Chapter 420: Pepper meets Nero.
"Really?" Victor looked into the eyes of the two women looking for some kind of falsehood.
"Yes." They replied in a monotone.
"... Anyway, now you know. This is my adopted daughter, Nero Alucard!"
"...." Veins bulged in Mizuki and Eleonor's heads, this man really was shameless.
"Nero, say hello."
"Hello?"
"Umu, as you already know Morgana, and Jeanne, I don't need to introduce the extras."
"Oyy!" Morgana and Jeanne spoke at the same time.
"The white haired one is Countess Eleonor Adrastea, as you can see from the title, she is a Countess, and the owner of this territory. She has the power to manipulate the earth, and she owns a mare that I am trying to steal."
"Piece of shit, are you still thinking about Chloe!?"
"Leave my mare alone!"
"How about… No?" Victor flashed a shit-eating grin that only made Eleanor angrier.
"Ohhh… Incredible." Nero really didn't know what to say so she just went with the flow, she'd learned that this was the best way to deal with her father.
Seeing the way Nero was looking at her, Eleanor spoke:
"Ugh, the lifeless way you spoke is quite disturbing."
"...." Nero just smiled and didn't say anything.
"Continuing~."
"The black haired one is Mizuki, she is the last living Onmyoji mage, and she harbors an old pervert inside her."
"Victor... The way you said that is kind of..."
"But it's true, isn't it?"
"Ugh." She couldn't deny it, but the way he said it was weird! And it could cause misunderstandings!
[Disciple...? Disciple!? Why don't you protect your master's honor!?]
[Shut up, baldhead.]
[B-Baldhead...]
"Now that we're done introducing everyone, I'll take you-."
"Wait, Wait." Eleonor and Mizuki spoke at the same time.
"Hmm?"
"How the fuck do you go to my country and come back with a daughter?" Mizuki asked.
"…didn't you hear what happened?" Victor looked at the two strangely.
"We only heard the news the Witches were selling, but we didn't hear the situation from your point of view!" Eleanor spoke for her and Mizuki.
"Damn, those bitches waste no time, huh." Victor couldn't help but be impressed by the speed of the Witches.
Looking at Jeanne and Morgana, he spoke:
"Why didn't you say anything?"
"I thought it would be too personal to talk about, and I was training." Jeanne replied in a neutral tone.
"I was training to regain my old form, and I thought it was something too personal to tell anyone."
"..." Victor looked at the two women with a strange look.
"W-What? What's with that look?" Morgana commented.
"Nothing... I was just surprised that you'd finally acquired some decency."
"What!?"
"I mean, I know Jeanne was always a decent person, but I didn't expect that from you." Victor explained.
"I'm a decent person too! I don't go around telling other people's secrets!" Her succubus tail wagged furiously.
"And is that something to be proud of? Aren't you a Demon?"
"There are decent Demons, you know?"
"Huh?" This time it was everyone who reacted confusedly towards Morgana's words.
Seeing the faces of people and even her friend Jeanne, she said:
"I mean, there is me, so this is proof that decent Demons exist..." Somehow her voice trailed off at the end of the sentence.
"Does being the only one out of an entire species make you so proud?" Mizuki asked with a strange face.
"Ugh, look. Demons are Demons, and I'm me, I wouldn't go around telling my benefactor's secrets around." She huffed at the end, and puffed out her chest, she didn't like being compared to the other Demons.
"Ohhh, good for you, I think?"
"Anyway, after I got the news about Ophis-..." Victor began to explain the situations that led to him adopting Nero.
As they listened to Victor's explanation, each person had a different reaction.
Mizuki thought:
'So he's not a heartless monster...' She already knew that, but seeing his attitude and the way he talked about Nero made her understand even more that he wasn't a heartless monster.
Jeanne had bright eyes:
'As expected, he really is a nosy man, but that's what makes him special, he'll be a good father in the future.' She nodded satisfied.
And as she thought about it, the image of her son popped into her mind:
'...I want to visit Adam...' As she heard Victor's voice, she looked at her hands and clenched them tightly: 'With the power I received from my brother, not even that man can stop me from seeing my son. ...'
Her eyes were cold and determined.
Morgana just listened to it all with a smile on her face, her succubus tail swinging back and forth rhythmically as if she was quite interested in the subject.
'Despite being so cruel, there is a kind heart in him...' Thinking about what she's experienced before, she couldn't help but giggle.
'He really is a busybody~.'
Eleanor had no thoughts on the matter, but it was pretty obvious that Victor's attitude slightly raised her opinion of him.
'He's not just a brat who likes to tease me, huh?' Her cheek turned a little red as she realized what kind of thoughts she had about Victor.
On the other hand, her interest in Nero, who was having her head stroked by Victor while wearing an adorable expression, rose significantly.
