I Became the Youngest Prince in the Novel - Chapter 16

Evil resentment.

A unique nature, different from common mana and the magic that demons deal with.

Although no information was known about its origin, it was clear that it was a heterogeneous and very rare power. Even in the Frosimar Chronicles, which Zion read, there were only a handful of people who could handle it.

Sshsshssh–

Zion moved towards a gray swamp in the darkness of the black forest brought by resentment.

Dark Shift.

Assimilation.

Kireureuk?

The monstrums turn their heads, unaware that Zion just passed right above them. Entering the center would not work, but fortunately, the gray swamp where Zion is heading was close to the outskirts.

How long has he moved?

Zion’s eyes saw a scene that had not been seen in the Black Forest so far.

I think I’ve arrived.

The Grey Swamp.

The forest was pitch black as if all light had disappeared, but only here everything was grey, from the swamp and the grass growing on top of it to the trees existing around the swamp. The evil resentment also faded from his side. Zion looked at a huge stone monument rising in the middle of the swamp.

Is that it?

The Monument of the Evil Spirits. 

That stele with indistinguishable inscriptions written all over the exposed surface was the core object used by Rain’s ancestors in the past to seal off ‘evil’. The crystal of Bongma contains a high level of sorcery and magic beyond description. No one knows why it was left in this place, not in the center of the black forest.

According to the chronicle, the inscriptions from the stone would be used to reseal ‘evil’ again by a group of heroes who will visit here at a later date. That is why Zion also knew about the existence of the stone. Zion needed the monument stone, or more precisely, the highest level of sealing magic contained in the monument stone.

Tadat!

There was no reason to delay, so Zion stepped on the surface of the swamp and quickly approached the monument.

It was then–

Chwaak!

The swamp shook as if it were boiling, and from within it, dozens of hands stretched out and aimed their way towards Zion. They were the remnants of the fierce battles between the heroes and the evil in the past, the residues of the ghosts sealed in the Monument of the Evil Spirits.

Pabat!

As if he already knew it, Zion twisted himself in the air and avoided it lightly, as he launched himself even faster towards the monumental stone.

“Gasp.”

Zion took a deep breath and tugged one hand backward as if pulling a bowstring.

At this moment, the Black Star twists from  Zion’s fingertips, and when the Astral Darkness is swung around within Zion’s fingertips–

Kwaaak!

Something huge sprang up from the swamp ahead. It’s a bizarre monster with dozens of arms attached to its entire body.

When it didn’t catch Zion, its body protruded.

The moment when all the arms of the monster descended towards Zion–

Tuung!

As if waiting, Zion’s hand, which had already concentrated the Astral Darkness’s energy to the maximum, was thrown forward as waves spread out from the surface of the water.

Keureuk?

The darkness that forms from Zion’s fingertips quickly spread the air in an instant.

Kwajijijijijik!

He began to smash the descending arms and the monster that stood in his way. Some remnants couldn’t even scream before dying. Zion’s Astral Darkness was already approaching the second star, and the remnants, which was not even considered a ghost, could not block Zion’s power.

Uuung!

It didn’t even notice what has happened.

As Zion stood in front of the monument after breaking through the remnants of the monster, the words of the monument began to shine with a clear sound. It was at this moment when Zion, who was looking at the monument, pulled something out of his arms.

Hwaaaaak!

Huge wave of resentment erupted from the sky in the centre of the Black Forest. 

It was a different level from the previous ones. It’s an overwhelming resentment that shakes the entire forest instantly.

“Has it begun?”

Zion’s eyes slowly began to shine when he saw it.

* * *

The Black Forest was much wider and deeper than what was seen from the outside.

Kiaaaak!

“Three from the top!”

“I know!”

Tukwang!

At least, those who belonged to the subjugation team have been keenly aware of the fact since entering the forest. If the giant monstrum wasn’t alarming enough, then the strength of the monstrum that followed was unimaginable. The monstrums at the beginning were at the level of children’s pranks.

Keuwaaaak!

Even with Ragno hitting with all his might and Rain’s spear piercing the heads of the monstrums afterward, their team’s expressions were still grim as they saw the incoming monstrums.

How much longer…

At the endless forest, the evil, the goal of subjugation, was becoming more and more difficult, although it did not even show its nose. The wounds on their bodies were increasing and their limbs were losing strength but the forest continued to spread its branches as if to devour them.

“Hart must be alive, right?”

“Don’t be silly, just cut through the road in front of you!”

Kayla cuts out Ragno’s murmur as she radiates heat waves in all directions.

But she, or most of them here, had guessed that it would be very difficult for even themselves to survive alone in this difficult place.

Jjojojojojok!

“We just have to go a little further!”

Rain, who fired a thunderbolt and tore three monstrums at once, stared at the front and opened her mouth. There were wounds here and there on her body, but her eyes were shining more than ever.

It’s in front of me.

Is the blood of the ancestors who fought the “evil” of this forest in the past responding?

Rain intuitively knew that there was a goal nearby that she wanted to tear and kill so much.

How much farther do they have to go through the forest?

“Wait.”

The scar elf in front suddenly stopped.

“…Don’t move forward.”

An elf’s senses are several times more sensitive than an untrained human being and something seemed to be caught in her senses as her eyes shook violently.

“What?”

“If we go any further forward…”

After abruptly stopping her words, the elf tried to retreat.

Deudeudeudeudeuk!

The black trees that had been filling the surroundings of the subjugation team began to gather at once. A wide open space is created as the monstrums recede along with the trees.

Finally, in the middle of the clearing, they could see.

“You’re late”

On a large rock in the moonlight, there it sat. Black hair that absorbed even the moonlight. Blood red eyes contrast with her, she looked at them as she draws a distinct aura.

She is the most beautiful and creepy woman that they have ever seen.

