性瘾者

Nero was relieved when Zeru, his ice phoenix, said that it was over.

The sounds of fighting outside the ice igloo had disappeared, too.

[Mother did well.]

“Get rid of this,” Nero said while tapping the ice wall with his fingers. “I need to talk to William.”

“Alright,” Zeru said, then he stood up and put his hands together. After that, the ice igloo slowly melted until it disappeared. “Do you need me for something else?”

He shook his head. “You may take a rest now. I’ll just summon you when I need you again.”

.....

The ice phoenix just bowed to him, then he disappeared.

He turned to William, who was wiping the black substance off his hands using a white handkerchief. “Did Mother kill the god who wanted to see me?”

“Mona doesn’t have the authority to kill gods,” William reminded him. “That guy with violet hair. He came and killed the God of Recollection.”

“Ruston Stroganoff?” he asked with knitted eyebrows. “Does he have the authority to kill gods?”

“We just recently found out that he is the divine son of Lord Levi, the God Among Gods.”

“What kind of being is that?” he asked curiously. “Is he the king of the gods?”

“You can say that,” the Grand Spirit confirmed. “The gods keep an eye on humans, while Lord Levi keeps the gods in check. He’s the reason why the gods can’t descend to the human world even if they wanted to. If it wasn’t for him, then the Divine Oath wouldn’t be possible in the first place.”

“I don’t understand,” he said. “Is he that strong that the other gods can’t bring him down, even if they ganged up on them?”

“Well, as far as I know, Lord Levi is the strongest god,” William said. “But he would definitely go down if the other gods worked together.”

“Then why haven’t they done it yet if they really wanted to descend to the human world?”

“They can’t,” the Grand Spirit said a little too seriously. “Lord Levi’s existence is one-of-a-kind. He’s irreplaceable. When he dies, the Upper World will collapse. For that reason, they can’t kill Lord Levi.”

“Hmm.”

“What?”

“I just think that the solution to their problem is easy,” he said with a shrug. “If the gods can’t find a replacement for Lord Levi, then they should just create one. Of course, I know that it wouldn’t be easy. But I also don’t think it’s entirely impossible.”

“What are you saying?” William knitted his eyebrows. “If something like that is possible, then the other gods would have tried that already.”

“We’re not sure about that,” he said, amused. “Maybe they’re already making a little Lord Levi as we speak?”

“Nero, stop saying blasphemous things- you’re not Neoma.”

He just shrugged. “Anyway, I have a question about your ability called ‘Switch.\'”

“What about it?”

“You can switch two people’s physical conditions, right?”

“That’s correct.”

“Then can you also swap their physical bodies?”

“If they are physically close together, then yes, it’s possible,” William said carefully while giving him a suspicious look. “What are you planning to do?”

“Let’s go to the academy,” he said. “I need to swap places with Neoma.”

“What for?”

“Father’s Soul Beast, the one called South, is giving Zeru a blow-by-blow report of Neoma’s match,” he said. “South also told me about the crows that fell from the sky. Apparently, those crows had cameras for their eyes. That’s why I know what’s happening.”

“And...?”

“I have a feeling that the crows are planning to expose the fact that the Crown Prince that participated in the match is actually the hidden royal princess,” he said. “A god even visited just to “see” me. Do you think it’s a coincidence?”

“Of course not,” William said, scoffing. “The crows probably sent that god here to capture your image, and send it to the people watching the match for them to realize that there are two Crown Prince in different places.”

He nodded. “Correct. But the crows aren’t dumb. If they are really adamant about exposing the royal secret today, they wouldn’t come up with a single plan. They have at least two. And now that the first one failed, they will definitely proceed with the second.”

The Grand Spirit raised an eyebrow at him. “And you know what their second plan is?”

“I have a hunch,” he said. “If I were the crows and my grand plan to expose the royal secret, then I would reveal it in the simplest possible way.”

“And that is?”

“The academy is brimming with young students who are easy to manipulate,” he said, smirking. “You just have to find someone dumb enough to risk their life just to tarnish the Royal Family’s reputation for some thrill. Once you find the perfect pawn, you just have to tell them the royal secret and disguise it as a “rumor.””

“Do you think someone will be brave enough to bite your bait?”

“William, you will be surprised by how many stupid people are out there,” he said, shaking his head. “But if you’re unlucky and you can’t find the perfect pawn, you can always resort to cheap tricks and brainwash people to do your bidding.”

“Nero... the things coming out of your mouth are unbefitting of your status,” the Grand Spirit said, and he looked shocked by his words. “Neoma is such a bad influence on you.”

“Neoma is the good twin- I’m the deranged one.”

William couldn’t refute his words, so he just frowned.

“Anyway, I need to go to the academy so I can swap places with Neoma easily.”

“Are you not going to ask for your parents’ permission first?”

“I won’t because I know that they won’t allow me to do what I want,” he said. “I’ll just leave a message to Mother if she’s not yet here once we leave.”

William let out a sigh. “Fine.”

He just nodded, then he turned to the door and raised his voice when he spoke. “Stephanie, Alphen, come in.”

