The Bastard First Prince Doesn't Want to Die - Chapter 124

Chapter 124

So why did my grandfather go out of his way to find me?

I tried to figure it out, but I couldn’t understand what he wanted to say.

How could I know what he was thinking?

Even if I added together the years I’d lived as Baek Yeon and my current age, it couldn’t compare to the years General So Ik-Gyeom had lived.

If I knew that, I’d probably know what the king was thinking too.

“Tch.”

Yeah, right.

I continued my sword training until sunset.

I’m a deficient person.

I’ve always thought that. And I still do.

Then, suddenly, I stopped moving.

It was like…

A wall?

I felt like a wall was blocking me.

Jincheon, that guy, he could probably overcome it.

“Ugh.”

I reached into my pocket and took out what my grandfather had given me.

It was still as colorful as ever.

I told my grandfather I didn’t like sweets, but that’s not entirely true. I’d eat anything as long as it was food.

Well, not anymore. Now that I’m a prince, I get three meals a day.

Anyway, I do eat them when they’re given to me.

“Hmm.”

I thought someone else would like it more, so I only ate one of the candies my grandfather gave me and tied the silk pouch shut.

I put my sword back in its scabbard and turned to leave.

As I headed towards another training ground in the outer walls, I saw Bu-seop lying on a long bench, covering his face with his helmet, and Jincheon swinging his sword alone.

I stopped and glared at Bu-seop for a moment, who seemed to have not noticed my presence, or maybe he was so focused that he couldn’t hear me.

Jincheon turned around in surprise when I spoke.

“Hey.”

“Huh.”

Usually, I was the one who was surprised.

It felt strange to be the one surprising someone.

I walked over to Jincheon.

“It’s weird being the one surprising someone.”

Jincheon was startled and said, “No, no. I wasn’t surprised.”

Excuses.

I tossed the pouch of candies that my grandfather had given me to Jincheon. He caught it as if he had been waiting for it.

He sensed the difference between his hand holding the sword and his empty hand, and moved the empty hand to where the pouch would fall.

It was as natural as if he had practiced it beforehand.

Amazing reaction time.

He’s still terrifyingly talented.

Why don’t I have that kind of talent?

If I’m the tallest mountain on earth, he’s always been higher than me.

The sky.

The sky…

I glared at Jincheon with a sullen expression.

“You sky-high bastard.”

“…What?”

The world is so unfair.

* * *

The next day, there was another meeting.

This time, my grandfather and his subordinates were also in attendance.

It was an uncomfortable situation.

Of course, I wasn’t uncomfortable, but the elders of Wolhan Fortress couldn’t hide their discomfort.

Ugh.

We should have put a mirror in front of each of us next time.

That way, I could at least check my expression and try to put on a fake smile.

“Thank you again for coming all this way.”

The elder thanked my grandfather.

And so, the meeting began.

I had half-given up on the idea of participating in the meeting, expecting to be told to sit in the corner again. Instead, I was busy thinking of ways to refute any decisions the elders might make.

But I didn’t need to.

“First, I would like to state that, as a servant of the royal family, I will participate in the battle of Wolhan Fortress. I will follow Prince Ikwon’s command, and the troops under my command will also dedicate their lives to the prince’s cause.”

My grandfather’s words created a ripple at the beginning of the meeting.

Everyone in the meeting room turned to look at me.

“Furthermore,” Again, everyone’s eyes were on my grandfather, “it is common knowledge, even in the Northern Region, that a subordinate should not stand in front of his lord.”

Wow…

I exclaimed inwardly.

And then, my grandfather asked for my advice.

“I heard that Your Highness recently went deep into the wild lands. Unfortunately, I am unfamiliar with the battles of the Northern Region and would need to learn more. Could you tell me about the terrain there?”

It seemed he was really trying to help me.

My grandfather was a much stronger supporter than I had expected.

It was as if he was burning himself up to forge me into a sword.

Hoping my prediction was wrong, I recalled the geography of the wild lands.

But most of what I knew was from maps.

After a moment’s thought, I described the terrain of the wild lands.

The rugged terrain, the forests where the sun rarely shone, the unusually dense foliage, and the strangely twisted trees.

The rugged cliffs and uneven rocks that covered the terrain of the wild lands would make it extremely difficult for a large army to pass through.

The huge valleys that seemed to open up endlessly would be the most dangerous place of all.

When I mentioned the flying beasts, my grandfather’s expression darkened.

