The Bastard First Prince Doesn't Want to Die

Chapter: 115

"How dare you speak such words?" the king demanded.

"Your servant has been granted the immense favor of becoming a general. However, Your Majesty\'s virtue is as vast and deep as the heavens and the sea, bringing peace to the entire nation. There is no need for me to draw my sword. Even as a general, I have not stood on the battlefield, and I fear that my skills are growing dull like a long-neglected sword. Just as a useless sword\'s only destination is the furnace, it seems that I too must now retire."

"Finally tired, are you?" A sneer played on the current king\'s lips. "A worn-out sword should be discarded."

The king covered his face with his hand, trying to hide his distorted mouth.

So Ik-gyeom was like a ferocious beast chasing him to devour him. Even though he was the king, it was the old man before him whom the people revered. This fact had tormented him with feelings of inferiority all his life.

But time was on his side, and the aging beast was finally offering his own life for the sake of his young blood. No, it was more like he was begging to be killed. The current king was intoxicated by his victory.

"However, being made of flesh and blood, I cannot be melted down in a furnace. It would be more appropriate for me to retire to the mountains or fields."

The king took a deep breath to calm his trembling heart. Yet, his hidden excitement leaked out through his lips. "But I fear that your departure from the capital might make Ikwon lonely."

"It has already been four years since Prince Ikwon came of age. It is time for him to manage his own emotions."

The one who knew better than anyone that Prince Ikwon was called a wastrel was saying such a thing. Was he trying to hide the sun with a leaf? But the current king was willing to be deceived.

"However, as I am now old and have little time left..." So Ik-Gyeom bowed his head. "If I can spend my final moments with Prince Ikwon, I will be eternally grateful and thankful for Your Majesty\'s grace."

His words fell on deaf ears. The current king looked down at the bowed head of General So and rejoiced that he had finally and truly subjugated his opponent.

Of course, So Ik-Gyeom had bowed his head countless times before the king. But it had never been a true submission. Not for the current king. It had always been nothing more than deceit.

Now, at last, he had truly subjugated So Ik-Gyeom.

"You mean you want to go to Wolhan Fortress?"

"If you permit it, I would like to."

The king began to calculate.

It was unlikely that the eldest son would ever return. From the time Taejo established Mokryeo Kingdom and lost his status as emperor due to foreign invasions until the present day, not a single general had conquered the barbarian lands of the northern region. The idea that his own useless eldest son would accomplish such a feat was absurd.

Ikwon would die there. But he felt no emotion. Even though he was his own child, he resembled the So clan more. No, it would be no exaggeration to say that he was the spitting image of the So clan.

There was an incident that proved this fact.

Once, the current had encountered Yegyeong in the middle of the night. At the time, Yegyeong had caused a commotion, claiming that the palace maids were trying to poison him by putting poison in his food. Whatever had driven him to madness, he had almost completely stopped eating because of it. His body withered day by day as he refused food.

That in itself was not so bad.

It was the incident that happened afterward that made the king faint.

One day, Yegyeong appeared in the rear garden with his hair disheveled and his body emaciated. When the king saw his eldest son, he fainted.

Under the moonlight, Yegyeong\'s gaunt features looked as if the deceased Queen So had come back to life.

Yegyeong resembled Queen So to such an extent that one could say that Queen So could have been called So Ik-Gyeom if she had been born a man. And So Ik-gyeom resembled his father to the same degree.

‘It felt as if not a single drop of my blood flowed through him.’

The king often wondered if perhaps Queen So had conceived a child with another man.

The queen, who had always seemed indifferent to whatever he offered her, whether it was flowers or gold and jewels, viewing his gifts as worthless as stones on the roadside—the son of such a woman could not possibly be his. Naturally, he detested the sight of him.

Isn\'t there a saying that there\'s no pain without a reason? Whoever said that was wrong.

If Yegyeong died in Wolhan Fortress, it would merely be the death of a young General So. For the current king, Yegyeong\'s death held no greater significance.

"By all means, grant my request."

Very well, all he had to do was give his permission. Then, both the young and old So clan members would die in the far north and never return. Never.

"Very well. I shall grant your request. Who else could follow your loyalty? I am truly saddened to see my most trusted subject leave my side."

"Kuk, kuk, kuk..."

Leaning back on the throne in the private chamber, the king covered his face with his hands. But he could not stop the laughter that escaped through his fingers.

He began to laugh, his shoulders shaking. "Kuk, kuk, kuk... kuk, kuk, kuk."

It was all because of Queen So. Those two people from the So clan had brought about their own misfortune. The king repeated this to himself as he laughed.