The head maid and the head butler were always outside his door to wait for his orders.

Stephanie and Alphen bowed and greeted him when they entered his bedroom.

“I need to dress up exactly like Neoma,” Nero ordered the head maid and the head butler while unbuttoning his shirt. “Get me her school uniform, and the same choker that she uses- but get rid of the device attached to it.”

Stephanie and Alphen bowed to him. “We received your order, Your Royal Highness.”

***

“NERO...” Mona trailed off when she realized that Nero and William weren’t in the room. Of course, she panicked right away. “Nero, where are you...?”

“Lady Roseheart?”

She turned around and smiled when she saw Stephanie. “Have you seen Nero?” she asked worriedly. “He’s not in his room.”

Although she knew Nero would be safe with William, she was still worried.

Stephanie politely handed her a letter. “Prince Nero asked me to give this letter to you before His Royal Highness left the palace, Lady Roseheart.”

Mona’s eyes went wide. “Nero left the palace?”

***

THE MATCH was over when Nero arrived at the academy with William.

Right now, he was watching the stage with him on the roof of the arena. Jeno Dankworth was with them, too. William purposely teleported to where the young lord was because they needed his power.

[We know that Jeno Dankworth is here because William surveyed the area first.]

Unfortunately, because he took long, they didn’t get to see the match.

But something interesting happened, so he was still entertained.

“The crows have prepared well,” Nero said, smirking while watching the woman who looked like Empress Juliet claim that she was Calyx Dalton’s mother. “Is she the real Empress Juliet?”

“Yes, that’s the real Juliet Sloane.”

He turned to William when he noticed that his voice sounded distressed.

And when he saw the Grand Spirit’s face, he realized that he wasn’t just upset. He also saw fear in William’s eyes.

[What is he scared of? This is the first time I’ve seen him make that face.]

“How can you be sure that she’s the real Juliet Sloane?”

“Juliet Sloane has a unique Mana. It’s one of the reasons why she was chosen to be the empress in the first place,” William, who still looked out of it, explained. “I bet that even Nikolai de Moonasterio already knows that it’s the real deal.”

“She claims to be Calyx Dalton’s mother,” he said. “Did Father lie when he said Mother was the only woman he held in his arms?”

“As if your father would lie about that,” the Grand Spirit said. “And Calyx Dalton doesn’t have the glow of the First Star. Every firstborn child of the current emperor is blessed with that glow.” He fell silent for a moment before he spoke again. “It seems like Juliet Sloane has amnesia.”

“Then the crows must have done something,” he said. “Maybe they stole her corpse, revived her, and erased her memories?”

William fell silent.

.....

He raised his eyebrow, suspicious. [Why is he acting strange?]

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard the crowd go crazy after Neoma, who was helping Calyx Dalton walk, left the stage and headed to the exit of the arena.

He didn’t like how physically close the crow was to his twin sister.

[But I know that Neoma is just doing her best to show “sportsmanship.”]

“They’re asking all sorts of weird things to Neoma...” William trailed off, then his eyes went wide before he turned to him. “Nero, your prediction is correct.”

“You can hear those people talking from here?”

“Of course, my senses are sharp,” the Grand Spirit said. “A dumb kid is hinting that the Crown Prince is a fake.”

“I told you so,” he said, smirking. Then he turned to Jeno Dankworth. “I’ll swap places with Neoma. Cover our movements with your Mist.”

Jeno Dankworth nodded politely. “I only accept orders from Princess Neoma, but since this is related to her, I will do as Your Royal Highness says.”

Although the young lord was stubborn, he didn’t hate it.

[I like that Neoma’s “children” are loyal to him.]

And it was a good thing that Jeno Dankworth was here.

He knew that William would be as discreet as he could.

But he wanted to be more careful. After all, most people in the academy- including the students- were highly skilled Mana-users. Covering their movements with Mist would be handy. Still, he still wanted to add one more step to ensure that the swap would be smooth.

And so, he put his hand over his stomach.

Then he hit himself with an energy wave strong enough to hurt him internally and make him cough up blood.

Jeno Dankworth looked shocked by what he did.

“Nero!” William called him in a scolding tone, then he grabbed him by the arm. “What did you do that for?”

“I’m fine,” he said, even though his insides hurt. “William, before you swap me with Neoma later, switch our physical conditions first.”

William looked at him weirdly. “I don’t mind doing that, but are you sure you want to give your pain to your beloved twin sister?”

“We need to distract the crowd,” Nero explained while letting the blood trickle down his chin without wiping it off. “Once Neoma coughs up blood, swap me with her.”

***

“YOUR ROYAL Highness, are you alright?”

[Ah, we’ve swapped places successfully.]

Nero opened his eyes and raised his head to meet Lewis Crevan’s eyes. “Lewis, I’m fine.”

Lewis Crevan’s face suddenly changed from being worried to confused.

[As expected, he noticed that I’m not Neoma right away.]

Thankfully, Lewis had a deadpan face that only the people closest to him would notice the minuscule change in his expression.

He wasn’t close to Lewis, but he was familiar with the way the fox boy looked at Neoma.

