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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Jjescus ]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]
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Chapter: 192
Jawoon stared at me in silence for a long time. The weight of that silence was almost unbearable, as if time itself had stopped. His gaze was fixed on me, piercing and unwavering, but within his eyes, I could see turmoil—doubt, confusion, and the struggle of someone forced to face an unwelcome truth.
"…So, that's how it is."
His voice was no longer cold. Instead, it was laced with exhaustion and bewilderment.
"Yes. So… that would make you an elder of the family."
Jawoon let out a long sigh and pressed a hand to his forehead, as if trying to make sense of everything.
"Then, what has become of So Eunyun?"
The way he asked didn’t sound like genuine concern. It felt more like idle curiosity—a reaction to an absurd turn of events rather than a sign of deep personal attachment. It seemed he wasn’t particularly close to the former queen.
"If she's been stripped of her title and status, I suppose life must be easier for her now."
Jawoon let out a chuckle—an unexpected, almost amused laugh. I had never seen him laugh like that before.
What exactly did he think had happened? Judging by his reaction, he must have assumed that the deposed queen had willingly withdrawn from palace life, and that the king had been the one left behind.
But he was wrong.
I told him the truth.
As I spoke, Jawoon’s expression shifted constantly. And by the time I finished, he exhaled deeply, shaking his head.
"And Grand General just… let that happen?"
Grand General?
I paused for a moment, searching my memory.
"The Grand General isn’t from the So family."
During my time in the palace, I had memorized the names of most high-ranking officials. The Grand General was from the Ha family, not the So family.
"I'm not sure who you're referring to."
"I mean So Eunyun's father—So Ikgyeom."
"Ah, you mean my grandfather."
"Yes."
Jawoon gave a firm nod.
"He is now the Supreme General, so I didn’t realize who you meant at first."
"The Supreme General?"
Jawoon's eyes widened in shock.
"Yes."
"Hah… Then it seems His Majesty has the Supreme General completely in his grasp. That wretched nature of his only gets worse with time."
Jawoon scoffed.
"So, tell me, Prince—do you know what leverage the king holds over Supreme General So?"
"Most likely, me."
If I were to take the throne, my grandfather would regain the power he once held. But if I lost this battle for succession and that bastard Yehui became the next king, my grandfather would be cast aside without a second thought. He’d be lucky if exile was the worst that happened to him.
Jawoon stared at me for a long moment.
"…I see. He lost his wife and now his daughter. I can't even begin to imagine what that must be like."
His voice was laced with bitter sympathy, as if he truly empathized with my grandfather’s pain.
Then, slowly, Jawoon rose to his feet. He looked directly at me, exhaustion still evident in his expression, but something deeper lurked behind his eyes—something complex and unreadable.
Resting one hand on his waist, he spoke in a deliberate tone.
"So, that is why you must return."
I nodded.
"If you return, do you believe you can claim the throne?"
I remained silent for a moment before answering.
"Yes."
Jawoon let out another long sigh.
"Going back won’t be easy. I barely escaped with my life, and things are far worse now than when I first ended up here."
"As long as I’m alive, I can make it happen. If I live, I can change anything."
"Do you truly believe that? That simply staying alive is enough?"
"Of course. If I were dead, there’d be no changing anything."
Jawoon studied me with a conflicted expression before asking again, "Do you truly believe that? That if you're alive, you can change anything?"
I met his gaze without hesitation.
"I do."
"…I see."
Jawoon lifted his head and gazed at the sky.
As I watched him, I realized that he wasn’t truly looking at the sky. Instead, his eyes were fixed on the spot where the branches and leaves of a tree—struck and killed by lightning—had once been. Though the tree had long since been cut down and removed, he still seemed to see its lingering shadow, as if the memory of it remained vivid in his mind.
"What do you plan to do?"
Jawoon turned his head and looked at Aro.
Jawoon had noticed Aro’s desire to leave the village even before I had. That was probably why the girl kept coming and going from Jawoon’s house.
Perched on the stump of the fallen tree, Aro had been idly swinging her legs, excluded from the conversation. Now, she looked up at Jawoon.
"I want to follow Uncle."
"I see."
Jawoon neither stopped her nor encouraged her—she merely acknowledged the statement.
Aro hesitated, glancing between me and Jawoon as if gauging our reactions. Then, after a moment of fidgeting, she spoke cautiously.
"But… Uncle."
She clasped her hands together, nervously twisting her fingers.
