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Chapter: 85

Now, he had no lack of food, clothing, or shelter. There was no one to torment him.

He wasn\'t given any tasks to do. He wasn\'t sick or in pain.

Being sick, tormented, and starving had been Jincheon\'s everyday life. Those painful states were the foundation of his existence, so the life he was living now was undoubtedly luxurious.

-Hey.

The day he first arrived at Wolhan Fortress, following General So\'s orders.

Despite his body being exhausted from the long journey, Jincheon sat still in the assigned room, kneeling and staring at the door.

Then, the door opened, and his master entered. He remembered the first words his true master spoke.

-What are you doing?

A flippant attitude and tone. His master didn\'t seem to like him very much.

But Jincheon accepted his master\'s attitude indifferently.

It was natural for his master to dislike him. His previous owner, the slave trader, had felt the same.

Dull, stupid, foolish. His eyes were creepy and unpleasant to look at.

He was trash with no redeeming qualities except for the fact that he was smaller than his peers and could move even with little food.

His previous owner had said that no one would buy him.

-Here.

As soon as his new master entered the room, he tossed a book that looked brand new in front of his kneeling self.

-You need to be able to read and write to be considered human.

He remembers his master saying that with a smirk.

-Can you read?

-No, sir.

He didn\'t know that his new master was a prince, the king\'s son, and that he should use a different tone with such a high-ranking master than he did his previous ones.

But despite his blunder, his master didn\'t hit him.

He was grateful every time he thought about it.

-Of course. You can\'t. I knew it.

His master placed a few more items on the floor next to the book. A brush, an inkstone, ink, and a bundle of paper.

They were unfamiliar, but not entirely foreign objects. He had seen his previous owner cherish and use them.

They must be precious items. He couldn\'t understand why his master would throw them to him.

-You can\'t even read. Ugh, you\'re so stupid. Do you know this? No? You don\'t, right? Obviously.

He also remembered his master asking questions a few times and then giggling.

-You really don\'t know anything. You\'re so stupid. Hey, stupid. Are you stupid? Why are you looking up?

For some reason, his master seemed to be in a good mood then. He must have been happy because he was smiling so widely that his cheekbones were protruding.

\'Does he like that kind of thing? Is that my use?\'

It was a passing thought, but he gradually became more certain.

The next day, he received a sword. It was almost as tall as himself.

-It\'s nothing special.

It looked good.

-I picked it up on the street, so use it roughly and throw it away.

To think his master picked up such an item on the street. Unlike himself, who was unlucky, his new master seemed to be a very lucky person.

\'I\'m envious.\'

But envy was envy, and he was himself.

Once, his master had a subordinate teach him how to hold a sword. That wasn\'t all he learned, though.

His master watched him. Although he didn\'t show it outwardly, Jincheon was actually nervous at that time.

\'Why is he watching me?\'

He racked his small brain, trying to guess why his master was watching him. No matter how much he thought about it, there could only be one reason. His master was interested.

But his master didn\'t laugh like before. Was he interested but not amused enough to laugh?

Feeling pressured, he learned even more diligently. But his master left in the middle of the lesson.

Honestly, he felt disappointed. He could have done better. Could he have piqued his master\'s interest more if he had tried harder?

\'I can\'t be abandoned.\'

He was convinced that he would never find a master this good again.

\'There has to be a way not to be abandoned. To avoid being abandoned... I need to be useful.\'

He looked around. Everyone serving his master had a sword at their waist.

Except for one. The only one without a sword, Eunuch Han, seemed to be the closest to his master. But Eunuch Han was old and a eunuch.

Jincheon was actually afraid of swords. He was afraid of all weapons.

He hated pain and the sound of people screaming.

It was natural for him to think that Eunuch Han\'s job as a eunuch seemed better than that of a military officer.

-What is a eunuch?

-A eunuch is...

Eunuch Han explained, somewhat gloomily, how to become a eunuch and what a eunuch did.

After hearing the answer, Jincheon gave up on becoming like Eunuch Han.

Then what about becoming like his master\'s other subordinates?

-Can I become a military officer too?

He asked Yoo Geung, who had taught him how to hold a sword. Yoo Geung had replied with a bitter smile.

-You probably can.

He could. There was a possibility. That was enough.

From that day on, Jincheon put everything aside and focused solely on wielding the sword.

\'I can\'t be abandoned.\'

After arriving at Wolhan Fortress, the short period of peace ended, and the battle began.

His master climbed the fortress wall and engaged in a dangerous fight. Jincheon watched his master\'s back from afar.

Monstrous beasts roared, and soldiers shouted and screamed. Arrows flew across the sky.

