I Became the Youngest Prince in the Novel

TL/Editor: Rungir

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'I think I'm in the right place.'

Zion looked around as he stepped into the divided space, and what he saw was a vast cave.

A gentle, dark light filled the cave, with countless twinkling stars overhead that made the ceiling seem like the night sky. It gave the place a mystical feeling.

Engraved on the cave's walls were the deeds of the ancient god, Chronos.

It matched perfectly with the description of this reward space in the chronicles, and so, Zion nodded.

Then, he heard a voice.

"Has the doomed army finally found its eternal peace?"

Zion turned his head, and a tall man entered his line of sight.

He was handsome, with long golden hair tumbling over his shoulders.

"Hmm? Aren't you curious about who I am?"

The man's eyes twinkled as he saw Zion's lack of reaction.

Usually, everyone who came here would first ask who he was.

However, Zion already knew.

'Guardian.'

That was the only reference in Frosimar's chronicles.

Even when the hero in the chronicles asked for his name,

The blond man simply introduced himself as the Guardian, offering no other details.

Only his vertically-slitted eyes, similar to a reptile's, hinted that he wasn't human.

"Where's the 'Five Questions'?"

Zion had no interest in the Guardian. His real goal was the artifact of Chronos, which he had come to acquire.

"...You know what you're here for? Just like a hero... Wait."

The Guardian, who was about to address Zion with a smile, suddenly stopped.

"You... you're not the hero."

Confusion flickered in his eyes.

"How is this possible? The hero is destined to destroy the army and come here..."

"Destined?"

Zion also questioned this.

Because he didn't recall reading such a term in the chronicles.

The Guardian spoke as if the hero was the one predestined to eliminate the army and seize the artifact of Chronos.

"Where did it go wrong? Hmm, this could be a problem..."

"What do you mean?"

Zion asked again, watching the Guardian scratch his chin with a frown.

Finally, the Guardian turned his attention back to Zion and began to speak.

"Yes, since you've come here, you deserve to know. Do you understand what fate is?"

At this, Zion nodded.

The record of a being's past, present, and future is luck.

The time a being exists in that world is fate.

Combine these two, and you get destiny.

"Destiny is set from the start. You can't just twist it or change it easily. That's why the idea that one can create their own destiny is nonsense."

As he said this, the Guardian pointed to where Zion stood.

"By destiny's design, a hero should've defeated the cursed army and been standing in your place. Now that I think about it, it's much earlier than usual."

The Guardian insisted that since destiny was pre-determined, it couldn't be changed.

Moreover, getting into this cave was so challenging that it was impossible without prior knowledge. This was to prevent any unexpected changes.

'Does he mean the chronicles when he talks about pre-determined fate?'

Zion's eyes narrowed.

What the Guardian spoke of as destiny was similar to the chronicles.

The chronicles of Frosimar might be a written record of this world's destiny.

"That means a change has happened in destiny... and for that to happen, a supreme being must have interfered."

Zion understood what the supreme being referred to.

A God.

"I can't understand what happened. And you..."

The Guardian, who had been talking, stopped and stared at Zion.

Since discovering Zion wasn't a hero, he'd been trying to read Zion's destiny.

But,

'Why can't I see anything?'

It wasn't just unreadable.

His destiny didn't seem to exist at all.

As if he didn't belong to this world.

This was a first for the Guardian, who had lived countless ages.

"So, you're saying you won't give it to me?"

Seeing no more information to be gained, Zion changed the topic, looking at the Guardian.

"No, it's not that. By just stepping in here, you've earned the 'Five Questions'. Well, I guess this too is a form of destiny."

The Guardian's job was to hand over Chronos's artifact to anyone who made it to the cave. Deciding not to ponder further, he nodded, and snapped his fingers.

Then,

Whooom!

The air above the Guardian's palm rippled, and a bright golden bracelet appeared.

'That must be...'

Zion's eyes widened in awe.

The Five Questions of Chronos.

A legendary artifact that held the power of the five questions the ancient god Chronos posed to humans.

Five colored gems embedded in the bracelet each symbolized a question. Each held a power beyond natural disasters.

A wild card that could overturn - no, utterly shatter - any situation.

Save for the fact that it was consumable and each could only be used once, it was an artifact that truly deserved the 'legendary' classification more than any other.

"The 'Question' that's absent here will manifest when you apply the 'Coordinates' you possess. The phantom army, after all, was born from the power of that 'Question'."

The Guardian explained this, pointing to the spot on the bracelet where one gem was conspicuously absent, unlike the other four slots, and then handed the bracelet to Zion.

Fwosh!

As Zion accepted the bracelet from the Guardian, his form began to shimmer and fade in bright light.

"I have one question for you."

As Zion's form started to disappear from the cave, the Guardian posed a final question.

"Who are you?"

He was asking about Zion's very existence, not just his name or status.

"Well..."

With a light chuckle in response to the question, Zion's form finally vanished entirely from the cavern.

---

---

"What on earth just happened..."

Staring blankly at the slowly calming battlefield, Caron, the Captain of the 5th Unit of the Ashen Lion Corps, found himself murmuring.

The sky-filling blue flame sword had vanished abruptly, and with it, the barrier that encased this place and the residual phantom army began to dissipate.

That recalled the recent spectacle in his mind.

'That was definitely Prince Zion.'

The calamitous sword, forged by the king of the phantom army.

Such a formidable sword strike left even Caron himself stunned and helpless.

And the one who nullified that sword strike in a single stroke was none other than Prince Zion.

