The Bastard First Prince Doesn't Want to Die

Chapter: 126

Bu-seop trailed behind the first unit of soldiers at the very back of the procession.

"Damn it..."

He gnashed his teeth.

When they had just left Wolhan Fortress, he had merely grumbled, but now his lips were almost curled up like a duck's beak.

It wouldn't be strange if his lips were to turn into a duck's beak any moment now.

Bu-seop suddenly let out a deep sigh and abruptly turned his head to the left.

To his left was the burden that Prince Ikwon had entrusted to him.

‘I’m grateful for his trust, of course, but to think that my job is merely to manage this kid...’

A small number of soldiers who had caught Prince Ikwon's eye were given the title of special guards.

However, in reality, they simply had a little more to do compared to other soldiers, and it wasn't a position that came with any power.

Yet, none of those appointed as special guards complained about their position.

It was because the single phrase, "appointed by the prince's special order," could be the greatest achievement in their lives.

Therefore, there were those who unknowingly envied the special guards.

Among them, Bu-seop was in a more special position. After all, hadn't the prince himself saved his life?

Thanks to his incessant bragging, even those who had no interest in the higher-ups now knew the story of how Prince Ikwon had risked his own life to save the life of a mere soldier.

"Why am I tied down by this guy..."

Bu-seop had never seen Jincheon demonstrate his sword skills. So, it was natural for him to think of Jincheon as merely a boy who wanted to be a swordsman and receive the prince's favor.

Even so, since it was the prince's order for him to supervise Jincheon, his dissatisfaction wasn't sincere.

At least, his situation was better than that of Jo Seunghoe, the other guard who wasn't allowed to join the prince on this expedition.

‘Why did they leave Jo Seunghoe behind?’

Jo Seunghoe was, in a way, a very special case.

Even though he had followed the prince for so long, he had to go to great lengths to even catch a glimpse of his face, whereas Jo Seunghoe had the prince's attention without even trying.

Envious of this, Bu-seop had once directly asked Jo Seunghoe.

-"The prince seems to have a great interest in you. Why is that?"

But Jo Seunghoe didn't give a simple answer. After pestering him several times, Bu-seop was only able to get this answer:

-"...I can't tell you. The prince wants me to keep it a secret."

"What a lucky bastard..." He muttered gloomily.

He was genuinely envious.

‘Why can't I?’

The reason he wanted to catch Prince Ikwon's eye was simple.

The prince had saved his life when he was just a mere soldier, and because he had risked his own safety to protect his homeland, Wolhan Fortress. But just because the reason wasn't grand, did that mean he should give up?

Bu-seop recalled an old warrior's story he had heard once.

‘I can do that too...’

He firmly believed that the prince's intentions were his path. Why wasn't he given a chance?

He looked at Jincheon beside him. Even this young boy was in a position to see Prince Ikwon without an appointment.

"What are you looking at?"

"...Nothing." Bu-seop ignored Jincheon and sighed.

‘...No, no, you foolish bastard. Why are you blaming Prince Ikwon? It must be because I'm lacking. If I work hard, he'll notice me.’

He shook his head to clear his meaningless thoughts and glanced at the fluttering blue flag at the head of the group.

The flag was in the hands of Captain Yoo, who was closest to the prince.

‘I envy him, I envy him so much…’

A deep sigh welled up from his abdomen.

If he were asked to name the person he envied most in the world, Bu-seop would answer without a moment's hesitation: Yoo Geung.

He craned his neck like a giraffe, trying to catch a glimpse of the prince's back, hidden by the crowd.

It was a pity that he couldn't even see a single hair of the prince’s head.

* * *

A guide was always necessary when wandering through the wild lands.

Even though it wasn’t even past summer, time seemed to pass much faster in the wild lands than outside.

You could tell by the cold, heavy air that hung in the atmosphere.

A chilly wind blew intermittently, tapping against the armor of me and the soldiers.

Trees, which had grown with an oddly tenacious vitality in this environment, stretched out their branches like twisted fingers, obstructing their advance.

“The wind is really annoying, isn’t it? Am I the only one who feels that way?”mGong Chomun asked in a teasing tone.

He acted as if we were already friends.

If it had been anyone else, I would have wanted to crush their spirit for being so presumptuous, but after hearing that he had fought in Blood Cloud Fortress, I didn't find his arrogance so unpleasant.

I snorted in reply.

