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"You're late, Prince Louis. How could you make a noble lady such as me wait this long? Where are your manners? And no, being handsome does not excuse you!"
The moment Louis stepped out of his room, he was greeted by a nagging yet adorable young lady. She appeared to be half-elf and half-dwarf, slightly taller than most dwarves but smaller than elves, with pointy, rounded ears, long fiery red hair, emerald eyes, and freckles scattered across her shoulders and face.
"Ah, Lady Agustina, you have my sincerest apologies for making you wait. You are right, where are my manners? Please, come with me. Shall we have a cup of tea while we discuss our matters?"
"Hmph...! Very well."
Agustina was the young lady of House Red Leaf, a noble house founded by elves that specialized in Magical Herbs and Spirit Trees in City District A. Her father, a noble elf, had passed away from illness after a Dimensional Rift opened in the farmlands five years ago.
Since then, she had lived with her sickly mother, a dwarven woman who was once a renowned blacksmith and whom her father had fallen in love with. In a land predominantly governed by Humans and Elves, dwarves were looked down upon, and many nobles constantly visited Agustina, pressuring her to sell her land. Agustina, however, was prideful and would kick them out of her house in a dwarven way, which only made matters worse.
Recently, her crops had begun to fall ill, and this year's yield was abysmal. If things continued, she would quickly lose her income and the money needed to buy expensive elixirs for her sickly mother, who suffered from a lesser version of Queen Benladra's sickness.
"I have heard rumors that Prince Louis has Awakened recently. You have my congratulations!" Agustina said politely despite her snarky tone, presenting Louis with a small red fox-shaped bracelet. "This is a Spirit Bracelet; it belonged to my father. He had many, so please don't worry. It is a special accessory crafted by my mother and father, combining her blacksmithing with his Spirit Magic. It should increase your ability to restore Mana faster and might also grant you a small affinity with Spirit Magic."
"Oh my, you shouldn't have, Lady Agustina. I will treasure this bracelet for the rest of my life," Louis said with a charming smile, putting it on immediately. "Ah, it's beautiful. Such masterful craftsmanship—your mother must be an incredible blacksmith."
"She is! I'm so happy you could recognize her work!" Agustina blushed, clearly delighted. It seemed no one had ever praised her mother before.
"Is the tea to your liking? I selected the finest leaves from Yamato, part of the Kingdom Alliance my mother founded several years ago," Louis said in a gentlemanly tone.
"Ah, Yamato! It's wonderful. I wish I could visit such places... if only they allowed us to leave Frostbane Kingdom. But well, it's not like I dislike the country," Agustina said, daydreaming about traveling the world.
Despite her adorable demeanor and noble status, Agustina was recognized as a "Dangerous Anomaly" by the rest of the world. Although her presence did not affect Louis or the people in the castle, if she were to step outside the city walls into a human village, people would immediately fall ill from Fantasium Poisoning and die within days or weeks, crystallizing.
This was one reason the Frostbane Kingdom harbored many haters worldwide, accused of being a "breeding ground of dangerous Anomalies" that needed cleansing for peace. The peaceful people of Yggdrasil were blamed for disasters caused by Dimensional Rifts connected to the Dimensional Labyrinth.
"The Yamato Empire is where Mirai was born. Thanks to the alliance, the VPI was able to operate there without restrictions and contain her when she was born, bringing her here to a containment zone. The Yamato Empire still insists she belongs to them and constantly asks my father, the King of Frostbane, to return her now that she has grown up. They most likely want to use her as a weapon, but of course, my father will never give her up."
Yamato was an empire founded by visitors from another Fantasy World called Zipangu, spanning what was once Japan—the only area not completely engulfed by the rewriting of Asia caused by the Great Headless Venerable of Nine Suns. Unlike Yggdrasians who wield Mana, Zipangians cultivated the Essence of Heaven and Earth, specializing in Yin and Yang, Martial Arts, and Body Cultivation instead of Magic Spells or Spirits.
Due to the alliance, both kingdoms shared knowledge. Louis had recently purchased several manuals from Zipangu, though he had yet to read them. To use them, he needed a stronger foundation and higher stats, but perhaps now he could finally begin.
"So."
"So?"
"I invited you here, Lady Agustina, to discuss your territory and the... well, the problems it is facing."
"Ah, yes..."
Agustina had given Louis such a precious family treasure because she was desperate for help. Despite her attitude, she was trying her best to earn his favor.
