『Docile』
1. Adjective. A personality or attitude that is calm and composed.
2. Adjective. A neat and reserved appearance.
3. Adjective. A ticulous and devoted way of doing things.
[[[4. A word that has nothing to do with the Crown Prince. This will be on the test.]]]
Inside Lucidra’s mind.
An image flashed through—a demonic dictionary with power granted by hell twisted an arm out from its cover, grotesquely bent, as if obsessively emphasizing a single section of its own page.
‘What is this, an illusion spell?’
While Lucidra was indulging in this little bout of escapism, the Crown Prince began uttering complete nonsense with an extrely serious face.
“The life of the adventurer Bern was admirable. Vanquishing a monster that could beco a seed of catastrophe, crushing the sches of a vile lich... That journey was truly the ideal of what I imagined an adventurer to be.”
“The life of the servant Cedric wasn’t bad either. Always having been the one served, trying my hand at serving others was a rather novel experience. Brewing tea the way I like it, cleaning things in the way I imagine they should be done, and even looking after an incompetent and clumsy master—that had its own joys.”
“However, perhaps it’s a tragic part of my nature, but when I join a group, I tend to get bound by its rules. In that sense, both of those roles behaved far too decently and conventionally.”
Lucidra opened and closed her mouth like a goldfish.
She had a mountain of things she ought to say, even more she wanted to say, yet none of them could be shaped into words.
It was the kind of ntal silence that made her wonder if this was what a great wizard’s silence spell felt like.
But she was still a great demon once feared by na.
Resisting the Crown Prince’s overwhelming magical pressure, Lucidra finally managed to open her mouth.
“So, what, you’re going to try destroying the world next?”
“Hm? Hah, as expected of a demon—what a wicked thought process. How could I commit such acts just for the sake of a hobby?”
“And what the hell is soone as fundantally evil as you blabbering about!?”
“If that’s how you see it, then so be it. I respect freedom of thought, so I won’t try to stop you.”
“#(^)^&^#@^@#!?!!”
As Lucidra scread and tousled her hair in despair, the Crown Prince quietly lifted his cup and savored the scent of his tea.
While the tea had been sweetened and cooled to suit Claudia’s preferences, he personally preferred it hot enough to burn his mouth if sipped carelessly.
“In any case, with all that in mind, I intend for the next clone to go with a maverick concept—soone not bound to any particular organization. I’ll still uphold the principle of ‘goodness,’ but the specific thods will change as they co to mind. A delightful rogue! Mm, that does sound fun. Sotis, letting go of restraint and reason and just rampaging a little is good stress relief.”
Lucidra, who had been staring at him with vacant eyes as he nodded contentedly to himself, finally gave up and slumped her shoulders.
“...Fine, whatever. I’m not the one who’s going to suffer anyway. If that lunatic completely cuts loose and runs wild, at least I’ll get to enjoy watching the poor suckers who end up dealing with it.”
“Watching? I doubt you’ll have the leisure for that, actually.”
“What?”
At Lucidra’s confusion, the Crown Prince spoke with all the self-evidence in the world.
“You lost. The bet.”
“......”
Lucidra’s eyes rolled in their sockets.
Her eyes narrowed sharply, and then her expression twisted into a sultry smile.
It was a smile that could lt the hearts of countless n.
“Fufufu, yes, you don’t have to say it—I know. Co, I’ll give you a pleasure beyond imagining. First, let’s get rid of those suffocating clothes—”
“From now on, you’ll be responsible for laying the foundation for my new identity.”
Like he was tending a pet, the Crown Prince gently stated his business.
Lucidra’s lips trembled as her attempt to deflect the bet’s price with seduction crumbled to pieces.
“F-Foundation for a new identity? What’s that supposed to an?”
“Adventurers, by nature, don’t care too much about social status, so I could enter the field without much background. Sa with the servant of a noble house—the situation there was unusual enough that I could slip in without credentials. But we can’t rely on such luck every ti, can we?”
There are many professions in the world, but those that can be entered purely on the basis of ‘ability’ are actually quite limited.
Who your parents were, where you were born, how you were raised—
Without that sort of profile, there are many fields you can’t even step into.
“That’s why I need you to create that foundation.”
“W-Wait! You’re the Crown Prince!! If you need a decent identity, just order one of your underlings to make it! Why are you dumping this on !?”
This was the empire—the most powerful nation on the continent.
If he really wanted to, crafting an identity in a foreign land wouldn’t even be difficult.
Why abandon the simple and easy route to work her like a slave?
Lucidra’s protest was brushed aside with ease.
“Well, if I use my authority as Crown Prince, then everyone will find out about my little hobby, won’t they?”
“You’ve already exposed yourself to other people, so why are you acting like that matters now!?”
“I only told Blanca that it was a clone spell and the real body is elsewhere. And in Claudia’s case, she figured it out on her own—I never told her. Completely different.”
Not to ntion, Blanca didn’t believe him about the clone, and Claudia didn’t know it was a clone in the first place, but that didn’t matter.
“More importantly, being watched by family and acquaintances while enjoying a hobby? That’s a nightmare. In the worst-case scenario, I was even prepared to sacrifice a few clones solely for the purpose of building a new identity... But fortunately, you proposed a bet. I’m truly grateful.”
Demons are beings that tempt humans by offering to grant their wishes, leading them into corruption.
In other words, there's no better all-purpose laborer in the world than a demon.
And if that demon is one that holds the title of “great demon,” then they’re a first-rate worker, no question.
“M-My powers still haven’t fully recovered, you know.”
