I Became the Youngest Prince in the Novel

Chapter 16: The Black Forest (7)

Evil Energy.

A unique force, different from the usual magic or energy that monsters use.

Its source was a mystery, but it was definitely rare and odd.

Only a few people could use this energy, according to the Frosimar book that Zion had read.

Hssss-

Zion was on his way to the grey swamp, using the Black Forest's evil energy to glide through the darkness.

Dark flow.

Merging.

Krrrk?

Creatures, unaware of Zion passing overhead, looked around puzzled.

He wouldn't be able to reach the heart of the forest, but luckily, the grey swamp he was heading for was close to the edge.

How far had he come?

A sight he had never seen in the Black Forest came into view.

'I think I'm here.'

The grey swamp.

Although the Black Forest was as dark as if all light had been swallowed, everything in this place—the swamp, the grass growing in it, the trees around it—had a grey tone.

The evil energy was fading here.

Zion stared at the huge stone pillar rising from the center of the swamp.

'Is that it?'

The Evil Spirit Control Pillar.

That pillar, covered in writing that was hard to read, was the key that Rain's ancestor used to lock up 'Evil' long ago.

It was a masterpiece of magic used for sealing, filled with a power that was hard to describe as just 'strong'.

Why it was here, and not in the middle of the Black Forest, was a mystery.

According to the books, this pillar would be used by the heroes who would come here in the future to lock up the 'Evil' again.

So, Zion knew about this pillar too.

What Zion needed was the stone, or more specifically, the top-notch sealing magic inside it.

Thump!

Without any doubt, Zion stepped on the swamp and quickly moved toward the pillar.

That's when it happened.

Swoosh!

The swamp started to bubble, and dozens of hands reached out from it, aiming for Zion.

They were leftovers from the brutal fight between the previous hero and the Evil, as well as remnants of ghosts locked up in the Evil Spirit Control Pillar.

Pffft!

As if he knew it would happen, Zion spun in the air, easily dodging, and shot toward the pillar even faster.

"Huh."

With that, Zion took a deep breath, pulling back his hand as if drawing a bowstring.

The moment a black star energy swirled at the tip of Zion's hand.

Kwaaaack!

Something enormous jumped out of the swamp in front of him.

A hideous creature with dozens of arms across its body.

It seemed to pop up when Zion sidestepped its grasp.

As all of the creature's arms lunged at Zion.

Tooung!

As if waiting for this, Zion's hand, where the black star energy was at its peak, surged forward.

Like ripples across a pond.

Krrk?

The darkness that began from Zion's hand quickly spread through the air.

Kwajjjjjik!

It began to demolish the flailing arms and the creature in the path.

The remnants disintegrated without even getting a chance to screech.

Zion was nearly at the second level of black star energy, and shards that weren't even phantoms couldn't possibly block him.

Uuuuung!

Had it sensed it was about to be used?

As Zion stood before the creature's remains, the pillar's inscriptions began to shine with a resonating hum.

Just as Zion, studying the pillar, took something from his chest.

Hwaaaaaack!

The sky above the heart of the Black Forest.

A massive wave of evil energy erupted from there.

Unlike before, an overpowering evil energy that momentarily rocked the whole forest.

"It's started."

Zion's eyes began to glow softly at this sight.

[BREAK]

The Black Forest was much more expansive and profound than it appeared from the outside.

Kiiaaaaak!

"Three from the top!"

"I see them!"

Tooung!

At least those who were part of the cleanup team had been painfully aware of this since they entered the forest.

Was it because the colossal evil spirits were on guard?

The power of the evil spirits that followed was unimaginable.

The earlier evil spirits were a piece of cake, to put it lightly.

Kwaaaack!

Evil spirits charging even after a full-force hit from Ragnod.

Even though their heads were all skewered by the spear that Rain threw, their faces were stern.

'How much farther do we have to go....'

The unending forest.

