The Wastrel Prince Becomes Ruthless Chapter 64

By Yuwon’s experience, Yuwon’s intuition never lied.

‘The enemies were coming!’

He could never be certain when or how he had gained this intuition. It was different from the way the strong sensed momentum.

This was something far more animalistic.

The fact that, the moment Yuwon felt threatened, his instincts acted before his reason proved it.

Even before Yuwon consciously raised the tension in his entire body, his body had already completed preparations for battle.

‘Whether it was because of the Black Serpent or something that formed after being bitten by the Hatchling of the Dragon-Scaled Serpent… that wasn’t important right now. I simply made the most of what I was given.’

Yuwon could be certain that the enemy would soon strike.

Without a moment of hesitation, he immediately took action.

“Terrien. Return at once and prepare for the battle ahead. Until you receive further orders from me, assist our allies with your full strength. I will join you shortly.”

“Yes, understood. Then where will Your Highness be going?”

“First, I must inform Count Valaris and Marquis Carson of this news.”

“Indeed, it would be faster for Your Highness to move personally than for me to do it. Understood. Then I shall make preparations for the battle as commanded.”

Yuwon nodded in lieu of a reply. Time was far too urgent.

He dashed forward at full speed toward Marquis Carson and Count Valaris. Fortunately, the two of them were together.

“Your Highness?”

“Oh, welcome, Your Highness.”

The two greeted him warmly upon seeing him. Of course, Yuwon had no intention of exchanging leisurely greetings.

“Listen to me clearly. There is no time to explain the details.”

“Yes? Suddenly, what do you—?”

“There is no time to explain. We must pull the subjugation soldiers back immediately and gather all troops within the Count’s territory to prepare for the enemy. The beasts will strike soon.”

“…!”

Startled by Yuwon’s explosive declaration, Count Valaris and Marquis Carson showed the same expression.

They were surprised, but not disbelieving.

“If it is Your Highness’ word, it is trustworthy. We will act at once.”

“Did you foresee it again this time? Haha, I still don’t know anything yet, but if Your Highness says so, I have no choice but to believe it. Then I shall end the banquet right—”

Kuwaaak—!

Marquis Carson’s voice did not finish. Instead, a rough cry that seemed to rise from the abyss echoed across the night sky.

“…!”

“Damn… for the cries to already be audible… the situation has become urgent. For now, the two of you must immediately carry out what needs to be done. I will go and examine how far the beasts have advanced.”

“Yes, understood.”

As the situation grew dire, Yuwon naturally took the lead.

The two veteran commanders, who had already acknowledged him deeply, immediately accepted his orders and moved to their respective positions.

“The banquet ends here today! Everyone disperse!”

Marquis Carson commanded the subjugation soldiers—who were stirred by the strange howl—to end the banquet and return at once.

“Inform all troops in Valaris to prepare for battle immediately. For them to dare attack Valaris while I still stand strong… I shall slaughter every last one of those foolish monsters so they never dare commit such arrogance again.”

Count Valaris issued orders to his loyal adjutants. Thanks to their swift response, retreat and preparation were carried out simultaneously and flawlessly.

“Damn it, what’s all this about?”

“They say the enemies are coming again. The beasts.”

“Damn… hell… Alright, let’s head inside, prepare properly, and regroup. Before we leave, we should at least earn our keep.”

“That’s exactly what I wanted to hear. My body was itching for action anyway.”

In the faces of the subjugation soldiers hurrying away, one could feel a strong determination that hadn’t been there before.

They had survived their first battle and stood here proudly, and today they even had a sturdy fortress behind them—something they lacked the previous time—so their courage swelled.

As the urgent situation unfolded, Yuwon moved at full speed and stood atop the tall fortress wall.

From the high ground, when he focused his inner strength into his eyes, he could see something rushing from the far southern distance.

‘Fast…!’

A speed so unbelievable that even seeing it made him doubt.

A horde of beasts—so many species mixed that one couldn’t even tell them apart—was releasing a vicious murderous aura as it charged toward them. And at tremendous speed.

‘Why would such things suddenly…!’

Yuwon didn’t know the southern situation in full detail, but he knew the general outline.

‘There’s no way large-scale invasions should happen this frequently….’

Ordinarily, it was extremely rare—only a handful of times a year—for a massive horde of beasts to gather and attack Valaris.

Other than that, only a few wandering beasts or stragglers from the Southern Great Jungle would appear.

‘But this is already the second time in only half a month. Something’s wrong….’

It was such an abnormal attack cycle that it felt as if someone were luring the beasts.

‘Think about it later. For now… there’s something I must deal with first.’

Yuwon dashed back into the darkness. His long white hair reflected the moonlight within the darkness, shimmering. A streak of white light traced itself across the night.

It had been only ten minutes since Yuwon informed the Count.

As expected of Valaris, the shield of the Empire’s far south, it was strong.

In that short span of time, Valaris’ troops had prepared for battle without a single deficiency and stood ready for the enemy’s attack.

The tightly closed gate, the Valaris archers armed with oil-soaked arrows, and beside them stood soldiers prepared to immediately deal with beasts attempting to scale the walls, armed with spears and swords.

Each one of them was a seasoned warrior who had experienced anywhere from a dozen to dozens of battles. Though they were mere soldiers without the ability to use mana, the aura they exuded together was no lesser than that of any knight order.

Thus, the elite troops of Valaris had completed all preparations.

Ordinarily, they alone would have faced the enemy, but today was different.

Today, the subjugation soldiers stood with them.

“Though he had sparred while dressed in formal wear before, this was the first time in such a situation. Living long enough truly meant seeing everything.”

