As I moved, sensation returned to my eyes.
What did my pupils look like right now?
Probably similar to the Palace Lord’s.
[…Huh?]
The Palace Lord’s eyes widened when he saw them.
Looking at his face, I said,
“If you lay even a fingertip on them, rebellion or no rebellion, I’ll kill you first. Understand?”
[Hahaha.]
As I approached, heat pouring from me, the Palace Lord let out a laugh.
What was so funny?
Seeing that only made my temper flare hotter.
[Do you truly believe you can do that?]
No matter how weakened his strength had become because of the curse, my opponent was the Palace Lord.
He had once ruled an entire region, and I could instinctively tell as well.
The Palace Lord was stronger than me.
Overwhelmingly so.
Even so.
“So what?”
What did that matter?
Fwoosh.
Energy coiled around my hand.
It gathered and spun, and in an instant, a Yeomok formed above my palm.
“So I’m supposed to bow and scrape before you?”
With a personality this foul, I couldn’t do that.
I had already held back more than enough.
Besides.
“I don’t treat anyone who lays a hand on my people like a human being.”
No matter how strong my opponent was, if they touched what was mine, I would hunt them down to the ends of the earth and tear out their throat.
Even if that person happened to be a ‘god’ whose existence I wasn’t even sure of.
The blue-tinged Yeomok spun without pause.
With every repetition of its rotation, I could feel its power growing stronger.
It was the power of rotation I had learned from my father in the past.
As the Yeomok rotated, it radiated heat into its surroundings while, conversely, absorbing the cold.
[...]
The surprise still had not left the Palace Lord’s expression as he watched.
Maintaining the Yeomok, I spread my senses throughout the surroundings.
I did not let down my guard, not knowing when the cold might move.
I expressed my anger, while keeping my mind cool.
When should I detonate it? How should I detonate it?
Those were the only thoughts occupying my mind when—
[Hahaha.]
The Palace Lord, who had been watching me, suddenly let out a laugh.
“You’re laughing?”
Did he think this was some kind of joke?
I furrowed my brow and was about to take another step toward the Palace Lord when—
[I apologize.]
I heard the Palace Lord apologize.
[I made a grave mistake.]
“What did you say?”
[I did nothing to your companions. I swear it upon the Palace Lord’s honor.]
I answered the instant I heard him.
“What honor does a man who’s been shut away in the back room because he’s sick have?”
I spoke with a mocking smile.
[That is true as well. In that case, ‘Yucheon.’ I swear upon my name. Nothing happened to your companions.]
The Palace Lord acknowledged it without hesitation, even swearing upon his own name.
Hearing that, I slightly reduced the energy I was releasing.
I was even a little surprised inwardly.
I hadn’t expected him to admit it so readily.
Of course, I did not withdraw the Yeomok.
As I continued staring at the Palace Lord with heat in my eyes, he spoke to me.
[You truly must be his son.]
He thought I really was my father’s son?
To hear something like that in a situation like this, it certainly did not sound like a compliment.
Didn’t it sound as though something similar had happened before?
“Tsk.”
I clicked my tongue.
Then I flung the Yeomok I had been holding over my shoulder.
At that instant—
Whoooosh—!! Kuaaang—!!!!
An enormous explosion erupted from the entrance through which I had come.
Glancing over, I saw that the iron door had crumpled, leaving a slight gap.
‘I did control it to some extent, but…’
It had taken a direct hit from the Yeomok, yet had only crumpled slightly.
That meant the iron door was no ordinary object.
To be honest, I had thrown it with the intention of destroying it. Since it had ended with nothing more than that, I felt a little embarrassed.
Just then—
Screeeech—!!
The crumpled iron door opened, and a man entered.
He was the same man who had opened the door for me earlier—the one called the Black Lion or something.
The man opened the door, stepped inside, and looked this way.
“Palace Lord—!”
The moment he grasped the situation, the man began emitting fighting spirit.
I was standing close to the Palace Lord, heat pouring from my body.
It was a situation that could easily be misunderstood… No.
‘It wasn’t a misunderstanding.’
I had indeed threatened the Palace Lord, so it could not be called a misunderstanding.
“You bastard…!”
The man’s face twisted like that of an evil spirit.
This looked like it was about to become troublesome.
In that situation—
[Grand General.]
It was none other than the Palace Lord who stopped the man.
At the Palace Lord’s call, the Grand General’s feet froze.
[Stop.]
“Palace Lord…?”
[I was the one who first acted discourteously.]
The Palace Lord acknowledged his own discourtesy and spoke to the man.
[Return to your post at once. That is an order.]
Even at the Palace Lord’s command, the man could not move. Then, for an instant, an immense pressure poured from the Palace Lord.
It was so heavy that it could not even be compared to the pressure he had emitted toward me earlier.
