A Horror Novel’s Supporting Character Wants to Live as a Human

Chapter 270

Chapter 270

"Isn't His Highness acting a bit strange?"

Bailies declared with a sullen face.

Evana, Cellinne, Dardin, and Walter looked at Bailies while doing their own tasks.

As always, it was time to clean up after camping and eating dinner.

Yesung, who couldn't eat dinner due to Yurik's interference, was naturally excluded from the cleanup,

And Yurik was excluded from cleanup duty since he was paying for everything including food.

When such words came out while only five people were working, Evana scolded him.

"If you don't want to wash dishes, leave them and come put out the fire."

"That's not it, woman. Hey, doesn't the other woman notice anything?""I've told you it's Cellinne countless times, idiot."

Cellinne spoke gloomily while clearing the area.

Evana looked at her and casually asked.

"Cellinne. You've been looking for Yesung less lately."

"Wh-when did I ever look for Yesung...?"

"You went to him a lot. At the inn too, you insisted on waking Yesung up so we let you. Before that too, you said there were many clothes you wanted to dress him in, what hairstyle would suit him."

"That's! ...That was just because a young kid came and I wanted to dote on him!"

"For that, you're being too distant now. What happened?"

Under Evana's interrogation, Cellinne desperately shook her head.

It was true that Cellinne couldn't treat Yesung like before since leaving the inn.

It was natural. Whenever she recalled being alone with Yesung, Cellinne felt strangely uncomfortable.

An instinctive rejection, or rather, a feeling that he wasn't the Adonis she had been seeing until now.

The sense of distance was similar with Yurik,

But Yurik had more human-like aspects.

But this person called Yesung who appeared one day - she couldn't understand his inner thoughts at all.

Though it was beautiful to see him expressionless with a fairy-like face, it was somehow even scary...

Cellinne shook her head vigorously and hit the person next to her.

Bailies, who had been crouching, tumbled from the sudden attack, but no one cared.

Walter, who had been moving the large wood they used as chairs, suddenly asked as if remembering.

"We've come quite far, but can we reach our destination by tomorrow? This old man's whole body aches from sitting only on the driver's seat."

"Probably so. Please bear with it a little more. It's better to enter with full preparation than to arrive hastily tonight."

Dardin soothed Walter with a smile.

Walter chuckled while tucking logs under both arms.

"I'm looking forward to it. How many evil things must be sleeping in the Leng Plateau."

* * *

"How long are you going to keep following me?"

"You said you'd stay together with me."

"I didn't mean being constantly attached like this."

"Even if we're traveling together, it's not troublesome, so why do we need to set standards?"

He thought it was annoyingly bothersome.

In the carriage, sleeping with eyes closed had been angelic.

But since waking up, Yurik kept following behind him, so it was starting to get on his nerves.

Look at that appearance following with hands behind his back.

"Aren't you busy? What if Dardin comes asking why you're not attending the meeting?"

"Yesung said he'd make a second plan."

"We don't even know if it'll work."

"But you want to succeed, right? You don't want to see me destroy the continent."

"I wonder why you have to go so far around when you could just tell people the plan changed..."

Though what was already promised couldn't be helped, it was still bothersome.

Yurik shrugged and said.

"If it's okay for those people to become hostile toward me and stab a knife into my chest in the night, then do that."

"...I'll handle it myself."

"Isn't it bad for me to be in danger?"

"I don't want to imagine such a situation."

"I see."

Yurik looked somewhat pleased.

No, from when they got off the carriage, his eyebrows had been subtly raised and he seemed to be in a not-too-bad mood.

It seemed like the promise he made had greatly helped Yurik's mood.

"But Yurik, I'm curious about something."

"Ask."

"Even while I'm persuading those people, you won't particularly stop your plan, right?"

"You know well. Why ask when you know that's what I'll do?"

"But then isn't that too disadvantageous for me? You promised to take me to Asgard. I have to help you until you ascend to the throne, and on top of that, I have to come up with a new plan."

"So who told you to leave Shambhala on your own? You did it because you wanted to, so why are you complaining now?"

"Please show some consideration. You heard all about how I suffered after leaving."

"Hmph."

Yurik smirked in a way that didn't match his build, then spoke as if showing generosity.

"If you request it, I can actively cooperate. But only three times. I think that's appropriate as an additional condition."

"Three times? Why so vague? Can't you cooperate fully?"

"Say something that makes sense, Yesung. Why do you seem to have gotten younger since we haven't seen each other?"

"Ugh."

He was the one who found young Yurik! Why was he being treated like a child now!

At the provocation to 'act your age,' he eventually accepted the conditions Yurik proposed.

Even if he begged more here, it didn't seem like he'd get a better offer.

Moreover, in the current era, it was hard to find a more reliable ally than filial son Yurik.

"You can't say something different later. Forcibly interfering with my plan is also prohibited. Anyway, I have to make you king, so focusing on mutual interests and taking a long-term perspective-"

"If you're going to say that much. I'll keep it in mind."

"Who told you to cut me off like that?"

"Anyone becomes like that after being emperor then prince. Yesung doesn't seem to know yet."

