I Became the Youngest Prince in the Novel

TL/Editor: raei

Status: ongoing

Illustrations: none

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Light.

Everything in the world contains light.

Then what would happen if that light vanished?

That scene was unfolding before people's eyes now.

No, "unfolding" wasn't the right word.

Nothing could be seen.

Only infinite darkness born from void filled their eyes.

They couldn't take a step forward.

Couldn't wave their hands.

All they could do was collapse trembling from the endless terror of feeling like they were floating alone in the void beyond the world.

Even sound had vanished - their screams made no noise.

As consciousness faded with increasingly blocked breath.

Finally, just before people's breathing completely stopped-

WHOOSH!

In an instant everything returned, as if all that had happened was an illusion.

The familiar air and ground beneath their feet.

Sound, and even light.

"Hah, haah!"

As people raised their heads feeling grateful for breathing they normally didn't even notice, they saw the spectral giant that had reached the sky's end scattering apart.

And that meant-

"...Let me ask just one thing."

The same was happening to Archdemon of Pride at the giant's center.

"That was definitely a transcendent technique."

Deep emptiness filled his voice, knowing everything was already over.

"How can you, who hasn't reached divine status... and is merely the Eternal One's descendant, unleash something like this?"

A fact he couldn't understand no matter how much he thought.

"You're mistaken about something."

A quiet voice flowed from Zion's lips as he watched Pride with sunken eyes.

"The Eternal One has no descendants."

"...What?"

"The Black Star Force has never been passed to anyone either."

Pride's eyes, blank for a moment, began trembling.

"You, you're...!"

Finally seeming to realize something, Ogrit reached toward Zion with an extremely agitated voice.

But neither his hand nor his voice could reach Zion.

Because before that-

SWOOSH-

He completely turned to powder and scattered.

"..."

After quietly watching the scattering powder for a moment, Zion turned away.

'Three more to go.'

The brief but intense border war was ending.

* * *

"Kyahahahaha! Why don't you just give up now?"

The surrounding space shattered completely along with the young girl's mad laughter and purple lips.

CRASH!

A brutal combo attack followed!

"Hmm..."

A small groan left Jealousy's lips as she blocked these attacks while wrapped in a veil of purple authority.

Unlike before, her condition wasn't good.

Her body was completely mangled with barely any unwounded spots, endlessly leaking demonic energy.

The reason Jealousy, who had been somewhat relaxed when the battle began, was being pushed back this much wasn't because of Acrimosia before her.

'I never expected he'd actually come...'

With this thought, Jealousy's eyes turned to the being launching attacks as powerful as her own from behind Madness.

A man completely wrapped in robes, not even his face visible.

This was the deep voice's owner and one of the Four Great Demons - Wrath.

'And so quickly too.'

Unlike public opinion that called her reckless, Jealousy hadn't started this rebellion thoughtlessly.

No, she had calculated more thoroughly than ever before starting it.

The Demon King remained stuck in the Abyss's palace without emerging, and the empire was acting up, completely destroying their plans thanks to an unprecedented opponent named "Zion Agnes" who had appeared alongside the hero.

With proper justification given during such chaotic times, conditions were truly optimal for rebellion.

Though other Archdemons were somewhat concerning, they all possessed pride that reached the heavens, so she had judged they would never join forces.

Of course, that judgment was wrong, which was why she was being cornered like this.

"Two Archdemons using this much power against just me. Isn't that too unsightly? Or are you... bragging about being lower ranked than me?"

She tried provocative words as the tide of battle turned against her, but-

"What? I'll tear you apart right now even by myself...!"

"Don't get excited. It's just a trick to create an opening. Just focus on ending this battle quickly."

They didn't fall for it due to Wrath's restraint.

A completely calm demeanor unbefitting his name.

'Well, this is fucked.'

Jealousy twisted her lips slightly and clicked her tongue at Wrath's appearance.

That calm demeanor was proof he wasn't even using his power properly yet.

'Seems defeat is already certain.'

With this thought, Jealousy glanced around the battlefield.

Like her, her forces were being quickly dealt with by the combined assault of armies led by Madness and Wrath.

'Seems I should look for a chance to escape.'

But she couldn't see any opening.

As if anticipating her escape, Wrath had stepped back and was blocking all retreat paths.

At this rate, she would be pushed back endlessly until even her life was lost.

'Need to create some variable...'

At that moment-

"!!!!!!"

All the Archdemons including Jealousy stopped fighting and turned their heads in the same direction.

Their eyes widened as far as possible.

Their gazes were fixed on the border between demon realm and empire.

Specifically, the outer region of the border.

"This is..."

"Yes, Pride is dead."

Wrath nodded with an unbelieving expression toward Madness who watched him with trembling eyes.

It wasn't a mistake.

The Four Great Demons who had reached demigod status could sense each other's existence wherever they were.

Yet Pride's very existence had just been erased from the world.

An unbelievable thing.

No, an impossible thing.

No variable capable of this existed at all, and even if one did exist, Ogrit possessed enough power to easily crush any such variables.

"...The situation has twisted."

Wrath spoke coldly with a face harder than ever before.

His eyes were fixed on the spot where Jealousy had escaped during this moment.

