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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Jjescus ]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]
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Chapter: 147
"Can you go back?"
The two injured soldiers were useless, so it would be better to send them back.
"Yes, Your Highness." As if acknowledging that they wouldn't be much help even if they followed me, they turned around without a word, following my order to return.
It didn't really matter, since Jincheon was always the one who mattered.
But that guy, he seems to be in a really bad mood.
"What are you doing?"
Although he was simply walking behind me, I deliberately picked a fight with Jincheon.
Jincheon looked up at me without saying a word.
... That look on his face, it's like he's planning to kill someone.
Am I imagining things?
I glanced at my group.
As far as I knew, there was no one who had a grudge against Jincheon.
"...Let's go."
Due to the dense foliage, we hadn't actually traveled very far. So the surroundings were no different from before.
As we pushed through the bushes, something caught my foot.
"Hmm?"
Clink-
As soon as I looked down, I recognized what it was. A whole sword had been discarded.
"It's like yours."
It was the type of sword the soldiers used.
The soldier closest to it picked up the sword.
The opposite side of the blade, which had been facing the ground, was revealed. And I was horrified.
The part that had been touching the ground was as black as if it had been left there for decades, covered in rust.
"Rust...?"
Not only me, but the other soldiers were also shocked.
"Anyone would think it had been rotting here for decades."
No one answered my words. It was an unspoken agreement.
Jincheon, who had glanced at the rusty sword and turned around, bent down and picked something up.
Without looking closely, I could tell it was a sword tassel.
But it was also damaged, like an old relic.
"It seems they went that way," Jincheon said. He turned his head in one direction. There, a cave-like passage made of rocks stretched out.
Although the entire area was covered in lush foliage, the contour of the ground showed a slope.
But...
"I don't see any slope steep enough to cause a fall."
I glanced at the rusty sword again.
Even if it had been soaked in salt water, it couldn't have gotten to this state in just a few hours.
"Go."
I tried to take a step in the direction Jincheon pointed, but at that moment, a ferocious roar echoed. It was a scream that couldn't be mistaken for the sound of the wind.
"Damn it."
"Your Highness, it would be better if we... retreated first..." One of the soldiers said. Judging by the sound, there seemed to be more than one monster nearby.
As he said, it would be better to retreat first.
Perhaps Gong Chomun's unit had also disappeared after encountering these monsters.
No, they should have just followed orders...
It was a headache, but since I had transferred the soldiers under my command to Gong Chomun, I couldn't just turn back because of them.
"Not only General Gong, but also the soldiers of the First Unit are involved, so I can't stop worrying," Jincheon said suddenly.
Why would he suddenly open his mouth when he had been so quiet? It would have been better if Gong Chomun had just died, instead of involving other people.
I avoided his gaze and said, "Did you learn that from General Yoo?"
"General So told me to be especially careful when speaking to Your Highness."
What a waste of time…
"Let's go."
As we followed the presumed path Gong Chomun had taken, the surroundings began to darken.
The rock-lined path was shaped like a small gorge, covered by dense foliage above, like a roof.
"Your Highness," the soldier who had told me to take cover earlier spoke.
"I apologize for speaking out of turn, but I have my doubts. Perhaps General Gong has devised some sort of trick..."
Before anyone else could respond, Jincheon spoke up.
"You're not the only one who thought of that."
At Jincheon's words, the soldier immediately shut his mouth.
Although Jincheon was a mere soldier like him, he was clearly of a different status. Moreover, anyone could tell that Jincheon was in a bad mood.
Even my grandfather would look wary if Jincheon frowned, so among the soldiers, Jincheon was like a cat watching mice.
...Regardless of that, to dare to arbitrarily cut off the message I had sent to the general.
As we walked, the air became increasingly heavy and damp. But since I had eaten the bellflower, the unpleasant aura wouldn't harm me until nightfall.
I was grateful for that; the feeling of being weighed down, as if every breath was draining my energy, was gone.
However, after a while, the situation began to worsen. The sky was completely covered, and I couldn't see where Gon had gone.