'How is that even conceivable?'

Even thinking about it sent shivers down his spine.

His prior perception of Prince Zion, before entering the barrier, had long since dissipated.

The overwhelming power of Prince Zion he had just witnessed shattered all the prejudices he had absorbed to date.

Truth be told, he still couldn't fully believe it.

'But... where did Prince Zion disappear to?'

Caron found himself contemplating this question, eyes drawn to where Zion had stood just a moment ago.

"Did you come here to assassinate your lord as well?"

Liushina, who had by now exhausted all her greetings, approached Caron and his 5th unit with this question.

Despite having just eliminated many members of the phantom army, her eyes still flickered with a craving for bloodshed.

So, Liushina hoped that Caron and the freshly arrived knights were enemies of Zion.

"No, we are the knights sent by Princess Evelyn to safeguard Lord Zion."

Recognizing her as an ally of Zion, Captain Paulo, who was privy to this, responded instead of Caron.

Just as Liushina was about to reply,

"That's likely the case. At least the Caron I know wouldn't undertake an assassination mission."

A new voice chimed into their conversation.

Upon hearing the voice, Caron swiveled around to identify its owner, and his eyes widened in surprise.

"Huh...? General Liam? Why are you here, sir?"

Liam Rainer.

A man who had served as Caron's superior during his tenure on the boundary of the demon realm before he joined the Ashen Lion Corps.

Even without this connection, there was no way he would fail to recognize the Empire's celebrated hero.

"I was under the impression that you had retired... Surely you didn't arrive here post-retirement?"

"Indeed."

In response to Caron's question, Liam, wearing his typical stern expression, nodded in affirmation.

However, contrary to his outward stoicism, his mind was in a state of upheaval.

He had witnessed phenomena within a few hours that had been absent from battlefields he'd trodden for decades.

While the phantom army's assault on the village had been startling, his mind was now overwhelmingly occupied by the red-eyed woman and Prince Zion.

'I can hardly believe that the pair of them singlehandedly combated an entire army.'

Of particular note, the sight of the army emerging from the woman's shed blood was an image Liam knew he would never forget.

"It's a relief to see you unharmed. But General Liam, might you have insight into the events that happened here?"

"What unfolded is as plain as day. The phantom army descended upon us, and Prince Zion alongside that woman eradicated them."

Liam's confirmation of the events, echoing the silent comprehension of the knights, was sufficient to silence the group.

"...."

It was the tale of one of the Empire's seven calamities, and perhaps the most formidable of them all - the phantom army, being utterly extinguished.

And that by merely two individuals.

Even accounting for Liam, making it three, it was an unimaginable feat.

But disbelief was not an option, for they had witnessed it with their own eyes.

'But where did those monstrous entities that contended with the phantom army disappear to...'

Caron pondered this new question, having not witnessed the scene of Liushina summoning her army,

"Where in the world did the master vanish off to?"

Liushina, her brows slightly furrowed, scanned the area and asked.

Were her words a trigger of sorts?

Swoosh!

A rip in the fabric of reality, not far from the gathered crowd, formed, and Zion slowly emerged from it.

"Oh, you've returned?"

"Lord Zion!"

Liushina, cheerfully raising her hand in Zion's direction, and the knights, who shouted Zion's name and rushed toward him.

"I require rest."

With that, Zion, meeting the approaching crowd with weary eyes, stated.

---

---

Five days.

That was the duration it took for Zion to fully recuperate, his body having been ravaged by the backlash of the lunar eclipse.

During this period, Zion had taken refuge in the Kurd village, and now stood at the entrance of said village.

Liushina and Nari accompanied him, and behind them, the Ash Lion Squad's 5th division, Caron included, were in formation.

"I must depart."

Zion voiced his intention, directing his gaze at Liam standing before him, and the villagers, Ferna among them, assembled behind him.

"I'll join you."

Prepared for travel with a sizable bag, Liam moved to stand beside Zion.

"You intend to journey with me?"

Zion asked, his gaze resting on Liam.

"A promise remains a promise."

Liam recalled the words Zion had uttered when he had visited his residence prior to confronting the phantom army.

The commitment to safeguard him and the village as long as Liam served him.

Zion had fulfilled that promise.

Although Liam had been non-committal at the time, upon receiving the aid, it was inconceivable to him to merely disregard it, considering his character.

Moreover, it was a matter of life debt.

'Of course, I'd prefer to remain in the village longer...'

With that thought, Liam cast a glance in Ferna's direction.

Then,

"No, remain here for now."

Zion interjected with a smirk directed at Liam.

Ultimately, his reason for departing the royal city this time was to procure the 'Five Questions of Kronos' and to verify his inheritance.

Liam Reiner was merely a supplementary asset.

Currently, his presence was advantageous, but not absolutely necessary.

Of course, this stance would shift when the full-scale war against the demons commenced.

"I'll summon you when you're needed."

Liam, taken aback by Zion's unexpected statement, responded with a smile after a brief moment of silent surprise.

"Your Highness, you consistently defy my expectations. In that case, I shall not object. Please do call upon me when in need."

Filled with earnestness, the retired hero offered Zion a respectful bow.

In unison, the villagers of Kurd, assembled behind their celebrated hero, also inclined their heads in deference towards Zion.

With these people at his back, Zion commenced his gradual departure towards the royal city.

'It appears the time is ripe.'

As he progressed, Zion's eyes gradually brimmed with anticipation.

The seeds he had sown before his departure from the royal city were ready for harvest.

Now, it was time to reap one of them.

---

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