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Chapter: 94

Prince. Prince Ikwon. Who would have thought that the wastrel prince would become the biggest obstacle?

Son Gye-du paced around the room, lost in thought.

His initial plan was to win over the wastrel prince and use him as a tool to attack Wolhan Fortress Lord, but now the prince was nothing but a hindrance.

How could he get rid of the prince, who had become a stumbling block? He pondered, then raised his head.

"Right, that\'s it... I still have a card left to play."

He recalled the task he had initially given to the servant, Eulgeum. To go to the wastrel prince\'s quarters and find something that could be used as his weakness.

A weakness.

Son Gye-du was the only son of the previous Wolhan Fortress Lord. Therefore, he had been able to move around the closest circles of the former lord.

And Wolhan Fortress was the largest producer of bellflower. Naturally, the lord of Wolhan Fortress was responsible for managing the production and distribution of bellflower.

It was a natural progression for him, while hovering around the previous Wolhan Fortress Lord, to become interested in managing the bellflower.

Thanks to that, Son Gye-du quickly became suspicious of the scent of bellflower emanating from the wastrel prince.

Although bellflower was known to have no particular smell, it wasn\'t actually odorless.

Son Gye-du, who had access to bellflower almost daily until the previous Wolhan Fortress Lord chose his successor, knew its unique fragrance better than anyone.

That\'s how he had noticed the faint scent of bellflower emanating from the wastrel prince.

"It seems he hasn\'t noticed yet..."

In fact, he could have approached the wastrel prince first.

He could have threatened to inform Wolhan Fortress Lord about the prince\'s consumption of bellflower if he didn\'t immediately withdraw from the affairs of Wolhan Fortress.

That would have been a viable option.

However, the prince had already rejected his offer once before.

"How dare he..."

How dare he reject his proposal?

The fact that the prince sided with Wolhan Fortress Lord despite knowing about the bellflower must have meant that he didn\'t truly know what kind of person Wolhan Fortress Lord was.

The current Wolhan Fortress Lord was a man who would stake his life on principles.

The prince must have been so naive to dismiss him, unaware of how Wolhan Fortress Lord would react if he found out about the consumption of bellflower, a banned substance used as a drug.

He firmly believed that he could be a much better political ally.

The current Wolhan Fortress Lord was just a rigid and foolish man who didn\'t know how to use his head.

"Son Cheon-Geum, he\'s so naive, he\'s just leisurely swinging his sword,” Son Gye-du muttered.

The back of his hand, which he was stroking his chin with, was scratched and already scabbed over. He had injured himself in a fit of rage, striking walls and furniture.

That\'s how messed up Son Gye-du was at the moment.

Son Gye-du stood still, lost in thought for a long time. After some time, he made up his mind and turned around.

He immediately left the room and walked down the hallway without a moment\'s hesitation.

The workers who encountered him in the hallway tried to greet him, but his bloodshot eyes and hardened expression made them flinch.

Finally, Son Gye-du arrived at Wolhan Fortress Lord\'s office.

He stared intently at the office door. He actually hated coming to the lord\'s office.

He hated having to announce his presence and enter the office that he believed should have been his.

He had always felt that the place, which rightfully should have belonged to him, had been snatched away.

But now was not the time to be concerned about such things.

"It\'s Elder Son Gye-du."

Despite his displeasure, he spoke. As soon as he announced his arrival, Wolhan Fortress Lord\'s voice came from beyond the door.

"...Come in."

Permission was granted immediately.

It wasn\'t a welcoming voice. However, Son Gye-du opened the door without hesitation.

Creak, the door opened, revealing the interior of the office, and he exhaled deeply.

"What brings you here? To my office, no less."

The Wolhan Fortress Lord asked Son Gye-du as he entered the office.

"Wouldn\'t I have come here if I had a reason?"

Instead of answering directly, Son Gye-du responded with a counter-question. Naturally, his tone was unpleasant.

But that was always the case. Wolhan Fortress Lord, seemingly unconcerned, looked away from him.

Son Gye-du \'s gaze followed his, landing on the documents on the desk.

He walked a few steps closer to the center of the office. He could now see what the documents were: records of casualties from the battle.

"...How is the situation?" Son Gye-du began.

The Wolhan Fortress Lord, who had been reading the documents, briefly looked up at him. After a quick glance, he replied, "It\'s positive, considering we expected the worst. Although it\'s still too early to make any definitive judgments."

"In any case, you\'re saying the situation isn\'t bad? What\'s the reason for that?"

The Wolhan Fortress Lord and Son Gye-du rarely had long conversations. Although his intentions were suspicious, Son Gye-du was still an elder. There was no reason for him to be kept in the dark.

Wolhan Fortress Lord answered frankly, "I believe it\'s largely due to His Highness\'s will to fight. His performance seems to have the greatest impact on morale."

Son Gye-du frowned.

