Chapter 19 : Murder and madness!

To make Rosia evolve quickly, I decided to move as fast as possible. Not only did I buy sturdy slaves to prepare the resources, but I also acquired concubine slaves for Rosia, whom I'm sure will enjoy their company. At the same time, I started kidnapping people that no one cares about.

For example, bandits, rapists, smugglers… In short, only criminals. Don't get me wrong, I'm not doing this out of charity or to perform a good deed. Simply put, the kingdom doesn't care about them, even if they disappear. Moreover, I made sure not to touch those who have connections with nobles to avoid alerting influential people.

I also visit Lucian a lot at night to quickly increase the percentages. To get obtain plenty of slaves for free, and most importantly, without raising the slightest suspicion.

"Rosia, did you do what I asked?"

"Yes, my queen."

"Good. Activate them when the prince makes his move."

"Yes! I can't wait!"

Satisfied, I went to eat insects, spiders, and small birds. During my meal, I thought about the additions I wanted to improve in the intermediary. With Vitality, I already have one. If possible, I plan to upgrade Humanoid and Hallucinogens, especially the latter, which has been very useful to me so far.

***

The prince calmly descends into the prison. This isn't suspicious at all since he managed to obtain control of the prison from his mother.

"Is everything ready?"

"Yes, prince. We will release them when you give the order, and we will say that it was the princess who commanded us to do it."

"Good… Good."

"Tonight, you will release them. Let them kill a few people, and once we arrest them, the next phase of the plan can begin."

"Yes, my prince."

Satisfied, the prince leaves the prison and returns to his quarters, waiting for the right moment.

That evening, several prison guards open the inmates' cells.

"You remember what you have to do?"

"Yes… But the reward?"

"If you do your job well, not only will you be free, but the prince will secretly support your business. Even if you get caught, you will never go to prison."

The prisoners cruelly smile before slipping away into the city. Once night falls, they start killing randomly. After many victims, the prince and his guards intervene to stop them.

***

"My queen, it has begun."

A servant approaches, her slit yellow eyes and sharp teeth proving that the parasite has been fully activated so she could get here quickly. Rosia chose the fastest servant.

"Good. Rosia, activate them when they need to speak."

Not far away, with Rosia and the servant, we watch the spectacle from the beginning—from the moment the prisoners start their massacre to the arrival of the prince.

"You, bandits and murderers! How dare you do this to my people? Who ordered you to do this?!" the prince shouts furiously.

"The person who ordered us to do this is—"

"Rosia, activate them."

Without delay, Rosia activates Crazy Parasite before the prisoners can utter a name. They writhe in pain on the ground, then, with a crazed look, they throw themselves at the prince and his guards, screaming the truth we had prepared.

"It's the prince!"

"Yes, he promised us protection and fortune if we did this!"

The other prisoners repeat more or less the same thing while savagely attacking those around them. They stab, slash, bite…

The prince is completely furious upon hearing these confessions! This is too funny!

The prisoners keep killing, placing all the blame on the prince. Personally, I continue watching the action while Rosia and the servant return to Rosia's personal manor to prevent even the smallest ant from whispering anything suspicious to the prince.

Taking advantage of the chaos, I discreetly devour a few people. I even obtain Humanoid genes and the Bipedalism trait!

Eventually, during the night, the prince manages to capture four of the ten prisoners. The other six fought to the death against the guards.

I follow them to the prison.

"What's happening?!" the prince shouts.

"Why did they confess that?!"

"I don't know, prince. Everything was going as planned, but once they were on the ground, writhing in pain, they changed their story and went crazy!"

The prince frowns before addressing another guard.

"Bring in the forensic doctor. I want to know what's in their bodies."

"Prince, do you think a poison or something else made them say that?"

"I don't know, but I'd rather be sure."

When the forensic doctor arrives and opens a body, he finds nothing. I smile. After all, the parasite dies with the host and completely destroys itself. I had my doubts, but now I am totally reassured… Or at least, that's what I thought.

"Prince, although I'm not entirely sure what it is, it seems that something was inserted into their bodies."

Both the prince and I frown. This is not good at all.

"Go kill the other prisoners. Maybe those still alive have this thing inside them."

Hearing this, I sneak up to the prisoners still bound. It's easy for me to penetrate into them and devour the Crazy Parasites, then exit immediately. The prisoners die instantly after I consume the parasites.

Then, I hide.

The guards are shocked to see the prisoners dead. The prince is starting to suspect something. How could he not? The prisoners were alive and suddenly died just as they were about to reveal a clue? Even an idiot would see that there's a problem!

Seeing that everything is under control, I leave the scene. But I keep this moment in mind. I also inform Rosia so she doesn't make the same mistake I did next time.