The Bastard First Prince Doesn't Want to Die

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter: 194

I focused all my attention on the approaching demonic beasts.

It wasn’t as if a miracle had occurred, allowing me to see their movements differently. However, my actions in battle had undeniably changed.

It felt as if I were continuing a fight that had been repeated countless times before.

With each swing of my sword, a beast’s head soared through the air. Crimson blood scattered against the dark night sky. Jawoon, who caught a glimpse of me in passing, widened his eyes in shock.

The sounds from behind signaled that the villagers had begun their evacuation. The voices of Hwang Danyo and Hwang Gongyoung rang out as they led the people.

I could also hear Aro’s voice. It was small, but she was doing her best to rally the others, as if she were filling the village chief’s absence.

Meanwhile, the chaotic murmurs from the village grew fainter. The presence of people was undeniably receding.

After assessing the size of the approaching beast horde, I turned to Jawoon.

“We should stop here and follow them.”

“Has everyone already fled?”

While planning the villagers’ evacuation beyond the Demonic Boundary, I had long since confided in Jawoon about my abilities.

He had altered the entire course of his remaining life to aid my plan. Keeping secrets from him would have been no different from betrayal.

“Not all of them yet, but you should be ready to run.”

“Don’t worry. I can turn and flee at a moment’s notice.”

At his boastful words, I smirked and swiftly scanned the surroundings. Moments later, we finally left our post.

“Grandpa Jawoon and Baek!”

Jawoon and I cut through the village. The moment we crossed the sacred boundary ropes at the outskirts, the group of villagers ahead came into view.

Among them, Hwang Danyo, who was at the rear, shouted. Instantly, the villagers’ attention turned toward us.

“Are you alright?” They asked, concern in their voices. I nodded.

Having run straight from battle, I was out of breath, but otherwise fine. Jawoon was in a similar state.

However, we had no time to waste on reassurances. I quickly spoke.

“The beasts are still coming. We don’t have time to stand around.”

At my words, visible distress spread across their faces.

Leaving the village was something they had never even considered.

“Then we have to run at once!” Hwang Danyo shouted.

The villagers’ expressions darkened further.

Haejung interjected, “Isn’t that too much? This village has been protected by our ancestors for generations. Leaving so easily is—”

Jawoon cut him off.

“And what do you propose if we don’t leave? Do you plan to stay and fight off the incoming horde?”

Haejung had no answer to that. He simply fell silent.

Even if the villagers pooled all their strength, there was no way to stand against the beasts.

Unless they wanted to serve themselves up on a silver platter, fleeing was the only option.

Besides, those who could actually fight—Jawoon and myself included—could be counted on one hand.

Jawoon and I had already fought to buy time for their escape.

Suddenly, Haejung shook his head.

After all this effort to flee, telling us to turn back and fight again was no different from ordering Jawoon and me to march to our deaths.

Realizing the shamelessness of his own words, Haejung averted his gaze.

“If you have a better plan, speak now. Anyone.”

Jawoon looked around at the villagers.

They had already packed their belongings, seemingly prepared to abandon the village. Rationally, they knew it was the right decision.

Yet no one stepped forward. Even if they resented Jawoon’s words, no one dared to oppose him.

I searched the crowd for Sannyeong.

She was carrying a heavy pack like the others, her expression blank with despair.

Perhaps she had fought harder than anyone to protect this village.

Now, all her desperate struggles had crumbled like a sandcastle, undone in an instant.

No wonder she looked like that.

Still, I did not waver in my belief that the path I had chosen was the best possible one.

At that moment, a thunderous roar echoed through the forest surrounding the village, loud enough to shake the entire area. The villagers flinched, fear flashing across their faces before they could suppress it.

The instinct to cower in the face of a beast’s roar was natural. Even Sannyeong, despite her despair over losing the village, was not immune to the terror of the monstrous creatures.

“...Get going, all of you.”

Surprisingly, it was Haejung who stepped forward first. As he took the lead, the others hesitated briefly before beginning to move one by one.

Sannyeong, however, remained as motionless as a stone. But resistance was futile. When the beast’s cry rang out once more, the villagers had no choice but to drag her along as if she were just another piece of baggage. Their steps gradually picked up speed.

For those who had lived here for decades—no, for generations, stretching back at least hundreds of years—leaving the Demonic Realm was an uncertain journey and a painful trial.

As I sharpened my senses to gauge how close the beasts had gotten, I also took in the expressions of the people around me.

