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Chapter: 26

I received the schedule. According to a court official, it was a very hastily arranged itinerary, implying it wasn't a trivial matter.

While my going might be an issue in itself, it would have been an even bigger headache if I hadn't stepped forward. Of course, for King Bonhyeon, that is.

The journey itself was expected to take five days. Factoring in sleep, it would require double that time.

This was the minimum estimate, so it was safe to assume it would take more than ten days. There were also places to stop along the way.

There were castles along the route to Wolhan Fortress, and ignoring them would be a bad move. King Bonhyeon had even summoned me personally to say:

"Do not make the regional clans feel discriminated against."

In other words, visit every single one, no matter how troublesome. Of course, they would have already been contacted while I was preparing.

If a castle required a significant detour, I couldn't go, but otherwise, I had to endure the inconvenience and meet the castle lord.

Not that all the castle lords would be eager to meet me.

"Hmm."

Castle lords were different. Those in castles far from the capital, whose families had held the position for generations, were generally uninterested in the capital's politics. Moreover, the northern regions were once considered barbarian, so they wouldn't have any affection for the royal family.

For me to come in person, and then make such a public plea for aid without even waiting half a day... it's clearly not a minor issue. Bonhyeon must have said something that left them no choice but to agree.

I hope it's not something serious.

I briefly regretted volunteering, but it was necessary.

Just before departure, I was able to confirm the composition of the group.

"This humble official will accompany Your Highness,’ Heo Seokgyeom said. With the added comment that the man who had come to pick a fight was now volunteering to follow me to Wolhan Fortress.

It was baffling, but if the Commander of the Central Military Command, Heo Seokgyeom, went, then Yoo Geung, under his command, would also go. There was no need to refuse, nor did I want to.

Anything is better than nothing.

Even if I refused Heo Seokgyeom and brought another military official, my escort would still be from the Geumo Guard.

I reluctantly agreed and looked at the eunuch. The eunuch, laden with luggage, looked uneasy. It made me uneasy too.

I thought it might be better to leave him behind.

"Eunuch Han."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"How about you stay here?"

"Why do you say that? Have you forgotten that I promised I would die by your side, even if it meant death?" Eunuch Han replied in a very aggrieved and hurt tone.

Well, I had already told him to do as he wished.

"Alright, alright."

Seeing Eunuch Han and me, Heo Seokgyeom said, "There will be nothing to worry about."

"Are you trying to comfort me now?"

It was an unexpected gesture.

But the lands north of Wolhan Fortress were harsh, uninhabitable wastelands. We're going near there, so how helpful is it to say not to worry?

Being good at something doesn't stop you from worrying. You can try to prevent worries from becoming reality, but you can't stop worrying altogether.

"How would you know that?"

When I replied, Heo Seokgyeom's expression changed as if he had bitten into sand while eating.

I changed the subject.

"What about the route?"

I had already looked at the map, so it wasn't that I didn't know the way at all, but as a bumpkin from Seopyung, there was a limit to how well I could grasp the route.

"I'm curious how many places we have to stop by."

And there was one more reason. There was one place I wanted to visit, but I wasn't sure if we would go there this time.

I thought it would be good to go there if possible, but if it deviated too much from the route, I would have no choice but to give up.

"You are scheduled to visit three places."

Fewer than I expected. Surprised, I looked at Heo Seokgyeom, and he replied, "I minimized it as much as possible."

He seemed proud.

I replied indifferently.

"That's good news."

Because no matter how many places we stopped by, the hardship wasn't mine. It's the people serving the prince who suffer, not me.

Well, if I were a real prince, I might have considered it a hardship, but I'm not.

What's the one thing a beggar is best at? Homelessness. I'm the kind of guy who sleeps well even in places without a roof, so if they let me sleep in a castle, I could stop by any number of places.

"Which three places are they?"

"Oro Fortress, Naam Fortress, and Gurye Fortress. We will pass through them in that order."

Oh.

The place I had in mind was Naam Castle. It would require a slight detour from the shortest route, but it was the most influential of the three fortresses. It was said to be a busy fortress with many people coming and going, acting as a bridge between the north and the capital.

It seemed they had prioritized influence over distance when deciding the route.

Anyway, it was good news that we were going to stop at Naam Fortress. Within a few years, a talented individual would emerge from Naam Fortress. It was the adopted daughter of the Naam Fortress Lord.

I had also been adopted by a Fortress lord, but the adopted daughter of the Naam Fortress Lord was different from me. She had supernatural abilities, and that's how she caught the fortress lord's eye and became his adopted daughter.

