The Crown Prince Who Raises a Side Character

Episode 34: Crown Prince Alondre (3) – How to Involve Oneself in the Role

Episode 34: Crown Prince Alondre (3) – How to Involve Oneself in the Role

Kalastria, capital of the Eisen Imperial Empire.

Golden Cloud Palace, where the Crown Prince resided, housed a workforce numbering in the hundreds, and they were all recently afflicted by a peculiar ailment.

It was called ‘It’s All My Fault-itis’.

“As His Highness’ physician, I failed to prevent his body from being harmed, what use is this old man to remain alive!”

“Illness, you see, arises from unclean environments. This is all due to my lack of ability as Head Court Lady. I shall return all my positions and assets to the Golden Cloud Palace and return to the wild. Please, grant me your leave!”

“Ah! If only my sword had reached true mastery, I could have cleaved away even the sickness tormenting His Highness! And yet, I am His Highness’s protector, his martial arts instructor… I am utterly ashamed! Worth less than a kitchen knife in the hands of a cook!”

The Great Devil, observing this spectacle, remarked:

“What’s wrong with these people so scary…”

Lucidra visibly shuddered.

Seriously, isn’t it normal to be a little ill every now and then? Must they make such a fuss over something like this?

Even more comical was the Crown Prince’s reaction.

“Cough! A sovereign is one who bears responsibility. If you are guilty, then I bear an even greater guilt. Let us speak no more of this.”

‘If you guys keep acting like this, I’m going to assume you’re dissing me,’ he was hinting, and his subordinates instantly clamped their mouths shut. The Crown Prince then lay in bed for approximately three days before rising, hale and hearty.

Lucidra was dumbfounded.

Truthfully, when the Crown Prince’s first incarnation, Vern, was destroyed, Lucidra had secretly harbored expectations.

The destruction of an incarnation would inflict considerable damage upon the original, and she had intended to use the weakened Crown Prince to trick him into signing a new contract.

In the end, those hopes were dashed because of the Crown Prince, who felt questionably human, but now she felt relieved.

‘…If this minor cold brought about such a commotion, what would happen if this human collapsed, coughing blood?’

No joke, the palace would probably turn upside down.

Undoubtedly, a massive investigation would commence to find the culprit, and Lucidra’s existence would be naturally revealed.

Imagining hundreds of overly loyal zealots with murderous glints in their eyes hunting her down, Lucidra trembled.

“What is it? Can even devils catch a cold?”

“That’s not it. More importantly, are you sure it’s alright to be up already?”

“I’m still a bit short of being completely recovered, but I can handle office work without issue. I’ve decided to skip Crown Prince education for the time being to catch up on the backlog of tasks, but even that will become unmanageable if it gets too overwhelming.”

“But you said you didn’t *want* to work. So, just keep faking sick and relax, no?”

At Lucidra’s words, the Crown Prince regarded her.

His features, akin to a sculpted masterpiece, enhanced by a gaze of profound depth. Even Lucidra, a Great Demon, should’ve felt a flutter in her chest… but she didn’t.

After all, his face practically screamed, ‘My, is that the best you’ve got?’ There was no room for flutter.

“What’s with that look?”

“Evading work with feigned illness might offer temporary reprieve, but in the long run, it erodes one’s reputation and the favor of those around them.”

And, the Crown Prince added,

“Strictly speaking, it isn’t work itself that I dislike. It’s doing *only* work that I find distasteful.”

“So you’re going to create another identity with an alter ego and play around?”

“Hmm. The life of an adventurer was, indeed, thrilling.”

“But your acting is atrocious.”

*A twitch,* and.

The Crown Prince’s body stiffened.

At the first chink in his usually impenetrable armor, a smile played on the demon’s lips.

“You can’t help but let your ‘high and mighty’ Crown Prince gaze slip out. Sometimes, your very intonation reverts back to normal.”

“Mmm.”

“And, for someone who’s supposed to be a commoner adventurer, why are you so unnecessarily detailed when it comes to magic? From what I can tell, the knowledge you imparted to that girl, Blanca, seems to be information rarely known amongst ordinary folk, hm?”

“Umm.”

“And then, at the very end, you all but shout, ‘I am an alter ego!'”

“Krk.”

As if struck by an arrow through the heart, the Crown Prince emitted a dying man’s groan, quickly followed by a strained excuse.

“But, listen. Just vanishing without a word would be a truly rotten thing to do, wouldn’t it? She could carry that guilt for the rest of her life. Even if I can’t reveal my true identity, she needs to know the body is a fabrication, so she can clear up any misunderstandings.”

“Hmph.”

Lucidra made a small, derisive noise.

The Crown Prince wasn’t wrong. At the very least, he was doing everything within his power to show sincerity.

The problem was, as Lucidra saw it, that Blanca woman seemed to have interpreted it in a rather ‘different’ way.

‘Well, does it matter? Maybe it’ll be more entertaining to let it play out. He’s the one who’ll be suffering from the deepened misunderstanding, not me. Yes, no problem at all.’

