The Crown Prince Who Raises Alt Characters

#Chapter 230 Leaflet - The Case of Demon Lady L The Crown Prince's leisure life, who had been handling only official duties every day. The demon Lucidra, who had thoroughly observed the consequences of the karma(?) committed by his clones, thought. "This is going to explode before long, isn't it?" Blanca, Claudia, Dahlia. The three from Birka Kingdom were expanding their influence at a very rapid pace, turning Birka Kingdom into their own territory. The competing force, the 2nd Prince's faction, had been destroyed, and the Grand Prince who had been quietly watching from behind or the royal family that supported the 2nd Prince wouldn't remain unscathed either. It had essentially become a situation where three women could control the kingdom as they pleased. Moreover, while they had been managing it like idiots, Birka Kingdom's scale and potential itself wasn't bad. If things continued this way, they would be able to at least attempt something called 'negotiation' with the Empire. Eris, Fina, Grace. In the case of the Hero party, while they lagged behind the Birka party in terms of influence, they had high individual abilities instead. Fina was a swordsman who had reached 6th Rank at such a young age, Eris was a 5th rank mage and owner of a magic tome that actually used a demon as its material, and Grace was likewise a sage-priest corresponding to 5th rank. Since such capable individuals had latched onto Brown Trading Company, which could be called the Crown Prince's supply base for external activities, it was natural that various constraints would be placed on future movements. Hystia and Isadora. How about the back alley duo? While they didn't possess massive influence or powerful force like the previous women, they had high intelligence and information-gathering abilities instead. The only party to have conceived the possibility that the Crown Prince's clones were 'non-existent humans' and secured evidence for that conviction. Moreover, since they were skilled in the workings of society's underside that others didn't know well, they could boldly carry out actions that those living on the surface wouldn't dare attempt. The relatively well-behaved ones were those like Jang Hualing or Kuella who hadn't met other women and thus hadn't had any chemical reactions occur, but no one knew how long this would continue. Because the Crown Prince's clones would continue to be newly created in the future. "Hmm." Three options lay before Lucidra's eyes. First, informing the Crown Prince of all these facts and warning him. While his personality had various problems, the Crown Prince was basically so excellent that he didn't seem human. If she just gave him a slight hint, he would surely come up with any number of ways to deal with it. Second, conversely helping the women from behind. For example, if the 'clone' remark that Blanca had heard reached detective Isadora's ears, that alone would paint quite an interesting picture. If they learned that all the men they had been yearning for and missing originated from a single person, what kind of reaction would they show? "Mm, well, shall I just leave it alone!" Lucidra's choice was the third option: 'just leave it be.' While she did want to see the Crown Prince get his comeuppance from his own karma at least once, helping other women easily reach the 'correct answer' was also somewhat irritating. When even she, an actual demon, was struggling with conquering the Crown Prince, what kind of pointless meddling would it be to just push others from behind? Lucidra, who had been satisfied with her choice and was about to return to the imperial palace, suddenly sensed something and frowned. "If you have something to say, hurry up and come out, won't you?" There was no response. But as Lucidra continued to stare in the direction of a certain tree, a bat that had been hiding its body in that tree's shadow fluttered its wings. What first revealed itself was one bat. However, dozens of bats seemed to gather around that one, and after a moment, they transformed into the figure of a young man with a dignified build. The wine-colored formal suit boasted perfect measurements to a degree that felt almost obsessive, and there wasn't even a speck of dust on it, let alone any grime. Luxury emanated from his white cravat and obsidian buttons, and his neatly combed silver hair and sculptured face were more than adequate to be called handsome. Blood-red eyes and sharp fangs revealed between his lips exposed this man's identity without any room for misunderstanding. Vampire. "...Surprising." A puzzled exclamation leaked from the young man's mouth. He tilted his head as if he couldn't understand, then spoke toward Lucidra. "How did a lowly Dream Demon like you notice my presence?" Lucidra made a face showing she was fed up. Because it was a repertoire she had heard to the point of being sick of it. A Dream Demon like you, for a Dream Demon to dare, a weak race this and that. Therefore, her answer wasn't very pleasant either. "Ah, forget it. Just get to the point quickly." "Become my subordinate." "What?" Taking Lucidra's question in some way, the man continued speaking with an attitude as if bestowing great magnanimity. "I am Julius. The fifth apostle of the great queen who rules the Kingdom of Night. Normally, a being like you wouldn't be someone I could converse with, but... I took a liking to those sharp senses of yours." "......" "I'll make you my direct vassal. It's an opportunity for a race that would normally be nothing more than servants or slaves to become nobility of the kingdom." "......" "Hehe, you seem too moved to speak. Now, come here." Julius's eyes flashed with an eerie magical power. A charm of a completely different level from what ordinary mages used. A domination authority that even 6th Rank powerhouses would be helpless against