I Became the Youngest Prince in the Novel

Chapter 90: Spirit's Territory (2)

TL/Editor: Rungir

Schedule: 5/Week Wed-Sun

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Humanity's adversaries, the magical beasts, come in a vast array of appearances and temperaments, making categorization an arduous task. Yet, if one were to attempt, they could be broadly divided into three types:

Magical creatures, demon clans, and the Jeonin.

If I were to identify the most formidable amongst them, I would unhesitatingly choose the Jeonin.

Evil spirits, malevolent entities, phantoms, and so forth.

These beings, at their core, are deceitful and tend to avoid head-on confrontations.

Nevertheless, they are the most savage and their might is eerily overwhelming.

They take particular delight in donning human skins, mimicking the very humans they subsume.

From Observations on Magical Beasts.

Lost domain of the vanished angel, Angelosh.

When Gui spoke of the Holy Blood as a medium to enhance the human body, the name that immediately sprang to Zion's mind was this.

Commonly referred to as the blood of sacred beings, several types of Holy Blood existed. However, the most esteemed among them was the blood of the angel, hailed as the messenger of the gods.

Angels. Entities so ambiguous, they were only ever spoken of in holy scriptures.

Legend had it that an angel descended upon the domain of Angelosh. And that legend was true.

'In Angelosh, the actual blood of that angel exists.'

Of course, not only was the wider world unaware, but even the residents of the domain didn't know about the existence of the angel's blood.

Soon, in a few months, this angel's blood would be seized by the evil entities and become known to the world.

And inevitably, in that process, the domain of Angelosh would face destruction.

Zion planned to obtain the Holy Blood himself before that could happen.

'For that Holy Blood, I need her.'

With that thought, Zion glanced at Elysus, who for some reason kept sneaking peeks at him.

When their eyes met, she looked away in surprise.

Unlike the other two mercenaries, Elysus had never approached Zion even once.

Even without any discernible power yet, could she sense something as the future Holy Maiden?

"Over there is the domain of Angelosh. It looks smaller than expected, doesn't it?"

Rat's voice reached Zion's ears at that moment.

As he said, the domain they saw not far off seemed as small as a village.

Thinking about it, it made sense. A remote domain like this, where not even magical trains pass by, couldn't be large.

"We should find a place to stay first," Zion and the mercenaries began moving towards that domain.

As they stepped into the domain,

'What is...'

Zion's vibrant eyes started to dim rapidly.

Much like right before a battle.

Then,

"It's been a long time since we had outsiders."

A few of the domain's residents approached after spotting Zion and his party.

"My name is Kellin. Are you mercenaries on an adventure?"

The middle-aged man at the front introduced himself and offered a handshake.

"Haha, indeed. We came to explore a nearby dungeon. We plan to rest and leave early tomorrow. Is there a place within the domain where we can stay?"

Rat, shaking the man's hand, asked with his characteristic warm smile.

"Our domain, as you can see, is quite small and rarely interacts with the outside. So, we don't have facilities for outsiders. Naturally, there's no inn either."

"Hmm, is that so?"

A hint of inconvenience appeared in Rat's eyes.

The man, as if having a thought, then said to them.

“Ah, if it's acceptable, I can introduce you to our Lord. Our Lord is very fond of adventurers' tales. Whenever travelers arrive, he often invites them to the castle. Of course, in exchange, one would have to share many stories.”

“Oh, would you do that for me?”

Lat's face lit up.

There was absolutely no reason to refuse.

Staying at a regular household or sleeping outside would be far less preferable.

Moreover, such adventurers' tales were precisely Lat’s expertise.

“What do you think, Prince Zion?”

Despite everything, Zion was his employer, so Lat looked to him for a decision.

“......”

However, no answer came from Zion.

“Prince Zion?”

Or rather, it seemed Zion couldn’t respond.

Was it because of a warped energy?

He reacted sensitively to anything twisted.

Hence, Zion could see.

No, he could feel it.

