The Bastard First Prince Doesn't Want to Die

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter: 179

“What was the mission the village chief talked about?” The question filled my mind, but I couldn't find even the smallest clue to answer it.

After much deliberation, I finally decided to go to the library.

“What are you doing here?”

When I reached the library, someone was just coming out, closing the door. I thought about turning around as soon as I sensed their presence, but since I didn't have a key anyway, I decided to approach the person and ask them to let me in.

"Why are you here?"

And it was Hwang Danyo. I don't know if she was in a bad mood or if it was because of me, but as soon as she saw me, she spat out the words sharply.

I shrugged and pointed to the library.

"Why else? Is there anything else to do in the library besides reading books?"

Hwang Danyo narrowed her eyes suspiciously and glared at me.

"What are you trying to steal?"

...Steal? Was I a beggar?

...Well, half right.

I shook my head, but she didn't seem to believe me.

"I just came because I was curious."

Hwang Danyo snorted.

"Curious about what?"

"Well, many things... But why should I explain? It's not like you're going to tell me anything,” I replied rudely.

"I don't know."

Is she really going to tell me? I thought for a moment and asked, "I just want to know why things have been so chaotic lately."

"Hmm..."

She seemed like she was going to answer, but it was just a bluff.

Hwang Danyo didn't answer but stared at the library door behind her and raised the bundle of keys she was holding. I heard a clinking sound from the bundle of keys.

"It's because of the village chief."

That wasn't the kind of vague answer I wanted to hear. Honestly, even a passing dog could make that kind of guess.

But since she's a human, shouldn't she give me a better answer than that?

I sighed briefly and asked again, "...Can I interpret your answer as saying it's related to the village chief's worsening condition?"

When I said that, Hwang Danyo quickly averted her eyes.

"Why don't you answer? You seemed like you were going to tell me."

She shook her head.

"It was a bluff."

"A bluff!" I snapped.

But if you act like you know everything and don't give a proper answer, isn't that a bluff? What else would it be?

"I heard everything from the village chief. You said you won't be staying in our village for long anyway. So why are you interfering?"

"...Does that mean you want me to leave right away?"

Hwang Danyo was silent. Her face was flushed as if she was angry.

"Who says you can leave?"

No, what am I supposed to do then? If you don't want me to interfere with the village affairs while I'm staying here, and you don't want me to go back to where I came from right away...

Does that mean I should do nothing? But that's a waste. A waste of time.

"You can't go anywhere until the village chief allows it. And you can only open the library with the village chief's permission."

"The village chief is in no position to give permission or not."

When I said that casually, Hwang Danyo frowned.

"What did you say?"

"Don't you know? The village chief..."

“The village chief is... well.”

“Since she’s staying at the shrine, nothing big is going to happen if I sneak a book out of here.”

“So?”

“That’s all.”

“So you’re saying you’re trying to steal it, after all.”

I scoffed, dumbfounded.

“Am I a beggar? Why would I steal it?”

“What other reason could there be? And how would I know?”

Hmm.

At this point, I wished I had encountered Hwang Gongyeong instead of Hwang Danyo in front of the library.

He seemed easier to approach... or persuade.

Despite seeming careless, Hwang Danyo didn't show any signs of easily opening the library.

But the key was right in front of me... I could just reach out and grab it.

“Wait a minute.”

...Couldn’t I just take it? It’s not like I’m trying to do something bad. I just have a pure intention of wanting to read a book.

That’s right. I could just reach out and grab it. Why am I wasting time arguing pointlessly?

I raised my hand and pointed at the air. As soon as I raised my arm, Hwang Danyo flinched.

“Over there.”

“Huh?”

“A mosquito.”

“A mosquito?”

Hwang Danyo looked in the direction I pointed.

Don’t get distracted.

A moment was enough. I quickly snatched the bundle of keys that Hwang Danyo was holding and inserted the key into the lock on the door.

“Yaaah!”

Hwang Danyo screamed as she was robbed of the key in the blink of an eye.

However, the library was quite far from the village. Ordinary people would never be able to hear a scream from this far away.

