I Became the Youngest Prince in the Novel

183 - The Hero (2)

TL/Editor: raei

Status: ongoing

Illustrations: none

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The silence in the study grew heavy under Zion's Black Star Force.

After a long pause, Zion spoke in a low voice, allowing everyone to breathe easier. "Why don't we move past the exploration and get to the main point? You didn't come to see me just to ask questions."

He was right. From the start, Claire's purpose in meeting Zion wasn't to ask questions, but to draw him to her side.

"Very well... I'll be direct then," the hero said with a deep sigh, looking straight into Zion's eyes. "Please help us with what we're trying to do, Your Highness."

"And what would that be?"

World salvation.

From the beginning, this was the destiny heroes were created for, and Claire was no exception.

Claire believed Prince Zion would accept. After all, there was no reason for him to refuse. Though their intentions might differ, Prince Zion's goals aligned almost perfectly with her own.

'Though he seems to have many secrets, drawing him to our side would be an enormous help.'

He might even prove more valuable than Evelyn Agnes, who had supported Claire before her regression.

But...

"Why should I help you?"

"...!"

Zion's words were a flat rejection.

"Especially with nothing in return."

"Of course there would be-!"

"Besides," Zion cut off Claire's heated response. "I think you've got the roles backwards here."

"The roles...?"

"Think about it. Between you and me, who has the better chance of achieving this 'goal' you speak of?"

"..."

Claire fell silent at his words.

Before her regression, she would have answered without hesitation that it was her. After all, she alone had been chosen as the hero destined to defeat the Demon King.

But now, having failed once, doubts about that destiny had begun to creep in.

"From what I can see, I'm at least your equal, if not more."

That was true.

In terms of military might and influence.

In status and divine artifacts.

And in achievements against the demon realm so far.

Claire couldn't surpass Prince Zion in any of these areas.

Though she had gained the absolute advantage of "future knowledge" through regression, even that Prince Zion seemed to possess equally.

"Proposals should come from those in the superior position to those below them."

As he said this, Zion's eyes curved into crescents.

"So let me make a counter-proposal instead."

Though he was clearly smiling, everyone present felt an inexplicable sense of foreboding from his expression.

"Join me."

An incredibly bold statement.

"Then I'll achieve the 'world salvation' you desire."

Smiling as he spoke these words, Zion looked like a devil offering an irresistible deal to someone desperate.

"That's ridiculous!"

"Why is it ridiculous? There's no law saying a hero can't serve someone."

Of course, there wasn't such a law.

But no hero had ever done so before.

A hero was someone who led from the front, following the destiny given by the world to prevent destruction.

In a way, it was unthinkable for a hero - the true 'savior of the world' - to serve under another.

"Even so..."

"You already failed at salvation once before your regression."

"!"

Claire's eyes trembled at these shocking words from Zion.

"If you don't want to fail again, you might want to discard that worthless pride."

"Your Highness, I believe you're being too harsh," Turzan spoke up, rising from behind Claire.

His presence naturally began to fill the room.

But that presence didn't reach Zion. Before it could...

"How dare you direct your presence at my master while looking down on him? If you wish to die here, you could just say so."

Liushina's killing intent completely overwhelmed Turzan's presence.

"What? You damn witch..."

As Rain joined in, the atmosphere in the study grew increasingly tense.

"Both of you, stop and sit down."

Claire's calm voice cut through the tension.

The uncertainty in her eyes had vanished.

'His words may be harsh... but they're not wrong.'

Indeed, joining under Prince Zion might offer a better chance of preventing destruction than having him help them.

After all, Prince Zion had already cornered the demon realm's forces in the capital, and they considered him a far more troublesome opponent than Claire, the hero.

'However...'

She couldn't serve Prince Zion right now.

Since meeting him, deep questions had been brewing in Claire's mind about why she had been chosen as the hero and why she had been allowed to regress.

If she were to serve under Prince Zion on top of that, it felt like her very reason for existing would vanish.

"...I will consider Your Highness's proposal. Please give me some time."

In the end, these were the only words Claire could manage.

"I hope that consideration doesn't take too long."

Zion smiled slightly at Claire, as if he had expected this response. "Now then, since we're here, shall we coordinate?"

"Coordinate?"

"Yes, you're aware our paths have overlapped quite a bit so far, right?"

"Yes."

Claire nodded in response.

"If we know each other's movements in advance, we can avoid that and move much more efficiently."

That would prevent them from running into each other or wasting time.

"That does seem necessary."

Claire agreed immediately, having wasted effort several times due to such overlaps.

"Then let's start with the most urgent matter."

"By urgent matter... do you mean the 'floating city' that will soon arrive in the capital?"

"No."

Zion shook his head.

"You know I've destroyed all the Plants in the capital, right?"

"Yes, and I know that will accelerate the demon realm's war preparations."

"We're going to delay those preparations."

Neither Zion himself nor the hero's party was ready for the great war yet.

Therefore, delaying the demon realm's preparations was currently the most urgent task.

"How do you plan to delay them?"

"Zeloth."

"You mean one of the Four Great Demons?"

