The Bastard First Prince Doesn't Want to Die

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter: 143

Gong Chomun's right hand would never be the same. His life as a warrior was essentially over.

It was undoubtedly Jincheon's doing.

"Haah..." I let out a long sigh.

Was it because he couldn't kill him that he was left with such an injury?

No, that couldn't be right.

If someone had the skill to secretly cripple Gong Chomun's hand, it would have been easier to kill him secretly.

Moreover, this was a desolate land. It would have been easy to dispose of the body after killing Gong Chomun.

He must have left him alive on purpose. There must be a reason.

It was a pity that someone with Gong Chomun's skills had lost his ability to fight...

But since the victim himself hadn't come forward, there was no reason to pursue the matter.

So, the incident was swept under the rug.

Except for one thing.

Swish-

I drew a line on the ground with my foot. Then I looked at Jincheon.

He was about five steps away from me.

I took a few steps back and said, "Close your eyes and walk towards me."

Jincheon looked at me curiously, but obediently closed his eyes and walked.

"Open your eyes now."

Jincheon opened his eyes. I lowered my head to the spot where Jincheon was standing.

Jincheon looked at the same spot.

Jincheon was stepping on the line I had drawn. Well, to be precise, the tip of his foot was directly above the line.

Either way, he had crossed the line.

"You crossed the line."

Jincheon flinched. It was a subtle reaction that others might not have noticed, but I noticed it clearly.

"Just because you close your eyes doesn't mean the line disappears."

Jincheon looked up at me.

As always, his expression was inscrutable.

"I believe you understand."

Jincheon nodded.

* * *

As time passed, winter arrived.

During this time, there were moments when I could no longer bear it and gave in. In the end, I started using the bellflower again.

It wasn't every day like before, and I only used the drug when the scale of the battle was larger than usual. Even that made it much easier to move around.

And so, dozens of battles passed.

The monsters were still endless, and the desolate land was still too dangerous to bring the common people back, but...

"The boundary stone will appear soon," said the guide, Jowang. He looked considerably weaker than before we started conquering the desolate land. It must have been because he had been constantly on edge.

The gray frost on his head caught my eye, but I looked away.

"I see."

The boundary stone Jowang was talking about was a boundary marker erected long ago by the Son clan, the great family of Wolhan Fortress.

That was as far north as their territory originally reached.

Once we reached that stone and cleared out the monsters, we could turn back.

Our journey of the past few months would be over.

However, Jowang's expression was not bright.

"Why do you look so down? Don't you want to go home?"

"No, Your Highness,” Jowang replied in a low voice to my question. "Although there have been many crises along the way, thanks to Your Highness's wisdom, we have managed to overcome the dangers safely. How can I not be happy?"

"Then why don't you look happy?"

“However... we may encounter even more dangerous monsters in the future.”

I looked ahead, following the endless expanse of dark, gloomy forest that stretched along the ridge.

“But didn't Son Ihaprang set an example? Don't be afraid for no reason.”

When I said that, Jowang seemed to agree, but he didn't seem to relax.

"We'll stop here today and set up camp."

As if they had been waiting for this, the soldiers began to set up camp.

I turned my back on the camp and walked away.

“I’ll follow you, Your Highness.”

Jincheon found me and spoke. I shook my head.

“Just set up your tent.”

Jincheon looked dejected. In truth, it didn't matter much if he followed me... I was simply planning to practice my swordsmanship while I had some free time.

But if Jincheon followed me... wouldn't it be embarrassing? He would surely see right through my flaws.

Besides, I had learned quite a bit by secretly watching Jincheon fight during battles.

I didn't want him to find out that I was trying to imitate him.

I checked the black shadow circling overhead and continued walking.

A little way from the camp, a rocky gorge appeared.

We were going to set up camp on a gentle slope. This gorge was right in front of it. We would have to cross the gorge, but there was no proper path.

There was only one steep slope next to a strangely twisted rock...

Even that was so steep that I doubted whether so many people could move along such a path at once.

"It's incredibly steep."

Even if we managed to climb down the cliff, there were more obstacles.

A river was flowing through the gorge. Dark blue water flowed wildly.

Even though it was just water, the current was crashing against the submerged rocks, making a tremendous noise.

The rocks were as big as the largest monsters I had ever seen, and compared to buildings, they were about half the size of a house. The bigger the rock, the louder the sound.

The deafening noise echoed throughout the entire gorge.

It looked like a place you would die if you fell. Whether you could swim or not, you would be sucked down into the depths as soon as you touched the water.