“What about burning the forest? Have you tried that before?”

Then the Lord of Wolhan Fortress replied, “Not recently. According to the records, about 200 years ago, they tried to set the wild lands on fire… but the result was disastrous.”

“Why was that?”

“The flames were not a fatal threat to some species of beasts, and the beasts that survived the flames came down from the wild lands and attacked the villages for some time. I’m against it.”

There was a lot of discussion. Gradually, the conversation turned to how to deploy the troops.

“Let’s divide them up,” said one of the elders. It was the elder who had been frequently seen on the walls lately.

He was one of the younger elders and seemed willing to fight himself, but he also seemed interested in participating in the subjugation of the wild lands.

I knew I couldn’t hog all the credit, but these elders had been sitting idly by until now. I was somehow resentful of their decision to step up.

But I just grumbled to myself.

I wondered what the Wiyeon District Leader was thinking. I glanced at Son Gye-du.

I narrowed my eyes.

That guy. His complexion had improved since about three days ago.

Wasn’t that suspicious?

I remembered how he had raised his voice, unlike himself, saying that we had to catch the assailant. But now he looked so relaxed.

Son Gye-du wasn’t the type to be so relaxed without a good reason. There was no way he could be so carefree unless the Lord of Wolhan Fortress was backing him up.

But that couldn’t be.

I had already made a deal with the Lord of Wolhan Fortress.

-“I have some evidence, but I’d like to leave him alone for now.”

I had asked the Lord of Wolhan Fortress not to arrest Son Gye-du immediately.

-“Are you trying to use the Wiyeon District Leader?”

-“If the assassin was connected to Son Gye-du, then he was secretly colluding with the Huawei Empire.”

Honestly, I didn’t care if he wanted to become the Lord of Wolhan Fortress.

Since the Lord of Wolhan Fortress had promised to support me, I also had a duty to help him keep his position.

-“There are only a few forces in the world that can hire assassins of that caliber. If Son Gye-du was colluding with the Huawei Empire, especially the royal family… I’m sorry to say this, but it would be a waste of an opportunity to expel him right away.”

The Lord of Wolhan Fortress seemed very displeased, but he eventually agreed to my request.

-“I was merely threatened with losing my position, Your Highness. Unlike Your Highness, my life was not directly threatened. And since Your Highness found the evidence, it is only right that Your Highness has the authority to punish Son Gye-du. However, I hope it won’t take too long.”

I didn’t want it to take a long time either.

-“But how did you find out that they were assassins from the royal family?”

That was a difficult question.

I lied and said I had tortured the assassins into confessing.

Fortunately, the Lord of Wolhan Fortress seemed to believe me.

I was lost in thought when I was suddenly startled by my grandfather’s shout.

“If His Highness is not afraid to sacrifice himself for the nation, how can you, simply because it is dangerous, hinder His Highness’s noble intentions!”

When my grandfather shouted like that, the large meeting hall echoed loudly.

The general sure had a powerful voice.

“I, General So Ik-Gyeom, have come here to dedicate myself to the cause of His Highness, who works day and night for the people. How can you allow yourselves to obstruct His Highness’s noble cause?”

He was probably saying something like, ‘We can’t let him go to the battlefield’ or ‘It’s not right for him to be at the forefront.’ I could tell from the way the elders clamped their mouths shut.

Again, everyone’s eyes turned to me. And the generals from the regions south of the Northern Region who had come with my grandfather looked calm, as if they were used to this kind of situation.

I couldn’t just let them give me something and not take it. I opened my mouth, pretending to be indifferent.

“Since the general is so loyal to the king and the country, I will do my best not to disappoint him. If I were afraid of getting hurt, I wouldn’t be sitting here. I appreciate the elders of Wolhan Fortress for worrying about me, but I won’t hide behind them and the grateful soldiers who follow me.”

The Lord of Wolhan Fortress responded.

“Since Your Highness’s will is so strong, who would dare to use the excuse of concern to hinder Your Highness’s dedication to a noble cause? As the Lord of Wolhan Fortress, I am infinitely grateful to Your Highness.”

The elder also added a word.

“Since that is Your Highness’s wish, it is a shame to even worry about Your Highness’s safety. My old body is a burden, and I can only regret that I cannot help Your Highness.”

It was essentially a declaration of defeat.

I could hear a few people sighing.

No one would be able to say anything else about this matter.

And a few days later, with a newly organized force, I left Wolhan Fortress.

———-