The 'evil' they were supposed to eradicate was still out of sight, and they were slowly running out of steam.

Injuries were piling up, and strength was ebbing from their arms and legs.

The forest seemed to be continuously opening its pitch-black mouth to devour them.

"Is Hart... still alive?"

"Don't chat and clear the path in front!"

Kaila, cutting off Ragnod's murmurings, emanated heat all around.

But she, or rather most here, had a hunch.

That it would be very tough for the two who fell here to survive in a place even they found challenging.

Zhezhezhezhek!

"We just need to push a bit further."

Rain, who split three evil spirits with a single lightning strike, spoke while looking ahead.

Her body bore numerous injuries, but her eyes were glowing more than ever.

'It's near.'

Could it be that the blood of an ancestor who once battled the 'evil' in this forest was resonating?

Rain instinctively felt that her sought-after target, the one she yearned to dismantle, was close.

How much further did they press into the forest?

"Stop."

The Scarred Fairy, leading the way, abruptly came to a stop.

"...We shouldn't proceed."

A fairy's senses are typically far sharper than those of an untrained human.

Something had caught her senses.

Moreover, her eyes were rapidly flickering.

"What?"

"If we continue, we'll die...."

The moment the fairy began to retreat with those words.

Drrrrr!

The black trees, densely enclosing the squad, began to retract in unison.

Along with the trees, the evil spirits also retreated, revealing a large clearing.

At last, in the center of the clearing.

It was visible.

"Are we too late?"

On a colossal stone bathed in moonlight.

There it was, seated.

Hair so black, it appeared to absorb the moonlight itself.

In contrast, blood-red eyes stared at them, sending shivers down their spines.

A woman whose beauty and eeriness surpassed any they had encountered before.

"....Evil."

Rain's voice, filled with determination, echoed as she eyed the woman.

"Who is evil? Surely not me?"

The woman, seemingly genuinely puzzled, pointed at herself with wide eyes.

"Why am I considered evil?"

As she spoke, the woman stepped off the stone and slowly began to approach the squad.

Were they captivated?

They couldn't tear their eyes away from her movements.

The woman seemed amused, glancing at Rain and her team.

"I merely did what I desired."

The woman genuinely did not comprehend.

Everyone has desires, and everyone seeks to fulfill those desires.

So she merely indulged in hers.

The woman simply harbored the desire to kill other beings, including humans.

"Everyone, snap out of it!"

Fzzzt!

The tiny bolt of lightning that accompanied Rain's outcry began to rouse those around her.

"F*ck!"

The squad cursed, forcefully regaining their senses.

Though they had recovered, they trembled, sensing a wave of despair radiating from the woman.

"...Is that truly the sealed entity?"

"Yes, it might appear so, but it's currently unable to utilize most of its power."

If they don't eliminate it here and now, even this tiny window of opportunity will evaporate.

That was Rain's thought.

So, with trembling hands, she firmly grasped her spear.

"Everyone, form a li...."

Whumph!

The sound of a human body being impaled.

Rain, who, despite being a noble's daughter, had spent her childhood as a mercenary and was well-acquainted with battlefields, recognized the sound instantly.

Following the sound, Rain's gaze slowly shifted to its source.

Then,

"...Ragnod?"

A bizarre sight met her eyes.

Ragnod's throat had been impaled from behind by a blade.

And the individual clutching the hilt of that blade was none other than Lian.

"Uggh, erk!"

Unable to utter comprehensible words, Ragnod spat out bloody froth, and his breathing ceased.

A hollow, unexpected demise for a man who had once reigned over the North.

Everyone stood petrified, faced with a scenario no one could have foreseen.

Everyone, except for Lian.

Swoosh!

Whether it had been his intention all along or not, Lian rapidly assaulted and killed the unguarded middle-aged knight, then swiftly lunged at Kaila.

"What the...!"

