I Became the Youngest Prince in the Novel

"What's happening?"

Within the magic-fueled carriage speeding towards the royal palace, a stern-faced wizard turned to the knight piloting the vehicle.

"It looks like an intrusion at the main gate. The knights are trying to stop it."

"An intrusion? Right through the main gate?"

Surprise flashed in the wizard's eyes.

This was a first. Who dared to barge in so openly?

"Yes."

"How many intruders are there?"

"...Just one."

The palace knights were stronger than ordinary ones.

Why hadn't they stopped one intruder despite their superior numbers?

"She's a red-eyed woman in her twenties, and surprisingly skilled. They're struggling."

"A red-eyed woman... Anything else unusual?"

"Oddly, no one's been killed. And... she uses a unique magic."

"What's unique about it?"

"I didn't see it personally, but it involves blood and beast-like figures..."

"...Blood magic!"

The wizard's eyes sparkled at the knight's words.

"Tell me more... no, I'll see for myself."

"Understood. We'll head for the main gate."

Heeding the wizard's orders, the knight steered the magic-fueled carriage.

"Blood magic users are rare in the capital... If we play this right, we might get a lead on the Night of Rest."

In the carriage speeding towards the royal palace's main gate, the wizard mumbled to himself.

His name was Lergan Urschler, a trusted ally of the third prince, the master of the Sacred Palace.

---

---

After the succession ceremony, a royal family member must complete two tasks in the People's Palace before starting official duties.

One, which Zion had just completed, was an audience with the Emperor.

The other was visiting the 'Starry Dream.'

Starry Dream.

The name alone gives no clue as to what this place is. It's a hidden treasury built at the same time as the royal palace.

It houses only the most precious treasures collected by the royal family over hundreds of years, from the first emperor to the present.

It's said to be located somewhere underground in the People's Palace, accessible only to those of Agnes' direct lineage.

A direct descendant who completes the succession ceremony earns the right to select one item from the 'Starry Dream.'

Zion was now headed to the 'Starry Dream' to claim his choice.

"Beyond this point, you must proceed alone. I hope you choose wisely."

Knight Ronier, who had guided Zion to the doorway leading underground, bowed respectfully and stepped away.

Zion nodded at him and pushed the door open.

Clang.

Unlike the Emperor's room, there were no guards at this door to the basement.

No, there weren't any needed.

"After all, unless you're from the Agnes line, you can't enter the People's Palace basement."

As Zion stepped through the door and into the basement, he found himself shrouded in a dense mist.

This wasn't ordinary mist; it was a magical fog created through high-level magic and spells.

The fog had a paralyzing effect on a person's senses.

So even someone with keen senses wouldn't be able to see what was right in front of them, without the blood of Agnes.

'Is this it?'

A few steps into the fog, Zion spotted faint stars twinkling overhead.

A lengthy trail of stars stretched out like a galaxy.

Presumably, following these stars would lead to the 'Starry Dream.'

'...I'll deal with that later.'

Zion, mulling over a future event in the royal palace, glanced in a direction opposite to where the star trail led, then started to move slowly.

How long had he walked down the path?

Soon, a giant stone door barring the way came into Zion's view.

It was a door adorned with engravings of the sun, the moon, and countless orbiting stars.

Drip.

Without any hesitation, Zion let a drop of his blood fall onto the stone door.

In that moment.

Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!

The stone door, having absorbed Zion's blood, began to radiate light from the sun and the moon. Then, it slowly split open.

And beyond, lay an array of treasures.

This was the Starry Dream.

Just as Zion crossed the threshold into the vault,

"Welcome!"

A cheerful voice, oddly out of place in the situation, echoed in Zion's ears.

At this, Zion turned his gaze towards the voice, where a girl barely reaching his waist stood.

"Welcome to the Starry Dream!"

She had clear sky-blue hair and matching blue eyes.

"I'm Vela, the guardian of this place! You're Prince Zion Agnes, right?"

"Yes."

Zion, aware of the existence of a vault keeper, merely nodded without surprise at the girl.

One might wonder how such a young girl could be the guardian of this place, but she was not human to begin with.

A homunculus created through dragon magic.

So, in spite of her youthful looks, she was an entity who had lived for hundreds of years, capable of dwelling in this place accessible only to the Agnes family.

"Firstly, congratulations on your succession ceremony! Is this your first visit to the Starry Dream?"

Vela, brimming with cheerfulness as if she'd encountered someone after a long period, asked with an animated voice, twirling once before Zion.

"This place is the world's most splendid treasure vault, home to wonders beyond Prince Zion's wildest dreams! Even the least valuable among them could easily purchase a handful of castles!"

With that, Vela gestured towards the mountains of precious artifacts scattered about the vault floor.

And not a hint of exaggeration laced her words.

"Here, Prince Zion, you are entitled to take only one item, be it a weapon, a piece of jewelry, or something else! All previous successors who came here chose weapons, will you opt for a weapon too?"

"Yes, but this isn't all there is, right?"

Zion, who was surveying the surroundings in response to her words, asked her.

The weapons dispersed here were remarkable to the point where, if even one were to make its way into the world, it could cause significant uproar.

However, the caliber of weapons that Zion had read about in the annals, said to exist in the Starry Dream, was undeniably beyond this.

