Chapter 199: “Crown Prince Diaz and Sophia and the ‘Three-Item Set That Makes You Stop Caring About Life and Work’”

──Thor’s Perspective──

“Alright. Just as I expected.”

The soldiers who had charged into the forest had all fallen fast asleep.

Every one of them was curled up, sleeping like a baby.

This was the effect of the ‘Soft Cushion That Makes You Stop Caring About Tomorrow’s Work’.

It had been quite a challenge to make.

Because it’s a cushion designed not to interfere with the room’s interior, it needed both invisibility and camouflage. And to ensure its effectiveness, I even used Dragon Bone—a mind-sensitive material.

But the effort was worth it.

The cushion put the soldiers, who had turned into an entire army, to sleep in the blink of an eye.

As expected from an otherworldly relaxation item: ‘Soft Cushion That Makes You Stop Caring About Tomorrow’s Work’.

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‘Soft Cushion That Makes You Stop Caring About Tomorrow’s Work’

(Attribute: Earth・Water×4・Fire×2・Wind×2・Dark×2・Light×2)

(Additional Attribute: Mind Sensitivity)

(Additional Option: Alpha Wave Relaxation CD)

(Rarity: ★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★)

Its powerful water attribute gently wraps around and restrains the target.

The earth attribute firmly locks the restrained target in place.

The fire attribute produces a temperature like human skin.

The wind attribute infuses the target’s entire body with heartbeat-like alpha waves.

The dark attribute blocks the target’s vision, guiding them into sleep.

The light attribute renders it invisible.

A cushion that envelops the target and drags them into a blissful state of relaxation.

Once it captures someone, it won’t release them until they are fast asleep.

It contains an Alpha Wave Relaxation CD, allowing it to inflict the Status Effect: Ultra Relaxed.

Because it delivers alpha waves at zero distance, its effect is ten times stronger than when using the CD alone, sending the target into deep sleep in just a few seconds.

The cushion’s exterior is made from Light Magic Woven Cloth, making it permanently invisible.

Its inner material changes color to match the surroundings—essentially camouflage.

This means if you lose it, finding it will be a real pain.

Inside, it incorporates mind-sensitive material.

This reacts to nearby plants, animals, and more to produce its camouflage.

It also reacts to the minds of humans and demi-humans.

Thanks to this, the cushion will automatically creep toward anyone under mental strain. It can even assess the target’s mental state and tailor its relaxation to them.

Anyone targeted by this cushion will sleep soundly until noon the next day.

Thus, working the next day becomes impossible.

In the Hero World, it is the ultimate relaxation item.

Physical Destruction Resistance: ★★★ (It reads the enemy’s mind and avoids attacks, making it difficult to destroy.)

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Just as the description says, I think it turned out to be quite a powerful item.

The only problem was where to use it.

The opponents were enhanced soldiers—who also shared their senses.

Even with an invisible and camouflaged cushion, there was still a chance of it being spotted.

So we decided to lure the soldiers into the grove.

For that, we used a Security Alarm.

This idea came from something Rukie said.

Before we departed—when she was sending us off from the Demon Lord’s Castle—she told us:

—Those people may have formed an army and become something akin to a pseudo-hero.

—Such people might not be affected by a ‘Security Alarm’.

—They would probably come charging toward the ‘immense presence’ the alarm generates.

And she was right.

I was amazed.

As expected of the Demon Lord Rukie—brilliant thinking.

I almost wanted to pick her up and spin her around in joy.

I figured she’d get mad, so I stopped with just placing a hand on her shoulder.

Her prediction was correct.

Those enhanced by the Art of Army shared their senses and acted as one organism.

Such a group would not fear the “presence” generated by the Security Alarm—they would head straight for it.

Then I thought, couldn’t we use that to lead them where we wanted?

And sure enough, it worked.

Drawn by the Security Alarm, the soldiers entered the grove.

After that, it was simple.

We just had to drop the cushion on them from above while they were focused on the alarm’s presence.

The Soft Cushion was an item “that doesn’t disrupt the room’s interior.”

Its exterior was made of Light Magic Woven Cloth to make it invisible.

Its interior, thanks to the mind-sensitive material, blended with the surrounding colors.

So the soldiers never noticed the cushion.

And just like that, they all became victims of it.

Their shared consciousness from the Art of Army backfired.

The moment one of them became afflicted with the Status Effect: Ultra Relaxed, it spread to the others.

From one to two. From two to four.

In no time at all, they were all Ultra Relaxed.

And so they all ended up sleeping like children.

“Are you certain these men are under the command of Prince Ricardo and Princess Daphne?”

I asked Prince Diaz.

“It seems there’s no one here who appears to be under Archduke Kharon’s command. Could it be they weren’t absorbed by the ‘Art of Army’?”

“……”

“Your Highness Crown Prince Diaz?”