* * *

The battle after Zion eliminated Ogrit ended in an instant.

The death of one of the Four Great Demons.

The demons couldn't properly regain their senses from this shock, so the imperial forces could deal with them all without much damage.

Though truthfully, the outcome had already been decided due to the massive force Zion had brought.

As the war ended and cleanup was gradually finishing-

"Haha! How's the taste, Your Highness Zion? This is special coffee you can only drink here at the border."

Zion was drinking coffee made by Border Corps Commander Girard in the Border Corps barracks.

"Not bad."

Zion smiled faintly as he set down his cup again.

Though it was just cheap coffee made with powder instead of beans and served in an iron military cup, satisfaction filled Zion's eyes.

This coffee reminded him of the nameless tea his subordinates would sometimes make when he traveled battlefields to unify the world in the past.

That nostalgia and the coffee's rough aroma were enough to satisfy Zion.

"I knew you'd like it."

Girard grinned at Zion.

His eyes held incomparably more respect and reverence than before when looking at Zion.

And this was natural.

The Four Great Demons were said to possess the strongest power in the demon realm except the Demon King.

He had directly witnessed Zion eliminate Pride, one of them.

A truly legendary achievement.

Since the empire's founding, beings who had accomplished such feats could be counted on one hand.

'And among those, even fewer eliminated an Archdemon alone like Your Highness Zion.'

Perhaps Girard himself was with someone who would be recorded in history and discussed forever.

Unlike Girard who watched Zion with eyes containing only reverence-

'No matter how much I think about it, I can't understand.'

Great questions filled Evelyn's eyes as she watched Zion from one side of the barracks.

The power Zion had shown when eliminating Ogrit.

That power had clearly transcended mortality to reach immortality.

'He achieved such a realm in just over a year?'

It made no sense.

Such a thing couldn't exist in this world.

It was impossible even for someone with the greatest talent in history, no, even for a dragon.

'The only possibility is temporarily borrowing power from a top-grade artifact like a divine artifact but...'

Even then, one absolutely couldn't reach that level without fundamental ability supporting it.

As her thoughts grew more complex, Evelyn shook her head once and raised her teacup.

"Oh? Your Highness! Do you like coffee too?"

Liushina, who had been carefully watching this scene nearby, asked while slowly approaching her.

"Yes, but..."

Evelyn answered with eyes wondering what this was about.

The witch's eyes brightened as she pulled something from her chest and held it out to the princess.

"Then try this! It's called mint coffee and I really treasure it! Only a tiny amount is produced in the Fairy Forest..."

"No."

The words of rejection flowed from Evelyn's lips before Liushina could finish.

"I won't drink it, so quickly remove that container from my sight."

Evelyn furrowed her brows and expressed her rejection again, apparently deeming that insufficient.

"Th-then what about others..."

Looking for her next target, Liushina glanced around at these clear words, but-

"I'm not great with mint either..."

"I don't really like coffee in general."

"Somehow I'm craving tea over coffee today."

"Oh, you too Commander? Same here."

Everyone nearby was already creating distance while avoiding her eyes.

"But this is delicious..."

Watching Liushina mutter dejectedly like before, Zion took another sip of Girard's coffee while organizing future plans in his mind.

'Since things are mostly wrapped up here, I should move to the next destination soon.'

With this thought, Zion's intended destination was the Fairy Forest.

Actually, the Beast Sea was more urgent and important.

Despite this, the reason Zion chose the Fairy Forest as his next destination was because of the Black Star Force's achievement.

Zion knew.

That he couldn't face Archdemon-level demons without raising the Black Star Force to seven stars.

He had managed this time using Chronos's Questions, but only one question remained while three Archdemons remained.

'Two if Jealousy dies.'

Since Archdemon-level demons could suddenly appear before him anytime like what happened in the floating city before, reaching seven stars as quickly as possible made sense.

Using what he had left in the Fairy Forest's forbidden area would let him rise much more smoothly.

'Though there is one thing to handle here first.'

Speak of the ogre and it appears, as they say.

"Your Highness Zion, Hero Claire Frosimar and her companions request an audience!"

Just as Zion finished this thought, a knight's voice came from outside the barracks.

And-

"I'd like everyone to step out for a moment."

Zion smiled slightly and spoke to the others in the barracks along with the knight's call.

* * *

The hero party's condition wasn't good when they entered the barracks after everyone left.

Large wounds existed all over their bodies showing traces of fierce battle, some still bleeding.

'Though I suppose it's fortunate they're all alive?'

As Zion thought this, recalling their condition when first arriving at the battlefield-

"G-greetings to Your Highness Zion!"

Elysis, face slightly flushed, bowed her head first to show respect to Zion.

The other companions followed, bowing their heads.

"That's enough greeting. What business do you have seeking me?"

Though he already somewhat guessed their purpose, Zion asked while looking at the hero party, or more precisely, at Claire.

Claire raised her head again and spoke to Zion.

"Your Highness Zion, before stating our business, there's one thing I'd like to ask."

"Go ahead."

The hero was silent for a moment as if organizing her thoughts.

Then from her lips-

"Eternal Emperor Aurellion Khan Agnes."

A single question flowed.

"Is he alive?"