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Chapter: 36

Gae Yeohwa was reluctant to reveal her ability of foresight. And I couldn\'t stay in Naam Fortress for long.

In such a situation, Eunuch Han got shot by an arrow. Thanks to that, Lord Naam was apologizing for harming my subordinate, and I gained both a reason to stay longer in Naam Fortress and more time to recruit Gae Yeohwa.

It was a strange coincidence.

"Was this your doing?"

I slipped away to a secluded spot and leaned against the fortress wall. The black shadow that had been hovering in the sky slowly approached.

Flap, flap. The wind from its wings ruffled my hair.

The creature perched itself on my shoulder without permission.

I spat out a strand of hair that had flown into my mouth and asked, "Who said you could sit there?"

"Then where should I sit?"

There was nothing but the fortress wall around, so there wasn\'t really a suitable place for it to perch.

"I\'ll let it slide this once."

Gon started grooming its feathers while sitting on my shoulder. Dust is going to fall everywhere... I glared at him and asked again. "This was your doing, wasn\'t it?"

It ignored my question and shook its head.

This bird-brained creature was a master at changing the subject.

"You..."

So that\'s how it was going to play it.

I quickly reached out to grab it. But this wasn\'t a closed room; it was an open space next to the fortress wall. The situation favored the creature trying to escape rather than me trying to catch it. I barely even grazed its feathers with my fingertips.

Flap, flap. Black wings blurred my vision.

"Hey, you! You, you!"

I lost it in the end. Gon flapped its wings in the air above my head and said, "Instead of being grateful for my help, you dare reach out your dirty hand? How can there be such an ungrateful person?"

I scoffed in disbelief.

"Wow, you think words are everything."

"I have never spoken falsely."

"You\'re the ungrateful one, you bird-brain."

I couldn\'t help but sigh. I grabbed the back of my neck and looked down. The sun was so bright that I couldn\'t even look up at the bird flying in the sky.

"Who\'s been taking care of your meals all this time? Me? Was it me? It was Eunuch Han. If you\'ve been getting fed, the least you could do is not make him end up bedridden."

Then, the sound of flapping wings grew closer. I looked up to see it descending towards the ground. It didn\'t come too close, afraid of being caught by my hand.

Cunning little thing.

"What is this?"

I sighed once more.

"Ugh."

Gon started making excuses.

"Do you think I wanted to hurt him?"

"So, you\'re saying it was a mistake?"

"I\'m saying there was no other choice."

"What other choice?"

"None of those who followed you were non-combatants. If I had chosen one of them, wouldn\'t there have been casualties?"

It shook its head as if I was hopeless.

"You\'re saying you deliberately chose Eunuch Han. Because he was the weakest."

"You have such a big head, yet your thinking is so shallow."

And then it clicked its tongue. The scene was absurd.

"...So you\'re saying you created this situation!"

"Wouldn\'t it be better for me if you prospered and lived a long life? I merely took care of something you needed."

It was an unexpected answer. I had been careful with my words even in front of it, just in case, but Gon was smart enough to deduce that much.

"When did I ask you to do anything for me?"

"Weren\'t you trying to impress that female, Gae Yeohwa? And didn\'t you need time for that?"

I gritted my teeth.

But it wasn\'t wrong. I couldn\'t deny that the method it chose was effective.

After all, I hadn\'t suffered any losses.

"It sounds weird when you put it that way."

"Did I say anything wrong?"

"You\'re missing the point. What I need is a capable advisor, not a specific person."

"But you still need to impress her for her to help you, don\'t you?"

I sighed again and scratched the back of my head.

"Let\'s just say you\'re somewhat right."

"So, how are you going to impress her now?"

I did have a way.

The key was to persuade Gae Yeohwa herself. And to persuade her, I needed something to offer.

I had noticed early on that Gae Yeohwa\'s situation wasn\'t the same as Gae Rihwa\'s. But that didn\'t mean I knew how Gae Yeohwa felt about Lord Naam.

It was too early to conclude that her situation was so bad that she wanted to escape immediately. But if there was a reason for her to reach out to me, it could only be that she wanted to leave this fortress.

At the same time, it meant she was willing to join my side despite knowing about my reputation as a madman.

I also had to consider the possibility that she had foreseen something with her ability. If that was the case, it could be interpreted that she had foreseen a reason to follow me, no matter what. Of course, this was just an assumption since I didn\'t know the extent of her prophetic power.

In any case, even if Gae Yeohwa was trying to use me to escape Naam Fortress, I was willing to play along.

Even if she used me as a lifeline to escape Naam Fortress, Gae Yeohwa didn\'t really have many other options.

