The night air was clear and cold.
Bi Sa-in and Han Seol walked together through the inner garden of Cheonhwaru.
To her, even this stroll was an extension of astonishment. When she had left the Ice Palace, could she ever have imagined she would end up walking beneath the moonlight, alone with the young alliance leader of the Sado Alliance?
“Watch your step there.”
The battle of the previous night had left parts of Cheonhwaru broken and damaged. Bi Sa-in felt inwardly sorry to her for dragging someone who had been drinking perfectly well out for a walk in a place like this. He had come out far too recklessly, afraid someone might tell him to dance.
“I apologize if I startled you.”
At Bi Sa-in’s apology, Han Seol shook her head.
“No. I really did want some fresh air. I drank more than I can handle.”
Her face, too, was flushed red with drink.
The two of them stopped walking for a moment. The Faceless Guests on the nearby roof tactfully withdrew. The Cold-Ice Twin Swords also stood at a distance, not disturbing them.
“The moon is very bright tonight.”
At her words, Bi Sa-in also looked up at the night sky. As if that dreadful darkness had never covered the world, the moon and stars were in harmony tonight, beautifully embroidering the sky.
An awkward silence flowed between them for a while.
Bi Sa-in wanted to make a good impression on her. He wanted to be impressive, without misspeaking. Perhaps because that desire weighed on him, the words would not come easily.
‘I have to treat her comfortably! Naturally.’
The more he thought that, the harder his heart pounded. It was his first time experiencing this.
The first to speak was Han Seol.
“When I received the young cult leader’s letter asking me to meet here, I was honestly surprised. I never thought he would truly invite me to a gathering with his friends.”
If he had been close to her, Bi Sa-in would have said this: He is a friend whose pleasure in life is surprising people.
“He is the kind of friend who always keeps the words he speaks.”
“Last time, our palace received great help from the young cult leader. If not for his invitation, Mother would never have allowed me to come to the Central Plains.”
She said it was because he had helped the Ice Palace, but she could feel it. What had moved her mother’s heart even more than that was the fact that he had melted the frozen relationship between her and her mother.
While Han Seol was briefly thinking of the Palace Lord of the Ice Palace, Bi Sa-in was stealing glances at her.
In his eyes, she was far too beautiful. Objectively speaking, Ian was much more beautiful, and Jin Haryeong was also more beautiful.
But when he saw them, he merely thought they were beautiful, whereas when he looked at Han Seol, his heart fluttered. For the first time, he realized that it truly was possible to fall in love at first sight.
But that did not mean he could confess his feelings to her.
No, he could confess. But what came after that?
He was someone who had to lead the Sado Alliance, and she would have to return to the North Sea Ice Palace. There was no way the Palace Lord of the Ice Palace would permit such a relationship. The leader of the Sado Alliance, too, would surely find it displeasing.
‘Yes, this is not the time to be distracted by a woman.’
His head thought so, but his gaze kept turning toward her.
“Shall we go over there?”
She looked toward the path leading to the rear garden.
“Let us.”
The two of them moved toward the rear garden.
On the way, Bi Sa-in failed to bring up any interesting conversation. In the end, he admitted it honestly.
“I apologize. I’m not good with words.”
“It’s all right. I’m the same.”
Bi Sa-in was curious. She had said that her ideal type was a dependable, taciturn man. He could not tell whether she had said it merely to tease Geom Mugeuk, or whether she had meant it sincerely.
The two of them walked in silence like that until they stopped before a place where part of the wall had collapsed.
“What villain could have knocked down such a beautiful wall?”
At her regretful words, Bi Sa-in said with a flinch on his face.
“Me.”
“Pardon?”
“I knocked it down while fighting here.”
She had said it to break the awkward silence, but of all places, it happened to be the part Bi Sa-in had destroyed.
Han Seol looked again at the collapsed wall and said,
“It might be nice to make a gate here.”
At those words, Bi Sa-in laughed. Han Seol laughed along with him.
At the sight of her smiling, Bi Sa-in turned his head without realizing it. It felt like looking at bright white snow, so dazzling he could not face it directly.
