The Bastard First Prince Doesn't Want to Die

Chapter: 111

"Huff, huff, huff..."

His breath came in ragged gasps, his chest heaving violently. His heart pounded like a drum. His head felt like it was about to burst.

Yoo Gueng slowly lowered his gaze. At the end of his sight, he saw two hands gripping a sword.

Those hands were trembling uncontrollably. It wasn\'t just his hands, but his entire arm, no, from his shoulder down to his fingertips. Or perhaps, it was the other way around; the tremor began at his fingertips and spread through his arms and throughout his entire body. The sword hilt, gripped tightly, was slick with sweat.

Yoo Gueng took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. But the trembling in his fingertips persisted. The aftermath of the life-or-death struggle still lingered strongly in his body and mind.

He raised his head again. His vision was now focused on the final confrontation between their depleted group and the assassins. And finally, the last blow ended the assassin’s life.

Yegyeong\'s sword pierced through his chest. The tip of the blade protruded from his back. The heavy body collapsed.

With a thud, his weakened knees hit the ground, and Yoo Gueng realized he was unconsciously holding his breath.

"Your Highness..."

Yoo Gueng spoke in a sigh. Immediately after, Yegyeong\'s body crumpled like a puppet with its strings cut.

With a thud, Yegyeong stabbed his sword into the ground and used it as a support. But it could only delay his fall for a moment; he was too weak to stand. He swayed dangerously.

"Your Highness!"

Yoo Gueng hastily dropped his sword and ran toward the prince. He managed to support Yegyeong, who was on the verge of collapse. However, Yoo Gueng himself was also injured. They both fell to the ground together.

"What was the point of holding on…” Yegyeong grumbled, more to himself than to Yoo Gueng, as he was pinned beneath Yoo Gueng.

Yoo Gueng immediately stood up and reached out his hands, then awkwardly retracted them. Of course, his face turned beet red for daring to sit on top of the prince.

Ye-gyeung watched the foolish act and snorted in amusement.

"I\'m dying."

"I-I\'ll go get someone."

Yoo Gueng was at a loss for what to do. He was exactly as the Commander always described him. Yegyeong coughed a few times before speaking again.

"Captain Yoo... I don\'t know if I\'ve ever told you this."

"What is it?"

"You\'re a bit slow."

Yoo Gueng looked dejected. It was undeniable that compared to the court officials in the capital, he wasn\'t very good at using his head.

But he never expected anyone to rely on him for strategy or cunning. His focus had always been learning about warfare.

If using his wits led to the same fate as General So, he\'d rather remain a bit slow.

...With that, he quickly rationalized in his mind and replied hesitantly, "...Is that so?"

"I can walk on my own, so there\'s no need to call anyone."

After saying that, Yegyeong slowly closed his eyes.

Yoo Gueng glanced away and saw that the prince had closed his eyes, so he anxiously checked his complexion like a worried puppy.

Then Yegyeong opened his mouth again, "How were they?"

"Yes?"

"Those guys."

Yoo Gueng turned to look at the two fallen assassins. They were no longer living people, but corpses.

Their bodies didn\'t have many wounds. They had been killed quickly, before they could be injured.

"How were they?" Yegyeong repeated.

Yoo Gueng tried to smile awkwardly.

How were they? Of course, it had been difficult. Today had been the hardest day since he passed the military exam.

Meanwhile, despite his severe injury, the prince had secured a decisive victory. Even with luck on his side, such an outcome was impossible without the underlying skill. It was undoubtedly due to his bloodline, descending from the renowned martial arts clan, the So family.

Thinking about it, the death of the deposed Queen So seemed even more tragic.

Yoo Gueng momentarily imagined the day the prince would return to the capital, victorious from Wolhan Fortress.

Having secured victory, the Lord of Wolhan Fortress would surely bestow upon the prince immense favor.

The image of the prince, with the haughty and rugged northern lord on his side—someone who had never truly bowed his knee since the founding of the nation—donning iron armor stained with blood, would surely captivate the attention of the high officials who had never lifted anything heavier than a brush.

And if the protagonist of this tale was a discarded, reckless prince, what commoner would not be fascinated by the story?

"Are you dead?" Yegyeong asked, interrupting Yoo Gueng\'s reverie.

Yoo Gueng replied hurriedly, "I was in danger, Your Highness."

"And?"

"They tried to harm Your Highness."

Ye-gyeong replied with a disinterested look, his eyes losing their luster, "I don\'t know."

It sounded sharper than a direct insult, for some reason. Yoo Gueng averted his gaze awkwardly.

"Disappointing."

"...I apologize."

Yoo Gueng thought he might be joking, but then a shocking statement followed.

"Those men were from Huawei."

The word \'Huawei\' struck Yoo Gueng like a blow.

The northern border was always plagued by the struggle against demonic beasts, but at least they could forget about foreign invasions. And now, the mention of Huawei, a nation that had been expanding at a terrifying rate over the past few decades, claiming to be an empire. Even if it wasn\'t confirmed, the entire nation would be abuzz with rumors as soon as it reached the capital.

Yoo Gueng asked, bewildered, "How did you know that?"

