DSB 3

“This place resembles the heavens.”

The scenery differed from the Demon Realm, and in its beauty, it captivated him. Lebel suddenly felt his spirits lift.

He had heard that some demons occasionally borrowed human bodies to indulge in excursions in the Middle Realm.

Had they, too, fallen under the spell of this world’s loveliness upon beholding it?

But that wonder lasted only briefly. Once Lebel had finished taking in the view, he crawled back into the bed.

The beautiful landscape had entranced him, but he was a demon inclined toward indolence by nature.

It was a sight he could behold upon rising next time.

Even as a human now, Lebel had no duties to fulfill. Thus, he had nothing to do but lie upon the bed before him.

He flipped open the covers in preparation for a comfortable slumber, only for a cloud of dust to billow up alongside them. It was a veritable den of filth.

Lebel’s brow furrowed.

There was no reason they would clean the chambers of a prince held in such low regard.

Yet he lay down regardless. Just as sleep began to claim him, a voice intruded from no great distance, disrupting his rest.

“I’ve never heard of the Foolish Prince speaking.”

“It’s true! Today, he suddenly opened his mouth!”

“If you’re lying, you will be punished.”

It seemed their business concerned him after all. He had no desire to engage with them, however.

Soon, the door opened.

“He’s asleep. Just as always.”

“N-No, sir knight, look closely. Get up! Say something like you did earlier!!”

The maid walked to the bedside and seized him by the collar, pulling him upright. Lebel’s brow creased as he was forcibly propped up halfway.

The maid shook him roughly while shouting at the top of her lungs. The more he ignored her, the more violent her gestures became, and the louder her voice grew.

Lebel’s irritation mounted. He should have let it slide when ignoring them might have sufficed.

Not only was she disturbing his sleep, but she was laying hands on his body without permission. Moreover, this human woman had doused him with water and hurled a towel at him.

As a demon, Lebel could vaguely sense human desires, malice, and anger. It took but an instant for the maid’s malice to twist into murderous intent.

“Stop this. It must have been a misunderstanding.”

“No! I heard it clear as day with my own two ears! Are you trying to make me out as a liar? Get up right now?!”

Being a demon, he could not ignore that killing intent. Lebel slowly opened his eyes.

If only he could wield his demonic energy, she would already be dead.

Ah, I see. So the Demon God wants me to rediscover the thrill of growing stronger.

He had been born mighty from the start, so the very notion of desiring strength had never occurred to him.

Without effort, demons bowed at his feet in droves. Was the Demon God commanding him to grow strong in this feeble human body and slay the insolent humans who knew no bounds?

There were far too many humans, after all.

Once the demonic energy permeated the vessel and he could wield it adeptly, Lebel made up his mind to kill this woman.

“Do you have some business with me? If you have something to say, then say it quickly. I want to sleep.”

“Look, look at this! He’s speaking!”

The maid pointed at Lebel and shouted, while the man standing at the door recoiled in shock. The man, clad in ornate armor, appeared to be a knight.

Lebel glanced at the maid before staring at the knight.

“You are better than dust.”

From the sight before him, he could tell that this one was far stronger than the maid.

Upon hearing Lebel’s assessment, Hans’s eyebrow twitched. Better than dust? That remark was clearly directed at him.

Hans had seen the Foolish Prince countless times while serving as his guard and watcher.

He had been like a doll, moving only as others directed him. He had not felt like a living, breathing being.

Yet now, a spark of will gleamed in his eyes. He did not avert his gaze.

Hans intuited that the Foolish Prince had changed.

“I must report this to His Majesty.”

If this human’s father was the emperor, then he hoped it would not become a nuisance.

Once Hans had departed, only the maid remained, her eyes wide in bewilderment. Lebel turned to her and scolded her.

“Are you planning to stay here? I am tired right now. Leave immediately.”

“Wh-what??”

“In the future, when you enter, knock first and then come in only if I tell you to.”

“What… what did you just say? You fool! Do you think anything changes just because you can speak now? What a ridiculous delusion! You are an incomplete fool! If it had not been confirmed that you carry His Majesty’s blood, and if you did not have that pretty face and the trait of a dominant omega, the imperial palace would never have accepted you as a prince!”

What did she expect him to do about it?

Lebel regarded her with indifference. That impassive expression only fueled the maid’s anger further.

The maid had belittled him for a long time.

Lebel’s mother had come from lowly origins, and if not for the exceptional beauty he had shown since infancy and the diagnosis that he would manifest as a dominant omega, he could never have become a prince.

