ยฉNovel Buddy
Demon King of the Royal Class-Chapter 15
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Chapter 15
Irineโs Hound. So they were basically selling gum to people who were walking along the Irine River Park for money, right? It was the first time Iโd heard such an accurate alias.
Elerisโs lips were trembling as if she couldnโt believe it herself.
โThe Hound of Irine is a lycanthrope.โ
โ...If my remaining common sense is correct, theyโre creatures that have the habit of periodically turning into monsters, right?โ
โYes, thatโs correct.โ
To be honest, even Eleris, a high-ranking vampire, didnโt seem like an ideal spy. Although she could endure sunlight, it was clearly still a struggle for her.
But still, at least Eleris could endure the sunlight. How could a lycanthrope, which went berserk when the full moon rose, work as a spy in the middle of Gradium? How hadnโt he been caught until now?
Wasnโt Sarkegar the only guy who was actually fit to be a spy?
โ...Isnโt that too disadvantageous for a spy, then?โ
โYes... but the Hound volunteered... Becoming a spy is considered a dangerous mission, hence there were very few people who wanted to do it. They had no choice but to accept...โ
Was he the type of person who had a bad temper but was stupidly loyal?
This mission was about infiltrating the enemyโs heartland, so it was natural that no demon had wanted to participate in such a dangerous mission. Nonetheless, a lycanthrope had volunteered.
โIโve heard that when the full moon rises, the Hound hides in the sewers near the Bronze Gate Bridge.โ
โThe Bronze Gate Bridge. Hmm.โ
Like I said, this place was basically just like Seoul.
If my memory served me correctly, the Bronze Gate Bridge was equivalent to the Banpo Bridge.
Essentially, what that meant was that as the transformation drew near, the Hound of Irine hid inside the sewers under the Banpo Bridge.
โThe Hound lived in the area around the Bronze Gate Bridge, and because of that, their clothes grew dirty as well. As a result, some people thought that the Hound was homeless, and was just a beggar living underneath the bridge. That was how the Hound unintentionally got money from some passerbys.โ
โSo the Hound didnโt start out as a beggar?โ
โNo. But it turned out it paid well, so the Hound just decided to be a beggar there permanently.โ
โOh...โ
โWow, doesn't he have any pride? Also, I donโt know if itโs because this is the imperial capital, but the people here seem awfully kind, to be giving money to such beggars so easily.โ
I didnโt know if he was living life on easy mode or hard mode; what a strange guy.
Eleris hesitated, then continued.
โAs a result, fights sometimes broke out between beggars for the right to begging spots, and since the Hound of Irine was a natural lycanthrope and quite adept at fighting, no one was a match for them in a brawl. Since the beggars didnโt have many places to go, they would interact with each other frequently, and eventually developed close relationships, fighting with each other one day but sharing a drink the day after. And before they knew it, they formed a group... it seems.โ
โHeh.โ
It was literally just like beggars near Banpo Bridge. Getting into fights, and then if the guy you fought with yesterday brings a bottle of soju the next day, youโre like, โAlright, alright, I was too harsh yesterday, wasnโt I? Ah well, I guess I was.โ And as they shared one or two bottles, they ended up becoming close friends.
And now, it had grown so much that it became unmanageable, eventually morphing into a gang of beggars.
โ... Although I donโt know who he is, he sure seems skilled at socializing.โ
โYes... And we also receive a lot of help from the Hound...โ
It seemed like Elerisโs business made no profits at all, and Sarkegar probably needed a lot of money to fund his spying activities among the nobles. Both of them certainly needed a lot of financial support, and this Hound of Irine guy was their helper.
โThe Hound of Irine... It surely is a fitting name.โ
Especially since he could transform as well.
โThe Hound personally wants to be called the Wolf of Irine, but no one really does that.โ
That was a bit sad.
In any case, it was good for me. All I had to do was avoid implying that Iโd given up on reviving the Demon Realm to Sarkegar, and the Hound of Irine seemed to have a sense of loyalty despite his oddness, and was a team player who was willing to help the other two.
Eleris, too, didnโt seem to have any malicious intent toward me for now.
โPlease get some rest, Your Highness. I will arrange a meeting with them in the near future.โ
โOh... Arenโt you going to sleep too?โ
This bed was probably Elerisโs.
She said that she would, and then decided to lie down next to me. A vampire who slept at night... It was kind of amusing to think about.
โIs it okay with you, Your Highness? If youโre uncomfortable, I can sleep on the floor.โ
โUh... um, sure. Yeah, Iโm fine.โ
It was fine, but not fine at all. Too fine to the point where it shouldnโt be fine, maybe?
No other cheat code could guarantee more happiness than this.
โThis is what Iโm talking about. I donโt need any cheats, screw them!โ
And then morning came.
Yawn.
I woke up to the sight of a vampire who used the morning sun coming in through the window as an alarm clock.
***
In the midst of the chaos, I woke up abruptly and looked at Eleris, her hair all messed up.
โ... You donโt have blackout curtains or anything?โ
โI... I get a lot of sleep... so if I donโt do this, I canโt wake up...โ she said in a raspy voice as she moved out of the sunโs range.
I knew Eleris was a unique vampire, but using sunlight as an alarm clock was unimaginable. Wouldnโt it kill her if she couldnโt wake up?
A vampire who lived in a place with plenty of sunlight and good ventilation. I understood that she was a high-tier vampire and was able to survive sunlight, but it was still pretty outrageous.
โWhy donโt you just live in a spare room at Count Pontiusโs mansion?โ
โIt isnโt efficient for spies to operate in the same area. If one gets caught, the others will all be caught as well.โ
Eleris sighed and proceeded to change her clothes.
