Repeat Vice - The Villainous Noble Doesn't Want to Die, So He Swore to Not Die As One of The Four Heavenly Kings - Chapter 90: Boys' Meeting

Chapter 90:  Boys’ Meeting

It was the day after the incident at the clock tower with Fol—before Rofus went to the airship to respond to Riruka’s confession.

The location was the garden of the academy, which was temporarily closed.

Rofus, Vallum, and August, three men, sat around a table.

The one who called for this gathering was none other than Rofus.

“This is rare. You calling us out like this, Rofus.”

“Sorry, but let’s keep this brief. I have some plans later.”

Seeing Vallum lower his eyes apologetically, August widened his eyes.

“What, you too? Actually, I have some errands as well.”

Rofus shrugged at the sight of the two.

“Sorry to call you out when you’re busy. Don’t worry, I’m not that free either.”

Internally, Rofus grumbled that Annegelt had called him out. It was about retrieving the magic stones that hadn’t been fully consumed by the thorn barrier.

From Rofus’s perspective, since he had already provided equivalent magic stones through the Triandaphilia family, he thought it should be left alone, but Annegelt was insistent, saying, “It’s too wasteful.”

“So, what’s this about? Have you decided to talk about Raymond and your situation?”

“No, it’s not about that. It’s a different matter.”

“Get to the point…”

August’s face twitched as he retorted to Rofus’s clear refusal.

Rofus looked at Vallum and August with a serious expression.

“I have a bit of a consultation.”

A consultation from Rofus.

Vallum and August braced themselves, wondering what it could be.

Rofus had never confided his troubles to others before.

His unyielding nature, never showing any weakness, was in some ways even more steadfast than Raymond’s.

So, if Rofus was seeking advice, it must be something urgent, causing tension to rise between Vallum and August.

“What is it you want to consult about?”

Vallum asked with determination, and Rofus slowly began to speak.

“…Recently, I got engaged to an old acquaintance… but, I’ve also been receiving affections from another woman…”

“…Huh?”

“Wait, Vallum, let’s hear him out.”

Vallum frowned in confusion at Rofus’s story, and August cautioned him.

Rofus continued, explaining the situation and his concerns.

He recounted how a sailor girl had confessed to him in the past, and he had set an impossible condition of becoming a noble if she wanted to get engaged.

The sailor girl met the condition in just three years, becoming a noble and appearing before him.

As promised, they got engaged, but recently, another girl, an air pirate, had also confessed to him, and he wanted to respond to her earnestly.

Moreover, both girls knew each other, and the sailor girl, whom he was engaged to, suggested that he consider the air pirate girl as a potential wife as well.

Rofus spoke about these matters with a troubled expression.

After hearing the story, Vallum and August exchanged looks and then stared at Rofus with complicated expressions.

“…Wait, Rofus. Are you asking us for relationship advice?”

Vallum folded his arms and asked seriously.

Rofus nodded weakly.

“…To put it simply, yes.”

Vallum glanced at August and quietly shook his head.

“…I think you chose the wrong people to ask.”

“Hey, don’t lump me in with your mistake.”

August frowned, feeling wronged.

Vallum continued unfazed.

“Think about it. We’re fighters. We can’t give you any proper advice on this.”

“And why am I included in that? Hey, Vallum, don’t ignore me.”

Vallum dodged August, who was grabbing at him with a vein bulging on his forehead, and looked at Rofus.

“For this kind of consultation, Raymond would be more suitable.”

“Raymond has disappeared. There’s no one else but you two to ask.”

“That’s true… I see.”

Vallum sighed deeply and lowered his gaze.

Then August stood up.

“Hey, Rofus, what about Annegelt? Weren’t you two close?”

“What? Is that true?”

Vallum looked at Rofus in surprise at August’s words.

Rofus turned away awkwardly.

“So that’s how it seemed. But…”

Rofus ran a hand through his hair in frustration, looking down tiredly.

“No, let’s not talk about Annegelt right now.”

Rofus murmured weakly.

Yes, aside from Riruka’s confession, there were also talks about an engagement with Annegelt.

It was part of the condition that the Triandaphilia family presented to the Lightless family when signing the petition for Raymond’s reduced sentence to the royal family.

It was not something that could be ignored, and what made the matter even more complicated was that Rofus genuinely liked Annegelt as a school friend. This only intensified his distress.

No matter how he responded, it could potentially damage his relationship with Annegelt, and depending on his answer, it could even strain relations with the Triandaphilia family.

