area51novel Page 21
Page 21
"Mino, no..."
Before Otta could speak, Mino had already caught it with lightning speed, looking at the pictures on the notebook with some confusion:
It was a cover drawn with vibrant, full-color paint and lines, unlike the oil paintings and sketches prevalent in the kingdom—a cover filled with beautiful girls—titled "One Hundred People Who Love Me So Much..."
Snapped!
The comic book was snatched away by Prince Ota, whose chest heaved as he gasped for breath.
“Prince Ota, what is this…?” Mino blinked, unable to contain his curiosity, and asked.
If he wasn't mistaken, it looked like a picture book filled with illustrations of beautiful girls interacting with the main character...?
According to his understanding, this product seems to be unique to the Paper Demon Clan among the border demons. It is made by collaging watercolor paintings into stories, but because the style and theme are so-called "cute", it is not welcomed by the luxurious and particular nobles.
Like the Earth Demons, the Paper Demons are not good at fighting, so they only gather in the border areas of the Demon Realm. Their conflicts with humans have never been significant, and these border demons are rarely seen in the Demon King's army.
“Ahaha, it’s Mino… this, this.” Ota’s face showed an indescribable embarrassment. “As you can see, this is a type of book that the Paper Demons call ‘comics’.”
“I know.” Mino nodded, then looked at Ota again.
Ota's palms gradually became sweaty. No, this won't do. If word got out that he, as the prince of the kingdom, was secretly reading the latest volume of the "Super Ego" comic while handling state affairs, his image would be completely ruined.
“That’s right, Mino, I’m sure you’ve figured it out too.” Thinking of this, Ota raised his eyebrows and said in a deep voice.
"This is not an ordinary comic!"
"Huh?" Mino paused, looking down at the comic book clutched tightly in Ota's hand.
Although it is permeated with a faint magical energy, this is a common characteristic of demonic handicrafts. The magical energy lingers for a long time, but it does not pose a significant threat to the human body.
Could it be... that there's some secret inside?
"This comic book may seem like a harmless book, but I can sense a magical power within it that draws you in endlessly!"
Ota clenched his fist. "Once someone gets involved with this stuff, they'll become increasingly prone to daydreaming, and might even lose the ability to distinguish between virtual and reality!!!"
Mino was shocked: "It's...it's that terrifying?!"
"Your Highness Ota, what about you?"
Ota raised his arm and said, "I've been keeping a close eye on those insignificant little demons on the border, and I've never let my guard down. But unfortunately, some profiteering merchants on the border have introduced these things to the kingdom's borders... I accidentally came into contact with them, and it immediately caught my attention!!!"
"In order to prevent the people from being poisoned, I have ordered that these books be delivered to my desk immediately!"
Mino stared wide-eyed at Ota's imposing figure, who held the comic book to his chest, and tears welled up in her eyes: "Your Highness Ota, this is... just as harmful to your health?!"
“Don’t worry, Mino.” Ota raised his head: “I am a noble member of the royal family, and my will is no less firm than yours. Only I can withstand the side effects.”
"Only I can see from this what those border demons are about to reveal their fangs, and nip it in the bud!"
Ota looked serious, his eyes pure and innocent. He looked at the comic book in his hand as if he were simply appreciating a work of art, without any other thoughts.
Mino believed it.
Chapter 28 On the Maids of Beautiful Girl Manga Protagonists
"Prince Ota is truly great."
Looking at Ota's radiant and focused face, Mino felt incredibly proud; he truly was his best friend.
Before leaving, Mino saw Ota carefully put the comic book away and place it in the locked cabinet in the lower right corner of the desk. Inside, there were layers upon layers of almost a complete set of comic books, which made Mino even more impressed.
Even with such a strong will, Ota was not arrogant. Instead, he carefully sealed the comic book away. If he hadn't accidentally stumbled upon it today, he would never have imagined that Prince Ota was carrying such a dangerous item!
To him, those extremely dangerous comics hidden in his drawer were nothing less than dangerous objects on par with his heart!
As the memories gradually became clearer, Mino's eyes lit up.
Ota never imagined that the thing he had impulsively locked up, the thing he hated most, would save him from trouble at such a crucial moment!
“I remember now.” Mino’s expression was serious as he slowly recounted what he knew: “The girl dolls in the bookcase are just ordinary collectibles. What Prince Ota treasures most is the complete set of beautiful girl comics he keeps hidden in the lower right corner of his desk!!!”
“Comics…?” Kleidina frowned slightly, slowly realizing the meaning behind this new yet somewhat familiar term:
"Does it refer to the picture books invented by the paper demons among the border demons? Prince Ota actually likes that kind of thing..."
Seeing the disbelief written all over Klettina's face.
“That kind of thing…?” Suddenly, Mino’s shoulders began to tremble, her voice filled with suppressed anger: “How could you use such casual words to describe a picture book that is more sacred than a goddess?!”
"Apologize to all the beautiful girl comics in the country, Kora!" Mino roared.
“But… I’ve seen it once or twice.” Kletina blinked, somewhat puzzled.
"What's so interesting about picture books that feature scantily clad girls providing fan service and whose plots are completely detached from reality?"
"No Road Race!"