"Yes. We can exploit that angle."

Though tiny compared to the empire, there were some in the demon realm who held thoughts different from world destruction.

And one of them was Zeloth, the Archdemon of Jealousy.

Unlike the other Great Demons, he harbored dissatisfaction with the current demon realm system and the Demon King.

'Though it failed in the chronicles, he did attempt rebellion during the great war.'

Zion planned to use Zeloth to create chaos in the demon realm.

"That could work. But to provoke the Archdemon of Jealousy, we'd first need to enter the demon realm... Surely not."

The hero's voice trailed off as she seemed to realize something, looking at Zion.

"That's right, you'll be entering the demon realm."

"...!"

Rain and Turzan's eyes widened at these words.

The demon realm was once a dead zone where no life could exist, and now it was a land of death crawling with demonic creatures.

"You'll have to go there eventually anyway, so it's not bad to have a trial run now."

Zion continued in a casual tone, despite seeing their reactions.

"Besides, this is an opportunity for you."

"An opportunity?"

"You must know there aren't many elements left in the empire that could make you stronger."

Claire nodded.

It was true - there were hardly any opportunities left in the empire for her party to grow dramatically.

The man before them had monopolized most of them, and some had vanished due to the changed future.

"In contrast, the demon realm still has countless such elements."

Zion's words were true.

Though far more dangerous than the empire and requiring secrecy, contrary to common belief, humans of sufficient strength could survive in the demon realm.

Moreover, there were mythical-grade artifacts and hidden powers that could only be obtained there.

'In fact, the hero's party in the chronicles grew dramatically after entering the demon realm.'

Zion sincerely hoped the hero and her companions would grow stronger in the demon realm.

That would make them more useful to him later.

"Indeed... that might be better," said Claire, her eyes lighting up as if understanding the future Zion spoke of.

She had been feeling frustrated about her lack of growth recently, making Zion's words particularly appealing.

Though the demon realm was incredibly dangerous, it offered the possibility of rapid growth.

"Then what about the events about to unfold in the empire..."

"I'll handle those."

At Zion's immediate response, Claire looked at Rain and Turzan with concern.

They nodded slightly, indicating they would follow her decision.

Turning back to Zion, Claire said, "Understood. We'll go to the demon realm."

"But I have one condition."

"Go ahead."

As Zion looked at the hero, a smile played on his lips as if he had foreseen all of this.

* * *

In a deep abyss devoid of even a single ray of light...

"Hiseller is dead."

An overwhelmingly low voice echoed through the abyss, its mere sound enough to shake one's soul.

"I know, and not just Hiseller - Keria, who was sent with him, was taken out too."

A contrasting high-pitched voice responded.

"And all the Plants were destroyed too. Isn't this serious?"

"Very serious indeed."

Two of the Six Claws, who represented the demon realm's external military might, had been killed simultaneously.

Moreover, all the Plants, which were central to their "grand plan," had been destroyed.

And the biggest problem was that all this had been accomplished by a single person.

"Zion Agnes. This variable seems to be much bigger than we thought."

"Indeed. We never imagined it would be to this extent."

Unlike the emotionless low voice, the high voice contained deep interest - something that hadn't been present when this topic was discussed before.

"We should eliminate him before he grows stronger. Do we have anyone else to send?"

"We'll need to think about it. Even Hiseller was defeated, so sending mediocre forces would be pointless... And before you suggest it, don't think about going yourself."

The low voice cautioned, sensing the interest in the high voice.

"Why not?"

"Have you already forgotten what the 'Future Sight' said about how our direct intervention would severely distort fate?"

This world's fate was destined for destruction.

Therefore, the demon realm needed to follow that destiny naturally, with minimal interference.

They should avoid actions that would distort fate.

"Not everything they say is right. Besides, they seem to be wrong more often lately."

The high voice responded cynically.

Indeed, Future Sight's prophecies had been increasingly inaccurate lately, while becoming less frequent.

They hadn't spoken a single word in the past month.

"They said prophecies have become difficult due to too many variables from new interventions. Still, we have no choice. All our current plans are based on Future Sight's prophecies."

"I don't like that either. The demon realm's fate shouldn't depend on one being's words."

"That was the King's decision, so voice no more complaints. Right now, we should focus on accelerating the war preparations..."

Just as the low voice was trying to pacify the high voice...

"We have a new prophecy from Future Sight."

A completely different voice echoed through the abyss.

An unstable-sounding voice.

"A prophecy after so long? Must be important if you came all the way here. What did they say?"

After hesitating briefly at the high voice's question, the new voice slowly spoke.

"They said: 'The clock of destruction has been distorted, and the time of eternity approaches'..."

"...!"

Every being in the abyss froze at these words.

The distortion of the clock of destruction - fate - was shocking, but something else in those words truly horrified them.

Eternity.

Throughout past, present, and future, only one being had ever been associated with this word.

"How could this..."

Eternal Emperor Aurellion Khan Agnes.

The First Emperor of the Agnes Empire, who even hundreds of years later still reigned as an absolute terror to all beings in the demon realm.

That was the name this word referred to.

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