In any case, thanks to that, the awkwardness faded.
“Ah, I was invited to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.”
Bi Sa-in calmly nodded. Since they had invited the young palace lord of the Ice Palace, they would not simply send her away.
“It will be interesting if you go.”
Truthfully, he wanted to go with her himself. If he followed his heart, the words “Let me go with you!” had risen all the way to his throat. If he blurted them out, then perhaps, as he did with Geom Mugeuk, several jokes might follow.
In the meantime, the two of them had completed a circuit around the Cheonhwaru building.
‘Ah, already!’
Bi Sa-in felt terribly disappointed. He had not said even one thing properly. But that did not mean he could ask her to take another lap of that awkward stroll.
“It was enjoyable.”
“I enjoyed it as well.”
Han Seol walked back toward the building where the drinking party was continuing.
“Miss Han.”
“Yes?”
Bi Sa-in hesitated for a moment, then mustered his courage and said,
“From time to time, try wearing martial robes in a warmer color.”
Feeling the tremor in Bi Sa-in’s voice, a faint smile brushed Han Seol’s lips.
“I think they would suit you well.”
She was about to turn away, then added,
“Ah, and I’m going to the Divine Cult to meet my elder sister.”
She entered the building.
Bi Sa-in stood there blankly for a moment, then looked up at the roof and said,
“Stop spying and come out.”
At that, Geom Mugeuk and Jin Hagun, who had been hiding on the roof, revealed themselves.
The two of them sat side by side on the edge of the roof.
“I don’t think we’ll have to worry about the Sado Alliance in the future. The man who’s going to become its leader is that slow on the uptake. Whew, I nearly died of frustration.”
Ignoring Geom Mugeuk, Bi Sa-in spoke to Jin Hagun.
“That friend has always been like that, but why are you acting this way too?”
Jin Hagun smiled awkwardly. He had been dragged out by Geom Mugeuk, who said they should go eavesdrop on what was being said, but could he really say he had been dragged by force? Honestly, he had come because he thought it would be amusing.
Geom Mugeuk answered in his stead.
“Our Captain Jin should enjoy a little deviation sometimes too. How can a man live as a righteous hero every single day?”
“This doesn’t look like deviation. It looks like a model student being swept away by a bad friend and falling into corruption.”
“You speak so well now? You should’ve done that earlier!”
Geom Mugeuk showed the wine bottle he had brought.
“Come on, get up here! I’ll teach you about women! What is a woman?”
“No need. I have no desire to hear such a lecture from someone who doesn’t even know where his own heart is.”
Bi Sa-in lightly launched himself up and sat with them at the end of the eaves.
Perhaps because he had been burning inside, he gulped down wine straight from the bottle before finally letting out a long sigh.
Even now his heart was pounding. No, he was more nervous now than when he had been with her. What did she think of that stroll? Had he ruined everything by calling her out for no reason?
Geom Mugeuk said to Bi Sa-in,
“I have taken a liking to you. Were those words so difficult?”
“And after that?”
If it was this Geom Mugeuk, might he have some kind of plan? Could he give an answer?
This time, Geom Mugeuk drank straight from the bottle.
“That’s something to worry about when the time comes. There’s no need to wear a straw raincoat starting today just because you’re worried it might rain tomorrow, is there?”
Jin Hagun smiled faintly, and Bi Sa-in took the wine bottle from Geom Mugeuk’s hand and drank.
“It’s easy for you to say when it isn’t your affair.”
“That is why you should listen to those words. To the words spoken so easily.”
Bi Sa-in’s hand, which had been drinking, stopped. When he looked at him with an expression asking what he meant, Geom Mugeuk answered,
“Because your heart must be far too complicated right now.”
He was right. All sorts of worries had been rising within his heart.
The wine bottle that had stopped tilted again. He found himself thinking that he, too, did not really know what was right.
“Don’t worry. The red thread between you two has not yet been cut. I tied it together with Heavenly Silkworm silk.”
Just then, the first rooster crowed in the distance, and the pale light of dawn began to brighten the world.
“This night is passing too.”
The three of them felt regretful. They knew that once day broke, each of them would have to go his own way again.