The man introducing himself as Kellin in front of him.

The girl peeping and watching from a distance.

Even the elderly man with a kind smile.

Everything in his sight was twisted.

There were no humans left in this territory.

‘They’ve all been consumed.’

It wasn’t a simple masquerade, where monsters or demons wore human appearances.

Something had devoured the living humans from the inside out and donned their skins.

The subtle discomfort emanating from them, transformed into a feeling of twistedness, irritating Zion's senses.

‘Is it the work of dark magic?’

He couldn’t sense any magic energy, but such energy could easily be concealed.

Although it seemed too early, currently, the most plausible explanation was dark magic.

Was the chronicle's content changing once again?

Or had it always been this way from this point?

He wasn’t certain, but at this moment, pondering about it was less crucial than reorganizing his plans.

‘Perhaps this might turn out for the better.’

Concluding his thoughts, Zion said in a calm voice,

“Let’s head to the lord’s castle.”

Before anyone noticed, his gaze had already shifted to the massive castle standing at the heart of the Angelosh territory.

"Something feels off…"

While taking cues from the butler walking ahead, Elysis whispered to Lat and Ember beside her.

Upon hearing the story from Kellin, the Lord welcomed them warmly, inviting them into the manor and even offering them dinner.

So now, after unloading their baggage and taking a brief rest, the three of them were following the butler to the dining hall.

"You mean Zion, right? You've been avoiding him since earlier... He hasn't spoken much, but isn't he alright otherwise? He doesn't seem too difficult."

Thinking of the absent Zion Harness, Ember responded to Elysis.

Their employer, perhaps tired from the long journey, had chosen to rest in his room, even forgoing dinner.

"No… it's not him... He's so handsome that it's a bit overwhelming. I'm talking about someone else…"

"Oh, right! You're allergic to good looks, aren’t you? Then who are you referring to?"

This time, Lat asked, tilting his head slightly.

"Everyone."

"Everyone?"

"Yes, every single person in this fief."

From the moment they entered the Angelosh territory, Elysis felt a peculiar discomfort. She couldn't put it into words, but she sensed this unease from every person she encountered.

No, it wasn't just the people.

"And these paintings, they're odd too."

Throughout the corridor they were walking, countless paintings were hung. Among them, the portraits of individuals were exquisitely detailed, as if one was looking at a living person. Elysis felt that same discomfort from these paintings too.

"The paintings? True, it's unusual for a Lord's manor, which isn't a museum, to have so many."

"No, that's not it…"

"Ah, our Lord loves collecting paintings. He takes pleasure in displaying them in these corridors for guests to see."

Maybe having overheard Ember's words, the butler ahead responded with a chuckle.

"After dinner, feel free to look around. As long as you heed some precautions, you can safely appreciate the art."

"Safely…?"

Elysis felt that discomfort again from the butler’s words.

"Now, please come this way. I hope you enjoy your dinner."

Suddenly, they had arrived at the dining room. The butler opened the door and gave a slight bow.

Suppressing her unease, Elysis followed her companions into the dining hall.

As she and her party completely entered the dining room,

Whisk!

The eyes of all the paintings in the corridor shifted towards the dining hall.

"Oh, please take a seat! Adventurers!"

A woman, a young man, and a young woman.

The typical family of the Angelosh manor greeted Elysis and her party warmly as they entered the dining hall.

"We've prepared various meats to give you strength for tomorrow's dungeon exploration. I'm not sure if it'll suit your taste, though."

"Ah, not at all! We're grateful just to be invited into your manor."

Lat responded with a hearty laugh to the Lord, whose generous personality seemed to match his ample girth.

"Where did the other one go?"

"Ah, Prince Zion isn't feeling well, so he's resting in his room. He asked to convey his apologies for his absence."

"Oh... We'll have to send some food to him later then."

At Rat's words, the lord wore a concerned expression.

The meal that followed was filled with warmth and laughter.

