Esper Harem in the Apocalypse

Chapter 285 [Bonus chapter] Sonovabich

　　Jane placed her hand on Rudy's shoulder and said, "Let him go."

　　"...."

　　"Look, he ran away!" Rudy yelled.

　　"Why are you here? I asked you to stay in the room, didn't I?" she asked with an angry look on her face.

　　"Are you seriously asking me that? And why are you angry at me and not him?!" he asked with an annoyed face.

　　Jane held Rudy's face in her hands and replied, "Because he doesn't matter to you, and you do."

　　"..."

　　"Hahaha! I don't know who that is, but it was satisfying to watch Vesier beaten like that!" someone from the guests said.

　　"Vesier…?" Rudy raised his brow and asked, "That was… Vesier…?"

　　"Yes….?"

　　"Sonovabitch! Why didn't you tell me sooner?!"

　　"...."

　　Rudy had no idea that the person he had just humiliated in front of everyone was Vesier. If he knew, he would have killed him on the spot.

　　"Now, will you answer my question?" Jane asked with a furious look on her face. "What are you doing here? Didn't I advise you to stay put in the room?"

　　"Uhmm… would you believe me if I said I came here because I was missing you?" Rudy asked awkwardly.

　　"No, because that's not the truth," Jane responded.

　　"I came here to help you…" Rudy replied with a sigh.

　　"Did I ask for your help?" she asked with a judging look on her face.

　　"No…"

　　"I had everything under control. Why did you have to come and ruin everything? Now they have one more thing to berate me about," she stated with a disappointed look on her face.

　　"He was insulting you! And that's enough reason for me to—"

　　"No." Jane interrupted Rudy and said, "That was my personal matter. You can't just butt in on someone else's family matters. How would you feel if I did the same to you?"

　　"I would be happy, actually." Rudy furrowed his brow and said, "Unlike a certain someone who is getting angry at the wrong person and not even thanking me."

　　"I don't understand… why would you do that…" she muttered.

　　'She doesn't know much about relationships and how they work. I first have to explain to her the boundaries and the personal space before advancing our relationship to the next level, although we already did the deed.'

　　"Okay. I didn't do that for you. I did that for myself," he suddenly uttered.

　　"What do you mean?" Jane asked with a confused look on her face.

　　"He insulted Rias too, and as her lover, it's my right to defend her honor," he stated. "If you don't want me to defend you, I can always defend someone who wants my protection."

　　"I never said I don't want you—"

　　"Leave it." Rudy stepped back and jumped out of the hall through the ceiling to hunt down Vesier.

　　"...." Jane bit her lips and glanced at Virgil, expecting him to say something.

　　"That was your fault," he said.

　　"How? I simply wanted to keep him away from my personal matters because I didn't want him to get involved in all this. And did you forget about the Lord's punishment? The more vampires he interacts with, the greater punishment he will suffer. I don't care about me, but I don't want him to suffer because of me," she asserted with a painful expression on her face.

　　Virgil gently smiled at her and said, "Just like how you are concerned about him, he is concerned about you too."

　　"Oh…." Jane finally realized her mistake, and her eyes got teary.

　　"You are trying to save him from something that's not currently happening. You have time to think and act and prevent it. But Rudy didn't. He did what he had to do. I won't say if it was the right thing to do or not. I am not a judge. I can't judge," he asserted calmly.

　　Jane wiped her tears and nodded with a smile on her face.

　　"Thank you, grandpa."

　　Virgil patted Jane's head and said, "Even though you are usually so smart in everything, you are naive when it comes to love, huh?"

　　Jane's face flushed as she heard that. She averted her face to the side and muttered, "It's my first time falling in love."

　　A few seconds later, two soldiers arrived and bowed in front of Virgil.

　　"What's the news?"

　　"We just got information that ten royal flying chariots are coming this way," one soldier informed.

　　"Who do the chariots belong to?" Virgil asked curiously.

　　"They have the Allucard's flags on them," the second soldier replied.

　　"What are they doing here at this time of the year? Shouldn't they be celebrating this week in their kingdom instead?" Virgil muttered.

　　"Should we prepare the soldiers from the war?!" the first soldier asked.

　　"Worry not. Blood moon week is a week of peace. There shall be no wars. And if they truly intend for war, I alone will take care of them."

　　Jane turned to Virgil and asked, "I don't think they are coming here for the war. Otherwise, why would there be only ten chariots?"

　　"Indeed." Virgil nodded and turned to the soldiers to ask: "How far are they?"

　　"They still haven't crossed the borders of our kingdoms. But they are on the first class pegasuses that can travel over a thousand kilometers in a minute," the soldier stated.

　　"Hmm…" Virgil hummed in wonder and said, "So it will take them at least an hour to get here."

　　"What are your commands?!" the soldiers asked while panicking.

　　"Stay on standby for now. But if you see anything strange, report it to me immediately," Virgil ordered.

　　"As you wish!" The soldiers once again bowed down and left the fall from the ceiling.

　　"..." Virgil shook his head in disbelief and muttered, "The broken ceiling has become the new door. Everyone is entering and leaving from there."

　　****

　　Thanks, @Telporin, and @TheDNAlien, for the gifts!