The Bastard First Prince Doesn't Want to Die

Chapter: 132

The stench of blood grew stronger. But even more disturbing than the foul odor was the heavy, oppressive atmosphere that permeated the entire valley.

I carefully scrutinized the others, but no one seemed bothered by it. What was going on? What was the source of this murky aura?

I lowered my voice and asked Jowang, "Is there a specific type of demon beast that inhabits this area?"

Jowang glanced at the distant beasts and replied, "Those aren\'t exclusive to this valley. While they aren\'t common, I\'ve seen them a few times before."

"I see."

I hadn\'t actually been asking about the beasts, but it was awkward to delve deeper. Even I wasn\'t sure what I wanted to know, so my question was vague.

Jowang quickly picked up on my hesitation. "Perhaps Your Highness isn\'t asking about the beasts..."

"No, it\'s nothing. It\'s not important. I\'ll find out later."

As we moved further, we discovered several dead beasts. They were clearly killed by a sword, with numerous cuts and stab wounds.

It was proof that Jincheon was alive.

Bu-seop, the soldier, looked startled at the sight of the lifeless, blood-soaked beasts. But he seemed relieved that Jincheon was alive, and his expression softened.

Of course, I was the most relieved. I could already sense Jincheon\'s presence. He seemed almost unharmed.

And yet, I felt a strange sense of emptiness as I looked at the fallen beasts. So soon?

He was an unparalleled genius, beyond compare. How could life be so unfair? While others had to struggle endlessly to achieve even a fraction of his skill, he effortlessly walked a predetermined path. And that path, as if by destiny, led straight to the pinnacle of art of war.

I felt foolish for even worrying that he might be dead.

"Should we descend?" Jowang asked.

"Yes, we should," I replied.

But how? The gap between the valley floor and the cliff was enormous, nearly the length of several people lying side by side. If he had fallen from that height, he would have surely died. Unless he was incredibly lucky and only hit his head.

Even then, he wouldn\'t have been able to move.

"We\'ll have to jump down?"

"There\'s a path down this way," Jowang pointed.

Though it was still a cliff, the wall was uneven and could be climbed down. We followed him.

Once we reached the valley floor, I took the lead. Following the trail of Jincheon\'s presence and the stench of blood, I easily found them.

I had gone through all the trouble of tracking them, but if I had simply waited here, I would have found them eventually.

"You\'re safe."

Jincheon was sitting against a rock, panting. Beside him was the soldier, Seo. His eyes widened in shock when he saw me. Jincheon slowly raised his head.

"Look, he\'s fine."

It was clear he was addressing Gong Chomun, but there was no response. Jincheon staggered to his feet and bowed deeply.

"I apologize for causing Your Highness so much trouble."

Seo-yeong awkwardly followed his example.

I chuckled and accepted their bows.

“I apologize for causing Your Highness so much trouble due to my carelessness.”

“Why would you—?”

Wait a minute.

Why is Jincheon acting like this? Despite his flaws, he was never one to butter up others. He was always polite, but he lacked the sycophantic qualities of a courtier.

So, why was he so eager to take the blame? Was he trying to say that it was all an accident? Was he asking me to believe that?

I didn’t understand why he wanted that, but if he did, I was willing to play along. After all, he was like a puppet I could manipulate. But I still couldn’t figure out his reason.

“It’s more important to get back. Let\'s go. Soldier Jo, help Seo-yeong.”

Soldier Jo stepped forward to carry the injured Seo-yeong, but Gong Chomun pushed him aside.

“Let me help him.”

Gong Chomun was bigger than Soldier Jo, so it made more sense for him to carry Seo-yeong.

“I can walk,” Seo-yeong protested.

“A wounded man walking? That’s ridiculous.”

When I told Gong Chomun to carry Seo-yeong, he immediately lifted him up. Seo-yeong was fast asleep as soon as he was carried.

* * *

When we returned to the temporary camp, the atmosphere was chaotic due to the injured Seo-yeong and the relatively unscathed Jincheon.

Since Jincheon had remained silent, the credit for their survival went to Seo-yeong.

"Hmm..."

I couldn\'t help but feel a bit off. Hadn’t Jincheon wanted to join the military to establish himself? I thought he was trying to make a name for himself because he didn\'t have the connections to advance in rank. Yet, here he was, giving all the credit to Seo-yeong.

I couldn’t understand what was going on in his head. Usually, his emotions were written all over his face.

To get a better understanding, I pulled Jincheon aside to my quarters.

