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Chapter: 65

A long spring rain fell upon the capital.

So Ik-Gyeom moved his seat under the eaves where raindrops were falling. As he inhaled, the humid air filled his lungs.

Recently, he often found himself dwelling on past mistakes, berating himself as an incompetent old man, and staring blankly into the void.

Lingering regret weighed heavily on his shoulders.

Nevertheless, today was a rather satisfying day.

This was because he had succeeded in finding the person Yegyeong had asked for. His grandson had made two requests, but handing over the imprisoned In-hong and guiding him to a temple outside the capital had already been completed long ago.

However, it was still too early to be complacent with the sense of accomplishment from fulfilling the request.

Moreover, even that task wasn\'t entirely his own achievement. Most of it wouldn\'t have been possible without the Pyeonggwang Merchant Guild\'s intelligence network.

\'The more I think about it, the more amazing it is.\'

On the other hand, he was also curious how Merchant Leader Shin had swayed Yegyeong\'s heart.

In the past, Yegyeong had been immersed in amusement and pleasure, wanting to escape from reality. So, So Ik-Gyeom had ignored him.

\'How could he change so suddenly?\'

What kind of stimulating words had Merchant Leader Shin whispered to persuade the wastrel prince?

\'No. He had already changed before that.\'

Surely there must have been something that caused a significant change in his heart.

"M-My Lord..."

So Ik-Gyeom, who had been standing under the eaves gazing at the mansion walls, turned towards the approaching servant. The servant fidgeted as if he had committed a grave error.

"Speak."

The mansion had been noisy since morning. He was well aware that the cause stemmed from a young boy they had captured last night.

Even so, it seemed difficult for the servant to confess his uselessness in front of his strict master.

When the servant hesitated to speak, So Ik-Gyeom sighed.

"I know everything, so speak comfortably."

"Yes, my lord. That... the young boy who came in last night..."

The person Yegyeong had asked him to find was none other than a slave. Moreover, he was very young. He seemed too young to be a personal servant or to be of any use to Yegyeong\'s future.

However, since Yegyeong had specifically asked him to find this particular slave, he must have had a reason.

His grandson, who had recently shown a changed attitude, had suddenly left for the Northern Region. He must have requested to find this slave with some intention in mind.

Although he felt a bit hurt that Yegyeong hadn\'t said a word about his plan, what right did he have to feel hurt when he had never once reached out to his grandson while he was growing up?

So Ik-Gyeom nodded once.

"That boy is quite the scoundrel. From the moment he entered the mansion until now, he hasn\'t stopped acting out for a single moment. He\'s behaving like a wild animal."

A scoundrel, huh? Perhaps it wasn\'t such a bad combination, considering the person he would serve was also called that.

They might either get along due to their similarities or clash because of them. If it were an interaction between people of similar status, the outcome would be one of the two. However, one was a prince, and the other was a mere slave. No matter how disobedient the slave was, he wouldn\'t dare raise his head arrogantly in front of the prince.

"Don\'t lay a hand on him. I was specifically instructed not to present him with any injuries."

As a slave, a certain degree of violence was permissible if he was disobedient. Of course, if he hadn\'t been intended for Yegyeong, he would have already been chased out of the capital.

The servant, who had come to ask if he could discipline the boy, looked troubled by his master\'s answer.

However, he couldn\'t just let the boy run amok in his mansion and cause trouble for the other servants.

"I will see him myself."

So Ik-Gyeom decided to go in person.

If it would benefit Yegyeong, this much trouble was nothing.

"Hey, catch him!"

The pavilion where the slave intended for Ye-gyeong was kept was bustling even before he entered. When the servant entered the pavilion first and announced the master\'s arrival, the commotion subsided slightly.

The sight that greeted So Ik-Gyeom as he entered the pavilion was three strong men struggling to control a young boy.

The young slave was growling like a beast, his body writhing. His clothes were dirty and worn, no better than rags. He finally understood why the servant had compared him to an animal.

He looked every bit the part. Even the stray cats that lived in the So family mansion were better groomed.

However, if he were cleaned up, he would have quite a handsome appearance. If he were a few years younger, it might have been difficult to distinguish his gender. He had something in common with Shin Gwiryung.

The other servants quickly bowed their hands respectfully and stepped back at the master\'s appearance, but it was impossible for the boy, who was meeting the Supreme General for the first time, to immediately recognize who he was.

When the boy growled again, the retreating servants panicked and tried to restrain him. However, So Ik-Gyeom was faster.

Clang!

The air froze as So Ik-Gyeom\'s sword, which he always carried except when going to the palace, made a metallic sound.

It was the first time the servants had seen their master actually draw his sword, so they couldn\'t help but think that So Ik-Gyeom was extremely angry.

So Ik-Gyeom swung his sword.

"Oh no, My Lord...!"

No matter how troublesome the boy was, he wouldn\'t kill him, would he? The servants were horrified.

So Ik-Gyeom\'s sword stopped an inch from the boy\'s chin.

