The Youngest Prince Returned as a Heavenly Demon - Chapter 13

“…What?”

For a moment, I wondered if I had misheard.

But Aincera’s next words confirmed that I hadn’t.

Whooosh—

‘This…’

Somehow, a very fine barrier had formed around us, through mana, to ensure no sound escaped.

‘She’s only ten years old, but she can control mana this finely?’

Just when I was completely at a loss for what was happening…

“You asked earlier where this place was, right?”

No way…!

The information that quickly came to mind.

Three months ago, there was an explosion and a massive fire in the slums in the northwest of the territory.

As expected.

“This is the neighborhood where it’s known that you lived for ten years before being adopted into the Verdine family.”

Looking around, I saw shattered black brick houses and charred wooden beams scattered everywhere.

Then came her sharp voice.

“Evan Verdine. What is your true identity?”

“……”

I stood still for a moment, staring at Aincera.

A heavy silence fell between us.

‘This is interesting. I never expected to be hit like this…’

But there was no need to panic.

It was just a little earlier than expected, but I had always considered the possibility of this situation happening someday.

“Aincera Luke.”

“Speak.”

“I think you’re misunderstanding something… I am indeed the son of Marquis Verdine.”

While I wasn’t his soul, the body I was using was definitely that of Ferban Verdine’s son.

“But the bloodline verification magic was already performed at the mage tower. Why are you still doubting it?”

“Ugh, still…”

Even Aincera was caught on this point.

Of course, there was a chance that a great magician had manipulated or interfered with things…

“You’re not trying to claim that my ‘knight’ father did something with ‘magic’, are you?”

It wouldn’t be possible for someone to have schemed through the mage tower or the royal palace, either, because the Marquis had essentially no connections in those circles.

He had no external activities, after all.

She furrowed her brow as I laid out a detailed rebuttal.

“Then do you think it makes sense that you don’t know the place where you lived for ten years?”

She had hit the mark sharply, but I had an answer prepared for this as well.

“That’s because I got caught up in the explosion back then and lost most of my memories.”

“What…?”

“Partial amnesia.”

Yeah.

When you don’t know something, there’s no better excuse than this.

I had used a similar excuse when I fell into the martial world.

In fact, this was how the Marquis and the people in the castle had understood it.

“Hah! It’s a contradiction. Then what about your memories of Clove?”

“Fortunately, that’s something I still remember.”

“Does that even make sense…?!”

“It makes sense. After all, it’s ‘partial’ memory loss.”

“That’s a stretch!”

“If you don’t believe me, you can ask our commander Randolph, who’s behind us.”

Did she not expect me to respond so boldly?

Aincera’s expression turned blank.

But she quickly regained her composure and, with a fierce glare, brought up another issue.

“Then what about the source of Clove’s effectiveness? You said you got the information from the locals, but actually…”

“Wait.”

She had even gone this far?

I couldn’t understand.

Why was she so intent on digging into my true identity?

‘But right now, that’s not the most urgent issue.’

Aincera seemed quite agitated, but for now, I had to stop her from escalating things any further.

“You’re not saying that the Duke secretly sent spies into our territory and conducted an investigation into the residents, are you?”

“T-That’s…”

In an instant, Aincera’s already wide eyes grew even bigger.

This was a trap.

‘She can’t admit that they did that here.’

If she did, whether the truth of my words about Clove were believed or not, it would lead to serious political and diplomatic issues.

So I decided to push her a little more.

“Aincera.”

Flinch.

She shuddered slightly at his eerie voice.

Regardless, Evan Verdine’s voice continued coldly.

“It seems like you’re constantly picking on me, just because I’m a bastard born from lowly origins… how disappointing.”

At first, this statement might sound like a boy who is overwhelmed by inferiority, but…

‘No. That’s not it…’

He was calculating thoroughly, using everything he could leverage.

His current status, his birth origins.

And even the political situation.

It was as if he were an experienced veteran who had lived through countless battles.

‘Is he really just ten years old?’

He had grown up as a commoner until recently, only joining the noble family about three months ago.

…It was hard to believe.

Perhaps it was even harder for her to accept because she herself was someone who had returned from the future.

‘Is he… someone who came back from the future like me?’

She had a strong hunch, but she couldn’t be sure yet.

He might have some other special ability, other than the ‘return.’

But one thing was certain—there was something unusual about him.

In that case…

“Maintain a close relationship and keep watching him.”

That was the conclusion she had reached.

She needed more information about him to judge whether he would become an enemy or an ally.

“I was just curious, not trying to pick a fight.”

“I don’t think that’s the case.”

“Really? I’m sorry. I guess there was some misunderstanding.”

Ainsera shrugged lightly, apologizing.

A smile lingered on her lips, but her eyes were not smiling at all.

‘Hoh…’

A sharp-featured, black-haired boy, Evan Verdine’s black eyes flickered with something unusual.

‘He changed his stance so easily?’

It seemed that, just as Ainsera had sensed something, the boy was also starting to view her in a way that was far from ordinary.

The incredible level of soundproof magic she had set up.

The way he had subtly pierced through her defenses, trying to uncover her true identity.

And now, the way he was handling social situations.

