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Chapter: 56

Guide Deokbong\'s heart was pounding like it was about to burst.

A prince.

No less than the First Prince, at that.

Even standing before the Wolhan Fortress Lord made Deokbong\'s courage shrivel up. He was born with a timid heart. He never dared to undertake any grand ventures, nor did he dream of handling large sums of money. Anything too precious or too good was only a burden to him.

Therefore, it was fitting for someone like him to make a living by digging up herbs day by day.

- You\'ve been hiking in the mountains for a long time, haven\'t you?

But he had caught the eye of the Lord of the Wolhan Fortress. Standing before those chilling eyes, even if only for a moment, made Deokbong want to run away.

However, he couldn\'t defy the words of the Fortress Lord, the ruler of the fortress where he had lived his entire life. Because of the "crime" of catching the Fortress Lord\'s attention, Deokbong was dragged along whenever the Wolhan Fortress soldiers went out to hunt monsters, forced to guide the hunting party at the forefront.

He had been doing this for ten years now. Perhaps his courage had grown a little. He no longer felt his heart pound when standing before the Lord of the Wolhan Fortress. Still, the sight of the army\'s gleaming swords and spears made his heart race.

But then.

- Escort the First Prince.

But then, a prince?

And not just any prince, but the notorious First Prince Ikwon, known for his wild and reckless behavior. Wouldn\'t a single slip of the tongue lead to his head being chopped off? He had never heard rumors of the wild prince taking someone\'s life, but one could never be too sure.

Would his lowly life matter to such a high-ranking person? Would it be any different from a fly\'s life?

It wasn\'t even a group accompanied by the Fortress Lord himself or one of the prince\'s own retainers. If the wild prince were to cause a commotion or fly into a rage, who would stop him? The soldiers couldn\'t subdue the prince; they couldn\'t even lay a finger on his noble body.

He thought he was as good as dead.

The journey was going to be arduous, and yet the prince insisted on going himself to find the monster. Surely, he would complain of exhaustion midway and ask to turn back. It would be better to dissuade him from the start. Clutching his trembling heart, Deokbong suggested they return.

But the answer was a refusal. The prince was determined to see the monster before returning. He even said he didn\'t mind camping outdoors.

The thought of having to let the noble First Prince sleep on the bare ground, and spending a night with the wild prince, weighed heavily on Deokbong\'s mind.

The prince\'s noble appearance, befitting his status, made the responsibility even more burdensome. It was absurd that someone who seemed to belong only in the backdrop of a magnificent palace would sleep alongside a commoner like himself.

"I\'ve set up all the tents."

But it wasn\'t like that.

Nothing terrible happened.

"It\'s my first time, so my skills might be a bit lacking."

The wild prince laughed heartily.

"So, what do you think? Not too bad, is it?"

Behind them unfolded a series of tents, their corners perfectly aligned, suggesting it wasn\'t someone\'s first attempt.

But there was no way a prince would have experience pitching camping tents.

Deokbong glanced at the others. They also seemed quite surprised. Everyone was puzzled by this unexpected side of the prince.

"Now that we\'re all settled, shall we eat?"

It was mealtime right away, no time for rest. But the prince seemed hungry, so what could they do? Deokbong untied the bundle he had been carrying and took out the ingredients for dinner.

He gathered twigs to start a fire and held a flint in his hand. Just then, the wild prince approached and squatted beside him. The distance between them was less than a step. Deokbong felt his heart tighten as he struck the flint.

Click, click.

But perhaps due to the prince\'s close proximity and his nervousness, his hands weren\'t as steady as usual.

"Having trouble?" The wild prince asked.

Deokbong, who had been intently focused on starting the fire, was startled.

"Seems like it. Let me help."

The wild prince abruptly reached out and took the flint from Deokbong\'s grasp. Click, click. The prince struck the flint a few times, and a flame ignited immediately. The spark landed on dry leaves. The prince performed the entire process as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

It was a trivial task, yet it wasn\'t. A wild prince and chores? Could there be a more incongruous combination?

Deokbong cautiously hung an iron pot over the fire and started boiling dried vegetables. Worries crept into his mind. What if the prince threw the food away, calling it terrible? With a bucketful of worries, he added rice and dried vegetables to the pot. What if he refused to eat? It would make it difficult to move tomorrow. With another worry, he poured water into the pot.

The flames grew stronger, and the pot began to bubble vigorously. The wild prince remained by the fire, pestering Deokbong the entire time he prepared the food. Seeing that the prince wouldn\'t leave, Chaos also approached.

"Is it ready yet? I\'m hungry, so give me a bowl quickly."

