The Bastard First Prince Doesn't Want to Die

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter: 159

I don’t know how long I’d been out.

It couldn’t have been just a moment. My eyes fluttered open, and a throbbing headache hit me.

It was that kind of headache you get after sleeping for too long. Which meant...

I'd been unconscious for a long time after being poisoned by the beast.

When I opened my eyes, a blurry flame caught my attention. It was a candle.

Where was I? I’d been out cold for so long that I had no idea. It was absurd.

I stared blankly at the candle. Had the poison affected my brain? I couldn’t think straight.

The lack of any other sounds suggested that the poison had dulled my senses. It was like the effects of the bellflower.

Except that the bellflower was meant to be a medicine, while this poison was foreign to my body. It made my whole body feel numb and heavy.

Gradually, my senses began to return, and I noticed something strange about my surroundings.

It wasn’t just unfamiliar; it was incongruous.

The wooden walls, the paper windows, the quiet tatami floor – it felt like I was dreaming.

How could this be real?

It was a small but cozy room. The flickering candle cast a warm glow, and instead of the cold, bitter wind and the chill of the ground, I could smell faint herbs and feel a gentle warmth.

I must be dreaming. My last memory was of losing consciousness after being poisoned by the beast...

Maybe I was dead. I propped myself up on one elbow. The bed was so soft that I almost fell back down.

I looked around again, and tapped on the wooden wall.

“It was all white…”

I recalled my experience of death.

They said that the afterlife was a place of endless whiteness, with no beginning and no end.

Then, I remembered that old man—or should I say, that old geezer, the first king.

I stared at the blank wall and said, “Hey, old man, are you there?”

There was no reply.

I called out again, “Old man.”

Still, nothing. I started to get impatient.

“Old man? Aren’t you here? Did you ascend already? Really?”

I called out louder, but there was still no answer. I sighed.

“With your personality, I doubt you went to a good place. You should have waited a little longer. You’re in a hurry, as always.”

Well, it didn’t really matter to him whether I succeeded or failed. If I was destined to fail, then that was that. Maybe he had just hoped I would succeed.

Then I sensed something. I wasn’t sure if I imagined it.

It was definitely a sound. Someone was walking towards me. It sounded like footsteps.

Creak... bang-!

"Ah!"

I saw a shadow through the paper window, and then the door burst open. A small voice screamed.

It was a child.

Maybe seven or eight years old. A child in a place like this? Even in a city, it would be dangerous for a child to be alone. And in this monster-infested wasteland? It was impossible.

I must still be dreaming.

“What the…” I muttered in disbelief.

The child turned around and shouted, “Grandpa! Uncle is awake!”

Her voice was clear and cheerful. It didn’t fit this place at all.

Wait, cheerful?

What was there to be cheerful about in a place like this?

Many soldiers who had embarked on the expedition to conquer this wasteland had complained about the dreary journey.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Amidst my confusion, an old man appeared.

"Quiet," he commanded, his voice deep and gravelly.

With a single word, he silenced the curious child who had been staring at me. The old man had a thick beard and piercing eyes that seemed to belong to someone from another world.

He had an otherworldly aura about him, but it was that very strangeness that grounded me in reality.

Of course, a normal person wouldn't be found in a place like this.

I glanced down at my clothes.

Thanks to Gon's constant nagging, I'd developed a habit of checking my appearance whenever I met someone new. And given the circumstances, it was clear that the old man had saved me.

As I had expected, I was wearing clothes similar to his.

But my sword was missing. I must have lost it while I was unconscious. I patted my chest and realized that the dagger that Soldier Do had enchanted for me was also gone.

I looked directly at the old man and asked, "Did you save me?"

The old man nodded.

"Yes, I did."

If he had wanted to harm me, he could have done it while I was unconscious. There was no reason to doubt his intentions.

"Thank you. I'll... I'll repay you."

I could pay him back once I returned to the city.

But I had no idea how far the city was from here, so I hesitated to make any promises. When I hesitated, the old man shook his head.

"No need. I didn't bring you here to be paid."

"You mean you did it out of the goodness of your heart?"

"Yes."

He said that, but there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world. I would at least have to chop some firewood. Even if the old man truly didn't want anything in return, it wouldn't be right.

I looked at the child who was staring at us with wide eyes, her hands covering her mouth.

"Is she your granddaughter?"

"Hmm," the old man paused before answering. "No, she's not."

My eyes widened.

"If she's not your granddaughter, then... are there others here?"

The old man looked at me as if I had said something strange.

"Yes."

A village... I hadn't expected that. It seemed I had found a way out after all.

I knelt down.

"Why are you doing this?"

"I said I rescued you."

"Yes, but I mean... I'm a stranger."

"That's obvious."

"I have a place to go back to."

The old man raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"You have a place to go back to?"

"Exactly. There are people who need me, people who are looking for me. I have to return."

The old man looked at the child, who was still staring at me with wide, curious eyes.

"She's curious about you."

"I can see that."

I smiled awkwardly at the child.

“Your former status doesn’t matter. Unless you’re the king of a nation... What difference does your past make in a place where the law doesn’t reach? However, it’s good to hear that you’re not a criminal.”

“I’ve never committed any crimes.”

Well, there was that time in my past life when I was young and stole some food, but I wasn’t going to mention that.

“Very well then.”

“Do you believe me?”

“What does it matter if I believe you or not? There’s no way for me to verify your past.”

"None at all,” The child interjected. She was still covering her mouth.

“Aro, I told you to be quiet.”

The old man glanced at me and said, “Call this child Aro."

I nodded.

“Alright. I’m…”

I paused, thinking.

Should I say Yegyeong? But I heard that the only people with the surname Ye in Mokryeo were members of the royal family or distant relatives...

Of course, this wasn’t Mokryeo, but the fact that I could communicate so easily meant I couldn’t be too far from my homeland.

After a brief moment of thought, I said, “Baek Yeon.”

“I’ll call you Master Baek. I’m Jawoon.”

After exchanging names, the old man turned to leave.

“Rest up. If you want, I can show you around the village.”

“Could you give me a tour?”

“Certainly. If you wish.”

With that, the old man left the room.

“This is strange,” I muttered to myself, looking at the child who was still covering her mouth.

“Aro, right?”

“Yes.”

“Aren’t you worried about your grandfather leaving you alone with a stranger? Shouldn’t you follow him?”

The child looked up at me with wide, innocent eyes and nodded.

“It’s okay.”

“You trust me that easily? I mean, I told you I was on the run.”

It was strange that he would leave a child alone with someone he had just met.

"Are you a strange person, uncle?"

"I don't know."

Ah.

"I won't hurt you. But you..."

Did that child call me 'uncle'? I didn't even finish asking the question, finding it a bit shocking.

And soon, I realized why the old man had stopped questioning me about being a criminal.

And why he had left a child behind.

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]