Was she not screaming to call for help? Hwang Danyo soon stopped screaming and began to pull me.

But it was too late. It was already open.

“I won’t forget this favor.”

“Hey!”

Leaving Hwang Danyo behind, I calmly walked into the library.

“Hmm... This musty smell.”

I smiled. How much I wanted to come back here.

I didn’t think I would have another chance to enter the library. I had to make the most of today’s opportunity.

“Are you crazy?”

“I don’t care what you think, so do whatever you want.”

I casually looked around the bookshelves.

There was no obstacle between me and the books that I had only been able to glance at because of the village chief. They were just a bunch of rotten pieces of paper, but why do they look so tempting?

“Heehee.”

“What’s that dirty laugh…”

Hwang Danyo glared at me, restless. But knowing that it would be useless to fight back, she simply glared at me from about a step away.

“I’ll just solve my curiosity and go back to the village. I don’t plan on reading everything here anyway... I need to eat dinner too.”

“Do you think I’ll believe that?”

Hwang Danyo retorted in an irritated tone. I nodded casually and replied, pulling out a book.

“Believe it or not, it’s your wish. Stay there if you want.”

She gnashed her teeth.

“You, the village chief won’t let you off easily.”

“I don’t know.”

Honestly, I didn’t think the village chief could get out of bed again.

As I recalled the last time I saw the village chief, I thought of Aro, who was miserably staying by her side even after being pushed away by the village chief.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts and continued reading. I looked through several books in a row. Before long, I was frowning deeply.

“It seems like what I’m looking for isn’t here…”

I muttered, closed the book, and found the crate the village chief had asked me to open. When I glanced back because my back felt so stiff, Hwang Danyo was glaring at me with a terrifying expression. If her gaze had had any power, I would have been torn to shreds.

I glanced at her uneasily and opened the crate, first examining the map attached to its lid.

I spent a long time looking at the map, then rummaged through the crate and unrolled the scrolls stacked inside.

I don’t know how much time had passed, but I suddenly lifted my head because my shoulders were stiff, and I heard snoring nearby.

Hwang Danyo, exhausted from glaring at me, had fallen asleep leaning against the bookshelf.

I had finally found answers to some of the questions I had. Although there were still unanswered questions, it was time to go.

I tidied up the crate and other books and shook Hwang Danyo awake.

“Ughh.”

Hwang Danyo opened her eyes and looked like she had seen a monster. Then she recognized me and started glaring at me again, as if she was going to kill me.

I scoffed and said, “Let’s go.”

“...Don’t get cocky. There won’t be a second chance. Ever.”

Well, I don’t know about that. I didn’t reply and walked out of the library first.

* * *

And so, the same routine continued for a while. Nothing improved.@@novelbin@@

The monsters kept appearing, and the atmosphere in the village was gloomy. Except for the appearance of the monsters, it was relatively peaceful, but I didn’t think it was true peace. It felt like everyone was avoiding something.

I was floating in the middle of it all. When I wasn’t trying to figure things out, I went out to fight when the monsters appeared.

After defeating the monsters and returning to the village, Aro would come to find me. Maybe it was because we shared the memory of visiting the village chief at the shrine, but she seemed to rely on me a lot.

Since what happened at the shrine, she had become noticeably less talkative. Should I consider it a mature attitude? To me, it didn’t seem like a positive growth.

When I asked her why, she wouldn’t tell me her inner thoughts. And I couldn’t see her talking to the other villagers either.

As the monsters appeared more frequently, Jawoon even moved into the village. However, the atmosphere of subtly rejecting Jawoon remained.

This confusion seemed to be somehow hidden by the villagers’ avoidance. I imitated their attitude and tried to stay out of sight.

I wondered how long this situation would continue. Was it a price for solving some of my questions? Every day, I had new questions.

However, that didn’t last long. One evening, when I returned from hunting monsters, I realized that the village was unusually gloomy and noisy as soon as I entered the village gate. And when I reached the square where people gathered, I understood why.

“I have something to say.”

Sannyeong had returned to the village for the first time in almost two weeks. But the village chief was not there; it was only her.

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]