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Chapter: 99

I was in a predicament.

The Wolhan Fortress Lord held the solution to the bellflower addiction, yet he only observed me without revealing it.

It was a complex situation.

And why wouldn\'t he bring it up, even though he knew? I couldn\'t read his intentions, and my worries deepened.

"Hmm."

As I frowned and crossed my arms, Soon Gang gathered the needles he had laid out and stood up.

"As it is a prohibited medicinal herb, even if there is a way to resolve the addiction, you must have concerns... I apologize that I cannot be of further assistance."

I waved my hand dismissively.

"It\'s fine. There\'s no reason to apologize for something that\'s not your responsibility. If you\'re busy, you can go."

"I don\'t have any urgent matters, but it seems like you wish to be alone, Your Highness,” Soon Gang smiled suspiciously.

"If you wish, I can continue the treatment."

I responded with a grimace.

"What are you talking about? Go. Leave immediately."

Soon Gang bowed.

"Yes, I will follow your orders. Then please rest well. I will return."

"Whatever."

Soon Gang left the room. It was just one small old man leaving, but the room where I lay alone felt incredibly empty.

I stared at the ceiling for a long time, then suddenly sat up.

I remembered what Jincheon had said.

"Ugh."

I felt a surge of pain, perhaps because it wasn\'t for no reason that they had made me lie down in the middle of the day. Groaning, I got up, put on the coat hanging on the wall, and opened the door.

Creak-

"Hmm?"

To my surprise, Jincheon was standing right outside.

"What are you doing?"

He stood awkwardly, as if he was about to run away the moment the door opened. His eyes were wide with surprise.

It seemed he really was about to run away. I didn\'t think I was mistaken.

"What are you doing here?"

Was he here to assassinate me?

An ominous feeling crept in as I saw Jincheon, of all people, lurking in front of my room with no warning.

I took a step back, on guard.

My sword. My sword was here. At my waist.

"I-I apologize,” Jincheon spoke in a voice that seemed as flustered as I was.

Wait, why was he the one flustered when he was the one who was lurking here without a word?

"Were you waiting for me?"

When I asked, Jincheon nodded.

"...Yes."

"Why?"

Was he really here to assassinate me?

I waited for an answer, but Jincheon just hesitated.

"Well, it can\'t be assassination, right?"

"Yes?"

I already had enough on my mind and didn\'t want to overthink it.

"No, it\'s nothing."

I was going to call for him anyway. Since he came on his own, it saved me the trouble.

"You have nothing to do, right? Let\'s find the guy you mentioned before."

Jincheon\'s eyes widened.

"But you are still unwell..."

"It\'s fine."

I was already getting nagged from everywhere, and now even this little runt was nagging me. I decided to strike first before the nagging could start.

"The physician said it was alright, so don\'t worry about it."

Still, I was in pain, so I had to stand there for a moment to catch my breath.

Then, I said firmly, "How much more time are you going to waste? It\'s been ages since the fire started under our feet. We\'ll end up with burnt skin! Do you want to regret it after everything is burned to ashes?"

As I grumbled and started walking, Jincheon followed.

"Please hold onto me."

"Forget it. What kind of support would you be? You\'re so skinny, like you haven\'t even had a decent meal."

I glanced at Jincheon.

I didn\'t understand why he didn\'t gain weight no matter how much he ate. Was he finally starting to fill out after all that time of not eating properly?

I doubted how useful he could be in swordsmanship with that kind of body.

Of course, there was no doubt about his talent, but even with a brilliant mind, wouldn\'t everything be in vain if his body was like a twig?

On the way to the prison, I deliberately chose secluded routes. I intended to find Elder Son Gye-du\'s accomplice without being noticed by others.

A chill permeated the air as we entered the prison. It must have been because the number of people managing it had decreased due to the war.

The jailer, noticing me, gave me a wary look.

"We greet His Highness."

He bowed his head because he had to, but his reluctance was evident.

"Yeah. Pretend you don\'t know I\'m here."

"Pardon?"

"Who said you could talk back?"

I frowned, and the jailer closed his mouth. I glanced at Jincheon and signaled him with my eyes to find the voice he had heard before.

"Are you the only one working here?"

There was no one else in sight. Were they assigned elsewhere?

"No. There are two more."

"Call them."

The jailer soon brought the others.

"W-We greet His Highness."

"We greet His Highness."

Two soldiers stood before me, and I looked at Jincheon again.

He stealthily held up two fingers. It was the second guy.

"You."

I pointed at the second soldier standing in line. The soldier looked up with a dumb expression.

"Yes?"

"What\'s your name?"

"My name is Jo Seunghoe."

What should I do with this guy?

A thought flashed through my mind.

If he was indeed the one who, under Son Gye-du\'s orders, had helped the servant Eulgeum escape from prison, I could immediately take him to the Fortress Lord for interrogation.

But... there was no need for that.

"From tomorrow onwards, you\'ll be stationed at the wall instead of the prison."

"Pardon?"

The soldier, Jo Seunghoe, asked back in confusion. I simply stared at him instead of answering, and he lowered his head.

"...I-I understand."

