The Bastard First Prince Doesn't Want to Die-Chapter 207

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter: 207

Upon returning to the inner fortress, I saw the Lord of Blood Cloud Fortress hurrying toward me. It was clear he had come to find me.

"Your Highness!"

The fortress lord, rushing over in a panic, was not in proper attire. His armor was loosely fastened, and dust clung to him, suggesting he had been at the training grounds.

Blood Cloud Fortress had two training grounds, one to the east and one to the west. The eastern training ground was farther from the main gate, which likely made it difficult for him to respond immediately.

"My apologies."

The fortress lord, still catching his breath, bowed his head. I stared at his bowed head for a moment before speaking, discomfort evident in my voice.

"Raise your head. There is nothing to apologize for."

"But—"

"It's fine."

I could feel his eyes scanning me.

"Are you injured anywhere?" he asked, his voice filled with concern.

At times like these, it was hard to hide my discomfort. The fortress lord I once knew—the one who would laugh heartily and say, A few wounds won’t kill me!—was nowhere to be found. Now, before me stood only a border general, anxiously fretting over possible consequences.

"I'm unscathed. I appreciate your concern," I replied.

Though unintentional, my voice came out stiff.

The fortress lord's expression showed clear bewilderment, as I had failed to completely mask my discontent.

I quickly changed the subject.

"I'm tired."

Realization dawned on his face, and he quickly responded, "Please rest, Your Highness. I shall take my leave."

I had only said I was tired to shift the conversation; in truth, I was not exhausted at all. I shook my head.

"There’s still an interrogation left. I can’t rest just yet."

"If Your Highness entrusts it to me, I will see it through to the best of my ability. I will not disappoint you."

Scratching the back of my head, I added, "…There are questions I want to ask personally."

Understanding finally dawned on him. He nodded.

"Then, shall we head to the interrogation chamber right away?"

"Lead the way."

Of course, I knew the way there with my eyes closed, but I let him guide me nonetheless.

"Yes, Your Highness. Then, if you’ll pardon me, I shall take the lead."

The fortress lord started walking ahead, and I followed behind.

The interrogation chamber of Blood Cloud Fortress was located quite a distance from the inner fortress.

The fortress itself was built in a mountainous region, with steep inclines that made the terrain far from level. The inner fortress was constructed on the flattest available land, and the second most level area was used for training grounds.

But beyond that, down a significant slope, lay a small patch of relatively even ground. It wasn’t particularly suited for any official purpose, so it had long been used as an unofficial interrogation site.

The fortress lord kept glancing back at me as we walked.

He wasn’t checking if I was keeping up. It was more likely that he felt uneasy about revealing such an unofficial space to me.

Naturally, the area was concealed from outside view.

Passing through a dim corridor and descending a moss-covered stone staircase, we entered a secluded space.

"This may be an unpleasant place to be, Your Highness," he cautioned.

"You don’t take me for a child, do you?"

"My apologies. My only concern is that I do not wish to trouble Your Highness unnecessarily. Please do not misunderstand my intentions."

The fortress lord stepped forward and pulled open a heavy iron door. Even before it fully opened, I could already sense the presence of people inside.

One of the enemy scouts I had captured alive was in there. But he wasn’t alone.

They’ve thrown quite a few in here.

With a sense of satisfaction, I nodded to myself behind the fortress lord’s back, where he wouldn’t see.

As we stepped inside, the interrogation chamber came into view. The interrogator bowed toward me and the fortress lord.

When he looked up, his face registered surprise. He hadn’t expected me to be here.

Why the shock?

The room was just as I remembered it—low ceilings, confined space.

Cold gray stone walls stretched straight up, adorned with iron shackles and chains that made the chamber’s purpose all too clear.

Moss filled the cracks between the bricks, and the heavy darkness was accompanied by a rank, musty stench.

I sniffed the air, and the fortress lord looked at me awkwardly.

"It’s poorly ventilated, so the smell lingers. My apologies."

"Well, it’s a torture chamber. What else would you expect?"

At the center of the room sat a massive wooden chair, but it was not meant for rest.

Iron spikes jutted from its surface, and leather straps were in place to bind prisoners. Scattered around it were various interrogation tools—sharp awls, heated iron rods, and hammers of various sizes.

The dark red stains that marred them told tales of countless screams swallowed by this chamber.

The captured enemy scout knelt in the middle of the room, stripped of all weapons and armor, glaring at me and the fortress lord.

His gaze was especially fierce toward me.

If I hadn’t been there earlier, he wouldn’t have been captured at all.

"Quite the intense stare," I mused aloud.

The interrogator, standing beside him with a club in hand, raised it without hesitation and struck the scout on the back of the head.

A sharp crack echoed through the room, like a melon splitting open.

But his skull remained intact. He simply crumpled forward, his face slamming into the filthy ground.

"Urgh…"

The scout groaned in pain.

