Lara continued with Demian listening.
"Prince Sidhar is a member of the royal family down to the bone. It's weird…when he begged to save his life."
"It might be because he's afraid of the demon."
"The Prince I knew would rather have told the demon worshippers that the demon was in his body. Then, he can reign like a King among them."
"I see."
"The Prince only kneels in front of others when he already finishes calculating that his actions would increase his worth."
Demian squinted his blue eyes. Now that Lara mentioned it, everything she said made sense.
∘₊✧──────✧₊∘
When the mercenary wolves said they captured Prince Sidhar, Lara felt a deep sense of discrepancy as soon as she saw him.
The Prince, who had lost his power, must have been a useless burden to the black sorcerers, so she could understand why they abused him. However, she could not have imagined that Prince Sidhar would have completely abandoned himself to such a threat.
Sidhar Hautean was someone who wanted to sit on the throne even if he had to kill his younger sister and father. In addition, in the world shown by her God, he admired the power of the demon and did not hesitate to become one of their followers. But now he begged with tears on his face just because the mark of sacrifice was engraved on his body?
It was as if she was looking at another being that is using the Prince's appearance.
Even after returning to the inn from the temple, Lara left the Prince alone for a while. It was the same for the next day. She left the Prince to Valentine and the wolves and focused on relieving fatigue from the trip.
The wolves took turns monitoring the Prince. After hearing that the demon might have descended into the Prince's body, they said in front of the Prince himself that it would be best to just keep him in a vegetative state.
They did it on purpose. Still, the Prince neither rebelled nor attempted to escape. He was obedient like a submissive prisoner. He took the sleeping pill made by Valentine and slept all day.
On the day when the party decided to leave for the capital of the Empire again after resting for two days, Lara came to find the Prince.
"Thanks…for saving me."
The Prince said. Lara stood far away, looking at him contemptuously as usual.
"How did it happen?"
"What?"
"How can you be the sacrifice? Are you out of your mind? I know you are a coward but do you really want to be a King even if you have to sacrifice yourself?"
"It's not like that!"
"Then, tell me what actually happened. Did the demon choose you?"
Lara asked.
The Prince's expression was natural. The ends of his eyes drooped with grief, his body flinched whenever he felt pain in his wound. Every part of him felt like a human being, but he did not feel like the real Prince Sidhar.
"I don't know. The black sorcerer told me to offer something to the altar, so I just carried it up… But when I came to my senses, my body was already like this."
"What kind of demon is Valac?"
"Laviore, he's a very powerful and terrifying demon. I don't know why he made a mark on my body… But it's clear that if I die, he will be born from my dead corpse!"
"Really?"
"I know you hate me… but protect me. Please."
A ray of clear tears flowed down the Prince's eyes. Although he was a mess, he was still a beautiful man─like the perfect Prince right out of a fairy tale. When he shed tears with such a face, he looked like the main character of a sad story.
"Okay."
As if it was unavoidable, Lara sighed and nodded.
"Your life is so full of ups and downs. It's really…like a tragedy."
"Really?"
"We're going to the capital of the Tarragon Empire. Once we get there, we will find a way to remove the mark from your body."
"Are you serious? Are you…going to help me?"
"After that, of course, I will send you back to His Majesty the King. Because it's only right for you to be executed as a traitor, not as a demon's seed!"
Lara was furious. Then, after closing the door loudly, she went back to her room.
∘₊✧──────✧₊∘
…She only pretended to go back.
Lara gestured to Valentine who was standing in front of the door. Valentine looked nervous. A long-distance magic receiver, made of diamond, the size of a newborn child's fist came out of his arm. It was the finished product.
Then, they quietly went downstairs to where Demian and the mercenary wolves were gathered.
"T-turn it on?"
"Valentine asked carefully.
"Yes."
Lara nodded.
Valentine made two of the long-distance magic receivers or magic lamps. If two people took one each, they could talk from afar just by chanting the spell. Lara secretly turned one of them on in the room where Prince Sidhar was locked up and brought the other one.
Valentine muttered the designated spell on the receiver. Then a subtle light came out of the lamp and the Prince's voice could be heard.
「…This is fun. As expected, humans are interesting. How long has it been since I've enjoyed myself?」
The wolves choked on their breath. Their eyes were quivering, they covered each other's mouths so they would not make any sound.
「I don't like his status as a Prince but he was actually a traitor who ran away…」
All of them, including Lara and Demian, listened to the Prince's relaxed monologue from the receiver.
「At least I won't be bored.」
Then, silence followed. He was either sleeping because of the medicine or only pretending to be asleep. When Lara signaled with her eyes, Valentine quickly turned off the receiver.
"Fuhh…
The wolves looked at Lara with eyes asking for an explanation. They had already heard from Demian that it seemed like something else was wearing the Prince's shell, but they still did not know exactly what it was.
Lara told them.
"It's the demon Valac."
"What?"
"What did you say? Demon?"
The wolves were surprised. Fortunately, they did not make any loud noises. Lara nodded and explained to them.
"We all knew that Prince Sidhar had joined the group of demon worshippers with the black sorcerers. But for them, the Prince must no longer be of any use. I'm sure he was treated like an outcast."
"That's why his body was full of wounds."
"I don't know how he ended up as the sacrifice for the demon Valac. It could have been done by the black sorcerers and the demon worshippers or the demon must have liked him personally."
"Isn't it because he's a Prince?"
"I heard that demons are not very interested in human power or territory. All they want is human life itself."
"Life?"
"A short and dramatic life…ones that demons cannot have. Something like a complicated relationship, love, or obsession."
"Huh, their preferences are really perverted."
It was a long way off for humans to understand demons. Even Lara did not know exactly what the demon liked about Prince Sidhar.
"Valac is a vampire."
"What?"
"I heard he's an ancient vampire. He likes to be close to humans."
"Why did the Prince have to bring something like that with him?"
Sidhar Hautean was no longer a Prince. No one knew whether his soul remained there nor not. It must be the demon Valac who controlled the Prince's body now.
"Then, what should we do now?"
Demian asked, looking annoyed. Among Lara's group, Demian was the only one who had fought a real demon, and he knew how difficult it was to deal with one.
Demian and the wolves were firmly determined. If Lara ordered it, they were ready to immediately run and decapitate the demon.
But Lara believed there would be a better way than that. If they fought here, there would be casualties. Furthermore, the demon was currently very cooperative and was willing to follow whatever she said.
"Let's figure out what he wants first."
Lara remembered. The demon wanted the saintess. It was Valac who told the black sorcerers to find and kill the saintess in Hautean.