It was a wine cup with a gorgeous yet mysterious air.
The pure-white cup was decorated like a moon rising over a snowy field. If one gazed at it quietly, it felt as though one were standing alone in a white snowfield beneath the moonlight.
The crescent moon floating on one side of the cup served as a handle, so it could even be worn at the waist.
But what made that cup special was not its appearance.
“Do you know what kind of cup that is?”
The Ice Palace Lord truly had not expected Geom Mugeuk to choose this cup.
“I have heard rumors that the North Sea Ice Palace possesses a sacred wine cup. Is that not it?”
“You have seen correctly.”
She explained the cup to him.
The Ice Palace Holy Grail.
At a glance, it appeared to be made of pure-white porcelain, but the cup was made of metal. This specially alloyed cup was said to be incredibly light, yet absolutely impossible to break or bend.
What mattered was the cup’s effect.
Because the cup itself possessed a cold nature, one could drink chilled wine even in the height of summer. It was also said that drinking wine from this cup increased one’s internal energy and nourished the body.
Of course, the amount of internal energy gained was not greater than what one would gain through breathing and energy circulation in the same amount of time, so drinking wine at the cost of one’s health for the sake of increasing internal energy could be called foolish.
With the exception of one person in this murim.
For the Drunken Demon, who lived with wine at every moment, it was undoubtedly a cup of great meaning.
Moreover, there was only one wine cup in the world with such an effect, and it could only be obtained here in the Ice Palace Treasury.
For someone who loved wine more than life itself and would spend his entire life drinking it, this cup would be the finest gift.
“Are you truly going to choose this?”
Geom Mugeuk answered with a smile.
“Lord Drunken Demon will like this cup more than the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng.”
That was not why the Ice Palace Lord had asked. There were far too many precious items here for him to choose a gift for someone else. Looking at a splendid protective armor displayed in the air on the opposite side, she said,
“That Ice Guardian Armor could save your life. There are also elixirs that could grant you more internal energy than the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng, even if not as much as the Mangeuk Ice Crystal you consumed earlier.”
“I am fine.”
Seeing that Geom Mugeuk’s mind was set on the wine cup, the Ice Palace Lord no longer recommended anything else.
When she reached out her hand, the ice brick containing the cup flew toward her.
Using her unique internal energy, the Ice Palace Lord easily melted the ice. If an ordinary expert tried to melt this special ice with hot yang energy, they would have to expend an incomparable amount of internal energy.
Freed from the ice, the Ice Palace Holy Grail revealed its mysterious aura.
A pure-white energy shimmered around the cup, like snow-laden wind blowing across a snowy plain. Just looking at it made clear how precious it was, so it was not a cup an ordinary person could carry around even if they wanted to. Countless people would rush in to steal it every day.
“Here, take it.”
The Ice Palace Lord handed the cup to Geom Mugeuk.
Geom Mugeuk carefully accepted it, placed it on his palm, and marveled.
“It truly is a splendid cup.”
Geom Mugeuk was genuinely delighted at the thought of giving it to the Drunken Demon.
The Ice Palace Lord felt it. At least in this moment, Geom Mugeuk was rejoicing with the pure innocence of a boy.
‘So all the rumors were true.’
When she first heard that Geom Mugeuk had brought the Eight Demon Venerables under his control, she had been half in doubt.
What sort of people were the Eight Demon Venerables, that he could control them all?
They surely did not follow him sincerely. Some of them must have joined hands with him only on the surface. The Eight Demon Venerables were not easy people for a young heir to handle.
But seeing this now, her doubts vanished from that half-belief.
If his relationship with them was such that he could joyfully give such a precious gift? The word “control” seemed insufficient.
“Thank you. I will never forget the great grace you have shown me today.”
Geom Mugeuk was sincerely grateful to the Ice Palace Lord.
No matter how much she had told him to choose anything, it was not easy to so readily give away a cup bearing the name of a holy grail.
“Compared to what you have done for our palace, this is a small thing. Now, let us return.”
Geom Mugeuk left the Ice Palace Treasury together with the Ice Palace Lord.
Shiiiiiiii.
When they opened the door and stepped out, a strange sound rang out, and the insane cold they had forgotten came rushing in.
Leaving behind that place where even conversation was difficult, the two quickly walked out.
As they retraced the path they had come and were about to leave the valley, Geom Mugeuk said,
“Sometimes, people around my age gather together.”
The Ice Palace Lord knew that as well. She also knew that at the recent tripartite meeting, the heirs and siblings of each faction had all gathered.
“When that happens, I will invite Miss Han as well.”
The Ice Palace Lord stopped walking.
Even without him saying it, she understood why he said he would invite her daughter.
Han Seol would only be able to grow further by leaving this North Sea and meeting many people.