“…Evil.”

A grouchy voice came out of Rain’s mouth as she looked at the woman.

“Who is evil? No way, me?”

The woman opened her eyes wide and pointed a finger at herself as if she didn’t really know.

“Why am I the ‘evil’?”

With these words, the woman descends from the rock and slowly begins to approach the subjugation team. Was she possessed?

She (Rain) could hardly take her eyes off the woman’s movements. The woman gazes happily at Rain and the subjugation team as if she’s having fun.

“I just did what I wanted to do.”

She (Rain) didn’t really understand the woman. They all have desires that exist and they all want to solve such desires, so she just solved it. The woman just wanted the desire to kill something else, and that included humans.

“Everyone get a grip!”

Pajik!

A small thunderbolt rosed with Rains shout as it began to awaken the spirit of the party in the vicinity.

“FuX!”

The subjugation team uses abusive language while swearing at her as they maintain their formation. As they finally came to their senses, their bodies trembled as they felt the despairing resentments that are coming from that woman.

“…That’s really a sealed being?”

“Yeah, it looks like she won’t be able to use most of her power right now.”

As Rain thought, if she don’t kill her here now, then the chance she had will disappear, so she grabbed the spear hard with her trembling hands.

“Everyone in formation…”

Puuk!

Although she was the lord’s daughter, Rain, who had been a mercenary since childhood, and had been on the battlefield, knew exactly what this sound.
It’s the sound of someone piercing a person’s body.

As Rain turns her head slowly behind the sound.

Soon she saw–

“…Ragno?”

A strange sight enters her eyes. Ragno’s neck was pierced by a blade protruding from behind and the one holding the handle of that blade was none other than Rian.

“Ku-kugh!”

Ragno, who spewed blood, without even saying a proper word, dies. A futile death for a Chilgeol that commanded the North. Everyone’s movement stopped as no one expected it except for one person, Rian.

Sogok!

Rian, who had calculated all this from the beginning, immediately rushed toward Kayla and instantly blew off the head of the middle-aged knight who was defenseless next to her.

“What is…!”

Even if he is not up to the Lightning Sword Hart, Rian also boasted as one of the fastest swords in Chilgeol. It was impossible for Kayla, the wizard, to stop such an attack by Rian without even proper defense at close range.

Puuk!

Rian’s sword slit through Kayla’s heart as it slips behind her back.

“…Cough, you crazy bastard…”

The focus disappears from Kayla’s eyes, which were alternately looking at Rian and the sword in her chest with a look of puzzlement.

“Ah…”

Rain remained motionless until then.

No, she couldn’t move.

She couldn’t believe it.

She didn’t want to believe it.

What the hell happened?

“Ah…”

Her eyes are blurred and only the meaningless sound of immersion flows out of her mouth.

She knew there was a traitor.

Maybe she also vaguely guessed that the traitor was Rian, but she knew it couldn’t be.

She had to believe that.

Rian has already been her family since childhood but she can’t even comprehend

that the faith returned into betrayal.

“Mother… Mother of all beasts…”

Rian slowly walks past the dazed Rain toward the woman. Rian’s eyes were more than ever thrilled as tears runs down his cheeks.

“Finally… your child is coming to see his mother.”

Jjwaak!

Along with his words, a six-headed tattoo of a beast appears between the chest part of the clothes that Rian tore off. Rian continues to talk to the woman who looks at him with an incomprehensible look.

“They dared to harm you, so I punished them instead, and this?”

Rian points to Rain.

“I am dedicating the descendants of Dranir, the leader of this subjugation who has imprisoned you here in the past.”

With that word, Rian lied his face down in front of the woman as he lowered his head. Meanwhile, the scared elf fled into the forest, but no one cared. She’s going to die wandering alone in the forest anyway.

“I hope you like it.”

An offering.

Now, Rian was offering Rain as a sacrifice. The woman stares silently at the back of Rian’s head for a moment. The next words that came out of the woman’s mouth perplexed Rian.

“I don’t like it.”

“…Pardon?”

Rian raises his head with shaken eyes and asks the question in response to the completely unexpected reply.

What is reflected in Rian’s eyes is:

“Why are you killing my prey without my permission? And…”

Before he knew it, he saw the woman creepily smiles at him.

“I’ve never had a child like you.”

At that moment–

Kwajik!

Rian’s head is gone. His head vanished without a trace as if he had been bitten by a giant beast. The woman’s red eyes looked at Rian’s drooping corpse for a while and began to turn towards Rain, who was still standing dazed.

* * *

“You have to run away!”

The scar elf who came across Zion while heading to the center of the forest said this as soon as she saw Zion.

“All… all dead. The man with the glasses betrayed us.”

The elf mumbled with a half-soul-less expression.

Is this endgame?

Zion could see that another traitor, Rian, who was in the subjugation squad, had begun to act. The death of her friends is due to Rian’s betrayal. It was Rain Dranil’s ordeal. An ordeal to awaken as a true dragon warrior. Therefore, Zion knew in advance but did not stop it.

“And that woman… She was never a human being to deal with.”

The elf shudders as if it is hard to believe. She didn’t think simply because the number of their subjugation team was small. It did not matter whether the subjugation team consisted of 100 or 1,000 people. It was not within the range that a human could deal with.

“There is no time to delay. We have to escape!”

“No.”

Zion shakes his head at the impassioned elf’s words.

“It worked better this way.”

Zion’s eyes were narrowed in amusement. The stronger the enemy, the harder the situation, and the more joy Zion felt. After all, the pleasure of conquering it and trampling it under his feet was indescribable. In his original world, such enjoyment had long since disappeared, but it was about to return when he came to this world.

I hope it’s stronger than I thought.

There was a strong expectation in Zion’s eyes looking at the centre of the forest.