CPSMBD Chapter 66

Chapter 66

Fate of the Demon Summoner 

Should I say he is a fairy from the Epola Mountains and followed me here?

But fairies and Velasquez looked nothing alike.

'His Highness isn't stupid - he'd see right through that.'

I decided to try diverting the Crown Prince's attention elsewhere.

"Hahaha... well... what was it you wanted to tell me earlier?"

The Crown Prince eyed me suspiciously, his tongue rolling inside his mouth. He had clearly noticed my attempt to change the subject. Nevertheless, he graciously played along and broached the reason for his visit to the aide's office.

"Aila still refuses to speak," he stated

"She still hasn't revealed who the real summoner is?"

"No. At this rate, Aila will be convicted as the demon summoner and punished accordingly."

While Aila deserved punishment as an accomplice to demon summoning, it felt unsettling that we couldn't catch the actual person who summoned the demon.

"Are you certain Aila isn't the actual summoner?"

"Yes. I'm certain." I replied with a firm nod. I knew this for a fact, having witnessed it

As a summoner myself, I could tell.

"If she won't talk, there's no way to find the real mastermind."

"Were there any suspicious individuals near our location that day?"

"No. We searched, but found no one suspicious."

Finding the real demon summoner wouldn't be easy.

"And about Aila..."

"Yes?"

"She wants to meet you. But if you don't want to see her, you don't have to. There's no need to listen to a criminal's request."

Why?

There was no reason for Aila to want to see me now.

If anything, she should never want to see me again after I ruined her plans.

'Could she... be planning to blackmail me about summoning the demon?'

Aila must have been interrogated by the Investigation Bureau about that day's events.

She probably faced even harsher questioning due to her other crimes.

I had expected Aila to tell the Investigation Bureau that I was a demon summoner.

That's why for days after summoning Velasquez, I couldn't sleep or eat properly.

I was constantly on edge, worried the Investigation Bureau would come to arrest me.

But given how quiet the Investigation Bureau had been so far, Aila must be keeping quiet.

"If Aila takes the fall as the demon summoner, what happens to her?"

"Demon summoning is the gravest of crimes. Everyone who has ever summoned a demon has been sentenced to death."

"What? Everyone?"

"Yes. Without a single exception."

My heart pounded.

'I'm a demon summoner too...'

Does that mean if someone discovers I summoned a demon, I'll be sentenced to death too?

Even though I haven't caused any harm?

"But the Imperial Palace is intact, and no one was hurt," I argued weakly.

"The law is clear," the Crown Prince said firmly. "And with her other crimes - secretly drugging me with fairy’s tears and escaping prison - even a reduced sentence seems unlikely."

The word "death" echoed in my mind. Perhaps it would be best to meet Aila and try to persuade her to reveal the truth one last time.

"I see. I'll meet with Aila."

"Good. Do as you wish." The Crown Prince nodded as he spoke.

"Now, about that thing from earlier," he said, gesturing towards the sleeve where Velasquez was hiding.

 "What exactly is it?"

Damn. My attempt to divert his attention had failed.

"Well, you see..." I stammered.

"Show it to me again," he insisted.

Reluctantly, I pulled Velasquez from my sleeve and placed him on my palm. The Crown Prince studied him intently before snatching him up with his rough hands. Velasquez flailed wildly, trying to escape the prince's grasp.

[Let go! Release me! I am the great demon lord Velasquez!]

The Crown Prince frowned as he examined Velasquez.

"I sense a faint demonic energy from this creature..."

My heart sank. I never imagined the Crown Prince would have the ability to detect demonic energy.

"D-Demonic energy? What do you mean?" I feigned ignorance, my eyes wide with fabricated surprise.

Seeing through my act, the Crown Prince jumped to his own conclusions.

"Could it be... a familiar that wasn't fully destroyed from that incident?"

[A familiar?! How dare you! There's no demon who could... mmph!]

I quickly reclaimed Velasquez from the Crown Prince's hand, covering the demon's mouth with my finger.

If Velasquez's true identity as the demon I summoned was revealed, it would be a disaster.

It was better for everyone involved if the Crown Prince continued to believe Velasquez was merely a leftover familiar.

I nodded vigorously, playing along with his assumption.

"Y-Yes, that must be it."

The Crown Prince furrowed his brow, clearly puzzled. "But why is it attached to you instead of its summoner?"

"I-I'm not sure. I wonder why indeed," I stammered, desperately maintaining my facade of ignorance.

"The demonic energy is very weak, so it probably can't harm you," the Crown Prince mused. "Still, keeping it around is dangerous. It's still a demonic entity, no matter how weak."

"You're right. It would be dangerous to keep a demonic entity around," I agreed nervously.

"Shall I destroy it for you?" the Crown Prince offered.

"What? Destroy it?" I blurted out, my eyes widening in genuine shock. Despite Velasquez being a demon, the thought of killing him had never crossed my mind.

[How dare you suggest killing the great demon lord... mmph!]

I clamped my hand over Velasquez's mouth once again.

"It doesn't make sense to keep a familiar just because you're charmed by its cute appearance. Give it here. I'll eliminate it. Since it's a weak familiar, we should be able to destroy it using the holy sword from the Imperial treasury."

As much as Velasquez was a demon, I couldn't let him be killed. I racked my brain for a solution, and suddenly, an idea struck me.

"But... wouldn't it be better to hand it over to Artium instead of destroying it?" I suggested carefully.

"Artium?" The Crown Prince raised an eyebrow, clearly skeptical.

"Yes. We need to repair the barrier, don't we? Artium will likely demand an exorbitant fee for repairing the demon defense circuits. What if we use this demonic entity as a bargaining chip in our negotiations?"

"Would Artium, known for their animosity towards demons, really be interested in a mere familiar?"

"This is the first time a familiar has survived independently of its summoner, isn't it? For Artium's demon research, wouldn't this be an invaluable specimen?"

The Crown Prince pondered for a moment before nodding. "That's not a bad idea."

"I was worried it might try to harm me, being a demonic entity and all, but if its energy is as weak as you say, that's a relief," I added with a forced laugh.

"Still, be careful," the Crown Prince cautioned.

"There's no telling what it might do."

"Don't worry. If it's as weak as you say, it won't be able to do anything to me," I reassured him.

"Even so, it's not good to be in such close proximity to a demonic entity."

Hurriedly, I pulled out a holy relic and waved it in front of the Crown Prince.

"Please don't worry, Your Highness. This is an expensive holy relic I bought during a family visit to Artium. It's been blessed by a high-ranking priest and is very powerful. This should keep a mere familiar in check. Hahaha!"

The holy relic I had been carrying when I blocked the Crown Prince's path earlier had been destroyed. But I had several spares at home.

The Crown Prince eyed the holy relic I presented, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Well, if that's the case..."

He trailed off, still seeming unsure.

After a moment, he added a final warning:

"Remember, no matter what, it's still a demonic entity. Don't get attached to it."

"Yes, I understand," I assured him.

As the Crown Prince left the aide's office, I finally allowed myself to breathe a sigh of relief.

From now on, I would have to keep Velasquez hidden from sight at all times. Another close call like this would be disastrous.

As I exhaled quietly, I noticed Velasquez glaring at me with a sulky expression.

The challenges of harboring a demon, it seemed, were only beginning.?