Across the fortress wall where the troops were stationed, subjugation soldiers stood here and there in ridiculous attire.

They had joined straight from enjoying the banquet, unable to properly change their clothes.

“Is this really the time to worry about appearances? Valaris’ forces are famously strong, so they could hold out even without us. But with our help, the tide of battle will tilt much more in our favor. The casualties will lessen as well.”

“I just said it because I’m tense. Do you think I care about the scraps of clothing barely hanging off me in this situation?”

“Then that’s good. Because the bastards are about to arrive.”

The subjugation soldiers, who had only managed to grab their weapons and haphazardly pulled leather armor over their formal clothes, were placed in the appropriate positions to lend their strength.

Seeing this from afar, a faint smile spread across Yuwon’s lips.

‘They’ve all changed a lot.’

When the subjugation unit first departed, they were foolish youngsters dressed excessively from head to toe.

Now, even with the ridiculous combination of formal wear and overlapping leather armor, they carried themselves respectably.

‘Now they finally look like a subjugation unit. With the Marquis and the Count over there, I can trust that side.’

The warm smile that had formed from satisfaction faded quickly.

Using the excuse of scouting the enemy’s movements, Yuwon—already far from the battlefield—spoke toward the empty air.

“How long will you stay hidden.”

Where the smile had faded, another smile replaced it. A chilling smile that made one’s spine shiver settled on Yuwon’s lips.

“They said you weren’t ordinary, so I came to see how impressive you were….”

A voice echoed from the empty air. Soon, the voice revealed itself.

“To think you saw through my concealment technique. Had I come alone, I would have died without being able to resist.”

Srrrk―

As if proving those words true, three more figures canceled their concealment and appeared beside the first man.

All of them were dressed in black from head to toe. Judging by their appearance and the aura they carried, they were evidently not ordinary people.

‘Assassins at a time like this… at this point, someone has clearly made a move in advance.’

Someone had sicced assassins on Yuwon to coincide perfectly with the beasts’ invasion? There was no way the timing matched by coincidence. Yuwon saw through it immediately.

“Who sent you? Were you the ones who kept tailing me before?”

“….”

The assassins said nothing, as if they had suddenly become mute. Their non-response was so obvious that Yuwon let out a small laugh.

“Of course you wouldn’t answer honestly. That’s fine. Soon enough, I’ll make sure you’ll be desperate to tell me even what I didn’t ask.”

“I acknowledge your boldness, Fifth Prince. Since you detected our concealment, I can also see you are strong. No—rather than strong, possessing that level of power at your young age is something to envy… something to fear, even. Which is why you’ll have to die.”

At the words of the man who appeared to be the leader among the assassins, the others slowly drew weapons from their garments.

They spread out carefully around Yuwon, forming a tight encirclement.

A moment where a clash could erupt at any instant. Yuwon still had not drawn his sword. His relaxed composure only made the assassins grip their blades more nervously.

“Assassins these days talk far too much. As assassins, you’re completely unqualified.”

“You insolent—!”

Before the assassins could even react to those words, Yuwon vanished from their sight.

“…!”

Even though they had been on full alert, the assassins still lost track of Yuwon and panicked, rushing into defensive postures.

Of course, by the time they sensed him again, it was already a beat too late.

Slice―!

With a chilling sound of flesh being cut, an arm flew through the air.

Yuwon reappeared right after. In his right hand, the White Dragon Sword—drawn at some unknown moment—pulsed with streams of black energy.

“Your skills are acceptable. I intended to start by killing one of you, but… impressive.”

What Yuwon had aimed for originally was the man’s heart.

At the very moment the blade was about to pierce it, the man twisted his body violently and avoided instant death. That much was commendable.

‘But he can’t avoid the poison.’

Though he hadn’t killed him instantly, Yuwon had nothing to regret.

Having suffered a wound from blackened inner strength infused with the Black Serpent’s power, the man would soon rot away and die.

However, Yuwon’s expectations did not last. Upon seeing the enemy’s next action, Yuwon grimaced for the first time.

Slice―!

The man whose left arm Yuwon had cut off raised his sword with his right hand and immediately sliced open the flesh around his left shoulder all the way to the wing bone, severing everything.

Even though something he had carried all his life had fallen away, he didn’t let out a single groan.

Yuwon swallowed dryly, tense.

‘This… will be a difficult fight.’

Seeing their comrade gravely wounded, the remaining assassins’ aura sharpened intensely.

Resolute, Yuwon sheathed the White Dragon Sword and pulled out two short daggers from his coat, holding one in each hand.

Assassins in this world did prefer easily concealable daggers, but none of theirs were as tiny and short as the ones Yuwon held—barely the size of a palm from handle to tip.

“…? What are those toy-like daggers. Surely you’re not thinking of fighting us with those?”

Yuwon only smiled faintly in response.

In his previous life, the weapon he trained with his entire life was not a longsword like the White Dragon Sword he used now.

Yuwon had been a once-in-a-generation genius produced by the Sichuan Tang Clan, and the Sichuan Tang Clan specialized far more in hidden weapons and poison than in swordsmanship. Meaning—

‘He simply hadn’t needed to go this far until now.’

Yuwon aimed both daggers at the assassins. Holding a familiar weapon after such a long time, his mind grew as calm as a tranquil lake.

“He must have some scheme. Don’t lower your guard and act according to the original plan. Don’t overdo it until reinforcements arrive, and just drain his strength. ‘That person’ will arrive soon.”

“Yes—!”

As if that response were the signal, Yuwon and the four assassins—five figures—vanished simultaneously.

On the opposite side of the battlefield, under the moonlight, a whirlwind of blades erupted.