〈 Episode 607 〉 The Curse of the Ice Spirit.
Upon hearing those words, I had to tilt my head in confusion for a moment.
‘What Supreme One?’
At those words, I momentarily forgot about the cold.
That is how bewildering they were.
Did it just refer to the current Supreme One of the Central Plains?
‘What is that supposed to mean?’
I had to stand there in a daze for a long while after hearing it.
‘The Supreme One (至尊)...?’
The Supreme One of the Central Plains.
Hearing that, no particular face came to mind.
The title Supreme One means the number one person under heaven.
‘There isn't anyone like that in the Central Plains right now.’
There was no martial artist in such a position in the current Central Plains.
The Three Supremes said to be at the edge of the Outer Heavens were ultimately three people, and the Alliance Lord, the Wudang Sword Immortal, stood in a position lower than them.
The heads of the Four Great Clans… no, the Three Great Clans, were merely at the physical prime of martial artists their age.
They would be far too lacking to be called the strongest.
Then who is the person before me speaking of as the Supreme One?
‘Could it be the Sword Supreme (劍尊)?’
The former Alliance Lord of the previous generation, one of the Three Supremes who had led the Alliance to its golden age.
Even if not the number one under heaven.
The one called the best swordsman under heaven (天下第一劍). Could he possibly mean the Sword Supreme?
It wouldn't be strange.
With the Heavenly Demon not appearing now, he was the most frequently mentioned figure if one were to pick the number one under heaven.
Moreover.
‘If it's him, he might have a connection to the Sword Supreme.’
If it is the figure before my eyes, he might have a connection to the Sword Supreme.
He might have met him directly.
He might have heard of him.
I didn't know for sure.
So I just decided to ask.
“Are you speaking of the Sword Supreme?”
[Hmm...?]
Upon mentioning the Sword Supreme, the figure's eyes flickered.
Seeing that, my brow slightly furrowed.
Those pupils were grating.
The breath he exhaled, too.
The eyes looking at me. Everything was grating.
[...The Sword Supreme. Yes, there was such a person as well.]
Hearing those words, it seemed it wasn't the Sword Supreme after all.
Then who?
‘I don't know. And now isn't the time to worry about such things.’
What does it matter if it's the Supreme One or whatever?
What's important is.
“...Are you the Palace Lord?”
Who the figure before me is.
Truthfully, there was no need to even ponder.
I had already heard who called for me long ago.
Just from the sensation I felt from the one before me, I could guess who he was.
My fingertips trembled.
The cold energy was piercing through the heat, trying to dig into my skin.
The aura emanating from the figure continued to weigh down on my shoulders.
He was strong.
Far more so than those uncles guarding the door, Heuksajanji and Baeksajanji.
‘So that's the master of the Northern Sea.’
The martial world beyond the Central Plains.
The master of the frigid land where snow fell from the sky in all four seasons.
The Northern Sea Ice Palace Lord.
That was the man before me.
To my question, the figure answered immediately.
[My current state is unsightly, but I was indeed fulfilling that role.]
“That's past tense?”
[Heh, heh...]
At my words, the Palace Lord smiled.
Every time he let out a slight sound, cold energy flowed out.
[In such a fallen state, how could I speak otherwise?]
“Hm.”
Listening to the Palace Lord, I slowly examined him.
Starting from the right jawline, clumps of ice had formed, riding the shoulder line and covering half his body.
Seeing this, I slightly moved my toes.
The ice extending from there was not content with filling the floor; it covered the surrounding walls as well.
‘What is this?’
How had this happened?
Was it ice coming from the Palace Lord?
Or was it ice from the walls binding the Palace Lord?
While I was looking at the ice as if fascinated.
[Let me ask again. Are you truly unrelated to the Supreme One?]
The Palace Lord asked me.
It was the same question as before.
“What is this Supreme One?”
The answer I gave was laced with slight annoyance.
The time spent answering such bothersome things was a waste.
And constantly suppressing the hostility I felt whenever I looked at the Palace Lord was no small bother.
I frowned deeply as I looked at the Palace Lord, and then.
[Gu Cheolun.]
Huh?
[The Supreme One's name was surely that.]
“...Ungh?”
At the familiar name coming from the Palace Lord, I nearly let my strength slip unconsciously.
Why was my father's name coming from there?
I had just come here after having a damn dream about my father, too.
I never thought the Palace Lord would suddenly speak my father's name.
And to top it off.
‘...Supreme One?’
What was the meaning of that terrifying nickname?
The discomfort I had been feeling until now vanished in an instant.