Ah. What was this? Something was bubbling in his chest.

Though he was definitely filial son Yurik, it seemed Yurik's essential nature hadn't changed much.

"You weren't originally this impression."

"Me? What impression did Yesung feel when he first saw me?"

"You smiled more... and were shameless in a light-hearted way."

"Even I get hurt when you say it like that."

"Right! That's it. You were shameless in saying that when you wouldn't be hurt at all."

"...What exactly did you think I was?"

Yurik pondered, then suddenly smiled refreshingly.

That appearance almost made him feel PTSD coming on, but he tried hard to endure it.

He thought he had to endure. This was filial son Yurik. Unless he wanted to make him live with an expressionless dead face forever, he had to tolerate this much.

"Like this?"

"When you smile like that, you look much more refreshing and nice. It's a cheerful atmosphere."

"Yesung likes this kind of thing?"

"...Probably?"

By Korean standards, captivated by the traditional superstition that smiling brings fortune, there was nothing bad about it.

The surging disgust and uncomfortable feelings were personal matters.

Yurik tilted his head and began practicing smiling.

Looking at such Yurik, he asked.

"But Dardin said you were going to the Leng Plateau."

"That human told you that much too. Right. Do you know something? It was a place I made during the time you weren't there."

"Why did you seal such things there? Were you worried people would be in danger?"

"What do I care whether humans I don't know become dangerous or not? I just gathered them in one place so I could take them out and use them without forgetting when needed."

"But Dardin told me the first emperor sealed demons there. Saying he was concerned the world would become dangerous."

"It seems historians' distorted interpretations spread. They probably fabricated it to strengthen the imperial authority at the time. I never announced any meaning about that matter."

"Then the Leng Plateau isn't something else, but..."

"It's just my personal storage."

Yurik said decisively.

"Before, I had no immediate use for them so I put them away. Now I need them so I'm going to take them out."

"But why did you appear specifically with a prince's status? Couldn't you just go and take them out?"

"The Leng Plateau was geographically difficult to approach, but if you used magic, it wasn't completely impossible to enter. Moreover, at that time, mages trained by Eibon were running rampant."

Every time Yurik mentioned the word 'Eibon,' it somehow felt like he was being sarcastic.

But he didn't particularly point it out and just listened quietly.

"And then?"

"I needed a way to prevent humans or mages from entering. So I devised artifacts using the civilizations of Elder Things or Mi-Go races and made them into keys."

"Their civilizations still remained?"

"There should be more remaining somewhere. Anyway, everything was good up to that point. If I called it imperial treasure and passed it down through generations, I could immediately know the artifact's location too."

It was certainly not a bad plan.

If it was treasure designated by the first emperor, it would gain fame and even if moved somewhere, there would have been rumors.

But seeing wrinkles form on Yurik's fine nose bridge, it seemed things hadn't gone as well as he thought.

"Then when I announced I was dead, they put it in the first emperor's tomb as burial goods..."

"Pfft."

"I anticipated even that. Well, it was better buried underground than passing through others' hands, so I didn't really care. But the empire fell and split into 8 kingdoms."

"Th-that's right."

"When I rushed there thinking 'oh no,' it was already too late. Someone had robbed the tomb taking advantage of the chaos. The artifact disappeared then too."

"Cough. Heh. Kuh. Hmm. ...Hmm, ahem. Then it must be being sold somewhere as stolen goods."

So this was what happened when people didn't die.

He thought he should ask for more ridiculous stories from the first emperor period later.

"Then do you have the artifact now?"

"No."

"Huh? You don't have it?"

What?

Since he naturally thought Yurik would have it, he was dumbfounded.

"No, then with what confidence are you going to the Leng Plateau without even a key?"

"Would I have designed it so even I couldn't enter without a key? Yesung underestimated me too much. It's good to have a key. But even without one, it doesn't matter much except being bothersome."

Only then did he understand.

The artifact was like a tollgate's hi-pass.

It would be convenient to pass through the tollgate without stopping with a hi-pass,

But without a hi-pass, you could also calculate the toll directly even if it was a bit inconvenient.

Wait. Then this meant the Leng Plateau was about to open?

"B-but what if by any chance the door doesn't open?"

"I didn't become Aquilonia's prince only because the Leng Plateau is in Aquilonia. It's because I obtained information that the artifact is in this country. It doesn't matter whether the artifact exists or not. I'm anticipating all situations."

Yurik looked at him sweating profusely and smiled brightly.

"Why, were you hoping I couldn't enter the Leng Plateau? Unfortunately, that won't happen. I've become much smarter than the younger brother my older brother last remembered."

"C-congratulations. ...But it's still far to reach the Leng Plateau, right? It'll take at least two weeks, right? Right?"

Please let it be so. Please say it takes a month. No, rather say you mistook the Leng Plateau for being in another country!

Yurik thought for a moment, then answered lightly.

"Tomorrow."

"...What?"

"According to the schedule Dardin made, we're scheduled to arrive by tomorrow, Yesung."

He was screwed.

Hastur's world, as always, only betrayed his expectations.