The Bastard First Prince Doesn't Want to Die

The next day.

I said to Gon, who was lounging around, "Come to think of it, there was no reason to send people in danger."

Of course, with the trees being so dense, flying wouldn't be as easy as it was outside the wild lands...

But anyway, it would be easier to fly with wings than to walk on foot.

"Can't you go instead of the scouting party?"

"How far do you intend to bother me?"

"You little... You have to earn your keep."

Gon clicked his tongue.

"You know one thing but not the other. How foolish. Even if I go and check it out, how will you explain the source of the information I find out?"

I scratched my head.

That made sense, so I decided to send the scouting party first. Jowang seemed to have roughly surveyed the area yesterday.

Picking up a branch, Jowang drew a rough map on the ground.

When I was about to choose the scouting party, Gong Chomun volunteered first. I didn't immediately agree because I had doubts.

"I would like to go too."

Then Jincheon stepped forward.

I had just called Jincheon out to show that he was under my command, but...

That didn't mean I was going to use him.

I just wanted to show that he was my subordinate, since everyone was watching, but things turned out unexpectedly.

I wondered if it was a good idea to send Gong Chomun and Jincheon together.

A few more people volunteered. Half of them were from Wolhan Fortress and half were from my grandfather's followers, a total of eight people.

I rejected half of the volunteers and chose a total of six people for the scouting party, including Jincheon and Gong Chomun. With Jowang as their guide, there were a total of seven people.

"Then, we will go and check the situation," Jowang said. And they went down into the hollow, narrow basin surrounded by hills, which was the nest of the monsters.

And then, a big thing happened.

It was about two hours later.

"Your Highness, Your Highness!"

Jowang ran towards me out of breath.

Behind him was a soldier who seemed to be injured, and another soldier was helping him walk.

Gong Chomun, with a troubled expression, followed behind.

He had additional minor injuries. I could guess that there had been a battle.

...But where was everyone else?

I asked Jowang, "What's going on?"

Jowang's face was pale. I could feel his heart pounding wildly. Tension, fear, and dread. I felt tense too.

"That is..."

He hurriedly told me what had happened just before they left.

He said that the monster's nest was in a hollow, narrow basin surrounded by hills, and that it would be difficult for a person to get out once they fell in. But Jincheon had fallen into it.

And to make matters worse, another soldier who had tried to grab Jincheon fell in with him.

"We couldn't help,” Gong Chomun said.

"You couldn't help? What do you mean?"

How could so many people not be able to save one person? And to say that Jincheon had fallen into the monster's lair for no reason...

Of course, it was possible with the current Jincheon, but it was hard to believe.

"When we heard the monsters approaching, they appeared in droves, and we..."

They said they couldn't approach the place where the two had fallen. I jumped to my feet.

"I'm going to rescue them."

"No, Your Highness."

Gong Chomun tried to stop me with a stern expression.

"Why not? I'm going."

"Protecting Your Highness's life is the priority. There's no reason for Your Highness to go in person to save just two soldiers."

“What? I would have gone to save you if something like that happened to you.”

I suddenly turned around. I felt that piercing gaze again. The low-ranking soldier from yesterday was staring at me.

What is it?

I turned back to Gong Chomun and Jowang and said, “I’ll take only the members of the elite guard and go save them. I’ll temporarily delegate full authority to Captain Yoo, so don’t move until then.”

“No, Your Highness.”

Gong Chomun tried to stop me again. I put on the armor I had taken off and fastened the straps tightly.

“Do you have the right to stop me? And what reason do I have to listen to you?”

“General So requested that I protect Your Highness.”

I frowned.

“So, I, Gong Chomun, cannot just watch Your Highness go on a dangerous journey.”

Ignoring his words, I asked Jowang, “Are you sure Jincheon is dead?”

“I couldn’t confirm it.”

“Then he might be alive.”

If I had confirmed Jincheon was dead, of course I wouldn’t have gone to save him. But if there was a chance Jincheon was alive, I had to bring him back.

What if, by chance, Jincheon, who had survived but was lost in the wild lands, happened to encounter someone?

And if that person was a local lord or a foreign power...

That would be a waste of effort. That absolutely couldn't happen.

"No human can survive in that place,” Gong Chomun pleaded.

"For a human, that's true. I understand. But he might be alive. So I'm going."

