I Became the Youngest Prince in the Novel

TL/Editor: Rungir

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On a night so dark even the moon hides behind the clouds.

"We sped up the Emperor's death just as planned," a man with a blank face said, hidden in a quiet corner of the Imperial City. He spoke to a woman wearing a priest's robe.

"That's right, it'll be easier for us to act now. Your idea was a good one," the woman replied, nodding and smiling at him.

They claimed that the Emperor's death the previous day was their doing.

This was partly true.

They didn't poison the Emperor with demonic poison, but they did make the symptoms show up faster.

Their original plan didn't involve the Emperor, but the recent death of the third prince, Enoch, messed up their plans. They decided the Emperor's death would be a good distraction.

The Imperial City had been chaotic recently, filled with all kinds of incidents, but it wasn't the chaos they wanted.

All these incidents happened because of others, not them. And even worse, the Imperial City seemed to be finding stability after the chaos.

The death of the Emperor would shake up this delicate balance.

"I wonder where we should start?"

As the woman pondered out loud with a gleeful voice, the man spoke up.

"Why not use the Emperor's funeral to target Zion Agnes?"

"I wouldn't recommend that. No doubt many ambassadors from all over, including the borderlands, will come to the Imperial City for the funeral. We would stand out too much, and there's a high chance of failure."

If a lot of people were to gather, naturally, many of them would be powerful, and the alert level would rise.

Trying to act against Zion Agnes in such a situation would undoubtedly be harder than usual.

"Instead of getting rid of Zion Agnes, what if we try to recruit him?"

"That's absurd..."

The woman started to object but then widened her eyes as if a new idea had struck her.

Seeming to know what she was thinking, the man continued, "After all, we don't need Zion Agnes's mind."

"You mean, like the fourth prince? That might work..."

She wondered why she hadn't thought of it earlier.

"But isn't that Tara's job?"

The woman asked the man, suddenly considering this possibility.

They were both part of the Five Demon Spirits, but they did different work and competed with each other. They hadn't worked together until now.

"I suppose we'll have to swallow our pride and ask."

Lowering their heads to a demon of the same rank was tough and stung their egos, but the man thought it was necessary to get rid of Zion Agnes, even if it meant doing so.

To him, Zion Agnes was a big headache.

"Since you talked to Diral last time, I'll take care of it this time," the woman said, shrugging in response to the man's words.

To her too, Zion Agnes was a problem, maybe even a bigger one than the man realized.

"This time, for sure..."

As the woman murmured these words, her eyes turned as cold as ice.

---

---

Emperor Urdios Agnes's death.

Maybe it was because he used to rule the world, even though he had been sick and bed-bound for several years recently.

The news traveled across the empire instantly and shook everyone.

Funeral preparations in the imperial city started right after the emperor's death, and mourners began gathering from everywhere.

"So many of them."

Standing in the open space in front of Baekseong Palace, where the emperor's funeral preparations were underway, Zion watched the lines of mourners that filled the area and spilled over into the surrounding spaces.

Yet, only about half of them had arrived.

"I guess the beastmen won't show up?"

Among the many mourners, the beastmen were almost nowhere to be seen.

It was an odd sight, but for Zion, who knew what would happen in the next year, it was expected.

His gaze moved from the mourners to the coffin of Urdios, lying on a grand platform.

"You wanted me to save the empire."

The emperor's final wish and command.

Zion didn't plan to save the empire as the deceased emperor had requested.

But as long as he was in this world's timeline, he wanted to stop the empire from falling apart.

To do that, there were a few key things he had to do.

'First, dealing with the other royals.'

Zion thought about this as he watched the second princess, Evelyn, who was managing the funeral arrangements.

As the official heir chosen by the emperor, he could have led the funeral, but he decided not to.

Even though it might have helped his future claim to the throne, the benefit wasn't huge, and she was the only one who was truly mourning the emperor's death.

'Evelyn has been nice to me so far, and there's a good chance she will play a key role in the upcoming war with the devil.'

That's why, for now, he was thinking of letting her live.

'That one is a problem.'

Zion's gaze moved to the fifth princess, surrounded by her close allies.

When their eyes met, Diana, seemingly aware of his gaze, quickly averted her eyes.

The fifth princess, Diana, could be useful if handled properly.

They had worked together once, but given her unpredictable nature, there was always the risk of her turning against him at any moment.

So, making a firm decision was still challenging.

'Utekan must be eliminated, no doubt.'

Zion's gaze then shifted to the fourth prince, who was engaged in a conversation with a group of giant mourners.

Unlike when he had looked at Evelyn and Diana, there was no trace of worry in Zion's eyes now.

Utekan didn't warrant consideration.

He was, after all, a demon.

And not just any demon.

