The Bastard First Prince Doesn't Want to Die-Chapter 170

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter: 170

"Aro!"

A voice echoed faintly.

But a moment later, I realized that the voice wasn't echoing, but that two people were calling out at the same time.

Their voices overlapped, creating an echo effect.

"Did you hear that?" Jawoon asked. I nodded, a bit belatedly, and quickened my pace.

Although finding Aro's parents was my priority, my mind was filled with thoughts about the shrine and the village chief's magic.

"Is someone there?"

I heard a voice from ahead.

The sound of footsteps and the rustling of leaves grew louder, and soon a faint figure appeared through the fog. Then, two people emerged from the mist.

"Mr. Chu!"

Jawoon recognized them first and greeted them. The two people approached us quickly, looking relieved.

"Jawoon!"

When they were closer, I could see that they looked a lot like Aro.

They sighed in relief, their faces pale from worry. "Were you looking for us? Thank you for your trouble."

"Since Baek Yeon is here, Aro must be safe, right?"

They glanced at me and nodded in greeting.

Jawoon replied, "Yes, she's fine. Don't worry, but we should head back before it gets too late."

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"Yes, of course."

The couple nodded. We turned around and headed back to the village. The sky had grown even darker.

They seemed exhausted, probably from searching for Aro all over the place after Osang had run away.

The forest seemed even more dangerous at night, despite being less threatening than the areas we had explored during the day.

The journey back seemed shorter. Jawoon knew the area well, so it was a much quicker trip compared to when we were searching for people.

"Aro!"

As we entered the village, we saw the village chief and Aro waiting for us.

Aro ran into her parents' arms. After making sure she was safe, Jawoon turned and walked away. I wondered where he was going, and then I realized he was going to patrol the village again.

"Are you coming?" Jawoon asked before turning away.

"I guess so."

I had already walked quite a bit.

"You've been walking around enough. You should rest," he said.

"What's the point of resting?"

"You seem to prefer being active."

"It's not like that..."

He turned and walked away.

We walked for a while in silence. The forest was now shrouded in a thick, dark fog. It felt different from the fog we had encountered earlier, much colder and more sinister.

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

As we walked, I noticed that Jawoon was heading in a different direction than before. And it wasn't towards his home.

Where was he going?

The surroundings grew increasingly ominous, as if a ferocious beast could jump out at any moment. The damp earth was mottled with leaf shadows, and it was littered with dry leaves and strange mushrooms.

A foul smell of decay rose from the stagnant puddles, making the entire area feel like it was rotting.

"Ugh," I gagged.

Jawoon chuckled mockingly.

"What's wrong? Can't handle a little smell?"

"It's disgusting."

Around that time, Jawoon stopped and looked around.

"What are you looking for?"

"This is a place where monsters often appear."

"...It does seem like it."

He had stopped at a muddy clearing covered in damp leaves and rotting vegetation.

It was surrounded by trees, but there were no other signs of life.

"Let's wait here for a while. The village guards will soon find out that Aro's parents have returned and will come back to their duties. Or maybe not. In any case, if we wait here, some monsters will notice us. Then we can kill a few and leave their bodies here. The smell of their blood will keep other monsters away."

"Alright."

As Jawoon predicted, soon after, I heard a faint sound approaching from a distance.

I could hear branches snapping and heavy breathing carried by the wind.

I waited for Jawoon to notice it before drawing my sword and preparing to fight. The monster soon appeared.

It was as tall as a man, with sharp eyes that gleamed in the darkness. As soon as it saw us, it roared and charged.

"Cover me," Jawoon said, and charged forward with his greatsword. I stayed behind, watching his movements and ready to intervene if needed.

With one powerful swing, he cleaved the monster's head in two. The creature let out a bloodcurdling scream and thrashed around.

I closed the distance and plunged my sword into its neck, ending its suffering.

Jawoon dragged the dead creature to the edge of the clearing and turned back to wait.

He seemed more relaxed here, away from the village. He even made a joke.

"Do you know what we call a stunned bug?"

"...What is it?"

"A dazed bug."

"...That's not funny."

A while later, a second monster appeared. While fighting the second monster, we could hear the distant sound of approaching footsteps.

It was the village guard. They were only half the size of the original group.

"What were you thinking, acting alone like this?"

"This is disgraceful."

Instead of encouraging Jawoon for his efforts, they criticized him.

I was taken aback. How dare they?

Before I could say anything, Jawoon cut me off.

"I apologize."

He apologized to the villagers. There was no reason for him to apologize. I scoffed.

"Ha."

Apparently, they heard me, because several figures appeared from behind the trees.

I looked in that direction and saw a few members of the village guard looking at me suspiciously.

Then, a sharp roar echoed through the darkness.

Jawoon and I exchanged a glance, and he charged towards the new threat.

The monster, having spotted the group, crouched and growled. Its long, yellow teeth dripped with saliva, suggesting it was starving.

Its eyes locked onto Jawoon, and with a low growl, it leaped forward.

Jawoon, gripping his greatsword firmly, stepped forward to meet the beast. As he stood his ground, I drew my sword and stood guard beside him.

Jawoon waited until the monster was almost upon him before moving. With a swift movement, he dodged the beast's charging legs.

Despite his age and size, he was still incredibly agile, a testament to his rigorous training.

In contrast, the village guards looked tense and awkward, clearly not prepared to face such creatures on a regular basis.

Seizing the moment when the monster lost its balance, Jawoon swung his greatsword overhead and brought it down with all his might. The heavy blade struck the monster's back with a thud.

The monster let out a pained cry and collapsed. I approached it from behind and plunged my sword deep into its neck, ending its suffering.

Jawoon looked around and sighed. The villagers looked tense and relieved. Jawoon, on the other hand, seemed only slightly tired.

I watched him and pondered the relationship between him and the villagers.

The village chief and Jawoon seemed to have a mutual understanding, while the villagers seemed to resent Jawoon. Jawoon, in turn, seemed to avoid conflict with the villagers. He was even willing to endure their hostility.

For example, he chose to live outside the village.

Jawoon's earlier words seemed to carry more weight now.

However, I didn't have time to dwell on these thoughts. More monsters were approaching.

We stayed in the clearing until dawn. By the time the first rays of sunlight broke through the fog, the clearing was littered with the bodies of dead monsters.

The villagers breathed a sigh of relief. Their steps were heavy as they returned to the village.

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]