Chapter: 585
Finding the woman wasn’t that difficult.
No matter how large Hanam was, she was too noticeable a figure because of her appearance.
Even a little information was enough to locate her right away.
Yeah, she was dressed in a way that was just too eye-catching.
Light blue eyes.
A subtle chill lingering in the air.
From her captivating gaze to the atmosphere that radiated from her presence.
She reminded me of Mo Yong-hee from the Murong family.
If I had to point out something different, it would be that the woman had white hair. No, if I focused hard enough, I could probably spot other differences—but they’d only be noticeable upon intense examination.
What this means is that she resembled Mo Yong-hee just that much.
Mo Yong-hee.
That woman looked strikingly similar to Mo Yong-hee.
Not to the level of identical twins like Cheonma and Wiseol-ah, but still.
‘So, is that the Little Princess I’m seeing here?’
The Little Princess of the North Sea.
To be precise, she’s the fourth daughter of the Ice Palace Lord.
A pure-blooded descendant of the Bukhae Ice Palace, returning to the Central Plains after several decades.
And.
‘A troublesome little runaway.’
A person who caused a commotion right after arriving in Hanam.
She was wrinkling her nose.
As if something was off-putting.
As I looked on, wondering why she was acting like that, she finally spoke up.
“Nice to meet you.”
It started with a light greeting. Then she continued.
“Oh, I’ve been caught….”
Her following tone was filled with regret.
“But I thought it wouldn’t be discovered until dinner time.”
I tilted my head in confusion at her comment.
“How did they find out? The plan was so thorough… Hmm.”
Something about this was puzzling.
What can I say?
“Wow… Running away from home is harder than I thought, right?”
“…”
Listening to the woman, I suddenly felt like I had more to say.
How should I express this?
‘Ah.’
Yes, it came to me.
‘Is this an identity crisis?’
That’s what it felt like.
There was a playfulness to her speech, but also an underlying scattered vibe.
You might wonder what’s the issue, but this strange feeling stemmed from her appearance.
She had the kind of looks that would make you believe she was Mo Yong-hee’s twin.
She looked like she could slice you with a cold, sharp voice, yet she was acting so zany, creating a bizarre contrast.
I stared at her with a slightly furrowed brow.
‘The Little Princess of the North Sea.’
A descendant of the Ice Palace Lord who once fought alongside the Sword Lord and achieved equal footing.
‘Hmm.’
Judging by her skills, I’d say she was a first-class chin-up artist. She must be in her early twenties.
‘Not bad for her age, I suppose.’
It was hard to say she was outstanding, though.
Even if I didn’t know much about the North Sea’s level, I could easily say she’d be viewed as a dullard from a distinguished family here in the Central Plains.
That seemed like a fair assessment to me.
Just as I was forming that judgement and watching the little princess…
“Excuse me.”
The little princess turned to me.
“I know I’m pretty, but aren’t you staring a little too intently?”
“…?”
What was that? What did I just hear?
“If you keep staring, you might burn a hole in my face. Seriously… men…”
As she sighed, the surroundings fell completely silent.
Just as my expression began to frown at her unexpected comments…
“… Confucius.”
Tang So-yeol, who was standing next to me, cautiously approached me.
“That young lady seems a bit strange.”
I couldn’t disagree with that.
The fact that she resembled Mo Yong-hee while making such statements made everything even more mind-boggling.
‘This is not easy.’
It’s true that she was pretty.
And she was confident enough to know it, which only made my annoyance grow.
That level of beauty was extremely rare in the Central Plains.
‘The fact that there are too many people like her around is just laughable.’
I had gotten so used to seeing beautiful faces that I felt immune to it.
If I were the kind of idiot I was in my past life, I might have been staring at her out of sheer beauty.
Of course.
That wasn’t the case now.
‘How did she manage to escape at this level?’
They said she fled while shaking off not only the guards of Baekhwasangdan but even my own subordinates.
I really couldn’t make sense of it.
‘No way she’s at that level.’
Just in case, I checked the guards surrounding the area. Most of them were at the peak of their capabilities.
Without a doubt, they were not low-level enough to let the little princess escape.
How on earth did she pull this off?
‘I was starting to think I was going to have to face Hwagyeong again.’
She was, after all, the blood relative of the Ice Palace Lord, know for her skills potentially on par with the Sword Lord.
I thought it was plausible, but apparently not.
It smelled like she must’ve used some sort of different tactic.
‘But I’m not particularly interested in that.’
I couldn’t help but feel like this was getting too deep, so I decided to drop it.
Now wasn’t the time to dig any deeper.
Looking at the little princess, I said,
“You should really head back now. There are quite a few people waiting for you.”
My tone had an edge to it. I tried my best to suppress my irritation, but it was not an easy feat.
Then I caught the little princess’s gaze, and her expression shifted with something I couldn’t quite place.
“Did you get angry?”
