The Prince Who Absorbs Abilities With a 'Click' - C30

Chapter 30: I Got a Mimic

There is a term called “food diplomacy.”

It refers to the act of leaders from different countries gathering together to share and eat the representative food of each country.

This is not just about a meal.

It carries the meaning of gently observing and understanding the relationship between each other.

A meal shared around a table sometimes holds more significance than hundreds of diplomatic documents.

‘Is this what they meant by that?’

Here, Cola was the main subject.

The cola offered by Kang Ha-yoon caused an explosive reaction among the delegation.

A strange heat lingered in the banquet hall.

What was unfolding was a scene unimaginable under normal circumstances.

“Th-this is really…!”

The trembling voice of Viscount Lux was heard.

The usual dignified demeanor was nowhere to be found, and instead, he was staring into his cup with sparkling eyes, much like a child tasting candy for the first time.

Initially, Viscount Lux had been the most cautious of the zombies, but now he seemed to have become completely captivated by cola, to the point of not even being able to compose himself while drinking it.

This wasn’t just the case for Viscount Lux.

Everyone who tasted the cola was now desperate to have more.

“This sweet, yet tingling taste on the tip of my tongue! At first, I thought I had ingested poison. Heh heh.”

“It feels like my insides are cleared after drinking it. Imagine drinking this while working. How refreshing that must be!”

“This must surely be the drink of the gods!”

Everyone started to praise the cola in unison. Some even went as far as to call it the drink of the gods.

It was clear how much they liked it.

However, the amount of cola was extremely limited.

The amount of cola offered by Kang Ha-yoon was nowhere near enough to satisfy everyone present.

‘If it had been given in cans instead of cups, it would have been a disaster.’

Those who had not yet tasted the cola were in a frenzy, eager to have even a single sip.

Watching that scene, I saw one possible opportunity.

‘This could be used well to my advantage.’

At first, I had only planned to use the zombies to steal money, but now I had thought of another way to make money.

‘We’ll sell Earth’s goods in this world!’

Although it wasn’t a normal Earth, so there were restrictions on the items I could bring over, just one item, cola, had captured people’s hearts.

But were they just ordinary commoners?

‘No, not at all.’

They were all nobles or of equivalent status.

I had managed to win over their tastes with just cola?

I was confident this could be a successful business venture!

‘The real issue is the quantity, isn’t it?’

However, the unfortunate truth was that the quantity offered by Kang Ha-yoon was insufficient to start a business.

‘If I want to officially sell products, I need to form a guild, but the cost-efficiency just isn’t there.’

If I insisted on selling in small quantities, it would lead to an absurd situation where the cost of doing business would outweigh the profits.

Moreover, since Kang Ha-yoon wasn’t just offering cola, I couldn’t just rush into things blindly.

‘I should have paid more attention earlier if I had known this would happen.’

She was an Awakened and the stronger she became as an Awakened, the higher her position would rise.

And once she reached a high position, she would likely have more decision-making power and offer me more goods than she currently did.

I regretted not helping her awaken sooner.

‘I will prioritize Kang Ha-yoon’s growth!’

While I was lost in thought, someone asked Mark a question.

“Is it possible to get more of this drink called cola? If there is any left, we would like to purchase all of it!”

But Mark, who was only reading from a script, couldn’t possibly know the answer.

The person sitting behind the zombie’s head subtly glanced at me.

It was as if asking what to say.

‘No, tell them we don’t have more.’

I subtly shook my head in that direction, and Mark quickly opened his mouth.

“I’m sorry. The prepared amount has already been distributed.”

The disappointment was clear on everyone’s faces.

The ones who had not gotten to taste it were staring longingly at the cups that had held the cola.

Viscount Lux, in particular, looked regretful for not being able to drink more.

Thus, the purpose of the delegation was completely overshadowed by the cola.

It now seemed like an auction for the cola.

What was the reason we had come here in the first place?

It was for negotiations.

The ultimate goal of the Exion Empire was the retaking of the city of Balderheim.

Even if that wasn’t the case, we had come to negotiate a peace treaty using the zombies.

Naturally, the Empire wanted to take control of the negotiations and use them to its advantage, but the situation had taken an entirely opposite turn.

The peace treaty had been pushed to the back, and now everyone was pleading with the zombie heads to obtain cola, creating an odd scene.

“…If more of it becomes available, please contact me. I will purchase it all immediately.”

“No, I am willing to pay a higher price.”

In fact, some even declared they would buy up any future supplies.

Who would have thought someone would bow to the zombies just to get cola?

“Grrr?”

Everyone’s reaction, including mine, was one of shock.

This was far beyond what I had expected.

Though cola had caused a temporary stir, this place was still meant for negotiations.

As a prince, I continued to lead the negotiations according to the original plan.

At first, I had been worried about how to steal the Empire’s wealth, but now it had been so easy that it almost felt anticlimactic.

