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Chapter: 101

"So..."

After listening to Gon\'s story, I frowned and fell silent for a moment.

Son Gye-du had hurriedly run off somewhere, and then a suspicious person with most of their face covered by a mask had appeared from the darkness.

Gon said that Son Gye-du had initially yelled and raged, but after exchanging a few words, he had calmed down.

Even so, an elder was still an elder. There was no one in this fortress, at least, who could raise their voice against him.

But to silence and subdue him with just a few words...

So, even the thought that Son Gye-du was the true mastermind was wrong.

"Does that even make sense?"

"Hmph."

Gon turned its head away, seemingly offended. It meant that I shouldn\'t doubt its words.

"Of course, I don\'t think you\'re lying, but..."

I knew Gon had no reason to lie.

It was just so unrealistic that it was hard to believe.

After a bit of coaxing, it looked at me again.

"It\'s hard to imagine, is what I mean. This Wolhan Fortress is the furthest fortress in the Northern Region, so how could it interact with other forces...?"

It would take more than a month to travel anywhere.

Except for the one road leading to the capital, the paths from the Northern Region to other areas were extremely treacherous.

And there weren\'t any neighboring countries either.

Gon half-closed its eyes at my words. It seemed like it was glaring at me.

"Well, yeah. It\'s just... common sense. I\'m not doubting you, really."

"It seems like you are doubting me."

"Hey, if I don\'t believe you, who else in the world would I believe?"

As if to prove my trust, I puffed out my chest and straightened my back.

But Gon was unmoved.

"I am not human."

"Don\'t nitpick, you know what I mean. Just let it slide."

Then who was the true mastermind?

"Whoever it is, it must be a force that benefits from this."

Gon nodded at my words.

"Of course."

"Then it wouldn\'t be someone from Wolhan Fortress. Who would want their own home destroyed?"

"Of course."

"It\'s also unlikely to be someone from the Northern Region. If Wolhan Fortress falls, their own power will crumble too."

"Of course."

I glanced at Gon and said, "I get it, so stop with the \'of courses\'."

Who could it be? Really.

A force that would benefit from the fall of Wolhan Fortress...

The second prince?

"Hmm."

Certainly, the second prince\'s faction would welcome the news of Wolhan Fortress\'s fall. It would be better for them if it was destroyed rather than joining my side.

While I was away, the capital would be his stage, so he must hate the idea of me returning.

But after thinking about it a bit more, I concluded that it couldn\'t be the second prince.

"No, no way."

I was only involved in the actual battles, but this situation had started long before I even arrived at Wolhan Fortress.

The Wolhan FOrtress Lord had asked for help during the birthday banquet.

This incident had been meticulously planned for a very long time.

"If Wolhan Fortress falls, the Northern Region falls..."

I drew a map in the air with my finger. Imagining a virtual map, I pointed to the location of the Northern Region with my fingertip. The very top.

"If the Northern Region falls, the people who live here will become refugees and head south."

I moved my finger down towards the central and southern regions.

That would cause problems. It wasn\'t just about the population surge. The creation of refugee camps itself wasn\'t a big deal.

The people of the Northern Region and those south of it had a clear distinction between themselves. It was obvious that ethnic problems would arise.

Even in the past, and still now, exchanges between the Northern Region and the regions south of it were extremely rare.

If that happened, the problem would be significant. There was a very high chance of internal conflict. Wasn\'t the current court already divided?

Although there was a gap in the power held by the two sides... it would still be a crisis that could shake the court.

The whole country would be in turmoil.

First of all, King Bonhyeon wouldn\'t want such a thing to happen. He would want to remain king for a long time, until his death.

Considering how he had delayed appointing a successor until the very end, he was also someone who prioritized his own safety.

Then, who would benefit from this?

Who would benefit from Mokryeo falling into chaos?

Not the royal family, not the ministers, not the powerful clans, and the commoners... it was pointless to even mention them.

"...Is it someone outside the borders?"

"What are you muttering about to yourself?"

Why was it picking on me?

"This is ominous."

An ominous feeling washed over me, as if I had hit the mark.

* * *

By the way, my body wasn\'t healing well. The recovery was slower than I expected. It didn\'t really hurt that much, though.

"You must have absolute rest!"

Hmm. Was the slow recovery the problem?

Perhaps it felt slow because, unlike when I lived as Baek Yeon, there were people fussing over me everywhere.

In Blood Cloud Fortress, I was just one of many injured people, but here, as a precious prince, I couldn\'t leave my sickbed.

I also had something to discuss with that jailer soldier, Jo Seunghoe, but there was nothing I could do while stuck in bed.

"Eunuch Han."

Eunuch Han, who had been advocating for rest, looked up at my call.

