First of All, I’m Drinking - Chapter 4

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 4

“I, I don’t know…”

“You don’t know? You really don’t know?”

“Bl, Black Robe! A person in Black Robe! Black Robe gave me a flower pot and told me to give it to Your Highness…”

“What are you saying.”

When I roughly twisted my expression, the maid turned pale.

“Black Robe! Black Robe gave me a flower pot and ordered me to give it to Your Highness!”

Her desperate struggle to pronounce each word clearly was quite amusing.

Her appearance of doing her best not to provoke my temper was impressive.

“Hmm, so Black Robe gave you a flower pot and told you to give it to me? You don’t know what his identity is?”

“Y-yes.”

“Those who want to assassinate me are obvious, aren’t they? Surely one of the high-ranking people. A competitor for the throne. Didn’t you get any sense from his silhouette or voice?”

“Y-yes…”

The maid answered weakly.

“Haa.”

I leaned my head against the throne and let out a sigh.

“Damn, this is a bust…”

From the description, it seemed that ‘Black Robe’ was also just an errand boy, not the real culprit.

He’s probably a member of the Demon Cult.

The real culprit wouldn’t take direct action while leaving traces.

In the end, the gains from torturing the maid converged to zero.

“Nothing goes right, nothing.”

As I muttered and grumbled, the maid watched my mood.

Seeing her miserable state made even me feel pity.

Both her legs and arms had become tattered rags.

The crime of attempting to assassinate royalty is grave.

If I left her like this, who knows if there would be other victims besides me.

I never intended to spare her from the beginning anyway.

“Farewell.”

I waved my hand lightly.

“Live virtuously in your next life.”

Crunch-!!

Two wolves roughly devoured the maid’s head.

* * *

Morning broke.

The Wet Nurse and servants didn’t notice the bizarre incident that occurred last night.

However.

“Oh my! Where did the flower pot go and why is it so messy…”

They were very anxious that the violet flower pot personally bestowed by the Emperor had vanished without a trace.

Moreover, there were even burn marks left where the flower pot had been.

‘Come to think of it, did the Emperor really give me a gift?’

The maid who no longer exists in this world as of today.

Did she switch the Emperor’s ‘real’ gift with Papuwa.

Or did the Emperor never bestow a gift in the first place.

Unless I asked directly, there was no way to know the truth.

‘It would be awkward to ask about this again.’

The real culprit didn’t pull any particular tricks after that day.

Do they know that the Papuwa operation failed spectacularly?

‘For what purpose, for what reason did they target me…’

The easiest guess was the hypothesis that my competitor for the throne was the culprit.

I’m naturally not the only prince or princess of this generation.

There are three more direct descendants who are the Emperor’s own children besides me, and if you add the collateral bloodlines of other royalty, it’s endless.

As a direct descendant, I have a fairly high possibility of throne succession among them.

Therefore, the possibility of someone’s scheme to eliminate a competitor cannot be ruled out.

If the guess is true, it would be quite unfair.

I have no desire or will to become a human Emperor.

In any case.

If they reach out to me again, I won’t miss them next time.

“So, what should I do now.”

I rested my chin and fell deep in thought.

The most urgent priority was training my demonic energy.

I felt it last night when I handled demonic energy after a long time.

The imbalance between body and soul is too severe.

‘The reason I can’t produce my past life’s output now isn’t because I lack total demonic energy.’

It’s because the body that can draw out that output is weak.

Simply put, it’s easier to compare it to a water tank and hose.

I already possessed an enormously large water tank.

However, the hole in the hose that should draw out that water was too small.

The water tank is the total amount of demonic energy. The hose is the body.

In other words, if only the body becomes stronger.

If only the hose’s diameter becomes large enough to emit the water tank’s demonic energy without strain.

It meant I could quickly recover my past life’s power.

‘For that, first I need to adapt my body to demonic energy.’

Training demonic energy would solve this, but this alone wasn’t sufficient.

‘Second, I need to strengthen the body itself.’

In the Intermediate Realm, there were many superhumans who transcended racial limits while possessing human bodies.

Those commonly called ‘Sword Masters’.

If I followed their training methods, I could dramatically increase my body’s strength in a short time.

I could also accumulate magical power as a bonus.

The problem was.

In the Argent Imperial Family, martial arts training could traditionally only begin after the ‘baptism ceremony’ was completed.

But should I just twiddle my thumbs until then?

‘That’s not right.’

Late at night. When everyone was asleep.

I took out a red pill from my pocket.

Demonic Spirit Pill.

An ancient elixir obtained from the Emperor that enhances the user’s magical power.

The Emperor probably never thought I would take this immediately.

Because the amount of energy contained within is so enormous, one could suffer ‘demonic possession’ if careless.

The reason he told me to ask the Wet Nurse to brew it was because of this.

If brewed and consumed, the concentration becomes diluted, significantly reducing the risk of demonic possession.

Though the effects are reduced accordingly.

‘I can’t waste this precious elixir like that.’

Gulp.

I brought the Demonic Spirit Pill directly to my mouth and swallowed it.

For the first few seconds, there was no change.

Then suddenly, energy surged within my body and twisted the blood flow throughout my entire body.

“Kugh!”

The most extreme pain I’d felt since reincarnating.

However, it was pain I had experienced countless times in my past life.

‘I need to control the flow!’

Qi deviation is ultimately the result of being unable to control magical power.

If I could just manage the spiritual energy according to my will.

All the dangers would be nothing but empty threats.

