The Bastard First Prince Doesn't Want to Die-Chapter 167

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter: 167

A short while later, we arrived at the outskirts of the village. A flat, open space surrounded by weeds and small stones stretched out before us. Only after taking in the entire scene did I realize that this was the training ground. It was a shabby place, but its purpose was clear.

The first thing that caught my eye were the trees lining the edge of the training ground and the ropes connecting them. Colorful cloth strips were tied to the ropes. It seemed like they had wrapped this around the entire village boundary.

The ground was hard-packed from years of use, and there were numerous gouges from weapons. On one side of the open space, there was a wooden rack neatly stacked with the village militia's weapons. Spears, daggers, scythes, and a few battered shields of various lengths and shapes were piled on top. About half of them looked unusable.

"There he is," I said, spotting Osang standing on one side of the training ground. Aro tugged on my hair. This little girl treated my hair like her personal toy after I gave her a piggyback ride.

"Hurry up and put Osang in his place," she urged.

"I know, I know. Stop pulling," I said.

On the other side of the training ground where Osang was standing, there were a few straw dummies and wooden training mannequins about waist-high. They were worn from years of use, with straw poking out in places and deep cuts from blades. Despite their dilapidated state, the dummies swayed slightly in the breeze, which might have startled someone with a weak heart if they saw them at night.

"Why don't they fix those?" I asked.

"Haejung said to leave them," Aro replied.

Who was Haejung? I racked my brain, then remembered the village chief calling in the nightwatch members. He was a man who seemed to lead the nightwatch despite being much younger than the village chief.

Seeing the state of those training dummies, I didn't have high hopes for the nightwatch’s skill level.

I stopped exploring the training ground and walked towards Osang. Aro spoke up as I approached.

"I brought him," she said. Osang hadn't turned around once during my approach, as if he was deliberately ignoring my arrival.

"Why are you ignoring him?" she asked.

Osang finally turned to look at me. He had always seemed a bit unfriendly, and that didn't change now.

"What is it? Why did you come?" he asked.

To be honest, I didn't have any particular reason. This little girl, Aro, had insisted I come, so I did as she asked.

Instead of answering, I put Aro down on the ground.

"Didn't you call him 'useless'?" Aro asked.

Osang looked startled. He seemed unaware that Aro had reported his words to me.

I chuckled.

"Well, well. What are you going to do about it?"

Osang tried to compose himself, but his flustered expression betrayed him.

"I, I never called him useless."

"Yes, you did!" Aro blurted out.

"I did not!" Osang retorted.

Suddenly, tears welled up in Aro's eyes. She started to sniffle, looking quite pitiful. It was all so trivial, yet... I couldn't help but feel sorry for her.

"There's no need to cry," I said. "He probably wants an apology. Just say you're sorry."

Osang glanced at me, then abruptly turned and started to run. He quickly dodged the rope marking the edge of the training ground and disappeared beyond it.

"Hey, hey..."

Aro's eyes widened in surprise as she watched Osang vanish beyond the rope.

"Oh, Uncle! You can't do that!"

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The tears that had been welling up in Aro's eyes had turned into a pale, frightened look. I glanced at her, then at the rope marking the edge of the training ground.

That rope...

Wasn't its original purpose to keep the monsters out?

"Oh no," I muttered.

I knew I had to go after him. But I'd have to leave her here. Just as I was about to take a step, Aro grabbed my pants.

"Don't go alone..."

When our eyes met, her grip on my pants tightened.

"You don't know the way."

It felt like she'd hit me over the head. I didn't know the way either...

While I stood there, dumbfounded, watching Osang run away, he had already vanished. And in the ever-foggy Demon Realm, how was I supposed to find him?

"He probably hasn't gone far. If we follow him right away..."

"I know exactly where Uncle went. But the path is dangerous."

In other words, she was asking me to take her with me. But how could I take a child, who couldn't even catch a rabbit, into a dangerous place?

"What if it gets dark?"

That was a good point. They'd said the moon would be full soon, which meant a higher risk of encountering monsters. I hesitated.

Maybe it was better if I went alone.

"I'll go alone, so you go tell the village chief that Osang ran off to a dangerous place."

"But Grandma said to follow Uncle wherever he goes."

I was taken aback. I hadn't realized she knew that. So that's why she'd been following me around?

"Me?"

"Who else is there?"

But I hadn't meant in a situation like this... As I hesitated, Aro pressed her case.

"Take me with you."

I sighed.

"Is it far?"

"Not at all."

I wasn't sure this was a good idea, but I had no other choice. And I was confident I could handle any monster that came my way.

"We'll be back soon, right?"

Aro nodded. I picked her up and stepped over the rope.

"How did you know that?" Aro asked, startled. I snorted.

"I can just tell. Adults know these things. Do you know what that rope does?"

"It weakens the monsters. They lose all their energy if they get too close. That's why they never come near. Would someone like Uncle come here? Well, maybe on a night like tonight."

I nodded. "Does it affect humans?"

"Over there," she replied, tugging on a strand of hair on the top of my head instead of answering my question. I thought giving her a piggyback ride was bad enough, but now she's pulling my hair too.

I mentally noted the indignity and turned right.

"Uncle, over there, that way," Aro whispered. She'd suddenly lowered her voice as if she were being cautious. The direction she pointed at was shrouded in an extremely thick fog, so thick it made the fog I'd seen so far seem like nothing. One entire area was completely grayed out, and nothing could be seen beyond it.

"...We have to go in there?"

It was a very suspicious place. But since there was no way she'd lead me into danger just to get me in trouble, I assumed it wasn't a trap.

"Yes, let's go quickly."

Feeling uneasy, I stepped into the thick fog. After only a few steps, the scenery changed dramatically.

"...What, what is this?"

I stammered, dumbfounded.

A completely different scene unfolded before my eyes, unlike the gloomy and damp forest outside.

A quiet, heavy atmosphere enveloped a building that looked like a shrine, located about ten paces ahead. Tall stone pillars stood around it.

What could those enormous stone carvings, which even the entire village couldn't have erected, possibly mean?

"Who lives here...?"

But there was no sign of any living creature. Not a single person, not even an ant.

"This can't be right."

There was absolutely no sound at all. I'd never experienced anything like it. I frantically looked around with Aro on my back. Then, Aro grabbed a handful of my hair.

"Ouch!"

"Stop looking around and find Uncle!"

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]