long as we cancel the meeting itself. I’m going to the Demon Realm.”

Cerulia is like a wife to me. Protecting her is only natural.

“Y-you mustn’t… Succubi might treat you kindly, Master, but the male Incubi care nothing for you. They show no mercy to human males…”

“Franz, Cerulia is right. You might get torn to pieces three seconds after making eye contact!”

What kind of outrageous world is that?!

“I’m still going. At the very least, I’m not going to just sit here and wait.”

This was about my own integrity.

“Because if I just stayed here like a normal person, I wouldn’t have any right to complain even if you told me you were marrying an Incubus. I couldn’t blame you for losing interest in a man like that.”

Well, if it really is so dangerous that I’d be torn apart in three seconds, I’d have to give up… past that point, it’s just suicide.

Anxiety still lingered in Cerulia’s eyes, but I saw a flicker of affection for me start to take its place.

“Sigh… I guess it can’t be helped. I suppose I’ll come along in my role as a guardian.”

It seemed Mary was on board with my plan as well.

“Thanks, Mary!”

“To be honest, if Cerulia were gone, I’d have Franz all to myself, which has its own merits… but it would leave a bad taste in my mouth. Having a ‘bad wake-up’ even without a nightmare is the absolute worst.”

Deep down, I guess Mary cares about Cerulia too.

“No matter how you look at it, as long as you’re traveling with the ‘Indescribable Ancestor of Nightmares,’ even an Incubus won’t be able to treat you poorly. That should make things work out somehow.”

“Thanks, Mary.” I placed my hand on Mary’s head and gave it a pat.

“Geez, treating me like a kid again… but I’ll allow it since it makes me happy. Your big hands feel like my brother’s.”

“Alright, let’s decide on a strategy.”

Our mission to sabotage the marriage meeting begins now!