Perhaps it had returned to my grandfather. It was the kind of creature who didn't want to get involved in troublesome matters.
After the ambush where I had been injured and thrown to the ground, it had become even more cautious. The sly fellow.
"The path seems to be getting wider," Jincheon said.
"It's strange that there's a path like this..."
As if everyone had been thinking the same thing, they all turned their gaze to Jincheon.
"I think this must be another gorge."
It was easy for anyone to predict that the sunlight would be completely blocked soon. The surroundings were already much darker than the gorge outside.
The foliage overhead became increasingly dense. It wouldn't be surprising if something was hiding there, watching me.
Now, droplets of dew were occasionally falling from the foliage. It was unsettling to think that the water was coming from such an old forest.
The rock cliffs on either side were as sharp as a giant beast's teeth, and there were deep grooves in the rough surface, like old scars.
Moss covered those grooves. One look at the moss was enough to know how damp this place was.
Gradually, the moss spread to the ground. The moss, which grew on the ground like a mat, not only hindered our steps but also absorbed the sound of our footsteps.
Then, I heard a human voice.
"Help me..."
It was so faint that I could have doubted if I had heard it correctly, but it was a familiar voice. That might be why I was the first to notice.
"I heard a voice."
"Yes?"
The soldiers asked in confusion, but Jincheon seemed to understand and took a big step forward. I hurried after him.
"Help me..."
The faint, weak voice echoed again.
"Soldier Bu, are you here?"
My words echoed off the surrounding rock cliffs.
Are you here...
Are you here...
You...
Soon, I heard a desperate voice from a distance.
"Your Highness...?"
It echoed as well.
I was soon able to find Bu-seop. He was trapped between the rocks, his face pale.
"Your, Your Highness...?"
Bu-seop's eyes trembled when he recognized me.
He looked as if he had seen a ghost. His limbs were trapped between the rocks and he couldn't get out.
I wondered how he ended up in this situation, but rescuing him was a priority over asking questions.
"Can you move?"
"It's difficult..."
Bu-seop tried to move to free himself, but his attempt was futile. He let out a groan in agony.
"I'm sorry," he suddenly apologized. I frowned and began to move the rock that pinned his limbs.
"Everyone, come help me."
With the three remaining soldiers helping, the rock moved.
It took three people to move just one rock, so if I hadn't found him, Bu-seop would have died.
While we pushed the rock, Bu-seop closed his eyes tightly, enduring pain, and then let out a long breath.
When the rock was removed, Bu-seop's hand emerged. It was covered in blood.
After moving several rocks, Bu-seop was finally free.
"Can you move your hand?"
Fortunately, he nodded.
"I can."
"That's a relief..."
Bu-seop wiped the blood off his hand with his clothes, revealing bruised skin.
"I didn't expect Your Highness to come."
His voice was choked, as if he had given up hope.
"Don't be ridiculous. Forget about that and tell me what happened."
And so, I heard what had happened. Contrary to my expectations, it seemed that Gong Chomun hadn't intentionally led his soldiers off course.
"A monster with red fur appeared, and we fought, but we were outnumbered and had to retreat. We ran for a long time, but they kept chasing us..."
Red fur. That was the monster whose last breath I had taken with my sword. It seemed they had run away from it.
"And why were you in such a state?"
"There were also monsters here. The same kind I saw before."
Bu-seop described the monster's appearance. It was the same kind of monster I had encountered before.
"Don't they usually ignore humans?"
They weren't carnivorous species.
"But strangely, unlike the ones I saw before, they attacked us as if we were their prey... We had no choice but to fight."
"So they were acting strangely?"
I furrowed my brow.
"You don't know the reason either?"
"No, I don't."
"So, what happened to the others?"
At my words, Bu-seop looked beyond the gorge.
"The group of monsters kept coming, so we decided to flee. It wasn't a major threat, but there were so many of them..."
So they had run away. But if that was the case, why had they left Bu-seop behind and only chased after the others?
If they wanted to eat him, it would have been easier to do so since he was trapped in the rocks.
It didn't make sense.
"...Anyway, let's keep going."
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Jjescus ]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]
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