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Chapter: 76

Even though it was late, the lights were on in the pavilion where Yegyeong was staying.

"You seem tired," Heo Seokgyeom remarked.

Yoo Geung, who was returning to his room after a bath, flinched slightly upon seeing him.

He bowed to his superior, who seemed to have been waiting for him, and took the towel off his shoulder.

"No, I\'m fine."

Heo Seokgyeom suddenly chuckled. Yoo Geung was still Yoo Geung. The only thing that had changed from the first time he saw him was his rank.

More wrinkles would be added as time went on, but that would be all.

He could tell his past self, who had worried about Yoo Geung being summoned by the good-for-nothing prince, that such worries were unnecessary.

But even if he had been told that, he wouldn\'t have believed it.

Back then, Heo Seokgyeom wouldn\'t have dreamed that he would follow that scoundrel all the way here.

Moreover, he had even worried that Yoo Geung, who was sometimes frustratingly upright, would be negatively influenced by Yegyeong.

"Really? It seems like babysitting suits you."

Heo Seokgyeom joked, and Yoo Geung laughed awkwardly.

"It\'s more like..."

How should he put it? Yoo Geung paused for a moment to choose his words.

"He\'s a type I\'ve never seen before. He follows everything I teach him, so it\'s hard to stop... He might even be better than me, so I didn\'t feel like quitting."

"You seemed to be enjoying yourself."

"Yes, I can\'t deny that."

"It\'s too early to judge, but he seemed to have potential."

It was very rare for Heo Seokgyeom to say such a thing.

Knowing that he was stingy with praise, Yoo Geung\'s expression darkened a little.

First, there was the incident where Yegyeong, who had never properly trained before, held his own against him, and now this boy appeared...

Despite his young age, he clearly had a talent superior to his own. If they were the same age, he might not have been a match for him.

Heo Seokgyeom, observing Yoo Geung\'s expression, quickly grasped his thoughts.

"Don\'t make that face. Do you think His Highness called you for no reason?"

Yoo Geung gave a wry smile.

"He has good eyes, doesn\'t he?"

Heo Seokgyeom himself wasn\'t in the position he was in just because of his innate talent.

But he had never been ashamed of himself.

Although they started at the same line, his other colleagues had fallen behind, and he had risen to the position of commander. He firmly believed that effort was also a talent.

"There must be a reason why His Highness called you to his side, just like that boy."

"Do you really think so?"

"Do you think His Highness is foolish enough to keep someone useless by his side?"

At those words, Yoo Geung recalled the Yegyeong he had seen.

Even when he was a true good-for-nothing.

"...Perhaps?"

Heo Seokgyeom coughed at Yoo Geung\'s hesitant reply.

"Ahem. Of course, His Highness was a bit... free-spirited in the past. But doesn\'t he seem different now?"

"Honestly, it\'s hard to believe he\'s the same person."

"He may have had a change of heart. It\'s also a subordinate\'s duty to anticipate his superior\'s intentions."

Yoo Geung stared at Heo Seokgyeom with a surprised look.

"Commander."

"Speak freely."

"His Highness..."

Yoo Geung paused and hesitated.

Just then, they heard footsteps pounding from down the hallway.

Both of them turned their heads to see Yegyeong walking towards them with hurried steps.

"Hey, you there."

Yegyeong approached, pointing in their direction. The two bowed to Y-gyeong.

"Why aren\'t you resting..."

Whoosh-

But Yegyeong passed by them without even acknowledging their presence.

The two men who were ignored soon realized that Yegyeong wasn\'t looking at them, but at Jincheon, who had opened the door across the hallway and poked his head out.

Yegyeong walked towards Jincheon with an indifferent attitude.

"Found this on the street."

Ye-gyeong tossed a small package at Jincheon. Jincheon caught it and held it preciously to his chest.

Heo Seokgyeom, who had accompanied Yegyeong earlier, recognized the package as the sweets from the Pyeonggwang Merchant Guild.

"Why are you looking at me like that? Do you want sweets too? Aren\'t you too old to be scavenging for such things?"

Yegyeong, who had finally turned around, said to Heo Seok-gyeom and Yoo Geung.

"No... no, Your Highness."

Yegyeong waved his sleeves and went up to his room on the second floor.

"Well, he did take him in personally,” Heo Seokgyeom muttered.

Yoo Geung glanced at Heo Seokgyeom. It was probably his imagination, but he seemed displeased.

Surely Commander Heo, known for his strictness and bluntness, wouldn\'t be envious of mere sweets.

\'Is he... jealous? No way.\'

But one thing was certain. There was no need to ask if Heo Seokgyeom had decided to follow Yegyeong.

* * *

At the same time.

Eulgeum, who had spent almost his entire life as a servant in Wolhan Fortress, recalled the times when the gatekeeper of the north gate was away from his post.

And he approached the north gate during the brief shift change of the guards.

