How the Prince Makes Friends - Chapter 289
Only Noblemtl
Episode 289
“Okay, applause.”
“…….”
Evan was speechless at Nihil’s evasive attitude. The Grand Duke must have had similar thoughts, as his expression was quite something to see.
Even our prince wouldn’t believe that…
“Wow! Your Majesty, you’re amazing!”
“…….”
“…….”
Evan almost touched his forehead as he looked at the kitten, the only one among the children who was reacting. Even the five-year-old girl Kara was looking up at her brother with her eyes wide open as if to ask if this was right.
Our prince is the most clueless… This can’t be happening.
“Your Majesty, I would also like to receive a souvenir.”
“…….”
A moment of confusion crossed the Archduke’s face at the bright request. It seemed that even the Archduke had difficulty making a bunch of bears.
“…I can make it into a real bear, but….”
“Is that a fake bear you just saw?”
“It’s just a lump of magic. Something similar to that.”
As he spoke, the Archduke gestured to the cotton ball in the cat’s arms.
“Kuiik?”
The cotton ball opened its eyes sharply and fluffed up its fur as if to say, “How can you compare it to something like that?” Now that I think about it, who would win in a fight between that cotton ball and a bear? After all, it’s the Grand Duke’s aura lump… … .
“But Som-Som is small and cute. That bear wasn’t cute.”
“Rian, the smaller and cuter you are, the stronger you are.”
“Kuiku.”
The lynx replied, and the cotton ball nodded as if to say that was true. The prince was puzzled.
“…Is that so?”
It was a bit funny, but Evan agreed. In fact, isn’t our cutest prince the strongest here? Even the great Taekong and the Grand Duke can’t beat our prince.
As expected, our prince is the best.
“Then how do you usually catch a demon?”
Our little cat asked another question and picked up a fountain pen. There is no other student who is as diligent as this one. The pink snake must have realized something as well, as it took out a piece of paper and a fountain pen from its bosom.
When on earth did you get something like that?
“When capturing a demon, the rule is to find the core. One thing to be careful of is not to waste time capturing a demon. They learn.”
“…! Are you studying magic?”
“When they are first created, they only have the instinct to destroy without any specific form. That’s what makes them different from anima. Anima usually has the personality of its owner…”
The Archduke frowned as he looked down at the cotton ball without saying a word. It seemed that he was not pleased with the cotton ball.
“coup.”
But the cotton ball that didn’t even have a lump to spit out laughed openly. The Grand Duke glared at the guy as if he was going to burst him in anger, then sighed and continued speaking after looking at the prince who was waiting for an explanation.
“Anyway, demons learn. The fact that it took the shape of a bear earlier can be seen as a result of some sort of learning.”
“So what did the first demon look like?”
“Usually…, it is created in the shape of a circle like a water drop. It is the most stable shape to maintain its shape.”
“Round and round like cotton?”
The question was answered by a wildcat who suddenly interjected.
“Rian, the cotton is quite a complex shape. It has hairs on it. You should think of each strand as an aura wrapped around the sword.”
“what?!”
Evan was surprised by those words. The insignificant-looking cotton ball was more impressive than he had thought.
Before that, our prince bit and sucked that… … ?
“Shouldn’t it be designated as a hazardous substance?”
There should be a warning sign on the forehead saying, “Do not eat cotton balls.” Our prince might mistake it for cotton candy and eat it again.
“Keeek?”
The cotton ball turned its head sharply and glared at me as if to say that it was done talking, but Evan pretended not to notice because there was no way of knowing when our prince would put that in his mouth again.
“By the way, Your Highness. The bear earlier had fluffy fur. Was it an incredibly powerful demon?”
“That’s just how it looked. If you look closely, it doesn’t look like hair but like smoke. The bigger it is, the weaker it is. Think of the aura of a knight who just became an aura user as a haze, and it’ll be easier to understand.”
“…! I see! So Som Som is really amazing?”
“…….”
At those words, the Archduke looked down at the cotton ball again. The cotton ball wiggled its small body as if to demand that he be acknowledged, but the Archduke changed the subject as if he did not want to acknowledge it.
“…Due to their destructive instinct, demons transform into forms that are easy to move in. Most of them transform into the forms of animals or monsters.”
“Don’t you change as a human?”
“At first glance, the human form is not a very good shape for destroying something. It’s thin and long. However, if you learn from watching strong humans or demons, then… it becomes a little difficult.”
