Chapter 76
"Stop! Don’t fight over me!" —I’d love to toss in that cliché line for laughs, but given the situation, I focused on backing up Lord Albert. Though, thanks to our familiar bond’s emotional link, his feelings were flooding in: worry and—wait, jealousy? Worry made sense, but jealousy? Over what? Probably Yuri, but why? Well, whatever. I’d ask later. Right now, dealing with Yuri took priority.
"Tch! Damn, this is bad. Taking on Albert and Yuka’s a bit much. Time for a tactical retreat~."
"You think I’d let you escape? You’ll spill everything about the Supreme Demon Cult—and regret laying a finger on Yuka!"
Lord Albert? The first part’s logical, but the latter sounds personal...
"Hah! Jealous, much? Didn’t peg you as the petty type."
"I’m merely punishing a fool who dared covet another man’s wife."
Lightning and wind clashed, the shockwaves reducing the surroundings to rubble. The battle was intense—Yuri’s smug facade finally cracked, panic flickering across his face.
"Yikes, this ain’t workin’. Later, Yuuka! Next time, I’ll definitely make you my wife!"
"Don’t you dare come b—Wait, no! You’re not getting away!"
"Too bad! Running’s my specialty. Catch me if you ca~n!"
A gale erupted, and Yuri dissolved into the wind, vanishing.
"Kuh… He got away. No matter. We’ll extract intel from these corpses."
Lord Albert pressed a hand to the fallen cultists, siphoning memories for clues about the Cult.
"Thank you for the assistance. Though, Yuri was… formidable."
"Yeah. He’s strong. Next time, I’ll end him."
"Understood."
And so, our battle with Yuri was postponed—for now.
We brought the unconscious Yukari and Rin to Lord Albert’s mansion for safekeeping. Gale remained petrified; neither Albert, Noir, nor Lumière could break the curse.
"Curses predate modern magic—they’re its prototype. Only specialists can safely undo them. Forcing it risks backlash," Noir explained.
Albert’s own curse was similarly complex. The conditions to lift it were either killing the caster or bonding with a fated partner—though the latter’s specifics were unclear.
Problems kept piling up, including the current one:
"Lord Albert, it’s been nearly…"
"No."
"Um, an hour now?"
"Not enough."
"…As you wish."
Ever since we returned, Albert had been glued to me, refusing to let go. After settling Yukari and Rin in a guest room, he’d summoned me to his chambers with a single request:
"Let me hold you."
And so, here we were—locked in an embrace. Not that I mind, but it’s been excessive. He called it "recharging". When I asked what needed recharging:
"My Yuka reserves."
Apparently, his jealousy over Yuri played a role. Resigned, I stroked his hair—silky smooth, unfairly prettier than mine.
"…I was jealous," he muttered. "He stood too close to you."
Ah. So that was it. Naturally, he’d feel possessive if another man got handsy. Maybe I should’ve kept my distance.
"Lord Albert, I’ll always be by your side. You have nothing to fear."
"…Yeah."
He nodded, earnest. We stayed entwined for 15 more minutes—under the full scrutiny of our familiars, of course.
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