Chapter 20: Praises.

"Anyway, the reason why I called you here is that I want you to stay in the village until morning," Mikael said, finally sitting on an armchair to the left of Deon.

"But why? Do you have anything more to do here?" Deon asked.

"Yes. Actually, I promised the children that I will bid them goodbye once I gain a partner." Mikael bashfully replied.

Deon thought that Mikael was acting so much like a human. Far from his first impression as a cruel demon, the Mikael sitting in front of him smiled so softly that, paired with his good looks, it wouldn't be strange to call Mikael angelic.

"I understand, Sir Mikael." Deon acquiesced, "By the way, do we have to come here every time we want to discuss things?" Deon looked around the space before continuing, "I don't think it's safe to collapse, unconscious, all the time."

As if awaiting his inquiry, the system immediately brought up the necessary information.

Ping!

<System Notification: The Direct messaging feature of the Ascension System is now unlocked!>

<Unlike the Private chat which summons the souls into the Medium, a neutral dimension, Direct Messaging works by telepathically delivering messages to each other.>

<This feature can be muted or unmuted depending on the user's preference.>

Mikael and Deon read the description from their respective screens,

"Huh… So, I can mute you when you're annoying? Nice!" Mikael commented.

Deon blushed beet red as he protested, "Sir! I can accept being called a coward because I am aware that it's true, but I AM still a prince! Please show me some courtesy by not calling me names! Besides, no one has ever dared to say that I am annoying."

With dead-fish eyes, Mikael watched the prince huff in indignation before pointing out, "Not to your face, probably… See? Even now, you're annoying."

"SIR!!"

'HAHAHA! This kid… is so fun to tease!' Mikael internally laughed at the young prince's cute response. 'Ah… At least, partnering up with him won't be boring.' he looked at the bright side.

"How long was I in here, anyway? My guard's surely freaking out now." Deon changed the topic as he could not rebut Mikael's statement.

"Around 5 minutes? I think time flows here as it does outside." Mikael replied, scratching his chin.

Deon abruptly stood. He had a bad feeling about the situation in the real world, "I-I have to get out!"

The system then asked,

< Do you wish to return to Host?>

<Yes/No>

"Yes!"

A moment after, the tugging sensation returned and pulled Deon back to his body.

"Wh….t….id…y…o?! if t…P..n.c…d…s…"

His ears picked up a garbled speech, but Deon was sure that the person talking was very upset.

His round, hazel-brown eyes fluttered open, revealing the view of a low ceiling.

"You will be hung by the gallows if you refuse to tell me what you did, kid!" his guard's voice was dangerously low.

"Sir! Please! Spare my child! I'm sure there's a misunderstanding." Elena pleaded as she held a crying George.

"M-Mama! I really didn't do anything!" George's cheerful voice was replaced with anguish. He hid behind his mother, who shielded him from the threatening guard.

"You didn't do anything?! Then, why did the royal prince collapse huh?!" Sir Edmund barked, "Or was it the tea? Did you poison the prince, Lady?!"

"No!" Elena's outcry rang in Deon's head, prompting him to sit up and clear the situation.

"Oww…" Deon's head throbbed in pain. "Ugh.. why does my head hurt?" he said.

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"PRINCE!" Sir Edmund hurriedly went to his side and asked in a worried tone, "Are you okay, Prince? Does anything hurt? How's your stomach?"

Judging by Sir Edmund's rapid-fire questions, Deon figured that he was really worried, but whether his worry was directed to the prince or his guard position, Deon had no way to know.

"I'm fine. It's just… my head hurts." He winced as he nursed his head.

"Ah… about that… you bumped your head when you collapsed, prince." His guard explained, cold sweat beading his temples.

But George suddenly interjected from behind his mother, "He's lying! You bumped your head on the table when sir guard hoisted you up!"

A battle of nerves ensued as George and Sir Edmund glared at each other, their expressions clearly speaking their minds.

'This brat! How dare you tattle on me?!'

'This old geezer! How dare you threaten my mom!' – their scowls seemed to say.

"I understand… Anyway, I want you to apologize for your rude behavior, Sir Edmund." Deon finally said.

"Y-your highness! But my concerns were perfectly reasonable!" his guard protested.

Even though he was a royal guard, Sir Edmund was an aristocrat. Albeit a poor one with only his noble title, his pride of being a nobility would not let him bow down to commoners.

"Sir Ed, do you wish to disobey the order of a royalty?" Deon said. Although his tone was kind, there was an unmistakable edge that could only be used by a man of power.

Sir Edmund visibly flinched at the subtle warning.

Left with no choice, the Royal guard unwillingly bowed, "Please forgive me for my harsh accusations, Lady."

Taken aback by the sudden turn of events, Elena also bowed in return, "U-uhh… I'm glad the Prince is safe."

Meanwhile, George stuck out his tongue toward the crown of Sir Edmund's head. Fortunately, only Deon saw his behavior.

"HAHAHA! Really! I'm going to miss this mischievous kid!" Mikael cackled inside Deon's mind, "By the way, good work, Prince. You looked so dashing, defending commoners like that! As I thought, I was right about choosing you."

The sudden praise heated Deon's ears and made his heart pound. It was a first—the first sincere compliment that he received for all his life. There was none of the flattery nor fake courtesy that he had grown used to as part of the royal family. It was an unbridled recognition for his action.

'Ahh… maybe… maybe I could get used to this.' Deon secretly thought.

At first, he was uncomfortable about having someone talk inside his head, but now, he was extremely pleased about it.

As one who suffered from an inferiority complex in all 15 years of his life, Deon felt ecstatic about a simple compliment, 'Yes, this isn't so bad.'

"Your highness? Are you sure that you're fine? Why is your face so red?" Sir Edmund asked.

Cough!

Deon cleared his throat in embarrassment, "By the way, is there an Inn in this village?" he asked Elena to divert the three's attention.

"There is, sir. The one across the street is an Inn." Elena respectfully replied.

At this, Sir Edmund swiveled his head in Deon's direction, his eyes wide with incredulity, "Prince! Don't tell me…"

"Yes. we have to stay until tomorrow morning."

"But why? I thought we're done here, your highness!"

Deon scratched his head, thinking of what excuse to make.

"His highness told me that he wants to meet the children rescued from the abandoned orphanage tomorrow," George said, helping Deon out.

"Ah! So that's what you talked about, alone!" Elena gasped. Then her eyes softened, clearly misunderstanding that Deon was merely concerned about the welfare of the village kids, "I see… truly, our Heinken Kingdom was blessed to have such a compassionate prince."

--Chapter end--

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