Chapter 10: Blood and Rumors

Having climbed back up to the mountain path, Wei Shiyoung clung to a tree and gasped for breath.

Aside from finding his weakened stamina pathetic, he needed to catch his breath first.

If he ran any further, he was in danger of dying not from a wild boar, but from suffocation.

Come to think of it, driving the wild boars to the trap was the extent of a beater’s role.

Though he wore a sword for now, delivering the killing blow to the boars was the duty of other soldiers.

Even if he went toward the trap, there would likely be nothing for Wei Shiyoung to do anyway.

Even so, Shiyoung hastened his steps.

It was not out of any particular sense of duty.

Rather, it stemmed from the thought that since he could not remain isolated alone, he should stick close to the group of beaters.

Yet Wei Shiyoung’s fortune today was not so obliging.

Something burst out through the dense oak trees.

With the pale morning sun at its back, he could not make out what it was.

Perhaps, deep down, he was subconsciously trying to deny reality.

But the instant the creature unleashed a rough breath and lunged, Wei Shiyoung instinctively drew his sword.

The boar charging at Wei Shiyoung and him slashing his sword occurred in the exact same breath.

Squeeeaaal!

The wild boar thrashed violently with the sword embedded in its flesh.

Its strength was so immense that even Wei Shiyoung, gripping the hilt, was tossed back and forth.

Letting go of the sword now would put him in even greater peril.

Wei Shiyoung squeezed out every ounce of his strength to hold onto the blade.

“Get out of the way!”

A shout came from above his head.

It seemed to be an archer who had been lying in ambush atop the trees.

Wei Shiyoung also wanted to leave the rest to the archer and flee, but retreating was no easy feat.

The moment he showed an opening, he would be gored instantly.

Even while dripping hot blood, the wild boar showed no sign of retreating.

Far from it, it rampaged in a heightened frenzy.

Horrific squeals rang in his ears, and its thrashing grew increasingly violent.

Tossed about while clinging to the short sword, Wei Shiyoung only snapped to his senses upon catching sight of its razor-sharp tusks.

At this rate, he felt he would die right here without even having to wait for winter.

“Hup!”

The moment Wei Shiyoung wrenched the blade free with all his might, he adjusted his grip.

He held it with the blade pointing downward rather than upward.

Then, throwing his entire body forward, he drove the blade down with everything he had.

Gurgle, ugh…!

The blade sank deep into the wild boar’s throat.

The sound of the beast’s dying roar was terrifying.

It was a wet, bubbling sound, like blood boiling over.

Startled by it, Shiyoung stumbled backward.

Even though he had struck the blow himself, he could hardly believe how he had managed it.

Out of sheer panic, his body had undoubtedly acted on instinct alone.

“Step back quickly!”

The archer’s shout jolted him wide awake.

Without taking his eyes off the boar, Shiyoung scrambled backward in a frenzy.

Discerning that Wei Shiyoung had retreated a safe distance, the archer loosed an arrow.

The arrow hissed through the air and embedded itself in the boar’s back.

The beast struggled fiercely, but only for a moment.

Struck by a successive volley of arrows, the boar staggered and eventually crashed down with a heavy thud.

“D-Did I survive…?”

Wei Shiyoung sank to the ground with a plop.

It was because the strength had drained entirely from his legs.

He no longer even felt pathetic about himself.

Any capacity for such self-reproach had vanished the instant he confronted the boar, leaving only a turbulent exhaustion.

“Of course you survived.”

“I do not know if we can make it down the mountain in one piece, but you have overcome the greatest hurdle.”

Someone patted Wei Shiyoung on the shoulder.

Raising his head blankly, he saw a man carrying a bow.

Straining his trembling legs, Wei Shiyoung rose to his feet.

“Thank you.”

“Thanks to you, I survived.”

“No need for thanks.”

“You look young, yet you handled it with impressive composure.”

“I believe I was merely lucky.”

“Actually, it is too early to say such things.”

“You can call yourself lucky only when you descend the mountain with all limbs intact.”

“Because this mountain is still teeming with wild boars.”

Squeeeaaal!

As if validating the archer’s words, the squeal of a wild boar echoed across the forest.

Wei Shiyoung shuddered.

“Do you happen to know what became of the trap?”

“They say it trapped half of them, but the other half slipped through.”

“That is why I said from the start that a trap would never hold them…”

“Four or five might be one thing, but how could a trap possibly catch so many boars?”

At the remark seeking agreement, Wei Shiyoung nodded.

Though disappointed to hear things had not gone entirely as planned, he thought catching even half was a feat in itself.

“At any rate, today’s hunt is over.”

“Those that escaped must be thoroughly enraged, so stirring them up any further offers no chance of victory.”

As if to prove the archer’s words, beaters could be seen walking down from the crest of the hill.

Dispatching the boars caught in the nets was the job of hunters and soldiers, while beaters were meant to withdraw.

The archer turned away, apparently needing to remain on the mountain.

“Descend carefully.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Wei Shiyoung bowed politely.

As the archer ascended the mountain, the beaters came down as if swapping places.

Trudging down with exhausted steps, their eyes went wide upon spotting Wei Shiyoung.

