The Wastrel Prince Becomes Ruthless

Chapter 124

AChapter 124

The Imperial Palace of the Aphahiel Empire — a place where the name Aphahiel could no longer be found.

Atop the imperial throne in the deepest part of the Great Hall, a handsome young man sat slouched, listening indifferently to the report of his subordinate.

“……Thus, we have now identified the whereabouts of the Crown Prince, the Second Prince, and the Fourth Prince. Should Your Majesty order their capture, it would only be a matter of time before they are apprehended.”

The man listened with a bored expression. He was the youngest son of the prestigious Duke Tindal family — who had used the princes’ factional strife as smoke and mirrors to swallow the Tindal whole and ultimately rise to the throne through treason.

That man was Gion Tindal.

“Is that all?”

“Y-yes? Did Your Majesty just ask if that was all?”

Gion’s expression twisted in displeasure as he spoke. His delicate voice carried an icy chill.

“Yes. I asked if that was all. Why are the Third and Fifth Princes missing from that list?”

“T-that is….”

Pressed by Gion’s question, the messenger faltered, unable to find an answer. Seeing such incompetence, Gion’s voice grew faintly menacing.

“…Still haven’t found them, have you? It has already been a month since Fifth Prince Yurion vanished. And you still haven’t been able to track even a trace of him? Did I ask for something difficult? I didn’t even demand that you drag him before me this instant — I merely ordered you to find some sign of where he fled! Was that truly so hard?”

Bang!

As his voice rose, unable to contain his anger any longer, Gion slammed the armrest of the throne.

“You fool! I asked if that was so difficult!”

At his furious roar, the messenger immediately prostrated himself on the floor, trembling.

“P-please… kill me, Your Majesty!”

In truth, the man had nothing to do with the pursuit of the princes — he was merely a messenger. But such trivialities did not matter to Gion. Seizing the Lion Sword — the symbol of imperial authority — he bared his teeth in mock laughter.

“Well, well. You picked the wrong words today. I’ll kill you myself. I’ve worn the mask of a virtuous ruler long enough, pretending before those ignorant fools. Yet even you, supposedly educated men, still treat me like some benevolent sovereign. No wonder the work progresses so sluggishly. Fine then, let’s see you die today.”

His chilling, murderous gaze swept over the back of the messenger’s neck. Realizing his doom, the man quickly pleaded for his life.

“Ugh! I-I misspoke, Your Majesty! Please have mercy! I shall find the princes’ trail if it costs me my life!”

Satisfied at last, Gion’s rage subsided a little.

“I commend you for tracking the Crown Prince’s movements. You have one more month. Within that time, find the traces of the Fifth Prince and the Third Prince who followed him.”

“Y-yes! Yes, Your Majesty! I shall devote myself entirely to the task!”

“Good. You’d best do that — if you value your life. Ah, one more thing.”

“Yes, Your Majesty! Please command me!”

“I’m well aware that you personally had little to do with pursuing the princes. Thinking on it again, killing only you would be unfair.”

“…Meaning?”

A faint spark of hope flickered in the messenger’s eyes — perhaps he might yet be spared. But Gion’s answer dashed that hope cold. His tone dropped low and cruel.

“Yes. Since you’re merely the bearer of news, it would indeed be unfair for only you to die.”

‘T-this lunatic…!’

Terror filled the nameless servant’s eyes as he looked up at Gion.

The tyrant’s gaze, in contrast, was perfectly calm — even serene — as he condemned his men to death with a few casual words.

Born the youngest son of Duke Tindal, Gion had stained his hands with blood countless times, using every possible scheme to seize the throne. For a man like him, this was nothing.

“Go. Deliver this message clearly — next time you return empty-handed, you won’t be the only one to die.”

The messenger’s body trembled at the merciless decree, and the royal guards beside the throne grimaced beneath their helmets.

‘How… how could such a tyrant sit upon the throne…? The empire is truly doomed.’

‘So the act of the kind emperor lasted only a month… If it’s already this bad, how much worse will it get? Prince Yurion… where are you now?’

‘Soon… the palace will run red with blood.’

In that chilling silence, Gion smiled faintly — as though savoring the fear around him.

‘The others can be crushed anytime. The real problem is the Fifth Prince. He’s the key. Once I erase him without a trace, Aphahiel will be mine.’

Thus revealed the true face of the ruthless tyrant, Gion Tindal.

The beast who had once lain low, watching the people’s eyes, now began to show his fangs once more.

***

Time passed swiftly.

It had already been a month and a half since Yuwon and his companions set foot in the Southern Great Jungle.

“Bernid, it’s already been well over a month since you arrived.”

“Phew, has it really been that long? Time flies, Master.”

“Yes, it does. I’ve never felt time pass so quickly before. Teaching you has been such fun, twenty-four hours a day don’t seem enough.”

“Haha, there you go again. Alright, what are you teaching me today?”

“Today… let’s see… you’re burning through my lessons too fast….”

It was a land where only those who survived could be called strong — the territory of beasts and monsters.

The time and training they endured there had honed all four of them greatly.