As both a noble and a friend, it was an extremely delicate issue.

Rofus felt as if he was developing a hole in his stomach.

Seeing Rofus unusually distressed, Vallum and August couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

“Alright, let’s put aside the matter of Annegelt for now. So, the consultation is about how to respond to that air pirate girl, right?”

August put his hand to his chin and tilted his head thoughtfully.

Vallum remembered his time in the Steria territory.

Vallum had briefly acted together with the air pirates known as the “Scarlet Wind.”

The face that came to Vallum’s mind was that of Elma, a short-haired female air pirate who wielded a bow.

He remembered there were other women, but one was a patient and the other was a small child.

Considering Rofus had shown almost no interest in Sera, who openly showed affection, Vallum couldn’t imagine he would view that child as a romantic interest.

Vallum misunderstood.

“Oh, that girl. She did have a good face. And a nice figure. I understand why Rofus is troubled.”

Rofus tilted his head, “Nice figure…?”

August, on the other hand, widened his eyes.

“What, you know her?”

“Briefly.”

Unaware of Vallum’s misunderstanding, Rofus poured out his thoughts.

“To be honest, I do find the air pirate girl quite likable. But…”

Rofus continued to express his internal struggle.

For the sailor girl—Fol, he had set an impossible condition to become a noble if she wanted to get engaged.

Given this, it seemed unfair to unconditionally accept Riruka, who was also a commoner, for marriage.

Wouldn’t that be extremely disrespectful to Fol, who had become a noble as promised?

After hearing Rofus’s concerns, Vallum and August exchanged glances and said, “Hmm.”

“I understand what you’re saying, but aren’t you overthinking it?”

“I don’t know about noble values, but I think it comes down to what you want, Rofus.”

Both August and Vallum shared their opinions.

“The sailor girl who became your fiancée seems to accept the air pirate girl. So, isn’t there no problem?”

“Wait, August, that’s not the main point.”

“Huh?”

Vallum interrupted August.

“Rofus is a noble. Whether the other person is a commoner or a noble, as long as the procedures are followed, there’s no issue in having multiple wives. What’s important here is Rofus’s feelings.”

Vallum looked Rofus straight in the eye.

“Rofus, you do like this air pirate girl, right? Then it’s a matter of your own feelings.”

“My own feelings…?”

Vallum nodded.

“Is this air pirate girl someone you think you can spend your life with?”

“…”

As Rofus fell silent, Vallum smiled.

“There’s no need to rush an answer. In fact, don’t answer now. Take your time and think it over.”

“Yeah, you’re right… I’ll take some time to think.”

Rofus nodded as if he had come to an understanding.

August laughed.

“Vallum, you said something good. True, appearances can be managed later. My old man keeps up appearances, but he still has many mistresses despite his age.”

“That seems normal. My father only has one wife—my mother.”

“I heard rumors, but is that true? Amazing, considering the number of women who must approach a marquis.”

Suddenly, Vallum spoke as if he remembered something.

“The current head of the Lightless family is loyal. But I heard the previous head had a bad reputation with women, flirting wherever he went. There are many who claim Lightless blood in the Steria territory.”

“My grandfather…”

Rofus’s face twisted with displeasure as he recalled the grinning face of Rinus Ray Lightless, the blemish on the Lightless family, who was said to have sired children while traveling and achieving war successes during the imperial wars.

“I see. So Rofus is like the womanizer previous head, not the faithful current head.”

“Stop it. Don’t compare me to that old bastard, it makes me sick!”

Rofus spat out, irritated.

“So different between the previous and current heads.”

August murmured as if it were someone else’s problem.

As the three men continued their banter, the clock tower bell rang.

It was the bell marking the end of the morning and the beginning of the afternoon.

“Hmm, it’s already this late?”

“Time flies.”

“Sorry to call you out, but let’s end it here for today.”

Vallum, August, and Rofus stood up, each checking the time.

“Thanks for today. I’ll make it up to you later.”

“Don’t be so formal. But tell us the result.”

“Yeah, I want to know the outcome too.”

Pressed by the two, Rofus turned his face away.

“Well, if I feel like it.”

“No, make sure you feel like it.”

“You always say that…”

August retorted, while Vallum chuckled.

Thus, the meeting of the three men came to a close.

Incidentally, the three later gathered at the defensive wall where Annegelt was, creating a slightly awkward atmosphere, but that’s another story.