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Chapter: 87

At the prince\'s words, seeking volunteers to join him in reorganizing the front lines, Bu-seop immediately raised his hand.

"I want to volunteer!"

He intended to be the first to volunteer and secure a position closest to the prince. However, things didn\'t go as expected. There were more volunteers than he thought.

"I\'ll volunteer!"

"I want to volunteer too!"

"Me too...!"

Soldiers raised their hands one after another.

The number of volunteers, which had been increasing one by one, gradually swelled to a number that was difficult to count. Seeing this, Bu-seop made a disappointed face.

\'No way, why are there so many?\'

Bu-seop, who had been saved from danger during the battle thanks to the prince, had recently developed a great fondness for him.

He wanted to be near the prince, not just watching his back from afar. After all, even animals follow their lifesavers.

And now, the prince was going to the front lines and selecting men to accompany him. He couldn\'t help but step forward.

If he followed the prince and achieved merit, he would get a good position, and even if he didn\'t achieve merit, he would be able to repay his life debt.

Of course, it would be more dangerous than being stuck in the fortress, but life was meant to be lived only once.

He would rather face his fears and follow his heart than regret it for the rest of his life.

Bu-seop snorted in displeasure and looked around. A mid-ranking officer was walking among the soldiers, holding something to write on.

It seemed he was going to write down a list of names.

\'Oh, no!\'

But the officer approached another soldier and asked for his name, completely ignoring Bu-seop, who had raised his hand first.

\'I was the first to raise my hand! Damn it...\'

Unfortunately, however, Bu-seop wasn\'t the only one who thought this way.

Quite a few soldiers were voluntarily raising their hands, hoping to be by the prince\'s side or to get a chance to earn merit.

Meanwhile, Heo Seokgyeom, who was standing four or five steps away from the prince at an angle, observing the situation, was still displeased with the prince\'s decision.

He understood that it was to gain military achievements. The prince, known throughout the country as a good-for-nothing, couldn\'t miss this opportunity if he wanted to gain the throne.

\'Gain everything, or lose everything.\'

A future with only one of two outcomes.

Moreover, he hadn\'t thought there would be enough volunteers.

However, the result was by no means worse than expected.

Heo Seokgyeom was surprised as he looked at the assembled soldiers. Although he didn\'t show it outwardly, he was quite impressed.

\'He has made so many of them willingly follow him.\'

Even with a rough visual count, it seemed to be well over a thousand.

In this case, they would have to select skilled individuals from among the volunteers to reach the number of 1,000.

"...Ha."

Heo Seokgyeom let out a chuckle without realizing it. A nearby commander looked at him.

Turning his head towards the gaze, Heo Seokgyeom made eye contact with the man.

\'Hmm...\'

He remembered the affiliations and names of the commanders. If he wasn\'t mistaken, the other person was a commander named Gyo-hyeon from Yeoan Fortress.

He had heard directly from the prince that they had a battle at Yeoan Fortress.

\'If that\'s the case, he wouldn\'t have a favorable view of His Highness.\'

He wouldn\'t want to get in the prince\'s good graces, and then it would be difficult to gain military merit. There would be no reason to pay attention to him.

Just as he was about to pass him by, the prince turned to the commanders.

"Why don\'t you decide here? I think we\'ve had enough time."

Several commanders volunteered to follow.

Heo Seokgyeom also wanted to follow his lord, but he held the highest position among the military officers from the capital.

Therefore, he couldn\'t leave his post easily. Yoo Geung would follow the prince in his stead.

As he was thinking this, the man named Gyo-hyeon, whom he had made eye contact with earlier, stepped forward, saying that he also wanted to contribute to reorganizing the front lines by following the prince.

Heo Seokgyeom looked at Gyo-hyeon, who had changed his attitude, with a puzzled expression, then chuckled.

Come to think of it, wasn\'t he also one of those who disliked the prince intensely?

\'Indeed. So was I.\'

Then, what about the day they return to the capital?

When that time comes, will the influential figures in the capital change their minds, just as he did, just as that commander Gyo-hyeon did?

\'I don\'t know.\'

It\'s something he can\'t know.

However.

\'It doesn\'t seem entirely impossible.\'

* * *

A few days passed, and after properly selecting 1,000 soldiers and conducting some training, the preparations for the expedition were finally complete.

Except for a small number of archers among the 1,000 troops, the rest were all soldiers trained in close combat.

Therefore, it was difficult to expect to achieve anything significant with just the 1,000 men I had chosen.

Naturally, until the front line moved a certain distance from the wall, the support of the soldiers on the wall would be more significant than close combat.

I thought about selecting more than 1,000, but there wasn\'t enough space to maneuver, so even if I chose more, it wouldn\'t be of much use.

"Oh dear. It seems like I\'m going to die from this attire, not the demonic beasts."

"Please retract your words. You must wear everything without fail,” Eunuch Han said while helping me with my armor. "You cannot be careless with armor."

