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Chapter: 50

"A problem?"

Yoo Gueng replied with a troubled look.

"Well, Commander Heo asked the soldiers if they could use the training grounds..."

To summarize briefly, this is what happened.

Our dear Commander Heo asked the soldiers if they could use the training grounds, and the soldiers ignored Heo Seok-gyeom\'s words as if they hadn\'t heard him.

It was a clear and unmistakable act of disregard. So, Heo Seokgyeom and the other military officers in my group, unable to tolerate the injustice, called out one of the Wolhan Fortress\'s captain, but he also showed the same attitude... and in the heat of the moment, a fight broke out, just like now.

A hollow laugh escaped my lips first.

My subordinates were being ignored. It made my blood boil.

"Are they still fighting?"

"It\'s not intense enough to be called a fight."

Yoo Gueng was taking their side, even though they were supposed to be on the same team. I let out another hollow laugh and asked again.

"Either way, it\'s the same thing. Where are they?"

"I\'ll guide you."

I immediately followed Yoo Geung, and the Wolhan Fortress Lord followed me, with a few of his soldiers trailing behind.

The place Yoo Geung headed to wasn\'t the training grounds or the lodgings, but a wide open space on one side of the fortress.

As I stopped, a group of bickering fools turned to look at us. It wasn\'t just one or two people. There were enough of them to sway the opinion within the fortress. I sighed.

"It seems your discontent is significant."

The members of my group from the capital, recognizing me, immediately bowed their heads. The other fools next to them awkwardly gauged the situation, then belatedly bowed their heads upon noticing the Wolhan Fortress Lord standing behind me.

This was a moment where I could truly feel that the authority of the capital didn\'t hold much sway here.

"Raise your heads."

At my command, the idiots all raised their heads at once.

"What\'s the problem?"

My words made the fools flinch.

"It seems you have a lot of complaints. Why is that? Are you hungry? Did you not eat? Are you irritable because you didn\'t eat? It\'s past lunchtime, why are you all like this?"

These weren\'t just empty words. If they understood the meaning, it was quite an insulting remark. Because the Northern Region wasn\'t a place abundant in food.

No answer came. Instead, the Wolhan Fortress Lord intervened.

I thought he would be angry, but the Wolhan Fortress Lord was indifferent.

"Your Highness."

He meant for me to step back from this.

But this wasn\'t an issue between me and the Wolhan Fortress Lord. The Fortress Lord could order them not to bother my group, but that wouldn\'t be a fundamental solution.

I knew it. Wolhan Fortress was filled with resentment towards us from the beginning. I didn\'t know the exact reason, but it was clear that it couldn\'t be resolved overnight. And that resentment was probably not the intention of the Lord of the Wolhan Fortress either.

The Wolhan Fortress Lord himself seemed to have a different opinion from the prevailing sentiment in this fortress, but so what?

Even if he suppressed their open resentment, it would only be temporary.

I continued speaking, ignoring the words of Wolhan Fortress Lord.

"It seems like you have something you want to say. Let\'s hear it all here and now."

A few of the soldiers who had followed the Wolhan Fortress Lord gasped.

What, did they think a tyrant would beat around the bush?

It seems like they were expecting too much from a tyrant. They should be grateful I\'m not showering them with curses.

But there was no answer. I generously gave them a chance to speak, and they\'re ignoring my goodwill like this?

"Hey, you guys. Are you all deaf? Can\'t you hear?"

For some reason, Heo Seokgyeom\'s face started turning red. Is it the hot weather? It\'s not really hot, though.

"Oh, this is a big problem."

Tsk tsk. As I clicked my tongue, the atmosphere grew darker. I\'m not sure if it was because of me or the Fortress Lord behind me.

"The soldiers of Wolhan Fortress, who protect the northern border, can\'t even hear us talking from a stone\'s throw away?"

A few soldiers, including the captain, glared at me. They sure know how to glare beautifully. I was about to say something when Heo Seokgyeom caught my eye.

"It seems our Commander Heo has trouble hearing as well?"

Heo Seokgyeom, perhaps remembering that I was an unpredictable tyrant, gave a polite answer.

"I apologize."

A few of them exchanged glances, still glaring at me, then looked at each other again before glancing in the direction where the Wolhan Fortress Lord was standing. It seemed they weren\'t afraid of me, but they were afraid of the Wolhan Fortress Lord. Well, I suppose it made sense. I was just a visitor who would be leaving soon, so there was no need to worry about me. On the other hand, the Wolhan Fortress Lord was someone who could reprimand them endlessly until the day he died, so he was probably scarier.

"Since I\'m technically your superior, I should take responsibility if there\'s a problem."

The Wolhan Fortress Lord stepped forward again.

"Your Highness."

I couldn\'t ignore him twice, so I turned around.

"What is it, Fortress Lord?"

"It\'s my responsibility for failing to prevent the lax discipline. Please don\'t worry..."

"Lax discipline is inevitable. I understand."

Because no one was as lax as me.

Even though I interrupted him and spoke my mind, the Wolhan Fortress Lord didn\'t react much.