"May I ask something first, your majesty?"
"Ask."
"Why did you suddenly take interest in my family and territory alone? I am not going to sell my land. I promised my father I would never sell it, that I would keep it for future generations."
"I completely understand, and fear not. I have no plans to purchase your territory."
"T-Then do you plan to own it in other ways? I-I mean... I am single and have no fiancé. Do you plan to take me as one of your mistresses?!"
Agustina's imagination ran wild, her face glowing red as she covered her mouth, picturing a life married to the handsome young dragon prince.
But Louis quickly shattered her fantasy.
"Of course not."
"Ah..."
"I will be blunt. The District Alliance has been delaying my orders despite being paid in advance. It's clear they don't want to sell me the materials I need."
"Oh!"
"You are desperate for help, and I also need someone trustworthy within the Alliance who can procure me precious materials cultivated on Spiritual Lands blessed by my mother, the Elves, and the Spirits they contract."
"I see..."
"Therefore, I plan to help you cure the disease affecting your crops. In exchange, you will sign a contract allowing me to manage part of your territory, own the crops I plant there, and prioritize my orders above others."
"That sounds reasonable if you would go so far to help me, Prince Louis. May I ask which ingredients you need?"
"This is the list."
Agustina read the list, her eyes widening as she reached the end.
"Spirit Grass, Azure Nymph Flower, Ice Spirit Fruit, Earth Spirit Root Extract, Hydra Grass, Eden Flower... and Spirit Tree Wood?"
"Can you procure that, Agustina?"
"...I think I can. I might struggle with the Ice Spirit Fruit—it's difficult to grow Ice Attribute plants."
"Hm, I already placed an order in the northern territory, so we can scratch that one."
"Then I am positive I can get you everything within... maybe half a year."
"Six months?"
"Yes. I guarantee I can obtain everything before the end of the year!"
"Good, then it's a deal."
"Really?! B-But your majesty, how do you plan to heal my crops?"
"It's a secret."
"I even asked Priestesses from the Holy Dragon Church, but they couldn't help. The crops were contaminated with a strange poison from the Entities of the Dimensional Labyrinth."
"I know. Don't worry, your farmlands will be healed within a month. Have faith. For now, Agustina, take this."
Louis handed her a special Fantasium Injection.
"This is a Reverse Fantasium Injection. It is a liquefied Fantasium extract that, instead of contaminating the target, absorbs contaminated Fantasium from the body and expels it orally."
"W-What?"
"What your mother suffers from is similar to what my mother, the Queen, also endures," Louis explained. "My father created countless cures, but none worked. However, among them were some that should work for the lesser contamination your mother has."
"She's been sick for years. No elixir worked, and you're saying this injection could help her?!" Agustina asked.
"Yes," Louis smiled. "Consider it a gift of goodwill. If we are to become business partners, I wish to earn your trust. Go now, give this to your mother, then tell me how it went."
"T-Thank you so much! Truly, with all my heart, thank you!" Agustina kneeled before Louis, nearly crying, but he patted her head and helped her stand.
"There's no need to kneel. I am simply doing what a ruler should do to help his subjects," Louis said, lifting her chin so she could meet his golden eyes. "Agustina, I look forward to our next meeting. I will visit your territory within two weeks."
"Y-Yes... I will be waiting for you, your majesty... A-Ahh, you're so handsome—Ah! I mean..." she stammered, flustered, covering her face.
"Hahaha, thank you for the compliments. You have your own charm, and I consider you a lovely lady, Agustina," Louis said with a gentlemanly smile. "Now go, wait for me." He held her hand firmly.
"I will!" Agustina nodded, her usual snarky tone completely gone.
As he watched Agustina leave, Louis instructed one of his guards to send a pair of knights to ensure she returned home safely and to remain with her as bodyguards until he visited her.
"With this, I should be able to secure a vast territory to cultivate all the ingredients I'll need for the first few Tiers of my Spiral, as well as learn other Mana and Spirit Cultivation Methods. If I plan to contract a Spirit-type Anomaly in the future, I must begin cultivating Spiritual Energy immediately. This bracelet is an unexpected gain—it should make the process easier."
Louis smiled. Agustina was easier to influence than he had expected. He had asked her for several expensive materials that most nobles would sell at exorbitant prices, but now, if everything went well, he could acquire them at a great bargain.
"Wow~ it's incredible how you manipulated that girl, Prince Louis..."
"Hm? Ah, Catrise, I never did such a thing."
