I Became the Youngest Prince in the Novel

TL/Editor: raei

Status: ongoing

Illustrations: none

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"We must stop them! We absolutely cannot let them have this place! Fight to the death if we must!"

SCREECH!

Pandemonium.

That single word described the imperial palace complex now.

Legions of monsters endlessly poured from the massive hole torn in the sky while imperial forces desperately fought to stop them.

SLASH!

"To think they would do something like this..."

Claire cut down two high-ranking demons charging at her with a single strike while scanning the battlefield with troubled eyes.

True, she hadn't been blind to the possibility of the demon realm attempting a counterattack.

They had only suffered losses to Emperor Zion until now, after all.

But she hadn't imagined they would launch such an unprecedented attack.

'No, this kind of attack should have been impossible in the first place.'

The Agnes imperial palace complex - the empire's most important location.

Because of this, it was covered in the highest-level barrier spells cast by countless archmages and ancient dragons throughout history.

Even sacrificing the life of one of the Five Great Demon Generals shouldn't have enabled such large-scale summoning.

What made that impossible possible was the owner of those eyes that had appeared in the abyss torn in the sky.

'Just what was that being...'

The only fortunate thing was that being had immediately vanished without joining the battle.

But...

'The timing couldn't be worse.'

The forces currently in the imperial palace were far fewer than usual.

Second Princess Evelyn and Fifth Princess Diana were absent, and the Three External Worlds had returned to their regions for final preparations.

Moreover, imperial forces were moving toward the borders.

'But worst of all is...'

Emperor Zion's absence.

An irreplaceable fighting force.

They couldn't have known Emperor Zion was away - it could only be called bad luck.

Though forces were rushing from throughout the capital sensing the crisis, they couldn't enter due to the red dome covering the imperial palace complex. ŘἁꞐǒ𐌱ΕⱾ

"Bai Cheng Palace... protect Bai Cheng Palace at all costs!"

BOOM!

Of course, the imperial palace forces currently facing the monsters weren't weak.

No, they were among the strongest in the entire empire.

But the hero's face remained dark because of-

RUMBLE!

Two beings that had appeared in the outskirts when the five palaces surrounding Bai Cheng Palace crumbled, devastating everything as they approached the center.

-It's been so long since I've breathed outside air.

A massive dragon with eight heads, and-

-Ah, my King. You haven't abandoned me.

A green-haired witch with an enchanting expression who melted everything in sight.

Though they were still only dots in the distance, Claire's hands trembled slightly from their overwhelming power and status.

Claire knew their identities.

'The previous Four Great Demons.'

Beings sealed beneath the imperial palace by Magnus Flare, the previous hero, during the First Great War.

They had revealed themselves to the world again.

'I have to stop them.'

But the hero's feet wouldn't move despite that thought.

Because of her memories of past defeats.

Her first defeat against Pride the Archdemon at the border, and the helplessness she felt before Wolbyeokcheon who had obtained the first Beast King's body.

Those two memories gripped her ankles and wouldn't let go.

'Can I really stop them even if I go?'

Claire's eyes wavered like her uncertain heart.

The holy sword Gram's blade gradually lost its light while her grip on it tightened.

As Claire remained frozen by helplessness watching the approaching former Great Demons-

"KYAHAHAHAHA!"

With an ear-splitting laugh, a red line shot from Sinking Star Palace toward Iades, the green-haired witch among the two Great Demons.

It was Liushina.

"I'll be your opponent."

With a chilling smile-

BOOM!

The red-eyed witch clashed with the Great Demon.

"Beings that shouldn't exist in this world have emerged. I shall help."

Rubrious joined after her, spreading divine light even more brilliantly than before as he supported Liushina.

'How can they do that?'

Claire's eyes trembled seeing Liushina show no fear despite having experienced defeat by a Great Demon like Claire had.

How could she advance without hesitation while Claire couldn't take a single step?

How long did she watch Liushina like that?

'Right, from the start it wasn't about whether I could stop them or not.'

Claire's eyes slowly closed as if realizing something.

It had always been this way.

Through countless battles fought until now.

She had never been certain of victory in any of them.

Yet she had always given her all because of her goal to save this world and her unwavering will.

'What matters is my resolve.'

The wavering gradually settled in the hero's reopened eyes.

"Claire."

Her companions gathered beside her, calling her name as if sensing her change of heart.

"We'll take the remaining one," the hero said to them as her holy sword began shining again.

---

"More precisely, one must first attain divine status to reach nine stars of Black Star Force."

