〈Chapter 599〉North Sea. (Edited)
"Why do you not go?"
A silence swept over at the words asked so innocently, as if he truly didn’t know. Was it because I had been faced with a sudden situation? I simply had nothing to say.
*What the hell.*
Why was that bastard here? I’d deliberately kept quiet, trying to slip away unnoticed. How was he here out of nowhere?
All sorts of thoughts flashed through my mind. Especially since this was the last moment I wanted to run into him.
*Since I just sold out that old man...*
The “deeds” I’d done against Pilduma came to mind, making it difficult to look at Paejon. If he ever found out later what I had done using his name—
*It won’t end with just being snapped in half.*
Disciple or not, he could tear off my arms and legs and scatter them in different rivers. If it was him, he’d do that and still have plenty left to spare.
While I recalled that and broke into a cold sweat, Paejon watched me in silence and asked.
"Why are you like that? You look exactly like someone caught stealing."
"...What do you mean by that? When have I ever stolen anything?"
He was terribly quick on the uptake.
"That’s exactly why it’s strang—"
"Since when did you two decide to be brothers?"
"Right. Haha."
At Murong Xiya’s interjection, Paejon hurriedly changed his words.
"Hahaha! Maybe it’s because it’s morning, but my tongue is acting up."
"..."
The way he was trying to fix it now was a truly pathetic sight. Of course, I couldn’t say that out loud.
"Hey, Bi Gongja."
—Elder.
"Yes."
—Why, you bastard.
"Are you planning to come along?"
—Why would this old man follow you here? Stay put at home.
"It does look interesting. I shall be of help, so please take me along."
—Shut up and take him.
—Unless you want to die.
"..."
"Haha."
The subtext in that brief exchange was easy to read. Especially the last words, which were unusually chilling. I could feel Paejon’s emotions completely—he had no intention of letting me go.
I wanted to just ditch him and leave.
*But he’s not someone you can just ditch.*
He was someone who might barely be pushed back only if everyone here ganged up on him. If I could somehow manage to push him away, that would be a blessing, but—
*In that process...*
My gaze slid past Dang Soyeol and Murong Xiya.
*Who knows what that bastard might do to those two.*
Some might think, *He’s your master. Do you really have so little faith?*
*None. As if I’d have any.*
If you asked who in the current Central Plains knew Paejon well, I would be within the top ten. That man couldn’t see anything except martial arts. Especially me, his disciple whom he used—I was nothing but a launchpad for his own romance. A man who stayed in the righteous faction simply because going out was too bothersome. The Paejon I knew was exactly that kind of person.
"Huu...."
I let out a long, low sigh. Paejon had already decided, so there was no escape.
"Must you...stay put obediently?"
—Please don’t cause any trouble.
"To think I’d live to hear such a warning from Gu Gongja. How refreshing."
—It’s not something meant for you to hear.
—Picking a fight?
*...*
I ended the fruitless conversation, clicked my tongue briefly, and looked straight ahead.
"...Let’s get going."
Just thinking about going with that man made my head throb. What could I do? It was all my karma. Of all people, the one I had chosen as my master had to be him. Truly a life without a drop of luck.
Hiding my annoyance, I nudged Ttolttoli.
"Hey, move as fast as you can—"
"U-um...."
I furrowed my brows deeply at the voice coming from behind. It was Yuri speaking.
"What now?"
"I-if we’re going...how...how are we going...?"
She had gotten on, but her eyes trembled as if she now had no idea how we would move. It seemed she had already expected it. She must have asked, hoping her expectation was wrong.
Seeing that, I smiled and said.
"Haha, what? Did you think we were going to fly or something?"
At my words spoken with a smile, hope flickered across Yuri’s face.
"Right? Flying through the sky is truly a nonsensical delusion. There’s no way such a thing could—"
"That’s correct. Smarter than I thought."
Tap.
Without letting Yuri finish, I nudged Ttolttoli with my foot.