Of course you understand, what else can you do?

He seemed reluctant and displeased, but he didn\'t say anything more.

"Then good luck. You\'re dismissed."

I left the prison, leaving them behind as they looked around, trying to grasp the situation.

Jincheon asked as if he had been waiting, "Is there anything else I can do?"

Anyone would normally dislike being given tasks, but this guy seemed eager to do more.

"Is there?"

No matter how young he looked, and even though he hadn\'t done anything to harm me yet, I still felt uncomfortable around him.

I wanted to avoid him if possible.

However, Jincheon seemed to think differently.

He suddenly looked dejected.

Why?

Did he want to build a strong position for himself by making contributions?

Perhaps because of his past as a slave, he might have developed such a goal.

I wasn\'t a slave, but I was once a beggar, and I used to live with that kind of mindset.

It was that so-called desire for self-improvement. However, in my case, it wasn\'t just about climbing higher.

The biggest reason I risked my life to protect Blood Cloud Fortress was because I wanted to repay my debt of gratitude.

Anyway, a slave...

He wouldn\'t want to go back to that kind of life. Right. I understood.

I generously said, "If you really want to do something, do your best in what you can do now."

As I said that, I placed my hand on his head and then quickly removed it.

"Then you\'ll achieve something. At least you won\'t fall any lower than where you are now."

Then, I put my hands behind my back and turned towards the Wolhan Fortress Lord’s office.

"Go now. Play or sleep or whatever."

I felt his gaze piercing my back, but I ignored it and quickened my pace.

* * *

The sun set, and the battle resumed. Everyone in the fortress was busy, but not everyone was involved in the fighting.

"Ah... ah..."

Among those who were able to enjoy a moment of peace away from the battle was Son Gye-du.

However, unlike other days, today he was neither calm nor relaxed. It was because of the unexpected news he had received.

He was running through the corridors of the inner fortress, where most of the soldiers had left for battle.

His ragged breathing and hurried footsteps echoed through the quiet corridors.

"Ah... ah...!"

Then, suddenly, Son Gye-du came to an abrupt halt. He bent over, clutching his knees, and gasped for air.

His rough breaths came in rapid succession. Despite this, his pounding heart refused to calm down.

Thud-

A pitch-black shadow fell over Son Gye-du as he stood there, catching his breath with his head bowed. Footsteps approached from within the darkness.

Whether it was because of the chilly night air or the dim moonlight, a terrifying and eerie atmosphere enveloped him.

His breathing gradually calmed down. Son Gye-du, his face paler than before, slowly raised his head.

A masked figure, whose identity was difficult to discern, stood before him.

"...Nanyagong?"

The foreigner who had promised to be his ally, but had turned his back on him as soon as he was in danger. His voice was full of desperation.

"No."

But his desperation was not met with a response. The masked figure in front of Son Gye-du shook his head.

"...Who are you?"

Son Gye-du\'s expression crumpled as soon as he heard that the masked figure was not Nanyagong. The masked figure chuckled at his reaction.

"Haha."

"I asked who you are. What is your identity?"

"Does it matter who I am?"

Son Gye-du growled in an angry voice, "Are you mocking me?"

However, the masked person before him was someone he didn\'t even know how or why they had entered Wolhan Fortress.

Considering they had reached the inner fortress without being detected by anyone, they were clearly a skilled individual.

There was no way this old man, who had lived a comfortable life, could threaten such a person successfully.

"How could I?"

The masked person\'s low chuckle followed. Son Gye-du\'s face flushed red, feeling ridiculed.

He had received a secret letter, presumably sent by Nanyagong, and rushed to the designated meeting place mentioned in the letter. In truth, it was closer to a notification than an appointment.

The reason he had rushed here in such a hurry was that the letter was written in code, and it took him a considerable amount of time to decipher it.

Meanwhile, contrary to Son Gye-du\'s agitation, the masked person spoke in a lighthearted tone, "I am merely a messenger here to convey Nanyagong\'s words. Don\'t you think it\'s a bit much to accuse me of mocking you when I even waited for you to decipher the code sent by him?"

"If you are truly his spokesperson, you should focus on your task and not distort your superior\'s intentions with unnecessary chatter."

"That\'s true."

The masked person readily yielded.

And then they immediately went to the main point.

"Abandon the Northern Region."

"...W-What?"

"Nanyagong wants things to proceed smoothly. The prince\'s intervention has greatly disrupted the plan, so someone has to take responsibility for the aftermath."

"Even so, abandoning the Northern Region..."

"It had to be sorted out eventually, didn\'t it? Starting anew on empty land is easier than reorganizing and fixing a messy situation."

Son Gye-du fell into deep thought after hearing those words, and the masked person patiently waited for his answer.

Only after a long time, enough for the moon\'s position to shift, did Son Gye-du nod. That was his answer.

Caw, caw...

The cawing of crows echoed through the night sky from the battlefield.

Crows always gathered where blood was shed. Therefore, no one paid them any mind.

It was the same for Son Gye-du.

The cawing sounded particularly close, but his mind was too preoccupied to pay attention to the sounds of crows.