I Became the Youngest Prince in the Novel

"Can you take a look at this magic lamp?"

"It seems like only the core has been cleverly damaged. What happened?"

"Do you not know about it? It's been kept under wraps, but something happened here last night..."

The palace was bustling with activity as they tried to erase any traces of the previous night's attack.

"..."

Amidst the busy servants, Sir Fredo, the seasoned knight, stood motionless, gazing at the door.

Beyond that door lay Prince Zion, his master whom he faithfully served.

Since the unknown assailants launched their attack last night, his lord had retreated into his bedroom and hadn't emerged even as evening approached.

"Your Highness Prince Zion..."

Sir Fredo murmured, memories of the previous night flooding his mind.

The sword, frozen mid-air.

The assassins' severed heads

The image of Prince Zion emotionlessly observing the scene.

Even for Fredo, who had been by the prince's side since birth, this behavior was so eerie that it sent shivers down his spine.

It was as if he was looking at an entirely different person.

'What in the world is happening...?'

Could it be that the Star Blood of the Agnes Imperial Family had awakened, albeit belatedly?

If not...

The elderly knight standing at the door harbored concern in his eyes.

---

---

He had become a character from the pages of a novel.

It was hard to fathom, but it was the conclusion he had arrived at after gathering information and contemplating since the previous night.

'I don't know who did this or why...'

With that thought in mind, the emperor gazed into the mirror.

And what he beheld was not his original self, but a man with deep gray hair and skin so pale it was almost translucent.

The emperor recognized this man.

Zion Agnes.

He was one of the princes of the Agnes Empire in the novel 'Chronicles of the Hero of Frosimar,' appearing only briefly at the beginning of the story.

A feeble temperament that couldn't harm even a passing ant, and a frail body that grew breathless with a mere walk.

Devoid of any influential power, he had been practically abandoned in a villa on the outskirts of the Imperial City after being ousted from the throne contention long ago.

The reason why Zion Agnes didn't have a significant role in the novel was simple.

He met his demise as soon as he made his appearance.

An embarrassingly insignificant character.

'Ordinarily, I should have lost my life in the attack that occurred yesterday.'

The emperor, now inhabiting Zion's body, thought so and recollected the events of the previous day.

After reaching the end of 'Chronicles of the Hero of Frosimar' and closing his eyes, he found himself facing an assassin cloaked in black, swinging a sword at him.

If his power, 'Black Star River,' were not more influenced by his soul than his physical form, he would have perished just as described in the novel.

'I still need to train. This body is too weak.'

Zion briefly examined his fragile form and lightly tapped the table with his fingers.

'If this world truly corresponds to the world within 'Frosimar Chronicles,' it will face destruction in three years.'

'Chronicles of the Hero of Frosimar' meticulously details the three years from just before the hero's emergence to the brink of the world's demise caused by the Demon Territory.

The fact that 'Zion Agnes' in the novel meets his end at the beginning of the chronicles indicates that there remains a reasonable length of time before the end of the world.

It would be troublesome if the world ended before he could figure it out.

'To do that...'

The fragmentation of the empire, which served as the primary cause of the world's destruction.

He needed to resolve that.

'The full-scale war between humans and the Demon Territory begins in two years.'

Resolving the fragmentation of the Agnes Empire, which governed the entire world except for the Demon Territory, appeared impossible.

Especially for a mere side character, not even the protagonist, and with a presence even less significant than air—merely three lines of dialogue.

However, what shimmered in Zion's eyes was not anxiety but excitement.

The original world had become mundane for the First Emperor.

There was nothing left to accomplish, nowhere left to go.

That was why Zion found this world within the novel so appealing.

The current desperate situation, where he had to turn the impossible into the possible, was incredibly exhilarating.

The higher and more formidable the barrier blocking his path, the greater the thrill Zion experienced.

There was no anxiety about being unable to achieve.

He was the ruler of the world.

Zion, who had already accomplished a feat beyond anyone's reach.

If he decided, he simply had to reach out and take it.

'I should first assess my surroundings.'

Zion concluded.

After finishing his inspections of one of the files on the table, Zion stood from his seat and left the bedroom.

The magic lamp had been fixed, shining light upon the dark castle with a dazzling radiance.

"Your Highness!"

'Had he been waiting outside all this time?'

As soon as Zion stepped outside of the door, Fredo greeted him with a smile.

The old knight thoroughly scanned Zion's body, searching for any hidden wounds. Deep concern was etched upon the old knight's eyes.

"Are you all right?"

Zion nodded and slowly began to walk down the hallway.

"Your Highness Zion, where are you going?"

Fredo asked while following behind him.

"Has this incident happened before?"

Zion asked the old knight, ignoring his question.

"Yes?"

"The attack."

Fredo's eyebrows furrowed together, his expression displaying his confusion at Zion's words. Had the prince developed amnesia due to trauma from last night's attack? Fredo swiftly erased that thought and answered Zion's question.

"......This is the first time the assassins have infiltrated the palace so blatantly."

Meaning there had been several attempts before, just not as evident.

'They're crazier than I thought.' Zion smirked at the thought.