He was one of the five supreme demons who reigned over all the others that had crossed over from the demonic world to the human world with the intention of toppling the empire.

They were called the Omareings, and Utekan was one of them.

'Or, more precisely, the one who overtook Utekan's body.'

Tarahal.

The name of the Omareing who had obliterated Utekan's spirit and seized his body.

He was someone who would need to be dealt with eventually.

'I should start laying the groundwork to get rid of him soon.'

As Zion was plotting to trap Tarahal, his eyes glowed subtly, when

"Prince Zion, the Ascalon family has requested another private meeting."

Thierry approached discreetly and murmured, turning his head to the side.

Political machinations continued in the background, even during the emperor's funeral.

No, they were even more pronounced during this time.

Powers from not just the capital but from across the empire were converging.

Most likely, the same was true for the other royals.

"Reschedule it for after the funeral, like the others."

"Understood."

Even before the funeral had properly started, many individuals had already attempted to approach Zion.

Among them were many nobles who had been staunchly loyal to the emperor.

It seemed that the fact that Zion was the last royal whom the emperor had personally favored before his death played a significant role.

Furthermore, many of the people present were casting glances at Zion, aware of his presence.

This was likely due to the radical, even shocking, actions Zion had taken recently.

The incident where he publicly executed the third prince in the heart of the imperial city was so incredible that even those who saw it had difficulty accepting it. Therefore, this reaction was, in a way, to be expected.

"What about the tasks I assigned?"

Zion took the scrutiny of the people in stride and asked Thierry.

"The fourth prince took the bait. And the rest seem to be arriving soon."

Thierry responded promptly, as if he had been anticipating the question.

A stir broke out at the entrance to the square.

People's heads turned towards the source of the disruption.

Soon, they saw a group of priests wearing stark white robes, inappropriate attire for a funeral, filing in.

The gold-embroidered sun on the priests' robes signaled their allegiance to the Church of Light.

And leading this procession was a man who was a stranger to most but instantly recognizable to Zion.

'First Prince Rubrious Agnes.'

His hair, dyed a radiant gold, served as a testament to his unwavering devotion to the God of Light.

His golden eyes, matching his hair, brimmed with divine light rather than celestial stars.

Coupled with his handsome features and imposing height, the man before them was the spitting image of the first prince as described in the annals.

'Has the narrative changed again?'

Zion, observing Rubrious, was filled with uncertainty.

According to the original narrative of the annals, the first prince should not have attended this funeral.

No, he shouldn't have made any significant appearances in the future at all.

Rubrious was known as the Fanatic Prince.

Living up to his title, he, who had devoted his life to the Church of Light, had little interest in political power games, including the throne.

He had all but severed ties with the royal family, including the emperor, and had chosen to reside within the confines of the church instead of the imperial city.

Hence, his appearance at the funeral was all the more surprising.

"What is the meaning of this?"

Evelyn asked in a frosty voice as Rubrious approached the emperor's coffin.

"Is that how you greet someone you haven't seen in a long time?"

"I asked what is happening."

"It's my father's funeral. Naturally, I should be here."

The first prince replied, unfazed by the chilly reception.

"Hah…"

Evelyn's face twisted into an expression of disbelief at his words.

From the moment their father, Emperor Urdios, fell ill and took to his bed, right up until his death, Rubrious hadn't shown his face even once.

Then.

"And from now on, I will preside over my father's funeral."

These words flowed gently from Rubrious's mouth.

At that, those around him, including Evelyn, gazed at the first prince, momentarily unable to understand his words.

"You've done a commendable job preparing in my stead, as the eldest, Evelyn."

Rubrious addressed her with sincere gratitude.

Indeed, had things proceeded as initially planned, it would have been right for the eldest prince to take the helm.

However, he, who had neglected all matters of the royal family in favor of religion and had not even shown up in the imperial city for several years, had no right to say so.

Yet, Rubrious's eyes, showing no signs of wavering, seemed to truly think that it was only natural.

As if he was the successor to the next throne and the other royal family members were merely roles to aid him.

Indeed, Rubrious's words about leading the funeral revealed his ambition for the throne.

"How can you be so shameless and unreasonable...!"

Before Evelyn could object with angry eyes to his attitude of supreme self-importance.

"Ah, and also."

Rubrious, as if recalling something, mumbled briefly and began to walk somewhere, turning his body.

And where he stopped was.

"It seems the rumors that you've changed a lot are true."

None other than in front of Zion.

The first prince, looking at Zion with a gentle smile.

Zion met the eyes of such a Rubrious.

Eyes filled with fanaticism, believing only in their own faith.

Then, soon.

"Come under me, Zion."

From the mouth of the first prince.

"And devote yourself to the God of Light."

A faint voice flowed.

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