[Translator - Jjescus ]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]
Chapter 7
It was fortunate that the crow was a bird-brain. If it were truly intelligent and intentionally cunning, there would be no way for to uncover its true intentions.
I couldn't even torture it for information, as it would die in less than an hour.
"I cannot speak!"
"That ans you have sothing to say."
Actually, I had asked Eunuch Han sothing after he returned from the audience hall.
- Eunuch Han, have I always been sick? I have a bit of a headache.
- Pardon? Ah, that's sothing Your Highness has always ntioned. But you said you didn't want to take dicine... Shall I bring you so dicine for headaches?
- I said I didn't want to take dicine? Why?
- You said there was a serious reason, but I apologize, you didn't say anything more... You also said the dicine was ineffective and only added to your suffering.
It's a hunch.
I have a hunch.
It was an instinct honed through four years of hovering between life and death. How many tis had I survived by relying on this hunch? It was definitely not sothing to ignore.
And now my hunch was telling : this crow and those headaches. They're connected.
Or maybe not.
There must also be a reason why this talking crow only interacted with the First Prince.
If it was just looking for soone to feed it, there would be better options than the ill-tempered troublemaker prince.
Or maybe not.
"Hey."
I called out to it in a low voice, and its tail feathers twitched.
"Want to make a bet?"
"Wh-What?!"
I arrogantly curled my lips.
"I'll try to figure out your true identity. Let's set the deadline for four days. That sounds reasonable, right?"
"And then?"
"If I figure out your identity, you have to answer my questions honestly."
"What happens if you can't?"
"I'll do whatever you ask."
"...Anything?"
"Oh, of course. Absolutely."
"...And if I refuse the bet?"
I raised my thumb and made a throat-slitting gesture.
"This is what will happen."
The crow lowered its head, seemingly in contemplation.
Then it raised its head again.
"Alright."
"Good."
I had a vague idea of what it was. There were already clues, so I just needed to trace its footsteps. I thought it would be easy.
* * *
Since there was still plenty of ti before evening, I decided to look around a bit.
The reason was to find soone I could use as my eyes and ears.
Of course, I didn't have anywhere specific to go right now, and my movents were restricted, so there wouldn't be any problems if I prepared slowly.
But wouldn't it be better to check things out in advance?
I also needed a test subject to check the capabilities of this body, so I had a good excuse.
Since I didn't know many people right now, the first people I would look for were those I had t at Blood Cloud Fortress.
I organized their nas in my head and left Hyunjung Hall.
My destination was the military headquarters.
"Y-Your Highness...?"
A military officer wearing a feathered hat spotted and looked flustered. He was even more surprised to see the sword at my waist.
It seed like it was a short break during their training.
"We greet His Highness, the Grand Prince Ikwon!"
I casually waved my hand in response to the officers' greetings and walked towards the training ground.
As I walked towards the center of the training ground, I didn't forget to observe the faces of the officers.
Besides my current target, I knew the nas and faces of several military heroes who would play active roles in the future, but I knew almost nothing about their past.
So I had no choice but to examine their faces one by one like this.
So of the naive officers stared at with obvious bewildernt on their faces.
Seeing their dust-covered faces reminded of the ti when the war was raging, even though it had been a while.
Not the ti when everything was already falling apart, Blood Cloud Fortress was destroyed, and I was the only one struggling and causing a ruckus, but much earlier than that.
The person I was looking for now was soone I t back then.
How could a swordsman from a remote countryside like recognize a military officer from the capital?
It was because he had co to support Blood Cloud Fortress in Seopyung at that ti.
"We greet His Highness, the Grand Prince Ikwon!"
The officers shouted as I passed by. Their loud greetings were ant to leave an impression. For these people, war was an opportunity.
In a chaotic world, it was common for those at the bottom to rise to the top, and for those at the top to fall to the bottom.
If only the country hadn't been completely destroyed. If only we could have sohow held on, even if just barely.
Then I stopped walking.
"I-I greet His Highness, the Grand Prince Ikwon."
This seemingly dim-witted person was also one of those cases I ntioned earlier. Ah, of course, he belonged to the forr category. If he were soone destined to fall, there would be no reason for him to be so surprised.
"Hmm."
Even though I was inwardly excited, I managed to maintain a calm expression. I kept the attitude of a wealthy young master who had been lazing around at ho and ca out to the market to pick out luxury goods. I stopped right in front of the man and looked him up and down.
He was shabby-looking with a dull face. At best, I could say he had a simple and innocent look.
"What's your na?"
His simple face clearly showed his confusion.
"Y-Yoo Geung."
Yoo Geung.
- I heard he was from the Geumo Guard.
The central army was divided into two armies and six guards. The two armies were the King's Royal Guards, so only the six guards actually served as the capital's defense force and the royal guards.
Even among the six guards, there were differences in skill level, and the best among them was the Geumo Guard.
At that level, there was almost no chance of being dispatched to a remote place like Blood Cloud Fortress.
Of course, in a situation where the country was on the verge of collapse, anything was possible, but Yoo Geung had been struggling at Blood Cloud Fortress long before that.
But it didn't make sense for a military officer belonging to the Geumo Guard to lead troops all the way to the border, and in fact, Yoo Geung wasn't part of the Geumo Guard at that ti.
However, there was another point worth noting here. The Geumo Guard's primary area of activity was within the palace.
In other words, it wasn't a normal occurrence for a military officer like Yoo Geung, who ca from the Geumo Guard, to be at Blood Cloud Fortress.
For so reason, it wasn't his intention.
I wonder why.
"Oh."
Actually, it's none of my business.
