The Bastard First Prince Doesn't Want to Die

Chapter: 127

“Don’t be so reckless.”

I frowned and spoke to Gong Chomun.

“I apologize.”

I hesitated to scold him further as he apologized with a grin. And after all, it was just a beast, albeit a young one.

No, no, that's wrong.

To think it was strange to kill it just because it was young—I was the one thinking foolishly.

I shook my head and looked at Jowang, the guide.

“Is it okay if we keep going?”

Jowang pondered for a moment before replying.

“Since we’ve spent a lot of time moving today, it would be best to take a break and discuss what to do with them afterwards.”

I nodded.

“Alright. As you say, let’s take a break. Do you think the beasts will notice us? If so, we should camp further away.”

“I don’t think so. They didn’t even notice our group’s presence, so they died like this.”

“I see.”

I informed the soldiers that we would be taking a break. They immediately began to look for a campsite.

Once things were somewhat settled, I approached Jowang, who was sitting in front of the fire.

“Did you light this?”

Jowang’s face was tinged orange by the flames of the roaring bonfire.

I sat on the end of a long log that he had placed as a seat.

“Yes,” He replied briefly and looked back at the bonfire.

It seemed he had no desire to impress me.

Well, it didn’t really matter.

I thought about Deokbong, the previous guide. Deokbong probably wouldn’t have suggested camping near a place where beasts gathered in large numbers.

He was a coward.

“Are you not afraid? Or are you just not afraid of beasts?”

Jowang looked up at me and replied, “You could say both, or neither.”

“Ah, so you’ve been here often and are confident that this distance is safe. Right?”

Jowang didn’t look like someone with a lot of experience. He seemed to be around the same age as Yoo Geung, perhaps a little over thirty.

“Yes, Your Highness,” Jowang replied briefly and returned his gaze to the bonfire.

Did he dislike being spoken to? I scratched my head and asked one last question.

“Why do you come to the wild lands so often? Are you a herbalist?”

Jowang looked up at me again.

“My family was taken by beasts. So, I searched all over the wild lands for a long time, trying to find…”

Jowang suddenly stopped talking.

The flames of the bonfire flickered in his eyes.

“…their traces, but… it’s been more than ten years.”

So, even if they were alive back then, they would be dead now.

It was cruel to hope for a possibility.

I nodded without adding anything else.

“I see.”

I paused for a moment before changing the subject.

“The Lord of Wolhan Fortress introduced me to you, but how did you and the lord come to know each other?”

“When the lord needed guides for the beast extermination, I volunteered.”

I sighed at his words. It seemed that Jowang’s goal was to help with the extermination and seek revenge.

As I thought that, Jowang said, “If this extermination is successful, then beasts won’t be able to capture innocent people like they did to my family anymore.”

His voice was very calm, like someone who had never experienced any misfortune. That made it all the more painful.

I could almost see the fragments of thoughts he must have pondered over the years while searching for his family.

“What a joyous occasion it will be.”

Yes, I would have felt the same way.

Jowang sat in front of me for a moment before getting up and saying he wanted to look around. I gave my permission, and as soon as he left, others took his place.

The first to come was Gon.

“It’s been ages since I’ve seen your face.”

Gon flew down and landed on my shoulder. It began to preen its feathers.

I looked around, worried that someone might overhear.

“Keep your voice down.”

“I am being quiet.”

“What if someone hears you?”

“Do you think I don’t know how far my voice carries? I know exactly how far it reaches.”

Well, I was hearing things that other people couldn’t.

For instance, I could hear Bu-seop, constantly nagging Jincheon.

I could also hear a soldier complaining about how he was about to wet his pants because he had been holding it in all day.

“I’ve been flying my tail off, and you’re just sitting here, chatting idly, and letting your horse do all the work.”

“What? When did I?”

“Don’t deny it, you little rascal.”

Gon nipped my ear with its beak.

My whole mouth was a mess from chewing on my cheek all day to keep myself from going crazy, and nobody even noticed.

“Don’t make me angry.”

I thought about making crow soup.

Gon let go of my ear and grumbled.

“You have the nerve to be angry when you’ve been giggling to yourself all this time.”

“Who’s giggling?”

I glared at Gong Chomun.

