< Episode 601 > Bukhae.
Crackle-! Crackle-!
The sound of a fire burning was heard.
Something that had once been human was burning.
It had long since lost its form.
Ashen remains. Something with no value beyond that.
I watched it and rose to my feet.
Drip….
Drip….
Blood flowed from my fingertips.
Naturally, it was not my blood. It was merely the aftermath of torture.
Two corpses, already dead, were engulfed in flames.
My gaze watching them, conversely, had settled coldly.
So cold that even I was surprised.
That was exactly my current emotional state.
I turned my head.
At the end of that gaze was Yuri.
She was looking at me with trembling eyes, unable to speak.
Her pupils were filled with deep terror and faint confusion.
Flick-!
I swung my hand to shake off the blood.
At the same time, I burned and cleared away the residue piled on the floor.
The smell of burning instantly filled the space.
In that silence-filled place, I looked at Yuri and asked,
“I’ll ask again.”
“…Yes…?”
“Are there no suspicious individuals?”
“...”
There were multiple meanings embedded in those words.
“Does it still not seem so?”
I forced myself to hold a smile.
Fortunately, I could still smile.
I had obtained quite a bit of information from the torture.
As expected, he was a man with a strong attachment to life.
Such men inevitably become infinitely weak before death.
Tenacity, too.
Courage, too.
Even the loyalty barely clinging on.
“Or is it because you need further proof?”
“…It is not.”
Yuri bit her lip and shook her head at my words.
“It is still difficult to fully believe… but I know this is not a situation to deny it.”
“That’s enough.”
I nodded upon hearing the answer.
It meant she should say something else now.
The information obtained was roughly as follows.
The rebellion had originated from one of the Four Great Tribes of Bukhae, a place called the ‘Blue Wolf.’
The orders the man received were to wait here and, upon Yuri’s arrival, lure her to the destination.
‘Up to here, as expected.’
Just as I had thought earlier.
They seemed to have intended to lure us.
They planned to take us to the destination where those lying in ambush would launch a surprise attack.
If there was a question,
‘How did they know when we would arrive here?’
Even calculating the distance from the Central Plains to Bukhae simply, this was about how long it would take riding that fella Ttolttoli.
If not for that, we would have arrived much later.
They surely could not have expected us to fly through the sky.
Yet the fact that they had prepared for this meant
‘They had a way of knowing when we arrived.’
At the moment we arrived in Bukhae,
They had prepared then.
Or.
‘They had simply anticipated all routes and prepared accordingly.’
That would be it.
Simply put, the latter was more probable.
Moreover,
‘It must be so.’
It was a situation that had to be the latter.
If it were the former, the situation would turn into a complete mess.
Furthermore, what followed was the same.
The man had said,
The reason a bloody wind had begun to blow in the Ice Palace as it had now, was that within the upper echelons of the rebellion,
‘A blood relative of the Ice Palace was involved.’
He said a direct bloodline descendant of the Palace Lord was involved.
It contradicted what Yuri had said, that blood relatives could not betray one another.
‘Could that really be a lie?’
The man’s words were the truth.
Provided that Seongyul had not lied.
Then did Yuri tell a lie?
‘That is unlikely, either.’
Objectively speaking, the chances of Yuri having done so were extremely low.
Of course, it was merely ‘extremely’ low.
That did not mean it was impossible.
It merely meant I would put her lower on the priority list of suspects.
I looked at Yuri once more.
“What shall we do?”
At the question, Yuri swallowed dryly.
Perhaps unable to fully believe the situation herself, her expression was darkly distressed.
Even when trying to believe that a blood relative was involved, she seemed unable to truly accept it.
—What shall we do.
This was not a question directed at Yuri.
Rather, it was more accurate to say it was something I said to myself.
‘It is correct to assume that all the routes Yuri mentioned earlier are blocked.’
If even the first hideout she was most confident in had ended up like this,
Then all paths leading to the Ice Palace from here on would be blocked.
Then what should we do now?
Swish.
I ran my hand over my forehead, pushing my hair back.
A coldly chilled gaze cut through the air.
The answer had been decided since the torture ended.
“If the safe path has ended.”
We need only take the path that is not safe.