I heard it was precognition.

Later, she became an advisor to the Queen's older brother, Duke Woo Joong, but due to her bad temper, she earned his dislike. She was then expelled and died.

That's what I had heard. It was just something I heard secondhand, so it might not be accurate. There was no way to know the truth at this point. I had to meet her.

And if possible, I wanted to bring her to my side before she caught the eye of Duke Woo Joong.

Since she was destined to die anyway, it would be better for her to cooperate with me.

"We have informed them in advance, but it has not been decided how long we will stay in each castle. We will follow Your Highness's wishes."

"Of course, it's up to me."

Heo Seokgyeom added, "This is the list of regional castle lords among those who attended the birthday banquet you mentioned last time."

What he handed me was the list I had requested in advance. I had subtly asked Yoo Geung if he knew, and it seemed oou Geung had told his superior, Heo Seokgyeom, who prepared this.

I showed some sincerity in my response.

"Thank you."

Heo Seokgyeom then looked at me as if I were crazy.

"What?"

He seemed to find my words unbelievable.

I let loose a sigh. Seriously?

"You can go now."

I waved my hand at Heo Seokgyeom and Yoo Geung.

After they left, I read the list Heo Seokgyeom gave me and found the name I was looking for.

Baek Heon, Lord of Blood Cloud Fortress.

So you really did come.

I scratched the back of my head and continued to examine the list.

The castle lords not on the list were either on bad terms with King Bonhyeon or didn't care about what was happening in the capital.

Since I entered Blood Cloud Fortress, our lord had never once gone to the capital.

Of course, it was because he was busy.

I found the castles near Wolhan Fortress on the map and picked out the names of their lords from the list.

Most of the northern castle lords hadn't attended the last birthday banquet.

These castle lords weren't necessarily on bad terms with Bonhyeon, but rather they were indifferent to the capital.

If they were indifferent to the capital, they would also avoid answering the question of who would be the next king.

They surely wouldn't care if someone other than the eldest son inherited the throne.

They wouldn't welcome me, the king's eldest son, nor would they try to win me over.

But that didn't mean they wanted the Second Prince to be the next king.

Lumped together and discriminated against as barbarians, they were certainly not a major power.

But their strength, honed through raiding in the distant past, was by no means weak.

Confining them to the north and leaving them to face the cold winds was foolish. Of course, the past kings must have known that too.

Even so, the reason they couldn't utilize them was probably because they couldn't trust them. Even in the past, Mokryeo Kingdom went through many battles until they subjugated them. No king ever believed they would never try to rise again.

Because they weren't of the same roots.

So what?

I needed the support of the north.

To protect what I wanted to protect.

Nothing was more important than that.

* * *

The day of departure from the capital arrived.

The wake-up time was earlier than usual. I woke up at dawn, rubbing my sleepy eyes and getting ready.

Finally leaving the capital. I thought I would toss and turn all night with that thought, but true to my origins, I slept soundly last night.

However, Eunuch Han seemed different.

"You look sleepy."

When I said that, Eunuch Han gave a slow, tired shake of his head.

"Not at all. I'm perfectly fine. Thank you for your concern."

The farewell ceremony that followed was modest.

The Second Prince, who seemed to have heard the news late that I was going to Wolhan Fortress on behalf of the royal family, glared at me.

As if he would go to Wolhan Fortress, next to the northern border, instead of me.

But I could easily overlook the Second Prince's jealous gaze. The problem was the Queen, standing firmly beside him.

Her expression was calm, but her eyes were fixed on me the whole time. I thought I knew what she was thinking, but at the same time, I couldn't be sure.

I thought it was a funny sight.

If it was the Second Prince, not me, going to the Wolhan Fortress, how would the Queen have reacted then?

She would have definitely gone to King Bonhyeon and made a scene.

I was so busy watching the Queen and the Second Prince that I didn't even remember what King Bonghyeon said to me.

It was probably something along the lines of "Have a safe trip."

Unfortunately, those words didn't stick with me.

If you're going to say goodbye, at least try to look a little less bored.

Finally, I mounted the saddle. It was the first time I had ridden a horse since entering this body. It was fortunate that my original body from my days as Baek Yeon and my current body were of similar height, otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to mount properly.

When I asked Eunuch Han, he said the First Prince wasn't very good at horseback riding.

Perhaps that's why I could see curiosity and surprise in the eyes of those watching me.

"Let's depart immediately."

"Yes, Your Highness."

And so, I left the capital.