The Bastard First Prince Doesn't Want to Die

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter: 195

The people slowly made their way toward the boundary. Though the talismans found in Sannyeong’s belongings had caused confusion among the villagers, paradoxically, the incident only hastened their departure.

“If you’re ready, step across,” Jawoon instructed the crowd.

For most, the reality of leaving the land they had lived on their entire lives was overwhelming. Many hesitated, unable to take the next step. It was Haejung who ultimately forced them forward.

It was unexpected to see him take the lead, but at the same time, the reason behind his urgency was clear. Among those born and raised in the village, no one had faced the beasts more closely than Haejung.

“C-Can’t we go back?”

An elderly woman turned around, her voice thick with sorrow. Haejung frowned.

“Did you not see? The beasts have already invaded the village, and you’re suggesting we return?”

For months, the monsters had relentlessly attacked. Those who had remained safely inside the village had no idea how fierce the battles had been.

The village chief’s protective spells had weakened, and the number of fighters was pitifully small. The only reason the villagers had survived this long was because Jawoon, myself, and a few others had fought desperately to keep them safe.

Haejung let out a hollow laugh and surveyed the hesitant faces around him. He planted both hands on his hips, his twisted expression betraying his frustration. If he were a man with less restraint, he might have pounded his own chest in exasperation.

“Did none of you see this coming?”

His voice was louder than usual, sharp with frustration. The elderly woman who had spoken shrank back.

Perhaps feeling guilty for frightening her, Haejung’s face tensed as he quickly looked away.

“…It’s sudden, yes, but this was bound to happen sooner or later. There’s no use resenting it.”

At his words, the members of the nightwatch—those who had fought the beasts even once—nodded in agreement.

I wasn’t sure if Haejung had ever truly considered the possibility of leaving the village. But if he were to find out that Jawoon and I had orchestrated this situation, he would undoubtedly feel betrayed.

At the very least, it was fortunate that the responsibility of convincing the people had naturally fallen to Haejung. I quietly stepped back and turned to Jawoon.

“…Will it be alright?”

Jawoon’s gaze flickered briefly to the sword strapped at my waist before he met my eyes again. He answered slowly.

“…There won’t be any trouble.”

If a fight broke out along the way, it could lead to disaster. Even with Jawoon’s reassurance, I couldn’t shake my unease. Sensing this, he added, “Haven’t you seen? They only move when they’re told to.”

When the village chief was alive, they followed her word without question. After she was gone, they blindly obeyed Sannyeong instead.

Jawoon’s voice was steady.

I nodded.

“They need to stay that way.”

These people had no strong will of their own. As long as they continued following orders, it would be fine—but if any of them decided to think for themselves and act out, things would become complicated.

There’s a saying: when the tiger is gone, the rabbit takes the fox for a king. Comparing the village chief to a tiger was amusing, but regardless, I could only hope no foxes would appear.

With the elderly woman no longer resisting, the group’s pace picked up slightly.

It wasn’t a great distance to travel. If they maintained this speed, there shouldn’t be any incidents before we arrived.

I could only hope things unfolded as I had calculated. Even so, I couldn’t let my guard down. There was still the question of what lay beyond this territory.

I glanced at Jawoon’s back as he walked a few steps ahead of me.

I had asked him once before what lay beyond the boundary. But his answer had been of little use.

According to him, he had been exiled under the guise of a convalescence order. The one who had issued that decree was none other than King Bonhyeon, my father.

Bonhyeon had not been long on the throne, yet his paranoia had been severe. He spent nights sleepless, tormented by the fear that a royal relative might rise in rebellion.

And in the end, unable to overcome his delusions and obsessions, Bonhyeon had carried out a brutal purge, eliminating most of the royal family. He hadn’t killed them outright, but he had cut off their power and influence completely.

Jawoon was an unusual case. He had served as an honorary military officer in a provincial post but was stripped of his position and cast out by Bonhyeon.

The influence of my maternal grandfather, General So, seemed to have played a part in King Bonhyeon’s decision to purge the military officials. But even before the incident where he deposed the queen instead of General So, the king had apparently harbored a deep dislike for the military.

According to Jawoon’s account, the king’s jealousy and resentment toward my grandfather were exceedingly complicated.

Regardless, Jawoon was abruptly stripped of his title by royal decree and was practically forced to retreat to the countryside. He had to endure a journey confined within a carriage for days, unable to see the outside world.

Even after arriving at his destination, his life remained little different from imprisonment. Under the pretext of protecting him from those who might target a member of the royal family, King Bonhyeon assigned him multiple escorts. In truth, they were watchdogs.

