The Bastard First Prince Doesn't Want to Die-Chapter 169

[Translator - Jjescus ]

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[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter: 169

"Shall we go look for them?"

Of course we should. I nodded in response to Jawoon's question. The village nightwatch had dispersed to arm themselves.

"We don't have time to wait for them to finish."

Jawoon looked up at the sky. It was growing darker, and ashy clouds filled the sky.

"It looks like it might rain."

If it rained, the situation would become even more difficult.

"Let's go before the rain starts."

"Are you sure?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

Jawoon nodded and turned around. Before leaving the village, I looked back.

I met Aro's eyes. She seemed to be holding back tears, as if she felt like a burden for asking for help.

"We'll find them soon, so don't worry."

Aro nodded silently. Her eyes were still filled with worry, but she seemed a bit reassured by my promise.

I turned and followed Jawoon out of the village.

The direction Jawoon was heading was almost opposite to where Aro and I had been. That must be why they hadn't found her yet.

"There's no fog here."

"That's right. It's the village chief's magic."

Because of that, the ground was dry. It felt more like sand than soil. The clear visibility felt strange after being in the fog.

The ashy clouds in the sky were gradually revealing a bleak moon, adding to the eerie atmosphere. The heavy clouds, as Jawoon had predicted, were about to release rain.

"It's going to rain soon."

"The ground is dry, so it will be difficult to walk on the slopes when it rains."

Just then, I sensed something approaching on all fours. Jawoon didn't seem to notice.

It couldn't be a dangerous monster. There was no reason to reveal the existence of my abilities to Jawoon. Besides, I didn't want to be seen as an outsider.

Although it was just a feeling, I thought Jawoon might feel a sense of kinship with me. I simply placed my hand lightly on the hilt of my sword and quieted my footsteps.

If it were a dangerous monster, I would have warned Jawoon, regardless of his feelings. But the creature I sensed didn't seem particularly threatening.

A moment later, the creature came closer, and I could see its shadow. Jawoon finally reacted.

"I'll take care of this. You provide cover."

Jawoon drew his weapon and charged. He used a massive greatsword that seemed almost as heavy as a human leg.

I hadn't fully understood what he meant by "provide cover" when he charged without waiting, but now I realized he wanted me to finish off the creature.

I drew my sword and finished off the creature, then looked at Jawoon.

"You're quite skilled."

"I've had plenty of practice."

Jawoon replied gruffly. I realized he was annoyed that I had arrived a moment too late.

"Living alone, there's bound to be creatures looking for a meal."

"Of course."

Jawoon examined the dead creature. He was probably checking if it had encountered Aro's parents.

As I had expected, he said casually, "It seems it was just looking for food. It hasn't eaten in a while."

If that was the case, then this creature hadn't attacked any humans recently.

Jawoon turned and looked in the direction the creature had come from. I followed him.

"You must be quite experienced in monster hunting."

Jawoon chuckled wryly. "I've had plenty of practice, unfortunately."

"Why don't you just join the village? Why do you have to live alone?"

Jawoon walked ahead a few steps before replying, "It's obvious that they don't want me around, so why would I force myself to live there?"

He paused to examine a deep footprint in the ground. "I have no interest in troubling people. We should go this way."

Jawoon quickened his pace.

We walked for a long time, and eventually, the fog began to reappear.

I realized that Jawoon was circling the village.

"Are the villagers still armed? I haven't seen any of them. I thought we might run into them by now."

"What do you expect? If you'd seen their training ground, you'd know how they maintain their weapons."

"It wasn't very impressive."

"It's worse than that. They have no intention of fighting. It's ridiculous that they even formed a nightwatch. What can they do?"

I nodded silently, agreeing with him. Jawoon didn't seem to like the villagers very much.

Of course, it could be because they had rejected him first.

The village chief seemed to value Jawoon. Perhaps it was simply because Jawoon was useful to the village. I wasn't sure, so I didn't argue.

"They rely too much on the village chief's magic. If she were gone, they would all be dead."

Although Jawoon didn't seem to like the villagers, I didn't think he was saying anything malicious.

Considering the state of the training ground and the fact that we hadn't encountered any nightwatch members, even though we had walked half way around the village, it was clear that the village chief was essential to their survival. It was an understatement to simply call her the village chief.

If the village chief were to leave, countless powerful people would try to recruit her.

"The village chief is very old. What happens after she's gone?"

Would her magic continue to protect the village even after her death? As far as I knew, magic usually disappeared when the caster died.

The silver dagger I possessed would lose its magical properties if Soldier Do were to pass away.

"Oh, that's not a problem," Jawoon replied.

"Why?"

Did the village chief's magic continue even after her death? If so, that would mean she had broken all the rules of magic.

But that wasn't the case. Jawoon shook his head.

"There's a successor. Isn't that obvious? Someone like the village chief would have prepared a successor."

"Oh... I see."

So the village chief had a successor? I had never met this person.

"Who is it? I've never seen them. Maybe they're away on some kind of training?"

Jawoon looked at me as if I had said something absurd.

"What kind of training? You've never met them?"

I nodded, confused.

"You've never met them? You're always together."

"What?"

Jawoon raised his eyebrows. "I'm talking about Aro. She's the village chief's successor."

Aro? The village chief's successor? She didn't seem like it at all...

Then I remembered the strange feeling I had gotten when I first saw her and her piercing gaze.

Now that I thought about it, she reminded me a lot of the village chief. Like grandmother, like granddaughter.

I was so shocked that I stopped walking.

"What are you doing? Hurry up."

"I often thought there was something strange about her, but I didn't know she was a mage. But wouldn't her parents, who are older, be more likely to succeed the village chief? If it's a matter of bloodline, that is."

Jawoon chuckled wryly.

"I'm not sure about that. From what I heard... the village chief's daughter didn't inherit her abilities. Luckily, her granddaughter did. I heard this a long time ago, so I don't remember it clearly... something about entering a shrine or a temple to prove one's worth."

He chuckled again, almost bitterly.

"The village chief never told me herself. Aro would come to my place and chatter about it from time to time. I'm not sure if I remember everything correctly."

"Oh, I see." I replied briefly, then fell silent. The mention of a shrine had confused me.

What kind of qualification was needed to enter that shrine? And did Aro know about it and still take me there?

Furthermore, Aro had said that Osang often snuck into the shrine. That meant he must also have magical abilities.

So there were more people with magical abilities in this village than just the village chief.

It was hard to believe that there were two people with magical abilities in such a small village, and from different families. It was quite a shock to me.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, nothing."

"You don't look alright. Is something bothering you?"

"No, I'm fine."

I waved my arms exaggeratedly to show that I was fine. Jawoon chuckled and turned his head forward.

Ahead of us was a forest shrouded in a dark, gray fog. It looked different from the fog we had encountered before, and it gave me goosebumps.

The surrounding atmosphere felt sharper and more chilling, as if everything had become hostile.

It must be because of the moon. A thick, dark fog was rolling in from a distance, different from the usual fog. It carried a cold, still energy.

I looked around again. Even though I was familiar with this path, I felt a strange sense of unease.

Then, I heard a human sound.

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]