He was chatting with the other officers who had joined me from my grandfather’s volunteer army.

Come to think of it, I hadn’t seen him talking to the soldiers from the Northern Region.

... It was probably just me overthinking. It wasn’t like he had been here for a long time, and it was natural for people to hang out with those they were close to.

“I was just being friendly. I couldn’t ignore him completely.”

“Humph, you’ve gotten a thick skin. I clearly saw you smiling.”

“I wasn’t.”

Why does he have so many complaints? Anyone would think I was the wife and Gong Chomun was the concubine.

Just then, Gong Chomun turned his head and our eyes met.

He grinned and walked over.

“Your Highness!”

He called out to me loudly and sat down heavily on one side of the log.

Since I was sitting on the other side, the log swayed.

Gon flew up and quickly left.

“You almost made me fall.”

“Haha! If you fell from that, how could you possibly wield a sword?”

I glared at Gong Chomun.

Oh, I wanted to say the same things to Gong Chomun that Gon had said to me.

“Just joking, joking. I, Gong Chomun, will never let anything harm Your Highness.”

“Humph.”

I snorted.

“You should worry about yourself first.”

“That’s a given.”

I looked at the scar on Gong Chomun’s face.

“You said you got this scar at Blood Cloud Fortress, but how can you say that’s a given?”

“Well, as I said, Blood Cloud Fortress was an incredibly dangerous battlefield. Only someone as skilled as me could have returned alive with all limbs intact.”

I felt a little smug.

Before I met Jincheon, I had never had a scar on my face.

Just then, I overheard Jincheon saying from a distance, “If you think that’s the case, I’ll ask His Highness directly.”

This was because Bu-seop had just told Jincheon, “If you act like that, His Highness will abandon you.”

They were playing childish games.

“Well, I don’t think so.”

Soon, Jincheon approached. Bu-seop, looking uneasy, followed behind him. I gestured for Jincheon to come closer.

“Hmm?”

When Jincheon came closer, Gong Chomun looked at him. I suggested that the three of them, including Bu-seop, introduce themselves.

“Jincheon?”

When Jincheon introduced himself, Gong Chomun’s eyes widened in surprise.

I asked, “Why?”

“Jincheon... Could you be that slave boy who stayed at General So’s manor?”

Jincheon’s eyes turned fierce. It wasn’t directed at me, but at Gong Chomun.

That look from Jincheon.

It was familiar.

I felt a chill run down my spine. Goosebumps probably appeared on my arms as well.

“Chomun.”

When I called his name, Gong Chomun replied with his usual cheerful expression.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Of course, he hadn’t meant to insult Jincheon by calling him a slave.

He was just being a bit foolish.

“Slave... Watch your tongue. Now, he is under my... ”

Under my?

What should I say next?

I glanced at Jincheon. When our eyes met, the anger in Jincheon’s eyes slightly subsided.

“Under my...”

But his expression was still stiff.

Think carefully, Baek Yeon... no, Yegyeong.

“...a talent who will become my closest aide in the future.”

Jincheon’s expression softened a little.

It was the same expressionless face he usually wore.

I wasn't expecting him to smile. This was enough.

“Oh ho...”

Gong Chomun exclaimed.

“So you’ve already been promised a promotion to become His Highness’s closest aide? Wow, how envious!”

Gong Chomun laughed loudly and slapped Jincheon on the back. It was a hard slap, and the skinny Jincheon staggered.

And immediately, Jincheon’s face turned fierce again. No, vicious was a better word.

Was he crazy?

I felt the blood drain from my face.

I doubted my own ears.

I exclaimed, “Didn’t I tell you to watch your tongue?”

“Yes, I remember. But what of it? Here, ah, what was your name? Jincheon? This Jin Cheon will become Your Highness’s closest aide in the future, and Jin Cheon also hopes that Your Highness will become the crown prince and the supreme ruler.”

Jincheon, as a slave, didn’t have a family name, only a given name.

Whether he knew it or not, Gongchomun continued to chatter.

Between Jincheon’s increasingly cold expression and Bu-seop, who was rolling his eyes, not knowing how to respond to this situation, I was speechless.

“Are you crazy?”

“I hear that a lot. Hahahaha!”