I Became the Youngest Prince in the Novel

TL/Editor: raei

Status: ongoing

Illustrations: none

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SLASH!

A blade grazed Celphia's shoulder.

"Urgh!"

A small groan escaped her lips as blood welled from the wound.

Before her groan ended, more pirates attacked.

Celphia's eyes filled with urgency as she barely dodged their attacks.

Though she had initially held the advantage against one or two pirates, that advantage had completely vanished once dozens surrounded her.

The tide of battle turned against her as attacks rained down from all directions.

'At this rate...'

Finally-

"It was foolish to think you could face all of us alone!"

A pirate's blade rushed toward Celphia's neck from her blind spot.

'Too late...!'

Her eyes wavered as she belatedly noticed it.

SCREECH!

With a sound like tightening piano wire, Celphia's upper body jerked backward.

The pirate's blade grazed past her nose.

'Huh?'

Though she had dodged the attack, confusion filled her eyes.

That movement hadn't been her will.

And that confusion only grew stronger the next moment.

BOOM!

One of her legs shot out against her will, striking the pirate's solar plexus perfectly.

The pirate went flying backward without even screaming.

Before his body hit the ground-

"What?"

Celphia's hands moved strangely as her upper body straightened, striking the necks of two pirates charging from either side.

"Urk!"

As if not planning to stop there-

WHOOSH!

Celphia stepped forcefully forward between the two falling pirates.

Her fist gathered all the power from that step into a single point and- BOOM!

Sent over ten pursuing pirates flying.

"W-what's this! She was still hiding her true strength?"

The pirates cried out in confusion at Celphia's suddenly transformed movements.

And Celphia felt just as confused.

'What is this?'

Even now her body moved against her will.

Like a puppet on strings.

And that feeling was accurate.

'Not bad.'

Soul Extinction strands secretly extended from Zion were controlling her body.

Soul Puppet.

Though Zion had felt uncertain using this technique for the first time since entering the chronicle, he felt satisfied seeing it work properly.

'This is much better than intervening directly.'

The reason was simple.

Though Zion controlled the movements, all the sensations were being imprinted in Celphia's body.

'Though how much she absorbs depends on her own ability...'

Watching her quickly adapt to his control, he didn't think there was cause for worry.

And originally Celphia's talent lay in martial arts rather than magic.

"S-say... are you a sorcerer? No, those were clearly martial arts moves..."

Beside him, Jang Maldong muttered with amazement and confusion on his face, but Zion ignored him and focused on controlling Celphia.

He needed to pay attention to precise control to keep the pirates alive to sail the ship.

CRASH!

"AAARGH!"

Pirates' screams rang out along with the sound of the passenger ship breaking.

After the battle continued for some time-

"Urk!"

As the last goat beast-kin pirate fell, silence descended over the deck.

In that silence, everyone's gazes turned toward Celphia who had created this situation.

Their eyes held various emotions at the emergence of this new powerful figure.

Celphia awkwardly met their stares, then-

"F-from now on, I'm taking command of your ship!"

She shouted loudly at the pirates who were regaining consciousness one by one.

Of course, this shout came at Zion's direction.

Things proceeded smoothly afterward.

Perhaps because they operated on the logic of power, and this had been an absolute defeat leaving no room for argument.

The pirates submitted to Celphia and accepted her demands without resistance.

They had judged that resistance would be pointless.

So now Zion-

'This is definitely much faster.'

Stood at the helm of the pirate ship cutting swiftly through the stormy seas.

A satisfied smile played on his lips at the speed, easily double that of the passenger ship from earlier.

But-

"Going there! It's not too late to turn back now! Quick, turn the ship around!"

Beside Zion, Wandering Fist Jang Maldong's expression wasn't good.

Perhaps due to curiosity about this unknown powerful figure?

The raccoon beast-kin who had worn an easy smile when getting Zion's permission to board now wore this expression after learning their destination.

Moon King's Tomb.

Recently discovered secret tomb of the first Beast King that encompassed an entire island.

It was currently one of the hottest locations in the Beast Sea.

Martial artists from across the sea were gathering, drawn by the power and techniques of the first Beast King, said to rival Magnus Flare, considered history's strongest recorded hero.

An extremely dangerous place.

But this wasn't why Jang Maldong tried to stop Zion.

He already knew from the earlier battle that Zion's power was extraordinary.

Enough strength to potentially claim the first Beast King's techniques.

Yet he still tried to stop him because-

"The path isn't open now. The ship will sink if we go!"

Of the sea route to Moon King's Tomb.

Unlike other areas, the seas around the tomb were hell, filled with countless whirlpools and waterspouts.

These whirlpools and waterspouts only disappeared for 20 minutes before sunrise.

That time had already passed today, making entry impossible.

"That's right, why don't we turn back and depart early tomorrow morning?"

Pyo Doyul, the leopard beast-kin captain of the Half Moon Pirates, spoke up beside Jang Maldong.

