Episode 29: The Mob Prince Tames a Demon Beast and Repels Assassins
[Prince Astoria’s Perspective]
“To try and obtain a helpless woman by force… he truly is that man’s son.”
A voice filled with exasperation descended.
“Isn’t that… Lord Luke?”
Olivia muttered in a daze.
A man clad in black emerged from the bushes, holding the same [Dark Edge] as Luke, standing tall.
I endured the intense pain and looked up at the man.
This is the one who slashed my right arm with [Dark Edge].
Even if it wasn’t Luke, I couldn’t relax at all.
“…I don’t know who you are, but thank you.”
“Princess, no thanks are necessary. I am similar to this man.”
The man declared in a chilling voice.
“How dare you do this to me, the Third Prince of the Empire, and think you can get away with it… Ugh!?”
Before I could finish shouting, the man stomped on my head.
This is strange. This place should be guarded by the Orleans Knights, and no one should be able to enter…
“Leaving the lord they should protect, the security is full of holes. Hmph, so these are the Orleans Knights, famed as the strongest in the Empire? Did their quality decline after focusing solely on defending the Imperial Capital?”
“Could it be…?”
Did this guy break through the security of the knights and appear here?
Before I knew it, I was surrounded by similar men clad in black.
Their skin was tanned, and they had long, distinctive ears. I cowered in fear.
These guys are Dark Elves. The strongest class of Mazoku who once drove the Imperial Army to the brink of destruction.
“I’d love to tear you to pieces here and now, but… you’re a messenger for Emperor Alvaise. With this, our long-cherished desire will finally be achieved.”
“W-What…?”
“Tell your father. The Dark Elves have taken Princess Olivia of Macedonia. If you want her back, release our Princess Luna-sama!”
The next moment, my head was slammed hard against the ground, and I lost consciousness.
※※※
[Luke’s Perspective]
“Seriously, to instantly kill an A-rank demon beast that the Orleans Knights were struggling with.”
Master Gaine shrugged.
The Hellhound, a dog-like demon beast with a towering body, lay dying.
This is a forest near the Imperial Capital.
Master Gaine received a demon beast subjugation request from the Adventurer’s Guild, and I accompanied him.
Apparently, they asked the Orleans Knights, who are in charge of defending the Imperial Capital, to subjugate it, but there was no progress at all, so the request came to Master Gaine.
“Hellhounds love children. I thought if I acted as bait, I could easily take it down.”
As soon as I encountered the Hellhound, I slashed it with [Titan’s Sword] and knocked it down.
The cunning demon beast’s mistake was underestimating me as prey.
“This will make the people of the Imperial Capital happy… but what are you thinking!?”
Master Gaine gasped as I casually approached the Hellhound.
Wounded beasts are scarier, and you can never let your guard down until they are dead.
“Please watch from there. As a Dark Elf racial trait, I can tame monsters.”
The reason Demon Lord Diana had so many monsters under her command in the game was thanks to this trait.
If you had a Dark Elf as a companion and reduced a monster’s HP (life force) to 5% or less, you could tame it…
I wanted to try if it would work in this world too.
“Was your goal to tame this thing?”
“Yeah. If Diana can do it, I should be able to too.”
I stroked the head of the dying Hellhound.
“Did Princess Diana even do that?”
Master Gaine tilted his head. My story is about the future.
The Hellhound growled, giving off a threatening snarl.
“If you swear to obey me and never attack people again, I’ll heal your wounds. Acknowledge me as your master.”
When I declared imposingly, the Hellhound froze as if intimidated.
It darted its eyes around for a while, but eventually lowered its head.
It’s an intelligent demon beast.
It seems it chose to obey me rather than die here.
“Alright, good boy.”
I took out a Hi-Potion from my pocket. I removed the lid of the bottle and poured it into the Hellhound’s mouth.
“H-Hey, hey!?”
Master Gaine panicked when he saw me stick my hand into the Hellhound’s mouth.
But since I declared that I would heal it, I had to do it to gain its trust.
If it attacked, I was going to instantly kill it with [Dark Edge].
Showing with a dignified attitude that it was always possible. I was showing that I held the rights to the Hellhound’s life and death.
Luna-kaasan taught me the trick to taming demon beasts. If you show even a little anxiety or fear, you won’t be able to make them obey.
“Gwooooon!?”
The Hellhound’s wounds instantly closed. The Hi-Potion made by Kaasan was as effective as ever.