Perhaps he was afraid of dying despite his rampage, as the boy\'s face turned pale in an instant.

"Do you know who I am?"

Silence lingered for a moment. Then the boy shook his head.

"Answer with words. Your master does not welcome those who behave in a frustrating manner."

"...No, sir."

A slow but audible answer came.

So Ik-gyeom continued, "I am Supreme General So Ik-Gyeom."

The boy\'s eyes widened. Even if he didn\'t know So Ik-Gyeom\'s exact position, from the perspective of a slave, it was an unfathomably high status.

As if asking for further explanation, the boy tilted his head slightly.

He looked exactly like an untamed animal. So Ik-Gyeom burst into laughter.

"Your master, whom you will serve, is even higher than me."

Would reciting human words work on a beast?

So Ik-Gyeom\'s blade, which had been hovering in the air, touched the boy\'s chin.

"Your treatment depends on him, and you must be willing to die for him."

The blade pressed against the tender skin beneath his chin.

"That is the only reason you are alive."

The only thing that mattered to a beast was life and death. He had no intention of killing an unarmed boy in a place that wasn\'t a battlefield, but it would take too long to make him understand with any other method.

The boy\'s eyes darted around. He seemed to be looking for a chance to escape or perhaps plotting something. Either way, it was a futile effort in front of So Ik-Gyeom, who held a sword.

However, the boy\'s next question was far from that.

"Who is my master?"

How dare he ask a question when he was simply ordered to serve? He had the audacity to speak even with a sharp blade held to his neck. So Ik-Gyeom scoffed in disbelief.

It would be rare to see such a fellow again.

He had quite a captivating spirit. Enough to want to take him under his wing if it weren\'t for Yegyeong\'s request.

So Ik-Gyeom concealed his regret and said, ""His Highness, the first prince of this nation."

* * *

Why am I doing this?

That was the thought that occurred to me while writing the letter to the capital.

"Ugh...!"

Why am I struggling with this paper here?

Since when did I start wielding a brush!

"Uwaaaagh!"

I threw the brush and paper and got up from the chair I was sitting on. A moment later, paper fluttered down from all directions.

"No... I\'m a swordsman... At this rate, my identity...!"

I held my face in my hands and agonized.

"Your Highness?"

I heard footsteps thumping outside the door, and then Eunuch Han called me.

He was using the next room, but it seemed he could hear everything.

He hasn\'t been listening to all this the whole time, has he?

"It\'s nothing, Eunuch Han."

"I am always on standby, so please feel free to call me."

"Yes, I understand."

After a short wait, Eunuch Han\'s presence faded away.

I picked up the paper and brush I had thrown in a fit of frustration and placed them neatly on the desk.

"Damn it."

Writing itself wasn\'t difficult. The handwriting of the wastrel prince was originally a mess, so there was no problem even if an ignorant swordsman like me scribbled something down.

Throwing the paper was just venting frustration.

The real problem was my lack of strength.

"I\'m weak."

Actually, there wasn\'t much time to train. Of course, the situation was much better than before. However, it would take more than a day or two to bring this shabby body to the same level as when I was Baek Yeon.

Let\'s say I gradually train my body. The war isn\'t happening tomorrow. But the fight before me wasn\'t something I could face alone.

Right now, the only ones I could consider my allies were Yoo Geung, Heo Seokgyeom, and the other warriors who had accompanied me to Wolhan Fortress.

However, it was difficult to say whether they were loyal to \'me.\'

Perhaps a negative answer would be more accurate.

They followed me because Wolhan Fortress was \'outside\' to us.

I needed to show them something impressive to capture the hearts of the Northern Region, but it wasn\'t going well.

They had fled because they weren\'t confident in facing a mere few dozen magical beasts.

Others said it was a stroke of luck that they returned alive, but I wasn\'t so sure. It wasn\'t an achievement to be surprised or shocked by, was it?

If King Bonhyeon sent troops and other Northern Region clans pledged their support, there would be nothing left for me to do.

Although it was a good outcome, it meant that I didn\'t have much time left here.

It wasn\'t easy to find useful allies outside the Northern Region, so I couldn\'t waste my time here.

Ah, I\'m not saying that the Northern Region clans are easy targets.

"Hmm my grandfather hasn\'t contacted me once."

Perhaps it wasn\'t easy to track someone down with such scant details.

Also why would he bother wasting resources searching for someone because of a grandson he wasn\'t even close to?

"That Jincheon bastard is the one I need to find first."

If the Jincheon who killed me had been on the demonic exploration with me, we might have been able to defeat the magical beasts and return without fleeing together.

Jincheon was that strong.

Even if he wasn\'t now, he would eventually return as a monster.

Therefore, I couldn\'t let anyone take him away.

"When I see him this time..."

I\'ll have to beat him thoroughly while he\'s weaker than me and establish dominance.

It\'s revenge for Blood Cloud Fortress.

"Hahaha..."