"Isn\'t that simply because he wants to return to the capital?"

"So what?"

The Wolhan Fortress Lord continued without even looking at Son Gye-du . "Regardless of the reason, it\'s a fact that he\'s playing a major role."

It was certainly not common for the Wolhan Fortress Lord, a principled person, to cover for someone\'s flaws.

Son Gye-du knew this better than anyone, as one tends to know one\'s enemies well.

He thought, perhaps the Wolhan Fortress Lord trusted the prince even more than he had anticipated.

"Aha... Is that so?" Son Gye-du said slowly.

The Wolhan Fortress Lord then looked up from the documents. His expression was suspicious, was wondering what he was up to.

"Didn\'t you come all the way here because you had something to say? There\'s no need to waste your precious time,” His voice was sharper than before.

A faint sneer appeared on Son Gye-du \'s face at his curt attitude.

"I was just curious about your opinion of Prince Ikwon."

"Just curious? You seem to have a keen interest in the war situation,” The Wolhan Fortress Lord\'s eyes narrowed. "For someone who doesn\'t even show up for battle."

Son Gye-du chuckled. He feigned innocence and said, "Even if I were to drag my old body up to the walls, would it be of any help? I would only be a hindrance."

"Then wouldn\'t that be the same for me? From the next battle onwards, I should just stay in the inner fortress and receive updates on the war situation through documents."

Son Gye-du cleared his throat at the Fortress Lord\'s sarcastic remark.

"Ahem."

"If you have no business here, how about you stop wasting your precious time and go back? Don\'t misunderstand, I\'m only saying this because I don\'t think the tea leaves I have prepared will satisfy your refined taste,” the Wolhan Fortress Lord once again asked him to leave.

Still, Son Gye-du didn\'t budge.

His attitude was completely different from usual. He was someone who used to detest even being in the same room as him.

Naturally, the Wolhan Fortress Lord couldn\'t help but notice something was strange.

"You\'re acting strangely today. It seems you have something urgent to say..."

He pushed aside the documents he had been reading and adjusted his posture.

Although his complexion still looked exhausted, his straightened back exuded an air of authority. He watched Son Gye-du with suspicious eyes.

"If you have something to say, say it. I have no idea why you came to see me like this."

Son Gye-du then spoke in a serious tone, "Even if His Highness has committed a grave mistake, do you intend to continue trusting him?"

It sounded like a concerned remark. However, these words were coming from Son Gye-du, of all people .

As far as the Wolhan Fortress Lord knew, Son Gye-du would never be concerned about him.

Even if Wolhan Fortress fell or they were defeated in battle and he was taken hostage, Son Gye-du would never care about his well-being.

"It depends on the gravity of the matter. But His Highness hasn\'t committed any crime, so wouldn\'t such a statement be meaningless?"

It was a clear message to get lost if he was just going to spout nonsense, but Son Gye-du\'s sneer only deepened.

At this point, the Wolhan Fortress Lord frowned, wondering if his goal was to waste his time and annoy him.

"You say he hasn\'t committed any crimes..."

Son Gye-du chuckled with amusement.

"Do you truly believe that His Highness has never committed a crime? Do you really believe that?"

His words triggered a thought in the Wolhan Fortress Lord\'s mind.

Bellflower... He knew about it too. But hadn\'t he already decided to bury the matter?

"It seems you have too much time on your hands. Even having delusions about Prince Ikwon being a criminal."

"Delusions? Ha!"

Son Gye-du burst into laughter. He spoke, looking more triumphant than before.

"...If he\'s obtaining and using bellflower all the way from the capital, wouldn\'t that indicate a serious addiction?"

The Wolhan Fortress Lord faltered. They were indeed thinking about the same thing.

He remained silent for a moment before replying, "There\'s no way to obtain that in the capital, so if he needed it that badly, there must have been a reason."

"Why wouldn\'t there be a way to obtain it? Is the capital such a great place? It wouldn\'t be difficult to obtain for those with power and money."

"What are you trying to say?"

The Wolhan Fortress Lord\'s voice grew louder. On the contrary, Son Gye-du\'s sneer deepened.

"Are you trying to say that His Highness is intoxicated and out of his mind due to drugs?"

When the Wolhan Fortress Lord snapped, Son Gye-du replied calmly, "That might be the case. Getting intoxicated or addicted isn\'t difficult, is it? You, of all people, should know that better than anyone."

"Your delusions are going too far."

"Whether it\'s truly a delusion or not remains to be seen."

At that moment, Wolhan Fortress Lord\'s gaze shifted towards the door. A faint shadow was cast on it.

Only the elders, a few of the fortress’s commanders, and Prince Ikwon could enter Wolhan Fortress Lord\'s office without permission.

"...Who\'s outside?" The Wolhan Fortress Lord asked cautiously.

Only then did Son Gye-du look at the door.