In the information the man had divulged,
There was also the location where the ambush was being attempted.
Then the answer was simple.
I immediately asked Yuri.
“That location mentioned earlier. Do you know where it is?”
“If you mean the location….”
“The place this bastard mentioned. What was it, ‘Seorak Gorge’?”
“…!”
At my words, Yuri’s eyes widened to the size of lamp flames.
“Th-that’s where the enemy is lying in ambush, you said.”
“That’s right.”
Yuri was bewildered, not knowing what I meant by this.
Seeing that, I spoke nonchalantly.
“They’ve gone to the trouble of waiting for us. We should go to them. If you know it, guide us there.”
“What do you mean…!”
Hearing this, Yuri involuntarily raised her voice.
“You intend to enter where the enemy forces are, directly?”
“Because it’s the fastest way.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to go straight to the Ice Palace…? If we ride that demonic beast from earlier, we can go safely…!”
“Can’t ride him.”
“What…?”
“That fella’s at his limit now.”
Why hadn’t I thought of that?
It was the first thought that had come to mind, naturally.
“He can’t fly right now.”
There was a reason I had sent Ttolttoli to rest deliberately.
He was exhausted to the point that he could not fly now.
‘How many days did he fly bearing this weight?’
I had chosen the number of people with capacity in mind.
Exceeding that, he carried the group, and even in that state, he flew at full speed.
I let him rest once every few days, but even including that, what allowed us to arrive at this time,
Was thanks to Ttolttoli enduring his limits and flying here.
Not to mention, apart from that,
“We also have no certainty that the Ice Palace is safe.”
“…!”
“It’s already a mess here. Did you think your home would be safe just because it’s your home?”
With a rebellion underway, enemy forces have taken the positions prepared as hideouts.
Could the Ice Palace truly be a safe situation?
If perhaps the Palace Lord has already fallen and the Ice Palace has been occupied?
There were all sorts of entangled problems in making a choice.
‘There is no best method.’
Not a better method.
Now was the time to choose the less bad method.
“So guide us.”
“But….”
Yuri tried to add more, perhaps finding my opinion unreliable.
Seeing that, I spoke with a sigh mixed in.
“I told you before.”
She seemed to keep misunderstanding.
“Does this look like a request?”
Within my frigid tone, killing intent I had been holding back faintly coiled.
A shiver.
At my words, Yuri trembled slightly.
This was already the limit.
I endured and endured, but I was already at my limit.
I wanted to burn everything right this instant.
Holding that back had already reached its limit.
Burning so fiercely hot that it instead felt cold.
That was precisely my current situation.
Therefore.
“Guide us right now.”
Before I burned something.
I had to find something to cool me down.
******************
Saaaa-!
The falling snow made it hard to see an inch ahead.
Such was the fierce snowstorm raging.
The path toward the gorge was not high, but somewhat arduous.
Ascending such a path, Yuri displayed wariness with her entire body.
The biting cold was not a problem.
To Yuri, the cold was more familiar than anything else.
For Yuri now, more than such things,
Her pounding heart and endlessly anxious emotions were the only problems.
Ascending the path, Yuri repeatedly bit her trembling lips.
‘What in the world… is this.’
She couldn’t come to her senses properly seeing the situation unfold.
That there were enemy forces at the pre-planned hideout.
And that her own blood relative was involved in the bloody calamity that had befallen the Ice Palace.
Those two facts alone made Yuri feel wretched.
‘How in the world…’
It was unbelievable.
Those who possessed the Curse of the Ice Crystal could not betray one another.
That was what had been cast upon the blood relatives of the Ice Palace over the long years.
The information extracted while torturing the enemy could not help but be shocking even to Yuri.
Torture.
As the events of just moments ago came to mind, nausea welled up from within.
Yuri forcibly suppressed it.
It was that shocking a sight.
Crunch.
A human body was pierced and joints were broken.
[Kuaaaaaaaagh!!!]
Splurt-!
Screams rang chaotically and blood splattered.
For the first time in her life, she smelled burning flesh.
The scent of human flesh burning was terribly bitter.
In mere minutes, the desperate pleas of the man crying to be saved,
Had changed to begging pleas to be killed.
