Demon King of the Royal Class-Chapter 13
This chapter is updatšd by š»šāÆāÆš¤āÆš·šÆā“šāÆš.šøā“š
Chapter 13
Magic existed in this world.
Iād established that much, but naturally, the āhowā was something I didnāt know. Deciding how magic worked and manifested was not my responsibility.
How magic manifested, the systematic schema for magic, and what mana was; I didnāt know any of that.
Even if I bothered to write in such details, I donāt think anyone would care to read a fantasy novel filled with that kind of filler information.
Explaining how magic worked in detail would be just like the guys writing novels that babbled on and on about the Black Flame Dragon that possessed the main characterās right handāno one really cared about that. All that did was make the novel over-adhere to the setting.
Magic was something you were supposed to just accept, and move on. In martial arts novels, readers naturally figured out the principles of various martial styles even without anyone explaining it to them. It was practically the same with every other novel, and mine was no different.
In conclusion, the system that I glossed over while writing the novel had its own principles and methods.
The magic system of demons and humans was fundamentally different. They both implemented the same magic, but in a different way. It was like having two different methods of transportation on the same railroad track; one utilizing steam locomotives and the other electric trains, if you will.
That was why teleportation scrolls imbued with demon magic could perform long-distance teleports, but the same feat was impossible with scrolls that contained human magic.
Distinguishing between human and demon magical systems just by looking at the magic an object contained was beyond my capabilities. It was a mistake to have made assumptions about it.
Other merchants either didnāt know about demon magic or werenāt magic-users themselves, so they had no idea what my scrolls were and had thought them worthless.
But this woman, who appeared to be both a scroll merchant and a mage, had seen through it. She somehow knew that my scroll was perfectly functional.
āSpeak up, boy,ā she said.
I couldnāt predict what this woman was going to do to me.
Couldnāt I use my achievement points to get out of this situation?
āMake this woman indifferent to my scroll book.ā
[To trigger this event, you need 3,000 achievement points.]
As expected, it required more points than I had, which made sense. Making someone think that a demon scroll book that was found in the heart of Gradium wasnāt an important item was unreasonable, and went strongly against the natural flow of the novel.
In the end, I had no choice but to speak up.
āI found it... at th-the... D-Dem... at the Demon Kingās... castle...ā
āWhat?ā
I had to tell her the truth.
āI found it at the Demon Kingās castle...ā
The womanās brow furrowed at my words.
āWhat on earth are you talking about? You brought a scroll book out from the Demon Kingās castle?ā
She narrowed her gaze as if questioning the nonsensical statement I had just made, but at the same time, it seemed like she couldnāt completely dismiss the idea, as the scroll was indeed in front of her.
I explained the whole situation to her, everything from being imprisoned in the Demon Kingās castle with the princess to my escape, and the use of the teleport scroll to get here. I told her I arrived in Gradium alone with nothing else on me, and needed to sell the scroll book to earn money for a place to stay.
I went as far as to claim that I had lost my memory and didnāt even know who I was.
āWhat in the world... that is unbelievable... You expect me to believe that? The princess was rescued?ā
The woman seemed utterly puzzled, her forehead wrinkling as if she couldnāt believe my story. She looked into my eyes and let out a sigh.
āYou must be lying. If you really rescued the princess, you would have received some form of recognitionānobility, or something. So why are you alone?ā
Her question was very reasonable. The reward for saving the princess would have been beyond imagination, so refusing it and wandering around alone made no sense.
Of course, I wasnāt the one whoād ārescuedā her in the first place.
Nonetheless, I was a master of āadditional settings,ā in other words, the art of making excuses. I could turn things around and play word games to avoid setting errors like this if I had to.
Thatās right, I was a specialist in making excuses in this world!
āWell... when I escaped, many of Duke Salerionās knights died. I might receive a reward for saving the princess, but Prince Vertusās faction may seek revenge, so...ā
āOh, I see... retaliation... yes... that makes sense... even the princess might find it difficult to protect you in that situation, I see...ā
Iād prepared this excuse just in case the princess found me and I got caught, but I had just used it in a completely unexpected place instead. While the reward from the princess would have been nice, it was certainly not more precious than my life.
Even though it was just an excuse, it wasnāt completely fabricated, and was something that could actually happen to Dyrus. I hoped that Dyrus was safe and did not face retaliation.
