The Mad Prince and his hilarious companions.
King of Siamese Cats’ Point of View
"Nice to meet you. I'm Pochi. Let's talk."
The seemingly innocent madman in front of me spoke with an unnervingly calm smile. The name Pochi... I believe that was the nickname of the first prince. He looks exactly like the former king.
Staring at him won't change anything. We've been defeated. But I won't lose without a fight.
"Please have those corpses step aside. As you can see, I'm unarmed, and there are no other... living humans here."
"Understood."
The corpses obediently moved to the corner of the room at the madman's command.
"Now, shall we talk?"
I would have preferred if they left the room, but that wasn't going to happen. If that's the case, perhaps I should lure them in.
"Very well. Standing around won't do. This way."
I led them to the reception room connected to the throne room and gestured for them to sit. I'd heard he was of commoner origin, but the mad prince's manners were impeccable. Perhaps he came from a wealthy commoner family.
"Unfortunately, the servants have fled, so I can't offer you tea. Now, what is this about?"
I'm sure the 'shadows' are still in the attic. Yes, I won't die without a fight. Even if those corpses go berserk and devour me, I'll make sure this mad prince pays.
"Do you know how our country came to be?"
How it came to be? That doesn't matter, but I need to keep the mad prince's attention focused on me.
"... I believe it began when a princess of Shiverihas fell in love with one of our ancestors and fled with them."
"... There are some minor discrepancies, but that's roughly correct."
"And what of it?"
"Do you recognize this?"
What the Mad Prince held out was...!
"So it was your doing!"
I flew into a rage and slashed at the Mad Prince with the knife I had hidden.
"Whoa! Transformation!"
He dodged the knife... and then the Mad Prince transformed?? Wait, not transformed... he changed???
"Wolfanea Boy No.6!!"
Who the hell is this?
Apparently, when people see something utterly incomprehensible, their minds shut down completely. And my mind had indeed shut down.
"......... Huh?"
"Uh, um... for now, can we agree it's not my fault and just listen to what I have to say?"
"......... Sure."
It seems the Mad Prince is still the same inside. Standing before me was a well-built man in a full-body spandex suit, a mask, a belt, and boots. His ridiculous, absurd appearance completely drained the fight out of me, so I put away the knife and sat down. I was now certain this guy was insane.
However, his insanity seemed limited to his appearance. His suit had deflected my knife. Though he looked like a complete clown, I couldn't let my guard down.
Calming down and looking at the perverted Mad Prince before me, I realized:
I messed up.
His face was completely covered, so I couldn't see his expression. That put me at a severe disadvantage in any negotiation.
"... So?"
What's done is done. Since I attacked, I couldn't very well demand he disarm. He was still armed, and I had no intention of disarming either.
Prompting him to continue, the perverted mad prince began to speak.
To summarize, the magic circle the perverted Mad Prince showed me was a fragment of the Evil God that a hero had defeated long ago, something called 'Mana.' The Shiverihas royal family had been absorbing the fragments of the Evil God from their land, and it was originally our role to purify them.
I had some idea about the purification ritual, but I kept my role as the listener. After all, it was impossible now.
"And? What does the kind prince want us to do?"
Our country will disappear from the map. We'll likely be executed. We don't have the power to purify anything. Even if we live, we'll just be a nuisance.
"I want you to do nothing."
"........................ Huh?"
"Well, I'd like to sign a friendship treaty or something, but I know that's impossible. I just don't want to further activate the Mana."
The 'Mana' feeds on negative emotions, and with the ongoing wars, the situation will only worsen. I can understand that.
"Our defeat is clear. Why don't you take my head!? Is this out of pity!?"
Are you saying we're no match for Shiverihas!? Do you plan to keep us as pets!? Or are we as worthless as insects!? I was furious. This was an outrageous insult!!
"Why would I need to take your head?"
"........................ Huh?"
I couldn't understand this mad prince's reasoning.
"I came here to talk to you. If you're dead, we can't talk."
"........................"
Well... that's true. Though, if I turned you into a corpse puppet... Come to think of it, those corpses didn't speak meaningful words. Maybe they don't have that level of intelligence.
"Since my request for a discussion was refused, I thought I'd create a situation where you had no choice but to talk. I have no intention of ruling over Siamcats. I also have no intention of killing the family of the girl I care about."
Girl...? Don't tell me! The only missing member of the current royal family is...! The moment I thought of the possibility, a masked man and woman descended from the ceiling, carrying a bound 'shadow.'
"Nyafu~! Long time no see, Ojiisama! Wolfanea Girl, reporting for duty!!"
"Ah, long time no see... Wolfanea Boy No.5, at your service~"
"Wolfanea Commander, reporting in!!"
"”Victory is ours! Wolfanea Squadron, Rosarinjas!!"”
The two struck a pose. What is this? Both were dressed like the perverted Mad Prince, and one was a beautiful woman in male attire.
Then, another person descended late.
"Ah, sorry."
This one was a man I recognized. He wasn't dressed weirdly, and he wasn't wearing a mask.
But right now, I couldn't care less. I had a few questions, but honestly, I couldn't care less.
"................ Who are you?"
The situation was moving too fast, and my brain had genuinely stopped working. All I could manage was to ask that question to the group of obvious lunatics who had suddenly appeared. Please tell me that woman isn't related to me!??
"When asked who we are!"
"We answer with the kindness of the world, nya!"
"To prevent the destruction of the world!"
"To protect the peace of the world!"
"To cherish love, truth, and fluffiness!"
"Lovely, charming defenders of justice!!"
"Mary!"
"Rosarin!"
"For the Rosarinjas who race across the world!"
"A delightful tomorrow awaits!"
"... Just kidding."
The last guy, who seemed less enthusiastic, also looked familiar, but when faced with something utterly incomprehensible, the human mind just stops working.
"Oneechan, you guys were so cool~ just now!"
Watching the perverted Mad Prince clapping, I realized one thing: there's no way I can ever understand this guy.
What do you think about this chapter?