Perhaps he had good instincts.

"Urgh!"

Having quickly realized who the true leader of their group was, he stayed by Zion's side, abandoning Celphia who had started getting seasick again as soon as they boarded.

'Though it's fortunate he's not really taking over the ship and just using it for transport...'

The destination being Moon King's Tomb changed things.

It would be a disaster if the ship sank.

Having already entered the area, countless whirlpools stretching from sea to sky displayed their might around them, making the ship rock violently.

But-

"No, that would be too late."

Zion shook his head.

He was after the rebel leader, not the first Beast King's power, so entering now was essential.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Heh, to think you'd be this reckless. Sure, maybe you can dodge whirlpools, but what if a tsunami comes..."

As Jang Maldong shook his head and started speaking-

BOOM!

A wave of energy spread from the sea ahead.

The chaos until now vanished as the sea suddenly grew calm.

"It can't be..."

A foreboding voice escaped Pyo Doyul's lips as decades of seafaring let him recognize what this calm meant.

ROAR!

With vibrations starting from the energy's center, the sea rose to the sky.

They say words can become reality.

A tsunami.

One large enough to easily engulf a small city in an instant bore down on Zion's pirate ship.

"T-tsunami... TSUNAMI!"

"We have to dodge! Turn the ship!"

"But which way..."

The beast-kin fell into panic.

They couldn't block it or dodge it.

Before this natural disaster, all they could do was watch.

'Was following them my misfortune?'

As Jang Maldong's face rapidly darkened-

"Ah..."

A despairing voice escaped Pyo Doyul's lips.

Then-

"Sword."

Zion held out his hand toward the leopard beast-kin.

"...What?"

"Give me your sword."

As if hypnotized by the matter-of-fact demand, Pyo Doyul handed over his sword.

Zion naturally attached the received sword to his opposite hip.

"What are you doing? Surely not the tsunami...!"

As Zion took a stance to cut, a loud voice burst from Jang Maldong's lips.

WHOOSH!

Like just before the tsunami rose.

All surrounding noise instantly vanished.

In that silence, Zion's sword alone began drawing an elegant arc.

Though swung slowly without any power flowing through it, his sword drew everyone's gaze.

As those focused gazes reached their peak.

Finally, as Zion's sword completed its arc.

The massive tsunami covering the sky and bearing down on them.

In that moment, it-

---!

Split perfectly in half.

CRASH!

The enormous mass of seawater lost power and sank like it was collapsing.

Though the ship rocked wildly, silence fell among those aboard.

The scene they had just witnessed.

They simply couldn't believe it.

Was this like the strikes of divine generals in myths?

It seemed impossible for a human to have done this.

"What are you doing? Keep rowing."

Zion spoke with the same perfectly calm face to the pirates staring blankly at him.

"You... just who are you?"

Trembling words escaped Jang Maldong's lips as he stared at Zion with shaking eyes.

In the clearing before Moon King's Tomb's entrance.

Countless martial artists gathered there, drawn by the first Beast King's techniques within the tomb.

Though the tomb entrance was open and they could enter anytime, there was a reason the martial artists gathered outside.

"Just what do you think you're doing!"

A group of beast-kin blocked the entrance.

Lion, fox, bear, and others.

Though their appearances and affiliated power groups varied, they had one thing in common.

Some of their companions had already entered the tomb.

"The first Beast King's techniques are power that only the qualified can claim."

They didn't want more competition and had joined forces to block others from entering.

"Without qualification, there's no need to enter the tomb."

"Who are you to judge that!"

The martial artists protested against the blocking beast-kin.

"There's only one way to prove qualification for the Beast King's techniques - no, qualification as a martial artist. That's strength. And we have the greatest strength here."

A wolf beast-kin with silver mane stepped forward and spoke to the martial artists.

"So isn't it natural we judge? If you don't like it..."

SHING-

His sword emerged with a clear sound.

"Defeat me here. Then I'll acknowledge your qualification."

"..."

The protesting martial artists fell silent.

They knew the identity of the wolf beast-kin watching them with cold eyes.

Wave Sword Lord Myung Hwi-ryeong.

One of the 'Twelve Seas' ranked just below 'Seven Heavens', and among the top five swordsmen in the entire Beast Sea just in sword skill alone.

A truly supreme master.

They had little chance even if most martial artists present attacked together, so they could only stay silent.

"Why is someone like him guarding the entrance?"

People backed away with lowered tails.

"Pathetic ones."

As Myung Hwi-ryeong muttered while watching the martial artists with contemptuous eyes-

"That's easy."

A voice reached everyone's ears.

Though so quiet it was barely audible without focusing, it held an inexplicable chill.

People's eyes slowly widened as they turned toward the voice's source.

"...A ship?"

In the deadly sea closed off by storms and whirlpools.

A single ship slowly approached Moon King's Tomb, crossing that sea.