It was a look of genuine curiosity.
What?
“It’s not anger, just a bit annoying.”
I answered honestly.
Because I wasn’t angry enough to let loose just yet.
“Wow.”
Her excitement showed as soon as I spoke.
What was up with her? What the hell was she even saying?
‘Should I smack her?’
That thought crossed my mind without me even trying to stop it.
She didn’t seem to be deliberately trying to annoy me, but it felt incredibly bizarre nonetheless.
“I’ve never met someone who gets angry at me. Central Plains is truly interesting.”
“…What on earth are you talking about?”
This was a first for me as well.
Meeting a woman who radiated such a bothersome vibe.
“Alright, alright… Let’s go now.”
I took a step closer.
When I got a good look, I realized she bore even more resemblance to Mo Yong-hee.
She even had a mole under her eye. I vaguely remembered that Mo Yong-hee had something like that too.
Was this pure coincidence?
‘… Well, that’s not important right now.’
The odd question nagged at me, but I tried to ignore it.
As I approached to grab her, the little princess flashed me a slight smile and spoke.
“Are you not going to let me off easy?”
“Yes.”
I answered firmly, which made her scrunch up her nose like she was disappointed.
But she still seemed determined to be captured quietly…
“Well, that won’t do, will it?”
Bam-!
“…Huh?”
Just as I reached out to seize her, the little princess’s body suddenly began to glow.
What in the world is happening?
Whoosh-!
A chill shot down my spine.
This was all happening too fast.
Simultaneously, her body began changing.
Her entire form turned white.
What the heck is going on?
The little princess looked at me with a puzzled expression.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for this to happen…”
I couldn’t grasp it at all.
Instinctively, I smacked the back of her neck.
Whack-!
“Ugh!?”
Just like that, the little princess let out a small scream, her eyes rolling back, and she fell unconscious.
She crashed down to the floor with an umpf.
Of course, I wasn’t going to catch her.
“Have you totally lost it?”
I glanced at the somewhat ungracefully fallen princess.
What on earth was she trying to do? I felt my irritation peak.
What the heck is this situation?
As I viewed the little princess, my expression soured.
“Little Princess…!”
Suddenly, someone burst onto the scene with a panicked voice from behind.
I turned around and saw Mo Yong-hee leaning against a wall, panting heavily.
“I found you… Huh?”
Upon seeing the sight of me and the little princess sprawled on the ground, Mo Yong-hee’s eyes widened.
She furrowed her brow as if she couldn’t comprehend the scenario before her.
I waved casually and said, “Long time no see.”
Even though it wasn’t as long as since I’d seen others, it had still been a while.
It had been a good bit since I last saw her due to her busy schedule.
I was delighted and wanted to chat more.
“Confucius.”
“Yeah?”
“…Is that by any chance the Little Princess?”
Wait, we hadn’t seen each other in a while, and right out of the gate, she skips pleasantries to hit me with the important stuff!
I felt a bit disappointed, but at the same time, it struck me as quintessential Mo Yong-hee.
“This?”
I tapped her foot lightly, and Mo Yong-hee nodded.
“Most definitely.”
“…”
I didn’t ask if it was her, so I wasn’t quite convinced.
But given the state she was in, it likely was correct.
I could tell from her gradually shaking expression.
“Then… why is the little princess out cold?”
“I knocked her out since she seemed like she was trying to make a run for it.”
“You hit her? You know who she is, right?”
“Hit? It was just a light tap.”
I made sure there would be no harm when she woke up.
If I hadn’t controlled it, her head would’ve probably split open.
When I answered nonchalantly, Mo Yong-hee pressed her forehead with a troubled look.
It seemed that handling the bloodline of the North Sea was a significant problem.
“… Ugh.”
All these realizations left Mo Yong-hee momentarily speechless.
Of course.
‘If that’s the case, not catching her from the start was already a mistake.’
The initial problem was losing sight of the little princess.
‘Looking at the situation, it seems like Mo Yong-hee was there the whole time.’
While I hadn’t heard all the details, I had a pretty good grasp of the situation.
Essentially, Mo Yong-hee was part of the team that brought the little princess here.
‘Was that what Mrs. Mi had sent her to do?’
I wondered why they had sent her so far, and this seemed to be the reason.
Understanding this left a bitter taste in my mouth.
‘Did Mrs. Mi try to exploit the fact that Mo Yong-hee was of North Sea descent?’
The rationale behind Mrs. Mi sending Mo Yong-hee was becoming clearer to me.
Knowing the opponent was a blood relative of the North Sea, it might have seemed more beneficial to send Mo Yong-hee.
That might have seemed reasonable, but the fact that Mrs. Mi used Mo Yong-hee still stood.
I wasn’t too fond of that.
Naturally, I wouldn’t voice this out loud.
Mo Yong-hee likely knew more about this situation than I did.
