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Chapter: 89

The night-long battle ended, and finally, morning dawned.

The demonic beasts retreated with the darkness, and the battlefield regained its tranquility.

Exhausted soldiers laid down their weapons, caught their breath, and took a brief respite.

I stood atop the wall, gazing at the battlefield.

In the air thick with the stench of blood, traces of the battle still lingered everywhere.

A flock of crows flew over the messy battlefield.

Among them, there was one circling high above. I had sent it to scout, but I wasn\'t sure if it would report back properly.

I told it not to become demonic beast food, so it would probably return safely.

"...Phew."

As soon as I sighed, a foul wind blew.

"Ugh."

It felt like I had inhaled something disgusting through my nose.

I frowned and turned around. Then, I descended the wall.

As the sunlight began to shine over the wall, the atmosphere brightened considerably.

I noticed soldiers entering the inner fortress to rest. I wasn\'t planning to join them, but we were going in the same direction.

As I approached the group of soldiers walking together, they noticed me and made a fuss.

"Y-Your Highness!"

"Prince Ikwon?"

Why are they acting like this?

Anyone would think I had come back from the dead. We were together all night, so why are they acting so surprised?

The soldiers pulled an archer from among them and laughed boisterously.

Why are they doing that? I raised an eyebrow, and I was able to hear the answer.

"This guy says it was an honor to stand in the same place as Your Highness!"

The soldiers patted the archer on the back and laughed heartily.

"...Is that so?"

I was bewildered and embarrassed.

They were clearly joking. And they were trying to involve me in it.

But I had never been close to them.

How unexpected.

"But aren\'t you an archer?"

"Y-Yes, Your Highness," the archer replied, his face flushing red. I chuckled.

"Then I\'ve received great help from you."

It wasn\'t particularly necessary, but he had shot arrows to help me.

In any case, it was true that I had received help.

Then the archer suddenly bowed at his waist.

"I-I\'m honored! I-I\'m just grateful that you remember me..." The archer mumbled in a shrinking voice. I couldn\'t even hear what he was saying anymore.

I just smiled and nodded, then resumed walking.

* * *

As I walked to my quarters, I felt like I had forgotten something.

"Hmm."

What was it?

"Hmm..."

I forgot. As I entered the pavilion, wondering what I had forgotten, Yoo Geung caught my eye.

"Oh!"

Yoo Geung flinched when he saw me.

I beckoned him with my hand.

"Hey, Captain Yoo."

"...Yes, Your Highness,” his voice sounded gloomy.

Yoo Geung approached with a downcast expression.

"We were supposed to meet, weren\'t we?"

"Yes..."

I laughed as I patted Yoo Geung\'s shoulder. Still, Yoo Geung didn\'t seem genuinely depressed.

After catching that particularly large demonic beast, I was semi-forcibly brought back to the inner fortress.

And then, again semi-forcibly, I saw the physician and was advised to rest.

It was called advice, but it was practically an order.

This absurd situation... I\'m a scoundrel who even ignores royal orders, yet I can\'t defy an old man from a pharmacy. Seriously, how did I end up like this?

Anyway, because of that, about half of last night\'s battle happened outside my sight.

It wasn\'t until the battle was over and the demonic beasts retreated that I could go up on the wall. That was just a while ago.

I leaned my elbow on Yoo Geung\'s shoulder.

As I put my weight on him, Yoo Geung groaned and pretended to be in pain. We were about the same height, so it was a comical sight.

"Was everything alright?"

"Yes, there were no major issues. Commander Heo will give the report..."

"Ah, then let\'s wait."

Come to think of it, Heo Seokgyeom was nowhere to be seen, even though he should have shown his face at least once.

"Where did Commander Heo go?"

"He\'s temporarily away at the Wolhan Fortress Lord’s summons."

"The Wolhan Fortress Lord?"

The Wolhan Fortress Lord summoned Heo Seokgyeom?

That was an unexpected answer. It was an unanticipated move, so I became curious about what they would discuss.

"Hmm..."

"Why do you say that?"

"No, it\'s nothing."

Both the Wolhan Fortress Lord and Heo Seokgyeom were incredibly stubborn people.

"They probably won\'t talk about anything special."

* * *

The sound of a crow\'s caw echoed.

Hearing a crow\'s cry was an ominous sign, but it was wartime anyway. It couldn\'t get any more ominous than this.

Heo Seokgyeom entered the Wolhan Fortress Lord’s office at his request. A tense atmosphere and silence filled the place.

He looked around at the antique furniture and decorations in the room.

In the center of the office was a table that could seat three or four people, with a tea set neatly arranged behind it.

Next to the tea set, there was a dried leaf placed on a palm-sized piece of paper.

"For what reason did you summon me?" Heo Seokgyeom asked.

The Wolhan Fortress Lord stood in the center of the office with a somber expression, as if thoughts were weighing heavily on his mind.

"Would you like to sit?"

The Wolhan Fortress Lord offered him a seat. Heo Seokgyeom quietly shook his head. It meant he had no reason to stay long.

"How about tea? Would you like some?" The Wolhan Fortress Lord asked, looking towards the door.

Heo Seokgyeom quietly refused this time as well. He added bluntly, "If there\'s something to discuss, please tell me directly."

The Wolhan Fortress Lord chuckled and answered with downcast eyes.

