episode_0407

“If we find the subjugation team, we will leave immediately.”

“And what about His Highness? What will happen to him? He won’t be able to escape like this….”

The mist could disappear at any moment as long as the intermediary was in front of me.

If it is certain that this man is the cause of the anomalies as he claimed, then it must be true.

“If the First Prince is alive, your life is forfeit. Whether the First Prince dies or you die, you must choose one. Are you willing to sacrifice your life out of misplaced sympathy?”

“Must we make such an extreme choice?”

“Was the First Prince a merciful person in your eyes?”

“……”

The man couldn’t answer.

He wasn’t concerned about the First Prince being kind; he was simply afraid of the aftermath if the First Prince died.

Having been brought along by the First Prince on a mission, he couldn’t bear the thought of returning alive while the First Prince perished.

“But if we kill a member of the royal family, there will be consequences….”

“We did not kill the First Prince.”

Despite being warned not to enter, he couldn’t resist his anger and ventured into the mist.

“Moreover, isn’t it obvious why the First Prince is here? The nobles are not fools. It means no one would blame him for following the First Prince and dying.”

Even if they figure it out, would the Emperor approve?

Due to the First Prince’s failure with the subjugation team, an incident occurred where the Princess attacked upon her return.

“Even if the First Prince dies, the Emperor won’t bat an eye.”

Having already attacked the Princess’s subjugation team once, the situation was dire.

The Emperor will inquire about the First Prince’s death, and other nobles will likely agree.

Therefore, the man can only survive if the First Prince dies.

“Then, shouldn’t we take action? What if he survives and returns alive? What then?”

Persuaded by my words, the man seemed to suggest that the First Prince should be killed instead.

“It would be troublesome if we left evidence by directly intervening. The First Prince must wander into the contaminated zone and be killed by monsters.”

There was no need to get involved unnecessarily and risk leaving incriminating evidence.

“The First Prince must be feeling anxious. That anxiety will lead to trouble.”

If things continue this way, the Princess will not spare the First Prince.

She couldn’t even spare herself, let alone the First Prince.

“She will kill him without hesitation. She has already seen him once.”

The Princess wouldn’t give the First Prince a second chance.

When the First Prince failed, cutting ties cleanly was a matter of courtesy.

“Whether he was chosen as the successor or not, the Princess had no reason to spare him.”

“So let’s focus on what we need to do.”

Finding the subjugation team.

Since this man was the only one who knew their whereabouts, they decided to rely on him.

※ ※ ※

The mist had thickened to the point where visibility was almost zero.

Thanks to this, escaping from where the First Prince was located was easy.

Despite gradually losing his sense of direction in the paralyzed environment, the man did not stop moving towards the subjugation team.

“It’s this way.”

“At this point, we are completely off the beaten path.”

“Yes. It seems like we’ve been wandering around the same area. It appears that the distorted fog is messing with our sense of direction.”

It would have been really difficult if we hadn’t brought this man along.

Even if we were to ascend into the sky, with fog surrounding us from all sides, it would have been impossible to locate the expedition team.

“I sense a presence of monsters. We should probably backtrack a bit.”

“Do you always navigate so well?”

Impressed by his skills, I inquired, and the man nodded modestly.

“No, it’s just that the surrounding fog provides me with information. As you mentioned earlier, I’m constantly striving to seize control. While completely dominating them is impossible, I can intercept the information these creatures provide.”

Although we should have been lost long ago, he explains that he is using the fog’s guidance to find our way.

“Impressive.”

“It’s possible because of the fog. If the fog wasn’t this dense, I’d be as clueless as a blind person.”

Could it be that having the fog allows one to demonstrate remarkable abilities?

At that moment, there was no one as capable as this man.

We continued moving under his guidance.

Finally, we spotted the expedition team resting.

“It seems like the expedition team has found the water’s edge and is taking a break over there.”

“I don’t see anything.”

“It’s right in front of your nose. Can’t you smell the musty water?”

“It does seem a bit damp.”

Unless it’s an overpowering scent due to the contaminated area, it’s not easily noticeable.