But could she really send her daughter, whom she had never once sent to the Central Plains? Just thinking about it made her this worried.
When the Ice Palace Lord looked back at Geom Mugeuk, his eyes seemed to say this:
Do not worry. I will take good care of her and send her back safely.
It was an expression of gratitude toward her for giving him such a precious gift. Of course, whether she could trust him and send her daughter with him was another matter entirely.
* * *
When Geom Mugeuk returned, the Drunken Demon was lying on the bed.
“How is your body?”
“I feel like I’m going to die from the pain.”
Just a little while ago, when the physician had come and gone, he had received treatment with a dignified air. Not a single look in his eyes, not a single expression on his face had changed, showing the majesty of a Demon Venerable.
He had been perfectly fine like that, but the moment he saw Geom Mugeuk, he began exaggerating his pain.
“I can’t even lift my arms. It hurts too much.”
Still lying down, the Drunken Demon lifted the sole of his foot.
“Look here. If you had pulled out the pieces of bottle earlier, it wouldn’t hurt this much.”
“My persistent elder brother. That’s why I brought you a gift.”
“What gift, when I’m dying from pain?”
Geom Mugeuk placed a small box on the table.
“You really don’t need it?”
“I don’t need it.”
“You’ll regret it.”
“It’s wine, right? You bought wine, didn’t you? It’s obvious.”
The Drunken Demon pretended not to care while glancing sidelong at the box.
“It’ll be no use regretting it later.”
When Geom Mugeuk moved to take it back, the Drunken Demon casually asked,
“What is it? Let me at least see.”
“Then it’ll only make you feel worse for nothing.”
How could he not look after hearing that?
“It’s fine, so show me!”
“You can only look with your eyes. You have to give it back.”
Geom Mugeuk slowly opened the box.
The moment he saw what appeared inside, the Drunken Demon’s eyes went wide. Even if no one else in the world recognized it, the Drunken Demon would.
“Uwaaaah!”
With a shout, the Drunken Demon rushed to the table. Forgetting the pain in the sole of his foot, he ran.
“Don’t tell me this is? Is it really that? It is, right? It’s that, isn’t it?”
The Drunken Demon could not continue speaking. This was the very thing he wanted most.
“Why is this here?”
The Drunken Demon’s voice trembled.
“I picked it up on the way.”
“Don’t joke around!”
“I received it as a gift from the Ice Palace Lord.”
The Drunken Demon immediately understood what had happened. It seemed the Ice Palace Lord had given him a gift in return for this matter.
“You gave up your own thing and accepted a gift for me.”
“That would have been truly touching, but I received mine too. So don’t feel burdened and take it. Ah, no. You said you didn’t want to receive it, didn’t you?”
“What nonsense!”
The Drunken Demon spread both arms like wings and guarded the cup. The arms he had claimed hurt too much to lift had formed a defensive line, just like that.
“Take my life instead! It’s mine! Go away!”
How could the Drunken Demon not know? Geom Mugeuk could have taken something else instead of this cup. He had given up the value of the Ice Palace Holy Grail and gifted it to him.
Emotion surged through the Drunken Demon’s heart. It was the most valuable gift he had ever received, and more than anything, it was what he had wanted most.
Geom Mugeuk had known the Drunken Demon would like it, but he had not expected him to like it this much.
“Here, have a drink. I washed it clean before coming.”
Geom Mugeuk poured him wine.
Torrereung.
It was the moment wine was poured into the Ice Palace Holy Grail, which had been sealed away for so long. Was it just his imagination? The pure-white energy shimmering around the Ice Palace Holy Grail seemed to grow even stronger.
After taking a deep breath, the Drunken Demon drank the wine. The cold wine flowed down his throat in uninterrupted gulps.
“Kyaaa! It’s truly delicious!”
Geom Mugeuk shouted “Kyaa!” along with him. Just watching made it look incredibly delicious.
“Me too, one cup!”
This time, the Drunken Demon filled the cup for him.
When the Drunken Demon poured, the moonlight of the wine cup seemed to shine even more softly.
Geom Mugeuk drank the wine in the Ice Palace Holy Grail in one go. The wine was truly cold and delicious. The exclamation “Kyaa!” came out naturally.
“Outstanding!”
The taste of wine always depended on one’s mood. There would not often be days when wine tasted as good as it did in this moment.
“Now, one more for me.”
“You’re taking medicine. Stop!”
“Just one more cup!”
As Geom Mugeuk poured the wine, he said,
“I’m not giving you this cup so you can drink more. I’m giving it to you so you’ll drink less. They said the cup also has the effect of protecting the body. So think of the heart with which I gave you this gift, and every time you drink from it, drink one cup when you would have drunk two. Think of it as drinking one cup of delicious wine instead of two.”
