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Chapter: 90

A corpse, seemingly brutally murdered by a demonic beast, was discovered. The clue to this discovery was a piece of cloth brought back by the prince\'s pet crow.

The cloth was stiff, stained with blood that had long since dried.

The Lord of Wolhan Fortress, who had rushed to the prince, saw the cloth in his hand and his expression darkened.

"I suppose there\'s little chance the owner of this cloth is still alive."

It was undoubtedly the clothing worn by the workers belonging to Wolhan Fortress. He had seen this attire for decades, so there was no way he could be mistaken.

Could it be...?

Just then, the Yegyeong spoke.

"I heard that a servant had escaped from prison."

They were thinking the same thing. The incident where a servant, who had dared to trespass into the prince\'s chambers, was imprisoned. And the subsequent disappearance of that servant.

Due to the wartime situation, they couldn\'t pay enough attention to various matters, so they had put it aside to investigate later.

"I believe it could be that servant."

Only then did the Lord of Wolhan Fortress nod in heavy silence.

"Were there any lapses in surveillance?" Yegyeong asked cautiously.

"There were no irregularities in the records, Your Highness." The Lord of Wolhan Fortress continued in a subdued voice, "However, I am ashamed to say that I cannot assure you that the records are entirely reliable."

"Are you implying there were gaps in the surveillance?"

Yegyeong frowned when the Lord of Wolhan Fortress hesitated, unable to answer.

"Is there a rat?"

At those words, the Wolhan Fortress Lord\'s eyes flashed.

A rat.

In other words, a traitor.

Suddenly, a realization occurred to him.

The servant who had sneaked into the chambers of the esteemed guest and potential heir to the throne, the First Prince.

That servant had been brutally killed by a demonic beast, and only today had evidence of his death returned.

Coincidentally, the demonic beast invasion began on the day that servant disappeared.

"It\'s possible... that he was the one who opened the North Gate,” The Lord of Wolhan Fortress said in a grave tone. He was cautious to speak as it wasn\'t certain, but his suspicion was clear.

Opening the North Gate was a difficult task. Opening the gate itself wasn\'t that hard, but what followed was dangerous.

The northern wall was located very close to the demon realm, so it was common to lose one\'s life to a demonic beast immediately upon opening the gate.

There had even been an incident where a demonic beast, sensitive to the presence of a human from afar, charged and attacked the soldier opening the gate.

It was especially dangerous at night.

Everyone was aware that the North Gate had been opened on the day the servant disappeared.

However, because they were in the midst of battle on the northern wall, there was no time to investigate how the gate had been opened.

"But why would anyone risk their life to open the North Gate? For what reason...?"

"Unless he was instructed to do so, there\'s no reason to die in such a manner. If he wanted to die, there are many other ways. There\'s no reason to choose such a method."

They shared the same thought. The Lord of Wolhan Fortress nodded in agreement.

It was highly likely that someone had ordered him to open the gate.

What could the motive have been? What was at stake that would make him risk his own life and even threaten the lives of his family?

Whatever the circumstances, it was pitiful. Setting aside anger and immediate pain, the Lord of Wolhan Fortress briefly felt sympathy for the servant.

"...I have a suspicion about who might have instigated this,” Yegyeong said.

The Lord of Wolhan Fortress replied, not bothering to hide his sheepish look, "What do you mean, Your Highness?"

"Let\'s just say I\'ve been tempted myself."

Yegyeong replied quietly. Hearing those words, the Lord of Wolhan Fortress\'s fists clenched. His face flushed with anger.

So it really did happen.

"It is my responsibility for failing to properly manage the fortress and its people. I am ashamed as the Lord."

"Well, that\'s something even my father, the King, struggles with, so it seems unrelated to one\'s competence."

A brief silence fell.

"I believe there\'s a possibility that Elder Son Gye-du is behind this."

Yegyeong spoke as if he had made a significant decision. And the Lord of Wolhan Fortress couldn\'t help but be shaken by his words.

Because if Son Gye-du hadn\'t made any moves, the prince wouldn\'t have uttered his name so readily.

Realizing that Son Gye-du had already approached the prince, he let out a bitter sigh.

It was as clear as day what Elder Son Gye-du would have said to the prince.

It must have been a suggestion to attack him, the Lord of Wolhan Fortress, together.

Considering the current situation, the original means he intended to use to attack him must have been no ordinary matter.

However, he quickly calmed herself and regained his usual composure.

Thinking in reverse, the fact that the prince was telling him this meant he trusted Son Cheon-Geum more, didn\'t it?

It was he who had the prince\'s trust, not Son Gye-du. Son Cheon-Geum reassured himself that it was alright to relax a little, then swallowed a sigh and spoke.

If the prince hadn\'t fallen for Son Gye-du\'s proposals or sweet talk, what else was there to be upset about? She quickly composed her expression.

"Your Highness, are you saying...?"

"Although I can\'t be certain of what he desires... if what he wants is obtained by destroying this fortress, then he deserves to be punished."

