Chapter 26 – Operation Yokai Satori (妖怪サトリ計画)
Among the list of the Second Prince's fiancee candidates,Lady Amaryllis brightened at the inclusion of her name. She then rose to her feet and declared.
"I've decided!! I will become Prince Christopher's wife! I will support His Highness!!"
Although Lady Amaryllis had the look of a maiden dreaming of a fairytale, I could see the strong conviction and determination in her eyes.
In the eyes of the adults around her, she would seem like a young girl who doesn't know any better.
They might even dismiss her words as the ramblings of a child yearning for her very own Prince Charming.
But I know, I've seen how the game unfolds.
I know that her feelings towards the Second Prince wouldn't change, even after becoming an adult.
All right, I'll give Lady Amaryllis my full cooperation!
So that she won't regret her decision in the future, and for the sake of their happiness, I'll support her with all my might!!
She's going to be the one to break my destruction flags, so this is the least I could do!!
Even if I have no idea how the prince feels about this!!
For this adorable little girl's pure feelings and devotion!!
And for Ursch-kun and I to live our happy married life as merchants!!
Well then, I guess the first thing to do is to check on His Highness' condition.
To be honest, I don't think I've gathered enough information yet, but for Lady Amaryllis' sake, I'll pick up the pace.
Before this tea party ends, her declaration of "marrying the Second Prince" will likely reach the Queen.
I want to cheer on Lady Amaryllis' love, but honestly, supporting someone who's cursed or suffering a mental illness is fairly taxing in itself.
Well, there are some who may not see it as a hardship, but in the case of the Second Prince, there's also the pressure coming from the other nobles. I want to reduce the struggles she'll face as much as I can.
Otherwise, I'd feel like I did the horrible deed of pushing my destruction flag unto Lady Amaryllis.
And with that, activate!!
The evolved 《Avaritia》, 《Mammon》-sama!!
Here we go!! Prince Christopher's Status check!!
《Status》
Human: Christopher Ron Rosereale (6) Lv: 4
HP: 1/3
MP: 56/60
【＊Abnormal conditions＊ - Mentally weakened - Physical strength reduction - Insomnia】
Social Status:
4th child of the Rosereale kingdom's royal family
Second Prince of the Rosereale kingdom
《Job Skills》 ＊Max Level: Ⅹ
［Budding Swordsman Ⅴ］［Budding Magician Ⅳ］
《Hereditary Special Skills》
[Ears of the Pride King (Lucifer)］▽
【＊Constantly Active Skill＊ Skill currently has a 5 km range】
※ Activation of 《Invidia》is possible.
《Special Skills》 ＊Max Level: Ⅹ
［Oath Magic Ⅰ］
《Unique Skills》 ＊Max Level: Ⅹ
［HP Consumption Mitigation Ⅱ］※Activated
［Parallel Thinking Ⅲ］※Activated
［Holy Magic Ⅰ］［Sealing Magic Ⅰ］
《Skills》 ＊Max Level: Ⅹ
［Fire Magic Ⅰ］［Water Magic Ⅰ］［Wind Magic Ⅱ］［Light Magic Ⅰ］
［Fire Resistance Ⅰ］［Water Resistance Ⅰ］［Wind Resistance Ⅰ］［Dark Resistance Ⅰ］
［Poison Resistance Ⅲ］［Charm Resistance Ⅱ］
［Perseverance Ⅷ］※Activated
※ Activation of 《Invidia》on［Perseverance Ⅷ］ is possible.
..............
The... The Pride King's...... "Ears"?!
Not his "Eyes"?!
As a Love Interest, I did figure that he would have some kind of skill!!
And that it would likely be a "Deadly Sin King Skill" in the "Hereditary Special Skill" section!!
Partly because I don't know of anything else that could be in the "Hereditary Special Skill", though!!
However, I also assumed that the "Deadly Sin King Skills" were a higher-ranked version of the "Magic Eyes of the Seven Deadly Sins" series, and that the "Deadly Sin King Skills" too were related to "Eyes" in some way.