"Yes, Your Highness."

He had a dissatisfied expression, as if he expected to be scolded for doing something wrong.

But I had something else to say.

"Do you... In your opinion, Eunuch Han, what do you think will happen to the situation in the palace if we lose here?"

If I had to pick someone who knew the most about the current situation in Wolhan Fortress and the palace, it would be none other than Eunuch Han.

Eunuch Han tilted his head and pondered for a moment. Soon, he opened his mouth with a serious expression.

"If the whole country falls into trouble, the palace will also be thrown into chaos. It will surely fuel the power struggle within the palace. It will also weaken the unity within the royal family. The wicked officials who have been waiting for an opportunity will, for their own benefit..."

"That\'s too obvious."

It wasn\'t very helpful.

"Ah, right. My little brother. What about Prince Jeaan\'s side?"

"It won\'t be a good situation for Prince Jaean either."

"Why not? Since I lost, wouldn\'t the support shift to his side? With the chaos, it wouldn\'t be difficult for him to seize control of the capital. After all, my grandfather is no different from a stone statue."

"Your Highness..."

Eunuch Han looked at me with a flustered expression, and then, after a moment, his eyes welled up with tears.

"I-I... will stay by your side until the very end."

Ah. He seemed to think that I was prepared to die.

"It\'s a misunderstanding, Eunuch Han."

I waved my hand. However, his misunderstanding wasn\'t immediately resolved.

"I, I would never lie to you, Your Highness, I swear to heaven. No matter what situation you face, I will stay by your side until the end..."

"Ah, stop. I get it. Stop."

This was absurd. He actually thought I would die from something like a magical beast.

"I won\'t die."

"Yes, Your Highness. May you live a long and prosperous life."

"I really won\'t die."

My place of death was already decided.

"Oh, and call Jincheon for me."

* * *

Eunuch Han immediately brought Jincheon and then left the room. Only Jincheon and I were left alone in the room.

I still felt uncomfortable being alone with him in a confined space.

"Did you call for me?"

Jincheon spoke first. I nodded once.

"Do you remember me saying that I wouldn\'t give you any tasks before you grew taller?"

Jincheon nodded and replied, "Yes, Your Highness. I remember."

I let out a short sigh.

"I don\'t like going back on my word, but I have no choice this time."

Jincheon\'s face brightened slightly.

He was a strange kid.

"Please give me any order."

There was even an inexplicable anticipation in his eyes.

"...I\'ve been bothered by something lately."

The area where Jincheon truly excelled, which I knew because I was once his enemy, was chasing down those who were running away. In other words, tracking and searching.

Back then, I was the one running away, and he was the one chasing.

At the time, it was an incredibly terrifying skill... but now that I could use that ability, there was no reason to refuse.

"Yes, Your Highness."

"You have nothing to do besides training, right?"

"Yes, that is correct."

"Then try loitering around someone. You don\'t have to be too close."

Jincheon blinked.

"Are you telling me to... tail someone?"

"You could say that. Surveillance, tailing, yes."

"Who is the target?"

"Son Gye-du. Wiyeon District Leader. You know him, don\'t you? Or do you not?"

Jincheon nodded.

"Yes, I do."

I didn\'t honestly think Jincheon would be able to uncover the identity of the outsider Son Gye-du was colluding with.

But I thought he would be able to ambush their meeting.

No matter how young he was, Jincheon was still Jincheon.

Wasn\'t he the one who searched the entire mountain and eventually found and killed me? That skill wouldn\'t become dull just because he hadn\'t been honing it.

Every time I recalled that incident, a chill ran down my spine.

"Your Highness."

Jincheon hesitated.

"What?"

I had learned a few new things about Jincheon recently.

One was that he was much more timid than I thought, and the other was that he was more fragile than I thought.

It was hard to believe that this kid would become a murderer later on. Time was a scary thing.

Anyway, Jincheon spoke timidly.

"If I do well in the task you have assigned me... will it also be credited with an achievement?"

Huh? Achievement?

I scratched the back of my head.

"Well, yes."

I understood that he wanted to build a position for himself because he didn\'t want to return to being a slave, but wasn\'t it a bit excessive to be already aiming for military achievements?

But Jincheon\'s face lit up at my answer.

"Then, as you have commanded, I will keep an eye on Son Gye-du. I will definitely uncover his secrets."

Should I tell him this? I thought for a moment and then said, "Actually, I think there\'s someone else behind Son Gye-du."

"Then do you want to find that person behind him?"

"Yes, that\'s right."

Jincheon replied resolutely, "I will definitely prove to be of help to you."

It was a firm resolution, but for some reason, it reminded me of Eunuch Han.