Chapter 338: A Prince Returns to the Stage
A Prince Returns to the Stage
"M-Me...?"
His voice cracked with disbelief.
Victor looked at him and chuckled softly.
"Yes."
"You."
There wasn’t the slightest hint of uncertainty in his voice.
The confidence behind that single word only made everyone else more speechless.
While the room struggled to recover from the shock, Victor’s thoughts had already moved several steps ahead.
I never intended to reveal this so soon.
His gaze remained calm, but his mind worked with practiced precision.
The original plan was simple.
Expand our influence quietly.
Gather strength.
Control information.
Build an unshakable foundation before stepping into the light.
One careful move after another.
He let out a nearly inaudible sigh.
But that path disappeared the moment Alibaba’s undead army was destroyed.
His smile deepened ever so slightly.
News like that can never be buried forever.
It only takes one frightened merchant.
One wandering adventurer.
One mercenary who survived by luck.
One loose tongue in a crowded tavern.
Soon enough, the rumors will spread across the kingdom.
A mysterious young man annihilated an entire undead legion.
People will exaggerate.
Stories will grow.
By the time the tale reaches the capital, I’ll probably have become some mythical monster capable of splitting mountains with a wave of my hand.
The thought almost made him laugh.
Rumors were like wildfire.
No one could truly control them.
But...
They could control where the fire began.
His golden eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
If the kingdom is going to hear my name anyway...
Then I’ll make sure they hear my version of the story first.
Information was a weapon.
Those who spoke first shaped public opinion.
Those who reacted later were always playing catch-up.
A ruler who spent his time denying rumors had already lost half the battle.
His gaze slowly shifted toward the still-dazed Eon.
Fear spreads quickly.
Hope spreads even faster.
Skyfall was fractured.
Its nobles distrusted one another.
The royal family stood on unstable ground.
The people had lost faith.
What they needed wasn’t another politician.
They needed a symbol.
A rightful heir.
Someone they could believe in.
And Eon...
Whether he realized it or not...
...was the perfect choice.
While the nobles turn their attention toward him...
While every prince, duke, and minister fights to uncover the truth...
I’ll be free.
A kingdom distracted by politics never notices the shadows moving beneath its feet.
His eyes gleamed faintly.
During that chaos... I’ll gather every underground organization in Skyfall.
The assassins.
The smugglers.
The intelligence brokers.
The hidden martial clans.
The corrupt nobles who survive by dealing in darkness.
One by one... they’ll all fall beneath my banner.
Once the shadows belonged to him...
The light would have nowhere left to hide.
Every secret.
Every conspiracy.
Every hidden blade.
Would eventually find its way into his hands.
One move...
Countless rewards.
Then another thought crossed his mind.
His eyes briefly drifted toward Videl.
Perhaps...
This will finally force her to question the future she believes is already set in stone.
Sometimes... changing fate doesn’t require hundreds of battles.
Sometimes...
All it takes...
...is a single move that no one believed possible.
Victor’s smile grew a little brighter.
It wasn’t arrogant.
It wasn’t mocking.
It was the quiet smile of someone who had already seen several moves ahead on the board.
Across the room, Videl felt a chill crawl down her spine.
She had seen that smile before.
Not once.
Not twice.
But enough times to recognize exactly what it meant.
Whenever Victor smiled like that...
Someone’s carefully built plans were about to collapse.
Someone’s future was about to change.
And somehow...
It was never Victor’s.
Unable to suppress the growing unease in her chest any longer, she took a slow step forward.
Her brows drew together as she fixed him with a complicated look.
"...Victor."
She took a slow breath before asking,
"How do you know he’s the missing Prince of Skyfall?"
"The last thing we knew was only that Eon belonged to the royal family."
"When did you learn that he was the missing prince?"
Everyone looked toward Victor.
Even Eon himself wanted the answer.
Victor shrugged casually.
"Actually..."
"I don’t."
The room became silent once again.
Videl blinked.
"...What?"
Victor folded his arms.
"I don’t know whether he’s truly the missing Prince of Skyfall."
Confusion spread across every face.
Brinda tilted her head.
"Then why announce it so confidently?"
Victor walked toward the window, looking outside at the recovering city.
"Think about it carefully."
"We already know Eon carries royal blood."
"That much has already been confirmed."
"But..."
"He has no memories."
Victor slowly turned back toward everyone.
"Without those memories..."
"We can’t know exactly who he was."
"He could be King Willmot’s son."
"He could be his nephew."
"He could be another forgotten royal."
"He could even belong to a distant branch of the Skyfall royal family."
"We simply don’t know."
Victor spread his hands calmly.
"And neither does the public."
Everyone quietly listened.
Victor continued.
"The only thing the people know..."
"...is that one royal heir disappeared years ago."
"Almost no ordinary citizen has ever seen that prince."
"Very few nobles know his appearance."
"Even many members of the royal family have never met him."
Victor’s voice remained calm.
"So tell me..."
"If Eon stands before the people..."
"Who can truly prove he isn’t the missing Prince of Skyfall?"
Silence answered him.
No one in the room had an answer.
Not even Ramona.
She slowly realized how terrifying Victor’s way of thinking truly was.
He wasn’t relying on lies alone.
He was exploiting uncertainty itself.
Half-truths...
Unknown facts...
Human assumptions...
He was weaving them together into a weapon.
Videl lowered her eyes.
"...So..."
"You intend to convince the kingdom..."
"...that Eon is the missing Prince of Skyfall?"
Victor nodded once.
"Exactly."
"And once the people believe it..."
"The kingdom itself will begin completing the rest of the story."
The room fell into another heavy silence.
No one interrupted him.
Every person present understood...
Victor wasn’t merely planning to change the future.
He intended to rewrite the kingdom’s history itself.