The Bastard First Prince Doesn't Want to Die - Chapter 128

Chapter 128

“Is there nothing else for you to do?” I asked, burying my face in my hands.

“Isn’t protecting Your Highness my duty?” Gong Chomun replied. I felt a piercing gaze on the back of my head. Jincheon was glaring at me.

“You must be tired. Why don’t you go and rest?”

“If I were the kind of person who gets tired so easily, I wouldn’t have followed General So in the first place.”

Gong Chomun chuckled.

He was basically telling me to get lost. I couldn’t tell if he was being dense or if he was deliberately pretending not to understand.

Then Gong Chomun turned his attention back to Jincheon.

“So, Jin Cheon.”

Please just shut up… I wanted to yell, but I held back. I glanced back and forth between Jincheon and Gong Chomun.

“I heard you’re quite promising.”

Jincheon, who had been glaring at Gong Chomun with cold eyes, replied slowly, “Who told you that?”

It was clearly a polite question, but there was a hint of contempt in his tone.

I wasn’t mistaken.

“Who? General So, of course.”

Jincheon’s eyebrows shot up at those words.

Gong Chomun, who had finally gotten a reaction out of the cold Jincheon, spoke in an even louder voice, clearly excited.

“You don’t look very tired either, do you?”

“So what are you going to do about it?”

It was easy to predict what would come next. Jincheon must have anticipated Gong Chomun’s next words as well.

That was why Jincheon’s reply was so sharp.

Gulp-

I heard someone swallow. It was Bu-seop. When I looked at him, our eyes met.

Without saying a word, we exchanged glances.

They’re going to fight, aren’t they? You think so too, right?

I asked with my eyes, and Bu-seop replied with his eyes:

Yes, I think we should stop them.

Then Gong Chomun said, “To be noticed by General So… It’s not easy to catch his eye. I wonder what kind of talent you have.”

“Argh!”

Bu-seop jumped up and stood in front of Gong Chomun.

“Why are you doing this?”

“What are you doing?”

Gong Chomun frowned.

I hadn’t realized it because he had been smiling all the time, but Gong Chomun had a pretty fierce expression.

“This kid just joined a few days ago. How could he possibly challenge someone as experienced and skilled as General Gong?”

Bu-seop awkwardly laughed and made an excuse. But Gong Chomun was unimpressed.

“Does age save a soldier’s life in battle? Does the enemy ask your age before deciding whether to let you go?”

“Of course not, General Gong is right. Haha… But General, you’re not the enemy. You’re here to serve His Highness alongside us.”

Bu-seop was desperate. I could hear his heart racing. It seemed that confronting Gong Chomun was terrifying for him.

Yet, Gong Chomun’s furrowed brow didn’t relax.

… It seemed that his smiles were only for me.

I hardened my expression and said,

“That’s enough. Are you challenging him to a duel? I’m afraid Jincheon is under my direct command, not just a soldier of the first unit.”

Jincheon looked at me in surprise.

Why are you surprised, you idiot?

I didn’t know how skilled Gong Chomun was, but Jincheon wasn’t going to be easy to defeat either.

If he was expecting some green recruit, just starting out in swordsmanship, he’d be sorely mistaken.

Though Gong Chomun, a seasoned warrior, wouldn’t be threatened by a much smaller and thinner boy-soldier, I couldn’t guarantee he wouldn’t get hurt. The real problem in that case would be Gong Chomun’s arrogant ego getting shattered.

And I couldn’t let a beardless youth undermine the authority of a general.

Not in the wild lands, anyway.

“So, you can’t do anything without my permission. I won’t allow a duel.”

Gong Chomun turned to me and put on a fake innocent expression.

It seemed like a mask.

I said kindly, “Give up and go rest.”

“Ah…”

Gong Chomun sighed dramatically.

“You said I was going to be your closest aide, but you’re already protecting him this much?”

He deliberately provoked Jincheon. He tapped Jincheon’s shoulder lightly with the back of his hand.

“Hey, you’re lucky. Oh, if only I had met Your Highness before Jin Cheon did… I really regret leaving the capital.”

What a ridiculous thing to say.

Even if I had first seen Gong Chomun when I opened my eyes in Hyeonnyeongdang , it would still be Jincheon who would become my most important piece.

Because no matter how skilled Gong Chomun was, he could never defeat Jincheon.

So, the special treatment given to Jincheon was purely due to his talent, but if Gong Chomun continued to provoke him like that…

How could I prevent Jincheon’s expression from souring again, after I had just managed to calm him down?