[And Lewis isn’t looking at me that way.]

He didn’t like it, but it wasn’t the right time to think about it.

Nero stood up, then he threw the choker that he had just removed to the ground. “What’s the big deal with this choker?”

William already told him everything that he had heard from the students earlier.

Thus, he already had a grasp of what was happening.

He wiped the blood off of his mouth with his hand. “Are you happy now?”

At the corner of his eye, he saw Calyx Dalton turn to him with a shocked look on his face.

[He’s probably wondering why my voice didn’t change.]

“Or do you want me to strip in front of you?” he asked to the suspicious student who suddenly went pale while taking off his jacket. He liked the pawn’s reaction, so he smirked. [William told me that this boy said he was willing to pay with his life if he made a mistake for accusing me.]

“Your Royal Highness,” Lewis said in a panic. “Please stop.”

[Perhaps Lewis isn’t 100% certain yet that I am not Neoma, thus the hesitation. After all, he and Neoma didn’t know about the plan I made while they were busy here.]

“No, I don’t want my new schoolmates to think that I’m hiding something,” he said, then he removed his vest and necktie. After that, he unbuttoned his shirt until his chest and stomach were exposed. “If you want to see my body that much, then just say so.”

The students suddenly fell silent, then most of them immediately lowered their eyes as if they were afraid to even get a glimpse of his exposed torso.

He could almost taste the fear in the air.

After all, every noble in the empire knew that physically touching a member of the Royal Family without permission was forbidden.

And it was the same for looking at the Crown Prince’s naked body.

[Well, I’m not completely naked. But to make the Crown Prince undress...]

If his father was the same cruel man that he was a few years ago, heads would be rolling on the ground by now.

[You should all thank Neoma for taming our father- you lived because of my twin sister.]

“What is happening here?”

[Speak of the devil...]

Everyone bowed deeply as they made way for his father.

When he turned to the emperor, he noticed that his eyes went a little wide when he saw his exposed torso. But since his father was a quick-witted man, understanding crossed his eyes after a few seconds.

[Father already realized that I’m the real Nero.]

“Did no one hear me earlier?” Emperor Nikolai asked coldly. “Don’t make me repeat myself.”

No one dared to move at that moment...

... except for Lewis Crevan.

The fox boy removed his jacket, then he draped it over Nero’s chest. Lewis even buttoned it up to cover Nero’s exposed torso.

[Lewis is good at acting as long as he doesn’t have to say anything.]

“It’s my fault, Father,” Nero said, then he bowed to the emperor. “I apologize for making a scene.”

“I’m not asking for your apology, Nero,” His Majesty said sternly. “I’m asking what happened here for you to undress in front of your schoolmates.”

“I will take responsibility, Father,” he said, still bowing. “As much as it is a crime to look at the naked body of a royal family member, it is also a crime for the royal family members to expose themselves to the public.”

“Fine,” the emperor said coldly. “If you don’t want to talk, then I’ll punish you. How would you like it if you miss a whole month of class as punishment?”

[As if Mother would let you do that to us, Father.”

Nero still bowed anyway. “I will graciously accept Father’s punishment.”

“Your Majesty, please don’t punish His Royal Highness.”

He almost rolled his eyes when Calyx Dalton stepped up.

[Two-faced bastard.]

“His Royal Highness is not at fault, Your Majesty,” Calyx Dalton said, his gaze and head lowered to the ground. “A student accused His Royal Highness of being the fake Crown Prince. According to him, the Crown Prince that I fought during the match was the hidden royal princess. His Royal Highness, being the child that he is, probably thought that the fastest way to prove his identity is to undress and show everyone that he’s the real Crown Prince.”

The emperor fell silent for a moment.

But His Majesty’s bloodlust wasn’t quiet at all.

Everyone around them- except for Nero, Lewis, Calyx Dalton, and the other adult crow- withstood the thick bloodlust in the air.

“Father, please calm down,” Nero said, then he bowed even deeper. “I know that I don’t have the obligation to explain myself just to clear a rumor. I’m also aware that I shouldn’t have addressed it this way, that I should have released an official statement instead of exposing myself. I apologize for letting my emotion get the better of me.”

Yes, he knew that undressing wasn’t the best way to dispel the “rumor.”

But he had a reason why he chose that way.

[Neoma loves drama.]

“Who?” Emperor Nikolai asked in a low, cold voice. “Who dares to question the Crown Prince’s identity?!”

Nobody spoke a word, but the stifled cry of the faint-hearted students were heard.

When Nero raised his head, he saw Calyx Dalton turn to the “pawn” student that started it all. Then the other students around turned to the culprit, too.

[You’re dead.]

The student who was as pale as the de Moonasterios now immediately dropped to his knees and lowered his head until his forehead hit the ground. “I h-have c-committed a g-grave s-sin, Y-Your M-Majesty!” the pawn said in a trembling voice, already crying out of fear. “P-Please f-forgive t-this l-lowly s-subject!”

Nero had to hide his smirk.

[That’s the price you have to pay for messing with my twin sister, you insignificant rat.]

***

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