Immediately—
Whoooosh—!!!
The beast moved its massive body and soared into the air.
"Kyaahhhhhhh—!!"
At the sudden jolt, Yuri pressed herself tightly against my back and let out a scream. It was quite loud.
Wind brushed against my face. It was still a speed I couldn’t get used to. Barely managing to stabilize from the recoil, Ttolttoli corrected its posture to face forward. Only then did the scenery come into view before my eyes.
It was still a scenery I couldn’t get used to.
The land of the Central Plains stretching wide beneath the clouds. The wind brushing my cheeks and the cool sensation, unimaginable for summer.
*Not bad.*
It was one of the few sensations I enjoyed in my current life.
Of course.
"Uuuuugh...!! We’re flying! This is crazy, what is thiiiiis!!"
The one behind me seemed to hate it, though.
Krrr—!
Ttolttoli gradually increased its speed. I had told it to go as fast as possible. At the same time, I erected a qi barrier in front. Because the wind was fierce, we could fall at any moment, so I had to block it.
*At this speed...how long will it take?*
Not knowing the exact distance made precise calculation impossible, but roughly, the round trip would take about a month. It would be faster if we could fly continuously, but that wasn’t the case. We needed to rest at least once every four days. That was the time calculated with rests included.
So.
*It means I have just under a month left to resolve the matter.*
I had to return within two months. That meant I had to finish everything within that time.
Could I do it?
I didn’t know. But I had to. It was something I had started with that resolve.
The moment I steeled my mind and was slowly organizing my plans.
"Uurk... I think I’m going to be sick...."
"..."
I closed my eyes at the voice from behind. Should I knock her out? The urge came again, but I had to endure. Taking care of someone who lost consciousness seemed more troublesome.
*...She’ll get used to it if we keep going.*
As always, if you endured, it resolved itself.
I spent time thinking that.
Fortunately, we arrived at our destination faster than expected.
One day, after seven days and nights had passed.
We had arrived at the North Sea.
******************
We had crossed mountains and seas. If you counted everything that had happened, there were enough stories to tell all night, but it was still too complicated a time to bring them up. This was by no means an easy journey. I had expected that, but it was quite different from traveling by carriage.
The speed was dozens of times faster, but the biggest problem was fatigue. Whether night or day, we couldn’t sleep properly, so we had to stay up all night. It wasn’t that someone stood guard—everyone had to stay awake—so the fatigue doubled. We said we rested once every four days for Ttolttoli’s sake, but over such a long distance, it became rest for us as well.
The speed was good, but it was something I never wanted to do twice. If we had moved with a bit more leisure, it would have been fine, but moving in such haste made it feel particularly hard. If it was this bad even with a body that had reached the Transcendent Realm...
"...Uuugh...."
Yuri, who was at a first-rate level, looked like death every day. She tried to hide that she was struggling, but it wasn’t something she could hide. At least she didn’t whine about it, so that was fine.
*She probably has nothing to say.*
I was personally going to the Ice Palace, which was in chaos because of her request. What could Yuri possibly say? She had to keep her mouth shut and follow quietly. If she had whined even once during the trip—
*I would have thrown her away just like that.*
Whether mountains or seas, I would have really thrown her away. The fact that I hadn’t meant I was letting it slide.
*But what’s fortunate is...*
Whooosh—!
Feeling the wind brush my cheeks, I furrowed my brows. The wind was so cold. A chill far too cold to be called summer. Feeling this, I slowly lowered our altitude. Accordingly, clouds brushed past, and something gradually revealed itself.
On the day that marked seven days and nights since we had departed the Central Plains.
We had arrived at the North Sea, a martial world beyond the frontier.
It was an arrival earlier than my estimate.
"Wow...."
Dang Soyeol let out an exclamation at the sight before her eyes. Snow was falling around us. Snow in midsummer. Such a foreign sight.