“It seems there are many rare items here. Just look at the cola…and especially that staff. Doesn’t it look incredibly impressive?”

That statement served as a cue for others to start chiming in.

“Don’t the zombies also communicate with each other? In such a situation, wouldn’t it be more beneficial for the Empire to form an agreement and acquire their technology, rather than focusing on retaking the city?”

“Yes, I agree.”

Even the knights and officers nodded in agreement.

What was supposed to be a grand peace negotiation was now wrapping up so easily.

While everyone was caught up in the celebratory mood, I began to think about my final move.

‘What should I do about the danger factor?’

The danger factor in this case was none other than Mark.

He had done his part perfectly, reading from the script, but he was also the only one who had witnessed that I could control the zombies.

If he had been one of my people from the start, it wouldn’t have mattered, but he was simply someone who had accidentally discovered my secret.

‘He’s bound to cause trouble for me someday.’

Maybe not, but it didn’t hurt to be cautious.

If it got out that I, the 8th prince, could control zombies, the Church would pressure the Empire to arrest me for heresy.

The Empire would likely label me the mastermind behind the fall of Balderheim and accuse me of rebellion.

‘That can’t happen.’

While everyone was celebrating the peace agreement, I secretly relayed a message to the zombies around me.

Once the commander of the northern gate of Balderheim, Mark, though his past glory was now gone, a new opportunity had fallen before him.

‘I still can’t believe it.’

The 8th prince Kain can control the zombies.

At first, he couldn’t believe it, but now he had seen it with his own eyes.

Even while reading his script, the zombies had been showing signs of following the 8th prince.

‘Heh heh heh.’

Holding back a laugh that nearly escaped him, Mark imagined a hopeful future.

He had uncovered the prince’s secret and found a weakness.

What better opportunity could there be?

‘Turning an entire city into zombies…what a terrifying guy.’

The fall of Balderheim was the doing of the 8th prince.

Even if there was no direct evidence, Mark had seen it firsthand.

The prince controlling the zombies.

Now Mark had two choices.

First, report Kain to the Imperial family or the Holy Church.

If he reported to the Empire, he could accuse him of being the traitor responsible for the city’s fall, or if he reported to the Church, he could accuse him of being a heretic for controlling zombies.

Either way, the prince’s life would be in danger.

But Mark shook his head.

‘That wouldn’t benefit me.’

Simply reporting him wasn’t enough.

He couldn’t waste such a perfect opportunity just because of a sense of justice.

So naturally, a second option appeared in his mind.

That was to threaten the prince and extort wealth from him.

By extorting some money and then reporting him at the end, Mark could take care of the prince while also making money.

‘Alright. That’s what I’ll do.’

This is not a personal revenge. It was a righteous blow against the prince who had taken away his job.

As Mark was harboring sinister thoughts, the zombies began to move busily.

They carefully took the zombie heads out of the boxes and, in exchange, filled the empty spaces with gold and silver treasures given by the Empire.

“Krkrkr…”

Then, they naturally handed the box to Mark.

“…!”

Mark, who received the box from the zombies, was bewildered.

Why were they giving this to him?

Then, as if realizing something, he smiled with a sense of joy.

‘Could it be that he’s already scared?’

It was certain. The 8th prince was probably trying to silence him out of fear that his secret would leak out.

‘But this is just the beginning.’

Receiving this much treasure and staying silent was not his plan.

Considering the value of the secret he knew, this was far too little.

‘Things are going better than expected.’

Since he could earn more, he planned to take as much as possible.

‘Lucky.’

Mark, carrying the heavy box, headed towards the basement of the mansion.

Not a single zombie tried to stop him.

His steps were heavy, but laughter kept ringing in his head.

The cold air of the basement brushed against his skin. His shadow stretched long under the faint torchlight.

“Finally…”

Mark muttered to himself as he set the box on the floor.

The dull thud echoed against the basement walls.

That probably meant there was a lot of gold inside.

“Right, from now on, my life will shine!”

With trembling hands, he opened the lid of the box. The softly glowing gold coins made his eyes sparkle.

“Heh heh…It’s all mine now.”

Just as he reached out to touch the gold coins.

Creak-

“…?”

With a strange sound, the surface of the box began to warp. Mark tried to pull his hand away in surprise, but it was already too late.

Crunch-

The lid of the box moved as if it were alive, and sharp teeth appeared. That was when Mark realized.

This wasn’t an ordinary box.

“Could it be?!”

It was a monster.

But realizing this too late was of no use.

Without even having a chance to scream, Mark’s body was sucked into the mimic’s mouth.

“Save me…”

Gulp-

The last sound heard in the basement was that of something being swallowed and a faint crying noise.

A moment later, the mimic transformed back into an ordinary box, as if nothing had happened.

“Krkrkr…”

Before long, the sounds of zombies’ footsteps could be heard from the darkness. They carefully lifted the box…no, the mimic.

The brilliant future Mark had dreamed of ended inside the mimic’s stomach.