Whether Yoo Geung in the past was demoted due to political struggles or foolishly volunteered to go to Blood Cloud Fortress.
"So your na is Yoo Geung."
Putting the past aside, in this life, all he needs to do is listen to and reap the benefits.
To be honest, it didn't have to be Yoo Geung specifically as my right-hand man, but I’m more shy than people think, so I preferred to deal with soone I knew.
Since he was destined to die anyway, I felt less guilty about his life getting ssed up due to my interference.
As they say, it's better to be alive in a dunghill than dead, right? A ssed-up life is still better than death.
"You have a good face."
I placed one hand on Yoo Geung's shoulder. He twitched like a fly swatted away.
"You seem to have a lot of rit."
"Pardon?"
"You have the look of soone who... would jump into a fierce battle in a remote war zone due to so unknown circumstances, fight bravely, and then die tragically but honorably."
Yoo Geung tilted his head slightly with a dumb expression.
"I-I'm flattered."
I nodded once.
"You're a young man who knows how to appreciate small things."
I could also be considered such a young man. I smiled, feeling like I had t a kindred spirit.
After saying that, I felt an intense gaze from sowhere and glanced to the side. The officer with the feathered hat was staring at .
Is he a general?
But I couldn't say he was suspicious of . I could see a hint of worry on his face, like he was wondering what kind of trouble a crazy person might cause.
It was an expression I had seen often, so I knew it very well.
This is why being a troublemaker is so great. You can dismiss any suspicion with eccentric behavior befitting a troublemaker. How wonderful is that?
"Why don't we find a quiet place to talk?"
Perhaps Taejo, whom I thought was clueless, had anticipated all of this and put into the body of this troublemaker.
If so, Taejo must have been a true sage with incredibly high-level foresight.
Although it's all just my speculation since it's unlikely I'll see Taejo again.
In any case, no one objected to this madman's nonsense.
Just as I thought that, so guy interrupted.
"May I also ask a question?"
It was an unfamiliar face.
"What's your na?"
"I am Jin from the Aga family."
Ah-Jin?
I don't know that na.
"I am overwheld with gratitude that you have co here to encourage the military officers."
Ah-Jin was grinning. I didn't like his smile.
It was as if the aura of a sycophant was seeping out, polluting the air of the training ground.
Interesting.
"And what is your position?"
"Though I am lacking, I hold the rank of Colonel.”
Colonel. That ant he was a military officer of the fifth rank.
Seeing Yoo Geung hesitantly step back as Ah-Jin approached, it seed Yoo Geung held a lower rank.
I asked Yoo Geung, "Then what is your position?"
"P-Please call Captain Yoo."
Captain was a military officer of the sixth rank.
Was he new here? I rembered Yoo Geung as a general, but since it was quite a while before that point in ti, it made sense.
I looked at the man with the feathered hat who looked like a general and said, "May I borrow Captain Yoo for a mont?"
A military officer of the sixth rank wasn't a low position, but it wouldn't be a big deal if one disappeared. As expected, the general agreed without any objections.
"As you wish."
Yoo Geung bowed his head, looking confused.
"Follow ."
As I started walking, I felt a persistent gaze at the back of my head.
* * *
I headed back to Hyunjung Hall with Yoo Geung. If Eunuch Han had returned, he would have co out, but the pavilion was quiet. It seed he was still searching for what I had ntioned.
He wouldn't find it no matter how hard he looked, so he wouldn't be back until sunset.
"Your Highness."
Yoo Geung spoke up. It was the mont we crossed the side gate of Hyunjung Hall's wall.
"Speak."
"May I ask why you summoned here?"
He asked right after we crossed the gate, showing quite a lack of patience. Was Yoo Geung always this impatient?
As I rembered, he was a tight-lipped and uninteresting person. Even when he occasionally had a drink, he would stay in a corner, and if you tried to talk to him, he would remain silent.
I only started talking to him after we both almost kicked the bucket on the sa day.
"I've agreed to a duel with soone."
I answered as I walked towards the center of the pavilion's courtyard.
"So I need a practice partner."
Yoo Geung's face crumpled for a mont.
"Am I to be Your Highness's practice partner?"
His tone beca slightly disrespectful, his pride seemingly hurt.
It would be strange for a swordsman not to be offended after being told to be a practice partner for this frail prince.
Furthermore, from what I had seen on the battlefield during my ti at Blood Cloud Fortress, Yoo Geung, despite his frustrating monts, wasn't soone who didn't know how to fight.
No matter how much I belittled him, he couldn't be compared to a pampered troublemaker prince raised like a delicate flower in the palace.
"Yes."
Yoo Geung composed his expression and said, "How can a clumsy person like dare to be Your Highness's opponent?"
I scoffed on purpose.
"If you're clumsy, aren't you the perfect opponent for ?"
Yoo Geung's face slowly started to turn red. He seed to have less control over his emotions than when I saw him at Blood Cloud Fortress.
"I apologize for my boldness, but I'm worried that my clumsiness might harm Your Highness."
"So?"
"My duty is to protect the royal family and the country. I humbly request that you consider my circumstances."
Nope, not happening.
"I thought you'd be taciturn based on your appearance, but you're surprisingly talkative."
"...I didn't know you were so knowledgeable about physiognomy."
"And you're unexpectedly not backing down. That must have been your original personality, right?"
If his original personality was closer to this, then the Yoo Geung at Blood Cloud Fortress might have been a subdued version of himself.
"You're a more interesting person than I thought."
"Have you seen before?"
"As if. Why would I go around chasing after soone like you?"
I grinned and drew the sword from my waist.
The blade humd softly.
"Let's begin."
[Translator - Jjescus ]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]
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