Not just Bernid, but Terrien and Hastings as well, who trained far from him, had advanced rapidly.

“Hey, Terrien. Hastings. Tomorrow’s the hunt. Time to earn your keep.”

Their teacher, Erzan, the son of the tribal chief who had been training their instincts, approached them.

“A hunt?”

“So it’s finally real combat.”

Quick-witted since youth, Terrien and Hastings had learned not only the instincts but also the language of the natives. By now, they could communicate fluently enough for daily life.

“Right. There’s a limit to sparring with me. A month and a half, and now you’re ready for the real thing… truly, monsters, the both of you.”

“Erzan, don’t be discouraged. I told you, didn’t I? Even on the continent, it’s rare to find ones as strong as us at our age.”

“Bah, whatever. My father may be interested in the continent, but I’m not. Just get ready for the hunt.”

Having fought and trained together daily for over a month, a bond had formed between them — one born of rivalry and camaraderie alike.

“So, what’s the prey?”

“Orcs. They’ve been moving too close to our fields. Those brutes can’t stand that the fertile land isn’t theirs.”

“Orcs, huh? Figures. Those idiots with fertile soil are like… pigs wearing pearl necklaces.”

“Pigs wearing what?”

“Ah… it’s an imperial proverb. You get the idea, right?”

Understanding the saying, Erzan chuckled softly.

“An imperial proverb, huh… heh, makes sense. Anyway, be careful. My father says the orcs you know from the continent are nothing compared to the ones in this jungle. If you think of them as the same, you’ll regret it.”

Terrien and Hastings knew well enough — the Great Jungle was not a place of mercy.

“Good. I look forward to it.”

That evening, beneath the moonlight of the Great Jungle, Yuwon had finally mastered the foundational principles of instinct and made them his own.

His sixth sense had awakened.

‘So this is instinct…’

It wasn’t seeing because he wanted to see, nor hearing because he wanted to hear.

To perceive simply because it was there — that was true sense.

And Yuwon’s awakened instinct was vivid and alive enough to be called the Sixth Sense.

He could now feel what his eyes couldn’t see, what his ears couldn’t hear, what his nose couldn’t smell.

Things beyond the reach of magic or ordinary senses now came to him through instinct.

He smelled the distant scent of cooking from a native tribe deep in the mountains. He heard the rough breathing of orcs chasing their prey. He even faintly perceived the presence of his scattered comrades throughout the jungle.

‘They’re all holding on well.’

Yuwon unleashed his newly awakened sense, letting his energy ripple across the jungle.

Yuwon, Terrien, Hastings, and Bernid — four under the same sky of the Great Jungle — sensed one another from afar.

Though their progress differed, all four had reached the state of perception.

‘This… this is His Highness’s instinct… Ah, now I see why the beasts could never leave him be. This is the aura of a conqueror!’

Feeling Yuwon’s fierce, regal presence, Terrien trembled with awe.

‘Yurion… you’re still as strong as ever. I thought I’d grown a lot under Master Kahaad, but I’ve got a long way to go yet. I wonder if I’ll ever catch up to you.’

Bernid, who had advanced the most thanks to Rok Kahaad, gazed in admiration as he sensed Yuwon’s overwhelming growth.

‘Was I overconfident because my magic improved so fast…? I’m the slowest at mastering instinct. I’ll have to push harder.’

Hastings, too, felt his companions’ presence and renewed his resolve.

And then, without sound or warning, Yuwon’s mysterious mentor appeared beside him.

“…Ho. So these are the comrades you mentioned. I can sense their power. It seems they felt your awakening too.”

“They’re mine — of course they did.”

“Impressive. I never imagined a human could master a beast’s instinct this quickly. Truly astounding.”

At the teacher’s praise, Yuwon merely shrugged.

“It’s nothing much.”

“No, it truly is. I knew you weren’t ordinary when you appeared in this jungle, but to see you grow this fast… I’m amazed. Are you even human?”

“With this, I’ve taught you all the basics. From now on, you’ll have to grasp the rest on your own.”

“Already?”

“Yes. And with that, I’ve repaid my debt to Aphahiel. Now then, what does our Emperor plan to do next?”

“I’ll return to where I belong. But first… there’s still something left to do.”

“The Emperor of Aphahiel, with unfinished business in this remote land, huh….”

Yuwon thought of Emperor Yulaios, Ipalim, and Marcellus — those peerless beings of power.

‘Thanks to this awakening, I’ve advanced a step further. But still…’

Even so, he couldn’t yet imagine victory against monsters like them.

After a long silence, Yuwon spoke heavily.

“First… I’d like to hear your story, Master. About that debt you owed to Aphahiel.”

“So you ask now? I see you think we’re close enough for that.”

Yuwon smirked.

“Don’t misunderstand. I didn’t ask before because I knew you wouldn’t answer. I was just waiting for the right time. I’m not the kind of man who trusts easily — even someone who helps me.”

“Is that so? Well then, too bad — because my answer’s still the same.”

As if expecting that, Yuwon smiled faintly.

“In that case… how about a bet?”