“…Ah, ah. Sorry. I must have been spacing out.”

Diaz, the crown prince, is beside me.

He’s a valuable source of information, and has told me everything he knows.

— About Prince Ricardo and Princess Daphne.
— About the ‘Hunting Grounds of the Imperial Family.’
— About the strange glowing plate, and the magic of the ‘Army.’

Since Prince Diaz promised to cooperate like that, we’re here now.

With Rukie’s permission, we came all the way to Imperial territory.

Of course, our use of the ‘Soft Cushion’ was with Prince Diaz’s consent.

After all, the ones rampaging under the ‘Art of Army’ are the Imperial princes and princesses and their soldiers.

If we put them all to sleep without permission, people might think the Demon Lord’s Domain had picked a fight with the Empire, and that would be a problem.

So officially, we’re just in the position of helping Prince Diaz.

Sophia came along as a witness to that.

Naturally, Mabel, Agnis, and the winged fairies Pixies are with us too.

The ‘Omawarisan Unit’ also accompanied us.

Isaac-san is here, as well as Nona-san, Archduke Kharon’s adjutant.

“…I wonder if His Grace is safe.”

“Ah, ah. He’s fine. We’ll rescue him soon enough.”

Prince Diaz answered Nona-san’s worried tone.

“I, Diaz, owe Kharon-dono a debt. I will absolutely save him.”

“I also believe His Grace Kharon is safe.”

I said,

“Prince Ricardo’s goal is ‘to demonstrate his strength,’ isn’t it? If so, he needs someone to witness that strength. Someone who will look at him and his army and say, ‘You are strong enough!’ Perhaps that’s why he captured His Grace Kharon.”

“…That may be so. Sharp insight… you have it.”

“When I was in the Empire, my father constantly showed off his strength to me. And he always tried to make others say, ‘Duke Regas is strong,’ or ‘Even if he can’t become a Sword Saint, his skill is still more than enough.’ In those times, I always tried to get away.”

“…I see.”

“So, Your Highness Diaz. Those lying there—are they Ricardo’s subordinates?”

“No, those would be Daphne’s subordinates.”

Prince Diaz shook his head.

“In the center of the unit, asleep, is Daphne. And… my own subordinates are there too.”

“I see.”

“My own subordinates couldn’t resist the ‘Art of Army’ either. But still…”

Prince Diaz bit his lip.

With shoulders trembling, in a voice squeezed out,

“This… This cannot be the strength of a hero. Daphne and the others were running around like insects drawn to honey. They lost themselves… like insects… This is not what I, nor the Empire, desire!”

“No, that is precisely the result of the Empire’s ‘might above all’ doctrine.”

Sophia stepped toward Prince Diaz and addressed him.

“Don’t you understand, Brother? The princes and princesses of the Empire have always sought strength like the ‘Art of Army.’”

“Don’t spout nonsense, Sophia!”

“It’s the truth. The Empire is a country that will do anything to gain strength. That’s why Brother Ricardo couldn’t resist the ‘Art of Army.’”

“…No way…”

“Then tell me, Brother Diaz—can you say with confidence that you wouldn’t fall under the ‘Art of Army’ yourself?”

“────!?”

“If becoming part of the ‘Army’ meant you could defeat His Grace Kharon, could you resist that temptation?”

“…Th-That’s…”

Prince Diaz clenched his fist.

He looked down, as if searching for a rebuttal.

But—

“…No, I don’t… have that confidence.”

Eventually, Prince Diaz’s shoulders slumped.

“I… I have no confidence. I can’t be sure I’d refuse the ‘Army.’”

“That is reality. That is the state of the Empire now, Brother Diaz.”

Sophia’s expression was serious.

She was desperately trying to persuade Prince Diaz.

Maybe… Sophia had always wanted to say this to her family.

— That the Empire, as it is now, cannot go on.
— That mindlessly chasing strength will one day lead to something irreversible.

She might have always wanted to tell them.

And now that Prince Diaz had recognized the danger of ‘strength,’ she was trying to convey her thoughts.

“The next one to lead the Empire will be you, Brother Diaz.”

Sophia looked him straight in the eye as she spoke.

“Will you continue blindly pursuing strength… or will you stop before the whole nation becomes like the ‘Army’? The time will come when you must choose, Brother Diaz.”

“…I understand now, Sophia.”

Prince Diaz slumped his shoulders.

“I understand what you’re trying to say. The imperial princes and princesses have shown such disgrace. If this is what lies at the end of the strength the Empire seeks… then the Empire must change. Even I can see that.”

“Brother Diaz…”

“And on top of that, this disgrace has been witnessed by people from another country. It’s over… I myself can no longer believe wholeheartedly in ‘might above all,’ Sophia.”

“I think that’s for the best, Brother Diaz.”

Sophia said that with a relieved smile.

