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As soon as morning arrived, I stepped outside.

To be precise, it was more like dawn, but I wasn’t too concerned about the details.

After all, whether it was dawn or morning, being busy was the same.

“I greet the Great Lord!”

I managed my fatigue with the greetings from the members.

Having gone several days without sleep, exhaustion was beginning to creep in.

It wasn’t physical fatigue; it was definitely mental weariness.

‘Too many things to worry about.’

Even though I had finished one major task, there were still plenty of matters left to handle. Because of that, my head throbbed almost daily.

At this point, it had become a habit to shift my energy to erase the headache.

Suuuuuu–!!

I spun my energy around, suppressing both impurities and pain.

Only then did I feel a bit better.

“Are you handling the work well?”

“Yes!”

Most of the members were busy organizing their belongings. It must have been due to the orders given in the middle of the night.

The command was to prepare to return to Hanam the very next day.

It probably caught them off guard, yet the members packed their things without any complaints.

It was only natural.

‘What else would complaining do? Just get hit?’

After several months of traveling together, they knew the drill.

When told to do something, they had to do it.

‘Not that there’s much to pack anyway.’

I had come almost empty-handed.

Though I tried to gather food supplies, most of it was handled through hunting.

Everyone was highly skilled, so going a few days without food was no problem at all.

It would likely be the same this time.

Sure, they might get a bit tired, but just enough to endure. That was the kind of situation I liked.

‘It’s good to see them pushing their limits.’

It was always nice to witness their attempts to bear and endure just shy of their limits.

Because if they managed to get through it, they were guaranteed to gain something.

“Can we finish the preparations by noon?”

“Absolutely.”

I could feel their confidence.

Should I ask them to do it even faster? I pondered for a moment but decided to hold back.

“Alright, then where’s the Deputy Lord?”

“Oh, if it’s the Deputy Lord, he should be at the northern residence right now. I heard he has some separate command to handle.”

“Is that so? Understood.”

After hearing the response, I immediately started walking. Just then, one of the members grabbed my arm, looking surprised.

“Great Lord? That way is south. If you want to see the Deputy Lord, you need to go the other way…”

“I know.”

“Excuse me?”

“I said, I know.”

I intended to go the opposite direction.

Because of yesterday’s incident, it still felt awkward to see Tang Soyeol or the others.

I headed toward the back of the residence.

I needed to go a bit south to see the open plains.

Ah, it wasn’t like I intentionally headed south. I just wanted to avoid them, but I didn’t come here with that intention; it just so happened that my destination was south.

When I arrived at the plains, someone was already waiting for me.

I spoke to him.

“Have you been waiting long?”

“No, I just arrived.”

“That’s a lie, right?”

“No, it’s not.”

There stood a pale, expressionless one-armed man. The King of Demons kept denying it, but I didn’t believe him.

‘Too obvious.’

He must have been here for quite a while. He might have even arrived during the night.

The King of Demons was just that kind of person.

Like a shadow, always there yet also nowhere to be found.

And still, his presence remained elusive.

‘Not easy at all.’

Even with my heightened perception through training, the King of Demons’ presence still felt faint.

I could catch him if I tried…but if he truly intended to hide, could I find him?

I instantly answered that question with certainty.

‘Impossible.’

Not at this point. That was my conviction.

But…

‘Not much longer.’

I felt it wouldn’t take long to reach that level.

This wasn’t certainty; it was just a hunch, but it felt that way nonetheless.

“I have what you asked for. It’s inside the food supply wagon. I placed a formation, but you need to be cautious.”

“Thank you.”

The item the King of Demons had stored in the wagon was none other than a wooden box containing the Wishful Pearl.

‘Even if the schedule got a bit chaotic, I need to take it along.’

I hadn’t used it properly yet.

So far, I had only utilized it for Seongyul. I hadn’t used it with the others yet.

‘Originally, I should have called everyone to share it in two days…’

But due to the incident from yesterday and the sudden letter, I couldn’t do that.

Thus, I had to make use of it, even if it meant going back to Hanam.

‘Research is needed as well.’

Besides the Wishful Pearl, I also gathered water from the pond that was located underground.

I had to confirm what effects it truly held.

Of course, I wouldn’t be the one to do that.

‘I’ll leave that to Shin Yi.’

Shin Yi may have a foul temper, but he was quite accommodating if asked, so I figured he would help me again this time.

‘While asking for help, I should learn more.’

Beyond just sorcery, I needed to learn a few other things too.

‘And also, casually learn about sorcery as well.’

Woowoo–! I felt the rings around my heart. Four of them.

It was great that the number had increased, but it was pointless without a way to use them skillfully.

‘Knowledge is lacking.’

