I Became the Youngest Prince in the Novel

251 - Beneath Baeksung Palace (1)

TL/Editor: raei

Status: ongoing

Illustrations: none

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"It remains the same. As Aileen just said - someone qualified to stand beside me. And..."

As he spoke, Zion glanced at several women watching him with slightly tense eyes before continuing:

"Someone who survives this coming war."

"Ah."

Understanding dawned on everyone's faces at his words.

Right, they were facing a great war that would determine the world's fate.

In such circumstances, deciding on an empress seemed almost laughable.

"Well, liking coffee would be a plus."

Zion smiled slightly as he added this final comment while lifting the teacup Fredo had filled.

In truth, what Zion had contemplated before answering wasn't about Fredo's question.

'After the war ends, will I remain here? Or return to my original time?'

This thought had entered his mind as soon as the topic of empress came up.

What would happen to him after completing the contract with the gods?

What had been his past self's intention?

Though the clues he'd gathered from gods and dragons were helping form a picture in his mind, it felt like one crucial key was still missing.

'Do I need to kill the Demon King to find out?'

Zion stared at his teacup for a moment, lost in thought.

Then a possibility began forming in his mind.

'I might be able to get one more clue before that.'

His eyes slowly grew distant with that thought.

---

"So Zion Agnes has finally held his coronation."

Wrath quietly spoke in the pitch-black abyss where not even a sliver of light existed.

"Then... it's war now? He's been preparing for it all this time."

Acrimosia frowned as she replied to Wrath.

The abyss churned violently, reflecting her mood.

"I want to get one good hit in before that... but nothing comes to mind."

She had been thinking about it constantly but couldn't come up with anything.

All their plans within the empire had already been disrupted.

Most of them by Zion Agnes himself.

"Still, we should be satisfied that one powerful force has joined our side."

Wrath spoke in a low voice, remembering the 'First Heaven' who had recently come to the demon realm.

But even at his words, Madness's furrowed brow didn't smooth.

"Hmm..."

She hummed thoughtfully with crossed arms.

After some time passed-

"You know."

Acrimosia's voice grew calmer as she slowly spoke.

"There's still one thing Zion Agnes hasn't touched in the empire's capital, right within the imperial palace complex."

"What do you mean? The imperial palace complex was devastated long ago...!"

Wrath's eyes sank deeper as he seemed to realize something and stopped mid-sentence.

"You mean the 'remnant' from the First Human-Demon War? That could certainly deal massive damage to the empire..."

A remnant that had dwelled deep within the imperial palace complex since before they had become Great Demon Generals.

That's why he hadn't recalled it immediately.

After briefly considering this remnant from the previous era, Wrath slowly shook his head.

"But we can't activate it with our power alone. That's why we've left it alone until now."

Essentially saying it was out of reach.

"It would be difficult unless our King personally intervened."

This essentially meant it was impossible.

Their King hadn't appeared even when the demon realm was defeated in the First Human-Demon War, or when two newly appointed Great Demons were killed.@@@@

There had been just one reaction recently, but nothing since then.

"Then I'll have to ask the King."

Acrimosia rose from her seat with those words.

"Where are you going?"

"Where do you think?"

Madness replied to Wrath's question as she walked away.

Of course, she knew.

That even if she personally went to ask, the King wouldn't move.

But she couldn't just do nothing.

Zion Agnes's reach was increasingly tightening around them, and they couldn't remain idle in such a situation.

'To think he'd really return after becoming emperor.'

Though she had somewhat expected it, it was still surprising enough that she took a deep breath to calm herself before raising her head again.

"Shall we proceed with the registration ceremony?"

"Let's do that."

At Zion's brief answer, Veila closed her eyes and-

-ŒØŦþøĦ

Chanted a spell in language unpronounceable by human vocal cords.

FLASH!

A translucent contract appeared floating before Zion.

"Just drop one drop of blood there and it's done."

Without hesitation at her words, Zion let a single drop of his blood fall on the contract. In that moment- FLASH!

With light too bright to look at directly, the contract split in two and merged into both Zion's and Veila's bodies.

How much time passed like that?

As the contract fully absorbed into their bodies and the surrounding light nearly faded-

"Congratulations, Emperor Zion."

Veila opened her eyes, spread her arms wide and spun once in place as she spoke:

"Now all artifacts here belong to you."

Everything in the Agnes Empire belonged to the emperor, and the artifacts in the Dream of Stars were no exception.

That's why emperors who ascended to the throne had claimed ownership of the artifacts through this registration ceremony.

Of course, whether the artifacts would acknowledge them was another matter entirely.

"Is that so? Then I can do whatever I want with everything here?"

Perhaps sensing something in Zion's slight smile as he looked around?

"What? Yes... that's true, but why are you suddenly asking..."

Veila anxiously watched Zion's expression as she asked.

His next words confirmed her intuition had been correct.

"Then I'll be taking all the artifacts here."

A moment of silence.

Then-

"WHAAAAAT?"

Veila's eyes widened as far as they could go as she lost the composure she had maintained for hundreds of years and cried out to Zion:

"Wh-what are you saying? Take them?"

"Exactly what I said. I'm bringing everything here up to the surface."

"But, but...!"

After answering as if he wouldn't accept any objections, Zion immediately turned around.

He had been thinking about this since his first visit to the Dream of Stars.

It was a tremendous waste to have such exceptional artifacts buried here unable to demonstrate their power.

They would surely provide great help in strengthening their forces.

"Ah, and when the artifacts are brought up, you'll come up too."

Finally turning his head toward Veila, who had collapsed to the ground muttering "Sob, sob, I'm ruined," Zion said this before leaving the Dream of Stars.

Mystical fog immediately filled his vision and surroundings.

Zion slowly walked through this fog.

'This way?'

Though he should have returned to the surface now that the registration ceremony was complete, Zion's steps headed in a direction far from the surface.

He went deeper and deeper beneath Bai Cheng Palace.

Yet his eyes remained as calm as when he first entered.

This had been his true purpose for coming underground from the start.

The registration ceremony was merely a secondary objective.

Veila, the keeper of the Dream of Stars, was a homunculus created through dragon magic.

Then where was the dragon who had created her?

The answer was surprisingly close.

'Right here beneath Bai Cheng Palace.'

The place Zion had turned back from during his first visit here, deciding to deal with it later.

That's where the one who created Veila was.

'Wonder if their personality is similar to before?'

Even without the chronicle, Zion already knew their identity.

Because he had personally imprisoned them here when he was the Eternal Emperor.

He hadn't known they were the same being during his previous visit, but now he was certain.

'Better to subdue them now than deal with trouble after war breaks out.'

Plus he had things he wanted to ask.

How long had he walked like that?

Just as Zion's quickly moving form finally entered the being's 'domain'-

[Entering Trial of the Eternal Emperor]

The same mechanical voice he had heard in the Tower of Causality rang in his ears.