Seeing that, I had to reassess the Palace Lord.
‘This man…’
Had he been hiding even more strength?
It was power I had failed to perceive.
[Grand General. Are you refusing my order?]
“No… I will obey your command.”
At the Palace Lord’s warning, the man withdrew his fighting spirit.
However, his gaze remained sharp as he looked at me.
I quietly watched him for a moment.
Then—
Thud.
I turned my back on the Palace Lord and began walking away without permission.
“How dare you—!”
At my actions, the man was about to say something again when—
[Grand General.]
The Palace Lord stopped the man once more.
As I passed the man and approached the open door, I turned my head and looked at the Palace Lord.
“You asked me something earlier.”
The question the Palace Lord had asked me moments ago.
Whether I was still friends with Uhyuk.
“Do I have to answer now?”
[Then?]
“I’ll answer later.”
It was almost a notification rather than an answer, but I found it difficult to give him an answer right away.
The reason was simple.
“I don’t particularly like hearing only one side of a story.”
If Uhyuk had truly committed treason under the identity of Bihyegun, then I first needed to know why he had done it.
‘There’s no way that bastard did something like that without thinking.’
There had to be a reason.
That was my first thought.
When I spoke with that intention, the Palace Lord asked me,
[So you intend to find Bihyegun and speak with him?]
“Yes.”
I would find him and ask him.
Whether he had truly done it, and if so, why.
That was the clearest method.
Hearing me, the Palace Lord smiled faintly and asked another question.
[And if, after doing so, you find yourself able to understand Bihyegun’s actions, what will you do? Will you join the rebellion as well?]
At the question, I had to deeply furrow my brow.
“Am I insane? Why would I get involved in something so troublesome?”
If I understood him, then I understood him.
Helping him was an entirely different matter.
“Fight, bicker, and do whatever you want. I don’t care.”
I simply wanted to know.
Why that bastard had been forced to make such a choice.
And if it turned out he had caused all this over a reason I could not accept—
‘Then I’ll have to beat some sense into him.’
I would beat him until he came to his senses.
I could at least do that much.
In my previous life, Uhyuk had done the same whenever I went too far or strayed too badly.
With my thoughts sorted out, I continued walking.
I could still feel the cold behind me.
But I heard neither anything beyond that sensation nor the Palace Lord calling out to me.
That meant he had no intention of stopping me from leaving.
I continued on.
As I walked out, I thought.
How had this all come to pass, and where should I begin looking?
In a matter like this, finding Uhyuk was the most urgent task.
But before that—
‘Before dealing with something like this.’
I had to resolve the reason I had come to the North Sea, rebellion or no rebellion.
I thought of the ornament hidden in my possession.
Namgung Bia.
I did not know where she had gone or what condition she was in.
I had to find her first.
‘Where in the world is she, and what is she doing?’
Could something truly have happened to her?
Only anxious, uneasy thoughts came to mind.
They had said there was no corpse where the ornament had been found, so it was possible she had merely dropped it and left.
‘But what can I possibly learn from an ornament like this…?’
I stopped.
‘An ornament.’
The ornament Namgung Bia had dropped.
As I thought of it, I suddenly realized something.
“Why did I forget about this?”
There was a way to determine the location of Namgung Bia, whose whereabouts were unknown.
As it happened, I had exactly one such method.
******************
Vroom-!
Vroooom-!!
A faint vibration could be felt at the woman’s waist.
Feeling that subtle sensation, the woman opened her closed eyes.
“…”
Though she had suddenly regained consciousness, the woman did not act hastily.
She lifted her heavy eyelids and first examined the scene before her.
What she saw was a dark space.
Where was this?
Her eyes had yet to adjust to the darkness, so she could not see properly.
Clank-!
“…!”
The woman reacted to the cold sensation.
Something was fastened around her hands.
Upon checking, she found that they were iron shackles.
She tried to move, wondering what they were—
“Ugh…!!”
The woman let out a low groan.
A stabbing pain had struck her around the waist.
Come to think of it, she had suffered a slash wound there.
Judging by the bandages wrapped around it, someone had treated her.
Should she consider that fortunate?
She did not know.
While the woman was barely enduring the piercing pain—
Vroom-! Vroooom-!
The vibration made the woman frown and turn her head.
A rod set with jewels, wrapped around her waist, was continuously vibrating.
It was Noea.
A strange light appeared in the woman’s eyes when she saw it.
‘…Why is that…?’
Why had Noea suddenly begun vibrating?
Just as the woman was about to ponder the question—
“You appear to be awake.”
“…!”
A voice came from ahead.
The woman’s head snapped toward the sound.
There stood—
“How is your body?”
Uhyuk, his eyes cold.
No.
Bihyegun of the Blue Wolf was looking down at Namgung Bia.