And in its place, only bewilderment remained.
And seeing me like that, the Palace Lord seemed to realize something and continued.
[Judging by your reaction, you seem to have a connection. Perhaps...]
Oh no, did he realize I was his son?
If he had heard the situation roughly, there was no way he couldn't know--.
[A nephew, perhaps, or a blood relative through the maternal line? Though likely not a direct descendant...]
“I am his son.”
[No wonder I thought you resembled him greatly.]
Don't lie.
“I don't think you suspected for a moment that I was his son? Weren't you thinking I don't look like him?”
[No. It's just...]
The Palace Lord fell silent for a moment, choosing his words.
[I merely thought you resembled him rather pitifully...]
“Please don't say anything more.”
[Hmm.]
My mood soured for no reason.
[In any case.]
The Palace Lord seemed to want to move past the subject.
It was a subtly irritating remark, but I decided not to press it for now.
[So you are indeed the son of the Supreme One.]
“Why do you keep calling him the Supreme One?”
I asked, full of doubt.
It was an incredibly cringeworthy title.
At this question, the Palace Lord instead looked at me with doubt.
[What else would I call him but the Supreme One?]
“...”
No matter how many times I heard it, I couldn't get used to it.
It sounded like praise for my father, but.
To me, it only gave a strange feeling.
[How curious.]
The Palace Lord let out a short laugh.
Tsk, tsk.
[I never thought the day would come when I would see his son in my lifetime.]
“...What is your relationship with the head of my family, Palace Lord?”
I asked with some tension.
Because if he and my father were on bad terms, things would get bothersome.
With that worry, I asked.
[A friend.]
The Palace Lord gave a short answer. Hearing it, my eyes widened slightly without realizing.
A friend? A friend...
The moment I heard that, I asked the Palace Lord with surprised eyes.
“My father had a friend?”
I flinched after saying it.
I felt I had said something very wrong.
[Hehe.]
The Palace Lord laughed upon hearing my words.
As he trembled, something fell from his cheek.
Scales? That was the feeling I got.
[At least that is what I believe. I know not how he thought of it.]
“What do you mean...”
[If not a friend, you may consider him my benefactor.]
“Benefactor?”
Not only had the Ice Palace Lord called my father a friend, but a benefactor as well.
Hearing that, I thought.
‘Just what in the world were you doing?’
What had he been doing in his youth, that everyone who knew him had this kind of reaction?
Some feared him.
Some expressed admiration and gratitude.
He must have been quite famous in his day.
There was no one who properly knew what my father had been doing.
No, it would be more accurate to say he wouldn't answer even if asked.
Just then.
[So the one called the Red Feather was his son... But you don't resemble him very mu--]
“Excuse me?”
[Nothing.]
At the Palace Lord's words, I twisted my face fiercely.
No, he definitely said something after that? When I glared at him, the Palace Lord merely smiled as before.
‘What is with this guy?’
He was subtly different from what I had imagined. Very much so.
[Is this not a fascinating connection?]
He changed the subject. And did it well. He changed the subject incredibly well.
‘From what I heard from Yuri, he was supposed to be a very scary person.’
Taciturn, and what was it again.
I had heard a lot of backtalk, but I couldn't quite remember.
Anyway, from what I could see now, he seemed like a completely different person from the rumors.
[My father received help from your father. And I am now to receive help from you.]
“...”
Hm.
The Palace Lord said this nonchalantly, with a low chuckle.
However.
‘Did I just hear something incredible?’
Just now, the Palace Lord's father... that is, probably the previous Palace Lord, said he had received help from my father, didn't he?
I was now at the point of curiosity.
I also went around causing accidents quite unusually.
What had my father been doing back then?
‘No wonder he just let it slide whenever I caused trouble.’
Of course, in my previous life, I had heard myself called the shame of the Gu Clan. But this life was different.
Could it be that this was because my father had caused just as much trouble as me in his youth?
Such a thought suddenly crossed my mind.
[Heh, heh, heh.]
The Palace Lord's smile deepened.
Ooh-woong!
Perhaps by coincidence, as his laughter deepened, the cave shook.
[...Ah, my apologies. Old memories came to me after a long time, and laughter escaped me unbidden.]
The cold energy grew denser as well.
Perhaps because of that, it was rather cold.
‘Ha, to think I'm cold.’
A hollow laugh escaped me.
How long had it been since I felt this sensation?
It was a sensation I had not felt since the days when I first regressed.
As I was feeling that sensation while lightly rubbing my arms.
