Chapter 124: The Giant Destroyer (2) |
TL/Editor: Rungir
Schedule: none
Illustrations: none
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The news that Prince Zion Agnes was the first to subjugate a disaster spread rapidly throughout the capital.
Initially, it went unnoticed as he had quietly left with only one subordinate and returned just as quietly. However, the news from the Steel Fortress soon spread like wildfire.
Thanks to this, Zion Agnes' name was soaring once again in the capital.
Of course, other royal family members were also successful in subjugating disasters and elevating their reputations, but none compared to Zion.
He had subjugated not one, but two disasters, including the Phantom Army, and he was the first to do so.
"Only two of them went on the expedition?"
Surprise flickered in Diana's eyes as she received Lloyd's report in the office of the Chingseong Palace.
She had personally sought out this information, unable to understand how Zion had returned first.
"Yes. That's why there was hardly any time between their departure and return. Moreover, I've learned that upon reaching the Steel Fortress, they immediately subdued the monster legion the next morning."
"Is that even possible? I know a legion was stationed at the fortress, but wasn't it impossible for them to subdue the disaster alone?"
"That's true. Upon further investigation, it was revealed that the red-eyed woman accompanying Prince Zion summoned creatures equivalent to an entire legion on the battlefield."
"!!!!!!"
Princess Diana's eyes widened in shock.
She had never heard of a single mage summoning an entire legion in her life.
"Does that make sense?"
"All the soldiers on the battlefield saw it."
"Ha, what kind of... No, wait."
Doubt turned to realization in Diana's eyes.
She remembered that when Zion had subjugated the Phantom Army, he had also set out with only that woman named Liushina.
At that time, she had dismissed it, thinking they had the help of the Ashen Lion Brigade. But recalling it now, it seemed Zion had already utilized that woman to subdue the Phantom Army.
"I knew he was strong, but to this extent..."
His power seemed to rival that of the 'Seven Heavens.'
Where on earth had Zion found such a force?
It was truly incomprehensible.
"Ha..."
She felt increasingly distant from the throne.
Shaking off that feeling quickly, Diana began to reassess the current competition for the throne in her mind.
'In terms of legitimacy, Zion is most favorable.'
He had been officially designated as the successor by the late Emperor Urdios.
However, this was only a slight boost to the already limited power of the pro-Emperor nobles and didn't mean much otherwise.
And that was the peculiar nature of the Empire.
The command of the Agnes Emperor, virtually the ruler of the world, was supreme, surpassing everything else.
‘But when it comes to succession, that's not the case.’
Precisely, the Emperor's influence in succession competition was not that significant.
‘Power over legitimacy.’
This had been the unchanging tradition of the Agnes Empire since its foundation by the Eternal Emperor Aurellion and had continued ever since.
Hence, all the Emperors throughout history ascended to the throne only after utterly destroying or subduing their siblings through their own power and influence.
There were those who were officially designated as successors by the previous Emperor and those who were not, but the process was the same for all.
Only by doing so could they be considered worthy of ruling an empire that governed the entire world and gain the true recognition of the military leaders.
‘That's why the internal strife within the Imperial Palace is tacitly tolerated.’
Therefore, legitimacy was not of great significance to the direct descendants of Agnes, and the principle of primogeniture, common in ancient states, was absent.
This was why other royals begrudgingly accepted when the late Emperor Urdios designated Zion as his successor.
‘After all, even my father ascended to the throne by killing all his siblings, despite not being the official successor...’
This was the reason why the term 'Crown Prince' was scarcely used.
It was essentially meaningless.
‘In terms of power, the other royals still have the upper hand for now...’
But there was no telling when they might be overtaken.
Moreover, the advantage Zion gained from his recent disaster subjugation in the competition for the throne would only narrow this gap more rapidly.
‘And that advantage will be the leadership in the upcoming 'World Conference'.’
The Agnes World Conference.
The largest conference held in the Empire, attended by representatives from the Outsiders, known as the Giant Clans, the Fairy Forest, and the Beastman Sea.
The representatives from the Outsiders typically considered the royal who led the World Conference as the next Emperor.
Naturally, this put a significant amount of power behind the leading royal, giving them a tremendous advantage in forming alliances.
“And if it becomes known that Zion is a descendant of the Eternal Emperor...”
She didn't even want to think about what would come next.
Lost in these thoughts, Diana called Lloyd, the captain of the first division of Igracia.
“Lloyd.”
“Yes.”
“We will be visiting the Fairy Forest soon. Keep that in mind.”
“Understood.”
With that, Diana turned her gaze out of the window, where she began to see people busily preparing for the upcoming Founding Day Festival, now just a day away.
The Agnes Founding Day Festival.
A celebration of the founding of the Agnes Empire, it was one of the grandest festivals in the Empire.
It lasted four days and nights, attracting people from all over the empire to enjoy the festivities.
This Founding Day Festival took place exactly two days after all the royals had completed their subjugations and returned to the Imperial Palace.
Originally, the event was scheduled to coincide with the founding day and couldn't be postponed, so the festival took place even before the aftermath of the large-scale disaster subjugation was fully dealt with.
Perhaps because all the royals returned victorious?
This year's Founding Day Festival was even more grandiose than the last.
Bam, bam, bam!