The woman stared at me, seemingly satisfied that all her questions had been answered.
āThe details are too intricate to be made up...ā
She had to believe my incredible story because there was no other way to explain the incredible item I possessed.
She let out a sigh.
āSo, the Demon King... heās dead?ā
āYes.ā
A strange glint passed through her eyes as soon as I responded. It was an inexplicable expression, a mixture of joy and sorrow, bordering on relief.
She remained silent for a while, then offered me a sympathetic expression.
āIām glad that it all turned out well. I canāt imagine how much the young princess suffered... and you as well.ā
She patted my back as if to comfort me.
Well, I was never actually tortured or anything.
āActually, I donāt remember anything... so itās okay.ā
I decided to keep it vague.
āYouāre right. In fact, itās better that you donāt remember those painful events,ā she continued to console me.
āWow, why is this person so kind? Regardless, Iām getting hungry and a bit uncomfortable. Can I leave now?ā
āWait a moment, kid.ā
āYes?ā
āMany people experience memory issues after undergoing severe torture. But you, you were trapped in the terrifying place known as the Demon Kingās castle, right?ā
Well, technically, the Demon Kingās castle was my home and safe haven. Unfortunately, the humans had barged in and killed everyone.
āYou might be suffering from a curse, so let me...ā
She looked at me, her eyes filled with warmth.
āLet me perform a simple dispelling. If your memory loss is due to a curse, your memories might return. However, itās not a powerful curse-removing spell, so weāll have to see...ā
We made eye contact.
āWait, wait! Please!ā
āDispel.ā
The spell was cast.
ā...Huh?ā
Her expression was one of complete bewilderment, as if she couldnāt fathom what was happening. She probably understood what my horns and my skin tone, which was slightly different from a humanās, meant, but she just couldnāt accept it.
āAhāā
The Scribeās Advice. From now on, Iād probably call it āThe Assholeās Advice.ā
However, what came out of her mouth completely turned my thoughts upside down.
āY-your Highness... My Prince... Is that you?ā
***
Your Highness.
I was well aware that it was a title commonly used to address a prince. But why was I getting recognized by someone in such an unexpected place?
Of course, I understood what she meant, it was just hard to believe.
The shopkeeper immediately knelt in front of me.
āI, Eleris from the Infiltration Unit under the Demon Kingās command, greet Your Highness.ā
āUh, uh...ā
Was this a good thing? Well, it had to be, right? My head was spinning with thoughts as my mind tried to interpret this situation and figure out what I was supposed to do with the woman in front of me, who certainly seemed to be a demon.
At least it didnāt seem like a dangerous situation, so that was good.
āFor now, I think you should come with me instead of staying out here in the open like this,ā she said.
Her gaze flickered between me and the shopās entrance as she led me to the back of the store and into a storage room. This way, I wouldnāt immediately get caught if a customer came in.
She then cast another spell, this time on herself, and her appearance changed subtly as well.
āYour Highness, canāt you recognize me?ā
Sharp fangs peeked out between her crimson lips. Crimson eyes, pale skin.
I had a rough idea of what this might be.
āA vampire...?ā
āYes, I am Eleris of the Flames, from the Seven Nights Clan.ā
Seven Nights Clan? What was with these cringy settings that sounded like something out of a middle school fiction novel? I never wrote about any of these!
Anyway, she seemed genuinely concerned about me. I looked at her, silent and bewildered, and she cautiously placed her hand on my cheek.
āSo, could it be... youāve truly lost your memories?ā
āUh, well... I, I donāt remember a single thing and canāt recall anything except for the fact that I was a prince in the Demon Realm.ā
I had no choice but to speak the truth. It seemed a hundred times better than trying to act as if I remembered clearly what had happened to me.
My confession elicited an inexplicable flicker of emotion.
āYou escaped from the castle alone in such a situation and came all the way here?ā
She gently took my hand, her expression full of sorrow.
āThis is a fortune given by heaven. I donāt know how this unlikely turn of events came about, but Iām sincerely grateful to the gods that helped you survive.ā
This situation seemed bizarre, a vampire thanking the gods, but considering this interaction technically stemmed from The Scribeās Advice, it seemed the advice had turned out to be rather reliable.
While it might have been a stroke of luck for Eleris that she found me, but for me, it was more of a destined interaction. freewebnov(e)l.com
Go to a magical items store.