Boiling oil melted and burned the flesh of the monstrous beasts. Horrible sounds, smells, and scenes of carnage. His senses were filled with unpleasantness.

All he could do was watch.

Jincheon was anxious. What would happen to him if his master died? Would he have to go back to the way he was before? Back to the pain and suffering?

No. He didn\'t want that.

If he returned there, it would be even more painful and agonizing now. Could he have gone back if he had never known comfort?

Now that he knew peace and tranquility, he couldn\'t go back to that time.

\'No.\'

Jincheon asked Heo Seokgyeom. He chose Heo Seokgyeom because he held the highest position among his master\'s subordinates.

-Let me fight too.

But Heo Seokgyeom refused.

-No.

-Why not?

-His Highness has not permitted it.

-What if Master gets hurt like that?

What will happen to me then?

He couldn\'t bring himself to ask that, but the future was obvious. He might be useful to his master, but not to his master\'s subordinates.

If his master died, they wouldn\'t take him in. Jincheon was certain of that.

-He\'ll get treated.

-What if he gets seriously injured?

-It will take him longer to recover.

-But what if he gets injured beyond recovery?

Heo Seokgyeom got angry and told him to go back to his room.

-Stop with the pointless talk! That won\'t happen. His Highness will be safe, and even if something unfortunate happens, there\'s nothing you can do anyway.

Jincheon was frustrated by those words. Of course there was something he could do. He could act as a shield against arrows if needed.

Of course, he hated pain. But being a shield was better than going back to the way he was before.

Jincheon became anxious.

\'I have to do something.\'

Just then, he noticed the sword leaning against the wall. The sword his master had given him.

He was told that if he practiced swordsmanship diligently, he might be able to become a military officer someday. If he became a military officer, he would be able to go up on the fortress wall.

From then on, Jincheon devoted most of his time to swordsmanship, except for the minimum time needed for sleep and meals.

Thrust, slash, thrust, slash...

Repetition, and more repetition.

It was a series of tedious repetitions, but with each repetition, his movements became more refined. Refinement led to sharpness. What was this sharpness for?

A state of trance.

At some point, he forgot why he was continuing this. It was a state he reached in just a few days.

He was so engrossed that he felt he had lived his whole life just for this moment.

"Hey!"

Clang-!

The sword slipped from his grasp. Jincheon, who had been in a trance, closed his eyes and opened them. He turned his head and saw his master.

"Are you crazy?"

"Oh dear, oh dear!"

Eunuch Han, who was next to his master, rushed over and grabbed his hand. Only then did Jincheon look down at his own hand.

The calluses that had formed from years of hard labor under the slave trader had all been torn by a few days of intense training, and blood was flowing.

This much was nothing... He hadn\'t even felt the pain, so it must have been a minor injury.

Jincheon pulled his hand away from Eunuch Han and hid his blood-soaked palm.

"Greetings, Master."

Jincheon bowed his head. But his master didn\'t tell him to raise his head for a long time.

Normally, his master would have told him to raise his head by now. Jincheon cautiously lifted his head.

His master was staring at him in disbelief.

While his master remained silent, Jincheon observed his appearance.

He seemed to have changed clothes, as he was clean. There were no major injuries. This guaranteed another day of not being abandoned.

"Wow..."

After a long silence, his master let out a long sigh.

Jincheon flinched involuntarily. His previous master always sighed deeply before whipping him.

But the whip didn\'t come. Could he finally stop flinching at the sound of someone sighing? Could he relax?

"You\'re really something else."

Jincheon, still with his head slightly bowed, timidly looked up at his master.

\'Is that an insult?\'

It was fine. He was used to being insulted. And his current master not only insulted him but also occasionally gave him snacks.

"You were born a genius, and you\'re putting in this much effort..."

What am I supposed to do with you? His master muttered.

"Are you saying I was destined to die by beheading anyway?"

\'What does he mean?\'

Being beheaded? What a horrible thing to say.

Jincheon briefly imagined his future after his master was beheaded.

He couldn\'t picture anything good.

"...I will protect you, Master," Jincheon stammered.

Actually, he didn\'t feel like he could protect his master yet. He was weaker than the soldiers pouring oil on the fortress walls.

"Huh."

His master scoffed. It was the most dumbfounded reaction he had ever seen from him.

"Forget it, just don\'t kill anyone."

Don\'t kill anyone?

Jincheon tilted his head.

The soldiers under his command were struggling to kill as many monstrous beasts as possible, so why shouldn\'t he kill them?

But he had to follow his master\'s orders.

Jincheon replied, "Yes, Master."