“Thor Regas… no, Thor Canaan.”

Crown Prince Diaz looked at me.

“I… admit defeat. I couldn’t stop Daphne and the others. The Empire was wrong to exile you. I… no, the Empire has lost. We have lost to you.”

“…Huh?”

“I mean, as Crown Prince of the Empire, I’m admitting defeat to you.”

“…I’m not really interested in winning or losing, though.”

“…You’re not!?”

“Yes. I don’t particularly care about victory or defeat against the Empire or anything like that.”

“……”

“My goal is only to keep making items I like. Also… surpassing the Hero World is one of my goals. So, winning or losing doesn’t matter to me.”

I nodded while looking at Prince Diaz.

“I made relaxation items to challenge the Hero World’s ‘Cursed Smartphone.’ Of course, part of the aim is to prevent trouble from spilling into the Demon Lord’s Domain.”

“…I see.”

Prince Diaz gave a wry smile.

It was as if he were staring intently at me, trying to probe my true feelings.

“Ah, I see. I misunderstood. It was only me who had been feeling defeated of my own accord. I see… so this is what a sense of defeat feels like…”

Prince Diaz looked up at the sky and let out a sigh.

“But… it’s not bad. To acknowledge defeat… is not such a bad thing…”

For a while, Prince Diaz quietly gazed off into the distance. But soon, he straightened his expression, turned toward the Omawarisan Unit, and—

“Listen, soldiers of the town of Nosa. We have succeeded in neutralizing Daphne, who was manipulated by suspicious sorcery, along with her unit… and also the subordinates of myself, Diaz. However, Ricardo and his main force remain. I ask for your help in capturing them!!”

Crown Prince Diaz declared.

“Yes, sir!” 

“We will rescue the Archduke!!”

“In the name of Princess Sophia and Prince Diaz!”

“It is the duty of us Omawarisan to protect the Empire’s peace!!”

Isaac-san, Nona-san, and the members of the Omawarisan Unit raised their voices.

“But… do not forget. Unfortunately… we alone cannot stop Ricardo’s ‘Army’. We need the power of the Demon Lord’s Domain and that alchemist… We will borrow their strength and together stop Ricardo! This is the decision of Crown Prince Diaz!!”

“““Oooooooh!!”””

Prince Diaz still stumbled over his words at times. I suppose saying “borrow the power of the Demon Lord’s Domain” was still difficult for him.

Isaac-san, Nona-san, and the Omawarisan Unit responded with agreement without hesitation. They were already practically friends with the Demon Lord’s Domain by now.

“…The Empire’s Crown Prince has openly declared a joint effort with the Demon Lord’s Domain.”

“…I never imagined something like this could happen…”

Mabel and Agnis were astonished.

Indeed, this was remarkable.

The Empire’s Crown Prince had recognized the Demon Lord’s Domain as an equal partner.

If Diaz became Emperor as he was now, the Empire would surely change.

“Well, before that, we have to do something about Prince Ricardo and his people.”

“Yes! Let’s do our best, Thor-sama.”

“Agnis will also do her best!”

“I wonder if we can use the same trick as with Princess Daphne… Though they’ve probably realized the cushions exist by now.”

Prince Ricardo’s Army shared their senses.

They might already know that Princess Daphne had been attacked from above by cushions.

The opponent was a prince of the Empire. Of course they would have countermeasures.

That being the case… we would also need to use our trump card.

“Alright… let’s use the last item in the Three-Piece Set That Makes You Stop Caring About Life and Work

I said.

At that, Mabel and Agnis widened their eyes—

“Thor-sama!?”

“Y-you mean you’ll use that!?”

“We have no choice. We can’t let Prince Ricardo and his men escape.”

“But… that will absolutely work on both humans and demi-humans.”

“And it has such power that it makes your body tremble.”

“I’d have preferred not to use it… but…”

I patted Mabel and Agnis on the head.

I understood why they were worried.

That item was powerful.

Just as Agnis said, it had such potency it could make your whole body shudder.

But Prince Ricardo and his men were dangerous right now.

To stop them, we had no choice but to give it everything we had.

“Besides, Rukie-sama said we could use it.”

I had permission—from both Rukie and Kelve.

If I held back now, it would waste the efforts of Kelve, who had helped with the experiment.

This was the decisive moment.

I would use the entire Three-Piece Set That Makes You Stop Caring About Life and Work to stop the Army.

And then destroy the Cursed Smartphone.

So that this dangerous Army Skill could never be used in this world again.

“I have a request for Your Highness Diaz and Your Highness Sophia.”

I addressed the two of them.

“To capture His Highness Ricardo, we’ll need a special formation. Would you be willing to lend us your strength?”

And so, I explained to them about the final item of the Three-Piece Set That Makes You Stop Caring About Life and Work, along with our plan from here on out.

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