"Oh, is that so? It seems you really know how to use your looks!"
"Haha, well, this is what I was born with. Is there something wrong with using it to get what I want?"
"Hm~ I wonder what your mother would say..."
"She would laugh it off and call me adorable or something."
"Hahaha! Yes, you're probably right, your majesty."
"Now, I should return to training for the rest of the day. Tomorrow, you and those two other stooges will accompany me to the Nameless Streets in the capital's outskirts."
"W-What?! Why would you want to go to such dangerous places, your majesty?!"
"There are people I want to find there who will prove useful."
"...? But it's dangerous!"
"Enough. It's dangerous, and so what? I will still go."
"Haaa... Prince Louis."
Catrise sighed but decided to follow his whims. Louis returned to his room and immersed himself in reading the first book he had purchased from the Yamato Empire, originating in Zipangu.
"Heaven and Earth Essence Gathering..."
He read it from start to finish in a couple of hours, then reread it three more times until he fully memorized it. Afterward, he began exercising, focusing on the pulse of his heart and his connection to the world around him.
"The Essence of Heaven and Earth is also referred to as Ki. It is the Spiritual Lifeforce that flows through Heaven and Earth, and our bodies can naturally produce it."
By practicing a series of exercises and breathing methods, Louis began channeling the lifeforce within his body, slowly gathering it and then releasing it outward.
"There!"
FLASH!
An aura of pale-yellow light manifested from his body for a few seconds before scattering. Louis collapsed to the floor, fatigued and hungry.
"Ugh! I did it, but... it seems I'm not completely ready yet? ...No."
Louis quickly called for his maid, who brought him a feast of roasted monster meat—especially good for Sinners like him, who required a high intake of Fantasium.
"Um, master, are you hungry? You just ate lunch two hours ago."
"I am."
Louis devoured the food as if starving, filling his stomach before restarting the method. His pale-yellow aura emerged again, this time lasting ten minutes because his stomach was full.
However, the calories and food were digested incredibly fast, leaving no waste, and soon his stomach was empty once more.
"What's this? Do people in Zipangu eat like pigs?"
"Hm, perhaps it has to do with your Physique! You haven't forged one yet, right, master?"
"Physique? So the Mana Body Reinforcement Method at Grand Perfection is not enough..."
"Unfortunately, it isn't. Mastering it and keeping it active at all times has made you twice as strong, yes, but you need a greater foundation."
"But I don't have the time for that... bring me more food. I will simply have to do this the rough way. Also, bring me Stamina and Vitality Tonics."
"But... what if your stomach gets upset?!"
"No such thing will happen. Hurry."
Thus, for the rest of the day, Louis constantly ate, practiced the method briefly, then ate again, repeating the cycle over and over. He forcefully cultivated the Heaven and Earth Essence Gathering Method by consuming immense quantities of food and burning all the calories into Ki.
Over time, Louis began to feel the energy produced increasing within his body. Every calorie he burned became a bit of Ki, which slowly accumulated. By the end of the day, his stomach did feel upset, but he had at least achieved the Beginner Stage of the Heaven and Earth Essence Gathering Method.
The changes were noticeable. His stamina and vitality overflowed from his body. He was able to manipulate this lifeforce to enhance areas of his body at will—making his punches stronger, running faster, or even gathering it into his head to increase his thinking speed.
Throughout the night, Louis continued channeling his lifeforce, Ki, refining his Meridians and Dantian, the areas of the body where Spiritual Ki energy could gather.
♢♢♢♢
The next day, Louis woke up feeling refreshed. Both his Mana and Ki had begun to overlap, producing greater enhancements to his entire body. His senses improved dramatically, allowing him to hear things from very far away.
That morning, he received a notification. Looking into his smartwatch hologram, he found an email from Lady Agustina. She seemed to have been crying when she wrote it, because apparently her mother had indeed been healed thanks to the injection, and was now able to properly speak and sit up in bed.
After reading the email, he received a call.
"Agustina, how did it go?"
"Your majesty! My mother has finally woken up! The injection worked! I am so happy!"
"Good, I am glad it worked for you. Have you told your mother about our deal?"
"Yes, she agrees to everything and said she could even offer her own Spiritual Blacksmithing work for you once she fully recovers her strength."
"Is that so?"
The Court Blacksmiths were skilled, but none specialized in combining Spiritual Energy with Mana to create special Spirit Artifacts. Louis was intrigued by what Agustina's mother could craft for him. Perhaps a better spear wouldn't be so bad.