I glanced around, and the fortress lord quickly brought over a chair, placing it at a suitable distance for me to sit.

Without a word, I sat down and leaned forward, peering into the scout’s face.

"Hey."

"Urgh…"

I hope he wasn’t hit too hard to speak.

I shot a mildly reproachful look at the interrogator. The man flinched and quickly assured me, "He’s fine."

"Oh, good. I was worried you’d hit him so hard he’d turn into an idiot."

Then, I got straight to the point.

"I have one question for you."

The interrogator hurriedly propped the scout up.

"What is Yoo Geum-san doing right now?"

Yoo Geum-san.

The man who had declared that he would kill my dear younger brother and present his severed head to the Emperor of Huawei.

Of course, it wasn’t as if I harbored any particular fraternal affection for my younger brother. But that didn’t mean I could let just anyone take his severed head and saunter off with it.

Even the mere suggestion was utterly outrageous. That bastard, Yoo Geum-san, I intended to personally beat him to a pulp.

“Ugh… guh…”

However, the prisoner before me still couldn’t pull himself together after just one hit.

I turned to the interrogator with even greater suspicion.

Startled, the interrogator hastily retrieved a bucket of cold water from somewhere.

Splash-!

He unceremoniously dumped the freezing water over the enemy scout’s head. Some of it even splashed onto my pant leg, but whatever.

“G-General Yoo… he…”

At last, the prisoner began to speak. His whole body was trembling—likely from the cold—making his words difficult to understand.

“G-General Yoo received… His Majesty the Emperor’s o-orders… and is… personally p-preparing… to take to the front lines…”

Before he could finish, he suddenly broke into a violent coughing fit.

His face no longer bore the determination of a man who intended to keep his secrets. Instead, it was the face of a man consumed by fear of death.

I listened with disinterest and let his words wash over me.

“He has no interest in my head, then?”

The prisoner flinched in terror, his face draining of color. He glanced at me, then quickly averted his eyes as soon as our gazes met.

“T-that is…”

The interrogator promptly fetched another bucket of cold water and poured it over the prisoner’s head.

The chill was palpable even from where I stood.

At last, I got the answer I wanted.

After my younger brother returned to the capital, Yoo Geum-san had been deeply disappointed. But his ambition remained unshaken—he simply sought a new target.

At present, the greatest achievement he could claim was bringing back the severed head of the Lord of Blood Cloud Fortress. However, upon hearing that my grandfather, the Supreme General, had arrived, he had changed his objective.

Because my presence in Blood Cloud Fortress was still unknown, my grandfather had become his second target.

These scouts had been sent not only to gauge the current state of Blood Cloud Fortress but also to gather intelligence on my grandfather’s movements.

I stroked my chin thoughtfully and responded, “But with only the forces stationed at the three fortresses along your border, it would be impossible to defeat Blood Cloud Fortress now that the Supreme General’s reinforcements have arrived. That means the main army will be coming as well, doesn’t it?”

“Y-yes… that is… correct…”

I turned to look at the Lord of Blood Cloud Fortress.

He was watching me with a peculiar expression—half worry, half intrigue, as if witnessing something unexpected.

“Then, when he finds out I’m here, he’ll be so overjoyed he might just start dancing.”

“Your Highness!”

The Lord of Blood Cloud Fortress exclaimed in horror at my offhanded remark. Given the confined space, his voice echoed loudly.

But if I knew Yoo Geum-san, a man blinded by the pursuit of military achievements, he would never let this opportunity slip through his fingers.

After all, what an appetizing prey I must seem.

If he failed to capture me now and I returned to the capital, there was no guarantee that another high-ranking enemy general would show up in his territory anytime soon.

“What’s the matter, Lord?”

“How can you say something so reckless? Absolutely not.”

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“Don’t tell me what I can’t do. It’s not like I’ll listen to you anyway.”

“Your Highness is saying… you intend to use yourself as bait.”

“I’m aware.”

I dug a finger into my ear, feigning indifference.

Seeing my nonchalant attitude, the Lord of Bloo Ccloud Fortress finally lost his composure, allowing his true nature to show.

“That is utterly absurd.”

“Oh, come now. It’s not that bad.”

“If I were the kind of man who could sit idly by after hearing the First Prince declare he would use himself as bait, I would have never sworn my allegiance to Mokryeo in the first place.”

And there it was—the nagging.

I let out a dry chuckle.

“I’ll handle it.”

“The one in charge here is me.”

“Oh-ho.”

As the Lord of Blood Cloud Fortress raised his voice, both the interrogator and the prisoner became visibly uncomfortable, their gazes darting about in uncertainty.

“I shall report Your Highness’s words to the Supreme General at once.”

“Oh? So now that you can’t dissuade me yourself, you’re resorting to borrowing someone else’s authority?”

“If that’s what it takes, then yes.”

I casually continued picking at my ear.

“Go ahead and try.”

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]