And then, after a while, I could finally see the expedition team.

“There they are.”

Approaching them joyfully, we found ourselves facing their weapons.

“Who goes there!?”

“Ahh!”

Was he experiencing PTSD or something?

Screaming at the sight of the pointed weapon, the man cowered behind me.

It seemed like he was on high alert due to the thick fog enveloping us.

Debating whether it was appropriate to ask where we came from, I spoke up.

“Please summon the senior officer. They will verify my identity.”

While it would have been easy to call for the princess, doing so would involve a cumbersome process.

Hence, I demanded to bring the senior officer, who could be summoned more easily.

“Lower your weapons and raise your hands. Contact the senior officer.”

Following the command, I disarmed myself and raised my hands, waiting.

Soon, the senior officer appeared, inspected my face, and exclaimed in recognition.

“Senior Lord?! No, how did Senior Lord end up here…?”

“Thank goodness you’re safe.”

“Senior Lord? You’re the Senior Lord?”

“Yes, yes! Please lower your weapons. This is our Senior Lord!”

The senior officer vouched for my identity, easing tensions.

Thanks to that, I could lower my arms and retrieve my weapons.

Upon hearing of my arrival, someone from the princess’s side hurried over.

“Senior Lord Suhan!”

“Chechen.”

It was indeed Chechen.

“How did you manage to come all the way here?”

“With the chaos in the empire, I couldn’t stay away.”

“Ah…come to think of it, not returning on time caused quite a stir.”

It seemed Chechen had guessed the situation in the capital.

“All sorts of rumors have been circulating. I was wondering why there was no news from you. Now that I understand the reason for your absence, it’s because of the fog, right?”

The attack by the First Prince likely didn’t have a significant impact on the expedition team.

Their failure to return was due to the ‘anomalous phenomenon’ of the fog.

“Yes. That’s correct. We were lost and wandering because we couldn’t find our way. Fortunately, we found the river and are now trying to navigate back from here.”

“Now there’s no need to worry. I’ve brought someone who can guide us even through the fog without getting lost.”

I pointed to the man hiding behind me and said to Chechen.

“Can you really guide us through this fog?”

“Yes.”

“You have the ability to manipulate the fog. That’s why you can guide us.”

“Phew~ I was really at a loss, so I’m truly relieved. You should meet the Princess.”

“Yes, we should. Is the Princess doing okay?”

“Well… she’s a bit upset, but nothing to worry about too much.”

It would be frustrating not being able to find the way because of the fog, but it seemed like the reason for the Princess’s anger wasn’t the fog.

“Are you angry because of Prince Ilhwa?”

“…How do you know that, Lord Suhandan?”

“I saw him on the way here. Prince Ilhwa.”

“Oh, unfortunately, he seems to be alive and well.”

“Yes.”

“So you guessed that.”

“That’s right. It’s too obvious that Prince Ilhwa is here.”

Chechen said with a hint of sarcasm.

“I’m speculating that Prince Ilhwa created this fog. Shortly after the fog appeared, we were attacked.”

Shudder-!

If he had stayed quiet, things might have gone smoothly, but this man, whether he had never lied before or was just naively responding unlike a noble, showed an unmistakably innocent reaction.

Chechen, quick-witted as ever, couldn’t miss such a response.

“The guide also mentioned that you can manipulate the fog, right? How much power would it take to create this kind of fog? It’s a bit surprising to hear that Prince Ilhwa has such abilities.”

“T-That’s… um…”

Unable to come up with a response, the man looked around nervously, his eyes darting.

I couldn’t just leave the man in distress since without him, I wouldn’t be able to escape this place.

“This isn’t a trap set by Prince Ilhwa.”

“It’s not?”

“No, it’s an anomaly. To find the cause, you’ll have to look to the Contaminated Zone, not to people.”

“The Contaminated Zone created this phenomenon?”

“We know less about this place than we think we do. Whatever happens here can easily be explained by the Contaminated Zone.”

It sounds like nonsense, but that’s the truth.

The Contaminated Zone was fond of playing tricks on humanity.