I Became the Youngest Prince in the Novel

TL/Editor: Rungir

Schedule: none

Illustrations: none

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Have you ever felt destined to be a ruler?

The 'Entity' had felt this from the moment it became aware of the world around it. Merely breathing, its power continually grew, and everything it desired came into its grasp.

Whenever someone obstructed its path, the outcomes were always one of two: death or subordination.

The pinnacle of all species in the world.

The Entity believed it was at this apex and had continually proven its superiority.

All the monsters surrounding it approached, bowing their heads in submission, and naturally, the Entity reigned as their king.

"I am the greatest, and I am the master of this world."

Under this belief, like a creed, the Entity named itself.

Horrible.

A name that signified it would become the fear of all beings.

After naming itself, Horrible's first act was to unify all nearby monsters under its command.

Horrible believed its purpose of birth in this world was to dominate all other beings.

Therefore, it formed a legion and wished to expand beyond the northern snowy mountains into the vast continent.

However, this ambition faced an obstacle from the start.

'The Steel Fortress.'

A massive fortress blocking the gorge that connected the snowy mountains and the empire.

The humans guarding the fortress resisted with infuriating tenacity, preventing Horrible from advancing into the continent for over a year.

But now, the end of that impasse seemed near.

"The preparation to advance into the continent is complete."

Muttering to himself, Horrible gazed at the Steel Fortress in the distance, a mere speck from his vantage point.

The monster troops sent today had failed to conquer the fortress, but there was no sign of disappointment or frustration in his eyes.

After all, today's attack was meant to reduce the number of humans inside.

"The final step."

Horrible's eyes, oozing an eerie violet gleam, indicated that the grace period for those inside was over.

Tomorrow night.

When the moon rises at its reddest, the most ferocious of the monster legion, along with Horrible himself, will move, and under them, all humans will be trampled.

The monsters that barely escaped today reported about the new, strong humans they encountered, but Horrible paid little heed.

They were just a minority after all.

'Just more sacrifices for our continental expansion.'

With that thought, a chilling smile formed on the lips of the Monster King.

Near the border of the Agnes Empire and the Fairy Forest to the west.

"We need to go faster."

Two riders were speeding along the highway at a rapid pace.

The woman with silver hair was Rain Dranir.

"Why are we rushing like this all of a sudden?"

Rain asked, genuinely puzzled, as she rode alongside the woman. She had never seen her in such a hurry before.

The woman, who always preferred walking on foot, claiming it was good training, over any other means of transport, was now relentlessly riding a horse, having arrived here from the capital on a magic-powered train.

She would have undoubtedly bought a magic car if it were available outside the capital.

"We must be the ones to kill 'The Serpent Gnawing at the Roots'."

"What? The Seven Calamities? What are you talking about all of a sudden?"

Rain's eyes deepened with confusion, but no answer came from the woman.

To be precise, she was too preoccupied with organizing her complicated thoughts to respond.

'It's unbelievable that the royal family is moving together to deal with a calamity at this time.'

The royals of Agnes were known for their selfishness, doing anything to get what they wanted but never moving a finger without a clear benefit.

That's why, before 'returning', several calamities remained until just before the full-scale war with the demons erupted.

'Someone among the royals must have taken the initiative to create this situation.'

It could not have happened otherwise.

'It's probably either Evelyn Agnes or Zion Agnes.'

Ordinarily, she would have thought of Princess Evelyn without hesitation, but now her suspicions leaned more towards Prince Zion.

Major changes in the future involving the royal palace always seemed to be connected to Prince Zion.

'What exactly is he thinking?'

Of course, she was pleased that the calamities, which would become significant problems in the future, were being dealt with now.

However, the issue was that among those calamities, there were specific ones that she needed to personally defeat and acquire.

'The Phantom Legion of Chronos, the Monster Legion, and... The Serpent Gnawing at the Roots.'

Of these, the Phantom Legion had already been defeated by Prince Zion, and the fate of the other two remained uncertain.

Therefore, she was heading towards 'The Serpent Gnawing at the Roots', which had something she absolutely needed to acquire.

This would disrupt her original schedule, but it couldn't be helped.

Even though she was not part of this purge, there was no telling when they would be dealt with in this current flow.

'It would be easier after Elysis joined, but...'

Knowing the strategy, she felt that she and Rain could manage the purge by themselves.

'But why... why is this one left?'

This question lingered in the woman's mind.

The Serpent Gnawing at the Roots was tricky to handle, but it wasn't the most difficult calamity to subdue.

Originally, it was expected that the royals would have chosen and dealt with it.

'Could it have been deliberately left?'

The woman chuckled and shook her head as she thought this far. It was too far-fetched an idea.

Who would know and leave it purposely?

