Chapter 25: The Dream of Stars (1)
News of the rigged session ceremony and the scheme to kill the royal family at the Pce of Qualification spread like wildfire across the imperial city.
People were more shocked by the tampering of the session ceremony than the murder plot. After all, assassination attempts among heirs, within the royal family, were almost everyday urrences in the imperial city. But meddling with the session ceremony, a deeply rooted tradition and necessary step to be emperor, was unheard of. It was truly a surprise.
Another thing that stunned the people was the survival and victory of Prince Zion Agnes in the manipted session ceremony. He had been the primary target.
No one could have foreseen that the prince, isted in Chimseong Pce andbeled as useless, would ovee the challenging manipted session ceremony.
This event might just change the way people viewed Prince Zion.
Crumple!
A man with deep ash-colored hair anxiously crushed the report in front of him.
"You can''t expect me to believe this," he spat.
The wizard kept his head down, struggling to answer the man''s remark. Even he found the report hard to believe.
"Zion Agnes, alone, passed the test floor, went to the hidden control room, and killed all the supervisors?" It sounded impossible.
Zion Agnes was seen as an embarrassment to the imperial family. A more usible theory was that some supervisors had turned against each other, fighting till their end. Not to mention, one of the in supervisors was Lambard, a renowned captain of the Imperial Guard.
"I''m sorry. But the evidence suggests it was just one person..."
"Were there any witnesses?"
"Two other candidates who participated in the session ceremony saw Prince Zion in the control room. But they arrived toote, and it was all over."
"So, no one actually saw Zion fighting."
The man, mumbling and drumming his fingers on the armrest of his chair, opened his mouth again.
"There''s a chance a third party was involved. Look into it."
"Understood. Also, there''s another unusual detail."
"What is it?"
"There are reports of a faint magic power detected at the Pce of Qualification while Prince Zion was holding the session ceremony."
"Again?"
Hearing this, the man''s eyes started glowing with a peculiar light.
---
Raei Trantions
---
The session ceremony came to a sessful end.
At least, that''s how Zion saw it.
For Zion, the ceremony went smoothly, and the news of him killing a demon hadn''t gotten out.
It seemed that Zion''s unspoken deal worked: they''d keep quiet about the session ceremony, and in return, they''d pass.
Re and Veil stayed silent about the demon when they talked to the knights and Evelyn Agnes, who arrived at the Pce of Qualificationster.
They only mentioned that the supervisors had schemed to kill Prince Zion during the ceremony, and that Zion had dealt with them himself.
''Most of them didn''t seem to believe it.''
They didn''t doubt that the ceremony was rigged, but they found it hard to believe that Zion was the one who ended the supervisors'' lives.
So they kept questioning Re and Veil for more details, but there was nothing more to say.
Because that was the truth.
''Well, it doesn''t matter if they don''t believe.''
They''ll find out soon enough.
Zion mused, looking at the rapidly passing scenery outside the window.
Zion was now inside a magical car, amon mode of transport in the imperial city.
This vehicle operated on the same principle as a magical train, but offered a much more private and luxurious ride.
The reason Zion was in such a car was straightforward.
''We''ll be there soon.''
Baeksung Pce.
A pce located at the very heart of Agnes Imperial City, the center of the empire.
The hub of power.
The ce where the emperor, the ruler of this world who controls the empire''s destiny, resides.
Zion was headed to Baeksung Pce.
''Not bad.''
Zion thought, ncing at his ck robe.
This robe, styled with gold threads on a rich ck fabric, was custom-made by Fredo to celebrate Zion''s entrance to Baeksung Pce.
''To see you enter Baeksung Pce, your majesty! I can die without regrets now.''
Seeing the old knight tear up was a bit overwhelming.
The antique silver bracelet on Zion''s wrist was a gift from Prisci. She came to Chimseong Pce under the pretense of celebrating his sess in the session ceremony.
''Congrattions on the session ceremony. This is a protective charm bracelet. Although we''re not divorced yet, it''s only right I give you this.''
After that, Prisci subtly tried to extend her stay at Chimseong Pce. Zion quickly sent her away.
"There really was no need for her toe."
Zion cast his gaze towards his half-sister sitting opposite him, Evelyn Agnes.
In order to attend the Baeksung Pce entrance ceremony, Evelyn had brought her magical car to the front of Chimseong Pce to pick up Zion.
Then,
"...Baeksung Pce is a public hell."
Evelyn, locking eyes with Zion, spoke slowly.
"It''s teeming with power-hungry specters, ready to climb over each other for a shot at the throne. Brothers scheme to kill one another, power brokers bnce their loyalties, ready to sell everything but their own lives for profit. Assassination attempts are asmon as breathing. Zion... can you withstand such a ce?"
Evelyn''s eyes held palpable worry as she addressed Zion.
Granted, Zion possessed a power unknown to her and had obtained legal rights through the session ceremony.
Yet in her mind, she still saw the innocent image of Zion''s youth.
For Evelyn, picturing Zion in the dangerous environment of Baeksung Pce was unimaginable.
"And it''s certain that someone is targeting Zion."
Even though Zion had survived this session ceremony, there was no guarantee for the future.