[Since what I most wanted to ask is finished, shall we move to the main subject? Is that alright?]
At the Palace Lord's words, I straightened my posture immediately.
“Yes.”
Finally, the main subject?
[First, hm... What should I call you?]
“Call me whatever. It's not particularly important--”
[Then as before, the Red Fea--.]
“My name is Gu Yangcheon, Palace Lord.”
[Then I shall address you as Master Gu.]
“Yes.”
That damned feather.
Anyway, I need to pull them all out.
Just who spread that rumor? If I catch them, I'll kill them.
As I was secretly gnashing my teeth inside.
[Then, Master Gu.]
At the Palace Lord's words, my body stiffened for a moment.
Because the atmosphere had changed drastically.
The cold energy sharpened and touched the end of my throat.
That was the sensation.
[Can you truly dispel this curse?]
Curse.
At those words, I examined the Palace Lord more closely.
A body covered in ice.
Skin with scales protruding.
And vertically slit pupils.
Not only was he far from ordinary, but it was an appearance difficult to call 'human.'
Taking this in, I asked the Palace Lord.
“By curse, do you mean your current appearance?”
[Yes.]
The cold energy emanating from the Palace Lord's body was intense.
That is why I had a question.
‘If that is a curse.’
Did it mean it was the same as the one Murong Hui-a suffered in my previous life?
‘But it wasn't at that level.’
Compared to the illness Murong Hui-a had, the difference was too severe.
She, too, had been gradually freezing, unable to endure the cold energy within her body.
‘That...’
The Palace Lord's current state was such that the cold energy was endlessly producing chunks of ice on its own.
Moreover, his body was undergoing changes.
Then Murong Hui-a, too.
‘Could it be that she met her death in such a form in her previous life?’
It was not a thought I wanted to recall.
I did not know of her final moments.
Seolbong had vanished one day.
How she died.
In what appearance she died was never revealed.
The Murong Clan had merely announced that she had met her death.
As such, the Palace Lord's words made me think many things.
‘The Curse of the Ice Spirit.’
Why ‘curse’ of all things? The word used was quite bothersome.
‘The Dark King said the same thing.’
The curse of the dragon's blood.
The Dark King had spoken of his body as such. He had said that only I, who had become a dragon, could dispel this curse.
The Palace Lord's current state was similar to that.
Could this be pure coincidence?
‘No.’
I thought not.
‘This so-called Curse of the Ice Spirit, like the Dark King...’
‘Couldn't it be related to 'dragons'?'
That thought flashed through my mind. And everything about the situation suggested it.
If that were truly the case.
‘...Then, the fact that I was able to cure Murong Hui-a's illness as well.’
Could it have been possible because it was related to me being a dragon?
Not simply a change caused by the Demonic Heaven-Devouring Art and the Nine-Flame Firewheel Art mixing within my body.
An aberration born from the very existence called 'me' changing.
Could that have been the key to curing Murong Hui-a's illness?
If so, the story fits together.
The pieces of things I had continuously found strange were gradually falling into place.
The problem was that the more they did, the worse I felt.
‘This means, in the end, that I was never a vessel fit for a human to begin with.’
Where did the change begin?
The fact that I was able to cure Murong Hui-a's illness, which had been incurable in my previous life, meant that some aberration had occurred in this life.
An aberration concerning me...
‘...There are too many.’
There were countless many.
Though there were so many I couldn't count them one by one, if I had to pick one.
‘Regression.’
It was regression.
The fact that I had arrived here again by going back in time.
Could that possibly be the problem?
It was something I couldn't know. It merely had the highest probability.
‘What I can be certain of now is...’
That the so-called Curse of the Ice Spirit the Palace Lord speaks of is likely related to something called a 'dragon.'
If that were truly the case.
‘Does the Palace Lord know about this dragon?’
Could that possibly have been the problem?
The fact that I had arrived here again by going back in time.
It was something I couldn't know. It merely had the highest probability.
If he knew, how much were the people of the Ice Palace related to 'dragons'?
And if they were related, did they consider it an enemy?
Or what did they think of it otherwise? I had to look at this carefully.
While the things I needed to ascertain multiplied in an instant.
[You seem deep in thought.]
“...!”
The Palace Lord addressed me.
[I can wait, so ponder at your leisure.]
Right.
It was the moment I had been asked a question.
‘What did he ask again?’
Did he ask if I could truly dispel the curse?
If I were to give an answer to that.
“I don't know.”
I had to give an ambiguous answer first.
[You don't know?]
Naturally, the Palace Lord expressed doubt at my words.