Eleris recognition of the demon scroll might have been due to her being a mage, but it was more likely because she was a demon herself.
So, ultimately, the advice to visit a magical items store to sell the scrolls had merely been a pretext; there was an underlying intention hidden within.
It had been a message to find and seek help from a hidden demon spy who had infiltrated Gradium.
If I had been recognized by a human, and not a demon shopkeeper who could identify my scrolls, I might have ended up in a much more dangerous situation. But in the end, I was able to find a demon spy acting as a shopkeeper.
Wait a minute.
Come to think of it, the ambiguous advice essentially conveyed the same message.
[The Scribeās Ambiguous Advice]
[How were so many humans kidnapped and held captive at the Demon Kingās Castle?]
The question wasnāt āwhy,ā but āhow.ā
In my novel, I wrote that humans had been kidnapped by demon spies who had infiltrated the human world. The ambiguous advice had been a subtle message, suggesting that those spies might still be in the human world, but Iād been so perplexed that I hadnāt even considered that option.
If I had understood the ambiguous advice, I would have come to the conclusion that I had to find the demon spies within Gradium, and could have acted more cautiously, ensuring my safety.
The Scribeās Clear Advice recommended a risky but straightforward approach, while the ambiguous advice had tried to make me figure out what to do on my own. The Ambiguous Advice was relatively safe, whereas the clear advice was relatively risky.
āHey... was there a possibility that a human magician could identify demon scrolls?ā
I naturally started talking to Eleris in a more casual tone than before, and it seemed like she took it as a matter of course. š§š³āÆāÆšāÆššš°šāÆš.š¤š°š
āThere are scholars among humans who research demon magic as well, so itās a relief that you came to me before encountering them,ā Eleris said.
I couldnāt help but shudder at the thought of what might have happened if someone had identified my scroll book before Iād met Eleris. It was a risky move that could have gotten me killed.
She went back into the shop, locked the door, and led me upstairs.
āFrom now on, I will do my best to assist you,ā she said as she led me to a small sofa.
With that, she started tidying up the room, which seemed to lack a sense of life.
āWait, arenāt you a vampire? Why is the lighting so good in here? I mean, itās not a huge house, but the sunlight is coming straight through the windows.ā
āIsnāt it dangerous for a vampire to be exposed to so much sunlight?ā I asked.
She looked at me and nodded in response.
āI am a Vampire Lord, so I can endure this level of sunlight. Of course, itās still not good for my body,ā she replied.
āYou know that I can see you flinch slightly every time the sunlight touches you while youāre taking out the table napkins. Are you sure youāre okay?ā
āThis house is attached to the shop, so I donāt have to pay separate rent. I would love to live in an underground basement with no sunlight, but...the budget is tight for undercover missions.ā
ā...Thatās so sad.ā
I didnāt know what a Vampire Lord was, but she was living a bit too frugally for such a highly-ranked vampire. Talking about the basement and no sunlight like it was a dream home. I understood, but it was still quite pitiful to hear. A vampire who had to worry about rent... damn.
āCouldnāt you just become a building owner or something like that?ā
Come to think of it, getting rich should be pretty easy for vampires, right? At least thatās common vampire knowledge taught me.
āI have thought about that, but getting my own property comes with too many risks. Pretending to be a regular human and trying to obtain a property is not an easy task.ā
Eleris was a fairly strong vampire, but she wasnāt risking her life to become a rich one. If a seemingly well-off person suddenly began to avoid sunlight and refused to eat food, it would definitely raise suspicions.
No. Actually, whether you were a rich vampire or not, living in the human world while pretending you werenāt a vampire was in itself an incredibly challenging task.
When she was done cleaning, Eleris looked at me.
āYou must be starving. I will prepare some food.ā
āHuh? Oh...ā
Didnāt vampires drink blood? Did they even have anything to eat here?
As if understanding my concerns, Eleris wore her hood.
āIāll be back in a moment.ā
āOh. Uh, can you just go out like that?ā
āItās fine.ā
A vampire was casually going grocery shopping in broad daylight because of me. My mind swirled just thinking about it.
I was overwhelmed with gratitude, but also felt sorry.
She was back in a heartbeat, but even that short period of time seemed to have exhausted her, which left me on the verge of tears.