If Zion had truly handled the supervisors on his own, as rumored, her worries might have been lessened. But she knew the reality was different.
It was simply impossible.
There had to be another party involved.
Then,
"I''m not going there to merely survive."
Zion, who had been silently observing Evelyn, broke his silence, a hint of a smile on his face.
"I''m going to devour it."
It mattered not whether the pce was filled with evil spirits or demons.
If something blocked his path, he''d crush it; if he desired something, he''d seize it.
That''s how Zion had always operated, and he had no ns to change.
"...."
Zion''s audacious words, delivered with the calmness of a retired prince, were almost too shocking to be believed.
But Evelyn could not shake an ominous feeling that resonated with Zion''s words.
"I won''t be able to apany you any further due to the inspection. Please, take care of yourself."
After dropping Zion off at the entrance of Baeksung Pce, Evelyn voiced these words and slowly drove away.
As he watched Evelyn''s magical car recede into the distance, Zion turned his gaze to the pce standing majestically before him.
Baeksung Pce.
True to its name, it was a vast, white pce.
No, given its grand scale, it would be more urate to call it a castle.
Living up to its reputation as the heart of the empire, its imposing aura naturally overwhelmed onlookers.
''Strangely, it feels familiar...''
Zion experienced a familiar sensation from Baeksung Pce.
No, if its hues were darkened slightly, it greatly resembled the pce he once ruled as an emperor.
As Zion''s gaze took on a peculiar shift,
"It''s an honor to meet you for the first time, Crown Prince Zion. I am Ronier, assigned to serve you at Baeksung Pce today."
A knight, seemingly having waited for Zion''s arrival, stepped forward from the pce gate and offered a respectful bow.
The expansive interiors of Baeksung Pce usually necessitated guides for first-time visitors.
Aware of this tradition, Zion offered a slight nod of acknowledgment.
"I will guide you immediately. Please follow me."
Ronier began to lead the way with courteous strides, the destination evidently predetermined.
Zion followed the knight in silence.
Indeed, Zion''s visit to Baeksung Pce today was not merely for observation.
Those of the royal lineage who had sessfully navigated the session ceremony were obliged to undergo two further procedures at Baeksung Pce.
A longstanding tradition.
Such procedures were the very reason for Zion''s visit to Baeksung Pce.
"The more I see, the more familiar it bes."
Zion reflected as he traversed the long corridors of Baeksung Pce.
Not just the exterior he had viewed earlier, but the pce''syout and various interior details echoed the pce in which Zion himself had resided.
Perhaps the royal pce in the Frosimar Chronicle was modeled after this real pce, hence the striking simrity.
But Zion sensed something beyond this exnation.
"Your Highness, we have arrived. Beyond this point, I cannot apany you."
Ronier, leading the way, paused to address Zion.
A massive door stood before them.
On the door was arge lion symbol, emblematic of the Agnes Royal Family. Two formidable royal knights nked the door.
"Crown Prince Zion, wee."
nk!
As though all necessary words had already been exchanged, the knights on either side promptly swung the doors open.
Zion advanced through the yawning doorway.
The room within was spacious and dimly lit.
Swoosh, swoosh.
Shortly thereafter, a faint, fragile breath reached Zion''s ears.
Zion directed his gaze towards the source of the sound.
An elderly man, lying in a bed adjacent to a shrouded window, came into view.
Zion knew the identity of this man.
Emperor Urdios Agnes.
The sovereign who held this sprawling empire within his grasp, the ruler of this world.
And Zion Agnes''s father.
Royal family members who had passed the session ceremony were bound by duty to meet with the emperor. Hence, Zion found himself in this somber setting.
Swoosh, swoosh.
Breathing so faint, it seemed on the verge of extinction.
The Emperor''s face was a map of wrinkles and age spots, his body so frail that his skeletal frame was visible.
The emperor, once an imposing figure who could make the world shudder with his overwhelming presence and charisma, was but a memory.
All that remained was an old man, ill and bedridden, quietly awaiting his final day.
A palpable aura of death permeated the room.
''Does he have less than two months left?''
Zion assessed the emperor''s remaining lifespan silently.
From the beginning of the Frosimar Chronicle, the emperor had been portrayed in this frail state.
This is why he rarely appeared directly, and the majority of administrative duties were delegated to representatives.
Curiously, the emperor refrained from naming a sessor until his dying breath. This led to a full-scale power struggle upon his passing.
"......"
The ailing emperor wordlessly raised his gaze to meet Zion''s, who had approached his bedside.
The eyes of Zion and the Emperor locked.
The emperor''s eyes had lost their sparkle to such an extent that they seemed devoid of life.
His visage could easily be mistaken for a corpse.
For an indeterminable duration, they shared this silent, mutual observation.
"Everyone, leave."
A frail voice emerged from the sickly emperor.
His words were not meant for Zion.
Swoosh-
At the emperor''smand, the presence of the guards, who had been discreetly stationed in the emperor''s chamber, vanishedpletely.
In the space that now contained only the two of them,
"Who are you?"
The Emperor, his gaze fixed on Zion''s, asked.
Contrary to his previous state, the Emperor''s eyes suddenly sparkled as though they were filled with countless stars.
***
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