Soon after, the woman and Rain disappeared into the vast forest.

In the command room of the Steel Fortress.

"…The recent attack resulted in the loss of 10% of our regular troops, with 327 casualties among knights and mages, and..."

Commander Yornan of the 7th Legion was giving his report. Unlike before, he was not the one receiving but giving the report, as a royal of Agnes was present.

"...Currently, the battlefront with the monster legion is formed around the gorge where the fortress is built, and the enemy's base is located in the Achilles Basin, a short distance from here..."

Zion Agnes.

It was the first time Yornan had seen him, although he had heard his name before.

A royal whose reputation in the capital had surged recently due to his shocking actions.

Until half a year ago, he was known as an incompetent prince in confinement.

But at some point, he completely transformed, building his power faster than anyone on the basis of his overwhelming charisma.

'I heard he's one of the strong candidates for the next emperor...'

Seeing him in person, Yornan understood why.

Not because of Zion's martial prowess he had witnessed earlier, but those utterly bored eyes.

Just feeling those eyes on him made Yornan's heart race and his body shrink.

It wasn't just him; the other officers around him seemed to tremble under Zion's gaze.

An atmosphere impossible to create if one wasn't born a ruler.

"...That's the end of my report."

Even in such a situation, Yornan managed to complete his report and looked at the red-eyed woman yawning beside Zion.

A woman whose identity was unknown except that she was a subordinate of Prince Zion.

He was curious about her identity, but the words that came out of his mouth were not about her.

"But Your Highness, did only the two of you come?"

It was hard to even start a conversation, but he had to ask.

"Yes."

Zion answered briefly.

"Then, is there any backup coming..."

"No. Is there a problem?"

There was.

A big one.

The monster legion was a calamity.

One of the Seven Calamities, powerful and forming a collective.

Yornan knew about the exceptional abilities of Prince Zion and the woman from the recent battle.

Even recalling it now sent shivers down his spine – the overwhelming force displayed was undeniable.

Yet, that didn't mean just two people could confront a legion, especially one made of monsters.

Even they were barely holding out day by day within the fortress.

"...No, there isn't any."

However, his response contradicted his true feelings.

Sensing Yornan's hesitation, Zion, with a slight smile, asked, "How long will it take to reorganize and repair the damage?"

"If you mean just the bare minimum repairs, it should be done by midnight today."

"Good. Then we'll attack the monster legion tomorrow morning."

His voice was as calm as if he was deciding on tomorrow's breakfast menu. But the content was far from it.

"...Excuse me?"

The commander, seemingly having misheard, asked Zion to repeat.

Zion, as if to demonstrate, picked up a piece representing the 7th Legion from the map on the table.

"After the sun rises tomorrow."

He then placed the piece next to the monster legion's representation on the map.

"We'll head to the Achilles Basin and strike the monster legion."

Zion knew.

He knew that tomorrow night, the reddest moon of the year would rise.

Then, the power of the monsters would be at its peak, and the Monster King Horrible would not miss this chance to launch a full-scale attack on the fortress.

It was a far better choice to strike first.

"...That's impossible, Your Highness!"

Yornan, initially stunned into silence, spoke up with a heightened tone.

Fear flickered in his eyes as he realized he was defying royal orders, but he did not stop speaking.

"Of course, I know how powerful Your Highness and your subordinate are from the recent battle. But... they are a legion. A legion of monsters strictly controlled by the Monster King Horrible."

To him, the lives of the soldiers he had fought alongside were precious.

"To confront a legion, we need an equal force. Although we are a legion too, to be honest, there's a difference in strength."

No matter how royal, he couldn't send his entire force to their deaths on a absurd order.

"That's why we can barely hold them off while using the fortress. To leave this place would be... frankly, like suicide. So, I implore you to reconsider your order."

With that, Yornan bowed deeply to Zion.

He was willing to face punishment for insubordination if it meant saving his troops.

Zion watched Yornan in silence, who was tensed up, expecting the prince's notorious cruelty.

Then, in a languid voice, Zion said, "I agree with your concerns."

"One legion is indeed insufficient."

"Then…!"

"But I won't withdraw the order."

"Excuse me?"

The commander's eyes filled with questions.

And these questions only deepened with Zion's next statement.

"We don't just have one legion."

As he said this, Zion picked up a red piece and placed it behind the monster legion's piece on the map.

Thus, a total of three pieces were now placed on the map.

Yornan, briefly staring at the map with a puzzled expression, turned to Zion again.

"But didn't you just say there are no more reinforcements?"

"That's right."

"Then why…"

"Why look elsewhere when what we need is already here?"

Zion replied with a smirk, his eyes shifting to Liushina, who was slumped over the table, seemingly bored with the meeting.