The books offered by Gungju and the information provided by Shin Yi were decent, but they weren’t enough.

‘If I managed to acquire it, I needed to use it effectively.’

Especially.

‘The reason I needed to do that is that the thing I’ve been trying to accomplish for months won’t happen without the knowledge.’

One thing I had been striving for intensely, perhaps even excessively, for months now.

In practice, I couldn’t apply it, and even now I was just making attempts, but despite the months passing, there was no progress.

I had to accept it.

‘Not yet.’

Though the Technique of the Flame Wheel was said to have reached an incredible level, it was still not time. However, I was confident it would happen someday.

Why?

‘Good question.’

I didn’t really know. As always, it was just a feeling.

Though it felt a bit foreign, my instincts were clearly stating something.

As always, my instincts had a surprisingly high accuracy.

Especially when it came to bad premonitions, which tended to hit the mark annoyingly well. But it was just how it was.

I sensed that I needed to enhance my knowledge of sorcery to manifest what I desired.

“First of all, may I ask if you are coming with us?”

“…”

The King of Demons remained silent at the inquiry. It was the expected reaction.

“I apologize.”

I heard a refusal. Upon hearing that, I recalled.

‘What if I treated it like an order? Would he come then?’

It was just a fleeting curiosity. Would calling it an order erase the previous refusal? I found it amusingly intriguing, but…

“I understand.”

There was no need to test it purposely.

It was just a mild curiosity. I didn’t want to exploit it to twist my relationship with the King of Demons.

Furthermore.

‘If he’s going this far, it means he’s seriously concerned about things.’

It appeared the King of Demons had no plans to leave Sichuan for the time being.

It must be due to matters related to Yeon Ilcheon.

Thus, until I got a grasp of this, he probably wouldn’t make any moves.

‘What a shame.’

The King of Demons was an immense force.

In fact, he could very well be considered the most powerful among those I had.

Furthermore, as someone who could support me without relying on demon energy to restore strength, his presence was quite advantageous for me.

‘But it can’t be helped.’

That meant I needed to give up on certain things.

‘How can I cover for the King of Demon’s absence?’

I pondered for a moment. No answer surfaced.

A substitute for the King of Demons? If there were such a thing, why would there even be a King of Demons?

‘Nahi and even Tang Soyeol couldn’t fill that role.’

Even if the two of them combined efforts genuinely, the King of Demons would likely take them out in the blink of an eye.

In terms of raw power and information, they didn’t stand a chance.

If I simply calculated it, would rotating five Nahis be comparable?

‘Hmm.’

That would lead to one conclusion.

‘More time to endure and struggle.’

It was a rather foolish conclusion, but in my eyes, that felt like the truth.

“While you’re remaining here, may I ask for one favor?”

“Yes.”

There was no hesitation. The King of Demons was always like that, and I found his straightforwardness oddly comforting.

“If you’re going to stay in Sichuan, people from the Main Sect should arrive in a few months at the earliest.”

Once the report arrived, they would surely come.

The reason would be to investigate Yeon Cheon’s bridge and the unknown pond.

They would come to Sichuan for the Main Sect’s investigation…

“Please do hinder their investigation.”

I needed to prevent them from acting properly.

“When you say ‘hinder’, to what extent do you desire?”

“I just need them to slow down… If absolutely necessary, you can even kill them.”

“All of them?”

“Um.”

In the brief moment, I worked my mind diligently and continued.

“Just the ones who deserve to die.”

“Understood.”

No additional explanation was needed.

It was a somewhat ambiguous criterion, but the King of Demons didn’t inquire further.

‘If I think about it, it’s probably because…’

His criteria and mine were likely similar.

*

Upon returning to the residence, I found that preparations were nearly complete.

‘Fast, huh?’

They said they would finish by noon, yet it was much quicker than I expected.

They were efficient. As always…

‘People improve when you put them to work, huh?’

Just like old machinery, if you hit it hard enough, it listens, and so do people; work makes them capable.

It was another moment of certainty for me.

“Hiiick?”

“What? What’s wrong?”

“Ah, no. I just felt a sudden chill.”

“Ah, right. It has gotten a bit cold already.”

One of the members finishing up shook his body slightly. The guy was perceptive.

I chuckled as I scanned my surroundings. As I noted earlier, we were already in the final stage.

Once the preparations were done, we could set off immediately or wait a bit before departing. It had to be one of the two.

If possible, I wanted to go straight away, but…

‘If we have a bit of time, I ought to have a word with the Branch Leader and also get one last look at the Poison King.’

I needed to confirm a few things before we went.

Just then, a lovely voice slipped into my ears. Accompanied by a faint floral scent I was familiar with.

I turned my head, slightly stiffening.

Golden hair radiantly caught the sunlight first.