The Grand Duke paused for a moment, as if he was gathering his thoughts. The princes took notes diligently, as if they were planning to come up with a plan. For some reason, the future of the country seemed bright.
“The most difficult thing is… learning the emotion called fear.”
“Are you scared?”
“Ordinary demons don’t run away, but only rush forward due to their instinct for destruction. However, once they realize the fear of annihilation, their intelligence increases exponentially. They start to think in order to survive.”
“Thinking Demon, this is really going to be dangerous.”
“Yes. Even though a rampaging demon may seem dangerous, that is actually the best time to deal with it. If you miss that moment, it will be even more dangerous, so keep that in mind.”
“Your Majesty, what if there is no one around who can catch the demon?”
“An indifferent response will only increase his intelligence. It’s better to focus on defense, but keep giving him a sense of accomplishment so that he doesn’t go elsewhere.”
“A sense of accomplishment?”
“For example, leaving behind buildings that can be destroyed. Before the Heavenly Demon War, we used to deploy golems to attract attention, but that’s no longer possible… ”
Even as the Archduke’s explanation continued, the cracks gradually widened.
Evan kept his eyes on the crack just in case. With the lynx and the archduke right next to him, he didn’t think anything would happen, but…
“……!”
At that thought, a hand suddenly popped out from a terrifyingly small crack.
Evan was surprised and tried to grab Nihil, who was closest to the crack, but before he could, the cotton ball puffed up to the size of a person’s head and bit his hand.
“–, –!”
There was a cracking sound. The hand flailed wildly in pain, but perhaps because the cotton ball had grown larger than the crack, the unidentified hand struggled for a long time without being able to put it in or take it out.
Everyone was shocked at the sight, but the lynx opened its mouth calmly.
“Somsom, that’s support. Spit it out quickly.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Take it, take it.”
“coup!”
“…….”
The cotton ball that had spit out the hand twitched as if it were asking who dared to attack it. As soon as the unknown hand was free, it disappeared back into the crack, and Evan felt like an idiot for continuing to be on guard.
By the way, that cotton ball guy, he doesn’t seem to have any teeth, but he’s stronger than you think. Don’t provoke him.
“Your Majesty, shouldn’t we close the crack first?”
“It’s okay because it’s still small.”
“But what if my hand suddenly pops out like before and forcibly tears the crack?”
“The crack is not a simple structure that can be torn apart by physical force. If you want to grow it, you have to devote a great deal of magical power.”
Even the demons cannot dare to handle it, and if they are not careful, they could end up getting eaten by the cracks.
“If there’s someone who forcibly tears through the cracks, I’ll think the world is doomed and just run away… what are we going to do?”
Dios frowned before explaining, because the children were already huddled together around the crack.
“Oh, Neil said he’d show me how to rip a crack… What did he say?”
“…….”
Dios wiped his face.
Evan, who was listening from the side, thought. This world will surely be destroyed by that lynx. And only the small, cute, and young ones will survive to complete his true harem.
“More than that, Your Highness. Is there no way to close the rift?”
“There are many ways to do it, but actually, using divine power is easier and cleaner.”
“Oh, we don’t have many temples, so let’s skip that.”
“…Do you plan on not building a temple even after the treaty of protection is broken?”
“The Archduke will leave if the treaty is broken?”
“…I’m not sure about that….”
“The temple later. I don’t really like it.”
“…….”
The Grand Duke looked at the Prince as if he was seeing something strange, then spoke carefully.
“The sword you received from your father.”
“Oh! It’s the Holy Sword?”
“…Why the Holy Sword…, no, anyway, if you use it well, you can cut through small cracks. If you just keep it by your side, you can prevent the cracks from getting bigger.”
“…! Then, wouldn’t it be helpful if we made a lot of those swords?”
“No. That mineral is not only hard to obtain, but because of its mana-absorbing properties, it’s difficult even for me to hold onto for long.”
“Then how did Taekong make that?”
“Father, your mana absorption power is several times stronger than that mineral. If you want, you can drain all your mana and swallow it.”
“Taigong is truly an amazing person!”
The kitten jumped up and down in joy. The Grand Duke looked at the cheerful prince and asked in a trembling voice.
“…Isn’t it scary?”
“why?”
“He is the one who can kill hundreds of humans with a single wave of his hand.”
“……!”
The prince opened his eyes wide in surprise. Then he quickly defended Taekong.
“Ha, but Taekong was really kind.”