Sure, if she revealed her ability, there would be countless people eager to have her. But unless she was a fool, she wouldn\'t reveal it. She\'d have to worry about having a knife at her throat right away.

So, if she latched onto me as a lifeline, she\'d have no choice but to cling to it until the end.

A fake engagement... Well, if I pushed for it, it could somehow be made possible. Unfortunately, I\'d have to endure some backlash, but it wasn\'t something I couldn\'t handle.

It was the price to pay for gaining a strategist with the ability of foresight.

Hiding my complex thoughts, I replied nonchalantly, in the same tone as the King.

"Well, I\'m not sure."

"You\'re hopeless."

"What do you want me to do when she doesn\'t want to reveal her hand? And if I just blurt everything out, I\'ll be labeled a madman."

"What does that matter?"

"Of course it matters! Even if I can\'t win her over completely, I need to avoid being seen as crazy."

"You\'re already considered a madman, what\'s one more label?"

"That\'s..."

This damn bird.

I was slightly annoyed, but it was right. It was annoying because it was right.

Why was I in a position where I couldn\'t even refute a mere bird\'s criticism?

What a sad life.

"Honestly, there\'s nothing I can do. Not yet."

"So you have no intention of resolving it."

"I mean, there\'s nothing I can do right now."

"Then, are you just going to sit back and do nothing?"

"Of course not."

Do nothing? It had no idea.

"By the time we return to the capital from Wolhan Fortress, something needs to have changed."

"You sound unsure."

"Not really."

I had already relayed a message through my grandfather, so things were bound to change.

Gon fell silent for a moment, then changed the subject in a softer tone.

"And, I am also deeply sorry about his injury."

"Really? Then come here."

It sensed danger and took a few steps back.

"Why are you asking me to come over? You can talk from there."

"Just come here. I\'m not going to kill you."

Gon approached cautiously, still suspicious.

I grinned.

"Have you ever heard that crow soup is good for recovery?"

"Caaaaaw-!"

Ouch, my ears!

* * *

Two days had passed since Eunuch Han was bedridden.

It felt empty starting the day without Eunuch Han, who usually helped me get dressed every morning. Feeling a bit lost, I left my quarters, thinking I\'d walk around the castle walls.

I was walking absentmindedly when I suddenly heard a crow\'s caw.

I looked up at the sky, and as expected, a jet-black shadow was circling in the air.

The dark figure gradually drew closer.

I smiled and asked, "Are you bored?"

"There\'s no such thing as a bored crow. Maybe in the palace, but not here. Hmph."

It seemed like there were bored crows after all.

"You probably don\'t have anything to say."

"I do!"

"What could you possibly have to say? You just squawk."

There couldn\'t have been anything special happening worth calling incidents. There hadn\'t even been a single loud noise here. There was a training ground near the lord\'s residence, but not a single soldier was in sight.

It was a fortress that hadn\'t been used as a fortress for a long time, so there was no need for tension.

"Squawk? When have I ever squawked?!"

He flapped his wings and attacked me. I swung my arms and struggled with him for a while.

"You must have been really bored. Coming here to pick a fight without even having anything to say."

"You started the fight."

I rubbed my ears. Gon shouted angrily.

"And, I do have something to say!"

"What is it?"

"Something to report!"

He puffed out his chest proudly as he spoke.

He must have been eating well because his black chest feathers were gleaming.

"A group of humans is approaching."

"A group of humans?"

"Yes!"

What was the big deal about that?

"About how many?"

"Not many. Less than half of your group."

If it was a group visiting Naam Fortress...At the very least, they wouldn\'t be people sent from the capital. They were probably merchants from Naam Fortress or Lord Naam\'s personal guests.

"With that number, they are probably not merchants."

It wasn\'t unusual for someone to come and see the lord. It was just a normal occurrence. It wasn\'t something to pay close attention to. Probably.

"It\'s nothing special."

"The lord himself went out to greet them."

"He went out?"

Let me correct myself. While visitors coming to see the lord wasn\'t noteworthy, it was a different story if the lord himself went out to welcome them.

"You mean he went out to welcome them?"

He nodded.

"Yes, you fool. Do you think I would speak without reason? That big head of yours is just for decoration."

If Lord Naam personally went out to greet them, who could they be? I hadn\'t heard anything about this. He must have deliberately kept it from me.

Someone he had to hide from me?

I stared at Gon intently.

He was acting all proud, but as I continued to stare, he slowly lowered his head.

"That\'s strange."

"What\'s strange?"

"Lord Naam, of course.

Anyway.

"Like I said yesterday, I heard crow soup is supposed to be really good."

Of course, I was just joking.

"Caaaaaw-!"