Parades coursed through the streets of the capital, with countless performances of dance, song, and instrumental music.
Moreover, despite it being night, the streets were brightly lit and packed with stalls, adding to the festive atmosphere.
"Mom, look over there! Can we go there?"
"Sure, but remember to hold my hand so you don't get lost."
The streets were filled with a multitude of people.
And among them,
"Right there, Your Highness."
Prince Zion and his entourage were also present.
Zion, with his hair and eye color changed, and his disguised subordinates followed him.
Having some free time until his next plan after subduing the monster legion, Zion took this opportunity to step out of the Imperial Palace.
Of course, Zion, who generally disliked noise and chaos, had a specific reason for coming here.
"According to our 'Shadows', that place sells the best coffee among all the shops here."
It was all about the coffee.
Zion had learned about the existence of 'Coffee Street', a section of stalls specializing in coffee set up for the Founding Day Festival, and had come to see it himself.
Zion's interest in coffee was growing day by day.
"No, Your Highness. According to our analysis in 'Moon's Eye', the place two blocks up across the street has the best acidity and aroma density.
Let's go there."
At Thierry's suggestion, Aileen immediately countered, pointing to another shop.
"I'm not sure what your basis is for that. His Highness prefers a subtle aroma over something too strong. And, as far as I know, the shop you're referring to has an aroma so intense it's numbing."
"Isn't the quality of the aroma subjective? Besides, the shop you've chosen uses lower quality beans than ours. Would you want His Highness to consume such?"
"While the quality of the beans is important, what's more important is..."
It was a seemingly profound yet utterly pointless conversation.
"..."
Zion let their conversation go in one ear and out the other as he walked on.
He didn't understand why they insisted on accompanying him and doing this when he hadn't asked them to.
Was it because they were both from the same information organization and had developed a sense of competition?
"Hey, customer! That's a carbonated drink, don't shake it!"
"Carbonated? What is that..."
Fwoosh!
Elsewhere, Liushina, her hair and eyes dyed brown, was causing a fountain show, spraying a carbonated beverage she bought from a stall everywhere.
It seemed that carbonation didn't exist before she was sealed away.
"No sugar, and make it cold."
This was when Zion, pretending not to be with Liushina and her group, ordered his coffee.
"Did you hear that? The last remaining disaster, 'The Root-Gnawing Serpent', has been subdued."
The conversation from a nearby stall reached Zion's ears.
"What? Is that true?"
"Yes. I just heard about it. Of course, it's not confirmed yet."
"Did the empire send an army in that short time?"
"No, not an army. It was a small group, two people, I think?"
"Haha! What? Just two people? You must have heard some nonsense. Let's go have a drink."
"No, really, that's what I heard..."
Their voices faded as they moved away.
Zion couldn't hear the entire conversation, but a faint smile formed on his lips as he had gathered all the information he needed.
'It seems they succeeded.'
Most likely, it was the hero's party.
Now, their names would start to become known because of this incident, and the hero's active journey would begin.
This was all part of Zion's intentions, so it was not a bad development.
'Naturally, their companions will also increase.'
From Zion's perspective, the growth of the hero's party was a welcome event.
Depending on how he used it, it could aid his own plans and make the main story progress more favorably.
Moreover, they would be needed later to capture the Demon King.
After all, the very existence of a hero was specialized for the killing of the Demon King.
'The Demon King...'
Zion sipped his iced coffee, mulling over thoughts about the Demon King.
The Demon King.
Even Zion, who had read through the chronicles, didn't know exactly what kind of being the Demon King was, as it had never made a direct appearance in the chronicles.
A transcendental entity, crouched in the deepest part of the Demon Realm, receiving awe and worship from all the demons of the world.
'In the chronicles, the hero's party never even reached the Demon King.'
The power of the hero's party at the time was unimaginable, but even so, they were just a small group without any supporting forces.
Their limit was clear; they couldn't even break through the four Archdukes, let alone the Demon King.
'If the Empire and the Church of Light had provided proper support, the outcome might have been different.'
But they didn't.
The chaos within the Empire only grew uncontrollable after the death of Evelyn Agnes, who thought of helping the hero, and amidst that, the Church of Light also became precarious.
'That's why it's hard to gauge how powerful the Demon King really is.'
Being the final boss of the chronicles, the Demon King surely possessed a strength on a different level from other beings.
In fact, Zion was somewhat excited about it.
How much of a challenge would the Demon King present to him once he fully regained his original power?
'To do that, I need to advance the realm of Black Star faster.'
Having reached four stars in less than half a year, Zion still thought this pace was too slow.
Indeed, the slow progress was partly due to his physical body.
In his original world, Zion had reached the 8-star realm of Black Star.
Simply put, the effort needed to advance further was similar to what he had already achieved, but the increase in power with each advancement was incomparably greater.
‘First, reach 5 stars within a month.’
As Zion concluded his thoughts,
"Hey, you there!"
An old, grizzled voice called out from the side.
Turning his head, Zion saw an old woman looking directly at him and his following entourage.
The old woman, with white hair and a face full of wrinkles, was grinning slyly, adorned with numerous necklaces and earrings.
In front of the old woman, who was sitting inside a makeshift tent, lay a singular bead emitting a strange light.
"Interested in having your fortune told?"
The old woman then asked Zion, revealing her yellowed teeth.