‘It’s frightening.’
Fear surged just recalling it.
It was the moment Yuri became convinced something had gone terribly wrong.
Even before such screams, the eyes of the one performing the torture were composed.
He didn’t care about the screams in the slightest.
Neither the blood flowing from him nor the burning flesh.
He focused solely on the words to come from the man’s mouth.
At that cruel sight, Yuri couldn’t even breathe.
What on earth had she brought along?
Had it been right to bring him to Bukhae?
Such thoughts crossed her mind belatedly.
Terror and fear choked her throat.
Crunch.
She moved her steps laden with such emotions.
What was questionable amidst this,
Was that despite harboring countless negative emotions, Yuri was ultimately following his words.
Was it because she couldn’t overcome the coercion and fear?
Perhaps.
She couldn’t be certain of anything.
What mattered was that she was following his words.
Look at her now.
Hadn’t she come to guide him to a place where enemies might be lying in ambush?
Even in a situation where she didn’t know what had become of the Ice Palace.
Even if he had spoken of a rational and logical path,
Separate from that, the one who had ultimately chosen this was Yuri herself.
She had to bear the responsibility for that choice.
“Huu… hu….”
Because she knew that, Yuri did not stop walking.
Seorak Gorge.
The incline was not high, but the deep path was slippery and steep cliffs surrounded the area, making it dangerous terrain.
It was originally one of the paths leading to the Ice Palace, but one avoided due to the danger.
‘A path leading to the Ice Palace.’
They had said they would lure them to the side where the ambush was.
If they had said they would go via Seorak Gorge for safety’s sake, Yuri would have agreed.
Because this was a place rarely visited due to its sparse population.
‘…Is it really as he said?’
She had to admit it even if she didn’t want to.
That her expectations and thoughts had been wrong.
Saaaaaa.
The wind continued to blow.
A situation where not an inch ahead was visible due to the snowstorm.
Should they continue on like this?
They had heard there was an ambush.
Yuri looked back.
The party was quietly following Yuri.
The cold didn’t seem to be a problem.
How could they be like this when it was this cold?
Thinking that, Yuri recalled.
‘I’ve heard of it before.’
She had heard that particularly outstanding warriors became unshaken by the cold.
Did they also give off that feeling?
It was a useless thought to have now.
Yuri slightly shook her head and spoke to the group.
“…The situation is not good.”
It was already night.
The raging snowstorm was also a problem.
Even the outstanding warriors of the Ice Palace, familiar with such situations, would stop walking at this point.
No matter that they were from the Central Plains, it would be even harder to move in the current situation.
As soon as Yuri, having judged thus, spoke,
Ouyang Tian, who was in front, swept a look around the surroundings.
Was it an illusion?
For an instant, Ouyang Tian’s eyes seemed to be tinged with blue light.
“Yes, we don’t need to go further.”
“As expected….”
This time her words seemed to have been correct.
Funnily enough, a sense of relief passed through her at that fact.
“Since there is also the danger of ambush, then let us rest nearby for a moment….”
“No, that’s not what I mean.”
“What?”
Hadn’t he meant to wait for daybreak since enemies could appear?
The moment Yuri raised a question,
Hwarururruk.
Suddenly, Ouyang Tian began gathering flames above his palm.
Immediately, Yuri could feel the surrounding temperature change.
It was warm.
Within this blade-like cold.
Huuuuk-!
The warmth that had formed in the surroundings gathered into a handful.
Its appearance was reminiscent of a small sun.
Just as Yuri’s eyes were captivated by the mystical sight,
Fwip-!
Ouyang Tian hurled a gleaming jade bead into the air.
Then.
Flash-!
The rising bead spewed light, illuminating the surroundings.
The snowstorm died down around the bead.
The receding darkness and bursting light brightened their vision.
And so the surrounding scenery came into view.
“Hup…!”
Confirming the brightened surroundings, Yuri had to swallow a hollow breath.
“This… What is this…?”
Something was visible atop the snowfield.
They had been nearly buried due to the continuously falling snow,
But Yuri vaguely felt she knew what they were.
Crunch crunch-!
Ouyang Tian walked over and grabbed something on the ground, lifting it up.
