When Vivian had mentioned that Vulcan intended to control the future generation of demons, she hadn't been referring to Aster or any other demon of royal blood.

She meant the commoners and nobles from minor households, because by building and controlling the arena, Vulcan wanted to earn the loyalty, respect, admiration, and gratitude of the contestants who came from a simple background.

Moreover, with the help of the tournament, Vulcan knew that there might be an opportunity to spot a few talented commoners.

These up-and-coming young geniuses would feel indebted to him for providing them with a platform where they could showcase their talents and Vulcan would definitely use their gratitude to his advantage.

"Oh, and there's one final reason why Vulcan built the arena, though he will never admit this reason publicly."

"What is it?"

Vivian leaned slightly closer to Aster as she replied in a soft voice. "Vulcan's Kingdom has been suffering for years now."

Hearing this, Aster's eyes widened in surprise but he swiftly went back to being calm as he listened patiently to what Vivian had to say. "Since the Great Wars ended centuries ago, the population of demons in Vulcan's kingdom increased rapidly and the cities had to expand to accommodate them, but their land was in a bad shape because very little vegetation grew on the land and their resources continuously declined generation after generation, so his kingdom survived mainly on imports from other kingdoms."

"But recently, their wealth has been shrinking, their expenses have continued to grow, yet their income has remained stagnant. So, to generate wealth, Vulcan knew he had to draw in merchants, travelers, nobles, spectators, and possibly investors, but the best way to do that was by setting up the tournament, and that's why he built the arena."

In other words, Vulcan was a smart and cunning demon lord who simply wanted what was best for his kingdom, Aster couldn't really blame him for the things he did.

In fact, he probably would have done the same if he were in Vulcan's shoes.

But this also made Aster realize just how passionate the Pyro Demon Lord was about his kingdom and the demons inhabiting it.

As a prince and future ruler of Vivian's kingdom, Aster knew that he, too, would have to start thinking about the kingdom and the demons inhabiting it.

He would also have to know more about the cities as well, but since that wasn't important right now, Aster decided to cast the thought aside for now.

But then, a voice called out to him, and his attention was swiftly pulled toward Cara's direction.

"Your Highness?" Cara called out in a calm voice as she lifted Lily in her arms. The little girl had already fallen asleep while Aster had been talking to his mother.

"Mm?"

"Will you be participating in the tournament too? Everyone seemed really excited about it." Cara said as she glanced down at the sleeping princess in her arms but Sara swiftly added.

"Don't you mean everyone seemed excited to beat each other up?"

"Well, that is normal demon nature." Vivian smiled as she beckoned to Cara to bring Lily over to her. "It's normal for us demons to feel the need to grow stronger by direct combat, but Astaroth doesn't have to…"

"But I want to." Aster chimed in, forcing Vivian to glance in his direction.

Although it hadn't even been a week since he had arrived in the supernatural world, Aster knew he wanted to participate in the upcoming tournament.

He could feel a budding desire within him, urging him to grow stronger and Aster didn't want to ignore that desire.

Maybe it was due to his body slowly adapting to the dragon blood in his veins, or maybe it was because he didn't want his royal subjects to see him as a weak and cowardly prince.

Either way, Aster didn't really care about the exact reason because the only thing on his mind right now was to become even stronger than he currently was and he wanted to be acknowledged by those around him.

He couldn't keep hiding behind the shadows of his mother if he wanted to be a great prince.

Also, Aster was really curious to find out just how strong he would be in two months, hence his reason for wanting to train in the most intense way imaginable.

"Are you sure, dear. You know you don't have to…" Vivian wanted him to know that he didn't have to participate in the tournament just because every other young demon was interested in it.

However, Vivian paused mid-sentence when she noticed the determined look in his eyes.

"It's fine, Mom. I want to."

"If your mind is made up, then I won't stop you." Vivian finally gave in as she gently placed Lily on the bed.

Meanwhile, a mischievous banshee giggled around Aster. "Hehe~ Your Highness, if you take part in the tournament, you'll be competing against other demon princes and princesses your age, are you sure you want to do that?" Sara asked as she slowly materialized behind him and gave him a hug while inhaling his sweet, intoxicating scent in the process.

"That is true, and I heard Lord Sabnock and Lord Vulcan's son will be competing in the tournament as well," Cara added.

"Oh, then the tournament will probably be a mini competition between all seven kingdoms to see who has the strongest youngest demon in their ranks," Sara said in sudden realization.

"Yep, and that's going to make the tournament even more intense. Your Highness, are you sure you still want to participate in the tournament?" Cara asked with a worried look on her face.

"Are you two saying that I won't be able to win?"

"No, of course not. That's not what we're trying to say. We were just worried that the battles might be a bit intense for you, even if most of the contestants will be in the same power rank as you." Sara said as she tightened her grip on him.

"Then you have nothing to worry about because I'm definitely going to do whatever it takes to win. Besides, I have the most beautiful ladies around me and I know I can learn a lot from you three. Plus, if Hallie could teach me a thing or two, I believe I'd definitely be unstoppable."

Hearing this, Vivian, Sara, and Cara suddenly felt their hearts swell with pride, especially since Aster had shown such huge trust and faith in them.

"Hehehe~ well, if you put it like that, Your Highness, then I guess you're definitely going to win."

"His Highness sure has a way with words," Cara said meekly with a slight blush on her cheek.

"I know, right, I reckon my baby is going to be a lady killer before he even steps foot into the academy." Vivian teased but Aster simply rolled his eyes with a smile on his face.

"Alright dear, since you want us to train you, then I guess Mama will have to teach you how to awaken your core in the morning."

"My core? What is that?"

"Every demon has a core. It's the same for elves, beastmen, vampires, and everyone else."

"It's the same for us spirits too," Sara added before turning toward Vivian. "Your Majesty, will his Highness be carrying out his affinity test and spirit root awakening tomorrow too?"

"Yes, he will."

"That means he will need someone to help him awaken his spirit root and spirit branch, can I do that, Your Majesty?" Sara asked excitedly and Vivian nodded with a smile.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

"Um, what's a spirit root? And what's a spirit branch? Oh wait, you still haven't told me what a core does as well."

Seeing how Aster had so many questions, Vivian couldn't help but smile knowingly. "Oh dear, there's still so much about this world that you're yet to discover, but no worries, Mama and everyone else around you will teach you everything you need to know. But for now, we'll focus on your Core Awakening first before anything else. Oh, I take it you're prepared to begin your training as soon as possible too, right?"

"Yes, I am."

"Then it is settled, you'll be awakening your core first thing tomorrow morning. After that, we can focus on other things like your affinity test, spirit root awakening, and finally, your training schedule."

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