if they received it defenseless without special countermeasures was directed at Lucidra. Seeing Lucidra walking toward his embrace, Julius smiled, and. Crack! ─The next moment, his face was colored with shock at Lucidra's action of strangling his neck with her tail. "Haaaaah..." A deep, very deep sigh leaked from Lucidra's mouth. "It really has been a long time since I was sealed. To hear such nonsense from all sorts of trivial creatures." Trivial creature. Realizing that those insulting words referred to him, Julius was violently enraged. He tried to tear off Lucidra's tail with the supernatural strength unique to vampires, but no matter how hard he tried and struggled, far from tearing off the tail, he couldn't even escape the restraint. Julius still couldn't understand this situation, but he instinctively felt that he had to escape. Flutter! Just as when he first appeared, Julius's body split again into dozens of bats. The bats didn't move together as one, but scattered in all directions, flying in different directions. It was a strategy to ensure that even if some were caught, the rest would succeed in escaping. Flying swiftly between the trees of the forest, Julius tried to organize his confused thoughts. 'What? How is she so strong?' When Lucidra had sensed him, Julius was slightly surprised but didn't think it was impossible. While humans couldn't easily detect demons despite their strength, demons could relatively easily find other demons. Of course, for a succubus, the very epitome of trivial demons who struggled to survive without the vital energy of living beings, even that was an amazing achievement. That's why he had tried to make her his blood kin. But the power that Lucidra had just shown was a different story. Even if a small wildcat could sense the presence of a giant tiger, overwhelming the tiger with brute force would clearly be abnormal, wouldn't it? For such a thing to be possible, one would have to transcend the limits of their species from the beginning. And that meant that the Dream Demon had reached the level of a Greater Demon, or in human terms, the realm of Transcendence. 'That's impossible.' There are only three Greater Demons that exist in the demon realm. A Greater Demon hiding in the human world? That's impossible. Because it's impossible for transcendents to stay in the middle realm for long periods. Transcendents are those who overwrite the world with their own laws. From the world's perspective, they are foreign substances eroding the body from within. Therefore, transcendents born in otherworlds like the demon realm or divine realm are pushed back to their original worlds, and even though transcendents born in the middle realm face somewhat less pressure compared to the former two, they ultimately meet similar ends. 'I don't know what secret she has, but... anyway, I must report this to Mother...! This could become a variable that might derail our entire plan!!' Covering the humiliation of underestimating his opponent and suffering a disgraceful defeat with a sense of duty, Julius desperately continued flapping his wings. Flutter! Flutter! Thud! Thump. 'Huh?' Julius in bat form, who had suddenly fallen to the ground, looked around with his trembling, convulsing body. Similarly, he could see another bat that had fallen to the ground, twitching as if dying. Julius's consciousness, split into dozens of parts, recognized that all of his 'bodies' were in the same situation. And also the changes in the surrounding environment. Wither. Flowers that had been in full bloom withered in an instant. Fruits shriveled up, and the trees themselves dried up as if they had endured a long drought. The sounds of insects disappeared, and animals collapsed weakly in place. Seeing even the earth itself turn desolate with sand scattering about, Julius realized the identity of this phenomenon. And denied it. 'Soul absorption...? No, th-this can't be soul absorption!' Generally, the soul absorption used by succubi is a technique that drains energy when living beings are at their most defenseless moments, such as when they're asleep or dazed from extreme pleasure. There's no way soul absorption like this could exist—draining an entire area wholesale without any contact, indiscriminately absorbing all kinds of energy whether from living or non-living things, whether life force or mana. Julius's common sense was desperately protesting, but no matter how much he argued, reality wouldn't change. Eventually, after the bat's body dried up like a mummy, Julius felt his soul being dragged somewhere. Just as his soul was about to be digested straight into Lucidra's belly like a river reaching the sea. The massive and powerful contract that had made Julius a vassal pulled him back forcibly like chains made of blood. As if claiming that even in death, that soul belonged to it. Creak, creeeak! As Lucidra's soul absorption and the contract that dominated Julius began a tug-of-war with each other, the surrounding space itself creaked and screamed. "...Tch. Fine, you can have him." Lucidra clicked her tongue once and yielded control to her opponent. It was because she instinctively knew what would happen if they continued this struggle. Julius's soul disappeared into the demon realm through a small crack in space, and Lucidra, left alone, seeing the still unstably shaking space, poured out the power within her body and scattered it around. As Lucidra's power and level decreased, the turbulent space calmed down again. The forest regaining its vitality after absorbing massive amounts of vital energy was a bonus. "It's not even a level-restricted dungeon, what is this mess." Making an analogy with information she had acquired by glimpsing the surface of a certain someone's memories, Lucidra shrugged her shoulders. Flapping her black wings, the Greater Demon flew back to the Crown Prince's side once more.