Coming to a truly devilish conclusion, she snapped her fingers.

Her attire shifted from the revealing and strangely glossy garments she favored, to a white shirt and black suit trousers. She addressed the Crown Prince with the demeanor of a salesperson presenting a product.

“In that vein, how would you feel about entering into a new contract with me, Your Highness?”

“Your tone has changed. What are you proposing?”

“A magic that allows for a more complete ‘immersion’ in the role. It prevents any confusion between the original and the doppelganger.”

Lucidra’s crimson eyes gleamed seductively.

The expression, ‘prevents confusion between the original and the doppelganger,’ sounded good on the surface.

But the reality was, it was not far from the original and the doppelganger each possessing a separate ego.

Of course, the doppelganger could be made to disappear at any time by the original’s will, meaning it couldn’t rebel, but it was still a being with a piece of the Crown Prince’s own soul.

If the Crown Prince was vulnerable, asleep or something of that nature, it might be fun to tempt the ‘doppelganger’ into a contract.

“Ah, I already created something that does that, so I don’t need it.”

Lucidra’s devilish smile cracked.

Ignoring her dismay, the Crown Prince nonchalantly continued to explain the magic he had made himself.

“I tinkered with the Doppelganger magic a bit. Management account and sub-account… Though that might be a tad difficult to grasp. To put it plainly, I separated the consciousness of the original from the replica. The original can access the replica’s information, but not the other way around. Simultaneously, the original can interfere with the replica, but the replica can only ‘request’ things, not directly meddle. Memory access is also restricted.”

Lucidra blinked.

She blinked, then asked,

“When did you have the time for… all this?”

“Well, I’ve been resting here for days, haven’t I? I dabbled in it now and then. Fitting rehab exercise, wouldn’t you say?”

Rehab exercise?

Judging by what she’d heard, it wasn’t mere tinkering, but completely reinventing the spell.

“Is… is that even possible? It’s not an easy spell to modify! What about identity issues, ego confusion, things like that?!”

Discarding her professional tone, Lucidra reacted hysterically. The Crown Prince replied, quite earnestly,

“A devoted actor often forgets that he’s acting. Yet, deep in his consciousness, the actor’s true self remains. Applying that principle makes it rather less challenging, wouldn’t you agree?”

“…Oh, I see.”

Lucidra gave up on trying to comprehend.

He nonchalantly used and even modified Demon Doppelganger magic – magic even demons have trouble with, if at all.

His mental structure was clearly different from the average person. Thinking based on average standards was pointless.

“So, what about the next replica? Are you planning to resurrect Bern or something?”

“Hmm, I thought about sneaking over to Blanca for a quick greeting, but that feels like pushing it. Regardless of Blanca, the other adventurers believe Bern is truly dead, and that he died in the Lich’s dungeon.”

An adventurer known to have died in the Lich’s dungeon secretly meeting the key player in the Lich subjugation? That was a situation ripe for suspicion.

The Crown Prince, genuinely wishing for Blanca’s growth and success, didn’t want her embroiled in unnecessary rumors because of him.

“Then a new replica it is. What are you planning this time?”

“I intend to delve deeper into the Virka Kingdom.”

From the perspective of Bern, the adventurer, the Kingdom of Virka was a complete and utter mess.

Especially the royalty and nobility, who just let dangerous elements like Goblin Rodneys and Lichini thrive within their borders – you had to wonder if it wasn’t some new form of suicide for rulers.

“It seems Renya was gossiping about something interesting.”

“Gossip?”

“Apparently, there’s a family in Virka with immense power and influence, one of the most formidable. But the young lady of the house has such a terrible disposition that her servants are replaced almost daily. Normally, a family of that stature would only employ those they can trust implicitly, but even *that* isn’t being upheld. They’re just filling positions with whoever.”

“A spoiled, ill-tempered brat, or maybe a born tormentor. Either way, she can’t be right in the head.”

“Therefore, I intend to infiltrate that household as a servant.”

“…Your Imperial Highness, becoming a servant in a noble family of another kingdom?”

“That’s the nature of role-playing. Besides, there are limited ways for someone with unclear credentials to approach a noble directly. This seems like an opportune moment, wouldn’t you agree?”

Moreover,” the Crown Prince added,

“I realized while interacting with Blanca that I quite enjoy nurturing talent, rather more than expected. If I can transform a noble lady with a terrible disposition into a capable leader, it would contribute to the normalization of Virka. A perfect alignment of personal and public good, you see.”

“Isn’t a chaotic and troubled neighboring country a good thing for the Imperial Crown Prince?”

“That’s an overly simplistic viewpoint. If an undead legion appears on the continent, or a Goblin Kingdom is established, it will create problems for us too. If there’s a fire next door, you put it out before it spreads to your own house, wouldn’t you say?”

“Yes, yes, you’re so very virtuous.”

Lucidra responded with a touch of sarcasm before asking,

“So, have you decided on a name?”

The Crown Prince answered,

“Cedric.”