From Disposable Prince to Level 9999: Forbidden Evolution

5. A trip to the capital

AT THE SAME TIME

HUAN

The impact rattled my bones. Wood groaned, iron screamed. I planted both feet into the dirt and drove my claws into the spinning wheel. Fire flared, not wild, just enough heat to grip. My tail snapped outward for balance as the horses reared, foam at their mouths.

"Pull! Pull the reins!" Someone shouted.

"I am!" The driver yelled back.

The carriage fishtailed once, twice, then I forced it sideways, boots carving trenches into the road.

"Stop!" I growled through clenched teeth.

With one final heave, the axle jolted hard, and the carriage slammed to a halt. The horses trembled, but they were no longer running. I exhaled slowly, smoke curling from my fingertips. The carriage door creaked open. A middle aged merchant leaned out, eyes wide, not in horror, but shock.

"You-! By the Twin Moons, you just stopped it!"A merchant shouted.

Behind him, a young guard hopped down, staring openly at my horns and tail.

"Demon blood?" He asked cautiously.

"Half." I replied, straightening.

"Thought so, the eyes."He nodded once.

The merchant climbed down more carefully, brushing dust from his coat. He circled me once, studying the faint heat shimmering along my arms.

"Those horses would have overturned us at the next bend." He muttered. "You saved my cargo, and our necks."

"Is he dangerous?"One of the women inside peeked out.

"If he was, we had been ash already."The guard snorted lightly.

A few nervous laughs followed. Hybrids weren’t rare here. Beastkin, elf blooded, demon touched. I wasn't unique just noticeable. The merchant stepped closer, squinting at my small horns.

"Newly manifested?"He asked.

"Yes."I said.

"Ah." He nodded knowingly. "First evolution stage. My nephew sprouted fangs at fifteen. Scared his mother half to death."

A faint smile tugged at my lips despite myself.

"I didn't sprout fangs." I sighed.

"Give it time." The guard muttered.

The tension eased further.

"Right then, payment."The merchant clapped his hands once. 

He pulled a pouch from inside his coat and weighed it thoughtfully before handing it over.

"Fifteen silver. Fair for road assistance."He said.

I accepted it without complaint. Logical, not exaggerated.

"Thank you." He added more sincerely. "Most would have jumped out of the way."

"I needed the experience." I said honestly.

"Experience?"The guard blinked.

I ignored that.

"EXPERIENCE GAINED: 90XP. LEVEL 5 to 6. STATS INCREASED."The system said.

Warmth spread through my veins as the system pulsed again.

"TRAIT OBSERVED: CONTROLLED FORCE + PROTECTIVE INTERVENTION. NEW PATH UNLOCK CONDITION MET. SKILL POSSIBILITY: SWORDSMAN (INITIATE). REQUIREMENT: WIELD A BLADE IN COMBAT."The system said.

A blade, interesting. The merchant gestured toward the distant road. 

"Capital's two hours that way. Adventurer's guild pays better than roadside heroics." A merchant said.

"You fight like you have got instinct. If you register, they will test you."The guard gave me a measured look. 

"I will." I said simply.

The merchant extended a hand. I looked at it briefly before shaking. His grip was firm, warm.

"No hard feelings about the horns." He said with a grin. "Seen worse. Met a minotaur-blood once. Broke chairs when he sneezed."

A chuckle rippled through the small group, I stepped back as they righted the carriage.

"See you in the city, demon-blood."The guard gave me a final nod.

"Huan." I corrected.

"See you in the city, Huan."He smirked. 

As the carriage rolled away at a much safer pace, I stood alone on the forest road again. Fifteen silver in my hand, time to move forward. The capital walls rose higher with every step. Stone towers. Bannered gates. Crowds moving in and out like currents in a river. I kept my hood up, not to hide completely, just to dull attention. My horns were still small enough to pass as common demon-blood traits. My tail stayed wrapped beneath my coat. As I approached the outer gate, voices overlapped in noise vendors shouting, guards checking travel permits, children weaving through legs. Then something caught my eye, a board near the gate. Not a mission board, a notice board. Dozens of papers nailed into wood. Trade postings, bounties, missing persons. I wasn't looking for it, but I saw it. Hair shorter, eyes less sharp. The royal crest stamped in the corner.

'MISSING - THIRD PRINCE HUAN BLOODSTONE Reward for verified information.'

For a moment, everything went quiet in my head. Even the system stilled. I stepped closer. The sketch wasn't perfect, but it was close enough.

"Poor kid." A woman beside me muttered. "Vanished during awakening, they say."

"Royal family's been searching it." A man replied. "Big reward too."

"Think he ran away?"One asked.

"Or got eaten."Another added.

They moved on, I didn't. I stared at the drawing of who I used to be. Weak shoulders, soft jaw, no fire in the eyes.

"SYSTEM NOTICE: IDENTITY RISK DETECTED RECOMMENDATION: MAINTAIN INCOGNITO STATUS."The system said.

"I know." I murmured internally.

A guard walked past the board, glancing briefly at the posters, my heart didn't race. It didn't need to, I looked nothing like that boy anymore. Taller, sharper. Horns curving faintly beneath my hood. Different posture entirely. It was strange seeing myself labeled as missing. Dead, in everyone's minds. I reached up and pressed two fingers lightly against the edge of the paper, not tearing it down. Not yet.

"Soon." I whispered.

A younger guard nearby noticed me lingering.

"You know him?" He asked casually.

I let my hand fall.

"No."I sighed.

"Royal business anyway. Above our pay."He shrugged.

"Is the reward still active?" I asked evenly.

"Of course, king won't let it go."A man said.

I stepped back from the board. The capital gates loomed ahead. Crowds flowed inward, behind me, the forest. Ahead of me, stone, politics, power and a version of myself nailed to a wooden board.

"OBJECTIVE UPDATE: SURPASS PAST IDENTITY. SECONDARY OBJECTIVE: GROW STRONG ENOUGH TO RETURN ON YOUR TERMS."The system said.

I pulled my hood slightly lower and walked toward the gate. I wasn't missing. I was evolving and when I returned it wouldn't be as the boy on that poster.