I Became the Youngest Prince in the Novel

TL/Editor: raei

Status: ongoing

Illustrations: none

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It happened in an instant.

The crowd parted as Zion appeared.

In that moment, several men with swords lunged at him from the divided crowd.

"For Prince Enoch!"

The skills of these screaming men were extraordinary.

The mana burning and condensing around their swords was terrifying enough to surprise onlookers, and their speed left only blurry afterimages.

The first man reached striking distance and swung his already-drawn sword without hesitation.

Until then, Zion hadn't moved a muscle, watching the man with his usual languid eyes.

Just as the man's sword reached right before Zion's neck-

SLASH!

A cutting sound rang out.

But it wasn't from Zion's neck.

"...!"

It came from the man's arm being completely severed.

Where the man's fallen arm had been, a sword trailing silver light appeared.

"How dare you."

The sword's owner was Lucas, leader of the Twilight Sword who had been following behind Zion.

With Lucas's cold whisper,

SWISH!

The other Twilight Sword members moved at speeds invisible to the eye, dealing with the remaining attackers.

"ARGH!"

The situation was resolved instantly.

Then,

THUD.

The first man, the only survivor, was forced to his knees before Zion with his neck caught between crossed swords.

"What a shame. Just a bit faster and you might have taken my head."

Zion smiled slightly as he spoke, meeting the man's eyes.

But everyone watching knew.

That Zion's words weren't true.

"Zion Agnes! You murdered Prince Enoch through cowardly tricks and now shamelessly try to take the throne! Though we failed today, divine punishment will strike you down someday!"

"Divine punishment... that would be nice."

If the gods could intervene in the world that directly, Zion would have less work to do.

After briefly meeting the man's murderous glare, Zion asked in a low voice:

"Where are you from?"

"We served Third Prince-!"

"No, you didn't."

Zion cut off the man's words with denial.

It was Zion's nature to completely uproot any who bared their fangs at him.

This meant thoroughly eliminating everything connected.

Therefore, no remnants should remain to attempt something like this.

'Yet these people exist, which suggests a third force.'

Moreover, attempting such an obviously doomed public attack suggested other motives.

Perhaps to damage his image, or use this as a trigger to unite those dissatisfied with him.

'Not many would plot something like this now. The most likely among them...'

After briefly considering, one word left Zion's lips.

"Ouroboros."

The man's eyes flickered ever so slightly.

The reaction was so subtle even Lucas standing right beside him missed it, but it couldn't escape Zion's notice.

"I left you alone for the hero's growth, yet you pull stunts like this."

Perhaps sensing something wrong from Zion's chilling voice?

"Heheh, I don't know what you're talking about. Our comrades will avenge today."

The man forced a laugh to hide his reaction while activating the explosion magic pre-set near his heart.

His eyes gleamed with ecstasy, as if he had approached Zion's vicinity precisely for this moment.

WHOOSH!

"Prince Zion, danger!"

As the mana light rapidly brightened, Lucas urgently tried to block between Zion and the man.

SWISH!

The light completely vanished as if it had never existed.

In its place, an alien darkness suddenly appeared.

"This, this is...!"

The man's eyes trembled in disbelief as he felt his magic instantly disappear.

This hadn't been in any of their plans.

What had just happened?

"Planning to self-destruct? That won't do. I still need information from you."

A sinister smile had appeared on Zion's face as he quietly addressed the man.

"From now on, everything about you will be decided by my will. Including your death."

With these final words, Zion walked past the dazed man toward the empty seat of honor.

"..."

People watched Zion with tight lips and stiff faces.

Various emotions flickered in their eyes.

'How could he be so...'

Some showed fear and concern at the emergence of a ruthless tyrant.

'As expected, Prince Zion truly...'

Others admired and rejoiced.

The latter group was far larger.

While a benevolent ruler might be ideal in peaceful times, the current world was anything but peaceful.

The demon realm, quiet for a hundred years, was stirring again, and the empire was crumbling from constant discord and civil war caused by those pursuing only their own interests.

In such times, a benevolent ruler would be poison.

Perhaps a ruler with Zion's ruthless charisma was exactly what the empire needed now.

Under these gazes, Zion reached the seat of honor but paused briefly beside Diana.

"You didn't leak the conference details."

Zion spoke quietly.

"Honestly, I'm surprised. Some conscience left? Or just good instincts?"

This had actually been a test Zion set for Diana.

A test to decide her fate.

Did Diana know?

That this choice had slightly increased her chances of survival?

"..."

Diana only glared at Zion's words without responding.

Zion smiled at her once before taking his seat, and-

"Let the competition begin!"

With the noble announcer's cry, the long-awaited World Competition finally started.