“Anyone who makes a contribution will be recognized. You have nothing to regret.”

Bu-seop interjected cautiously, “That’s right, General Gong. His Highness even appointed me, a lowly soldier, as a special inspector.”

But Gong Chomun wouldn’t give up, tossing a nearby twig into the bonfire.

“Hearing you say that makes me even more curious. If Your Highness has promised a future to someone, doesn’t that mean there’s no one more skilled than Jin Cheon by your side?”

The twig caught fire immediately.

“Your Highness, who will become the future ruler, has already marked you from a young age… As a swordsman, I’m curious and can’t help but ask.”

“Didn’t I tell you no? I’m telling you one last time. Go and rest.”

Then Jincheon spoke up.

“Please allow me.”

He bowed to Gong Chomun.

It was unlike him to be so polite. It made me even more worried.

And I knew I couldn’t stop Jincheon from doing what he wanted.

If I didn’t allow it here, he might seek out Gong Chomun when he was asleep and attack him to get revenge.

“…Do as you please.”

* * *

I didn’t like it.

That was my first thought when I saw Jincheon and Gong Chomun together.

“Hey, you idiot… What kind of request is that? Go apologize to him now for your reckless words. Okay?”

Bu-seop tried to calm Jincheon down. But Jincheon was as immovable as a rock.

Jincheon glanced at Bu-seop.

Bu-seop had been bothering him since he arrived, claiming to be following the prince’s orders. But Jincheon didn’t dislike him.

It was simply because the other man was so arrogant in thinking he could teach him anything. It was like dealing with a clown.

But Gong Chomun was irritating.

He didn’t know exactly why he disliked Gong Chomun so much. But he could smell suspicious about him.

It wasn’t a literal stench.

“Hurry up and apologize! What is this in front of everyone?”

Bu-seop urged again, flustered.

As he said, almost all the commanders had gathered to watch the fight between a young, inexperienced soldier and a seasoned warrior who had once served in the Golden Guards.

But Jincheon, with one hand on the hilt of his sword, walked past Bu-seop towards Gong Chomun.

“Oh ho…” Gong Chomun exclaimed. But Jincheon didn’t even glance at him. Instead, he looked past Gong Chomun and stared at Yegyeong who was watching from the side.

‘His Highness thinks I’m weak.’

Jincheon was deeply resentful of that.

In fact, Jincheon had already thought that he might be able to defeat Yegyeong.

Although he didn’t have many opportunities to see Yegyeong fight, he could often sneak a peek when he was training alone.

‘I wonder if he knows I’ve been watching him, or if he really hasn’t noticed my presence.’

If it was the latter, Yegyeong would definitely lose to Jincheon.

Having watched Yegyeong train, Jincheon had already perfected a way to counter his swordsmanship.

And that wasn’t all. He had also perfected a way to counter the swordsmanship used by Yoo Geung.

-”This is a sword technique that you can only learn if you join the Central Army’s Golden Guards.”

Yoo Geung had said so, but Jincheon had mastered the technique perfectly just by observing Yoo Geung’s movements.

Well, it wasn’t perfect, actually.

There would be some differences from the original, as Yoo Geung had his own habits and had made modifications to suit his body and movements.

In any case, Jincheon was a natural talent, able to learn and counter unfamiliar swordsmanship simply by observing.

That’s why he didn’t think he would lose to Gong Chomun.

Even though he was so confident, he couldn’t prove his skills because he wasn’t given the opportunity. And he couldn’t just go around picking fights with anyone. If he caused trouble, he would be discarded.

He didn’t think his value was so great that Yegyeong would be willing to risk a conflict with his subordinates to protect him.

The only people he interacted with were Captain Yoo, who wouldn’t fight him anyway, and Commander Heo, who had already left Wolhan Fortress.

There was no point in fighting Bu-seop, as he wouldn’t be able to even touch him.

“You have quite a look in your eyes.”

So, Gong Chomun provoking him was actually a good thing.

At first, he was annoyed and wanted to ignore him, but on second thought, such opportunities were rare.

“Our house cat looks at sparrows with that kind of look.”

…It was still annoying, but he could suppress his annoyance at the thought of seeing Yegyeong’s surprised expression after he defeated Gong Chomun.

“I’ll learn from you.”

“Suit yourself.”

Gong Chomun sneered.

Jincheon pushed off from the ground.

———–