Chapter 72

The Subjugation Force Returns!

The Imperial Family, which had even dispatched reinforcements during the massive monster invasion in the South, treated the heroes returning from the battlefield with utmost hospitality.

“Everyone must have struggled greatly. Prepare a banquet for the children, and afterward, allow them to rest comfortably in the Imperial Palace before returning.”

The Emperor personally gave the order.

The palace immediately began preparing a banquet to welcome their return.

After the Subjugation Force had departed, the palace had been quiet, but life and energy once again circulated through its halls.

The Houkijisu participants who had experienced the battlefield as members of the Subjugation Force stuck together, chattering endlessly as though they still had countless things left to say.

“It was good that we made that trip to the South, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah. I feel truly sorry for the comrades who fell in the battle, but… for those of us who returned alive, it taught us so much. Of course, I wouldn’t want to go again.”

“Isn’t that the truth.”

The eunuchs of the palace were never ones to miss such news. From the high-ranking ministers to the attendants and maids handling chores in the Imperial Palace, and even the eunuchs—none of them were exceptions.

Anyone working inside the Imperial Family’s residence, whenever two or more gathered, immediately began gossiping about the Subjugation Force and the news they brought back.

“Have you heard? They say His Highness the Fifth Prince saved the Subjugation Force from crisis with incredible achievements during the mission.”

“Come on, what do you take me for? Of course I’ve already heard. But did you know this? When monsters invaded Valaris, His Highness the Fifth Prince supposedly leaped off the rampart and fought hundreds of monsters alone.”

“That sounds a bit exaggerated, doesn’t it?”

“If you have functioning eyes and ears, go listen to what the noble children who returned from the Subjugation Mission are saying. Many people already treat it as established fact that the true ‘Sword of the Imperial Family’ was not His Highness the Second Prince, but the youngest prince.”

“His Highness the youngest, the Sword of the Imperial Family? He certainly overwhelmed Curington in the last Houkijisu Tournament, but was it to that extent…?”

“I’m telling you, it’s true. Have you been living fooled all your life? Do I look like someone who spreads impossible nonsense? Just trust me this once.”

The Subjugation Force, who had clearly witnessed the blood and flesh-splattering battlefield firsthand, made no effort to hide their battle tales, letting them be known to all.

“I played quite a part there too. Ah, and here’s something everyone in the know already knows, but His Highness the Fifth Prince actually…”

And in those tales, there was a name that never failed to appear—Yurion Aphahiel. It was another name for Yuwon. Every story the members of the Subjugation Force told began with “I” and ended with “the Fifth Prince.” Throughout the palace, tales of Yuwon rose like clouds.

‘They say the Fifth Prince’s martial strength has already reached a level incomparable among those his age.’

‘They say the Second Prince made a poor decision and ended up with his arm shattered.’

‘They say the Third Prince has now fully aligned himself with the Fifth Prince.’

‘They say the Fifth Prince’s divine prestige was so great that even the monsters followed him and aided his allies.’

‘They say when the Fifth Prince drew the White Dragon Sword, the enemy corpses piled like mountains behind him.’

‘They say every person who accompanied the Subjugation Mission from beginning to end returned having fallen for the Fifth Prince’s character.’

‘They say Marquis Carson and Count Valaris will soon officially declare their support for the Fifth Prince.’

‘Not only that, they say the Marquis and the Count are eyeing the Fifth Prince as a potential son-in-law.’

‘The Fifth Prince…’

‘The Fifth Prince…’

To some, it was all brand-new information; to others, it was something they had heard in fragments beforehand. But those who heard a little early or learned everything for the first time were all equally shocked by the rumors.

The more talk about the Subjugation Mission spread, the more it benefited Yuwon.

The Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince had also fought fervently on the battlefield, contributing greatly to their allies, but Yuwon’s overwhelming performance overshadowed theirs, leaving them barely remembered.

The princes, with eyes and ears of their own, clearly knew what stories were circulating throughout the palace.

The situation in which Yuwon monopolized all attention was far from pleasant for them.

The Crown Prince, who always wore a composed and relaxed smile, locked the doors of the Crown Prince’s Palace with a hardened expression and sank into deep thought.

‘Damn it, things certainly started off well, so how did it all end up like this…?’

When the Subjugation Force had first been organized, the situation had overwhelmingly disadvantaged Yuwon.

Leading merely around fifty people, he seemed unlikely to even receive an opportunity to shine.

‘But in the end, he benefited the most. I can’t leave Yurion alone any longer. I have no choice but to admit it now. It wasn’t the Second or the Fourth… Yurion is my true greatest rival.’

The Second Prince remained silent, as though waiting for the right moment.

‘I did something stupid and threw away the greatest opportunity I had been given… but this isn’t the end. I’ll definitely have the chance to make up for it. First, I need to fix this arm.’

The Fourth Prince was equally displeased with the situation.

‘Trusting that assassin who knows nothing of honor or chivalry, living only by the blade, was my downfall. If blood was to be spilled, it should’ve been on my own hands… Yurion’s strength is something I absolutely cannot ignore. There’s no choice. Although they don’t help me out of kindness, if I’m to face him, I must seek help from the teachers of the Church.’

All of the Imperial Palace stirred beneath Yuwon’s name. But the very center of all this turmoil—Yuwon himself—was serene.

Sarak―

The sound of turning pages gently echoed within the silent library. In the sunlit corner of the Imperial Library, Yuwon sat alone, quietly reading.

Terrien had left, saying he would spar with the friends he made during the Subjugation Mission, and Third Prince Bernid had shut himself away the moment they returned, immersing himself in researching monster scales.