“I know what you mean. Doesn’t the wind in the wild lands sound like a madman mumbling secrets?”

“Yes, I was just thinking the same thing.” Gong Chomun burst out laughing. “With our senses on the verge of being deceived, it seems we'll never make it back home with our sanity intact.”

I frowned.

“...Don’t say things like that.”

With two thousand people behind me, a wrong turn could endanger the entire unit.

Although he hadn’t meant it as a wish for death, there was no need to say such gloomy things when so many people were listening.

“I apologize.”

“Right, don’t make me more nervous than I already am.”

When I said it half-jokingly, Gong Chomun laughed.

“You don’t seem nervous at all. To my eyes, Your Highness seems as relaxed as if you were in the Hyeonnyeongdang Hall.”

“How can I be relaxed with the fog this thick? I can’t see a thing.”

Of course, I could see.

I had purposely stopped taking the sensory-dulling herb, long before my grandfather had given me the candy.

Thanks to that, I had also realized that the silver dagger my grandfather had given me was enchanted.

But now, I felt like I was going crazy.

All sorts of noises, the cries of beasts and monsters, were ringing in my ears, making my head spin. And in the dark shadows of the trees, unseen things seemed to be staring at me.

Fortunately, the fog was so thick that my face was hidden from the sight of those around me, including Gong Chomun.

If the fog had been thinner, everyone would have noticed how pale I was, as if I was about to collapse.

Because of that, I was biting the inside of my mouth until it bled.

Every time I felt like I was losing my sanity due to the excruciating sensation, I would bite into the flesh of my mouth to keep my sanity with the pain.

At that moment, the guide, who had been moving in formation with me, suddenly spoke.

The guide’s name was Jowang.

“Ah, the fog will start to clear up now.”

Since the guide had been quiet until now, I immediately asked, “How do you know that?”

I wondered if he was a proper guide, or if the Lord of Wolhan Fortress had sent a quack to get rid of me.

“Did you see any gray mushrooms with red stripes while coming here?”

“I’ve seen plenty.”

“Those mushrooms aren’t visible anymore. That species only grows in humid environments, so they don’t thrive in relatively dry places without fog.”

That was true. I couldn’t see any mushrooms of that kind around.

“Oh, I see.”

I nodded.

I had wanted to call Deokbong, the guide who had accompanied me on the previous investigation into the wild lands, for advice, but he had flatly refused, insisting that he’d rather die in his own home.

I thought he could at least say he’d think about it. I felt a little hurt.

Then I noticed the air suddenly grow heavy.

A faint, warm breath mixed with the wind.

It was something that ordinary people would never be able to detect. I waited silently for the presence to approach.

After a while, Jowang looked at the ground and shouted.

“There are traces of a beast!”

Footprints in the mud and a small amount of blood in those footprints were proof.

“It hasn’t been long. A few dozen steps ahead…”

Immediately after, I raised my hand and signaled to Yoo Geung to raise the flag.

“Fire!”

A loud command echoed. Arrows rained down towards the dark front. There was no way to confirm whether the attack was effective since there was almost nothing to see.

However, I could tell. After a moment, I raised my hand again to stop the arrows.

“Keep going.”

Then Yoo Geung said, “It’s uncertain whether the beast in front has been killed. We should send out a scout first…”

“Sending out a scout for something like this? That’s a waste of time. Keep going.”

I dismissed Yoo Geung’s suggestion and moved forward.

“Your Highness’s safety is the top priority.”

“Wrong. The most important thing for you right now is to follow the orders given by your immediate superior.”

Yoo Geung didn’t argue further.

After moving forward a bit, we came across several dead beasts and one that was almost unharmed.

The guide examined the surviving beast and said, “The dead ones are adults, and this is a young one. It’s fortunate that it didn’t die… This species doesn’t leave the place where they were born. There must be a place where they live nearby. We need to be more careful from now on.”

Gong Chomun seemed interested, while Yoo Geung looked worried.

“I see. Everyone, be more careful…”

Thwack-!

A foul, bloody smell exploded. I quickly covered my mouth with my sleeve to hold back the disgust.

“No, no, if you kill it like that…!”

Jowang exclaimed in shock. Gong Chomun had killed the baby beast.

“The blood of the young is poisonous. That’s why I said it was fortunate that it didn’t die.”

I looked at Gong Chomun. He just shrugged, saying he didn’t know and wasn’t at fault.