"I saw five beasts glaring with fierce eyes, rushing towards me... Ah! I truly thought I was done for. But then, arrows rained down from behind..."

"And then? What happened?"

"Ha! Who do you think I am? Rat of the Red Hand. I caught them right away with my hands...!"

Rat went on with his tales of adventure, much like an expert in his domain. The lord and his family listened intently, their eyes sparkling with interest.

'Was I mistaken earlier?'

Watching them, Elysis tilted her head.

It was hard to believe they were nobility; the lord's demeanor was genuinely cordial. There was no sign of the discomfort she felt earlier.

'Maybe I was just too tired and sensed it wrongly...'

Just then,

'Huh?'

A peculiar scene caught her eye.

The lord's wife was cutting meat with a fork and eating with a knife.

The unsettling feeling returned. Although Elysis observed her intently, the lord’s wife seamlessly switched back to using the knife for cutting and the fork for eating.

'This is definitely odd!'

But having clearly witnessed that scene, Elysis tightly gripped her fork.

"Excuse me for a moment."

The lord's daughter, who had been intently listening to Rat's tales with sparkling eyes, stood up.

"Where are you going?"

"I suddenly feel a bit unwell. I apologize for excusing myself when we have guests."

"...Alright, I understand."

The lord, briefly wearing a curious expression, nodded to his daughter.

"I apologize."

"Oh, it's fine! If you're not feeling well, please take your leave and rest."

Rat responded with a wave of his hand, watching the girl who once again bowed in their direction.

She left the dining area with a faint smile on her face.

"..."

Elysis observed the girl's retreating figure with wavering eyes.

With a sharp sound, the door of the restaurant closed completely.

Standing for a moment, a young woman with her back to the door whispered, "Ah, I can't hold back anymore..."

Her expression hinted at hesitation. "Wouldn't it be okay if I eat just one person first?" Soon, her eyes began to gleam with mischief. "After all, excluding that priestess, everyone else is expendable. So, shouldn't I be free to choose when I feast?"

Murmuring as if convincing herself, the corners of her mouth stretched unnaturally high, almost reaching her ears—a smile impossible for any human.

"Yes, it doesn’t matter."

However, to Kiral, the fiend wearing the skin of this young woman, this was a natural smile. Following her words, she let out a spine-chilling laugh and dashed madly through the hallways of the Moonlight Feast.

"He is mine!" she muttered with excitement, recalling the visage of Zion Harness, a man with immaculate white skin and a face as refined as a sculpture. To Kiral, he seemed to be the embodiment of her ideal prey. From the first moment she saw him, she had an insatiable urge to consume him, to wear his skin.

"Hurry! Hurry!" Overwhelmed with excitement and a touch of madness, Kiral saw the door to his quarters. With a burst of impulse, she swung it open.

Inside, the room was dark. There was no light on, and even the moonlight from outside barely filtered in, casting the room in near-complete blackness.

"Where is he?"

Kiral’s eyes darted around the room, hungry and searching for her prey, but there was nothing in sight.

"Did he anticipate me and escape?"

Then, something caught the edge of Kiral's vision. A glimmer of pure white, hovering in the impenetrable darkness.

"What is this..." No matter how hard she tried to focus, she couldn't see it head-on. Whether she moved her eyes or turned her head, it always lingered at the periphery of her vision, as if it were anchored there.

A peculiar and alien sensation emanated from it, stirring her mind. Even for Kiral, who wielded all sorts of eerie powers, this spectacle was utterly incomprehensible. As a rising fear began to consume her from the inside,

Swiftly, the entity approached her like a mirage.

Yet, she was immobilized.

Unable to resist.

As if ensnared in a spider's web.

Kiral's entire body, down to his very fingertips, was utterly dominated by it.

"I've awaited your arrival."

A voice, crisp and unwearying.

Along with it, its eyes slowly began to focus.

As Kiral gazed upon it, her eyes filled with utter terror.

Suddenly, a yawning darkness engulfed her whole.

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