'A Hybrid turned Noble Vampire, huh?' She was quite curious about what kind of powers this little girl had.
Finished with recounting the events surrounding Nero's adoption, Victor said:
"And that is the gist of it."
"...I never thought you had a soft spot for children." Mizuki commented with a small smile.
"..." Victor just shrugged like he had no choice, he didn't deny Mizuki's words.
"No child should suffer what she has suffered."
"... That I can agree on with you." Mizuki said as she leaned back in her chair.
"Indeed." Jeanne couldn't help but agree.
"..." Victor just smiled and got up with Nero in his arms.
"...?" Nero looked around confused when she noticed that she had moved from her seat.
"I'll get back to training. On the subject of the Demons, let's put that aside, and just keep our guard up."
"Oh...? Why?" Eleanor asked.
"I feel like something big is going to happen soon. It is infinitely better to wait than run around like headless chickens."
"..." The girls nodded, understanding that Victor was just talking about his instinct.
"...Hmm, I don't like to be left without information, I'll try to contact the Witches." Morgana said as she stood up. It was an issue involving her race, and even if she wasn't loyal to her race, she still owed Lilith a lot. She would like to at least know what was going on behind the scenes.
"I think that's a bad move." Eleanor couldn't help but speak up, she was never one to trust a Witch.
"I know a Witch, she'll give me a lower rate."
"The problem is not the price, but whether the information is true or not." Mizuki pointed.
"Well, I'm sure she won't have the heart to lie to me." She sported a predatory face worthy of a Demon.
"Try not to kill her, you don't want the Witch Kingdom after your fat ass." Jeanne spoke.
"... Oyy! I don't have a fat ass, my ass is curvy! Look!" Morgana pointed at her ass.
"...." Jeanne just looked at her with an expressionless expression.
"Speaking of Witches..." Mizuki looked at Victor:
"You killed a bunch of Witches, right?"
"Yes?"
"How are the Witches not after your ass?"
"I hung up on them?" Stated, answering like it was the most obvious answer.
"......"
"You did what?"
"I hung up on them."
"A few days ago, someone got my phone number, and said something about paying what I owe, and that I didn't want Witches as my enemy, but, in the end, I just hung up and blocked the number."
"...."
"Tsk, don't they know how to make a more efficient scam attempt?" Victor shook his head in disdain as he walked towards the exit.
He raised his hand slightly, and his Odachi who was floating around flew to his hand.
"...This man really isn't afraid of anything." Mizuki couldn't help but comment.
"I don't think it's a lack of fear… yes... He's just very shameless." Eleanor sighed:
"I don't doubt he has the ability to make stones spit blood with just the powers of his words."
The girls suddenly turned into a chibi version of themselves, looked up, and soon they imagined Victor talking to a rock, and suddenly the rock's face began to darken until it spit up blood.
"Pfft... He really has that ability." Jeanne spoke while holding back her laugh.
"Well, he's just too brazen." Eleonor and Mizuki spoke at the same time.
...
Victor was walking towards the training area, he had Nero on his arm, and the girl was looking around with bright eyes.
Specifically speaking, she was looking at the armored women walking around this area.
"…Are you interested, Nero?"
"Mm…" She nodded.
"Hmm, I'll ask Eleanor to make you some armor."
"Really!?" She commented with gleaming eyes, but when she realized what she had done, she turned her face away in a bit of embarrassment.
She didn't want her father to think she was weak.
"Yeah." Victor chuckled lightly.
"…Thank you, Father."
"You're welcome~." Victor pat Nero's head, and said:
"I've already said that you don't have to hold back if you want something, or want to express yourself."
"…Hmm, I know."
"I hope so." Victor stared blankly into Nero's face.
"...." The girl just turned her face away in an attempt to hide her blush.
Victor smiled slightly, and continued walking, but he suddenly stopped when he saw a certain red haired girl sitting under a tree while looking at the sky, looking quite lost.
'Pepper?' Victor narrowed his eyes slightly when he saw Pepper's state, she looked quite sad.
Walking over to the girl lightly, her attention seemed to have been drawn to him.
"Oh... Vic, are we going to train?" She flashed a small smile.
"... Not today." Victor spoke after some thought.
Victor didn't say anything, he just sat down next to Pepper, and put Nero on his lap.
"Nero, meet Pepper Scarlett, she's Ruby's older sister."
"Pepper, meet Nero Alucard, she is my adopted daughter."
"What-."
"Nice to meet you, Pepper." Nero was very polite.
"Oh, nice to meet you." Pepper replied very politely.
A moment of silence fell between the two, and then Pepper spoke:
"No, wait!" She pointed to Nero:
"Since when did you adopt a daughter!?"
"Oh, didn't I tell you?" Victor flashed a small smile.
"No, you didn't!"
...