Though different from reaching demigod status upon achieving eight stars, Zion immediately understood the remnant's words.

'A restriction.'

Akenidia, the Spirit God he had met in the Fairy Forest, had said Black Star Force was both shackles limiting his power and the key to unlocking it.

It seemed reaching divine status was the restriction for attaining nine stars, Black Star Force's final level.

"Then was the contract with the gods made because of that condition of needing to reach divine status?"

The remnant nodded slightly at Zion's words.

"Yes, after learning of the other world's existence, my past self tried many times to attain divine status. But failed, despite already possessing suitable status and power."

"Why?"

"Causality."

The remnant's voice grew even lower.

"Do you know of causality's existence?"

Zion nodded.

Causality.

Literally 'cause and effect' - one of the most important elements constituting this world.

Zion remembered the gods being unable to speak about him before due to lacking causality.

"Causality is needed to attain divine status. An immeasurable amount of it. Usually one can naturally accumulate it by achieving deeds worthy of myth, legend, or historical record, but... I was different."

More precisely, he had never accumulated any causality from the start.

As if the concept didn't exist at all for Aurellion Khan Agnes.

"It felt like the world itself was rejecting my ascension to divine status."

Zion's eyes gleamed.

The remnant's words seemed related to the strange pressure he had been feeling lately.

'The world's rejection...'

Moreover, Zion couldn't shake the feeling this was connected to the 'outside' he had heard about.

"Then are only some of my achievements recorded in history because of this causality?"

His past war with the demon realm and various other deeds.

They had been erased from current history as if they never existed.

The remnant nodded at Zion's question.

"That's likely. Though my past self's intervention also affected the demon realm war."

Zion could guess the reason without asking.

It was probably due to the contract with the gods.

Perhaps reading Zion's thoughts, the remnant continued without explaining:

"So my past self pondered how to raise this lacking causality. And concluded the answer was getting it directly from the divine beings."

But perhaps because he was only a demigod-

"Back then, I couldn't meet or deal with gods through will alone, so I thought - if I can't go to them, I'll make them come to me."

"Then that method was..."

"Yes, the demon realm."

It was a completely random thought.

Just before destroying the Demon King who stood before him stained with despair at the very end, a sudden idea occurred.

"The Demon King I saw was strong. Strong enough to destroy the world if not for me. So I thought - what if I let the Demon King live instead of killing them? If a being destined for destruction reappeared later and drove the world toward its end..."

The cornered gods would seek him out.

Of course, the demon realm might be destroyed by destined beings like the hero instead, or they might seek someone else, but it was still worth attempting.

And that attempt succeeded perfectly.

'Now I understand what it meant that I proposed the deal first.'

Zion felt many questions in his mind being answered.

No, many things were actually becoming clear.

"I can't tell you the contract's contents due to restrictions. But you can probably guess enough."

Zion nodded slightly at the remnant's words.

'Saving the world in exchange for the gods' causality.'

Everything had proceeded according to his plan from the start.

Though saving the world from destruction as a powerless being within three years was nearly impossible, his past self would have gladly accepted those contract terms.

He would have been fully confident, and moreover thought such circumstances would free him from boredom.

"One more question."

After organizing his thoughts briefly, Zion addressed the remnant again.

"What is it?"

Zion thought the remnant's appearance seemed slightly awkward, but quickly dismissed the thought.

The remnant was only a part of himself, not the whole, so it wouldn't be exactly the same.

"Do you know about the term 'outside'?"

"Outside?"

The remnant asked back with questioning eyes.

"The gods I met called me and Black Star Force 'outside.'"

"Outside... certainly Black Star Force is power that doesn't belong anywhere in this world. No, perhaps my very existence is foreign?"

After pondering something with that murmur, the remnant shook his head.

"I know nothing about that. Memory could be missing, but that's very unlikely."

This meant even his past self hadn't known about this.

'Will I have to ask the gods about this?'

Zion pushed aside his rising disappointment at that thought.

This was already far more information than he had originally hoped for, and quite satisfactory.

Then-

"Time's almost up."

The remnant watched his gradually fading body indifferently before addressing Zion again.

"If you have any final questions, ask quickly."

"..."

After briefly considering questions in his mind, Zion spoke as if remembering something:

"Did my past self take an empress?"

The Agnes bloodline continuing for hundreds of years until now suggested high probability of this.

But Zion had had no intention of taking an empress before entering this body.

So if his past self had taken one, he was slightly curious who it had been.

"Ah, you didn't know?"

The remnant's eyes took on a strange light as he slowly spoke.

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