"Well, I will consider it once she recovers. For now, I recommend she rest for a few more days. Make sure she is well fed."
"Yes, thank you so much, your majesty. I will be waiting for your arrival."
"Very well, then see you later, Agustina."
Louis ended the call and decided to take a bath before preparing to depart. He had a large breakfast to give him the energy he needed for the day. Fernand, Elises, and Catrise were waiting for him. The knights questioned why he was going to the Nameless Streets.
"Why am I going? I am looking for talents—special people that nobody else has found yet—who will greatly benefit me if I have them by my side," Louis explained with a smile.
In the Sinners Academy game, the player could recruit a variety of characters across the story. There were up to fifty recruitable characters, but the player could only use ten at a time (excluding the protagonist).
The game had two phases: the early phase, and then a time skip phase where a war broke out between the countries and kingdoms the students belonged to. At that point, the protagonist had to choose which faction to side with, each faction holding groups of former allies and students.
In this phase, students who were once friends would clash in war. It was possible to kill students the protagonist hadn't bonded with enough to recruit into their chosen side.
One faction belonged to the Frostbane Kingdom—the Frost Dragons—an established house in the Academy led by Louis... until he died. At that moment, the faction fell into obscurity.
Louis, of course, wouldn't let that happen. He wanted to recruit certain characters that appeared in later years. Some were villains, others potential allies, but all brimming with power.
In the Nameless Streets of City District X, there were two such characters Louis desired. With his ability to bond with others, he wanted to inherit part of their power and make them loyal allies.
These were people with absolutely nothing in their lives. A small glimmer of hope, a bit of kindness, could ignite an undying flame of loyalty toward Louis.
There was also a Black Market he wanted to check, a place where he could procure Void Attribute Materials—the rarest so far, not even available through the District Alliance.
"Let's move."
Louis, his two knights, and his maid dressed as commoners, wearing cloaks to hide their faces. The knights' armor was magical and could be summoned instantly if needed. As for Catrise, the Ice Giantess, there was little they could do to hide her.
Louis tied his hair, tucked it under a hoodie, wore brown contact lenses, and covered his horns. He also wore a black mask covering the upper half of his face. Once ready, they left the castle and entered the city. The architecture was a blend of Yggdrasil's medieval fantasy style and Earth's modern design.
The sky was cloudy, with barely any sunlight, making it easier to hide in the shadows of the buildings. After reaching the Ice Walls, Louis gave a command, and an opening formed immediately. As Benladra's son, he had the authority to control the Ice Walls, opening or closing them at will.
The environment instantly changed from the beautiful city surrounding the castle to the slums of the Nameless Streets outside the Ice Walls. Poverty was abundant, and all sorts of people roamed the area, many glaring at Louis and his party with suspicious expressions, though most were simply intimidated by Catrise's towering height.
"The majority of people here are humans... though I see some goblins and kobolds," Louis observed.
He was surprised by the disparity. The capital had nearly equal numbers of humans and Yggdrasilians, but the slums were predominantly human, with a few "lesser" races such as goblins and kobolds. These races were looked down upon due to their barbarian origins and lacked powerful warriors to elevate their reputation, unlike the Orcs.
Most of the humans here were refugees, seeking safety after their villages or cities were ruined by Dimensional Rifts. Rumors that Frostbane Kingdom was free of Fantasium Poisoning had drawn many illegal immigrants. The city was only so large, and without expansion, it was impossible to accommodate everyone or provide jobs for all.
His mother had always been kind, protecting villages with special runes and formations. But after falling ill, those protections faded, and the slums became dangerous again, full of criminals and thugs preying on the innocent or seeking ways into the capital.
"Every time I visit this place, I feel a little bad," Catrise sighed, her eyes full of sorrow.
"Yeah... this place has seen better days," Elises nodded. "I came from here, did you know, your majesty?"
"Is that so? Tell me more," Louis said.
"I used to be a thief. When your mother and father visited, I acted cute for her but managed to steal a bag of coins..." Elises admitted. "Naturally, I was caught, and the guards brought me to her. They even threatened to throw me in prison for life. But your mother told me to keep the money if I truly needed it and gave me an opportunity. She gave me an Ice Token, necessary to enter an exam in the capital to become a soldier. I reached eighteen, took the exam, and secured a spot. After years of hard work, I became a knight and met your mother again. She allowed me to bring my family to the capital, and thanks to her, we now live comfortably in a large house I purchased."