What about below? Snow was piled thick, covering the ground completely. The mountains visible here and there...could they all be ice?
*They said it was a mystical sight for Central Plains people.*
They were exactly right. So foreign—how could it not be mystical?
The land stretching far into the distance. In the scenery visible from afar, there wasn’t a single place where snow didn’t fall. All directions were white.
From that sight, a strange sensation was felt. It was certainly a beautiful sight, and yet—
*Something feels ominous and unpleasant.*
Somehow I felt a dull discomfort in my stomach. Was it because I had been flying so much that I was getting motion sick?
*Tch.*
Ignoring it, I surveyed the surroundings. And asked Yuri behind me.
"Hey, where do we need to go?"
"Ah...."
Yuri came to her senses at my words. I had initiated the departure, but Yuri had been giving directions.
"You said there was a safe location."
"F-from here...w-we need to go west."
Krrring.
Ttolttoli adjusted its direction upon hearing her.
"If we go west, there will be a large iceberg. The warriors will be waiting there...."
Yuri, who had been at death’s door for the past few days, seemed to regain a bit of energy now that she had returned to the North Sea. Her stammering tone vanished, and vitality returned to her eyes. Around the fifth day, she had been nearly a corpse.
*A large iceberg.*
Had she said the Ice Palace’s army was there? Listening to this, I asked Yuri.
"You mean they were waiting, knowing when we’d arrive?"
"I arranged it so it would be maintained until I returned."
"...For a period that could last several months?"
How could they be waiting, not knowing when Yuri would return? Moreover, we were currently in a wartime situation.
"...The hideout was made so it would never be found. Half a year’s worth of food and supplies were stocked as well."
"Half a year. That was the limit."
"...Yes."
Half a year until the Little Princess who had left for the Central Plains returned. They had endured and held out.
In other words.
*The Little Princess’s role was that weighty.*
Also.
Even if a rebellion had occurred.
*They had the confidence they could hold out for half a year.*
That was probably the right way to see it.
I lowered our speed slightly. Partly to find the location, and because the moment we entered the North Sea, I had wrapped a qi barrier around Ttolttoli. It was to make its presence faint. This guy’s size was enormous, and if we moved rashly, there was a risk of being detected.
In the midst of moving like that.
"It’s over there."
Yuri pointed to a spot with her hand. Just as she said, a large iceberg came into view compared to the surroundings.
Krrring.
The moment we confirmed it, we descended.
Whoooosh—!
The moment Ttolttoli landed on the ground, wind mixed with snow burst out. This time, it landed relatively calmly. I had scolded it so much that it finally seemed to listen.
Thud.
When I got down, my legs sank in deeply. That meant quite a lot of snow had accumulated.
Kring....
Ttolttoli let out a short growl and gradually reduced its body size. A size dozens of times smaller than its original. It seemed somewhat exhausted from using so much energy.
"Rest somewhere nearby."
Krrring.
Upon receiving the command, Ttolttoli flew off somewhere and disappeared. I had heard there were demonic beasts in the North Sea as well, so it would spend time on its own. We could leave it like that and call it when needed later.
I wrapped energy around my legs. And then took another step. This time, my foot didn’t sink into the snow but stepped on top of it. It felt like stepping on hard ground. This was to avoid leaving footprints in the snow.
Needless to say for Paejon and Dang Soyeol. Seongyul was already doing so tactfully. Seeing that, I used energy and sent it to Yuri.
Woom—!
"...!"
Yuri’s body floated up. I had deliberately lifted her up with my energy. At the sudden situation, Yuri covered her mouth tightly with her hands. It seemed a scream had been about to burst out. It was a method impossible for a first-rate level, so I had to do it this way.
*I don’t want to carry her directly.*
Yuri probably knew the situation and kept her mouth shut without saying anything. As expected, she was fairly quick-witted.
Swish.
Yuri pointed somewhere with her finger. Seeing that, I nodded. So we were to go that way.