“Need magical energy? I’ll provide it myself. It’s not like clones require that much to begin with.”
“I’m still unfamiliar with the modern world. It might take ti to research and adapt—”
“I’m not so cruel as to demand you finish it by tomorrow. Anyway, the next ‘D’ doesn’t require a foundation, and if your progress is especially slow, I’m willing to wait until ‘E.’ If even then you have no results, I’ll consider it a breach of contract.”
“You... You know, is it really okay to just let a demon roam free like this? What if I corrupt the world and go on a rampage!?”
“Hm.”
At Lucidra’s final resistance, the Crown Prince raised a hand to his mouth in thought and then casually spoke.
“Don’t worry. As soone who once enjoyed hobbies with you, I’ll make sure you pass on cleanly.”
A statent completely free of doubt about his own capability.
The saddest part was... even Lucidra had to admit he probably could.
“...Fine! I’ll do it!! You bloodless, tearless bastard Crown Prince!!”
A tear glistened at the corner of Lucidra’s eye.
She was a demon whose tear ducts had recently beco far too sensitive.
***
After Lucidra, having secured the Crown Prince’s cooperation, left the palace in tears—
The Crown Prince fell into °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° deep contemplation of his own.
“Even if the clone’s condition was poor, to have my identity seen through by Claudia—no, by the marquess’s blood beast—can only be described as my own incompetence.”
He fully intended to create many more clones in the future, and among them, so would likely suffer physical deterioration from overexertion just like this one.
If his identity were to be exposed each ti, it would ruin all the fun.
“There’s no helping it, then. I’ve tried to avoid using it because of the side effects, but...”
The Crown Prince let out a quiet sigh, then summoned a servant and issued a command.
“Bring the secretary.”
“Understood.”
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
The servant gave a graceful bow and retreated. A mont later, a middle-aged man dressed in a crisp suit appeared, visibly tense.
“You summoned , Your Highness.”
“Mm, I apologize for calling you so suddenly without notice.”
“Not at all. It is only right that I answer whenever Your Highness calls. Though... is there so issue with the submitted docunts?”
“No, nothing like that. I simply have a request to make.”
“A request? Please, simply give the order.”
“Then here is my order: bring all the docunts currently being processed.”
“...Pardon?”
Of course, even when the Crown Prince handled paperwork, that didn’t an he reviewed every little word, or double-checked every figure.
Most of the docunts that landed on his desk were already finalized, needing nothing more than a stamp to be complete.
Granted, due to the centralized nature of the empire’s governnt and its vast territory, even the act of reading through and stamping them was grueling labor—but still, that workload was far lighter compared to the docunts being processed and checked down below.
Thus, the secretary, flustered but knowing it was improper, couldn’t help but ask again.
“I-If there is a specific docunt of interest, please let know. I will prioritize processing it and bring it up at once.”
“Just bring them all... No, never mind. On second thought, it’ll be faster if I go myself.”
“Excuse !?”
Leaving behind the secretary’s gasp, the Crown Prince truly strode forward and barged straight into the administrative office where the Golden Cloud Palace’s civil servants were imrsed in paperwork.
Clerks waging war against mountains of docunts, guzzling imported magical black beverages like water, froze in place at the Crown Prince’s sudden appearance—literally frozen stiff.
To those shocked faces, the Crown Prince calmly said,
“To avoid any misunderstanding, I’ll say this first. What I’m about to do is simply an effort to secure personal training ti for myself—not in any way a criticism of your handling of these tasks. Think of this as one of those occasional happenings in life. Please take it lightly. Do you understand? If so, bring the docunts.”
In truth, the clerks still had no idea what the Crown Prince was even talking about, or why he had stord into their office.
But there was no one brave enough to defy an order that clearly told them to hand over the papers.
Trembling as if afraid they’d be blad for sothing, they offered up the docunts—
And then dropped their jaws in disbelief.
‘The mountain of docunts... it’s disappearing!’
‘Wait, those figures—if even one is wrong, the whole thing’s off! He’s not even using a calculator, just ntal math... and it’s correct?!’
‘A whole week’s worth of work is vanishing under the hands of the highest superior. ...Ah, I’ve worked too much overti, haven’t I? This is a dream! I have to wake up now!’
Shock, disbelief, psychological escape.
Under the silent screams and various gazes of astonishnt, the Crown Prince single-handedly completed the tasks of dozens of clerks and even finalized the approvals before handing the signed docunts over to the secretary.
“As you know, in bureaucratic circles, if there’s no work, soone will fabricate it just to pass it along. So under no circumstances should these docunts be sent to the Imperial Palace all at once. Do you understand? We at Golden Cloud Palace processed these tasks slowly over the course of a week. Isn’t that right?”
At the Crown Prince’s glance, the palace clerks hastily nodded.
“That’s right!!”
“There was too much work, so we had to space it out over ti!!”
“I’ll call ho now and let them know I’m working late again today!”
At their passionate responses, the Crown Prince left with a satisfied smile.
The remaining clerks only blinked blankly in the aftermath of the sudden disappearance of an entire week’s workload.
Of course, as with all administrative work, new issues would pop up separate from the scheduled tasks—but compared to their original responsibilities, that would be a walk in the park.
After a day or two of feeling irrational unease, once they confird the Crown Prince was indeed devoting himself to personal training during work hours, they began to wear gentle, springlike smiles on their faces.
So of the ones with the darkest under-eye circles looked like they were about to cry.
“Ah...!”
He moved even great demons and palace clerks alike to tears—truly, the Crown Prince’s grace was boundless.
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