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Chapter: 91

"...I reassigned some troops to support the rear."

The reason for doing this was to search for the owner of the piece of cloth that Gon had brought.

It was highly likely that only a corpse would remain, and even then, probably not in one piece.

"Is it truly necessary to find it?"

Gon, who had flown in with a flutter and promptly perched on my shoulder, spoke. I nodded.

"We must find it."

"Why bother with this troublesome task, what good will come from finding such a thing?"

"It could serve as evidence."

Apprehending Son Gye-du would be difficult. There were already too many people within the fortress who followed him. It was the Lord of Wolhan Fortress\'s mistake for not having weeded them out earlier.

Well, in any case, I had to grasp at any straw that might be helpful.

"Don\'t die," Gon said abruptly.

Oh ho. Look at this.

I let out a snort. The creature flapped its wings in a frenzy.

"What\'s with that scoff!"

I replied with a chuckle.

"I laughed because it\'s funny."

"What\'s so funny! Your face is ten times more comical."

No. That\'s not quite right.

"Hey now."

"Hmph. With that frail appearance, you dare to act like a general. How can I not laugh?"

"What does my appearance have to do with my fighting ability?"

"Of course it matters! A good-looking leader is a good leader to follow. A leader should have a beak this big and feathers this glossy."

Gon puffed out its chest and proudly showed off its beak. I couldn\'t help but laugh.

"But you... Even the few feathers you have are not fully black, so it\'s not a pleasant sight."

"What does that have to do with anything..."

I shook my head and returned to the original topic.

"Anyway, there\'s no need to worry. I can\'t guarantee that I won\'t get hurt, but I won\'t die."

"How can you be so sure? Whether it\'s your life or someone else\'s, it\'s decided by heaven, not by you."

"Well, maybe not."

"Hmm?"

Gon tilted his head.

"What do you mean by that?"

Many have tried to kill me. But no one has succeeded. I\'ve been close to death many times.

That includes not only attempts on my life by people but also disasters. Still, I haven\'t died.

"My life..."

There would be only one scenario where I would die.

"It\'s decided by that person."

I turned my head towards where Jincheon would be. Gon tilted its head again, seemingly puzzled.

"What are you talking about?"

"It\'s just something like that,” I said as I removed Gon from my shoulder with my hand. "You should go up now."

It nodded once and took flight. I watched the black silhouette soaring across the sky for a moment, then turned and walked towards the fortress wall.

Just then, someone suddenly ran up and blocked my path.

"Wh-what?"

He appeared so swiftly that I almost mistook him for something other than human. Looking again, it was Jincheon.

He looked up at me with his needlessly bright eyes and said, "Please take me with you, Your Highness."

...Huh?

What was this sudden, out-of-the-blue request? Take him along?

"What?"

"I wish to accompany you, Master."

At his words, I frowned.

"Stop calling me Master. I forgot to correct you before, but I can\'t let it slide anymore."

"Then how should I address you?"

"If possible, just follow what others do. Your Highness, it\'s easy, isn\'t it?"

"Yes, Your Highness,” Jincheon readily agreed and nodded. "Please take me with you, Your Highness."

"Wh-what do you mean, take you with me?"

Who put these unnecessary ideas into his head?

Looking again, I noticed he even had a sword at his waist. I was the one who gave it to him.

...It seems I was the one who put those unnecessary ideas into his head. There was no one else to blame.

I sighed and said, "No."

He asked urgently, "Why not, Your Highness?"

"I\'m not going on a leisurely trip."

"I know that, Your Highness."

"What do you know?"

I pushed Jincheon\'s forehead with my index finger. However, he didn\'t back down easily.

"You dare to resist?"

Jincheon replied unapologetically, "I apologize, Your Highness."

And then he said again, "Please take me with you."

"I already said no."

I refused, but he showed no signs of giving up.

Considering how the grown-up Jincheon, who had chased after me with the intent to kill, was also incredibly persistent, it was clear that this tenacity didn\'t just appear out of nowhere.

"What do you think you\'ll do by following me?"

"Please allow me to protect you, Your Highness."

"Protect who? You?"

When I refused with a frown, Jincheon\'s spirit dwindled.

"Go wash your feet and sleep."

"Please let me come with you."

"Ugh..."

I glared at Jincheon and started walking. Jincheon followed me. It seemed he wasn\'t going to give up.

"I said go back."

"Please let me come with you. I\'m confident I won\'t be a burden."

"Your existence itself is a burden, you fool."

"I\'m confident I\'ll be useful."

"Maybe later, but not now. Go back while I\'m asking nicely. This is not something you should be involved in."

I quickened my pace. Jincheon still followed me.

At this rate, I\'d end up taking him all the way to the fortress wall.

