The Crown Prince Who Raises a Side Character

Episode 2 Crown Prince Alondre (2) – Dealing with a Devil

Episode 2 Crown Prince Alondre (2) – Dealing with a Devil

Lucidra was a great demon who, in the distant past, struck terror across the entire continent.

Heroes of that era, unable to bear her actions of tempting, corrupting, and leading countless souls down the path of ruin, gathered their strength and sealed Lucidra away. She was forced to spend a long time confined within that stifling book.

“…So, you’ll grant my wish. Is that what you’re saying, right now?”

But that was only until today, Lucidra thought inwardly, a wry smile playing on her lips.

Of course, she didn’t forget to maintain a gentle and kind expression on the surface.

“Indeed. Should you but agree to contract with me, I shall grant any wish, no matter how grand.”

“Hmm.”

The young man who had unearthed the sealed grimoire showed signs of deliberation, and Lucidra felt a rising tide of impatience.

To appear hasty in a contract was poor form, she knew this, yet it was a knowledge hard-fought against. The young man before her simply looked too… delectable.

Blonde hair, azure eyes. Truly, the expression ‘noble scion’ seemed hardly sufficient to capture his exquisite beauty.

Even through the neatly tailored clothes, one could discern the firm physique beneath, the naturally emanating mana, vast and of superior quality.

And above all, his youth! Untouched by the harsh realities of the world, so easily led astray.

For a demon whose very occupation was the seduction and corruption of mortals, such a feast was rare indeed.

Especially for Lucidra, who had endured ages imprisoned within a cramped tome, forced into unwilling fasting; his very existence felt like a violation.

How could she possibly resist such a temptation? The finest delicacies laid out upon a table, emitting an intense aroma and flavour that beckoned?

“Speak, then. Wealth? Fame? Power? Or perhaps… a woman?”

Lucidra writhed sinuously as she uttered the final word, fixing the young man with a gaze of raw invitation.

After all, the desire that most easily, and most profoundly, corrupted humanity was none other than lust.

And finally, the young man’s lips parted.

“Could you… grant me a vacation?”

…

…

…?

“Pardon?”

Lucidra momentarily questioned her hearing.

Has it been so long since I’ve spoken to a human that something’s gone amiss?

But the young man seemed to interpret Lucidra’s “Huh?” in a different light.

“Ah, forgive me. My explanation was lacking. The holiday I speak of now, it’s a true, unadulterated break where one’s mind can truly rest. Not the kind of ‘for every day you don’t work, you’ll have to do extra the next’ or ‘sorry to bother you on your day off, but this is an emergency that can’t wait,’ kind of deception, but a genuine holiday.”

“Oh, no, it’s not that I don’t understand the meaning…”

“I beg you! If you can guarantee my free leisure time, I’ll grant you anything within my power! Money? Fame? Authority? What is it you desire?”

Wait, wasn’t that *my* line?

Why is a human uttering words meant for a demon *to* a demon?

Only then did Lucidra realize something she hadn’t noticed in her excitement.

To the naked eye, the young man’s appearance was perfectly presentable, and his skin seemed without a blemish.

But through the eyes of the soul, if you were to look at the young man… one could discern an immense weariness and dark circles that were incredibly pronounced around his eyes.

And, additionally, a manic glint flickering within those eyes.

Originally, the eyes of humans brimming with desire were like beautiful jewels to her.

However, well, how shall I put it?

‘That’s a bit… frightening.’

Lucidra broke into a cold sweat.

A feeling surged that she’d stirred up someone peculiar, but she couldn’t give up here.

The seal suppressing her may have started to break, but, at present, the only area where she could move freely was this small room.

Outside, countless barriers still existed, and the magical energy emanating from those wandering throughout the building was also not to be trifled with.

If she were to try to escape this room alone in this state, she would be detected by the barriers immediately, and then surrounded by a crowd of skilled individuals.

Lucidra in her prime, when she was wreaking havoc across the continent, might have been able to manage it, but, weakened as she was by the long sealing, she honestly wasn’t confident that she could win in a head-on fight.

“Resurrected only to be vanquished so soon? The ending is too cruel, don’t you think?”

Somehow, she had to forge a contract with this man before her, secure his cooperation. Only then would a new opportunity arise for her.

“A vacation, you say? Very well. I shall bewitch those who burden you with work. Make them believe they’ve accomplished something, even when they haven’t.”

“Would that suffice? It’s but a temporary illusion, and the work itself would remain. A hole would inevitably open up somewhere.”

“Then, have them complete your work in your stead, no?”

“Hmm, even that is…problematic. Are you suggesting decisions will be made in my name, without my approval? If anything goes awry, the aftermath would be a nightmare to untangle.”

“…In the event of any mishaps, I’ll even throw in the service of shifting all blame to another.”

“Tut-tut, such trickery always returns as karmic retribution. Unappealing.”

Lucid thought,

*Does this human even *want* a vacation?*

No, how could he even manage to get away if he analyzed everything so thoroughly? It was becoming clear – this man actively courted the burden of work.

But to concede defeat here? Her pride as a demon forbade it.

“Fine, how about this then? I’ll teach you the magic to create a doppelganger.”

“A doppelganger? Surely nothing more than a mere phantom, lacking substance.”

“No, this is different. A body, with substance, and able to wield a fraction of your true power. Leave it sitting in your chair while you pursue…other interests.”

Lucid noticed the subtle glint in the young man’s eyes.

“Do the original and the doppelganger share memories? How is it controlled?”

“Essentially, it is a single consciousness. Picture controlling two bodies at once, as effortlessly as moving your right and left hands independently.”

“Duration and mana consumption?”

