Two people suddenly appeared in a dark room inside the imperial palace.
"öğk!" The shorter one of the two suddenly dropped to his knees and began gagging. He seemed as if he wanted to vomit, but since there was nothing in his stomach, he couldn't bring anything up. The other one merely watched the one on the ground in silence.
"Haah… how did you do this?"
"This is a piece I received from an old friend who owes me a favor." the woman said, pointing to the silver ring on her finger.
"I've never heard of a piece being used for relocation in my life."
"Anyway, how much longer do you plan to stay like that?" she said, pointing to his blood-covered body.
"What about you?"
"I'll wait for you; you can go and clean up. We have important matters to discuss."
Zion nodded seriously, then took a towel and some clothes from the cabinet and went into the bathroom.
After Zion closed the door, the woman walked over and sat on the bed. She scanned the room with her eyes and noticed some dried bloodstains on the floor. Although Zion Agnes had lived in Enkidu Castle for years, dried bloodstains still remained in his room in the imperial palace.
Zion Agnes, the kingdom's useless prince, had lived a life that, on the surface, seemed problem-free in the eyes of others, but it was certain that he had endured immense suffering behind the scenes. While he should have spent his childhood playing games with friends, Zion had experienced far too many terrible things.
No child could remain normal after experiencing such heavy things, Zion Agnes… It was clear from his gaze how much his experiences had taken from him—empty, blue eyes devoid of any emotion.
She needed to learn Zion Agnes's story: what he had endured in the past and what he would face in the future; she wanted to know everything.
She believed that Zion Agnes would change his recent, boring life. As she thought this, she let out a chilling laugh.
"What are you laughing at?" The woman's expression froze, and she slowly turned her gaze toward Zion. He was completely cleaned of blood and dressed in fresh clothes. His bright blond hair, a mark of the Agnes lineage, and his unique diamond-shaped blue eyes made him look perfectly childlike and sweet, yet his facial expression gave nothing away—he certainly didn't resemble a child.
"Don't say a word, sit down." The woman returned to her expressionless face and pointed to the only chair in the room.
"The Empress will not be satisfied with tonight. You will likely be summoned by her tomorrow and exiled from the capital on the grounds of treason," the woman's cold voice echoed through the room.
"So, it seems my journey has come to an end," Zion said, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes.
"…and most likely she will exile you to the eastern border. Despite the charges against you, she won't kill you, and will be called merciful, taking all the praise for herself—thus killing many birds with one stone."
"You'll have to fight the Vampire Count's army at the eastern border."
"She's sending a child like you there because she knows you won't survive the eastern border."
"She's sending you to your death knowingly" the words came, sharp as knives, one after another.
"I know" Zion said, opening his eyes. Despite all these words, his expression remained unchanged. "Do you think I can make it out alive from there?"
"No." the answer was short and merciless.
"Hahaha" Zion couldn't hold back his laughter; he truly had reached the end of the road.
The seven counts were commanders serving the four great dukes of the fallen angel, and the Vampire Countess… she was the strongest of the seven counts.
The Countess was one of the two counts who survived the Hundred Years' War between the goddesses and dragons 300 years ago.
Over the years, she grew even stronger and managed to maintain her position as the foremost among the seven counts, and Zion was to be sent to fight this monster's army. Even though the Countess wouldn't be there, her subordinates would surely be leading the border forces. The subordinates of the strongest general were, in the simplest terms, formidable.
If he were to face the Countess's direct subordinates, he would have no chance of survival; perhaps he could be killed by her army before even encountering them.
"agh!" The woman, watching Zion lost in thought, leaned down slightly and lightly tapped the boy on the head.
Zion looked at the woman with questioning eyes.
"You don't need to think so much; you'll be assassinated on the way before even reaching the border." The woman sighed and continued speaking slowly.
Zion, without reacting, waited for the woman to continue speaking.
"The Empress will not leave things to chance. If by some stroke of luck you survive the battle, you could cause trouble for her when you return—and she knows this. Killing you on the way and making it look like an accident would provide a complete solution to all future problems."
"In that case, how am I supposed to survive? You must have heard the rumors about me being the useless prince. I can't use sacred powers by birth, and, strangely enough, my body is innately weak."
His body was innately weak, and he couldn't use sacred powers by birth. Zion Agnes was weak.
"Isn't it funny?" Contrary to expectations, Zion spoke these words not in anger but very calmly. He had long since accepted what he was saying.
"Being strong alone won't keep you alive; you also need to use your mind alongside your strength."
"Hmm… let's see, what does a useless prince who's always confined to the palace and has no friends enjoy the most?" The woman began to think with a very innocent expression.
When Zion looked into the woman's eyes, his spine shivered; her red eyes seemed capable of seeing his deepest secrets.
The woman's smile widened after seeing Zion's reaction.
"Spending time in the library, could it be? I'm sure you've read every book in the library over the years."
"Who are you?" Zion got up and lay down on the bed.
The woman stood up from where she was sitting and went over to Zion. Looking down at him, her red eyes gleamed. "You are not yet worthy of knowing."
"When will I be worthy? You know I'm going to die soon," he said with a grin.
"If you survive the assassination, I'll tell you who I am."
"Then that's a shame; I'll never get to know your name."
"Haah… first, we need to correct that attitude of yours." She leaned over the bed and grabbed Zion by the collar. "Wait a minute, whaa—" and she threw him to the ground.
"Uhh… kugh… okay, I'm sorry. Do you know I have an innately weak body? My bones could have broken."
"Do you know why your body is so weak and fragile?" The woman asked as she walked toward Zion.
"I don't know anything about my damn body," Zion said, frowning.
"Then, let's start by introducing your body to you."
"How do you know that?" Zion asked, not at all surprised, posing a very simple question.
"You aren't worthy."
"Ah, come on—" Zion was about to continue speaking when he saw the woman's glowing red eyes and immediately fell silent.
"Have you ever heard of the goddesses?"