It was Wi Seol-Ah.

“…um…”

“Everything’s all set.”

“Is that…so? You’ve worked hard.”

I attempted to speak as calmly as possible, but my voice trembled uncontrollably.

It was thanks to what Tang Soyeol had said.

Wi Seol-Ah saw me without a hint of wavering. Her eyes were steady. So steady that it was hard to maintain my gaze.

“Great Lord? Are you alright?”

“Y-yeah, I’m fine.”

I didn’t look away. So she probably noticed.

How my eyes were continuously shaking.

“…Great Lord…?”

“Ah, damn it.”

I unintentionally uttered what I shouldn’t have.

At my sudden curse, Wi Seol-Ah widened her eyes.

I had never cursed at her in this life, but this was unavoidable.

Honestly, it was mostly Wi Seol-Ah’s fault.

“You look unbelievably pretty today. You’re putting me through hell.”

“…Excuse me?”

“…Why are you doing this to me?”

“Ah, no…no… I mean…”

Wi Seol-Ah was flustering from my uncontrolled words. By now, she was aware of her own beauty.

Indeed, she must have been tired of hearing compliments from all over.

Yet still, for her to be so shaken by something like this…she looked cute-.

‘Damn it.’

With that fleeting thought, my hand moved.

I nearly slapped my own cheek, but I managed to stop myself.

‘This is bad.’

Since that incident, I felt like my mind has gone haywire. My emotions were out of control.

I felt like I could grab that cheek at any moment.

No, not the cheek…something else…

Slaaap-!

In the end, I couldn’t hold back and slapped my own cheek.

“Prince—!!”

Wi Seol-Ah grabbed my arm in shock at my action. Perhaps because of that, her title had changed.

“Why…why are you doing this…?!”

“It’s fine. I’m just trying to clear my head.”

“What…?”

Yes, I needed to gather myself.

‘What on earth is going on?’

Thump—! Thump—!

My heart thumped away in an embarrassing manner. As if it was urging me not to hold back.

Greed. It’s an argument questioning what I’m hesitating to claim as mine.

‘I always had this feeling deep down.’

Was something wrong? It seemed the chaos within me was stirring up again.

Tang Soyeol’s words echoed in my mind.

Did she say my possessiveness was strong?

As much as I hated to admit it, it was true; I did have quite the possessive streak. Perhaps even more than a normal person.

Suppressing the rising feelings, I asked Wi Seol-Ah.

“…Where have the others gone?”

“Oh… Bi-ah is probably getting ready slowly. Soyeol will also be here shortly.”

Nangong Bi-ah had yet to recover entirely.

They had to hurriedly move, so she had to rest in the carriage, and it seemed Tang Soyeol was wrapping things up in another location just like before.

“Got it.”

I exhaled as I spoke.

My breath was laced with heat.

‘This is dangerous.’

It was really dangerous.

As my skills increased, my patience should have grown alongside, yet it felt like I had entered a chaotic state.

A state of frenzy?

‘It sounds crude but it’s fitting.’

Yes, that was exactly the condition I found myself in.

What a nightmare my situation had become.

“Prince…?”

Since my expression was unpleasant, Wi Seol-Ah was looking at me with worry.

As always, her clear and pretty eyes.

And those luscious lips were merely a bonus.

My hand moved.

I found myself reaching for Wi Seol-Ah’s lips without realizing.

But then—

Flutter-!!

Squeak-!

A bird suddenly flew in and landed on Wi Seol-Ah’s shoulder.

“Huh?”

With the sudden contact, Wi Seol-Ah became startled and stared at the bird, and my gaze followed suit.

‘Is that a messenger bird?’

It was undeniably a messenger bird.

Frowning as I observed it, the bird poked my hand with its beak.

It seemed to be a signal to not touch.

Ironically, it was quite calm with Wi Seol-Ah.

“There’s a letter on its leg…”

Wi Seol-Ah carefully untied the message bound to the bird’s leg and handed it to me.

I narrowed my eyes immediately upon seeing it.

It was because of the emblem inscribed on the letter.

Only one place in the Central Plains used a flower emblem of that color.

‘Baekhwa Sect.’

The letter came from Lady Mi of the Baekhwa Sect. Furthermore,

‘This is the emblem only belonging to the Clan Leader.’

It bore the seal of the Clan Leader from Baekhwa Sect, meaning only Lady Mi could have authored this letter.

‘What’s going on?’

Suddenly receiving a message from the Baekhwa Sect, I couldn’t grasp the situation.

Nodding my head, I opened the letter.

“…”

Upon reading what was written inside, my body froze.

-Your father has committed a crime against the clan and is imprisoned.

Frost settled in my heart, which had been boiling like a volcano.

 

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