"Indeed, there's more! More astounding weapons are separately categorized within! But..."

Her voice dwindling, Vela looked at Zion.

"Inside, each item is a weapon worthy of eternal remembrance, from past to present and beyond, each steeped in myths and legends!

That's why the weapon chooses its wielder! So, if the weapon doesn't accept you, no matter how much you might covet it, you cannot wield it!"

No, it wasn't just about the inability to wield it.

If someone attempted to force control of a weapon that didn't choose them, they could end up injured, or even lose their life.

"So, will you still venture within?"

Vela asked Zion again.

Zion understood why Vela was posing this question.

'She thinks the weapons won't choose me.'

It was a logical assumption.

The standards for the inner weapons to select their wielders were extraordinarily strict.

'Even amongst the past emperors, there were those who went unchosen.'

She likely believed Zion wasn't at that level yet.

However, Zion had already decided on a weapon before his arrival at the Starry Dream.

The Heavenly Fall Sword, Rigveda.

A mythic weapon that exists only thrice in the 'Starry Dream', a secret imperial vault likened to a star-filled sky.

A divine blade with an origin story of having brought a sky god down to earth.

"Lead the way."

His mind was set on obtaining one of the mythic weapons, even if it wasn't that particular sword, so Zion spoke, looking at Vela.

No trace of apprehension clouded his mind about the possibility of not being chosen by a weapon.

Zion was always the one to choose, not be chosen.

"Each individual has a weapon that fits them! Even if it's not a legendary weapon, if the compatibility is right, it can create greater synergy..."

"I hate repeating myself."

"......Understood. If you're not chosen, I bear no responsibility!"

With that, and a heavy sigh, Vela waved her finger.

Whoosh!

Space parted, revealing a new doorway.

As if beckoning him to follow, the vault's keeper stepped through the entrance first.

Following her, Zion stepped in, and immediately, an array of staggering weapons was laid out before his eyes.

Unlike the haphazardly scattered weapons he saw before, here, weapons and armors were meticulously arranged along both walls.

Zion could feel the potent energy emanating from these artifacts, exerting an intense pressure on him.

"Impressive, isn't it? If merely one of these were to surface in the world, it could incite a bloodbath! So perhaps it's time for you to..."

"There it is."

Disregarding Vela's admonitions, Zion's eyes sparkled as he surveyed the interior of the vault.

Among the many displayed weapons, three mounted at the very top stood apart.

The Timeless Bow, Hypnos.

The Gravity Spear, Agnus.

And... the Heavenly Fall Sword, Rigveda.

They were of mythic-grade.

Zion moved toward the Rigveda, which was suspended centrally amongst them.

Wooong!

Could it sense his intention to choose it?

The Heavenly Fall Sword's blade, as blue as a pristine sky, began to tremble slightly.

"Eh? Why is Rigveda..."

Vela was muttering, her gaze fixed on Rigveda, her sentence left unfinished at the sight she had never witnessed before.

Meanwhile, Zion, who had approached the Heavenly Fall Sword, extended his hand towards the hilt.

Woong!

The vibration intensified, as if welcoming him.

Just then.

He stopped.

Zion's hand, about to grasp the hilt of Rigveda, froze in mid-air.

"......Huh?"

A puzzled utterance slipped from Zion's lips.

His gaze was not fixed on the Heavenly Fall Sword, but on something located behind it.

A sword.

It was indeed a sword.

A blade partially cloaked in shadows, so ensnared in profound darkness that one wouldn't notice it unless up close.

From blade to hilt.

The ebony sword, entirely formed of pitch-black, was ominously thrust into the ground, seemingly devouring all surrounding light.

Zion recognized this sword.

No, he couldn't possibly not recognize it.

The Light Extinguishing Sword, Eclaxia.

It was the weapon wielded by him, the emperor in his original world, not this one.

"How can this be..."

Half-hidden, half-revealed, yet it was unquestionably Eclaxia.

How did his weapon cross over into the world of this tale?

Trudge, trudge.

Zion, seemingly spellbound, approached Eclaxia.

"No, that sword! Don't, Your Highness! That sword belonged to the Eternal Emperor, the first emperor of the Empire! It's not available for the taking, it isn't!"

In Vela's eyes swirled a mix of fear and desperation as she shifted her gaze between Zion and the Light Extinguishing Sword.

Why was that sword embedded there?

Surely, it was a historic blade, wielded by the first emperor, and it wasn't meant to be claimed by another.

The very existence of that black sword was dangerous.

Over the centuries, various royals who had ventured here had been drawn to that sword. As soon as they laid their hands on it, they vanished on the spot.

If they were fortunate, only a part of their body would remain.

If not, their entire being would.

The sword that had chosen no owner since the reign of the first emperor.

So, she had obscured it to keep it from sight, but she could not fathom how it had revealed itself now.

"Why..."

Meanwhile, Zion, who had approached Eclaxia, was extending his hand towards the hilt of the sword.

"It's, it's dangerous!"

At that point, Vela broke the code of never laying hands on a member of the Agnes bloodline, reaching out for Zion in sheer desperation.

The next moment.

It happened.

The ethereal black light emanating from the Light Extinguishing Sword, Eclaxia.

-------------!

The spectacle of the light engulfing Prince Zion's entire form in an instant.

***

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