The 'Chronicles of Frosimar' didn't mention the ones behind the attack yesterday, but he could make a good enough guess.

The Chimseong Palace, where Zion currently resided, although along the outskirts, was still included within the territory of the Imperial Castle.

Very few in the empire had the capability to dispatch assassins to such a place and conceal the matter.

"Reporting to the palace to strengthen security here would..."

"No."

"Pardon?"

"It's unnecessary."

Without addressing the root of the problem, nothing would change.

Whether the palace's knight guards increased by a hundred or a thousand, the same situation as yesterday would repeat.

Thus, Zion resolved to take the first step toward resolving the root problem.

'First, the gate.'

With that in mind, Zion gazed toward the main gate of the palace visible at the end of the corridor.

Like other palaces, the main gate possessed grandeur, but there was one distinction.

Typically, the guards were stationed outside the main gate to defend the castle against adversaries.

But peculiarly, in the case of Chinsung Palace, the guards were positioned inside.

As if barricaded from within.

"..."

Even though they noticed Zion's approach, the knights guarding the gate didn't bow their heads or offer salutations. Instead, they simply stared blankly at him.

An unimaginable attitude to exhibit toward their lord.

It wasn't a rare occurrence; their behavior seemed all too natural.

Unfazed by their indifference, Zion, maintaining his composure, intended to pass by the knights and open the gate when...

"Where are you going, Your Highness?"

One of the knights guarding the main gate extended his arm to impede Zion.

"I feel suffocated. I'm going out to get some fresh air."

Zion calmly responded, his gaze fixed on the arm blocking his path.

"The sun has already set. It's dangerous. Please remain inside the palace."

"It seems more dangerous inside the palace."

With those words, Zion took another step forward, but the knight didn't retract his arm.

"I was instructed not to let you leave. You cannot go."

"Whose instructions are these?"

The corner of Zion's mouth twitched slightly.

"You all are under my command, and I don't recall issuing such an order."

"...You cannot go."

The knight, parroting his words, used his body to obstruct Zion, closing the distance between them.

Chinsung Palace was essentially a prison without bars, and Prince Zion was the discarded prisoner within.

His only crime was being born a prince devoid of any qualities or power.

And it was a grave offense.

'I thought I understood my circumstances well... but was I mistaken?'

Annoyance, irritation, and disdain began to fill the eyes of the knight gazing at Zion.

"Fredo."

Prince Zion, locking eyes with the knight, spoke in a quiet voice.

"Yes."

"From what I gather, treason against the royal family carries the penalty of death, correct?"

"...Yes."

Fredo replied, his voice tinged with confusion.

Undeterred, Prince Zion continued his line of questioning.

"And neglecting the duty to protect the royal family?"

"Death penalty."

"Remaining passive during the assassination of a member of the royal family?"

"Death penalty."

The gaze of the obstructing knight began to shift.

"Taking part in a plot to assassinate a member of the royal family?"

"Death penalty..."

As Prince Zion's eyes narrowed,

"What-what are you...!"

A desperate voice escaped the knight's mouth, and in that moment,

Whoosh!

A streak of light cut through the air.

And immediately after,

Thump, roll...

The knight's head, separated from his body, rolled across the ground.

All of this occurred in the blink of an eye.

"..."

The onlookers fell into silence.

Unable to comprehend what had just transpired.

Prince Zion, who had never received swordsmanship training or learned self-defense techniques, was believed to be defenseless.

Yet, had that same Prince Zion just decapitated a knight with his bare hands?

And so effortlessly?

It was an unbelievable spectacle, even for those witnessing it.

In the ensuing silence, Prince Zion casually brushed off his hand, opened the palace gate, and stepped outside.

As he left the palace, he felt the refreshing night air.

"Indeed, this place is..."

Inhaling the cool night air, he murmured while gazing at the sky.

A crimson moon.

The moon, a different color from the blue moon in his original world, confirmed that he had indeed entered a different realm.

Thump, thump!

"Prince Zion! What in the world have you done?!"

Immediately, panicked shouts filled the air as knights rushed toward him from inside the palace.

And with that, a smirk slowly formed on Zion's face.

"I'm grateful if they come to me of their own accord."

The attack that occurred last night.

Under normal circumstances, such an assault should never have been allowed.

Unless there were accomplices within the palace.

That's what Zion believed.

Who exactly was involved in the palace attack?

There was only one conclusion.

"Everyone who was present in the palace last night, except for the deceased and Fredo."

Especially the knights had no room for excuses.

That was why the palace remained eerily quiet, even when the prince himself was under attack.

Last night's assault was likely the result of multiple parties conspiring together.

In Zion's mind, a list of knights who had been on night duty began to form.

And among them was the knight whose head he had just severed.

"Under normal circumstances, he would have been passing information from inside the palace to the outside."

This was an opportunity.

An opportunity to eliminate all the external eyes and ears that had been planted within the palace.

There was more than enough justification for this action.

Even without justification, he couldn't let this opportunity slip away.

"In addition, I need to assess the current state of my body."

As the approaching knights caught Zion's attention, a shadowy aura began to ripple around him like a mirage.

***

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