I immediately added an explanation for this.
“I have treated someone I presumed afflicted by the 'curse' you mentioned. However, I cannot be sure if it is the same as the 'curse' you bear. Furthermore.”
The words were long, so I took a breath.
“Even if they are the same, I cannot be certain I can treat the Palace Lord's body.”
[Hm.]
This was the best I could say.
Even at a glance, it was on a different level from Murong Hui-a's illness.
If I said it would work and something went wrong, only I would suffer the loss.
Thus, saying I wasn't certain.
[I see. I am convinced.]
The Palace Lord nodded and gave his affirmation.
[So you are saying confirmation is needed.]
“Yes.”
One cannot know just by looking.
Could I really treat such a state?
As that doubt flashed by.
“May I ask a question now as well?”
I, too, had something to ask the Palace Lord.
[Go ahead.]
Permission was granted.
“How did the situation come to this?”
[...]
So the moment I heard it, I spat it out.
“The Palace Lord's body is one thing, but the current situation is a complete mess as well.”
I didn't filter my words.
The time to worry about it being the Palace Lord or whatever had long passed. Now was not the time for that.
[You must have heard an explanation from the princess. Are you demanding a further explanation from me?]
“I heard. I heard it, but...”
It wasn't just that, so shouldn't I hear more?
“From what I see of how things are going, it's more than what I heard.”
The situation where the Palace Lord's health deteriorated, and at that time, the clan in charge of military power rebelled.
So please treat the Palace Lord before it's too late. That's what I heard.
“No matter how I look at it, it's not just that.”
It wasn't an ordinary rebellion.
This was a rebellion of the blood relatives.
Not merely something caused by a clan, but a rebellion raised by blood relatives betraying their own to aim for the throne.
“Did the Palace Lord truly not know of this?”
[...]
At my question, the Palace Lord fell silent.
But I could tell by his expression.
The Palace Lord knew as well. Of course he would. Unless he was a fool, it was something he couldn't not know.
“After this, I will hear it outside as well, but I need an explanation on this part.”
I looked at the Palace Lord without averting my gaze.
The rebellion the blood relatives raised to kill the Palace Lord—I knew it would be difficult to recall, but.
I had to hear it.
I had to gather information. So that.
‘I can go find them.’
I would go find them and go kill them.
My current physical condition? Who cares?
Even if my body shattered, I would go.
With that in mind, as I tried to keep asking.
[That is correct.]
The Palace Lord nodded first.
[This is a rebellion in which the blood relatives are involved.]
I was not surprised to hear the answer.
It was an obvious expectation; there was no reason to be surprised or anything.
The problem was...
[However. I do not know who started it.]
“What?”
I had to be surprised at the Palace Lord's following words.
The blood relatives had indeed caused a rebellion, but not even the Palace Lord knew who?
‘What the hell is going on now?’
It was absurd.
As I made a strange expression, unable to understand, the Palace Lord continued.
[The information discovered recently is that the Blue Wolf who caused the rebellion. Bi Oegun, the son of its master. The story was that he instigated the rebellion backed by the blood relatives.]
[I have yet to discover from which blood relative he gained his justification.]
The Ice Palace, and a clan that was even in charge of military power.
It wasn't even the clan head who started the rebellion.
‘The clan head's son caused it?’
It was a rather strange context.
Was the management of clans on this side also a mess?
It was no different from someone in the position of a young clan head in the Central Plains rebelling against the Alliance...
‘Oh, this...’
It feels somewhat similar to my story?
Such a useless thought flashed by.
It was a different matter from mine, so it was hard to compare, but still.
The moment I erased the useless thoughts and tried to focus on the talk.
[Therefore, if it concerns Bi Oegun, there is rather something I wish to ask on my end.]
I heard strange words from the Palace Lord.
“...What do you mean by that?”
The rebel called Bi Oegun.
Why did he want to ask me about that guy?
Then.
[From what I have heard...]
[Bi Oegun was said to be a friend of yours.]
“...?”
The Palace Lord spoke while looking at me.
I wondered what kind of dog-shit words those were. A friend? That was absurd.
“He was a friend? I don't know such a fellow.”
[Do you truly not know him?]
“Yes, how would I know someone from the Northern Sea...”
[The youngest son of the Blue Wolf, Bi Oegun. The name he is probably called in the Central Plains is.]
Looking at me denying it, the Palace Lord uttered his final words.
[The Crouching Dragon, U Hyeok.]
The moment I heard it.
[Or so I heard.]
My mind went blank.