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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 me 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 means you have something to say."

Actually, I had asked Eunuch Han something 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 something Your Highness has always mentioned. But you said you didn\'t want to take medicine... Shall I bring you some medicine for headaches?

- I said I didn\'t want to take medicine? Why?

- You said there was a serious reason, but I apologize, you didn\'t say anything more... You also said the medicine 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 times had I survived by relying on this hunch? It was definitely not something to ignore.

And now my hunch was telling me: 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 someone 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 time before evening, I decided to look around a bit.

The reason was to find someone I could use as my eyes and ears.

Of course, I didn\'t have anywhere specific to go right now, and my movements 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 met at Blood Cloud Fortress.

I organized their names in my head and left Hyunjung Hall.

My destination was the military headquarters.

"Y-Your Highness...?"

A military officer wearing a feathered hat spotted me and looked flustered. He was even more surprised to see the sword at my waist.

It seemed 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 names 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.

Some of the naive officers stared at me with obvious bewilderment on their faces.

Seeing their dust-covered faces reminded me of the time when the war was raging, even though it had been a while.

Not the time 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 someone I met back then.

How could a swordsman from a remote countryside like me recognize a military officer from the capital?

It was because he had come to support Blood Cloud Fortress in Seopyung at that time.

"We greet His Highness, the Grand Prince Ikwon!"

The officers shouted as I passed by. Their loud greetings were meant 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 somehow 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 mentioned earlier. Ah, of course, he belonged to the former category. If he were someone 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 home and came 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 name?"

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 time.

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 came from the Geumo Guard, to be at Blood Cloud Fortress.

For some 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 name is Yoo Geung."

Putting the past aside, in this life, all he needs to do is listen to me 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 someone I knew.

Since he was destined to die anyway, I felt less guilty about his life getting messed up due to my interference.

As they say, it\'s better to be alive in a dunghill than dead, right? A messed-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 merit."

"Pardon?"

"You have the look of someone who... would jump into a fierce battle in a remote war zone due to some 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 met a kindred spirit.

After saying that, I felt an intense gaze from somewhere and glanced to the side. The officer with the feathered hat was staring at me.

Is he a general?

But I couldn\'t say he was suspicious of me. 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 me 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, some guy interrupted.

"May I also ask a question?"

It was an unfamiliar face.

"What\'s your name?"

"I am Jin from the Aga family."

Ah-Jin?

I don\'t know that name.

"I am overwhelmed with gratitude that you have come 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 meant he was a military officer of the fifth rank.

Seeing Yoo Geung hesitantly step back as Ah-Jin approached, it seemed Yoo Geung held a lower rank.

I asked Yoo Geung, "Then what is your position?"

"P-Please call me Captain Yoo."

Captain was a military officer of the sixth rank.

Was he new here? I remembered Yoo Geung as a general, but since it was quite a while before that point in time, 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 moment?"

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 me."

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 come out, but the pavilion was quiet. It seemed he was still searching for what I had mentioned.

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 moment we crossed the side gate of Hyunjung Hall\'s wall.

"Speak."

"May I ask why you summoned me here?"

He asked right after we crossed the gate, showing quite a lack of patience. Was Yoo Geung always this impatient?

As I remembered, 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 same day.

"I\'ve agreed to a duel with someone."

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 moment.

"Am I to be Your Highness\'s practice partner?"

His tone became 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 time at Blood Cloud Fortress, Yoo Geung, despite his frustrating moments, wasn\'t someone 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 me dare to be Your Highness\'s opponent?"

I scoffed on purpose.

"If you\'re clumsy, aren\'t you the perfect opponent for me?"

Yoo Geung\'s face slowly started to turn red. He seemed 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 me before?"

"As if. Why would I go around chasing after someone like you?"

I grinned and drew the sword from my waist.

The blade hummed softly.

"Let\'s begin."