Chapter 18: System Rewards, Humbled Hero

[Would you like to receive your rewards?]

The system asked.

Vritra frowned slightly at the system's stupid question. Of course, he wanted to claim the rewards──why else had he been doing all of this?

"Receive."

Suddenly, a series of blue screens appeared in front of him, listing out all the rewards he had earned.

[Notice, you have received the following rewards for sleeping with the target, Esmeralda Kirkwood...]

[+20 Fate Value!]

It wasn't a lot, but what really mattered was the progress.

There was no argument that a Fate Value of 20 was way better than a Fate Value of 0.

"Sigh~ at least it's something..."

Thereafter, he looked over the information of the [One-Fourth Fragment of Gluttonia].

[Acquisition of all four fragments of Gluttonia will awaken a cosmic entity older than the Three Worlds Domain. This entity is called Gluttonia, the World-Devouring Slime. It was the ruler of a powerful solar system before it was sealed away. It is a calamity-class creature with the potential to devour the world and everything within it.]

"A Calamity-class creature, huh? I recall Ghislaine mentioning that the Mage's Association has a special ranking system for extraterrestrial creatures──basically, creatures that aren't from the Central Continent."

Vritra didn't worry too much about the item since it was only one part of a set of four. Given how powerful it was, he knew it would take time and patience to reach that level.

『Sure, I'm a Fiendcelestial, and my kind is unmatched, but who knows when I might find myself in a tough spot. After all, I don't have plot armor like those heroes who always seem to have it at their beck and call.』

He shook his head, clearly disappointed.

Still, it was pointless to dwell on it.

He couldn't control what the system gave him as a reward.

"Alright, on to the next one..."

Prince Vritra tapped his screen a few times to reveal the next set of rewards from the System's warehouse.

[Notice, you have received the following rewards for humbling the "hero" Lumis Nela Deva...]

[+40 Fate Value!]

[Crystal Lotus Ring: It boosts [Crystal Magic] with a brilliant shine. Its magic is so strong that it can cover large areas with endless shards of crystal and even cause crystalline structures as powerful as war vessels to bloom in its wake.]

[One-Sixth of the Imperial Black Dragon Arsenal!]

[You've acquired the Imperial Black Dragon Combat Ring!]

[This is one of the six treasures made from the primordial soul of the Imperial Black Dragon, Stygian. It significantly boosts your [Dragon Magic] and all your [Black Magic] aspects for a limited time, letting you unleash a Type-7 phenomenon. It also enhances your physical stats, improves your health, and gives you powerful combat abilities.]

Seeing this put a smile on his face.

『Hehe, unlike the [One-Fourth Fragment of Gluttonia], which is useless until I gather all its fragments, the [Imperial Black Dragon Arsenal] is made up of individual treasures that are all useful on their own. Brilliant! If I complete the [Imperial Black Dragon Arsenal], no one across the five continents should be able to kill me, right?』

With this in mind, Vritra put the combat ring in his main inventory and moved the fragment to his secondary inventory.

It would stay there until he collected all four fragments.

Right after, his eyes went back to his status screen.

[Fate Value: 60]

Prince Vritra grinned from ear to ear.

He was already hungry for more.

『But before that...』

Vritra looked at Esmeralda, who was sleeping peacefully.

━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━

[Armed Palace, Royal Guest House]

Prince Lumis sat on the bed, drinking healing potions provided by Lord Ymnes.

The old man in question sat on a wooden chair a few meters away, a look of discomfort on his face as he watched the young Deva's wounds heal. He wasn't upset about the injuries themselves──Devas possessed godly regeneration that could heal even the most fatal wounds.

What troubled him was who had caused Prince Lumis this much pain.

『Vritra...』

The old man was doing his best to keep his temper in check.

As Prince Lumis's personal advisor, he couldn't just retaliate out of frustration. It wasn't the Devas' way, and he didn't want Lumis to adopt that kind of behavior either.

『They already see my prince as a violent person. The only reason Duranzia hasn't fully allied with Prince Vritra and his Bloodgarden household is because of my connection with King Felmus.

『If that relationship falls apart due to me losing my temper, things will only get worse. I'm not stupid; as elusive as Vritra is, I'm sure his goal is to push Lumis to the breaking point like before and make him retaliate again.

『I'm tempted to report this to King Felmus, but I'm worried that dark prince might have taken other precautions. Hrmm, I really can't tell.』

Lord Ymnes sighed and said, "My prince, I understand how frustrated you are, but—"

Prince Lumis wouldn't listen any longer.

... BLAM!

He slammed his fist against the bed frame, causing it to crack.

"BUT WHAT?! BUT WHAT, YMNES?!"

The young Deva, seething with anger, got up from the bed and shouted even louder. His rage seemed unstoppable.

"I'm fed up with being treated like a fool by that demonic prince! Nothing has gone right for me since I arrived in the Central Continent, and I'm sick of it! I just w-, want *sob* I just *sob* I just want some peace..."

His words caught in his throat.

Tears filled his eyes, and he felt a sharp pain in his chest.

Before long, Prince Lumis fell to his knees, his head bowed in shame as he cried.

"I just want it all to *sob* stop..."

It was hard for the old man to see his prince cry. With a serious expression, he got up from his chair, walked over to Prince Lumis, and knelt beside him.

Placing a hand on the young man's shoulder, he gave a warm and gentle smile.

"Are you really going to make this old man kneel?"

Hearing Lord Ymnes's raspy, but oddly soothing voice, Prince Lumis looked up with teary eyes and sniffled.

"I-, I'm sorry for... I know I promised I'd stay strong during this period, but I-, I just..."

He clenched his teeth tightly.

Lord Ymnes pulled Lumis into an almost fatherly hug and gently rubbed his back.

"It's fine, let it out, little Lumis."

As soon as Lumis heard this, his eyes filled with tears again, and he cried into the old man's shoulder.

...

Meanwhile, a man dressed like a Duranzia knight was on his way to see Prince Lumis. But in the next moment, a swirl of what looked like fairy dust surrounded him like a tornado, and he changed into his normal appearance.

This was a Deva spy.

『With all the dirt and details I have on that dark prince and his schemes, our Blueworld household is set for nothing but success from here on out!』

He had a confident look on his face.