I Became the Youngest Prince in the Novel

Chapter 101: Heavenly Punishment (4)

TL/Editor: Rungir

Schedule: none

Illustrations: none

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In the office of the Chimseong Palace.

"Your Highness, may I ask what is troubling you?"

The knight Diernend, with a notable scar across his face, asked his sovereign, Princess Evelyn Agnes.

"......"

The second princess, still not responding, simply looked out the window with a troubled gaze. It had been two days already.

Precisely since the grand banquet.

Ever since, her gaze had been clouded like that.

He had to ask.

As the silence lingered, Evelyn finally spoke.

"His condition was clearly not good."

"Not good? Whom are you referring to?"

"Zion. It was not just a simple ailment; he looked seriously unwell."

Her words brought back the image of Zion she had seen at the banquet.

That day, Zion had looked better than ever, but Evelyn's eyes couldn't be deceived.

"I knew it for sure when the chandelier fell. Zion definitely tried to avoid it, but he couldn't."

The slight stagger that followed.

Such a movement was impossible for the usual Zion.

"Clearly, his body isn't responding as it should."

The implication was that his condition was so severe that he couldn't control his body properly.

The cause, however, remained unknown.

"Are you worried about Prince Zion's health?"

"No, it's more concerning that others might have noticed this as well."

If they had, they wouldn't just let it pass like she did.

They would undoubtedly use it to their advantage, perhaps even threatening Zion's life.

"…Should I help him?"

"Your Highness."

At Evelyn's murmur, Diernend called out to her in a low voice.

"Prince Zion is no longer someone who needs Your Highness's help."

His voice was as cold as his expression.

"Have you forgotten? Who passed the succession ceremony and quelled the rebellion? Who defeated the Icarus Squad and killed the Third Prince, Enoch? And... who showed a dominant presence at the funeral of the previous emperor?"

"……"

"All of that was accomplished by Prince Zion in just a few months. He is now one of the leading candidates for the next emperor. One of your apparent competitors."

All these were undeniable facts, without any exaggeration.

"You need to judge more coldly. Offering help is possible only when the relationship isn't equal."

Diernend spoke plainly, as if unloading all he had been holding back.

"Princess Evelyn, this is a matter Prince Zion must solve on his own."

"……Yes, you're right."

After a moment of silence, a low voice came from Evelyn.

She knew it too.

She simply wanted to look away.

In her mind, Zion was still just the cute younger brother who used to follow her around, calling her 'big sister! big sister!'.

But that was now a distant memory.

"Thank you, Diernend. You've helped me regain my senses."

"I apologize for speaking out of turn, Your Highness."

Diernend bowed deeply in response to her words.

Evelyn watched him, the complex emotions slowly fading from her eyes.

"Princess Evelyn."

A knight entered the office, calling out to her.

She looked at the knight, as if asking what the matter was.

The knight spoke to her.

"There's been some unusual movement within the imperial palace."

"Unusual movement?"

"An unidentified group has been detected heading towards the Chimseong Palace. Their movement is so covert that it would have gone unnoticed if our knights hadn't been stationed near the palace."

"Could it be......"

Evelyn's eyes wavered.

Just as she was about to rise from her seat,

"Your Highness."

Another knight entered the office urgently.

"What is it?"

"Prince Utekan is here to see you."

The knight promptly responded to her question.

"At this hour? Suddenly?"

The timing was too coincidental.

Evelyn's eyes began to show a strange light.

---

Raei Translations

---

On the outskirts of the imperial palace.

In the pitch-black darkness, with even the moonlight obscured by clouds, the Soul King Hanosral gazed at the Chimseong Palace, not too far away.

True to its name, which means 'sinking star', the palace had an ominous aura.

'It suits the soon-to-be future of Zion Agnes.'

Hanosral smirked to himself for a moment before looking at the numerous demons lined up behind him.

They were all of at least mid-level, with more than six high-level demons among them.

A force so rare in the human world where each high-level demon played a crucial role and couldn't be recklessly deployed.

But it was necessary.

'After all, three Omareings have mobilized their direct troops for this.'

Their determination to kill Zion Agnes this time was intense.

"Tonight, we attack the Chimseong Palace."

Hanosral spoke in a low voice to the demonic creatures following him.

"Kill every living being in the palace. I don't care how or how many you kill. Indulge yourselves to your heart's content. But."

A massive dark energy and demonic power began to emanate from the Soul King's eyes.

"Zion Agnes is mine. Do not touch him."

"Understood."

At his command, the demons grinned and nodded their heads.

Their eyes, too, gleamed with anticipation of the impending slaughter.

"Any interference from the outside will be handled by Utekan... no, Tarahal. We will focus solely on bringing down the Chimseong Palace."

With those words, Hanosral turned and slowly began to approach the Chimseong Palace.

The demonic forces quietly followed behind him.

Sssss-

Soon, a curtain-like dark crimson shadow flowed from the Soul King's body, enveloping the entire Chimseong Palace.