“Are you badly hurt?”

Hurrying over, a man peered closely at Wei Shiyoung and asked.

He was the one who had looked after Shiyoung like a younger brother from the moment they set out.

“I am completely fine.”

“When you are drenched in blood?”

“Ah, this?”

Wei Shiyoung swept back his hair, which was soaked in blood and sticking to his face.

Having had no leeway to care about the spatter, only now did he realize he looked as though he had been doused with an entire bucket of blood.

“It is wild boar blood.”

“You are not injured anywhere?”

“Yes.”

“I am truly unhurt.”

“You do not need to worry.”

“What a relief, what a relief.”

“Do you know how worried I was when I saw you tumble down the slope?”

“On the other hand, I thought it might have been for the best.”

“You looked like you had never done this sort of work before, so I figured staying far away was better than getting clumsy and hurt.”

Wei Shiyoung joined the beaters and made his way down the mountain path.

Though they might still encounter an agitated boar, having many companions seemed to dispel his fear.

“Come to think of it, where do you hail from?”

At someone’s inquiry, Wei Shiyoung hesitated for a moment.

Rather than a simple question about his hometown, it was an inquiry laced with curiosity about what line of work he did.

To lay bare the circumstances of traveling all the way from distant Wunan Fortress to the capital, they would need to uncork a jar of liquor rather than chat on the road.

Shiyoung merely glossed over it.

“I belong to His Highness Prince Jin.”

“Is that so?”

“I thought it would be nice for you to work with us if you had nothing else to do.”

“I was worried because you looked simple-minded despite your size, but you seem to have quite a bit of grit.”

“I think hanging around with you brothers would be fun too, but His Highness would never permit it.”

“Well, that is true.”

“Looking at you now, it seems only your face looks simple-minded, while your personality is shrewd after all?”

“Me?”

While he had often heard that he looked simple-minded, being called shrewd was a first in his life.

Wei Shiyoung blinked his eyes.

Perhaps because the blood caked on his eyelids had dried, the skin around his eyes felt stiff and taut.

“Indeed.”

“In times like these, you latched onto the right line, did you not?”

“When you say times like these… what kind of times do you mean…?”

Wei Shiyoung was ignorant of worldly affairs.

For over the past three years, he had rarely stepped beyond the front gates of Prince Wu’s estate.

Bits and pieces overheard from conversations among the servants of Prince Wu’s estate had constituted all his news of the capital.

Because of that, it was no exaggeration to say the world Wei Shiyoung knew had frozen three years ago, and even the little information he possessed was heavily biased.

“Good grief, man.”

“Must I spell it out with my own mouth?”

“…”

“His Majesty has come to place immense trust in His Highness Prince Jin lately, has he not!”

Perhaps worried that someone might overhear, the beater lowered his voice to a hushed whisper.

Wei Shiyoung also knew that Prince Jin had secured command over the Ministry of War.

It was because Prince Wu, furious to the tip of his hair, had screamed and raged about it endlessly.

By all accounts, the Emperor seemed to be keeping the rapidly expanding faction of Empress Zhou in check.

In truth, Empress Zhou had been a formidable figure ever since entering the imperial palace as the Crown Princess long ago.

Her elder brother, Zhou Ilseong, who currently held the post of Prime Minister, was also a cunning schemer like a monstrous serpent biding its time.

Even so, there had been no major issues while the Emperor remained robust, but as the Emperor advanced in age, the balance of power had tilted.

Because an illness that began five years ago had worsened considerably, the Emperor could no longer oversee state affairs as he once had.

The Empress and ministers of the Zhou clan petitioned him to swiftly designate a Crown Prince.

Yet even while leading the morning court with his frail body, the Emperor refused to appoint an heir.

“His Majesty knows as well.”

“What will happen once Prince Wu ascends to the position of Crown Prince…”

Even a mere beater knew the overwhelming might of the Zhou clan.

The moment he began ruling as regent, Prince Wu would funnel all power to his maternal clan.

Since Prince Wu was already infamous for looking out solely for his own cronies, that it would only intensify once he became Crown Prince was as clear as day.

“…I see.”

“Is that not why he entrusted the Ministry of War to Prince Jin?”

“Because if it is His Highness, he would be capable of protecting His Majesty should any untoward incident occur.”

The final sentence was whispered so faintly it was barely audible.

It was indeed treasonously dangerous speech that warranted such caution.

Wei Shiyoung chuckled softly and spoke to the beater.

“Unlike me, you are well-versed in the ways of the world, brother.”

“I envy you.”

“Well, no…”

Belatedly realizing he had disclosed far too much to Wei Shiyoung upon their first meeting, the beater smacked his lips awkwardly.

Then, he added as if making an excuse.

“It is a rumor spread far and wide, so how could I not know?”

“There is nowhere rumors travel faster than the capital.”

“Among them are plenty of false rumors, but one that has spread from idle loafers to hunters is fairly trustworthy.”

He was subtly drawing a boundary, implying he had merely picked it up by ear.

Whatever the truth might be, the mere fact that such rumors were circulating showed that the standing of the two princes had dramatically shifted compared to three years ago.

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