"Your Highness, did you hear me correctly?"

"I heard you perfectly."

I called Yoo Geung and Bu-seop. I delegated temporary command to Yoo Geung and ordered Bu-seop to gather the other elite guards.

Yoo Geung seemed reluctant to let me go, but he obeyed my orders without a word, unlike his expression.

He was acting as expected. Bu-seop immediately gathered the people.

I couldn't leave Jowang behind. Jowang followed me willingly.

As I mounted my horse, Gong Chomun stood in my way.

"If you must go, I will follow you."

I saw several injuries on Gong Chomun, who was blocking my path. I stared at him intently and nodded.

"As you wish."

And immediately, I passed him, led by Jowang, towards the monster's nest where Jincheon and the other commander had disappeared.

As I rode, a dark shadow appeared above me.

About a moment passed.

I could smell the stench of monsters carried by the wind. The foul smell made me feel nauseous, but I managed to suppress it by biting my tongue.

After cutting through the dense bushes for a while, the landscape of the basin appeared.

The basin, surrounded by low hills, was constantly swept by the wind.

The swirling wind swept through the space inside the basin and continued to flow out through the bowl-shaped formation.

Unlike the outside, the grass and trees were similar to those outside the wild lands.

In other words, the vegetation was similar to what could be seen in human settlements. Perhaps it was because the sun shone more brightly here.

Although it was a relatively peaceful scene, there was no denying that there was a dangerous atmosphere.

"It looks dangerous."

Jowang said cautiously, "It's a place where monsters live, so Your Highness is right."

No, that wasn't the only reason.

The air felt thick and heavy. And it created a dangerous atmosphere.

It was as if an invisible, enormous force, or some kind of energy, was surrounding me.

It was as if the magical power carried by the wind was swirling around me before stopping midway...

It was a heavy, sticky feeling. Every time I breathed in, a cold, damp sensation penetrated deep into my lungs.

The intangible energy, like a heavy fog dissolved in the air, seemed to lick at my skin. It was as if the basin itself was breathing.

As if with each breath of the earth, a sinister energy was exhaled.

My chest felt tight.

I could even say that it felt like I was standing in front of an enemy who hated me. The feeling of someone whispering, which I had mentioned during my conversation with Gong Chomun earlier, was ten times stronger here.

However, it seemed like I was the only one feeling it. Everyone else was only focused on the monsters that were sporadically appearing.

Breathing earth and wriggling wind? How could that be? I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t experienced it myself.

It was an atmosphere that made me understand why no one had ventured into this wild land for so long, despite it being so close.

To confirm my thoughts, I said, "I don't know how long it's been since I've seen the sun. It's a place where people could live if it weren't for the monsters."

Jowang replied, "Yes, that seems to be the case. If it weren't for the monsters, people could live here... With all this lush grass, farming would be very successful..."

I glanced at Jowang. It seemed I was the only one feeling the danger.

"Yes."

One more peculiar thing was that my senses seemed to be dulled here. Of course, the disturbing sensory stimuli that seemed to confuse my mind were still there.

It was just a relative comparison.

But the changes I could perceive were enough to confirm that there was something special about this place.

"Where did Jincheon fall?"

"We need to go a little further."

The spot where I and my party were standing was the lowest point of the basin, with the least height difference from the surrounding hills. As we went deeper, the height difference between the hills and the basin increased.

Some places had such a large height difference that even if there were no monsters, you would die instantly if you fell.

It would have been better if Jincheon had died rather than being lost, but even so, I didn't want Jincheon to die from a broken neck.

And what was the crime of the soldier who fell with Jincheon?

"It seems dangerous,” Jo Seunghoe said cautiously. I looked at him.

Well, he was originally just a prison guard, so exterminating monsters was not in his fate.

His role had been fulfilled by simply providing evidence to the Lord of Wolhan Fortress to kill Son Gye-du.

He had been appointed as an elite guard and had been dragged into this.

"You can go back if you want."

Then Bu-seop added, "If you're scared, go back now. His Highness has given you permission."

However, Jo Seunghoe seemed to think for a moment before deciding to stay. Even though I had meant it when I said he could go.

"Then, shall we go further?" Jowang asked.

Of course. I nodded.

"Let's go. Let's hurry up a bit."