"You have a more impatient personality than I thought. I didn\'t think so when I saw you by His Highness\'s side."

Well, the absurd prince\'s temper was so hasty that anyone would naturally appear calm next to him.

No matter who you brought in, compared to Prince Ikwon, they would look like a sage.

Heo Seokgyeom said nonchalantly, "I thought the Wolhan Fortress Lord wouldn\'t have much idle time either."

"I didn\'t know you\'d be so concerned about my time."

The Wolhan Fortress Lord sat down first on the chair in front of the table. Only then did Heo Seokgyeom sit down as well.

And then came the main topic.

"I\'m not very familiar with the situation in the capital, but..."

At those words, Heo Seokgyeom\'s indifferent eyes sparkled.

The capital. There was only one reason why the Wolhan Fortress Lord would mention the capital.

"I know that there are two Princes and only one throne, and I understand what kind of situation that might bring about in the future."

Heo Seokgyeom\'s eyes widened.

"Do you understand what you just said?"

"I may have never left Wolhan Fortress, but that doesn\'t mean I\'m ignorant of the world. Not at my age."

"Does saying such a thing mean you intend to step into that game?"

The Wolhan Fortress Lord was the leader of the northern region.

If he decided to follow Prince Ikwon, it would be an even greater achievement than repelling the demonic beasts and gaining military merit.

"Are you serious?"

Northern Province belonged to Mokryeo Kingdom. However, the people of the northern region did not consider themselves citizens of Mokryeo.

This was due to their isolationist tendencies and lingering resentment over an invasion that occurred long ago.

Therefore, no king had ever gained the direct support of the northern region.

It was also known that the second prince, Prince Jaean, had attempted to make contact with Wolhan Fortress.

According to what Heo Seokgyeom had heard, the Wolhan Fortress Lord hadn\'t shown much of a reaction. That was already a couple of years ago.

"Prince Jaean also desires the loyalty of Wolhan Fortress. Your words sound like you\'re turning your back on him."

The Wolhan Fortress Lord didn\'t answer. But that meant it wasn\'t a denial.

Heo Seokgyeom, feeling anxious, asked again, "Your words carry significant weight. Wouldn\'t your decision be even heavier?"

The Wolhan Fortress Lord listened to his words quietly without any reaction.

"The Grand Prince is a precarious ship. If you carelessly load something as heavy as your words onto such a ship, would it truly be safe?"

"We must be cautious."

"Yes, we\'ll need to be extremely cautious."

Silence fell for a while. It wasn\'t easy to speak.

It was Heo Seokgyeom who broke the silence.

"Do you understand that your decision will bring discord to the nation?"

"Yes, I understand."

The Wolhan Fortress Lord paused for a moment before continuing,

"And Commander Heo understands that as well."

Their eyes met. The Wolhan Fortress Lord’s gaze was sharp, as if he had already seen through Heo Seokgyeom\'s inner thoughts.

"Despite knowing him, despite your position as Commander, you came all the way to Wolhan Fortress, the northernmost point of the Northern Province, with the First Prince."

He recalled the image of the prince he had seen so far.

A scoundrel, a term that couldn\'t fully encompass his depravity. But one day, he changed.

He would never forget the sight of the prince climbing the wall every day, covered in blood and sweat, shouting alongside the soldiers.

"There must be a reason why you, who should be by His Majesty\'s side, are here."

Heo Seokgyeom was supposed to be guarding the palace.

Although he had the king\'s order to follow Prince Ikwon to Wolhan Fortress and keep an eye on him, it wouldn\'t have been difficult to refuse.

To be honest, he had come with the intention of monitoring the prince.

Yoo Geung, whom the scoundrel prince had taken a liking to, was a subordinate he had been keeping an eye on, and the First Prince was a person who required attention.

But he had already experienced what kind of person the prince was.

He believed that a person\'s true nature is revealed in the face of death, so he no longer felt the need to monitor the prince.

"That\'s why I asked. Why are you, Commander Heo, staying by Prince Ikwon\'s side?"

So that\'s what he was curious about. Heo Seokgyeom chuckled inwardly. His expression didn\'t waver in the slightest.

He was indebted. It could be said that every military official in the capital was indebted to the So family.

The first prince could be a means to repay the debt owed to the deceased Queen So.

Nevertheless, many military officials turned their backs on him. Naturally, the So family and General So were also ostracized.

But if the prince was someone worth following...

"There\'s no longer any reason for me not to follow him."

"...Although it\'s difficult to say to your face, I\'ve looked into your past actions, Commander Heo."

"And what did you find?"

"You weren\'t originally someone who served the First Prince."

Heo Seokgyeom looked directly at the Wolhan Fortress Lord.

"I was simply curious as to why someone like you changed."

"If it was a wrong judgment, it\'s only right to correct it. That\'s all."

The Wolhan Fortress Lord looked down at the center of the table. His gaze fell on the pile of dried grass beside the tea set.

"Yes, if it\'s wrong, it\'s only right to correct it."

Silence fell again.

Heo Seokgyeom stared at the quiet Wolhan Fortress Lord, then looked at the pile of dried grass he was looking at.

It just seemed like ordinary tea leaves, so why was he staring at it like that? Around the time that question came to mind, he heard footsteps outside the door. Both of them turned their heads towards the door at the same time.

"Fortress Lord, there\'s something I need to report urgently!"