Of course, Jawoon’s identity was also to be kept secret from the local people. A man suddenly appearing in town, surrounded by armed men, yet with an unknown status—there was no way he could have been welcomed.

Jawoon eventually realized that if he stayed, he might be killed without anyone ever knowing. So he ran away.

I recalled the words he had once shared with me. His solitude was not a recent burden—it had been with him for a long time.

What, then, was he feeling now? As he walked toward the past he had abandoned and fled from, what was running through his mind?

I stared at his back, but it wasn’t as if looking at him would reveal his true thoughts. Before long, my attention returned to my original question.

What awaited us beyond this place?

At least we hadn’t left the borders of Mokryeo. That was a relief.

As I guarded the rear of the group, I imagined the scenery that lay at the end of this road.

Unexpected disturbances arose from time to time—distortions of perception.

Illusions of a path bending in unnatural ways, hallucinations of nonexistent puddles or cliffs tormented the travelers.

There were occasional encounters with demonic beasts as well, but even they were subdued by the overwhelming presence in the air. Dispatching these weakened creatures wasn’t difficult.

However, most of the people in our group had never seen a demonic beast up close, and fear often paralyzed them. Some refused to move altogether.

Convincing them to keep walking was, in a way, its own struggle.

Even Aro, who had once longed for the outside world, grew increasingly tense as the distance from the village widened.

“Once we leave, will we part ways Uncle?”

The sudden question caught me off guard. For a brief moment, I was speechless.

Deciding where to take this child was no easy matter.

If I took her in personally, she would end up in the palace. But how many powerful figures out there would want to seize her?

What if she were kidnapped?

With her small frame, someone could easily snatch her up and disappear. To prevent that, I’d have to hide her somewhere inconspicuous, but even that was a troubling thought.

Especially when I thought about Jincheon.

That boy had lived an even bleaker life than I had, yet someone had eventually recognized his hidden potential and unearthed him—only for him to be reforged into the greatest sword in existence.

Considering that, keeping Aro hidden might not be the best solution either. It would be a life no different from captivity, and I doubted she would want that.

And besides… when I returned to the capital, would my position still be the same?

I had been gone for too long. Would there even be anyone waiting for me?

No one would have expected me to return alive.

If there was anyone who had been holding out hope for my safe return, it would be Eunuch Han.

And he was the only true loyal subject I had.

…I'm sorry, Eunuch Han. I should have treated you better when I had the chance.

I swallowed my regret and stared into the empty sky.

Perhaps thinking I was dodging the question, Aro pinched my side.

“Don’t play around,” she said.

Jawoon’s voice came sharp and stern. “Mind your manners.”

Aro instantly shrank back, eyes downcast.

How much time had passed?

There was nothing here that could satisfy our hunger.

The air was damp and cold, sapping our strength even further.

With elderly and children among us, our resting intervals grew longer and longer.

Some people were nearing their limit. One even attempted to leave the group after seeing an illusion, insisting on returning to the village.

Osang quickly caught and brought them back.

After such struggles, at some point, the landscape changed.

The barren land of rocks and tufts of grass came to an end, giving way to a dense, shadowed forest of towering ancient trees.

“This is it…”

Jawoon let out a sudden sigh.

Hearing that, I knew we were close to our destination.

“Move quickly. We’re almost there.”

At his words, the group’s mood shifted.

Some sighed in relief, realizing they had made it safely.

Others, now truly severed from their homeland, mourned the finality of their departure.

As we entered the forest, the energy in the air grew noticeably calmer.

Even the trees no longer resembled those of the demonic wastelands.

Then, an eerie sense of familiarity washed over me.

Why?

With each step forward, I had the strangest feeling that I had been here before.

At last, we emerged from the forest.

Before us stretched not a twisted land of grotesque trees or a misty sky painted in unnatural purples.

Instead, we were met with open fields beneath a crisp blue sky.

Relief and uncertainty mixed in the expressions of those around me.

The village, the wastelands—those were no longer our world.

The fields before us were vast, yet no one knew what to do with them.

…Except for me.

In that instant, I recognized exactly where we were.

From far in the distance, faintly, the clash of spears and swords carried through the wind.

“…Ha.”

A surge of disbelief—and exhilaration—rushed through me.

I took a step forward, almost entranced.

Then I ran.

Shouts followed me, voices telling me to stop, demanding to know what I was doing.

But I couldn’t stop.

My heart pounded wildly.

And when I finally came to a halt—

A battlefield stretched before me.

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]