Geom Mugeuk’s concern came through. He was always nagging him to eat food with his wine. Even after coming all the way here, he was still nagging.
“Absolutely do not overdrink. Understood?”
“I understand. But one last cup. I should at least drink three.”
“Fine, I’ll allow it today!”
The two looked at each other and laughed.
After drinking three cups of wine, the Drunken Demon fastened the Ice Palace Holy Grail on the side opposite the Blood Tear. The two artifacts suited each other strangely well. Of course, that was probably because the person wearing them was the Drunken Demon.
“Then rest.”
Geom Mugeuk turned to leave, but behind him, the Drunken Demon spoke.
“Thank you, Young Cult Leader.”
Because there was no playfulness in his words, Geom Mugeuk also answered respectfully.
“You accomplished something great this time, Lord Drunken Demon.”
* * *
After returning to my room, I used the Spacetime Transposition Art in order to absorb Baekjeong.
Snap! When I flicked my finger, I was standing in a new space.
I did not open the beach I always opened, but the second space: the place with a small hot spring in a pure-white snowy field.
It was the very place I had created before, inspired by my father’s hot spring. This space suited the North Sea perfectly.
There were only three things in this space.
Pure-white snow, stars in the night sky, and a warm hot spring.
First, I took the Secret Casket and Baekjeong out from my robe.
Wooooong.
At the sight of Baekjeong, the Secret Casket vibrated in response.
It was already the third time, but I could not help feeling tense.
I carefully placed Baekjeong on top of the Secret Casket.
Sssssss.
Then, a sight that amazed me every time unfolded. The hard Baekjeong seeped into the Secret Casket like liquid.
After the Secret Casket absorbed all of Baekjeong, it vibrated greatly.
Sssss!
Something tinged with white energy began to emerge from the Secret Casket.
As always, it was neither smoke, nor liquid, nor light. That indescribable thing passed through my hand and arm, then spread throughout my entire body.
The Heavenly Demon Protection Art, which I had mastered to the great success stage, still did not activate. That meant it was all right. Because I trusted the Heavenly Demon Protection Art, I was finding and absorbing this energy.
A refreshing sensation spread through my whole body.
The moment that energy spread throughout me, radiance burst from my body. It was a radiance so intense I could not open my eyes.
When I opened my eyes again after closing them, that white energy had all been absorbed into my body. Through the Secret Casket, I had already absorbed three energies.
As with the previous two times, there was no change in my body. The energies did not meet or mix. It meant they were not yet ready to bring about some great change. Or perhaps it meant I had to absorb more of the other energies.
Thud.
The Secret Casket spat out Baekjeong after absorbing all of its energy. By then, it had become an ordinary stone.
“Just who made you?”
As always, the Secret Casket only smiled.
After absorbing Baekjeong’s energy, I stripped off my clothes and immersed myself in the steaming hot spring.
“Ah, this is nice!”
Cold wind above, warmth below.
I enjoyed the hot spring with my eyes closed. This time alone was an incredibly precious moment to me.
After my regression, my life has flowed by with every day packed full. One full day after another.
But at least in this moment, alone within the Spacetime Transposition Art, my life that had been running diligently slowed its pace.
The more its pace slowed, the further I moved away from my life. I liked this distancing. Naked as I was now, I had cast off all responsibility as well.
“The murim is going to collapse? The demonic path is going to fall? What do you want me to do about it? Don’t disturb me while I’m resting!”
Such irresponsibility slowed the pace of life even further.
Thus, the pace slowed and slowed again, until at last it stopped completely. The moment my busy life came to a complete stop, I finally became free.
At the same time, I came to meet another me.
The me from before my regression, whose loneliness had piled up and piled up until he had become loneliness itself.
The me who had never rested, who had never once properly comforted himself, and who had run only for a single purpose.
With a huge, pitch-black hole in my heart between us, we stood facing each other.
Was the me on the other side lonelier?
Or was the me smiling among countless people lonelier?
I could not easily find an answer.
Still, I wanted to say this to him.
—It was all thanks to you that I was able to come this far.
I had said all sorts of kind words to the people around me, but this was the first comfort and gratitude I had ever offered myself.
—Thank you. Truly.
I gazed gently at the lonely me on the other side. I did not wish for him to disappear. The me on the other side was, in the end, still me.
—Just don’t fall into that pit.
At my words, the me on the other side sent me a look that said this: You be careful. The ones who always fall into pits are those trying to become perfect, and those who are smiling.
In the next moment, the pitch-black hole between us turned into a hot spring, and I was soaking in it.
I looked up at the countless stars for a long while, then came out of the hot spring.
Now it was time to return to reality.
“The murim can’t be ruined. My demonic path can’t collapse. What else is there to do? I have to go out and protect it.”
Snap!