And.

Having freely wielded incomparably ferocious demonic energy.

Having fought hundreds and thousands of battles on the edge of cliffs with a demon’s body before finally obtaining the divine throne.

I was more confident than anyone else in this world at controlling rampaging energy.

How many hours had passed like this?

“Huuuu…”

I let out the breath I had been holding deeply.

My breath was so densely infused with magical power that it seemed to glow with a blue light.

I let out a sly smile.

‘It’s done.’

I had succeeded in making all the magical power of the Magic Spirit Pill my own.

Of course, I hadn’t absorbed all the magical power into my body.

The magical power I couldn’t absorb, I spread throughout my meridians and stored it there.

For now, this was the best I could do.

‘Before the baptism ceremony ends and I begin martial arts training in earnest, I’ll absorb all the magical power spread throughout my body.’

There was plenty of time.

I imagined myself coating a blade with magical power and cutting down enemies.

Not bad at all.

‘Since I can’t use demonic energy in front of others anyway, I should have at least one weapon I can use publicly.’

I did need some form of self-defense to protect myself when others were watching.

Demonic energy, the power of the Demon Realm, and magical power, the energy of the Intermediate Realm.

I would be the only being in the world to wield both forces.

I looked forward to the future ahead.

* * *

I sat leaning against the window frame, gazing at the scenery outside.

Whoooosh-

A cool breeze blew in through the wide-open sliding window.

Tree branches swayed gently, their green leaves fluttering in the wind.

Blue sky.

The songs of mountain birds.

And the dazzlingly bright sun.

Flowers of various colors embroidered the scene in gold as they caught the sunlight.

Looking up slightly, I could see the magnificent form of Taeyang Palace, where the Emperor resided.

A vivid and peaceful world, different from the gloomy and desolate Demon Realm.

It was a sight I never tired of seeing, no matter how many times I looked.

“It would have been nice if the Demon Realm had scenery like this too.”

The blue sky that didn’t exist in the Demon Realm and the grass that filled the fertile land.

The fragrant scent of flowers tickling my nose.

The sound of crickets that naturally drew my attention when night fell.

Even the light of fireflies floating through the air like falling snowflakes.

Though it had been over 8 years since my reincarnation, all of these things still felt fresh.

“…Damn bastards.”

I unconsciously brought my fingertips to my heart, pierced by Vergil’s spear.

This vengeful feeling that gnawed at my chest showed no signs of subsiding.

Someday I would recover my strength, cross over to the Demon Realm, and kill every last one of them.

‘For the past 8 years, I was too young and there were always watching eyes, so I couldn’t practice demonic energy.’

But now I was old enough, and I could feel that the maids’ interference had decreased compared to when I was a baby.

It was a good time to begin demonic energy training in earnest.

Not only that.

‘I’ve also absorbed all the magical power in my meridians.’

Thanks to that, my magical power had grown to an unbelievable level for an 8-year-old.

From now on, it was time for explosive growth.

Thud thud thud thud.

Urgent footsteps could be heard from outside the door.

Someone was running down the corridor.

“Your Highness the Princess! Where are you going in such a hurry!”

“Be quiet, Wet Nurse! I’m going to see Cael!”

A high-pitched, sharp voice.

‘Ah, that one again.’

This was going to be tiresome.

I swept back my obsidian-black hair, exactly the same as in my previous life.

Bang-!

Soon after, the door opened.

“Hey, Cael!”

Dreamlike silver hair that reached down to her waist.

Blue eyes like they were carved from sapphire.

A girl with a mysterious aura called out to me.

Seria de Argent.

The direct princess of the Argent Empire, the most powerful nation in the Intermediate Realm, and my half-sibling of the same age.

“Huff, huff!”

Following behind, Seria’s wet nurse entered, panting heavily.

As soon as she saw me, she bowed at a right angle and showed proper respect.

“I greet His Highness Prince Cael de Argent.”

I nodded my head roughly.

I turned my gaze back to the window.

A yellow butterfly was perched on a sunflower.

“Are you pathetically staring out the window again?”

Seria snapped. I replied bluntly.

“Mind your own business.”

“What are you, some old man? Stop being so gloomy and play around like a kid should. Don’t just stare out the window all day.”

“So what’s it to you.”

“Come play with me. Karl and Mac are here too. It’ll be fun if all four of us play together after so long.”

“It’s bothersome. Go away.”

“Ah, seriously!”

Seria grabbed my arm and tried to pull me.

Not a chance.

When I remained still like a stone statue, Seria fell backward on her own.

“Haa, haa. Why are you so strong!”

…I know it’s childish.

Getting into squabbles with a brat who still smells of milk.

But if an eight-year-old acted detached from everything like an old sage, wouldn’t that be strange in its own way?

I’m just acting naturally for my age, in my own way.

“Get lost.”

…No, maybe that was a bit too harsh?

“Please go away. Let me be alone for a while.”

“Get, get lost?”

Seria’s eyes begin to moisten with tears.

Oh no, I made a mistake.

It would be troublesome if she starts wailing again.

‘…Sigh, I’ve really gone soft.’

I irritably brushed myself off and stood up.

When I halfheartedly extended my hand, Seria stared at it blankly.

“Fine, let’s go. Let’s play.”

At those words, joy spreads across Seria’s face.

Could a simple invitation to play together really make her that happy?

‘Humans.’

If demon and demon race children were even half as well-behaved as human children, the Demon Realm would be quite peaceful.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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