Despite the earlier incident, it wasn't serious enough to cancel the competition, and since Zion had brushed it off-

And of course, given his nod of approval to proceed.

"WOOOOO!"

The World Competition was divided into team and individual matches, with individual matches being more popular.

It was a rare chance to fully witness the abilities of top-tier fighters usually hidden from view.

Moreover, even the 'Seven Heavens' occasionally appeared in individual matches, naturally driving people wild with excitement.

That's why they always started with team matches.

During these team matches,

"This is insane! Absolutely insane!"

"I know, who knew the level would be this high!"

People were already showing reactions comparable to last competition's individual matches.

At the center of this response were the Agnes Knights, participating for the first time.

"They're breaking through! We can't-!"

CRASH!

"ARGH!"

They truly lived up to their reputation as the world's strongest knight order.

Even in this gathering of each power's strongest martial forces, the Agnes Knights' performance was overwhelming.

Their opponents couldn't even properly counterattack before being mercilessly pushed back and swiftly defeated.

This thoroughly demonstrated how the Agnes Knights' power level differed from other groups.

'And this is without Commander Mileion participating.'

Zion's eyes gleamed as he watched their performance from the seat of honor.

In the chronicle, the Agnes Knights were always just called the strongest without ever properly demonstrating their abilities.

Seeing even this portion of their power naturally made him covetous.

He almost wanted to change his prepared plans to acquire them faster.

'Though I'll need to handle that first...'

With this thought, Zion looked at the people unable to tear their eyes from the competition.

No, more precisely, at the demons hiding among them.

Had they not yet heard about the floating city incident from above?

The demons wearing human disguises had all attended the competition without exception.

'No, they probably heard but didn't expect me to move this quickly.'

Who could have predicted?

That he would do this immediately upon returning from the floating city to the palace.

As Zion's eyes coldly gleamed while watching the preparations gradually taking shape around the training ground,

'What scheme is he plotting?'

Diana wondered this while watching Zion instead of the competition.

'Didn't he say he would prove it during this competition?'

Yet the only difference from previous competitions was the Agnes Knights' participation.

How did he plan to prove anything?

'Well, I'll be happy if he can't...'

But knowing Zion as she did, that seemed impossible.

'Ugh, I hate everything about this.'

The situation, Zion, and herself for not leaking the conference details despite it disadvantaging her.

As irritation filled her eyes,

"And with this, the team matches are complete!"

The announcer's cry signaled the end of team matches.

People's eyes began sparkling with even greater anticipation.

This meant the individual matches would begin.

"Now we'll begin the individual matches... but first, we have an event match!"

The announcer's dramatic pause slightly dampened people's expectations.

But the next moment, those expectations exploded into near-manic excitement.

"The event match features none other than the world's strongest knight and Second of the 'Seven Heavens'! Lion Princess Evelyn Agnes!"

A moment of silence.

Then,

WOOOOOOOOO!

An enormous roar incomparable to anything before filled the entire training ground.

The volume threatened to burst eardrums.

It demonstrated the true worth of Evelyn Agnes's name.

"W-what's going on?"

The figures seated in the seats of honor turned toward Evelyn with bewildered voices.

Their questioning looks showed they too knew nothing of this.

While event matches occasionally occurred in the World Competition, royal family members rarely participated directly.

There was no need, and it offered no benefits.

If anything, it was disadvantageous.

Moreover, the participant was Evelyn Agnes - both royalty and arguably the empire's strongest.

While the publicity would be enormous, there was no practical benefit.

"..."

Without responding to anyone, Evelyn rose and slowly walked toward the training ground.

Her eyes remained as composed as ever.

This was natural.

She had requested this match herself.

"WOOOOO! LION PRINCESS! LION PRINCESS!"

People kept shouting Evelyn's title.

The knights' reactions were particularly explosive.

The strongest knight.

A title that made hearts race just hearing it, and its owner stood before their eyes.

Evelyn silently accepted their reactions as she reached the training ground's center.

Then, as if on cue, the announcer continued:

"This unprecedented event match has special rules. The first participant will directly choose their opponent. Therefore, Princess Evelyn will now select her opponent."

With these words, taut tension began filling the entire training ground.

Who would the 'strongest knight' - no, this 'Heaven' who even sought the title of 'empire's strongest' - choose as opponent?

Sword King Ludwig Ascalon?

White Flame Emperor Ahmad Ozlima?

But the Lion Princess's slowly drawn sword pointed at neither of them.

It aimed at the seat of honor.

At one man watching her with languid eyes from the center.

"Come forth, Zion."

Evelyn's eyes, containing six - no, now seven brilliant star-lights, blazed like flames as she looked up at the emperor who had once devoured the world.

Simultaneously, six black stars began slowly rising in the emperor's eyes as he smiled back at her.

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