The Crown Prince Who Raises Alt Characters

#Chapter 177 Crown Prince Alondre (12) - Late Summer Night's Dream (Part 2) In a situation where you couldn't tell if it was a dream or reality, you opened your eyes. "Don't you get tired of repeating that over and over?" You opened your eyes. "Hmm, I see. Constantly nitpicking stage narration is ungraceful. I apologize." "What are you muttering about all by yourself to thin air?" When you turned your head to the side, there was a woman with vivid orange hair and green eyes. She was wearing what appeared to be a black full-body diving suit, though unlike typical diving gear, it boasted quite bold exposure. Of course, you didn't even pay attention to such things─ "Hmm, formidable. I usually couldn't tell because you mainly wear armor or baggy clothes, but you're surprisingly formidable!" ...No, you did pay attention. At your reaction of widening your eyes in surprise, the orange-haired woman's eyebrows twitched. She pondered something for about 2 seconds, then 'lightly' swung whatever she was holding in her left hand. Whoooooosh! Of course, it was only light by her standards, not light as you perceived it. You broke out in a light cold sweat seeing the parasol that had stopped right next to your head. A gust of sand that scattered a beat late mixed with that cold sweat and fell downward. The fact that not a single drop of mana was used throughout this entire process was truly terrifying. You hastily raised both hands and said. "Sorry! I carelessly made a slip of the tongue!" "Hmm, no. I'm the one who should apologize. Those criminal bastards who kept trying to sexually harass me in the city came to mind without thinking. Still, it's fortunate I stopped midway." Surprisingly compliant, the woman—guard Dahlia—accepted your apology and likewise offered her own. Of course, you didn't get cocky or anything because of that. One thought about the future of criminals who would have simply been beaten by this attack unlike you where it stopped by your head, and two, the thought that if the current you—who was only skilled in tool crafting but didn't have particularly high physical specs—acted as usual in front of her, you would instantly become what used to be you. With such clear danger factors, acting recklessly without knowing your place would just make you a madman. You were someone who knew common sense, unlike a certain self-proclaimed civilian suspect. "So, what is this? A dream?" "It would be difficult for you to ask me that. And originally, telling characters in a dream that it's a dream is said to be dangerous." "Being in a dream doesn't make you immune to physical damage, does it?" "Hmm." It was as if she was saying she'd check whether there was physical immunity or not the moment things became dangerous. You wisely became docile. "Well, if you're aware it's a dream, shouldn't you have various doubts about things?" "I do have doubts about why I'm dressed in such shameless attire. The zipper position is strange to begin with, you know?" After revealing someone who was always bundled up completely, it was truly an ungrateful remark. "And well, it's a dream anyway, so why nitpick logic in detail?" "That's true too. When having fun, it's also important to just empty your head and enjoy yourself." Having quickly reached an agreement, you and Dahlia soon began pondering what to do for fun at the beach. I was truly tearfully grateful. "Should we play tag? Right now, I feel like I could catch and hold onto someone really well." "I'm not a man who can't distinguish between courage and recklessness enough to grapple with you in this state." "Then do you have any good ideas?" "Fishing or seafood gathering would be good too. Your outfit is perfect for that, after all." "Not bad. I can leave the cooking to you, right?" "I haven't specifically honed those skills, but I know the basics. If I can make cutting boards, knives, and barbecue equipment, the rest will depend on the freshness of the seafood." Having finished dividing roles in an instant, you and Dahlia began your work. First, you made a decent gathering bag using nearby kelp and handed it to Dahlia, who tucked it under her arm and dove into the sea. Using light utility magic and crafting magic, you created various camping sets one by one. Since the raw materials were mostly wood or stone, they weren't items that could be used multiple times, but since they were disposable anyway, there was nothing to worry about. What was amazing was that you even tried to create food. Your ability was magic tool creation, not matter creation. Just because you could create red containers with textures that weren't stone, glass, or rubber, or smooth-lined liquor bottles, didn't mean their contents would fill up. "Hey, at least here you can read surface memories unlike usual, can't you? It's a dream, so don't nitpick the details and give me some service. Honestly, aren't you curious about the taste too?" ...You suddenly discovered a large ice box near the rocks by the place where you first woke up. When you checked inside, there were various liquors and seasonings from your distant memories. Just then, Dahlia emerged from the water with a small splash from the seaside. She strode up to you and held out a net bag filled with various things. "Is this enough? If you need more, I'll catch more." "No, that's sufficient. But octopus isn't usually eaten by many people—how did you manage to catch one?" "Honestly, it's not for the taste. I just caught it to fill my stomach since others wouldn't touch it." "That's unfortunate. I'll show you its true flavor." Taking the net bag, you began cooking them one by one. You lightly blanched the octopus, then