"Don\'t ask how I knew."

Yoo Gueng clamped his mouth shut like a clam. In this respect, Yegyeong\'s orders were excellent. Yoo Gueng was the kind of person who would never do something he was told not to. Even in this situation, he could suppress his own curiosity without hesitation to obey orders.

"Their swordsmanship. Remember it. It won\'t be difficult to remember. It would be harder to forget, considering you almost died. Wouldn\'t you agree?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

Ye-gyeong nodded. "It\'s a good thing you survived an encounter with them."

Then he said something enigmatic.

"This incident will save your life someday."

Yoo Gueng pondered the words but couldn\'t understand their meaning.

To return to the camp, Yoo Gueng naturally had to carry the injured prince and wake up the unconscious soldier Jo. The three of them were met with pale faces when they returned to the camp.

"Your, Your Highness..."

"Call the physician!"

The peaceful camp was thrown into chaos. Normally, the prince would have roared in anger. But not this time.

As they returned to the camp, the prince\'s condition had deteriorated. He gasped for breath, barely alive. But despite his inability to shout as usual, he still gave orders.

"We will retreat to Wolhan Fortress."

Even as he made the decision to retreat, he looked displeased. After all, he was risking his life for glory. And yet, an unexpected ambush had thwarted his plans, even though the battle against the real enemy, the demonic beasts, had been going smoothly.

Those who knew what a retreat meant for the prince bowed their heads in gloom over his sickbed.

“Though it’s not far, ensure we clean up thoroughly. Deploy elite troops at the rear of our forces on the return journey. Also, compile a complete list of the dead and wounded. I’ll verify it when we return.”

After saying that, he lowered his voice and gave Yoo Gueng a further instruction, meant only for his ears.

“And send someone to collect the bodies from where we were earlier. We need to examine them, and they’ll serve as evidence. Don’t lose them under any circumstances. While decay due to the weather is unavoidable, if they\'re damaged for any other reason, I’ll severely punish those responsible.”

Despite his pale complexion suggesting he was on the brink of life and death, his instructions were far from brief.

The soldiers surrounding the prince exchanged wry smiles. Where else could one find such a tenacious person? If one could ignore the fact that he was a prince, he’d be a fascinating sight.

Having finished speaking, the prince groaned and made a lighthearted remark.

“I’ll probably be better after a good night’s sleep. There’s no need to make such a fuss…”

Shortly after, the physician arrived and examined the prince’s injuries. The physician’s startled expression alone was enough to reveal the severity of his condition.

After confirming that the physician was attending to the prince, Yoo Gueng left the tent. Countless thoughts raced through his mind in a short moment.

Huawei, the assassins from that nation, the prince’s words to remember the fight... His head was spinning.

And then another question arose.

‘What is His Highness hiding?’

It wasn’t just a suspicion that the prince was hiding something. Yoo Gueng was certain of it. His question was about what the secret was.

‘Yes... he’s changed so suddenly. Resolves can be made overnight, but changes in behavior take time.’

As he reflected on past events, he found it even harder to understand the prince.

‘If I were His Highness, I would show as many people as possible that my heart had changed. I would show an improved image, gain attention, and use it as a foundation to gather power... Isn’t that what one would do if they wanted the throne?’

What was he preparing for? What awaited him at the end of this?

Until just a moment ago, he thought the prince wanted revenge and the throne. But he continued to have doubts.

‘If he had private soldiers behind him, it would have been enough. There are many who follow General So. So why did His Highness leave for the north without hesitation? Does he think private soldiers aren’t enough?’

If he wanted to start a rebellion by force, it wouldn’t be difficult, as long as he had a reason.

All the military officials in the capital who had sworn an oath that day, and the private soldiers of the officials who followed General So, would all eventually become weapons in the hands of Prince Ikwon.

As long as the prince met their expectations.

That was why Second Prince Jaean and Queen Woo couldn’t easily touch Prince Ikwon. The king turned a blind eye to his eldest son’s misdeeds for the same reason.

‘Moreover, he doesn’t hesitate to kill people. It’s as if... he’s done it many times before. Or perhaps dozens, hundreds... maybe even more.’

Yoo Gueng’s eyes darkened as he discovered the source of the strange dissonance.

As soon as he left the tent, he spotted Bu-seop standing among the special guards.

And Bu-seop, with a serious expression, was also staring at Yoo Gueng as he left the tent, deep in thought.

When their eyes met, Yoo Gueng thought, ‘Bu-seop is the kind of person who would pretend to be dead if the prince ordered him to.’

It wasn’t anything particularly special, considering he owed his life to the prince.

‘That’s right.’

Obeying orders and swallowing his doubts.

That was all his duty. How presumptuous it was to doubt the prince and try to fathom his intentions.

Yoo Gueng cleared his mind of doubts and conveyed the prince’s orders.

“I’m entrusting you with the command of the special guards. I have a task for you as ordered by His Highness. Hurry up and send out a team. You will guard His Highness’s tent until the preparations for our return are complete. We will leave as soon as the preparations are finished, so be careful not to let anything go wrong. As you can see, His Highness is in a critical

condition, so we cannot afford to delay.”