I see~. Ears, huh.....
I wonder if a series would be formed around the "Right Hand of the 〇〇 King" or the "Mouth of the 〇〇 King" too....
But, now it's as clear as day.
The true identity of the royal family's curse—the auditory hallucination lies in this Lucifer's "Ears".
A constantly active skill, huh.....
I'm sure that I've heard about this from Ursch-kun before...
He said that the［Eyes of Mammon］was an always-activated skill.
In other words, the other "Deadly Sin King Skills" are highly likely to be the same as well.
Hm?..... Then that means....
If the prince worked on mastering this skill like Ursch-kun did, wouldn't he be able to turn it off too?
I mean, this［Lucifer's Ears］seems to activate in a 5km radius, but what kind of skill is it?
Oh, there's a ▽ mark. Let's look at that extra info...
[Ears of the Pride King (Lucifer)］▽
Before the King of Pride, none beneath him may fabricate nor conceal anything.
Even those which lie in their hearts, belongs to the King of Pride.
※ The user is able to hear the thoughts of humans within a maximum distance of 10km. However, it is limited to those of a lower Lv than the user.
As long as they are within range, physical distance/obstructions are rendered null, and thoughts can be heard.
Um.....
So, you're saying that he'll keep "hearing the thoughts of anyone with a lower Lv and within a 5km radius 24/7, without interruption"?
And on top of that, physical distance, walls, and other obstacles don't mean a thing?
Just to be clear, we're talking about a whole bunch of people simultaneously speaking into his ear non-stop, right?
Anyone would go insane if that were the case!!!
Rather, it's amazing that he's only having "Mentally weakened" and "Insomnia"!!
Ah!! So that's why his skill level for "Perseverance" and "Parallel Thought" is so high at the age of 6...
He seems to be barely hanging in there for now, but it's only a matter of time till he breaks down...
If his skill remains constantly activated as it is, the prince will get more experience points.
And if he gets more experience points, his skill Lv will naturally increase, and he would then hear more voices.
It's a vicious cycle...
On the other hand, if the Second Prince can properly master this skill, it's a huge jackpot!!
Everything would fall perfectly into place!!
Lady Amaryllis wouldn't have to watch Prince Christopher's condition worsen, and the Heroine can avoid getting imprisoned!!
Incidentally, if the prince is able to control his ability, then the customary event of reincarnating-into-a-villain stories, the "I'm Being Framed For A Bullying That I Didn't Do Event", would be impossible to take place!!
The time limit would be... say, before the prince loses it, or before his Lv gets too high?
Uwah!! I can't tell how much time I have left!!
I'll have to start immediately!! Without a second to waste!!
I'll call it, "Operation Second Prince - The Yokai Satori"!!
Ursch-kun is the "yokai Nurarihyon", so I named it based on that connection. Nice and simple, don't you think?
Incidentally, the plan is simple and straightforward!!
All I have to do is get the prince to learn under Ursch-kun, who already mastered the method to turn off the constantly active feature of a "Deadly Sin King Skill"!!
I feel bad dragging in Ursch-kun without consulting him first, but I don't know anyone else who's familiar with a "Deadly Sin King Skill".
First things first, I'll have to safely get the prince out of this tea party and meet with Ursch-kun.
It would take too long to get an official permit for the prince to leave, so we'll have to go unofficially for us to make it in time, but...
Y-you know, there's that!! There's 3 people who might be willing to help!! It'll work out somehow!!
Well then, let's get started.
Time to kidnap the Second Prince☆!!
Yokai Satori: written as "覚" in kanji ← there are various opinions on this.
A Japanese yokai who reads people's minds, depicted to have long hair and is black in colour. One theory says that they would bring no harm to people, yet another says that they would speak the person's thoughts aloud, catching them off guard before eating them.
T/N: Not to confuse Isabella’s [Mammon] skill with Ursch-kun’s [Eyes of Mammon]
Edit: changed Social Position to Social Status