The thing buried in the snow finally revealed its form.
It was, surprisingly, a human corpse.
Ouyang Tian, having lifted it nonchalantly, examined the corpse all over.
“He hasn’t been dead long.”
Though the condition was quite poor, making it hard to tell exactly,
That was how it appeared.
At longest, yesterday.
At shortest, today.
The corpse’s condition indicated as much.
And it wasn’t just this bastard.
‘There are many around.’
Corpses buried in the snow could be seen here and there.
A rough count showed more than twenty.
“Are these the ones who were lying in ambush here?”
If so, why were they all dead?
They could perhaps be Ice Palace personnel.
It was strange for the ambushers to be dead here.
At that moment,
“Wait…!”
Yuri, seeing the corpse Ouyang Tian was holding, approached in surprise.
“…General…?”
Seeing that reaction, Ouyang Tian asked.
“Someone you know?”
“Ah….”
Yuri frowned at the question and spoke.
“He is a Great General from the Blue Wolf Clan….”
“If it’s the Blue Wolf.”
It was the name of one of the four great clans, or tribes, involved in the rebellion that the man being tortured had spat out.
In other words,
‘They were the ones lying in ambush.’
Moreover, the position of Great General was said to be a renowned expert in Bukhae.
‘This means they had indeed intended to capture us for certain.’
It also meant they had planned to lure and capture them here.
The problem was,
‘Why are they dead?’
Why were such men all dead?
“Hmm….”
It was an incomprehensible situation.
Not a trace of human presence could be felt nearby, which made it more so.
Had they fought with the Palace Lord’s forces who had noticed the ambush?
Just when he thought he needed to look into this a bit more,
Jolt-!
Ouyang Tian turned his head and looked west.
All except Yuri did the same.
“They’re coming.”
“Yes.”
Ouyang Tian nodded at Paejon’s words.
Human presence was felt from the west.
Approximately thirty people.
It would take at least half a ke before they arrived.
‘Is it because of this?’
He raised his gaze.
It seemed those who had seen the compressed Flaming Wheel were approaching.
“Young Master, what should we do?”
“Let’s hide for now. We need to see who they are.”
Friend or foe.
Confirming that was the priority.
Thinking that, Ouyang Tian extinguished the Flaming Wheel.
The light quickly died down and darkness returned.
The snowstorm began to rage again as well.
“Let’s roughly erase our presence and assess the situation.”
Planning to do so, he was about to move immediately,
When a glint.
A sense of something alien flashed across Ouyang Tian’s eyes.
He saw something glittering in a patch of snow.
Under normal circumstances, he would have passed it off as just some abandoned weapon and moved on.
“...”
“Young Master? Where are you going—.”
For some reason, Ouyang Tian headed toward that spot.
Because he felt, inexplicably, that he had to see it.
Steps that had left no footprints dug deeply into the snowfield.
It meant the internal energy wrapped around his feet had vanished.
He walked.
No, he ran. Why the urgency? Even while running, he couldn’t understand.
When he arrived at the destination that way, strangely, the light was nowhere to be seen.
It had definitely been shining from afar, yet upon arriving, there was nothing.
There was only white snow.
Into that snow,
Thud-!
Ouyang Tian immediately reached his hand in.
A cold sensation brushed the back of his hand.
Ignoring it, he pushed further in and something caught at his fingertips.
It was absolutely not the feeling of the ground.
He grasped it and pulled his hand back.
The moment he laid eyes on the pulled-out object,
“...”
Ouyang Tian’s entire body stiffened rigidly.
It was an object familiar to his eyes.
Something a woman had carried around to the point of being sick of it.
It was also something he had bought for her.
A cheap thing bought in a hurry.
He had just seen it while passing by.
So he bought it.
Though it seemed slightly rusted, and he had said he would buy her a new one, he recalled how she had refused to change it even if she died.
The crescent-moon-shaped ornament he had chosen and given to her because it reminded him of her.
That object,
Was found in a place where it absolutely should not be.
The moment he confirmed it,
Snap-!
Something snapped inside Ouyang Tian.
Fwooooosh---!!
Starting from the tips of his feet, heat spread out in all directions.