---

Raei Translations

---

Sound, light, vibration, etc.

It was a barrier that blocked everything from leaking out.

"What, what's this!"

Crack!

Hanosral and his demonic troops swiftly dealt with the bewildered guards who witnessed the barrier, then passed through the outer gates.

Like the darkness spreading across the world at sunset, the demons swiftly and covertly moved towards the inner gates.

Finally, crash!

They shattered the sturdy wooden inner gate in one blow and entered the Chimseong Palace.

"Immediately scatter and first find Zion Agnes to...?"

As Hanosral began giving orders upon entering, his speech suddenly stopped.

His eyes filled with confusion.

The reason was clear.

The interior of the Chimseong Palace unfolded before his eyes, vastly different from his expectations.

'No one... here?'

The expansive hall beyond the entrance of the Chimseong Palace.

It was completely empty.

No servants showing surprise.

No knights drawing swords and shouting inquiries.

Not a single living being in sight.

Additionally, there was no light inside the palace, making it appear like an abandoned castle, lit only by moonlight.

'Something is wrong!'

Hanosral's eyes shook wildly at this eerie scene.

"You arrived later than I thought."

A voice reached his ears.

It was a voice Hanosral had heard before.

Languid yet alien.

A voice that resonated clearly in everyone's ears.

Zion Agnes.

The archenemy of the demons and the thief of the Holy Blood.

The very person Hanosral wanted to kill the most.

Step, step.

Zion's figure slowly emerged from the darkness of the palace into the Soul King's view.

And in that moment,

"Could it be...!"

Hanosral finally realized.

From the first attack on the mysterious hut until now.

Everything that had happened was a carefully laid trap by Zion Agnes.

"When you guys attacked me, I thought about it."

Zion, slowly approaching the Soul King, spoke.

"How can I use this to lure out one of the heads?"

Zion's eyes began to curve like the crescent moon in the sky.

"I figured conventional methods wouldn't work. Your existence is too deep beneath the surface."

Therefore,

"I used myself as bait."

He knew they wouldn't bite unless it was something significant.

Spreading rumors that he was secluded in the Chimseong Palace.

Leaking information that he was critically ill.

Attending the grand banquet and standing under the chandelier.

And not avoiding the pre-cut chandelier when it fell, but staggering instead.

All of this was part of Zion's plan.

Of course, the guards at the main gate had also been placed as pawns to avoid suspicion by other royals.

"Thanks to you, I've walked right into your trap?"

Zion spoke as if he already knew who Hanosral was, but Hanosral had no leisure to care about such things.

"This damned Agnes bloodline...!"

His eyes were already filled with immense confusion and rage.

Trapped.

He had been perfectly ensnared.

The depth and persistence of the trap were chilling, but after all, Zion was just a young man barely in his twenties.

The thought of being outwitted by such a youngster, especially for Hanosral and the other Omareings, was intolerable.

Thrummm!

The space around him started to fluctuate in response to his emotional upheaval.

"But it changes nothing. It just makes things a bit more troublesome."

Perhaps befitting his status as one of the Omareings, Hanosral quickly calmed his emotions and muttered softly.

No matter how well Zion Agnes was, the outcome wouldn't change now that he had stepped in.

"Capture him and bring him to me."

Following Hanosral's order, several demons lunged towards Zion at a speed almost invisible to the eye.

"But have you ever considered this?"

Zion, watching the demons approaching him without moving, drew an even deeper curve with his eyes.

"I lured you here because I was ready to hunt you."

Just as Zion murmured these words, and the demons were about to strike, there was a sound of something going awry and a cannon-like explosion.

Crack!

Bang!

The attacking demons were obliterated, their bodies disintegrating without a trace.

Along with that,

"Oh, there are many tasty ones here?"

"Prince Zion, are you alright?"

Two figures slowly emerged from behind Zion.

They were Liushina and Liam Reiner.

Forces Zion had prepared for this plan.

"These people are...!"

Hanosral's eyes bulged at the immense power emanating from the two.

But his surprise was not yet over.

Zion's prepared forces were not just these two.

"To think these filthy demon spawns would really dare to enter the imperial palace."

With a rough voice emerging from the darkness, dozens more figures appeared behind Zion.

Their violent aura was even more formidable than the direct forces Hanosral had brought.

"Your Highness, just give the order, and we will tear these creatures to shreds immediately."

Girard, the commander of the border legion, growled like a beast as he stood at the forefront of the group, glaring at the demons.

The Annihilation Squad, known as the elite of the Border Legion, one of the empire's strongest legions.

They were the newly formed Annihilation Squad, continuing the legacy of the first squad that had been wiped out.

Their eyes were filled with endless hatred for demons.

"How could this be..."

The Soul King, recognizing who they were from their gaze, uttered a voice mixed with confusion and astonishment.

"It's always easier to hunt when the prey reveals itself."

As Zion smirked at Hanosral's reaction, a thunderous roar erupted.

Finally, the first hunt of an Omareing had begun.

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