Though he wasn't as agile as Hart with his flash sword, Lian was reputed for having one of the speediest swords among the seven knights.

In such close proximity, there was no way Kaila, a mage, could effectively guard against such an attack from Lian.

Whumph!

Lian's blade punctured Kaila's heart in an instant, exiting through her back.

"...Cough, this deranged bastard..."

Kaila's eyes, filled with disbelief, flickered between Lian and the sword impaled in her chest, then the focus in her eyes faded.

"Ah..."

Until that moment, Rain had remained motionless.

No, she was unable to move.

She couldn't believe it.

She didn't want to believe it.

What on earth had just occurred?

"Ah..."

Her eyes became unfocused, and only meaningless sounds slipped from her lips.

She was aware of a traitor.

She might even have harbored a vague suspicion about Lian.

But she thought that couldn't be true.

She needed to believe so.

After all, Lian had been like family since a time she could barely recall.

But her faith was met with betrayal.

"Oh mother... Mother of all beasts..."

Lian, sauntering past the stupefied Rain, slowly approached the woman.

His eyes displayed more emotion than they ever had before.

Tears streamed down his cheeks.

"At last... your child has come to see you."

Swoosh!

With those words, the tattoo of a six-headed beast was unveiled on Lian's chest, visible through his torn clothing.

He continued addressing the woman, who was observing him with inscrutable eyes.

"These people dared to injure you, so I reprimanded them in your stead. And here,"

At the end of Lian's pointed finger was Rain.

"The primary instigator of this expedition, and a descendant of Dranir who had imprisoned you here, I present to you."

With those words, Lian lowered his head before the woman.

In the meantime, the scarred fairy had vanished into the forest, but nobody noticed.

She would merely get lost in the forest and meet her end anyway.

"I trust you find this offering satisfactory."

A sacrifice.

Lian was proposing Rain as a sacrificial offering.

The woman quietly observed the back of Lian's head for a moment.

The subsequent words that fell from her lips took Lian aback.

"I'm not pleased?"

"Beg your pardon?"

Taken by surprise by her wholly unexpected response, Lian lifted his head, his eyes flickering with confusion.

"Why are you killing my prey without my permission? And..?"

Before he knew it, he saw the woman creepily smiling at him.

"I've never had a child like you."

At that moment-

Kwajik!

Lian's head is gone. His head vanished without a trace as if he had been bitten by a giant beast. The woman's red eyes looked at Lian's corpse for a while and began to turn towards Rain, who was still standing dazed.

---

Raei Translations

---

"We must flee!"

Those were the words of the scarred fairy who, while making her way towards the heart of the forest, chanced upon Zion.

"Everyone... they're all gone. The spectacled man betrayed us."

The fairy uttered with a half-dazed expression.

'Is this the finale?'

From this, Zion could guess that Lian, another double-agent mingling with the expedition, had commenced his move.

The demise of his comrades due to Lian's treachery.

It was Rain Dranir's trial.

A test to awaken as a bona fide Dragon Slayer.

That's why Zion, despite having prior knowledge, refrained from interfering.

"And that woman... she's no creature for humans to reckon with."

The fairy shivered, as if the mere recollection of her was a formidable task.

It wasn't merely a matter of the expedition team being outnumbered.

Whether the expedition team comprised a hundred or a thousand members was irrelevant.

She was beyond the scope of what humanity could handle.

"There's no time to dawdle. We must escape now!"

"No."

Zion shook his head at the fairy's desperate plea.

"This is an even better scenario."

Zion's eyes shone with what seemed like enjoyment.

The more powerful and formidable the adversary, the more challenging the circumstances, the more Zion relished the situation.

The euphoria of eventually overcoming and subduing it was indescribable.

This joy had long since vanished in his original world, but since arriving in this new world, he had been re-experiencing it.

"I hope she's better than I expected."

Zion's eyes, gazing towards the heart of the forest, blazed with intense anticipation.

***

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