Yoo Gueng approached us.

"I\'m glad everything turned out well."

"Things are more complicated now," I replied with a wry smile.

Yoo Gueng\'s gaze shifted from me to Jincheon.

"...Honestly, I doubt Seo-yeong could have defeated those demons on his own."

It was unusual for Yoo Gueng to speak to Jincheon directly.

"From what I\'ve heard, it\'s difficult to imagine Seo-yeong escaping that place and defeating those demons. That means you did it."

Jincheon just stared at Yoo Gueng, not saying a word.

Oh, right. Yoo Gueng had been tasked with teaching Jincheon swordsmanship. That meant he probably knew more about Jincheon\'s true abilities than I did.

So I had been the only one who didn\'t know how skilled Jincheon had become? I felt a bit left out. I was the prince, after all.

"Why ask if you already know the answer?" I said sarcastically.

Yoo Gueng didn\'t seem to notice my sarcasm and bowed his head.

"Your Highness\'s foresight is truly impressive."

Was he mocking me?

No, he seemed sincere.

I sighed.

"Yoo Gueng, you know as well as I do that Jincheon probably didn\'t just slip and fall."

"Your Highness is right."

Jincheon\'s eyes lit up. They didn\'t gleam like a wild beast\'s, but rather, they sparkled like a child\'s who had just received a gift.

...I didn’t understand why he acted that way sometimes.

And honestly, I didn’t want to know. It was probably for a bad reason.

Ignoring Jincheon\'s gaze, I asked, "Why did you give all the credit to Seo-yeong? I heard you killed sixty-four demons. That\'s an incredible feat for a single person."

Yoo Gueng was surprised to hear the exact number.

“That\'s not my credit to take.”

“Don\'t be ridiculous.”

I furrowed my brow. It was a preposterous statement that would make any ordinary soldier weep blood. Not that I was saying I was ordinary, but compared to him, I was leagues behind.

Such a boastful remark made my blood boil, even now.

“...Are you still hiding something?”

The words slipped out before I could stop them. Jincheon\'s face turned pale instantly.

In a desperate tone, he denied it.

“No, Your Highness. I’m not hiding anything that would harm you.”

He sounded even more guilty now.

I narrowed my eyes.

“I’ve said this before, but no matter what position you hold, you are my…”

Subordinate? Tool? Slave? No, if I called him a slave, he might hit me.

“...servant.”

Even saying it out loud felt awkward.

“Remember that.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

And then, Jincheon fell silent.

...This wasn\'t right.

I had expected Jincheon to confess something about Gong Chomun. Was that all there was to it? Really?

So what was that feeling I had?

“Well, don\'t you have anything else to say?”

Jincheon replied like a well-behaved dog.

He was acting so innocent. I knew better. But it was pointless now.

I should have done this before.

“What else is there to say?”

“Everything I know, I’ve already told you,” he said.

He claimed he had accidentally fallen, lost consciousness, and woken up in a cave in the valley with Seo-yeong. There was no other way out, so they had to fight their way through the demons. Most of the dead demons were Seo-yeong\'s doing.

That’s what he said.

But there was no way that was the whole truth.

“Really?”

“Yes.”

I asked him a few more times, but he didn’t answer. It was suspicious.

“Your Highness, I’m not hiding anything that would harm you.”

This was strange.

I pressed my temples as a headache began to form.

If he was obviously lying and wouldn’t confess, then...

Oh, well.

In this situation, even if he was lying, it wouldn\'t cause any significant harm.

Since Jincheon had given up the credit, Seo-yeong and his family would benefit.

“...Alright, I’ll believe you for now. If you were going to betray me, you would have done so already.”

Jincheon\'s eyes widened, then he quickly returned to his expressionless state.

What was that? Don’t do that. It’s scary.

“May I ask something, Your Highness?” Jincheon asked. I told him to go ahead.

“How did Your Highness find me?”

“What?”

I choked.

What a sudden question... But I quickly composed myself and replied,” Of course, I followed the trail of dead demons you left behind. What else could it be?”

It was strange. Jincheon seemed so clever, but he couldn’t have missed that.

Was he testing me? He was always so perceptive.

Sweat formed on my palms.

I had a feeling that if he wanted to know something, I wouldn\'t be able to hide it. Was this a lingering sense of inferiority from our past?

This was infuriating. How dare he try to test me?

“Didn’t you say you were sorry for your carelessness? Well, as punishment, you’ll be in charge of cleaning the stables for the next five days.”