If they followed their hearts, they would have liked to play for days on end, but they could not. They were all important people, busy people. And above all, Cheonhwaru had to be put back in order.
“Ah! I want to play more! I want to keep playing!”
Geom Mugeuk’s shout cut through the dawn air, speaking for all their hearts.
* * *
The next morning, the lord of Cheonhwaru treated them to their final meal.
Everyone had drunk too much the night before, and the hangover soup she had carefully prepared was wonderfully delicious.
After the meal, they shared a reluctant farewell.
It was not only the three friends who felt that way; their subordinate warriors did as well. They knew that as they lived on, opportunities like this would not come often. Rather, they thought the moment when they would have to point blades at one another might come first.
Geom Mugeuk said to Jin Hagun and Bi Sa-in,
“In the future, if you fall into danger, call me without delay. You understand, don’t you? Not calling because it’s dangerous isn’t friendship.”
At Geom Mugeuk’s words, Bi Sa-in threw out a farewell joke.
“If another dreadful bastard like the one we fought appears, I’ll be sure to call you.”
Geom Mugeuk flinched and discreetly stepped back.
“In that case, it’s also fine to call Captain Jin first.”
Bi Sa-in said farewell to his two friends like that, and also conveyed his sincere gratitude to Geugak Soma. Thanks to them having protected him yesterday, he had been able to share old feelings with his subordinates.
And today, the farewell he regretted most was with Han Seol. Of course, he did not show it outwardly at all.
“I hope you enjoy your tour of the Central Plains and return safely.”
“Thank you. Young Alliance Leader, please take care of yourself as well.”
Bi Sa-in, who had been about to turn away, abruptly said,
“You may stop by our alliance on your way back. There are quite a few places nearby with fine scenery. If you send word when you are in the area, I will come out to meet you.”
After speaking rapidly, he turned away. The words he had been wavering over whether to say or not had slipped out before he knew it.
‘Ah, I’ve caused trouble.’
With his back turned, he breathed heavily. And in front of so many people watching, at that.
To avoid letting anyone notice that he was flustered, he strode away without even hearing her answer. His pace was so fast that the Thirteen Wolves of Sado were startled and hurried after him.
Then Han Seol’s voice came from behind him.
“I will.”
In that instant, Bi Sa-in stopped walking and looked back at her. Han Seol smiled as she said,
“I’ll stop by on my way back.”
Bi Sa-in forcibly held back the way his face was about to brighten with joy. Han Seol read Bi Sa-in’s feelings from that expression.
“Then I will see you then.”
Bi Sa-in, too, departed with the Thirteen Wolves of Sado like that.
Geom Mugeuk desperately held back the urge to send him a voice transmission and tease him. Let him fully savor this happiness.
Instead, he sent a voice transmission to Jin Hagun.
—What if he’s actually a playboy, and he’s been deceiving us?
At that transmission, Jin Hagun laughed. From what he could see, all three of them were far from being playboys.
Geom Mugeuk also said farewell to Jin Hagun.
“I’ll be waiting for good news.”
Jin Hagun knew what those words meant. They must mean news that he had formally become the successor. Yes, he, too, wanted to deliver that news to Geom Mugeuk and Bi Sa-in.
“Even if it ends up being bad news, I won’t regret it.”
The person silently watching the two of them part was Jin Haryeong.
She, too, felt regretful. If she followed her heart, she would have liked to go to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult together with Han Seol, but she could not. It also wounded her pride to feel as though she were pointlessly hovering around Geom Mugeuk.
Just then, the lord of Cheonhwaru approached her as she stood apart from the others.
“Miss Jin.”
“Ah, Pavilion Lord. Thank you for your kind words yesterday.”
“I enjoyed myself for the first time in a long while as well.”
As they had shared many stories yesterday, the lord of Cheonhwaru had sensed to some extent what Jin Haryeong felt for Geom Mugeuk. No, Jin Haryeong had deliberately revealed her feelings under the pretext of drunkenness. She had wanted to confess her heart to someone. Not to someone around her, but to someone she might see once and never see again.