โ... Please donโt do this to me. Iโm a seventeen-year-old thatโs full of energy!โ
โHavenโt you ever felt that it was unfair to live like this while another lives as a noble?โ I asked.
โWell, I dislike places with too many eyes. I personally think Sarkegarโs life is harder than mine.โ (f)reeweb(n)ovel.com
Ah, I see what she meant. After all, Sarkegar was probably always stressed out and never got a moment of peace. On the other hand, Elerisโs only enemy in this place was the sun.
โNevertheless, I feel uncomfortable that youโre going to have to continue to live in a place like this. I feel bad about it. I think it would be better if you stayed in Sarkegarโs mansion, Your Highness. This place lacks most of the necessities for life.โ
As a man with a fully-grown beard on the inside, I didnโt want to say it, but I had to...
โWell, actually, I want to stay here...โ
โ...?โ
Who would have thought that a day would come when I would throw a childish tantrum once again?
I could tell, even without meeting him, that he was definitely a pain to deal with. I mean, that wasnโt the only reason I wanted to stay, but...
***
Insects feed differently when they are adults compared to when they are larvae. For example, mosquito larvae are wrigglers that live in water, while the adults fly around. Therefore, not only did what they eat differ, but their ecology was also completely different. With such different means of feeding between adults and larvae, they do not have to compete for food.
Basically, I felt like I had become an insect.
It was because of Eleris, who was watching me eat breakfast with an expression that conveyed a distinct lack of appetite of her own. It seemed like she felt content just watching me eat, however.
I was feeling curious about the most irrelevant things.
โJust out of curiosity, how often do you feed on blood?โ
โHmm... If we have to be specific, about once a week is enough.โ
โDoes it have to be human blood?โ
โIt doesnโt necessarily have to be that way, but we prefer blood infused with mana. We can use pigs or chickens as well, but that would require quite a large quantity, because the blood of lower beings usually contains relatively less mana.โ
Blood was blood, but it needed to be rich in mana. I guess she meant creatures that were close to humanoid when she mentioned life with a high mana concentration. Still, once a week was extremely efficient. They were definitely higher beings than humans. If we were to equate it to humans, it would be like hunting a deer for its blood and not needing to eat for a week. Of course, the type of blood would matter, though.
โIf a vampire bites someone, doesnโt that person become a vampire as well?โ
โWild vampires often canโt control themselves, but thatโs not the case for me. As I mentioned, I try not to unnecessarily expand our kind, Your Highness.โ
โAnd... Do the people who are bitten by vampires die?โ
โItโs not necessarily a good thing to leave corpses. I drink just enough to keep them barely alive. Thatโs why I need to feed on multiple sources. But Iโm skilled in magic, and can control my feeding so that it doesnโt harm the victimโs health.โ
As expected, Eleris was a peaceful, kind vampire. There actually might be such a thing as a good devil.
โSo, is this done mostly at night...?โ
Eleris smiled mischievously.
โIt doesnโt have to be at night. I mainly target customers who come to my store. Well, itโs more like a gentle punishment for those who get on my nerves...โ
Whenever an obnoxious customer came in, she used a charm spell and then fed on them.
... Come to think of it, that was actually insanely frightening.
โMr. Swinten from the shop next door often comes over to hit on me, and thatโs when I enjoy a delicious meal. Iโm grateful to him. There are certain things a married man just canโt ask for, if you know what I mean.โ
โAh... I see.โ
โI dislike men with no dignity.โ
โGetting used to living like a human wasnโt the problem for you, was it?โ
It seemed like the nearby merchants might have unknowingly been the source of blood for Eleris. This beautiful vampire seemed to have a way of luring them in to offer their necks willingly.
She seemed kind, but was ultimately frightening.
โFrom listening to you, it seems youโve lost not only your memories, but a considerable amount of knowledge as well.โ
โAh... is that so?โ
โYes. Iโve heard that people usually only lose their memories in cases like these, but in your case...โ
Eleris tilted her head inquisitively. She seemed to feel a certain discomfort from the lack of basic knowledge I had about the Demon Realm in general.
โIt almost feels like youโve become an entirely different person... or something.โ
Ah. I wondered if sheโd caught on. But come to think of it, it was true.
Most main characters in these isekai stories preferred not to reveal the fact that they had been transported into that world from somewhere else. But why was that? Why couldnโt you just be honest about it? It wasnโt like it was intentional. Besides, in Elerisโs case, she might even have felt relief if I told her that I was actually a completely different person.
Nevertheless, it was a bit reckless to take unnecessary risks when Iโd already gained some trust. So, I posed a question instead of giving an answer.
โWhat kind of person was I?โ I asked Eleris.
I was quite skilled at making excuses and sidetracking conversations.
Whenever my editor kept pushing me to send them the manuscript, Iโd reply, โAh, thatโs right, my apologies. If only that guy hadnโt asked me to have a drink with him yesterday. If it werenโt for him, I would have sent it already. Ugh, even Iโm starting to get angry all of a sudden.โ I often made ridiculous excuses like this back then.
Eleris responded to my question by hesitating and crossing her arms.
โThat attitude, that thoughtful attitude!โ
A sudden feeling came over me.
โTh-that... Well, you were an, uh, outstanding prince. Yes, thatโs right! Every demon respected... respected you! Yes...โ
This world had incorporated ideas from the โvirtual game systemโ genre, but was it somehow also mixed in with the โmangnani[1]โ genre as well?!
1. Mangnani Genre - A type of isekai novel genre where it turns out that the figure the main character spawned into was a complete douchebag. ?