‘I guess… he’s not a typical little noble girl after all.’

Evan’s conclusion wasn’t too different from Ainsera’s.

The boy, who smiled faintly, spoke.

“Glad to hear that you don’t dislike me.”

“Dislike you? I want to get closer to you, actually.”

“Hehehe… I’m honored.”

What was so amusing to him?

The smile that had started out as formal gradually grew wider.

So brightly, it was almost eerie.

Swish.

“Then let’s get along from now on, Ainsera.”

Evan extended his hand for a handshake.

Even with such a simple gesture, she felt an indescribable grace.

“…Alright.”

Ainsera stared at him quietly before grasping the hand he offered.

The boy and the girl smiled at each other.

But underneath their smiles, their thoughts were tangled.

Hoo—

A deep sigh escaped.

Fervan Verdine was deep in thought about the ongoing talks.

Originally, he had wanted to raise Evan quietly, as if he didn’t even exist on the fringes of society.

‘But now… there’s no turning back.’

It was the “riding the tiger” situation.

He was already mounted on a running tiger.

In that case, he had to completely change his approach.

‘I have to ride this tiger properly, so that no one can catch up!’

The first step was the meeting with the Imperial Palace and the Mage Tower.

The envoy sent by the Emperor was Duke Luke.

He was the head of the Emperor’s faction of nobles.

‘I wonder… what kind of plans he has made?’

In fact, Evan had given him some insight about this.

Fervan and his butler, Sebastian, were secretly eager to see how accurate their predictions were as they entered the meeting.

After all, for a young child to speak so confidently was rather impressive.

Slurp—

Duke Luke took a sip of the coffee on the table.

He spoke first.

“First… His Majesty referred to this discovery as a very significant event and praised you greatly.”

“Thank you. May Asron’s glory be everlasting.”

“However, there are some critical matters to discuss regarding this issue, and His Majesty has delegated authority to me on this.”

“Please speak, and I will listen.”

“Well then…”

According to Duke Luke, the royal family has expressed their support for the idea of doing business by purifying monster corpses at a low cost, provided it can be done.

However…

“This is a new business field, and if things go wrong, it could have a significant impact on national security, so certain restrictions are necessary.”

The conditions set by the royal family are as follows:

“Since the public may not know if the monster corpses have been fully purified, it would be best to have them certified by the Magic Tower.”

“For this matter, I would like the Magic Tower to receive a certain fee.”

From what Yandel said afterward, it seemed the royal family and the Magic Tower had already made prior arrangements.

The fee is set at 23% of the quoted price.

“Additionally, the royal family will impose some taxes on this special industry. After all, a new department will need to be created to handle this, and there will be operational costs involved.”

“What is the proposed amount for that?”

“Nothing has been finalized yet, but… a tax rate of 34% of the revenue seems appropriate.”

“Ah… I see.”

Ferban let out a sigh.

From his expression, it seemed he was quite shocked.

Sebas, the butler beside him, appeared the same.

“Well, if paying the tax in cash is burdensome, it can be paid in kind instead.”

“The Magic Tower also agreed that they could receive the fee for the stability verification in kind.”

“The tax rate and the fee rate are not final yet.”

“Though it might seem high, a similar tax rate is applied in the mining industry.”

Duke Luke and Yandel thought that the marquis was displeased with the tax and fee, as evidenced by his sour expression. They hurriedly mentioned various things to try to appease him…

But the reason Ferban and Sebas’s faces had hardened was not that.

‘The numbers have just changed a bit, but isn’t this exactly what Lord Evan mentioned?’

‘Heh, just how far does that child’s ability extend…?’

Indeed.

All of the conditions presented by the royal family and the Magic Tower were within Evan’s expectations.

‘Even the tax rate and fee rate are very close.’

Evan had predicted a tax rate of around 35% of the revenue.

The Magic Tower’s fee rate was 25%.

— “They’ll probably start by quoting a very high price. Then they’ll lower it a bit, pretending to be generous.”

Evan’s voice from a few days ago seemed to echo in his ears.

Meanwhile.

Duke Luke sighed as he looked at the eyes of Ferban and Sebas, who were clearly shaken.

‘This… seems to have shocked them more than I expected.’

There had been a range decided in a prior meeting in the imperial capital, so he had no choice but to say it, but…

Even he thought this was a bit too much, so how much more must the actual parties be feeling it?

“Now then, as I mentioned earlier, this is not finalized yet.”

He showed them the documents he had prepared, explaining the costs that would arise in these specific areas.

Then, Yandel spoke about the stability verification that would be carried out by the Magic Tower.

“With the adjustments made by me and Duke Luke, I believe we can bring the fee rate down to 20% and the tax rate to 30%.”

“First, Verdine needs time to think about it, so how about we discuss this further tomorrow?”

In the end, every single one of Evan’s predictions had been accurate.

What was there to fear in this situation?

A grin spread across Ferban’s face beneath his thick mustache.

“No, it’s fine.”

“Huh? What do you mean…?”

“Please continue.”

He spoke to the flustered Duke Luke and Yandel.

It seemed that Verdine had prepared matters to request from the royal family and the Magic Tower as well.

The real discussions were about to begin.