"It\'s not your fault that your soldiers look down on me."

As I chuckled and said this, the Wolhan Fortress Lord\'s expression noticeably hardened.

"Your Highness."

His tone became firmer. So what? My mouth didn\'t stop.

"If you\'re all so skilled, then it\'s inevitable that I seem insignificant. If calling someone incompetent is a sin, then everyone in the world would be a sinner. The truth is the truth, and a lie is a lie. It\'s the right principle. If it\'s true that I\'m laughable, then who can I blame?"

As I rambled on with nonsense, silence fell around us.

I continued talking without a care.

Because, in truth, it wasn\'t really nonsense.

If the Second Prince, not me, were in this position, would they dare to treat my subordinates in such a way?

No, they wouldn\'t.

No matter how far Wolhan Fortress in the Northern Region is from the capital, and how difficult it is for its influence to reach here, they can\'t completely ignore the capital.

All of this is simply because I\'m weak.

Because I have nothing and I\'m weak, even those who follow me are being looked down upon.

There are times when you should endure, times when you can endure, and then…

"So why don\'t you show me? Anyone is fine."

...There are times when you shouldn\'t have to endure.

Perhaps sensing something was amiss, Heo Seokgyeom furrowed his brow.

"Your Highness?"

"Why do you keep calling me? It\'s getting annoying."

I clicked my tongue and approached the fools. As I got closer, they flinched.

"Why don\'t you show me? How strong and brave the soldiers who protect the Northern Sword, the Northern Shield, this massive Northern Wall, are. Then, even if you say you\'re treating me this way because you look down on me, I\'ll have to accept it, won\'t I?"

The so-called captain opened his mouth.

"I apologize, but with all due respect, the idea that we look down on Your HIghness..."

"Shut up."

That bastard was the biggest problem. The ordinary soldiers had less responsibility, so I could just scold them and be done with it, but I had to make sure to step on this guy before I left.

As my words became harsher, the atmosphere around us grew even colder. Even I, who was creating this atmosphere, could feel it.

At that moment, the Wolhan Fortress Lord intervened again.

"Your offense is grave! The First Prince Ikwon has come to assess the difficult situation in this fortress and take appropriate measures. How dare you create a situation that disturbs His Highness\'s peace of mind! Are you out of your mind?"

The Wolhan Fortress Lord, who usually seemed calm to the point of being cold, didn\'t seem like he would suddenly become enraged over something like this. More than anything, it felt awkward. He was deliberately scolding his subordinate to try and calm my outburst.

I understood the Wolhan Fortress Lord\'s intention to avoid making a big fuss, but nevertheless, I wasn\'t planning to stop.

"He\'s truly out of his mind. Hmm."

I nodded a couple of times and then carefully observed the Wolhan Fortress soldiers.

"I thought you were looking down on me, so I wanted to give you a chance to clear up my misunderstanding or help me understand my place, but why is no one stepping forward? Is there not a single soldier in this fortress who follows the Fortress Lord\'s spirit?"

All of them were hot-blooded young men, and they seemed unable to contain their provocation. They had been slightly subdued when the Wolhan Fortress Lord had reprimanded them, but as I started talking, their eyes gradually lost their respect.

"It seems that even if the upper stream is clear, the lower stream isn\'t always clear."

I clicked my tongue and sneered, making sure they saw.

Finally, someone stepped forward.

"My skills may be lacking to speak of the harshness of the North, but..."

It wasn\'t the captain. One of the soldiers, the largest among them, stepped forward.

"If you permit, I dare to ask for a chance to clear up the misunderstanding."

I readily agreed.

"Why not?"

The man was quite large. He was about half a handspan taller than me. His eyes, looking down at me, were full of defiance.

He was a bold one, despite not knowing what lay ahead.

"The only way for a warrior to prove himself is to display his swordsmanship."

"That\'s right."

"With all due respect, if you allow, I dare to draw my blade before Your Highness."

"That\'s also fine."

The man bowed low and said, "It\'s difficult to show the level of one\'s swordsmanship alone, so I dare to ask for an opponent."

"Sure."

I grinned. When I didn\'t respond further, the man spoke again.

"Who would you like me to face?"

At that, I raised one index finger.

And then I pointed to myself.

Immediately, the man\'s face was filled with shock.

"...Your, Your Highness?"

"Your Highness?"

Surprised murmurs also arose from those around us. But there was no need to look around. The shock on the man\'s face was enough to fuel my excitement.

Even though I wasn\'t particularly strong, I wasn\'t so pathetic that I would be easily defeated in front of the Wolhan Fortress Lord. I had put in my own efforts all this time. I had trained whenever I had the chance, and besides... hadn\'t I recently acquired another weapon?

The acupuncture technique that Leader Shin had brought Soon Gang to teach me.

"Your opponent is me. I don\'t want to appear weak, so who else would I put forward?"

"B-But..."

"There\'s no need for \'buts\'."

The man retorted, flustered.

"I cannot harm the First Prince!"

I pressed on my chest, following the method Soon Gang had taught me.

And then I grinned.

"Don\'t worry, that won\'t happen."