"Can't we take everyone with us?"
Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears.
With the village chief gone and Aro leaving as well, there would be no one left to lead the village. Not that Aro was ready for such a role, but still—this was a village of people who didn't even know how to fight. With the chief’s sorcery weakening and the villagers unable to defend themselves against demonic beasts, their destruction was only a matter of time.
It was an unreasonable request. She was asking me to lead the entire village out of the Demon Realm’s borders. It wouldn’t be easy, and there was no guarantee that the villagers would even agree.
If we took our time and secured enough manpower to assist with the migration, it might be possible. But I was the only one who could lead them.
And before I could even propose such an idea, I would have to explain the chief’s absence and the scheme Sannyeong had been planning. I had no idea how the villagers would react.
We also needed to prepare for the dangers lurking at the border. I wasn’t even fully prepared myself—how could I take responsibility for others?
I suddenly found myself wondering how Jawoon had ended up in this village in the first place.
"By the way, Elder—no, wait. What should I call you?"
Jawoon pondered for a moment before answering.
"Back in the capital, I was usually called Duke Unguk."
A duke?
That meant he had once held a noble title of immense rank. Why had someone like that left the capital?
Jawoon had once told me that he left because he had been ostracized by the people there. But I didn’t know the details of what had happened to him.
That was something I could ask about later. For now, I pushed my thoughts aside and returned to the matter at hand.
"I see. Duke Unguk. When you first arrived in this village, you had to pass through the Demon Realm’s borders, correct?"
"Of course."
"Ordinary people can’t survive the journey. How did you make it through?"
"Well…"
Jawoon stroked his beard, deep in thought.
"Hmm… Did you know that the First King once lived in this village?"
What? The First King?
A memory flashed through my mind—the image of the emperor I had encountered before. A wrinkled old man in old-fashioned clothes, standing in a vast, pure-white space.
It was still fresh in my mind, as if I had seen him only yesterday.
"Are you saying… the First King was born here?"
"That’s right."
Jawoon’s words made me recall the founding myth. Something about a dragon appearing… Wait. Was all of that a lie?
"Does that mean the official history was falsified?"
"If you believe that nonsense is history, I have serious concerns about your qualifications as a prince."
Come on. If ghosts exist, why not dragons too?
I scratched the back of my head.
"Anyway, because the First King was from this village, I—one of his descendants—was able to survive crossing the border."
Jawoon turned to look at Aro.
There was more to his gaze than just his words.
The people of this village… were our distant kin.
But then, why could I enter the ancestral shrine when Jawoon couldn’t?
I voiced my question, and Aro answered.
"Uncle has special abilities. Jawoon Grandpa doesn’t."
Come to think of it, not everyone in the village was allowed to enter the shrine.
I nodded slowly.
And at that moment, I finally understood why the villagers had shunned Jawoon.
Even so, their treatment of him had been unjust.
"I see. Understood."
"So, Uncle, what will you do?"
At Aro’s question, I turned my gaze toward the direction where the villagers were gathered. I couldn’t see them from here, but their voices carried faintly on the wind. I focused my senses, listening in on their conversation from afar.
Sannyeong was feeding them lies—reassuring them with falsehoods.
I didn’t want to interfere outright, but change was necessary.
After a brief moment of contemplation, I organized my thoughts.
"There’s no other way. As Aro wants, leading everyone out of here is probably the best option."
"I agree, but how do you plan to rally them? They're more stubborn than oxen."
"Convincing people who have lived their entire lives in this village to leave won’t be without chaos. That chaos is inevitable, but we can at least minimize their resistance. And to do that…"
I glanced at Duke Unguk.
"You already know, don’t you? External pressure is the simplest way."
Jawoon nodded once, stroking his chin.
"If we’re talking about an external threat, here, that would mean the demonic beasts."
"Exactly. We’ll lure the demonic beasts here and force the villagers to flee. Otherwise, they won’t move their heavy asses."
I stood up from the tree stump where I had been sitting. Aro quickly followed suit.
"Will you help us?"
I extended my hand toward Jawoon as if offering a handshake.
Asking for his help was the same as asking him to leave with us—to return to the place where he was born.
I had expected him to hesitate, to wrestle with the decision. But surprisingly, he reached out without a moment’s doubt, clasping my hand in a firm handshake.
His palm was rough and calloused from years of hard labor for the village.
I could only hope that his sacrifices would finally be repaid.
"We don’t have much time."
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Jjescus ]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]
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