At those words, the Lord of Wolhan Fortress\'s complexion brightened somewhat. Because it confirmed that the prince was on his side.

"For now, I think it\'s best to keep this matter a secret."

There was no benefit in letting many people know.

Not only should it be kept from those who supported Son Gye-du, but Son Cheon-Geum was also unsure of how it might affect those who hadn\'t yet chosen sides between him and Son Gye-du.

Among them, there were certainly those who opposed the Ye royal family, and they might even want to follow Son Gye-du.

The Lord of Wolhan Fortress nodded and replied, "Yes, Your Highness."

* * *

Meanwhile, Son Gye-du was troubled by the situation not going his way.

"Damn it..."

He hadn\'t had a moment of peace for days. His face, pale with tension, didn\'t improve no matter how much he adorned himself with luxurious silk clothes.

What Son Gye-du desired was to see the downfall of the Wolhan Fortress Lord. The demise of the lowly creature who had practically robbed him of everything.

However, he swore to the heavens that he had never wished for the destruction of this fortress where he was born, raised, and had lived his entire life.

He worried that if things continued at this rate, the fortress might crumble beyond repair.

People were dying every day, and the roars of demonic beasts and the screams of soldiers were endless. He was so afraid of nightfall that he couldn\'t even sleep.

As an elderly elder, he wouldn\'t be on the front lines, but if the fortress were to fall, his chances of survival would be slim.

However, unfortunately or fortunately, he was able to pull in support from the surrounding areas, and even in this dire situation, Wolhan Fortress was managing to hold its own.

He was trying his best to ignore the thought that this was due to the reckless prince taking to the front lines and making a difference.

His original plan was to have the fortress fall quickly to minimize damage, hold Wolhan Fortress Lord responsible, and strip Son Cheon-Geum of his authority.

Then, he would fill the vacant position and win over the people\'s hearts by dealing with the damage Wolhan Fortress had suffered.

But now, nothing was going according to his plan.

"He\'s a thorn in my side."

Son Gye-du\'s eyes, staring at the scenery outside the window, were bloodshot.

He had barely slept at night recently. But everyone in the fortress was unable to rest properly at night, so his condition wasn\'t solely due to the night battles.

"That good-for-nothing..."

He gritted his teeth as he recalled the image of the prince standing atop the fortress wall, leading the soldiers.

The way the prince commanded those soldiers, who weren\'t even his own, as if they were his possessions, was irritating. Was it because the prince was doing what he himself couldn\'t?

But wasn\'t that just inferiority? Son Gye-du let out a sigh, finally shaking off the image of the prince on the fortress wall that kept appearing before his eyes.

"They said he would withdraw when the time was right..."

Son Gye-du\'s fists trembled. He was seething with betrayal.

He spun around. With his back to the window, he looked at the bookshelf. There, in the middle of the bookshelf, at eye level, was what he was looking for. A small jewelry box.

Son Gye-du reached out and took the box from the bookshelf. He opened it and unfolded the paper inside.

Rustle-

The paper was a letter Son Gye-du had received from his foreign collaborator.

Son Gye-du\'s eyes, fixed on the letter, were cold and stained with betrayal.

"...Nanyagong."

It was the person who had promised to help Son Gye-du gain control of Wolhan Fortress by teaching him how to lure the demonic beasts.

Although he was a bit concerned that Nanyagong was from the Huawei Kingdom and loyal to the Huawei Emperor, his willingness to help seemed genuine.

Moreover, Nanyagong had shown great interest in the Northern Region gaining independence from the Mokryeo Kingdom. That\'s why they had decided to join forces.

Nanyagong was one of the top five most powerful individuals in the Huwei Kingdom. Such a powerful person would have no reason to covet the cold and barren Northern Region.

Even if that were to happen, the fortresss in the southern and central parts of Mokryeo would fall first. The Northern Region would be the last to fall.

It wasn\'t worth risking a war between nations for such a small gain.

Son Gye-du\'s decision to trust Nanyagong was based on his own rational judgment.

"He said it would be over within 7 days!"

Son Gye-du slammed his fist against the wall. His bloodshot eyes glared at the letter written in neat characters as if he wanted to kill the person who wrote it.

Seven days. Nanyagong had clearly said that the situation would be resolved within seven days, and Son Gye-du himself would become the hero of Wolhan Fortress. And he had believed those words without a doubt.

However, far from ending within seven days, many more days had already passed. At this rate, it seemed like it would never end.

Furthermore, that reckless prince was spouting nonsense about conquering the demon realm.

"That must never happen..."

Now, Son Gye-du was trembling. Whether it was an army of ten thousand or a small elite force, leading an army into the demon realm was nothing but foolish.

Countless generals had dreamed of conquering it, but not once had anyone succeeded. It would only lead to the waste of many lives and resources in pursuit of the impossible.

However, Son Gye-du was utterly powerless against his collaborator from the Huwaei Kingdom. He could do nothing but wait for contact from the other party.

Absolutely nothing. Even if he wanted to meet and went to find him, he couldn\'t even hold onto a sliver of hope that he would be granted an audience.