But he knew the truth.

Even if Queen So had not loved him, Yegyeong could not possibly be the son of another man. That was because, like a true member of the So clan, she would rather choose death than do anything dishonorable, and Yegyeong possessed the royal lineage\'s supernatural abilities.

The king had realized that his eldest son possessed these abilities less than a month after Yegyeong was born. It would have been natural to make Yegyeong the crown prince. But he didn\'t.

In his childhood, Yegyeong was intelligent and gentle. There was no reason not to favor him. Yet, he treated him coldly all his life, hoping that Queen So might pretend to love him for Yegyeong\'s sake.

But he had misjudged her. Even when faced with death, she did not beg him for mercy but walked calmly to the execution ground. And she left him forever.

"That\'s right... that\'s right, you shouldn\'t have provoked me."

The king\'s laughter grew louder and louder. At one point, his laughter, which sounded like sobbing, echoed throughout the entire hall.

* * *

In the evening, Yoo Gueng headed towards the dark training ground with a sense of tension.

A lone human figure stood tall on the horizon of the training ground.

For some reason, the training ground, with the silhouette cast against the setting sun, seemed to have an unusually solemn atmosphere in Yoo Gueng\'s eyes. Perhaps it was simply his changing emotions distorting the ordinary scenery.

There, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, was Heo Seokgyeom, who had been waiting for him. He noticed Yoo Gueng\'s arrival and stepped away from the wall.

A gust of wind blew. The dust scattered by the wind formed a bloated shape like clouds, obscuring their vision. Yoo Gueng frowned, worried about getting sand in his eyes.

When Yoo Gueng was about three steps away, Heo Seokgyeom spoke.

"Is this about Prince Ikwon?"

Yoo Gueng was a little surprised. "...How did you know?"

"We share a room, don\'t we?" Heo Seokgyeom said in a bored tone. "If you had to call me out, it must be something you don\'t want others to hear."

Yoo Gueng scratched his head. "Oh, yes."

"Well, what is it?"

Heo Seokgyeom suddenly let out a chuckle. He took two large steps towards Yoo Gueng. His movements were very relaxed. "I don\'t think I\'ll be surprised anymore. If it\'s about His Highness, that is."

"Yes. Well, do you remember the three corpses I brought last time?"

"I remember."

Yoo Gueng spoke in a grave tone. "They\'re assassins, presumed to be from Huawei. His Highness ordered me to deliver this message to the Middle General in secret."

Cough-

Heo Seok-gyeom coughed repeatedly as if he\'d choked. Once the coughing subsided, he stared at Yoo Gueng with wide eyes. "What did you just say?"

"They\'re assassins, presumed to be from Huawei. His Highness ordered me to inform you in strictest confidence."

Meaning it shouldn\'t be revealed to anyone else. Heo Seokgyeom nodded, his expression serious. "Frankly, it\'s hard to believe, but I suppose His Highness wouldn\'t make such a joke."

However, he didn\'t believe everything the prince said. Assassins from Huawei, a country beyond the southwestern border, appearing north of Wolhan Fortress? It would be easier to believe that the crow the prince kept could talk.

"Evidence?"

"His Highness said to tell you to come and get it yourself."

"Then why didn\'t His Highness just call me directly instead of going through you?"

Heo Seokgyeom felt a pang of resentment. It was as if the prince trusted Yoo Gueng more than him. And he was a Commander, while Yoo Gueng was a lower-ranking Captain.

Perhaps he should have been the one to follow the prince to the demonic lands. It was natural for bonds to strengthen during times of crisis. It was no surprise that Yoo Gueng, who was closest to Prince Ikwon, would gain his favor.

Though he felt a bit of regret and disappointment, it was already in the past. And the end was still far away. There were plenty of opportunities to earn merit and gain Prince Ikwon\'s favor. Considering how many soldiers\' names he knew by heart, he would have been recognized for his contributions even if he had stayed behind in Wolhan Fortress.

The contempt he\'d felt for Prince Ikwon, calling him a wastrel, had long since faded. Now, it was only natural that he wanted to gain the prince\'s trust.

"Well, His Highness asked me to get your agreement on something."

"Agreement? On what?"

Yoo Gueng hesitated before answering. "His Highness wants you to return to the capital first. Of course, it\'s against the rules, but he said that we could send one person back..."

Heo Seokgyeom couldn\'t immediately understand Yoo Gueng\'s answer. It took him a few moments to process them.

His face darkened like twilight.

In other words, Prince Ikwon was trying to get rid of him.