The Prince Who Absorbs Abilities With a ‘Click’

Chapter 17: Skeleton Gunner Offers a Sacrifice

“So, who are these people?”

I asked Lynette with an expression of disbelief.

In front of me were ten people. The problem was that they were all maids, and they had nothing to do with me.

At least, that was the case until now.

“Yes, all of them…”

Lynette bit her lip tightly and then continued.

“They all wish to work under the Prince.”

“…Under me? Why?”

“It seems they were impressed by His Highness’s character…”

As she said that, Lynette was looking at the new arrivals, clenching her fists tightly.

She looked like she was trying to control something.

By the way, they came because of my character?

No, they seriously applied to work under me?

‘Huh.’

Had I been too immersed in the game?

After stopping the game for the first time in a while, reality unfolded in an odd situation.

“…But just because they want it doesn’t mean I’ll accept them. Do you have a letter of recommendation from the head maid?”

There was a subtle sharpness in Lynette’s voice.

In that cold atmosphere, one of the maids stepped forward as the representative and handed over the head maid’s letter of recommendation.

“Hmm.”

The content written on the recommendation letter was extremely simple.

It stated that the people here wished to work under me and asked for my generosity in accepting them.

‘What’s going on? Did something happen to the royal family that I don’t know about?’

It was natural for me to think like that.

In the Exion Empire, I was a prince whose importance ranked lower than that of a mere noble.

It was a sad reality, but it was the truth, no matter how I looked at it.

I was the least popular among my siblings, even compared to my older sisters.

In fact, among the maids, I was practically invisible.

It was easy to figure out the answer.

No matter how much of a maid they were, wouldn’t it be better for them to work under someone who has a high chance of becoming the Emperor, like the Crown Prince, or someone who, even if they can’t become the Emperor, has the power to maintain their position?

‘The 8th Prince, who is nothing more than a failure, not even able to hold onto his own position.’

Even if they were maids, working under someone with no hope or future, like me, was far less realistic than trying to catch the eye of the Crown Prince and becoming a concubine.

Even if they weren’t concubines, the nanny who had taken care of Crown Prince Raiel when he was young had gained power for a reason.

In this situation, suddenly, ten people come to me?

‘Hmm, something’s off.’

I began to suspect that something had changed while I wasn’t around.

‘It’s almost like one of them is an assassin, which is a cliché in these kinds of situations.’

Suspicious thoughts flashed through my mind, influenced by movies and manga I had seen in my past life.

Apart from that, I couldn’t think of anything else.

The 8th Prince’s residence only had three maids, including Lynette.

I didn’t even have my own personal bodyguards.

Even the late 7th Prince had several dozen bodyguards and maids assigned to his palace.

The difference between us, even though we were brothers not far apart in age, clearly showed my position within the royal family.

‘But that can’t be it.’

I shook my head, dismissing my pointless thoughts.

That was nonsense.

The Exion Empire wasn’t foolish.

In the past, there were records of assassins sent to try and bring down the Exion Empire.

If the royal family didn’t take action in such cases, could they really be called an empire?

Now, when the royal family selects maids, they obviously conduct thorough background checks. Among the applicants, they choose those from noble families with solid backgrounds.

If a maid were to do something suspicious, not only would the individual be punished, but the entire family would be wiped out. Who would dare harbor ill intentions?

So it was laughable to even think of such a thing.

‘But still, this is really strange.’

With that in mind, suspicion was inevitable.

‘I can only hope the royal family selected proper people.’

There was nothing I could do about the situation but leave it to chance.

It would be foolish to kick out the maids who had come just because I felt suspicious, given the current circumstances.

‘Besides, weren’t we short on staff anyway?’

As I mentioned before, the 8th Prince’s residence only had three maids, including Lynette, which wasn’t nearly enough to serve a prince of the empire.

Even now, the palace was barely functioning with the small number of staff.

Just as I was about to give up, salvation arrived.

If they joined, there would be extra expenses for the palace, but considering Lynette and the other maids, it would be better to accept them.

‘It’s for next year.’

I will be getting busier in the future.

It wouldn’t be right to force others to work harder just because of me.

‘Looks like you’re getting some help now, too.’

I glanced at Lynette, who was beside me, with a proud expression.

“…?”

Lynette’s expression wasn’t good.

Why? Lynette, who should be the happiest, seemed to have her eyes trembling slightly.

Her face also seemed slightly flushed.

‘Wait, Lynette. What’s the problem?’

I didn’t know what it was, but Lynette was still glaring at the new arrivals.

Was she feeling sick?

Now that I thought about it, Lynette had been acting strange lately.

She seemed to be blushing every time I saw her, and she had been making small mistakes recently, things she hadn’t done before.

‘Is she really sick?’

Could it be an infectious disease?

But that didn’t make sense because I, who was close to Lynette, was fine.

It wouldn’t make sense for only the maids under me to be in strange condition while I, the prince, was okay.

‘Could she have caught a cold?’

It seemed likely.

She had been working a lot with so few people, and her body might have started to reach its limits.

‘Well, then it’s a good thing.’

Now that we had more staff, it would be easier for her to work.

I nodded and spoke.