And on the other side was another cliff. We would have to climb it up to get beyond the gorge.

...Is there no other way?

"Hmm... Hey, is there really no other way?"

Flap-

I heard the sound of wings, and then a black feather fluttered down.

"Do you think there isn't?"

Gon, who had landed on a towering rock a few steps away from me, said.

"Of course there is. Where should I go?"

"Humph, there is a path, but a serpent-like monster guards that path, so it won't be easy to approach."

So there was another path.

"Son Ihaprang must have gone that way too."

"I don't know. He might have swam across."

I glanced back down at the gorge.

"...There?"

"Why not? You're always looking for the easy way out."

The creature's tone was strangely sharp. It seemed to be in a bad mood for some reason. I crossed my arms and snorted.

"Are you joking?"

"I am joking."

Even its jokes were scary.

"Try to find a better path. Don't you want to go back? The easier the path, the faster we can go back. Don't make such careless jokes. Look carefully. Please."

"You don't care about the trouble others go through. Humph, so you say we can go back if we just cross over there?"

I couldn't guarantee it.

I replied with a wry smile, “We’ll be back soon. We’ll be back before spring ends, so when I return to the palace, I’ll give you a generous reward.”

“With what?”

This brat, despite its age, loved jewels and gold. Crows naturally like shiny things, it seems...

My pockets would be emptied as soon as I returned to the capital.

“Anything.”

Satisfied, the creature flapped its wings and flew up again.

I drew my sword from my waist as I had originally intended.

And swung it.

It was a demonstration of my swordsmanship. The only audience was the sharp, rocky gorge.

The sound of the water crashing against the rocks echoed in my ears like the cries of a battlefield.

I took a deep breath and gripped my sword tighter. A cold wind cut across the ridge and brushed against my cheek.

I displayed everything I had learned throughout my life, from beginning to end.

Let's return to my roots.

To the time when I was the youngest soldier of Blood Cloud Fortress, or even further back...

-Let's go.

Back to the time I first met the Lord of Blood Cloud Fortress.

-Follow me.

Back to the day I first held a sword.

-Try to catch me.

I looked straight ahead.

In front of me was a cliff. The path forward was blocked.

But was there really no way? Was there really no way?

No. It was just an obstacle. I could overcome it.

Or, I could turn back.

I focused all my attention on the two hands holding my sword.

I swung my sword.

The blade cut through the air, disturbing the wind.

The air was pushed back, making a small noise. But gradually, all the sensations that distracted my concentration faded away. Eventually, even the roar of the water flowing through the gorge was forgotten.

And then, at some point.

-There's no need to be bound.

Swish-

The tip of my sword stopped in mid-air, pointing towards the cliff on the other side of the gorge.

Sweat dripped down my forehead and fell from my chin.

"Haah, haah, haah..." I gasped for breath and lowered my sword. Then I closed my eyes tightly.

-Wherever you are, you are Baek Yeon. Direction is just direction. The essence doesn't change. Even if the five senses cloud your mind and set your nerves on fire.

There is only one thing I should focus on.

As if hypnotized, I walked towards the edge of the cliff. For some reason, I felt like I had to. And then, without realizing it, my eyes widened.

The huge rock that had been protruding from beneath the flowing water in the gorge had shattered into pieces.

The rock must have been shattered because the water had hit it over and over again. That eternal rock had shattered.

"Ha."

I scoffed. I must have been so focused on my sword that I didn't even hear the sound of the huge rock shattering.

I looked at my hand holding the sword. My hand had changed a lot. Compared to the delicate hands I had when I was in the palace, it looked terrible.

Then I looked at the current again.

Even though the huge rock had shattered, the current was unchanged. The momentum was not reduced at all, even though it had destroyed the obstacle.

The water still flowed fiercely without stopping. It didn't care about the resistance of the rocks.

The huge rock, which seemed to move forever, was broken into pieces and swept away by the current. And then disappeared.

There was no result to that scene. Everything was a process, and that process was just for another process.

I wiped the sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand. The sweat ran down my hand again.

I murmured softly.

“Wall…”

A wall blocking the way forward.

A wall that hinders progress.

But.

“A wall is…”

Was it just my delusion?

Perhaps it never existed from the beginning, and it was my thoughts and anxieties that had bound me.

Perhaps I had been too scared to face the door that would open if I knocked.

I stood there for a long time and then turned around.

As I turned, something rustled in the bushes.

Was it a young monster hiding and running away?

I shrugged it off and returned to the camp.

[Translator - Jjescus ]Nôv(el)B\\jnn

[Proofreader - Starfall ]