Alcie stomped her feet on the floor repeatedly as she walked. She was extremely annoyed because she had been ordered by Orzael to guard the city alone. It was a heavy task, and she had to work extremely hard. After all, she wasn't even a combat type.
As the maids walked through the hallway and attempted to pass her, they immediately turned back and took a different route. Alcie was truly furious. A terrifying aura radiated from her body. The dark aura caused the ground beneath her to tremble and made the corridor feel grim and lifeless.
"I should've absorbed his life energy faster," she regretted the decision she had made. She had indeed been assigned by one of Orzael's older siblings to kill the youngest brother. "What if Lord Bel finds out? I'll be sentenced to death. Damn it. I have to find another way to kill that fool."
If possible, she wanted to kill Orzael by stabbing his stomach until his internal organs spilled out. However, she wasn't allowed to do that. Orzael's death had to appear like an accident—or that he had taken his own life.
Killing him directly wasn't a wise choice. She could lie and say Orzael stabbed himself, but there was a chance that one of the maids might witness it.
That would be a big problem for her. The Demon King might not like Orzael, but that didn't mean he would stay silent if his son were murdered. The punishment for killing a member of the Demon King's family was death. Alcie didn't want that to happen.
"I have to absorb his life energy with my body. Once his life force starts to thin out, I can manipulate him into committing suicide. I have to do it tonight—before I'm assigned as the city's guardian tomorrow," Alcie muttered.
She had already devised a plan. She would prepare everything meticulously. She would arrange for Orzael to be alone in his room tonight, ensuring that no maids would visit him.
Alcie grinned widely. "This time, I'll be more brutal."
Meanwhile, Orzael was standing in front of the window. He looked out and saw several demons walking in the garden, carrying dirty laundry. Some of them were tending to the flowers in that very same garden. Orzael was a little surprised. He had thought demons loved destruction so much that they wouldn't care about flowers, gardens, or personal cleanliness.
It turned out they were quite clean. In fact, the garden outside his room was neatly arranged and beautiful.
"If people came here, they'd never believe this is the home of demons," Orzael said.
He turned his gaze to the side. To the small table beside his bed. There were two plates filled with food, but judging by their appearance, Orzael felt sick. He wanted to vomit just by looking at them. His stomach was hungry, but his appetite vanished the moment he laid eyes on the food.
On the first plate was a chunk of dark purple meat, still emitting thin wisps of steam. The meat looked slimy, with veins that pulsed slowly as if not entirely dead. On top of it was sprinkled a black powder—either spices or ash. A strong, fishy and sour odor lingered in the air, stinging his nose.
The second plate was even worse. A thick greenish fluid, viscous like mucus, filled half the dish. Floating within were round pieces resembling eyeballs—large, gelatinous, and revolting. One of the "eyes" drifted to the surface and slowly burst, releasing a grayish liquid that bubbled as it spilled.
Orzael swallowed hard and turned his face away.
"That... was food?" he whispered, unsure if it was a question or a complaint.
His stomach was indeed hungry, but his resolve immediately vanished as the sharp smell returned, hitting his nose again. He inhaled through his mouth, trying to suppress the growing urge to vomit. He shook his head repeatedly, completely unable to understand how he was supposed to eat if demon food was that disgusting.
"I'm starting to understand why their kind prefers devouring souls over regular food," he muttered quietly. "They can't cook at all. They're like newlywed women just learning how to cook."
Orzael's stomach growled again. He was extremely hungry, but he would hold it in as long as possible. He had to find more edible food elsewhere.
Tring!
A transparent screen suddenly appeared in front of Orzael's face. A soft blue glow lit up the room, drawing his attention away from the revolting dishes on the table. He stared at the screen weakly, hoping for something that might brighten his day—but his hope was shattered.
Name: Orzael
Race: Low-class Demon
Level: 20
Class: —
HP: 13,000 / 13,000
MP: 140 / 140
STR: 11
AGI: 9
VIT: 13
INT: 14
DEX: 10
LUCK: 999
Unique Skills:
[Unstable Blessing]
Effect: Grants random effects every morning. Sometimes beneficial, sometimes disastrous.
[Aura of a Normal Human]
Effect: All beings consider you harmless. (Does not apply when you're panicked.)
[Mouth of Complaint]
Effect: Complaining for 30 seconds reduces the enemy's defense by 20.
[Fortune Magnet]
Effect: Attracts "lucky" events that are not always pleasant.
Orzael stared at the panel for a long time, then sighed deeply.
"Level twenty, but it feels like level two," he muttered. "And these skills… is this some kind of joke? Is there nothing overpowered for me?"
As far as Orzael remembered, every MC in an isekai or regression novel was an overpowered character. That should've been the case for him too. But what he got was awful. Orzael genuinely felt like his existence was worthless. A demon, yet so weak.
Now he understood why his family disliked him. Orzael was sure that if he were the older brother, he would've done the same—or maybe something even worse. He would've killed a useless younger sibling like himself.
"At the very least, give me an interesting skill or a mission."
Tring!
[Resetting the system]
[Loading....]
Orzael furrowed his brow. Confused by what was happening. He had never seen this before. "What's the meaning of this?"
[Reinstallation complete]
[Soul Resonance System Activated.]
[Synchronizing Core: Faith Value set to 0. Unlocking basic status window.]
"What is this?" he asked again.
He was utterly confused. He stared at the screen in front of him for a very long time, trying to grasp the situation, but... he still couldn't understand a thing.
[ZARETH – EXILED PRINCE]
Level: 1
Faith: 0
Love: 0
Loyalty: 0
Trust: 0
Soul Power: Locked
Skills: None
Title: Cursed Royal Blood
[Your strength and power will now grow based on the hearts you touch.]
[Gain Faith to level up. Gain Love to awaken affinity. Gain Trust to unlock Skills.]
"Huh?" Orzael was left even more baffled.
No matter how much he tried to process what was going on, his mind remained blank. Orzael couldn't figure out what was happening. He walked toward the bed and stared at the screen for a very long time. So long that the sun began to dip, and the day turned to dusk.
Eventually, Orzael nodded repeatedly. He understood just a little. "I'll give it a try." He then stood up and walked toward the door. "Let's try it on the maids."