Their faces were filled with fear, exhaustion, and the heavy resignation of knowing they had no choice but to leave.

“Stay together! Don’t scatter!”

Hwang Danyo’s voice cut through the darkness. She continued to shout commands to the villagers.

“Don’t fall behind! No one gets left behind—everyone must keep moving forward!”

Then, suddenly, I felt it. The beasts were drawing closer.

When I turned back, I saw a massive shadow approaching through the rustling undergrowth.

I signaled to Jawoon before breaking away from the rear, stepping in to intercept the beasts with my sword raised.

Beyond the beast that lunged toward me, a thick mist swirled, and within it, countless crimson eyes glowed.

One, two...

No, they were too numerous to count.

It was clear their overwhelming numbers were meant to instill enough terror that no one would even entertain the thought of returning to the village.

“They sure are a lot,” I muttered, tightening my grip on my sword.

I struck down the nearest beast, severing its head in one clean motion. Its body convulsed, spurting hot blood. More beasts leaped over the corpse, undeterred.

The second, then the third, fell in the same manner.

As the scent of blood thickened in the air, I felt the villagers’ gazes piercing my back.

Seeing the beasts cut down one after another, they quickened their pace, running even faster than before.

Fortunately, their numbers began to dwindle, until at last, only a particularly large one remained.

And then, no more came.

But by now, the villagers had experienced what it was like to run for their lives with death mere steps behind them.

That alone had changed something.

No one spoke of going back to the village anymore.

No one even glanced back with longing.

“We’ve reached the boundary!”

From the front of the group, Hwang Danyo’s voice rang out.

Though the villagers had slowed after the battle at the rear, the urgency in their steps had kept them moving at a faster pace than I had anticipated.

The time it took to reach the boundary was nearly the same as when Aro, Haejung, and I had first come here together.

“What... what do we do now?”

“We didn’t even bring the talismans.”

Some people began to panic, voices trembling as they hesitated to cross the sacred boundary ropes.

“...There’s no choice, then.”

Haejung shut his eyes tightly.

“Those who can safely leave should go. As for the rest of us…”

He exhaled heavily before continuing.

“We’ll have to stay here and build a new home.”

And Haejung was among those who could not leave.

Crossing the boundary wouldn’t kill them outright, but compared to Jawoon, he was even less capable of withstanding the ominous energy beyond.

No one could predict what would happen to those who couldn’t endure it. They might not even make it beyond the boundary before collapsing and dying.

“…Once a beast catches the scent of humans, it will hunt them down until death. Living near the village, or even by the river, will be impossible. Aside from those areas, I have no idea how long we’ll be able to survive. Even if there are trees, the land is as barren as a wasteland…”

At his grim words, silence fell over the crowd, heavy as mourning.

“Go. There’s no reason to delay. At the very least, those who can leave must survive.”

Haejung urged them on.

At his words, the villagers hesitated, exchanging glances before slowly setting down the belongings they had carried from the village.

I silently observed their actions.

One by one, they began unpacking their belongings, setting aside anything that might be useful for those who would be left behind—people like Haejung.

Amidst this, Sannyeong, her face pale and grim, rummaged through her own bags. Like the others, she was searching for supplies to share with those who would remain.

Then, all of a sudden, a bundle of dark-colored talismans tumbled out of her belongings. It was the work of Hwang Gongyoung and Aro, created through their combined efforts.

“…What is this?”

The person closest to Sannyeong spotted the talismans and gasped in shock.

Sannyeong had already been under suspicion—some believed she had rummaged through Haejung’s storage. Now, with these talismans appearing from her belongings, the expressions of those around her hardened.

“What is the meaning of this?!”

Haejung’s irritation was barely concealed as he shouted.

Sannyeong, equally startled, remained silent. She had barely spoken for some time, and even now, she did not try to defend herself against the misunderstanding.

No one could deny that ever since the village chief had fallen ill, Sannyeong—her only child—had stepped up to take her place as the leader.

Most of the villagers had followed her not because of her abilities, but simply because she was the chief’s blood relative.

But I held no such connection to her by blood.

If I wanted to dismantle the authority she had built, I had to erode the trust she had earned. It was unfortunate that she was now being accused of theft, but there was a reason this had to happen.

“…At least now, everyone will be able to leave,” Hwang Danyo murmured softly.

The people fell into silence before, at last, beginning to move once more.

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]