sliced half of it raw for sashimi, and stir-fried the other half in olive oil with other ingredients. Conch shells, clams, oysters and such sizzled on the grill, with half served with butter and cheese, and the other half with red chili paste sauce. When you took out beer bottles buried in cold ice and poured their contents into glasses, Dahlia checked the aroma and color before drinking. "It's beer, but it's cool and refreshing. Though the taste itself feels a bit light." "There are several types, so pick whatever you like. Does the food suit your taste?" "Yes, you have good skills." After that, the feast for the two continued on. Before long, the setting sun hung on the horizon, and a slight red flush began to appear on Dahlia's cheeks. "If all of this is a dream, then even when I wake up again, you won't be by my side." A voice that seemed calm at first glance. But you didn't miss the faint trembling hidden within it. Though she was pretending to be calm and indifferent, it was proof that she too was feeling heartache at this dream-like reunion. No, it wasn't just Dahlia, but Blanca and Claudia as well. Therefore, you─ *** "Miss Blanca. As I mentioned before, I am not real, merely a clone. So, you don't need to look so sad." *** "Miss Claudia. Parting is merely an intermediate process for reunion. If you think of it as experiencing beforehand what the scenery at the end of the goal will be like, wouldn't that be rather profitable?" *** "Well, I wouldn't know what 'I' was like in your memories. But the guard Dahlia I know wasn't someone who would give up this easily. Was I mistaken?" *** You bid farewell to them in your own way, with words you could offer. Their reactions were all different. Someone formed tears at the corners of their eyes, someone bit their lips as if enduring something, and someone stared blankly up at the sky. But their final expressions as they became particles of light and disappeared were all the same—smiling faces. And you, who remained behind, quietly turned around. "─So, did you achieve your desired purpose? Lucidra." *** At the Crown Prince's question, Greater Demon Lucidra chuckled. It was a laugh born of genuine disbelief. "Achieve what? You just did whatever you wanted from the middle onward." "Hmm, if it fell short of expectations, that's regrettable. But if I had fallen for your seduction and spent the night having 'fun', I would have been drained to the bone marrow. I don't want to become a cripple yet." "Hey, you! Even so, did you have to ruin the atmosphere like that with the girls you reunited with after so long!? Even I was grinding my teeth watching from the side!!" "Huh, I had a vague expectation, but did you really connect dreams with them? Are there any side effects─" "There's nothing like that, so relax your hand, you mentally and physically inhuman being." Lucidra sighed deeply and said. "I just briefly connected consciousness while unconscious. They'll forget everything when they wake up. At most, only a vague impression will remain." "That's truly fortunate. It seems I won't lose my friends." "You're so affectionate with other humans, but why with me..." Lucidra, who was about to voice her complaint, suddenly trailed off. She felt deep doubt about whether those recent events could really be defined as 'affectionate.' No matter how she thought about it, it was hard to erase the impression of giving the disease and then the cure. "Ah, whatever, whatever. Anyway, the swimsuit operation is scrapped! How can a man react like that to women in swimsuits? Maybe you can't get it up?" "Isn't this similar to a dog butcher asking a dog why it won't obediently get into the pot? And I told you I've received extensive honey trap countermeasure training." "If men were that rational, there wouldn't be so many humans on the continent. There are so many who think with their lower half. You're just weird. ...Are you listening!?" (E/N: Somehow, I feel attacked) Rustle rustle. Clatter clatter. "Enough, so calm down and drink this. I mainly drink wine outside, so it's nice to have canned beer after so long." Lucidra glared at the beer the Crown Prince threw, then gulped down its contents in an irritated motion. It was quite a hearty action for a Greater Demon with succubus origins. Seeing this, the Crown Prince spoke with a faint smile. "We made a promise earlier, and it's a rare opportunity, so let's have an after-party." "Fine, fine. This poor dream demon who can't even drain vital energy will eat something like that." The Crown Prince silently held out his can, and Lucidra, despite her grumbling, likewise clinked her can against it. After the toast, while enjoying a feast of various dishes, the two planned their future schedule. "By the way, where are you thinking of going next? The republic again?" "Hmm, originally I was thinking of trying to be a theater actor there, but Isaac made things too big. From here, I'm thinking of heading far to the east." Lucidra searched her memory for a moment, then said. "That place... isn't that where those lizard kids are? I don't know how it is these days though." "The dragons are still active. Well, they might be different dragons from what you know. Since they originally abandoned their physical bodies and lived among humans by inhabiting human bodies, as time passed, the dragons disappeared and only dragonkin remained." A country of pure humans. And dragons who had mixed with humans. A country where magic had relatively degenerated, but martial arts had developed more diversely. To put it in terms referencing the Crown Prince's past life, a world of martial arts that wasn't quite martial arts. "The Liu Empire. That will be our next destination."