“You don’t know anything. The more someone like that is, the darker their heart is. They gently lure innocent children, kidnap them, and then eat them.”
“That can’t be!”
“No, Lian. That’s a misunderstanding. I won’t eat you. Taekong is so kind.”
Seeing the shocked kitten, he tried hard to defend himself, pretending not to be a shameless cat. He didn’t say anything about not kidnapping her, perhaps because of what he had done, which made it even more absurd.
“dismissal.”
At that moment, Sir Cayenne, who had been thinking deeply about something, opened his mouth. Perhaps because he was the only magician among the group, he seemed to be thinking hard.
“Then what about Kupium, the raw material for Mana Binding? Even humans can process that much.”
“It might be a stopgap measure for a day or two. However, to have a meaningful effect, a huge amount would be needed, and even if it were made, its size would be so large that it would be difficult to store or transport. Let’s do some research.”
The Grand Duke said this and explained the principle while showing how to close the crack. In short, it was a phenomenon caused by an imbalance in magical power, so he sealed the magical power in the emptiness to forcibly restore the balance.
After hearing the explanation, Lord Cayenne asked again.
“Your Majesty, wouldn’t it be easier for wizards and auror users to just gather together and absorb the magical power around them? There aren’t many wizards who can implement that level of magic right now… ”
“If you do that, you’ll be consumed by magic. Don’t even dream about it unless you have a priest to follow.”
“Ah… I see.”
That won’t do. Cayenne nodded and drew two lines on the note she was writing.
At that moment, Rianus, who had become curious, suddenly raised his head.
“Your Majesty, what happens if you get eroded?”
“I will become a demon with only the instinct to destroy left.”
“?! Are you turning into a monster?”
“It’s not that the appearance changes drastically. However, if an auror user or wizard can’t identify the enemy and runs wild, it will be harder to catch than the demon.”
“Well, that’s true.”
After hearing the explanation, Rianus nodded. Certainly, it would be a big problem if the Auror users or magicians who were supposed to hold back the demons ended up becoming the demons themselves.
‘But just in case, we must also find a way to save the people who have been consumed by magic.’
No one knows what will happen, so we should assume as many scenarios as possible and prepare for them. As I was thinking about this and writing down my notes, I suddenly remembered what Taekong had said before.
“Oh, but, Your Highness……”
“What is it?”
“I heard that the Grand Duke was originally human… If he overcomes the magic erosion, will he become a demon?”
Dios’ face hardened at that question. Nihil also hardened.
“……Who told me that I was human?”
“Rian, just a moment….”
“It’s Taekong.”
“…….”
Nihil tried to stop him quickly, but was buried by Lianus’ quick response.
Nihil glanced around briefly and hid behind Evan. In the first place, the only person who would say something like that was me, who knew that the Archduke was human, so it was only a matter of time before I got caught… … .
“Hey, hey, go away.”
The little puppy dog pushed away in terror, but Nihil, being the shameless cat he was, held on stubbornly.
“after…….”
Dios looked at me like that, sighed deeply, and continued his explanation.
“I’m a fairy tale… no, I just have a special constitution. Even the demons lose their sanity when exposed to magic beyond their limit.”
“Then the Archduke is amazing!”
“That’s right, Lian.”
Nihil quickly retorted. As expected, our child is amazing.
“[Requies, please shut up.]”
“…….”
“Neil, what did you say?”
“Ugh, I’m so good……”
Nihil, who was in a sullen mood, became a little sullen. He said that because he was human too, so please don’t reject him…
However, it seemed as if the boy was actively trying to accept my suggestion to break the guardianship contract, and he spoke a lot in response and led the experiential learning in a meticulous manner.
Of course, the Great Hall, eroded by magic, was not a very good environment for humans to reside in, so the experiential learning was not long…
“Can’t we play some more?”
“It’s dangerous to stay here too long during the rotten moon. Come again next time.”
Nihil smiled happily as he watched Dios develop to the point where he personally told the children to come again when they were upset.
“Neil, can I come with you? I don’t have mana, so you don’t have to worry about things like erosion.”
“I’m sorry, Lian. I want to be with you, but I’m so busy that I don’t have time to take care of you.”
“Ugh… Then I guess there’s nothing I can do.”
After I sent everyone away, even the drooping seaweed, the surroundings suddenly became quiet.
Nihil glanced around his slightly chilled surroundings and quietly broke the silence.
“Dia.”
“yes.”
“…I would like to discuss Ariel.”