Hastings wasn’t there, and Renania, who remained in her homeland, was no longer by Yuwon’s side.

Now, even beyond those normally close to Yuwon, countless people wished to meet him. But Yuwon politely declined every request and chose solitude.

Ttak―

Yuwon set down his now-empty teacup and rose from his seat, heading toward the pile of books.

Ttu-beok― Ttu-beok―

Deeper inside the Imperial Library.

A shadow that had sprouted between the shelves slid out and swallowed Yuwon whole.

* * *

A revisit after nearly two months. Yuwon found himself once again in Tang Seogyeom’s secret space.

“Whew… there’s quite a lot to do.”

Standing beneath the vast cavern, Yuwon steadied his breath and set out to take care of his tasks.

Yuwon first released the Hatchling of the Dragon-Scaled Serpent into the central cavity and let it run around as it pleased.

“Stay here and play while I go take care of something for a moment.”

Then Yuwon immediately opened each chamber where Tang Seogyeom had stored poisonous creatures and filled the stomach of the starving Black Serpent.

The Black Serpent, which had barely survived on the poison Yuwon had prepared throughout the long journey, filled its belly with fresh venom freshly extracted from poisonous creatures for the first time in a long while.

Sshhk sshhk―

The Black Serpent let out a sound, seemingly satisfied after filling its stomach.

There were still a few tasks left, but the urgent matters were done.

After appeasing the two snakes, Yuwon took out the inner core he had obtained from killing the beast inside his subspace bag.

‘Now I have to deal with this… but what should I do with it….’

Yuwon held the inner core, radiating poisonous energy, in his hand and pondered.

No explanation was needed. Sensitive to venom, Yuwon instinctively knew. This wasn’t just a deadly poison—this was an inner core containing the essence of life.

‘I gave Bernid the scales to research without concern since there were more than enough… but from that giant, only this one inner core came out….’

But it also didn’t feel right to carve out even a small portion and hand it to Bernid.

‘If it ended up damaged somehow, that’d be troublesome.’

In the end, Yuwon fell into deep thought with the inner core before him.

‘I can’t run countless experiments and studies on this the way Bernid does. But… I can do that.’

There was something Yuwon could do—something Bernid couldn’t do even if he died and came back.

‘Eat it.’

Eating the poisonous inner core right before his eyes.

At least that much he was confident in. Yuwon’s body already carried enough poison to melt a person into blood.

And ironically, that poison didn’t harm Yuwon—it empowered him.

“Alright, let’s eat it.”

From the moment he obtained the inner core, Yuwon had planned to consume it. He had simply been waiting for the right time and place since he didn’t know what might happen afterward.

In that sense, there was no place more perfect than Tang Seogyeom’s secret chamber, where no one but Yuwon could enter.

At Yuwon’s decision, both the serpent he held in his arms and the one he had released outside smacked their lips at the same time.

Both the Black Serpent and the Hatchling of the Dragon-Scaled Serpent coveted the poisonous inner core.

“You brats, even cold water has an order.”

After careful thought, Yuwon acted on his decision right away. He brought the fist-sized inner core to his mouth and took a big bite.

Crunch―

After a chewy texture reminiscent of raw meat, a venom potent enough to melt a person’s body burst out like fruit juice, to the point that it made his head spin. Yet that venom, deadly enough to kill a person instantly, smelled fragrant to Yuwon.

‘Hm, but this…? It tastes good?’

Not just good—comparable to the finest delicacies.

Had living with venom in his body broken something inside him?

The inner core he bit into expecting bitterness or foulness tasted sweet, like well-ripened fruit.

‘If it tastes this good, finishing it off is no problem at all.’

A taste that made the saying “medicine good for the body tastes bitter” meaningless. Yuwon devoured the inner core without leaving even a trace.

“Ah… but why am I suddenly so sleepy…?”

After finishing the inner core, a strong drowsiness overtook him.

It was as if he had consumed an entire block of sleeping pills instead of poison.

Forgetting his dignity, Yuwon collapsed onto the cavern floor and immediately fell asleep.

While Yuwon slept, the new venom that entered his body and the venom that already resided within him tangled together in a fierce struggle.

Blood wasn’t spilled, but the battle was as vicious as a battlefield soaked in blood.

This battle, which turned every corner of Yuwon’s body into a battleground, did not end in victory for either side.

After a brutal struggle, the two venoms harmonized as if they had originally been one.

Something changed within Yuwon’s body.

Hours passed before Yuwon finally woke up.

“I must have fallen asleep just like that. Hopefully it’s not like last time when I was out for days…?”

A blue radiance flickered within Yuwon’s eyes as he examined himself for anything that happened while he slept.

Yuwon’s gaze had always been as cold as the winter sea, but now it seemed as if magical power had taken root within them.

Were these the eyes of a serpent?

Just looking at them felt like they could mesmerize someone.

A strange allure dripped from Yuwon’s gaze.

Yuwon didn’t notice the change in his eyes, but he immediately sensed something else.

‘My body is overflowing with strength.’

As Yuwon expected, the venom within the poisonous inner core had turned completely into his own power.

Just like how a snake grew and shed after swallowing a meal and sleeping, Yuwon grew stronger at a frightening pace.

And Yuwon no longer intended to wait for enemies to come to him first.

‘I worried I might suffer some side effects, but it seems I can move right away.’

Satisfied with his condition, Yuwon smirked.

The fangs revealed at the end of his grin gleamed unusually bright.

‘The first target is the most rotten one at the bottom. The Fourth Prince Mariel.’

Among the young lions of Aphahiel, the serpent finally bared its venomous fangs.

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