"Think about the weather. It\'s hot."

"But wouldn\'t it be better to collapse from the heat than from an injury?"

"Not better at all."

Still, the eunuch was as stubborn as a bull. What\'s the point of trying to break an old man\'s stubbornness? In the end, I raised the white flag.

After finishing the last minute preparations, I went out to the north gate. The Wolhan Fortress Lord was already waiting for me.

"Your Highness."

"Hmm."

The Wolhan Fortress Lord bowed his head. The others who were with him also bowed their heads.

Our eyes met as he raised his head. It felt different than usual.

"...Actually, this gate is rarely opened."

The Wolhan Fortress Lord suddenly started speaking.

"After all, there are no houses on the other side, and if you go a little further, it\'s the demonic territory. There\'s nothing to eat, and it\'s just a dangerous mountain, so there\'s no need for a gate. Nevertheless, there was a reason why this useless gate had to be built."

"What is that reason?"

"It was the ambition to conquer."

The Wolhan Fortress Lord said calmly. But the content was not so simple.

"The previous lords believed that the demonic territory beyond this gate could one day be conquered. And to cultivate fields there, build shops, build houses... It has been a long-held wish of our fortress to make that land, where people couldn\'t even set foot, a place where children can run and play. That is why this gate was necessary."

A dream they had for so long, a wish they yearned for so much, but failed to achieve for hundreds of years.

And I was challenging that.

If I succeeded, it would be a greater achievement than any previous lord\'s.

He must have told me the story of the north gate to convey that message.

The Wolhan Fortress Lord’s face was bathed in the twilight. The sun was setting.

We had decided to leave at the time when the demonic beasts appeared, so this was the time.

"May you be safe. I wish you good luck."

"Hey, we\'re not going that far, there\'s no need to be so dramatic,’ I said with a laugh.

"I wish everyone safety."

With that, I left through the gate.

I could feel gazes piercing me from the top of the wall. It wasn\'t a bad feeling.

* * *

With my back to the wall, I prepared for battle. The fishy stench and scent of blood, unique to demonic beasts, drifted from afar.

"They\'re coming."

As I said that, those who noticed the scent mixed in the wind nodded.

Just then, a thunderous roar was heard from afar.

"————!"

"————!"

Several people frowned and covered their ears. Along with the roars, a dark mass appeared like a swarm of clouds.

It was the demonic beasts. Despite having come outside the walls of their own volition, some couldn\'t hide their fear and faltered.

"Your Highness\'s safety is our top priority."

Yoo Geung, who was nearby, said anxiously. I snorted, implying he should worry about himself.

"We\'ve faced these creatures countless times already! Don\'t forget that all of you have already repelled a horde of demonic beasts. There\'s no need to be afraid!"

When I shouted, the tense expressions of the soldiers hardened.

Puuuuu-

The sound of a horn echoed, and the soldiers drew their spears in unison.

As if excited by the sound, the roars of the approaching demonic beasts grew louder.

A thick murderous intent to kill and devour slowly spread through the air.

The tension made my blood run cold.

This is why they say once you\'ve tasted the thrill of battle, you can\'t help but go back.

The demonic beasts approached within striking distance. My body instinctively stiffened at their intense murderous aura, but the soldiers charged with their spears thrust forward.

Spears and demonic beasts, fountains of blood gushed out.

Every time numerous spears were thrust in sync, the ear-piercing screams of the demonic beasts echoed.

But unlike the roars, the screams boosted the morale of the soldiers. The screams of the demonic beasts were terrible, but they weren\'t a sign of fear.

"————!"

"————!"

Even though the creatures next to them had just died, the demonic beasts, smelling the intensified scent of blood, rampaged with excitement.

Still, it was quite stable for a first attempt.

If we could maintain this formation, today\'s battle would be concluded safely.

"Just do as you\'ve trained!"

Puuuuu-

Suddenly, the horn blared again. Why was the horn blowing all of a sudden? There was no reason for it.

I soon learnt why.

"A giant individual is coming!"

At first, it was just an unidentified shadow approaching from the front.

A demonic beast with dark fur was rushing towards us. Its size seemed to be three times larger than the others.

The commanders shouted at the top of their lungs. But their voices didn\'t reach my ears. It just sounded like meaningless shouting. Yes, like noise no different from the roars of those demonic beasts.

"Quiet."

"...Pardon?"

The commanders looked at me in bewilderment when I spoke. But I ignored them and handed the spear I was holding to Yoo Geung.

"...Your Highness?"

"Hold this for a moment."

Emptying my hands after handing over the spear, I drew the sword from my waist with one hand.

"Y-Your Highness?"

A voice called out, seemingly trying to stop me, belatedly realizing what I had decided.

But they should also know, they couldn\'t stop me.

"That one is mine."

The giant individual.

I was convinced that I had to catch that one myself.