“Those are practically the same. The more mana available, the longer the doppelganger can persist. Conversely, flamboyant mana expenditure – from either body – shortens its lifespan accordingly.”

Lucida had not lied.

Creating multiple bodies and manipulating each of them at will was something only a demon like her could do. There was, admittedly, the minor issue of the immense strain on one’s mind if an ordinary human attempted the same, but the principle itself, at least, she had explained truthfully.

The fact that the main body suffered a corresponding recoil when a clone was destroyed? Well, he hadn’t asked, so she hadn’t told.

“The price of the contract?”

“Let me stay by your side. If I were to wander around alone as I am now, I suspect I’d run afoul of the wards. Hiding myself in your shadow will allow me to avoid them.”

“That’s enough?”

Lucidra inwardly mocked the young man’s surprised expression.

He likely thought it was a remarkably simple price.

But once he actually used the clone magic, he would find himself overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information processing, succumbing to confusion and exhaustion.

To the young man, unable to control his own body properly and crawling across the floor like a bug, she planned to offer the question once more.

Do you not have another wish?

Cornered and with his thoughts clouded, the young man would have no choice but to accept even an unreasonable contract.

Anticipating that spectacle, Lucidra offered a beautiful smile.

“Of course. You were the one who released me, after all. A little service is in order.”

“Good. Let us make this contract.”

Lucida took the hand the young man offered, and a portion of her knowledge flowed through that hand and into him.

Demonic magic that an ordinary human could neither understand nor interpret.

But just as someone who knows nothing about forging a sword can still swing it without problem, the young man would now possess the certainty that he could, in fact, use this magic.

The young man closed his eyes and drew upon his mana.

And then, beside him, a clone materialized, looking exactly like him.

Lucidra cheered inwardly.

Soon, the young man would show a spectacle beyond words.

“Hmm. So this is the feeling, is it?”

“A little awkward, perhaps, but I imagine I’ll adjust.”

“Mana consumption is manageable too. For everyday activities, I could sustain this indefinitely.”

“Due to the structure of temporarily severing a portion of the soul, the destruction of the double would inflict significant damage on the main body as well, but with a groundbreaking spell like this, that much must be tolerated.”

“Ultimately, I must control both in real-time, so it’s not quite ‘rest’ in the conventional sense, but still, having a separate body to enjoy leisure activities with is something, no?”

“Yes, indeed. After all, physical fatigue is easily alleviated by sleeping within the magic circle. It was mental fatigue that posed a problem, but this should solve that.”

“”Thank you, unnamed demon.””

Lucidra’s face hardened into stone at the sight of the two young men offering their thanks so calmly.

“Huh? Eh?”

The young man reached out a hand toward her, as she uttered foolish, slack-jawed sounds.

“Alond Arcanel Izeiren. This humble form is that of the Empire’s Crown Prince. I look forward to working with you. And your name is?”

“…Lucidra.”

“Very well, Lucidra. You wished to escape this place, did you not? Then let us hurry. I may have said I desired a quiet moment, but even so, lingering too long in the library might arouse suspicion from someone.”

Lucidra had much she wanted to say.

She sincerely wanted to know how they could possibly be so unaffected.

However, asking that here would be tantamount to confessing, ‘I tried to screw you over.’

Ultimately, Lucidra had no choice but to nod, a twitch playing at the corner of her mouth.

Her form dissolved into red mist, absorbed into Alond’s shadow, and Alond, looking at his own shadow with amusement, replaced the emptied book and stepped back outside.

*

A few days hence.

Lucidra, still cloaked in Alond’s shadow, continued to trail him.

The failed attempt to coerce Alond into an unconscionable contract had left her power sluggish to recover. More than that, she felt a sting of defeat for failing to manipulate him to her will.

And she could reaffirm, yet again:

This man was truly bizarre.

“Hmm, yes, excellent. This is superb. What do you think, Lucidra? Is this not the very image of a dashing adventurer?”

Alond’s private chamber.

Alond, stood before his doppelganger, speaking with an almost gleeful air. Lucidra was rendered speechless.

And for good reason, as the double’s appearance was radically different from before.

Unlike the fair-haired, blue-eyed Alond, his hair and eyes were shades of crimson and brown. His features were younger, more ordinary.

If Alond resembled a sculpture from antiquity, this one was a youth barely out of his teens, handsome in a modest, village sort of way.

Where Alond wore regal, antique attire, this one was clad in roughspun cloth and leather armor. No soul alive would ever recognize them as the same person.

But that wasn’t what truly horrified Lucidra.

Slightly altering the appearance of a clone was hardly difficult for a demon who’d reached a certain echelon.

The problem was…

The modifications Alond had made to his double weren’t merely cosmetic, but had rewritten its very essence.

“…What did you *do* while creating that clone?”

“Well, given that it’s a clone, it has fewer total capabilities compared to the original. So, instead of leaving it able to do a little of everything poorly, I specialized it to excel at specific functions. This one, for example, I’ve focused on its abilities as a swordsman. Physical prowess, body enhancement efficiency, aura. It’s unable to use any magic, though.”

Did this man even grasp the significance of arbitrarily altering and repurposing demonic magic?

Or had the world changed so much while I was sealed away that such things were now considered normal?

‘Either way, for the time being, instead of rampaging about and regretting my resurrection, it’s better to just gather information from this man’s side. Even if his main body remains in the palace, his Avatar will be moving around outside, so I can observe the world from that vantage point.’

Having decided on a course of action, Lucidra inquired, “So, what’s the name of this Avatar? Surely you wouldn’t use your real name.”

The Crown Prince grinned, then replied, “Bern. Adventurer Bern, at your service.”