The fact that she went along with it meant she had already come to terms with it.
Thus, it wasn’t something I needed to meddle in.
I reached out and flicked the little princess’s body.
Whoosh-! The princess’s form lifted into the air.
I tossed her swiftly toward Mo Yong-hee.
“…!”
Startled, Mo Yong-hee caught the little princess’s body.
“Confucius…! What if you suddenly throw her at me!?”
“I feel awkward touching someone else’s body, you know.”
It’s not that touching a woman made me uncomfortable.
It was just that it made me feel awkward to do so.
When Mo Yong-hee heard that, she looked at me as if I had lost my mind.
“Are you out of your mind? Using Heaven’s techniques for such a reason?”
The kind of techniques reserved for those who’ve reached Hwagyeong!
It struck her as completely absurd to apply it for not wanting to touch someone else.
Ultimately, it’s just a matter of preference.
What does it matter how I use it? The only thing that matters is that I feel comfortable.
“Enough of your nagging, just take her. We’ll talk about this later.”
As I said this, I waved my hand, and Mo Yong-hee wore a puzzled expression.
“Later? You aren’t coming with me?”
When she asked that, it implied she was aware I had something to do with this mess.
I was curious about what exactly had involved me.
“I still have things to handle. I’ll catch up shortly, so just go ahead.”
I still had work to do here.
[Confucius.]
The sound of Tang So-yeol calling me telepathically.
She seemed to have caught on to why I wasn’t leaving.
[I know.]
[Should I bring her up?]
I turned my head as I listened.
Looking toward the ceiling of a building.
“No, that’s alright.”
Was checking the ceiling the issue?
Thud-!
A faint presence could be felt from above.
Then it quickly began to retreat.
Are they trying to escape?
“I’ll go investigate myself.”
Finishing my sentence, I leaped into action.
Woosh-!
A masked figure dashed through the building, flying with agility.
As the scenery changed rapidly, one could sense just how fast they were moving.
The masked man swallowed dryly as he zipped along.
‘How did they notice me?’
How on earth could they detect me?
Their hiding skills must have been flawless.
I hadn’t sensed a thing until just now.
Feeling a shiver run up his spine, the masked man recalled the moment before.
‘Our gazes met.’
Without a single hint.
Suddenly, the young man turned his head and locked eyes with the masked figure.
Upon meeting that gaze, he immediately attempted to flee.
It was the very eyes that had been watching him all along.
Did he know I was here from the beginning?
I had no idea.
But right now, I absolutely needed to escape.
‘I need to return to headquarters immediately.’
I had to get back and file a report.
That was my objective.
‘Damn it.’
Even when a woman appeared near the formation, the masked man had been quite relaxed.
When she locked her gaze onto the formation’s exact location, he briefly hesitated to move.
It hardly lasted long.
The masked man had been given a straightforward command: monitor the formation until tonight and ensure no issues arose.
It was unfortunate that something went wrong tonight.
‘At least, it’s a relief that there’s no issue with the formation.’
While it was problematic that they had detected him, they would never discover his true tactics.
That alone was enough.
If he could just return to headquarters, report everything accurately, no major issues should arise.
“Where are you going?”
“…!?”
A voice rang out next to him.
Startled, the masked man attempted to redirect himself.
Thud-.
Before he could react, someone seized him by the neck and slammed him to the ground.
Smash-! Skid-!
His face slammed into the floor.
The result of his own swiftness propelled him forward, carving a long, narrow trail in the ground.
A sudden shock.
In the moment the masked man could barely process everything.
Thud-!
The same hand that slammed him down grabbed the back of his head and yanked him upwards.
“Gah…!”
“Do you have a protective barrier? Not bad.”
In that instant, as he was caught, he realized there was a defensive technique wrapped around his form.
Someone noticed and exclaimed with mild admiration.
This was dangerous.
Instinctively realizing the gravity of the situation, the masked man attempted to fight back.
But.
Crack-!
“Ugh!?”
An immediate grip clamped over his cheeks, preventing him from closing his mouth.
And then.
Smack-!
“Ughh!!”
With a swift motion, the hand dove in and yanked out a molar.
It was where his self-detonative poison was concealed.
This all transpired in the blink of an eye.
The masked man barely had time to process what was happening.
Yet, there was still one clearer thing he could recognize.
His eyes.
Even with his vision blurred, he could see the eyes of the opponent sharply.
They shone with a brilliant blue hue.
Yet, for some inexplicable reason, there was an unsettling heat radiating from them.
Just looking at those eyes felt as if he was burning alive.
“Ugh… hehh….”
An unknown sense of fear surged through the masked man, quickening his breath.
The opponent inspected the extracted molar for a moment.
Then…
Crisp!
They crushed it between their fingers.
Then, they turned their gaze back to the masked man.
“This is amusing.”
The young man’s face bore a smile that sent a chilling sensation down his spine.
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