Sweat poured from his palms like rain, and cold sweat ran down his forehead and back.

The wind brushed against his skin, but it wasn\'t enough to dry the cold sweat pouring down like rain.

Eulgeum felt like crying. He felt nauseous, as if he was about to vomit.

Finally, he opened the north gate.

* * *

One of the common traits of the creatures called monsters was that they became more active at night.

Wild beasts of the mountains were also more active at night than during the day, but the difference was incomparably greater for monsters.

Several monsters in the mountains flashed their eyes in the pitch-black darkness.

The strong stench of blood carried by the wind reached their noses. For the ever-hungry monsters, such a stimulus was an irresistible temptation.

"————!"

A house-sized monster roared, shaking its head. The numerous scars on its hide spoke of its past battles.

Hearing the roar of their leader, the other monsters awoke from their slumber. They, too, noticed the scent of blood in the air.

Following that, monsters of other species flapped their giant wings and soared from their nests.

The sky above the mountain was covered in black shadows in an instant.

But no one in Wolhan Fortress anticipated this.

The fact that the path from the demon world to the north gate of Wolhan Fortress was littered with the corpses of dead animals and humans, as if on purpose...

It was certainly a shocking sight, but after tonight, no one would know the traces of this disturbing scene.

Even as the horde of monsters, drawn by the smell of blood, devoured every last piece of those corpses.

Even as they approached the walls with their hunger still unsatisfied.

It was only after a long time, as dawn approached, that the drowsy guard on the wall noticed their approach.

* * *

I had a dream.

-Yeon-ah.

It was a nostalgic dream.

-What are you doing, just staring without saying anything? Are you sleeping standing up?

-Ahn, I know you usually talk like that, but do you have to speak that way even to your brother you haven\'t seen in a long time?

-Yes. Ahn-ah, what good is it to talk like that to your brother whom you won\'t see again?

-Why are you only picking on me?

...A very nostalgic dream.

I\'m fine.

I\'m fine. Brothers, and... Fortress Lord.

But why do you all look so pale? Why are you all so thin? And what\'s with those clothes? It\'s been over for so long, why are you still wearing armor, and broken armor at that?

Please give me an answer. Can\'t you hear me? Fortress Lord. Brothers. Please say something.

-How have you been, Yeon-ah?

Of course, I\'m fine. I\'ve been well. I\'m not just saying that. Really, I have been doing well. Eating well, sleeping well, no hardships. Everything I want to do is going well. Smooth sailing.

I have many people I can trust around me. They all follow me well, and I\'ll make a big contribution soon. You\'ll be surprised when you find out. Just wait a little longer. I\'ll surprise you soon.

-How have you been? It seems like just yesterday you were throwing a tantrum because you didn\'t want to learn from your brother and wanted to call Father, Father. There\'s no way a kid like that would be doing well. It\'s obvious.

No, brother.

It\'s true.

I\'m really doing well. I\'m living well.

-You seem much less spirited than before. Perhaps it\'s because you\'ve suffered a lot...

Suffering? When did I ever suffer? What is this trifling hardship? What have I done to deserve this? I can do this a hundred more times.

...As long as the Fortress Lord and my brothers are safe.

As long as you... as long as you live, I\'ll take care of everything. Is there anything I can\'t do? I mean it. I can really change everything. I\'ll bet everything I have, I\'m confident.

But, you can\'t meet the dead again, no matter what you do.

Brother, Eldest Brother, are you truly alright now? I can still see you hanging from the spear. You couldn\'t even close your eyes when you died, how deep must your resentment have been? Are you at peace now, after leaving at the end of such terrible humiliation? You must be. There shouldn\'t be any more pain now.

That\'s the only way I can find solace.

-Yeon-ah.

Yes, Fortress Lord.

-Survive.

Why, why are you saying that? You said the same thing back then. Back then, at dawn when Blood Cloud Fortress fell...

Dawn.

"Ahh."

My eyes opened. I hurriedly sat up, feeling strange. Or rather, the atmosphere was strange. No, that wasn\'t it either. Something...

"This is ominous."

I rubbed my face with my fist as I stood up. Honestly, I was getting all worked up over a dream. I didn\'t feel like I could go back to sleep, and it wasn\'t too early, so I changed my clothes.

"I should ask Eunuch Han to make me some bellflower tea when he wakes up."

Since I had nothing to do so early in the morning, I sat back on the bed, closed my eyes, and meditated.

It was an attempt to calm my uneasy mind. I had a bad feeling for no reason.

A moment later I could faintly feel hurried footsteps approaching the pavilion. It seemed to be the effect of skipping the bellflower tea yesterday.

But why?

The footsteps didn\'t stop and rushed into the pavilion.

They kept getting closer to me.

I got up and opened the door. The man who had just arrived flinched, then bowed his head and said, "R-Reporting to Your Highness. It\'s an emergency!"