After exchanging greetings like that, the two of them stood side by side and watched Geom Mugeuk and Jin Hagun talking.
Then, suddenly, something surged up in Jin Haryeong’s heart. At this moment of parting, she abruptly brought out words she had not spoken even during the drinking party.
“Until now, I was always the main character. The granddaughter of the Murim Alliance Leader, the greatest beauty of Hubei—wherever I went, I always stood at the center. When I spoke, people listened, and everyone looked only at me. Even now, it is still that way. But……”
“Yesterday, throughout the entire drinking party, I felt as if I’d become a supporting character hovering around the protagonist.”
It was something she could never have said to anyone else. And yet, strangely, the words in her heart came easily before the Cheonhwaru Pavilion Mistress. She had felt it since yesterday—there was an odd sense of trust this woman gave her.
After a brief pause, the Cheonhwaru Pavilion Mistress asked,
“How do you feel when you look at the Young Cult Leader? Does he seem like the protagonist?”
“That man is always the protagonist.”
“Do you really think so?”
“Pardon?”
Geom Mugeuk, having finished exchanging greetings with Jin Hagun, was speaking one by one with the warriors of the Demon Extermination Squad. He was joking with them, saying that their squad leader had become so impressive lately that it was almost burdensome.
In that instant, Jin Haryeong understood what the Cheonhwaru Pavilion Mistress had meant by those words.
‘Ah, come to think of it, that man is always trying to make someone else the protagonist.’
Thinking back, it had been the same when he first met her. He had been Seo Daeryong’s attendant.
“He may look like the sun, but I think the Young Cult Leader is someone like the wind.”
Suddenly, an image rose in Jin Haryeong’s mind: Geom Mugeuk drinking alone. She did not know why such a vision had come to her.
The Cheonhwaru Pavilion Mistress looked at Jin Haryeong.
“If you choose to journey with the wind, Miss Jin, it will be very difficult for you from now on. But it won’t be because of your pretty heart, nor because of the difference in your statuses. It will be because the wind cannot be grasped in your hand.”
With trembling eyes, Jin Haryeong silently gazed at the Cheonhwaru Pavilion Mistress. Those words had become a signpost for her tangled heart, which had not known where to turn.
“May I come visit again next time? Alone, then.”
“Anytime.”
Jin Haryeong bowed her head politely, conveying her gratitude.
Then she called out loudly to Jin Hagun.
“Brother, this farewell is taking too long! Let’s go already.”
And to Geom Mugeuk as well, she spoke with spirited confidence.
“Take good care of Miss Han!”
She also bade Han Seol farewell in a loud voice.
“Miss Han, not all men of the Central Plains are that talkative. Please don’t misunderstand!”
And so Jin Hagun, Jin Haryeong, and the Demon Extermination Squad left Cheonhwaru.
Then came the final farewell of the day.
The Great Evil Young Demon and the Faceless Guests said they would remain at Cheonhwaru.
“Please return first. I will stay at Cheonhwaru a while longer before going back.”
The Great Evil Young Demon would remain to rebuild the damaged Cheonhwaru buildings and establish his own defenses so that such a thing would not happen again.
The Great Evil Young Demon returned the freshly washed supreme-grade Heavenly Silkworm Thread. As Geom Mugeuk wound it around the hilt of the Black Demon Sword, he said,
“We survived this fight too.”
Then the Great Evil Young Demon spoke in a low voice, his sincerity flowing through it.
“It was an honor to fight alongside you.”
Geom Mugeuk also conveyed his sincerity to him.
“I was able to live thanks to you, Soma-nim.”
Geom Mugeuk greeted him respectfully, with the courtesy due to a Demon Venerable.
“Then I will see you at the main cult.”
At that, the Faceless Guests lined up behind the Great Evil Young Demon also bowed in unison with the courtesy due to the Young Cult Leader.
The eyes behind their masks were smiling. Eyes filled with goodwill. Among the gains from this journey, the Faceless Guests could not be left out.
Having said farewell to everyone, Geom Mugeuk turned back to Han Seol.
“Now then, shall we go taste the spiciest, most stimulating, and most dangerously perilous flavor in the Central Plains?”