The Hellhound rejoiced and licked my face. When a dog licks a person’s face, it’s an expression of respect and affection.
“Alright, you’re completely healed. Since your body is black, from today on, your name is Kuro.”
“Wa-ooon!”
Kuro barked happily.
“A-Amazing. To actually tame an A-rank demon beast…!”
Master Gaine exclaimed in admiration.
However, the next moment, I felt a chilling bloodlust.
Kuro raised its log-like foreleg with claws.
“Prince Luke!?”
Doooooooon!
A magical arrow pierced Kuro’s foreleg, causing a massive explosion.
“Gyaaaah!?”
“Kuro!?”
I was shocked.
Kuro had shielded me from the attack with its body. Blood was dripping from its leg.
I would have been able to defend myself well enough without it… I was grateful for Kuro’s dedication.
“To think he would tame that demon beast.”
“Hmph… so he inherited the Dark Elf traits?”
“It seems the bloodline of the Dark Elf royal family is not just for show.”
About four men appeared from between the trees.
The magic from just now was their doing.
I didn’t feel any bloodlust until right before the attack. Everyone seems to be a highly skilled warrior.
“Who are you guys!?”
Master Gaine and I drew our swords and took a stance.
“That’s the sword you stole from Lord Astoria, isn’t it?”
“That sword is not something a lowly person like you should possess. If you hand it over obediently, we’ll behead you in one strike so you won’t suffer.”
From those words, I could roughly guess the situation.
“Are you guys from the Orleans Knights? For knights to launch a surprise attack without even announcing themselves.”
“Hah! It seems you’ve fallen as low as you can go.”
Master Gaine spat out as if disgusted.
Apparently, the Orleans Knights have come to kill me without caring about appearances.
“Say whatever you want. For a knight, the most important thing is loyalty and honor to their lord. To protect that, we will use any means necessary.”
“We are the Four Horsemen of Death, specializing in assassination. Regret making us your enemy, and depart for the underworld.”
Their stance was truly masterful.
I could tell their strength at a glance. It seems they are on a different level than the guys I defeated three days ago.
“I see. Then, we won’t hold back either. I’ll defeat you guys and make you announce the fact that Astoria lost the Duel. It’s all-out war with the Orleans Duke family.”
Seriously, I warned them so much, and they still sent assassins.
“Did taming a demon beast make you overconfident, brat!”
One of them charged forward.
“[Thanatos Magic Sword]!”
My magic sword and the man’s sword clashed. The man rolled his eyes and fell.
“…Ricard was killed?”
“What was that just now?”
The remaining men panicked.
From the feel of it, he seemed to be wearing chainmail under his clothes, but my [Thanatos Magic Sword] can penetrate the curse of death even through armor and steal the enemy’s life.
“If you’re mistaken that I’m a kind person who hates killing, you’re dead wrong.”
Kaasan doesn’t forbid self-defense.
The reason I didn’t kill when I fought the Orleans Knights before was because Diana was there.
Showing my sister that I’m killing is not good for her education.
“[Titan’s Sword]!”
I summoned [Titan’s Sword] and swung it around.
One of the enemies who was too slow to evade was blown away by the direct hit of the super-large sword.
“H-He’s supposed to be an incompetent who can’t even use magic properly!?”
“Heh, guess you guys got fooled!”
Master Gaine and Kuro pounced on the remaining two.
Those guys, who were already shaken, were defeated without being able to put up even the slightest resistance.
With faces of disbelief and astonishment, they collapsed onto the ground.
“Woof-on!”
“Good job, Kuro!”
Kuro came running over, eager to be praised, so I gave him some dried meat from my emergency rations as a reward. Kuro swallowed it in one gulp and purred.
“Well then, Prince Luke, what’s next? Shall we storm the Orleans Knights and cause a ruckus?”
Master Gaine grinned ferociously.
“No, if they’re going to be this openly hostile, I’m worried about Olivia.”
I pondered.
Today, she should be out hunting with Astoria for a goodwill event…
Macedonian knights are supposed to be escorting her, so I think she should be fine, but I had a strange feeling of unease.
“Astoria might break his promise and do something to her… Alright, Kuro, we’re heading to Olivia’s location right now!”
I jumped onto Kuro’s back.
With the leg strength of the magical beast Hellhound, we should be able to arrive in a flash.
I swore that I would protect Olivia no matter what. I must fulfill that promise without fail.