Chapter 99
Chapter 99
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 98
Chapter Title: Crown Prince Alondre (6) - Immense Capacity
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"Then, I'll leave the rest to you."
"Of course, of course. Don't worry about a thing and go on your way in peace."
In response to Ernst's greeting, the man dispatched from the Brown Trading Company bowed deeply with an exceedingly polite and fawning attitude.
It was all thanks to strict orders from the company head, Travers Brown: no matter what, never show any disrespect and treat the man before you with utmost courtesy.
After slipping out of the library, Ernst walked on in silence.
He kept walking and walking until he finally reached the outskirts of the city, arriving at a forest where not even a hint of human presence could be felt.
Ernst then pulled a small orb from the pocket over his chest.
The surface of the translucent orb was densely covered in all sorts of inscriptions, and as some of the characters seemed to shift apart, a voice thick with resentment leaked out from within.
《You filthy human scum! How dare you...! Dare to turn my body into something like that!!》
The voice's owner was radiating intense murderous intent toward Ernst, which was only natural, all things considered.
Having its soul extracted and sealed into this tiny orb, while its original body was used as material for some magic tome—how could there be no grudge?
The demon, Balzare, threatened Ernst.
《Release me from here right now! If you don't, I'll make you meet an end more horrific than anything you can imagine!》
At Balzare's words, Ernst tilted his head.
"You used to speak in a rather friendly and cheerful tone before. Have you given that up now?"
《Are you mocking me!!》
"To interpret a question as mockery—your mindset must be quite twisted."
Balzare ground his teeth at Ernst's utterly impenetrable attitude before letting out a deep sigh.
Then, in a somewhat deflated tone, he spoke.
《Look here, friend. I'll admit you humans have some impressive skills. But that's all there is to it.》
Softly, like soothing a child.
《My lord, the 'Deceiver,' is the king of kings who rules over countless demons in the demon realm. Someone of your caliber couldn't even touch the tip of his toe. No need for him to step in—even among his subordinates, there are demons far stronger than me. If just one came after you, your life would become utterly miserable, you know?》
Step by step, as if explaining to an idiot.
《Your frail flesh would be torn to shreds and fed to the three-headed hounds, and your soul would be enslaved until the moment it dissipates.》
Specifically, to stir the imagination.
《The gods of the Pantheon have dwindled in number and no longer flaunt their former glory; the transcendent beings on the surface have holed up in their own domains, ignoring the outside world; and the heroes who protected humanity have long vanished. In such a situation, if demons set their sights on you for real, do you think you could handle it? Huh?》
With a subtle killing intent, as if ready to bite at any moment.
《Just release me now. Restore my body to its original state, and we can be friends. Forget the past grudges and start fresh—how about it?》
And then Ernst replied.
"That seems difficult."
《...Still having trouble understanding?》
"It's true that the gift I gave used part of your body, but that doesn't mean it's your body itself. If it were, traces of the demon would remain intact, turning what I gave her into a trap rather than a present."
No matter how rare those who could detect demonic energy might be, they weren't nonexistent.
If such people examined the magic tome in Eris's possession and questioned her, it would put her in a tough spot—and as the giver, it would be pretty embarrassing for him too.
Thus, Ernst had maximized the use of the material's inherent properties while completely stripping away any demonic elements that might evoke thoughts of a demon.
"Even if you escaped this orb, you couldn't return to her book anyway. The connection is already severed. So returning your body is impossible. Well, creating a new magic tome for you to inhabit might be feasible, but..."
The demon Balzare's patience ended there.
《You lowly human!!》
Crack!
A crack formed in the orb containing Balzare.
The inscriptions on the orb's surface rapidly faded, and black mist-like substance seeped out, taking on Balzare's form.
《Fine! Then I'll just take your body!!》
Balzare's keen senses accurately detected that Ernst's current power was pathetically low.
-He could only wield 6th-circle strength within the library.
Though he hadn't pinpointed the exact nature of Ernst's ability, he could sense that right now, Ernst possessed only the power of an ordinary person.
As the inscriptions vanished, the seal confining Balzare weakened further, and just as his form was about to fully materialize...
"Peep, peep—shut up already."
A voice came from somewhere, and a pale finger snatched up the orb containing Balzare.
《What?》
Balzare turned in confusion.
And there he saw her.
A woman with black hair and red eyes, porcelain skin, and a voluptuous figure, holding the orb he was sealed in like a piece of candy between her fingers.
《A succubus?》
Balzare muttered upon seeing the woman's appearance, but the woman—Lucidra—did not respond.
Her gaze turned to Ernst.
"Need this?"
"Hm. I wanted to hear specifics on whatever he's plotting on the surface."
"That's all? The rest doesn't matter?"
"Yeah. It's awkward to relocate it elsewhere anyway."
"No complaints later, okay?"
Balzare was left speechless at the conversation unfolding right in front of him, completely ignoring his presence.
A human—fine, whatever.
His power seemed greatly diminished for some reason now, but he was still the one who had crushed Balzare head-on.
So, showing arrogance before Balzare was at least backed by accomplishments.
But this woman?
《You wench, which faction are you from? A lowly dream demon like you dares to!!》
What was a succubus?
Among the myriad races of the demon realm, they were among the weakest and most base—easier to count from the bottom.
At best, they served as concubines to powerful demons or pitifully sucked essence from humans.
For such a being to ignore him, who had received direct orders from a great lord—it was beyond absurd for Balzare.
"Bon appétit."
Regardless, Lucidra paid no mind.
Ignoring whatever Balzare was ranting, she popped the orb containing his soul into her mouth and swallowed it whole.
Balzare's form, which had just escaped the orb, scattered like mist once more and vanished.
Feeling the sensation of sliding down her throat, Balzare chuckled inwardly.
'What an idiot woman, too dumb to reason with. But that's perfect.'
Demons could grow stronger by devouring other souls.
However, that only applied when consuming beings far weaker than themselves.
Like a predator whose stomach bursts from overly massive or abundant prey, forcing down a soul beyond one's capacity made absorption impossible.
Worse, there was a high chance of being devoured in reverse by the intruding soul.
He would counter-absorb this foolish, idiotic succubus and then kill that insolent librarian Ernst or whatever his name was.
As Balzare prepared his counterattack with that thought, he soon realized something was off.
A typical succubus's vessel was like a cup that could hold at most a glass of water.
Thus, trying to absorb Balzare—with power equivalent to a swimming pool—would inevitably shatter it or drown her in the deluge.
But...
What is this vessel?
It's vast.
Impossibly vast.
No matter how much Balzare extended his senses, he couldn't find its end—it was boundless.
Though much of the vessel's contents were empty now, its sheer capacity rivaled that of an upper demon.
No—even surpassed it.
Impossible.
His lord, one of the three absolutes in the demon realm.
On par with the 'Deceiver'—
Splash.
Balzare's soul plunged into a massive pool of water.
《Guh! Ack! Sp-Spare me! Spare me, my lord!》
He thrashed and screamed desperately, but the pool remained still.
Compared to its scale, his commotion was far too insignificant.
The orb, along with Balzare's form that had seeped out, melted like watercolor paint in oil, turning gooey.
His memories, his magic power, his authority, his very existence—all dissolved and were absorbed into the pool.
And at last, silence descended.