"Yukari, stop joking..."
"Hmph~ who knows?"
Noticing Lancer wasn't in a joking mood, Yukari uncharacteristically didn't tease him further and simply opened a gap.
"Sister Yukari... Lord Lancer?!"
Mokou, who thought it was just Yukari, panicked when she saw Lancer. He hadn't visited her room in a while.
"Yo~ Mokou, long time no see."
Lancer didn't want the atmosphere to be too heavy. His goal was to ensure she had a better future, not to cause her trouble.
"Long time no see, Lord Lancer." Mokou sat up straight. Lancer waved his hand to tell her not to worry.
His eyes caught the title of the book she was holding—it had the words "Red Oni" on it. Lancer expression became subtle. Mokou hurriedly hid the book behind her back. "Um, Mr. Lancer, is there something you need?"
Mokou was blushing because of the book's contents. Rumors about the Red Oni weren't just about his combat; they were also about his "colorful history." Many books about his "exploits" were of the... adult variety. And Mokou had been reading one of those.
She knew most of it was fabricated—he hadn't kidnapped Kaguya, for instance—but as a former "Yamato Nadeshiko" who lost her mother early and never learned "health education," she was naturally curious. Her only annoyance was that the books never mentioned her.
"Mokou, can you have a drink with me today?"
Relieved that Lancer wasn't focused on the book, she agreed immediately. She was even slightly happy because Lancer usually forbade her from drinking, treating her like a child.
Maybe Mr. Lancer is starting to see me as an adult?
She stood up and walked toward the courtyard. Lancer handed her a sake dish. Mokou happily poured for him, then poured a small amount for herself. She sat quietly beside him, looking at his profile.
Lancer wasn't a "pretty boy" in the traditional sense, but years of training had stripped the fat from his face, replaced by a resolute air. His profile was the kind that naturally inspired trust.
"Mokou, I don't think I've ever told you about my past, have I?"
"No."
"I'm actually a traveler. I've been a public investigator—like a constable—a soldier, even a general. I was a Shishō, and recently I participated in a deathmatch between 14 experts..."
Lancer glossed over the details, but it was enough to make Mokou envious. Then came the main part.
"During that time, I met many people and had lovers. The first was a girl I met while I was a general in a far-off country. I was immature then. To keep her by my side, I made her stay as my maid. Thinking back, if I had let her go then, she would have had a better life... she would be drinking and laughing with friends, knowing nothing of the darkness."
Lancer remembered his last visit to the Empire. He often wondered if his "greed" hadn't prevented a certain blonde girl from living a normal life.
"While I was an investigator, I saved a woman whose husband had died. She was a fugitive. To protect her daughter, she tried to bribe me with herself. I refused, but I protected them anyway. Later, when we met again, we ended up together. It was then I found out my old Master's daughter also liked me. I was greedy; I didn't break it off with anyone. I wanted to convince both of them..."
Lancer was revealing his "romantic history" for the first time, purely to make Mokou realize he wasn't a "good man." He believed she deserved a future with someone who could actually stay by her side.
"So, Mokou, in the future when you look for a man, remember to find one who treats you with his whole heart."
This should be enough...