The wild prince urged. Deokbong, with trembling hands, filled a bowl with porridge and handed it to the prince, thinking the bowl might fly towards his head at any moment.

But nothing of the sort happened, and the prince started eating right there, squatting beside Deokbong. He was no different from the others. There were no complaints or dissatisfaction. Only then did Deokbong feel a bit relieved.

"That was delicious. I guess I\'ll rest a bit and then go to sleep."

The prince sat by the fire for a while. His profile, illuminated by the flickering flames, had a strange allure that captured one\'s attention.

Standing before the fire, he looked like the embodiment of fire itself. With the mountains as a backdrop, he resembled a celestial being descended from the heavens. But if placed in a palace, he would undoubtedly be a noble prince.

One thing was certain, though. No matter where he was, people would recognize his noble presence.

The Wolhan Fortress Lord, who was as fearsome as the heavens, and the royal family, even higher than him. This wild prince, Ikwon, notorious for his foul temper, belonged to that royal family and was in close proximity. Even when he went to his tent to sleep, the prince was just a step away.

This night was both difficult and bittersweet for Deokbong.

* * *

The next day.

They set off early again. As Deokbong led the way, he pondered various thoughts.

The Wolhan Fortress Lord wasn\'t stingy with money. The reward for this job would be enough to buy his family new summer clothes.

While lost in thought, he suddenly realized the wild prince was right beside him.

"Oh, oh!"

Startled, Deokbong almost jumped back. He shouldn\'t have.

"Ack!"

He slipped and fell. Bracing himself for the impact, he squeezed his eyes shut, but the expected shock never came. When he opened his eyes, the wild prince was firmly holding his arm, which was soaked in dew.

"Yo-Your Highness, I, I..."

Flustered, Deokbong couldn\'t speak properly and just blinked his eyes. He didn\'t even register that the prince was holding his arm and that he should quickly get up. A moment later, he hurriedly regained his composure.

"I-I apologize, I apologize..."

Snicker. He heard the prince laugh. The wild prince chuckled once and then gestured forward with his chin, indicating that it was alright and they should continue. Deokbong, his face flushed red, resumed their journey.

After walking for a while, a cave appeared before them. It wasn\'t unexpected. He knew there was a large rock cave around here. They couldn\'t go any further. Beyond this point was too dangerous. He had once tried to enter and lost a fellow herb gatherer. He never wanted to witness such a horrific scene again. Deokbong spoke.

"I\'ve never been beyond this point, Your Highness."

"Is that so?"

The prince looked around with a hint of disappointment. Then, spotting the cave, he stared intently in that direction. He seemed interested in the rock cave.

"Can\'t we go in there?"

"That\'s..."

"Or I could go alone. I\'ll just take a quick look."

That was a dangerous idea. Sending the prince in alone was out of the question. Deokbong pleaded, almost prostrating himself on the ground.

"N-No, that won\'t do."

He begged the prince to take others with him if he really needed to check inside. The prince nodded.

"Alright."

Deokbong led the way. He had never been here before, so he was scared, but he couldn\'t run away out of fear. He had to endure. Holding a lit torch, he entered the rock cave. Inside, it was much damper and gloomier than outside. Shadows cast by the torch danced on the dark cave walls.

He was anxious and afraid. Deokbong wanted to go home quickly. When he got home, the first thing he would do was take a hot bath.

To wash away this dampness...

At that moment, his foot slipped. It was the second time today. He felt pathetic that he couldn\'t even walk properly after all his years as a herb gatherer.

Then, the ground collapsed.

"Aaaaaaaaaah!"

Deokbong screamed. As he slid down with the crumbling floor, he lost his grip on the torch. It fell to the ground, spreading flames.

"Deokbong!"

The wild prince called out his name. In that moment, strangely, Deokbong was touched that the wild prince remembered his name.

But what good was that if he died here? Wealth and honor were only attainable in this life. Realizing this deeply, Deokbong tried to get up.

Perhaps he had sprained it when he fell earlier, but his left ankle throbbed with pain. How could he walk back such a long distance in this condition? His future seemed bleak. A herb gatherer falling while walking in the mountains? Why did he have to do something so stupid? He sighed.

He could hear the commotion of his companions above. They didn\'t seem to understand what had happened either. Deokbong tilted his head upwards and shouted.

"I-I\'m alright!"

The wild prince then brought a torch closer to where Deokbong had fallen. It was touching that the first person to worry about him wasn\'t another soldier, but the wild prince.

With the surroundings illuminated, Deokbong could see where he had landed.

But even before confirming it, he had an ominous feeling.

Looking around, Deokbong was terrified.

Giant eggs filled the space. Eggs so large that a grown man could fit inside them.