I Became the Youngest Prince in the Novel

TL/Editor: raei

Status: ongoing

Illustrations: none

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Episode 158, Chapter 44: Ambush (1)

In a quiet café near Lezero's central square, the silver-haired woman and her hero companions sat on one side, while Elysis and the Rat Mercenary Group occupied the other.

"...Can't you reconsider one more time?"

The woman's voice broke the silence, her eyes fixed on Elysis across the table.

Her tone was calm, yet tinged with an inexplicable longing.

"I'm sorry. I can't join you right now. I'm still too lacking, and... more importantly, I have something I need to do first."

"Something you need to do..."

"Repayment. There's someone I need to prove myself to and repay."

A debt of gratitude for saving her life.

Perhaps not just once, but twice.

"......"

Seeing Elysis's firm resolve as she fell silent after speaking, the woman stood up without saying anything more.

"...I understand. If you ever change your mind, come find me anytime. If you're truly willing, your god will guide you to me."

"Yes, thank you for understanding."

As Elysis bowed her head with those words, the woman took one last look at her face before turning and leaving the café.

"It's hard finding companions~ Right?"

"I hope we'll meet again someday."

Rain and the giant followed behind her.

How much time passed after they all left the café?

"Phew... I thought I was gonna suffocate."

Rat, sitting next to Elysis, spoke dramatically.

"The pressure was no joke, even when we were just sitting there naturally. They didn't seem like ordinary people... Why'd you turn down their offer, Elly?"

"Idiot, they said they were the hero and her companions. Would you believe and follow someone you just met if they introduced themselves like that?"

As Rat spoke, Ember chided him, but Elysis shook her head.

"I believe what they said."

The moment she saw the silver-haired woman, she knew without being told.

That she was the hero.

There was no specific reason or evidence.

It was more like a certainty, similar to hearing a voice in a dream.

Elysis knew this wasn't from herself, but rather the will of 'someone' connected through the angelic blood flowing in her body.

'And along with that, the instinctive pull I felt.'

If she had been her original self, she would have accepted the woman's invitation to join them immediately.

But there was only one reason she didn't.

"It's just that I really have something I need to do first."

It was because of Prince Zion Agnes.

Ever since the incident in the Angelosh territory, Elysis had always felt indebted, and repaying that debt took priority over everything else.

'Of course, I still don't know how to repay it...'

But she felt she had somewhat achieved the qualifications Zion had mentioned, so it seemed like a good time to seek him out.

As excitement began to fill Elysis's eyes at the thought of seeing Prince Zion again,

CLUNK!

The café door opened, and a group of holy knights entered.

"Why are holy knights suddenly here?"

Ember's murmur reached her ears.

The holy knights, after briefly looking around the café, spotted Elysis and began approaching quickly.

"Are you Miss Elysis Desire?"

One of the knights who stopped in front of her asked, his eyes shining.

"Huh? Yes..."

As Elysis answered, the knight's face brightened even more as he bowed politely.

"I'm Alphonse, a 3rd-class holy knight of the Order of Light. Could you accompany us to the Order for a moment, in your capacity as a Saintess candidate?"

An elevated voice flowed from the knight's mouth.

* * *

A small lake existed on the outskirts of Hubris, the empire's capital.

In a tiny café right next to the lakeshore, Zion raised a teacup and looked out the window.

SWOOSH!

Raindrops fell gently from the cloudy, dark sky, creating soft ripples on the lake's surface.

Zion preferred rainy days like this to sunny ones.

It seemed easier to organize his thoughts on days like these.

Add a cup of fragrant coffee to the mix, and it was perfect.

"Ugh, it feels like my throat's burning every time I drink it, but it's strangely good. Why didn't I know about this stuff earlier?"

Beside Zion, Liushina kept gulping down a carbonated aide, exclaiming in admiration.

Ever since she first tasted it at the Empire's Founding Festival, she seemed addicted, always ordering carbonated drinks except for water.

Perhaps curious about the taste of carbonation?

CHIRP!

The frost spirit, perched on Zion's shoulder watching this scene, grabbed a straw and stuck it into Liushina's aide cup before taking a sip.

After a moment of silence, CHEEP!

As if shocked, the frost spirit's eyes widened, and it began flapping its wings up and down rapidly.

The spirit coughed and spluttered as if it had eaten something terrible.

CHIRP! CHEEP CHEEP CHEEP! CHEEP!

After coughing for a while, the spirit pointed at Liushina with its wingtip and began chirping accusingly.

As if understanding the spirit's words,

"How is that my fault? I didn't tell you to drink it. You drank it on your own. I've always known you had a weird personality."

Liushina spoke with a shameless expression, taking another sip of her aide.

CHEEP CHEEP!

"What? My personality is weirder? What's that supposed to mean?"

CHIRP CHIRP!

"Oh yeah? Wanna ask? Master! Who do you think is weirder?"

CHIRP!

With those words, Liushina and the frost spirit's heads turned to Zion simultaneously, as if on cue.

Of course, from Zion's perspective, they were both equally strange.

"If you two keep making noise, I'll make you fight it out in the rain."

"......"

As the two finally quieted down at his words, Zion raised his teacup again.