We slowly walked in the direction Yuri indicated. After walking roughly five hundred paces, we arrived before the large ice wall we had seen earlier.
Upon arrival, Yuri stretched out her right hand and pointed straight ahead with her left hand. Meaning to send her forward? Following her intent, I moved Yuri forward.
Yuri approached the wall and placed her right hand on it.
Immediately—
Vooooom—!!
A reaction came from the ice wall. A slight vibration. And a faint light burst forth. Wondering what it was, I watched for a moment.
Drdrdrdrdr—!
The wall moved, creating a space. A square-shaped space.
I could tell the moment I saw it.
*An entrance.*
What I saw before my eyes was an entrance.
Without hesitation, I stepped forward.
Tak.
The moment my foot touched, a resonance occurred. I walked slowly along the passage. It wasn’t very long. We were able to exit the passage before long.
Upon exiting the passage, we arrived in a certain space. A wide, circular space. Several boxes were visible, and the warmth felt from the passage grew stronger. Still, it was just as cold as—if not colder than—the Central Plains.
And there.
"Ah!"
"My lady...?!"
Two figures already inside were visible. Noticing us, the men immediately rose to their feet.
Looking at their attire, I thought.
*Fur clothes.*
Fur clothes to endure the cold. A peculiar appearance, as if iron had been processed and placed over them. Attire somewhat cumbersome for using martial arts, perhaps.
While I was checking this.
"They are warriors of our palace."
Yuri conveyed to me. Her tone was full of relief.
At those words, I carefully lowered Yuri down.
"My lady has come...."
"Truly a relief. My lady, are you injured anywhere?"
Seeing the warriors approaching slowly, Yuri spoke.
"I’m fine... Fortunately, what I set out to do went well. How is the Palace Lord?"
"The Palace Lord...."
One of the men called warriors made a gloomy expression.
"...His condition is not very good."
"No...!"
Yuri’s expression twisted at the warrior’s words. Then Yuri, with an urgent expression, asked the warrior.
"The deadline hasn’t even arrived yet...! What happened?"
"That is...."
"First, rather than an explanation, you must return to the palace immediately."
"Ah...."
At the gloomy voice, Yuri looked at me and continued. But.
"I’m sorry... it seems to be an urgent situation. I must escort you to the palace first...."
I wasn’t listening to those words. I merely tilted my head and looked at the men. Seeing that, Yuri slightly furrowed her brow.
"Um, that red plume...."
"What shall we do with the other one?"
Just as Yuri was about to speak to me, Paejon cut in. Hearing that, I spoke to Paejon.
"Are you stepping up?"
"Mmm, my body was stiff, so I shall help."
"Then the left. That one seems easier to question."
"Yes, I expected as much."
"U-um, what are you talking about...."
Yuri expressed confusion while listening to the conversation.
At that moment.
Hwoop—!
I shot toward the warriors.
"Huk!?"
"Wha—!"
They tried to draw their weapons with surprised expressions.
But it was already too late.
I grabbed the neck of the one on the right.
Crunch—!
"Gurrrk...!"
And twisted it.
Thud—!
The one with the twisted neck collapsed on the floor. Instant death.
I looked to the left. The other side seemed already subdued by Paejon. Paejon was holding the unconscious man by the scruff of his neck.
It happened in the blink of an eye.
Seeing this, Yuri’s eyes widened and she shouted.
"W-what are you doing right now?! Why the warriors...?!"
"Warriors my ass."
I looked at Yuri.
"Do these guys still look like your warriors to you?"
"Huh?"
Yuri reacted as if she didn’t understand. Seeing that, I clicked my tongue inwardly.
She had said the hideout absolutely would not be discovered—as if.
My annoyance flared up. After finally arriving at the North Sea, seeing this immediately twisted my insides.
Tap tap.
I kicked the dead man with my toe and spoke to Yuri.
"These guys."
These bastards.
"Enemies."
They weren’t on our side.