"I see. I'm glad for you, Elises," Louis smiled. "Do you see why I am here now? I intend to do something similar to my mother. I am seeking talents among these people—talents I can bring to my side and give a better life in exchange for their loyalty."
"That's commendable, your majesty," Elises said warmly. He had grown to genuinely admire the prince after their sparring.
"I agree, but where should we go?" Fernand asked.
"Follow me," Louis said. "It shouldn't be far from the Holy Dragon Cathedral... near the orphanage."
"Orphanage? Oh, that place!" Catrise smiled.
Avoiding suspicious gazes, Louis, his knights, and his maid arrived at the Holy Dragon Cathedral after a few minutes of walking. The building looked run-down, with grass and a small tree growing out of it. It was the only cathedral outside the city, once protected by guards until they stopped coming a few years ago.
Next to the cathedral was a two-floor orphanage with about a dozen children. Today, they were playing before lunch, monitored by the nuns. Despite their harsh lives, they didn't seem too unhappy, though their food was likely not very nutritious.
"..."
Louis might have felt nothing when looking at these children before, but after William merged with him, he felt a pang of guilt. William had grown up in an orphanage, never adopted, spending his entire childhood without a family that loved him. He became a lonely man with a bitter personality.
Louis now had the wealth to improve their lives, yet he had done nothing. The guilt annoyed him, and he cursed William for making him feel this way.
"Fine, I will do something for them, but only if we can find that person."
Louis scanned the area, noticing one child standing apart from the rest. She was a half-human girl with clear brown skin, gray hair, and small featherless wings on her back.
Most of the children in the orphanage were human, so it seemed they avoided her because she was a "hybrid," much like Louis himself.
"Wings..." Catrise muttered. "Perhaps one of her parents was an Avian-type Beastman. But the poor thing has no feathers, and her wings are so small. She must be unable to fly like a true Avian."
"In the end, those wings will only make her life harder," Fernand said. "She looks completely human without them. Perhaps cutting them off would benefit her in the long run."
"C-Cutting them off? Do you have to be so cruel?" Elises asked in disbelief.
"He's not wrong. We are on Earth, a world where humans dominate. Anomalies like me and that girl are still not welcomed," Louis said with a faint smile. "Even though nobles from Yggdrasil exist here, respect only goes as far as our usefulness. A child like her, with nothing, will be discriminated against without shame. The same would happen to me if I hadn't born a prince. At the end of the day, status and wealth are the only equalizers. You only become equal when you have something to offer—money, skills, magic. If you have nothing of value, you're nothing."
"..." Elises sighed, nodding silently.
"Prince Louis, you don't have to say it like that..." Catrise said softly.
"I'm sorry," Louis replied. "I just prefer honesty. I am not the type to lie to myself or pretend things are better than they are."
"So what do we do here? Who are we looking for?" Elises asked.
"We are looking for a child—a hybrid Human-Beastman," Louis explained. "She has white and red hair, fur covering her body, and a face resembling the skull of a wolf."
"S-Such a thing exists?" Fernand asked, disgusted. "Wouldn't that child be akin to an Entity?"
"Yes, she is a Sinner like me," Louis said. "Her mutation is simply stronger. Her mother died giving birth to her, already sick with Fantasium Poisoning from an Entity that had bitten her hand. A Dimensional Rift opened in the sewers, and nobody reported it."
"W-What?!" Catrise gasped. "How do you... know so much, Prince Louis?"
"I have my informants," Louis said with a sly smile, referring to William.
The child he sought was a future villain in Sinners Academy, and also a potentially recruitable student if the protagonist convinced her to ally with them. In the game's second arc, the protagonist encountered her while investigating rumors of Vultarn High Dominion terrorists hiding in the Nameless Streets.
She was a feral child who was captured by the Vultarn High Dominion and forced to fight the protagonist after an earlier interaction in which they had shared food with her. The player could choose to kill her or spare her life. If they choose to spare her life, the Player will have to talk with her for three turns while taking damage from her strong attacks. Some considered it quite hard, but if the protagonist brings enough potions, it is not too difficult to accomplish.
From what Louis remembered, she was found near this area. He had come not only for her but also to assess the Dimensional Rift in the sewers and determine if the Vultarn High Dominion terrorists were already here.
While pondering these things, someone slowly approached Louis.
"Ah, excuse me, are you looking to adopt a child?"
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