“Well, since there’s a letter of recommendation from the head maid, there shouldn’t be any problem.”

I immediately accepted them.

“Lynette, train them well, and once the handover is complete, stay by my side.”

Even though I was a prince with little importance in the royal family, within my own palace, I was the king.

Telling her to stay by my side meant she could relax within the 8th Prince’s residence.

I could have the new staff take care of the other tasks.

It was only natural to reward her for all her hard work.

Was she moved by my words?

Lynette’s expression brightened immediately.

“Your, Your Highness…Does that mean…you want me to stay by your side even at night…?”

Hmm?

Of course, Lynette was a person too, so she needed to rest at night, but if any issues arose, we would need someone to handle them.

“Isn’t that obvious?”

“Y-Yes!”

Did she really like working that much?

Well, it’s best when everyone’s happy.

“By the way, what’s the next schedule?”

Lynette snapped back to attention at the sound of my voice.

“Ah, this afternoon there’s a civil affairs meeting.”

“A civil affairs meeting? That’s today?”

“No, Your Highness. The Crown Prince summoned you urgently.”

“I see.”

That meant something had happened if Raiel, my older brother, was urgently calling a meeting.

‘Hmm, it looks like I’ll be seeing some unwelcome faces after a long time.’

At a civil affairs meeting, everyone who wasn’t out on assignment would attend.

The most uncomfortable participants would ironically be my brothers, who were of the same bloodline.

‘My sisters would be better.’

In fact, my sisters were practically angels.

Since we were of different genders and would walk different paths, there was no need to create any animosity.

But my brothers were a different story.

‘What kind of scolding will I get this time?’

Even though I was the youngest, it was clear they would try to keep me in check.

‘I’m always the easy target.’

No mana, no aura.

I was just ordinary, with no power, so it was natural for me to be their punching bag.

‘Sigh.’

I already didn’t want to attend.

Inside the dungeon, the Skeleton Gunner was looking down at the bodies scattered on the floor.

The blood that had flowed across the cold stone floor had not yet dried.

There were four corpses in total.

These were the bodies of the intruders who had recklessly entered the dungeon just a few hours ago.

With its fingers made of bones, the Skeleton Gunner stroked the handgun as it fell into deep thought.

This place is no ordinary dungeon.

It is, in fact, a sanctuary personally designated by God, a special place watched over by Him.

‘How dare they step foot in such a place.’

The Skeleton Gunner shook its head.

The memory from just moments ago came back vividly.

A winged cat glowing with a mysterious light, and a strange figure dressed in attire that seemed impossible in this world.

The thrill it had felt then once again seeped deep into its bones.

It quickly realized that the winged cat was a God.

Perhaps that being had descended in the form of a manifestation.

Of course, the cat itself wasn’t the true form of God. It was likely a vessel chosen for the divine being to descend into this world, and that was the most accurate way to describe it.

The figure standing next to the cat…was probably God’s attendant.

The Skeleton Gunner savored how the attendant had referred to God.

“Kain…”

The name was uttered with reverence.

It couldn’t forget the moment when the attendant had called the God “Lord Kain.”

“Lord Kain…”

It was a name so precious that nothing in this world could compare to it.

The name by which God referred to Himself was “Kain.”

The Skeleton Gunner repeated the name again, making a dry sound from its throat.

However, while it followed the God, it was also the master of the dungeon.

There was no time for further contemplation.

It had to clean up the corpses and prepare the dungeon once more.

It couldn’t leave the sacred sanctuary, which was protected by God, defiled any longer.

Originally, after the intruders had died, the orcs and goblins had rushed to eat the bodies.

But the Skeleton Gunner had stopped them.

When it was still a mere skeleton, it hadn’t realized, but now, receiving God’s mercy, it had become a higher entity.

Through its evolution, it had realized one important fact.

I must repay Lord Kain.

It was a way of expressing gratitude by offering a sacrifice.

That was the priority.

The Skeleton Gunner looked at the bodies of the intruders.

Out of the four corpses, it was planning to offer two as sacrifices.

But not just anyone could be chosen for this.

The Skeleton Gunner reflected on the battle just moments ago and thought of the two intruders who had fought the bravest.

The first was the man’s body who, after his comrade died, had rushed forward without hesitation.

Though he had a shield, it was no match for the Skeleton Gunner’s handgun.

However, the way he had fought for his comrade was the mark of a brave warrior.

The next was the body of the female mage, who had continued to attack until the very end.

She had resisted with lightning magic until the final moments, showing the same courage as a warrior.

The Skeleton Gunner intended to offer the two of them as sacrifices.

There was nothing else to be done with the other bodies.

“The rest can be eaten.”

At the Skeleton Gunner’s command, the dungeon monsters rushed to devour the bodies.

[The dungeon master “Skeleton Gunner” offers the “corpse of Laurent” as a sacrifice to the Master.]

[One of the abilities of the deceased “Laurent” is randomly absorbed.]

[The trait “Basic Aura (D)” is absorbed.]

[The dungeon master “Skeleton Gunner” offers the “corpse of Amy” as a sacrifice to the Master.]

[One of the abilities of the deceased “Amy” is randomly absorbed.]

[The trait “Mana Detection (C)” is absorbed.]