The reason Zion was leisurely visiting this hidden café on the outskirts, despite the 'Tower of Causality' appearing in the world, was simple.

'There's no point in going now since I can't enter anyway.'

Those who created the Tower of Causality, the world's greatest dungeon, wanted as many beings as possible to enter.

So they set a grace period for the tower's opening.

It would naturally open when adventurers and mages flocking to it had gathered some information about the tower and that information had spread widely throughout the world.

Until then, it was better to rest a bit here or make other preparations rather than going there only to twiddle his thumbs.

'It shouldn't take too long.'

Zion remembered that in the chronicles, the Tower of Causality opened exactly one week after it appeared in the world.

'It'd be nice if I could find this guy's last piece before then.'

Zion thought as he looked at the frost spirit, still engaged in a silent battle of glares with Liushina.

The fragment of the Frost Queen's authority would be crucial in the Tower of Causality he was about to enter.

It was a key necessary for Zion to obtain what he wanted.

'It's hard to expect to find anything more from Ouroboros.'

They had already lost three pieces to Zion himself, so they probably wouldn't try hard to find the remaining one.

Though he was trying other methods, like giving instructions to Tierrie and Aileen, it seemed difficult to find it in a short time.

Information about the fragment's location wasn't even in the chronicles.

The one fortunate thing was that the fragments could serve as keys even if they weren't all gathered.

'Though it'll be imperfect.'

Having organized his thoughts that far, Zion turned his head to look towards the imperial palace.

If he headed to the Tower of Causality this time, he'd be away from the palace again, but Zion's eyes showed no particular worry.

He already held an overwhelming advantage in the succession race due to the initiative he gained in the 'World Conference' from subjugating the calamity, and the various forces and interests he had seized after defeating the Third Prince Enoch and Fourth Prince Utekan.

If time passed without any special incidents, Zion himself would ascend to the throne.

Rumors about this were already beginning to circulate among the nobles.

'Of course, it'd be good to clean things up perfectly to prevent any noise before then.'

With that thought, Zion recalled the Second Princess Evelyn and Fifth Princess Diana.

He had long since thought about how to handle these two.

'But Rubrious's side...'

Just then,

DING!

The café door opened with a clear bell sound.

And behind the open door, a figure in a robe appeared.

Though there shouldn't have been any more customers since they had rented out the entire café, Zion's eyes remained calm as he looked at the figure.

'Speak of the devil.'

After all, it was Zion himself who had called this person here.

"I'll have a cup of hot tea with warm milk."

The figure approaching Zion spoke as he took off his robe.

What was revealed underneath was sun-like golden hair and an incomparably handsome face.

It was the First Prince Rubrious.

* * *

"The tea tastes excellent. I didn't know there was a place in the capital that could make milk tea this good."

In the café, now empty except for the two of them, with even Liushina and the owner sent outside.

Rubrious's gentle voice flowed out as he tilted his teacup, briefly looking out at the rain-streaked window.

"Zion, did you know that milk tea originated from our Order of Light? About 300 years ago..."

"Tell me why you wanted to see me first. You should already know I don't like small talk."

Zion spoke, cutting off Rubrious's unceasing words despite not having seen each other for a long time.

Their eyes met.

At that moment, the First Prince's eyebrow twitched.

He felt overwhelmed the instant he met Zion's eyes.

'It wasn't like this when I saw him last time...'

An immense pressure, incomparable to before, emanated from Zion's languid eyes.

It felt like standing before the late emperor when he was alive.

What on earth had happened in the meantime?

Though questions welled up inside him, Rubrious suppressed them and got to the point.

"...I heard you visited the headquarters in Lezero. I've been told everything that happened there. You really did something great. First, I'd like to thank you again on behalf of the Order."

When Rubrious first heard about it from the Order, he couldn't hide his surprise.

From being designated by the Light to weeding out the demons hiding in the Order and recapturing the seal sites.

All of it was enough to shake the entire Order.

So he wanted to discuss each point in detail for hours, but Rubrious first mentioned what he thought was most important and the reason he had sought out Zion.

"I heard you exposed and dealt with all the demons hiding in the headquarters."

"That's right."

"Then perhaps... Zion, did you know that demons were hiding not just in the Order of Light, but also in the imperial palace?"

Though he asked, Rubrious was certain Zion knew.

It was the only way to explain everything that had happened so far.

No, perhaps his youngest brother was already waging a war against them beneath the surface.

Zion, looking at the First Prince calmly, spoke in a composed tone.

"What if I did?"

"...!"

Rubrious's face froze at Zion's answer.

"Then tell me. Everything you know."

The First Prince was fully aware.

Of how serious this situation was.

It could potentially overturn the entire empire.

Moreover, he couldn't tolerate the very fact that demonic beings were residing in an empire that should be filled only with the holy will of the Light.

Thus, for Rubrious, this matter was more important than anything else.

"I will, but on one condition."

"What is it?"

As Rubrious asked with questioning eyes,

"Give up the throne, and serve under me."

The words Rubrious had once said to Zion at the late emperor's funeral.

Now those same words flowed from Zion's mouth in a low voice.

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