"Go back while I\'m asking nicely. Okay?"

"What should I do to make you take me with you?"

"If you listen to me now and return to the inner fortress, I\'ll take you with me in a few years."

"If you\'ll take me with you in a few years, you can take me now as well. Please take me with you."

"Why are you so persistent?"

I wanted to tell him to get lost, but I held back, worried he might actually disappear forever if I hurt his feelings. I simply repeated that he should go back.

Meanwhile, we almost reached the fortress wall. Some nearby soldiers recognized me and bowed their heads.

They noticed Jincheon, who was too young and small to be a soldier, and looked at me.

"What are you looking at? Why? I\'m not taking him with me."

"I didn\'t say anything, Your Highness..."

"Anyway."

Jincheon looked at me with a resentful expression. It was no use looking at me like that.

No matter what, it was a fact that he wasn\'t a very useful person right now.

"Are the preparations complete? The personnel I selected?"

"Yes, Your Highness. We have completed all preparations."

"Then let\'s depart immediately."

I glanced at Jincheon.

"You guys, get him off me."

Only then did Jincheon flinch and lower his head. His dejected look pricked my conscience...

No. No way. Why should I feel guilty? After all, this guy will eventually become the one who cuts my throat.

Jincheon backed off on his own, without the soldiers needing to intervene. I turned my back on him and headed towards the north gate.

* * *

The prince led a small group of elite soldiers out of the gate. It wasn\'t his first time leaving the fortress walls, but today he planned to go beyond the frontline.

The Wolhan Fortress Lord stood atop the fortress wall, anxiously overlooking the ongoing battle.

Thanks to the prince pushing back the enemy lines at the battlefield in front of the north gate, the area atop the wall was relatively quiet.

However, the northeastern and northwestern walls, far from there, were struggling with demonic beasts climbing the walls.

Below the walls, countless soldiers were fiercely fighting against the demonic beasts.

The roars of the demonic beasts and the shouts of the soldiers mingled, filling the chilly night air with tension.

The Wolhan Fortress Lord, looking down from the wall, saw the red glow of torches flaring up here and there.

Although the demonic beasts continued to swarm endlessly, perhaps because they remembered having endured so far, there was no one who seemed particularly terrified.

To block the demonic beasts climbing the walls, the soldiers ceaselessly wielded spears and bows.

Arrows rained down like hail, and spearheads flashed, piercing the bodies of the demonic beasts. But, even when they fell, the gap was only momentary, as other demonic beasts immediately surged forward.

The commanders were equally tense. As the prince had previously ordered, they moved in unison.

Although the prince was absent, it seemed like they would be able to finish the battle without much damage even without him.

All they had to do was hold out until dawn today.

Thanks to the prince pushing back the enemy lines, the damage to the north gate was less than expected.

However, just because the battle was going smoothly didn\'t mean there were no casualties. The sight of wounded soldiers collapsing and groaning was not uncommon.

If the prince were here, he would have yelled at them to take care of themselves first.

The Lord of Wolhan Fortress, recalling the image of the prince shouting from atop the wall, gazed intently towards the north gate.

Although it was too far to see clearly, the frontline had been pushed back even further than before.

"Hmm..."

It was a joyful event, as if it were his own achievement. Despite being called a reckless fool, the prince possessed the qualities of an excellent general.

\'Perhaps those qualities were simply unable to shine before.\'

What opportunities would he have had to demonstrate his leadership as a general within the palace?

Moreover, having lost his mother, who was once the queen and then deposed, he wouldn\'t have had the chance to display his abilities.

\'They say the second prince is the one who enjoys the king\'s favor, so how much of an eyesore must Prince Ikwon have been to him?\'

Thinking this way, he felt a pang of sympathy, finding their situations similar.

\'It\'s a shame that his abilities haven\'t been recognized in the palace all this time.\'

Suddenly, the Lord of Wolhan Fortress recalled that the king had mentioned the war report in the letter from the capital. Depending on the interpretation, it could be seen as an exile.

As someone known as a reckless fool, he would need a significant achievement. More so than in any other case.

To enter the capital with his head held high, victory was essential.

If the prince truly succeeded in subduing the demon realm and returned... The Wolhan Fortress Lord briefly imagined what would follow.

If that were to happen, Prince Ikwon would be the one to claim the throne and usher in the next era.

For a prince backed by the power of the Northern Region, it wouldn\'t make sense for him to refuse to become king.

However, there was still a lingering discomfort in his heart.

\'Instead of the Northern Region\'s independence, it would only solidify the power of the Ye royal family.\'

Surely there would be those who opposed it. But as always, wasn\'t survival the priority?

Surviving as a dog on a leash was better than struggling as a wolf in the wild.

\'Yes, that\'s enough. Survival is all that matters.\'