They had enrolled him in the imperial registry as a prince because of his perceived future value, yet in reality, he had turned out to be a fool. He was a dominant omega, yes, but a one without pheromones, unable to sense them either.

The maid had bolstered her own sense of superiority by lording over Lebel, who held a noble status yet seemed even more worthless than she did.

But what was this sudden change in demeanor? She could not comprehend the situation where the Foolish Prince was responding to her with clear words.

“Ah, or perhaps you heard that you are to be sold off and that is what changed you? Do not struggle in vain. No matter what you do, you will still be sold. You should consider it an honor that you finally have a role to play for our empire!”

Lebel reached out a hand toward the maid but hesitated upon seeing his own twig-like, emaciated fingers. This body could neither subdue nor kill her.

“Fine, I will leave. So release me.”

Even as Lebel spoke, the maid continued to grip his collar and shake him. This human body truly was so fragile. Something churned unpleasantly in his chest.

“Ha, what? Have you truly lost your mind upon hearing you are to be sold as a bride to a demon?”

“I will say it once more. If you do not wish to die in agony later, then let go.”

Lebel’s eyes flashed. As killing intent seeped into his blood-red gaze, the maid shuddered and stumbled back.

Freed from her grasp, Lebel rose slowly from the bed. Then he opened the large terrace window.

If he had wings, he would have escaped through here immediately.

Lebel’s demonic body had possessed wings, but humans did not.

At that moment, a group caught his eye. Among them stood out a man with white hair. His shimmering appearance drew Lebel’s gaze, and the power enveloping him held it fast.

The strength cradled in that man’s arms was something Lebel knew all too well. Lebel smirked in intrigue.

It was then that their eyes met. Though the distance was great, he felt it clearly. That man was looking at him.

“Human, will you catch me?”

Without hesitation, Lebel threw himself outside the window.

“Kyaaah! Your Highness!”

No matter how much the maid had despised him, she knew that she would not escape unscathed if Lebel died on her watch.

Moreover, he was currently destined to be sent north as a bride to what they called a demon.

This was absolutely not a situation where he could die.

The maid rushed to him, but Lebel had already plummeted.

Lebel’s body fell down rapidly. In his vision, he saw the distant man’s eyes widen in alarm as he came rushing over.

The time it took for a person to fall from a height passed quickly. But the man arrived even faster, catching Lebel securely in his arms.

As expected, my eyes do not deceive me.

There had been a chance the man might not come, but in that case, death would have been the only outcome.

This was the Demon God’s jest. If the body perished, his soul would return to the Demon God’s side. From the outset, the Demon God would not simply observe the current circumstances without intervention. Thus, it had not been an act of suicide.

Nestled in the man’s arms, Lebel stared up at the clear blue sky.

“You…”

The man holding Lebel spoke. A deep, resonant voice echoed in Lebel’s ears. Lebel turned his gaze to examine the man.

From afar, he had thought his hair sparkled prettily like an angel’s wings, but up close, his eyes were beautiful as well.

They were a silvery gray, not the pure white of an angel’s wings. Mixing white and black might yield such a hue.

“Well done.”

Lebel looked at him silently for a moment before extending a hand to lightly stroke his hair. The man’s eyes widened further.

It was a sort of habit. Karon had always bowed his head, demanding praise, while countless demons knelt before him and lowered their heads.

Lebel had comforted their efforts by patting their shoulders or stroking their hair.

At that moment, Lebel sensed the man’s heart beating thunderously. A racing heart could stem from only two causes: fear or terror.

Had he startled him by falling so suddenly? Well, even if he’s strong, he’s still human. Humans, in particular, were said to be exceedingly frail.

“Hm, my apologies. Did my sudden fall surprise you? I am fine now, so you can release me.”

Lebel pushed against the man’s chest. However, the man seized his hand instead, holding it tightly. Because of that, Lebel found himself drawn even deeper into the embrace, and he blinked up at him in mild confusion.

His eyes still trembled like aspen leaves. His hair and skin were so pale that he appeared deathly ashen.

“S-Sir Y-Yutis!!”

It seemed the white-haired man’s name was Yutis.

Lebel quickly scanned the approaching men. They were not as strong as Yutis, but by human standards, they qualified as formidable. They surpassed even the knight he had seen earlier.

It was only natural that capable subordinates followed a strong leader.

“Th-this person…”

They swallowed saliva upon seeing Lebel cradled in Yutis’s arms.

The Foolish Prince was infamous. They had just met with the emperor and heard tales about him. Curiosity about what sort of prince he truly was had drawn them here, yet they had encountered this unforeseen scene.

As the men exchanged wary glances, Lebel paid them no mind and lightly patted the chest of the man called Yutis.