Mino clenched her fists tightly, her eyes brimming with tears, and cried out hoarsely, "What fanservice, what moe? I think you guys really don't understand! So-called shoujo manga is not such a superficial thing!"
"It's impossible to run into a ditzy, beautiful girl with bread in her mouth around the corner in the hero candidate camp... The classmate sitting next to you at the palace academy isn't your childhood friend who suddenly appears after many years... We all know that the so-called male protagonist who is liked because he is kind is just a fabrication by the author, a fake advantage other than his looks!"
"But so what? The so-called 'cuteness' really exists!" Mino, like a devout believer, pounded his right fist hard on his heart: "It's the purest dream of boys, as enshrined in comics!"
He turned his head and looked at Kletina sincerely.
"It is precisely because His Highness Ota is a prince of a country that he has seen too much filth and the darkness of human nature, and therefore he is unable to open his heart to anyone."
"So the world in the comics is his final spiritual refuge!" Mino seemed possessed by a psychologist at this moment, getting so excited that saliva kept flying from his mouth:
"The girl's hidden skirt hem, her perfectly proportioned cleavage, her shy and innocent expression, and her exquisitely revealing poses—these are all things he constantly craves!"
"In short, Prince Ota is a perverted slut obsessed with bishoujo manga!"
The deafening sound landed on the ground, followed by a long period of calm.
Kleidina fell silent, not because she was convinced by Mino's description, but because she felt that Ota Kur—
It's really outrageous.
"...I understand. I'll go and confirm all of this." After a long silence, Kletina finally accepted Mino's explanation, turned around, and left the cell as if she had been somewhat shocked.
The footsteps gradually faded away.
Mino breathed a sigh of relief, then revealed a gloating smile.
She believed it, she really believed it!
We have to look at Mino Oscar Lake, who delivered a flawless performance based solely on his own imagination... If he didn't know his best friend Ota's upright and honest character well, he himself would have believed the ridiculous conclusion that Ota was obsessed with bishoujo manga!
Phase Two Mission Completed
[Reward: One chance to "heal"]
[Reward Received: An item belonging to the demon "Kreitina" - Draw in progress...]
"It's here, it's finally here!"
Mino was invigorated and more excited than ever before.
The familiar specks of light reappeared in her palm. Mino could already smell the familiar rose scent. As the light and shadow solidified, Mino didn't hesitate any longer and unleashed an epic, intoxicating feast—
"Huh?" The cool, refreshing texture made Mino freeze. He looked down, puzzled, at the object that had appeared in his palm.
It was an antique key made of silver, with a slight fluorescent glow.
"What? It's just a key..." Mino's voice was tinged with disappointment.
Beside him, Altottai's sword twitched: "As a prisoner, what's there to be disappointed about receiving a key, a prize-like item... What else do you want?"
Mino looked bored, then leaned closer to look, and the key's information unfolded before her eyes.
[Item: Key to the Demon King's Castle Gate]
[Effect: Carry it with you and, once you find the gate to the Demon King's castle, you can open it directly and access any part of the demon territory. For non-demon users, it depends on luck.]
Mino was initially invigorated, as she had unexpectedly obtained the key that allowed her to sneak out of the Demon King's castle, but she soon became suspicious of the notes regarding its effects.
"Testing luck? What does that mean?"
He read it carefully before noticing a line of inconspicuous black text below the description of the effects.
[Negative effect (affects creatures other than demons): When equipped, each time you open the door and enter a space, it will become a random room within the Demon King's castle.]
……
The Demon King's Castle, bottom level.
Conference hall.
As the will-o'-the-wisp of the Demon Alliance Conference lit up, the will-o'-the-wisp symbolizing Svir and Migo drifted to the opposite side of Kletina. Kletina and Fim attended in their true forms, but did not receive a response from the other demons for the time being.
"The above is the new information provided by the hero Mino... I think this is the easiest opportunity for us."
Kleidina looked at Swell.
The will-o'-the-wisp drifted gently: "Heh, regardless of whether the information provided by the hero is true or false, as a book demon, I seem to have no reason not to give up and give it a try."
Migo's humming came from the will-o'-the-wisp: "To actually like comics that look like paper dolls, humans... are truly hopeless."
"Those low-level demons on the border are quite bored, actually making this kind of thing out of nothing."
“Phim, what do you think?” Migo turned to Phim. As the younger of the Ninth Demons, Migo and Phim were as close as “peers”.
Fim sat blankly in his seat, quietly flipping through some comic book samples that Kleidina had brought. After tilting his head and thinking for a long time, he came to a conclusion:
“In every comic book, there will be a maid.”
Chapter 29 Call me Teacher Hearst!
"Hmph! Of course, boys like that kind of sexy yet cute thing!" Migo said angrily.
Swell, standing nearby, nodded approvingly: "That is indeed a truth written in my book."
Fim sat in the corner of the long table, blinking somewhat blankly.
Fim...is he cute?
She thought for a moment, then pointed to a comic book: "The people in this book look a lot like Migo."
Migo looked closely through the will-o'-the-wisp and saw that it was a character that was called "tsundere" in the definition of a tsundere, and was also a template character in bishoujo manga.
"What nonsense are you talking about! It doesn't seem like it at all! Besides, who would like someone with such a sharp tongue who doesn't even like the protagonist's existence? It's completely incomprehensible."