Chapter: 599
“Why aren’t you going?”
A silence envelops the question, asked with a bright tone as if the speaker genuinely didn’t know.
Perhaps it was the suddenness of the situation that left me at a loss for words.
‘What is it?’
Why is that person here?
I literally tried to stay quiet on purpose.
How did they suddenly show up here?
Countless thoughts raced through my mind.
Especially now, this was the last moment I wanted to encounter him.
‘Because I just sold that old man out…’
I found it hard to look at Pajeon as the ‘actions’ I took against Pilduma flashed back in my mind.
If they ever find out what I did using my name later…
‘This won’t end with a simple folding in half.’
He could tear off the limbs of his disciples and scatter them into different rivers.
If it’s him, I’m sure he would do just that.
In the midst of thinking, I began to sweat coldly.
Pajeon watched me in silence and then asked, “Why are you like that? You look like someone caught stealing.”
“…What do you mean? When did I ever steal?”
He was also incredibly quick-witted.
“That’s why it’s strange–.”
“When did you two decide to be brother and sister?”
“Right, that’s true. Haha.”
Pajeon quickly changed his words when Mo Yong-hee interjected.
“Hahaha! I must be a bit tongue-tied since it’s morning.”
“…”
I thought it was utterly ridiculous watching them try to salvage the situation so late.
Of course, I couldn’t voice that opinion out loud.
“Uh, Prince Rain.”
-Old man.
“Yes.”
-What is it?
“Do you want to go together?”
-Why would an old man follow me here? Stay quietly in your corner at home.
“It doesn’t look fun. Take me with you; I’ll be of help.”
-Shut up and take him away.
-If you don’t want to fall behind.
“…”
“Haha.”
Everything was evident in that short exchange.
Especially those last words felt particularly chilling.
I could sense all of Pajeon’s emotions, filled with the determination to never let go.
I wanted to just toss him aside and leave.
‘I’m not the kind of person who would be discarded just because you throw them away.’
This guy would barely be pushed back even if everyone here teamed up against him.
If I could manage to push him out at all, that would just be luck.
‘In the process…’
My gaze passed between Tang Xiaoyeol and Mo Yong-hee.
‘I have no idea what that guy will do to them.’
You might wonder why I lack faith in my own teacher, but—
‘No. How could I trust someone like that?’
At this moment, if you were to pick the top ten people in the current Central Plains who know about Pajeon, I would be among them.
That gentleman was unimpressive aside from martial arts.
Especially for me, being used as a disciple, I was just a mere launch pad for his dreams.
A person who stays quiet in the sect because they’re too lazy to step out.
The villain I saw was precisely such a character.
“Phew…”
I let out a soft sigh.
Since Pajeon had decided to come along, there was no escape.
“Must you… stay quiet?”
-Please don’t cause any trouble.
“I can’t believe I’m hearing such a warning from a great man after living this long, how refreshing!”
-That’s not something I want to hear from you.
-Do you want to die?
‘…’
After wrapping up a conversation with no gain, I clicked my tongue lightly and focused straight ahead.
“…Let’s go slowly.”
The mere thought of going with him made my head ache.
What can I do? It’s all my karma.
Why must my chosen teacher be such a person?
It truly felt like an unlucky life.
Suppressing my irritation, I poked Ttol-Ttol.
“Hey, move as quickly as you can—”
“I, I…”
I frowned at the words coming from behind me.
It was Yuri who uttered those words.
“What now?”
“If we go, how… how do we get there?”
She seemed panicked, her eyes trembling as if she didn’t know how to move.
From the looks of it, she seemed to have already figured it all out.
I guessed she had hoped it wasn’t what she thought.
Seeing that, I smiled and said,
“Haha, what’s the deal? Are you worried we might fly away?”
Hope flickered across Yuri’s face at my joking words.
“Is that so? I mean, flying in the sky—what a ridiculous fantasy! There’s no way that could happen—”
“Bingo. You’re smarter than I thought.”
Thump-
I kicked Ttol-Ttol without waiting for Yuri to finish.
Suddenly,
Whooooooooosh–!!!
The beast sprang into the air, its massive body soaring promptly.
“Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah—!!”
Yuri clung tightly to my back and screamed in surprise.
It was rather noisy.
The wind brushed my face.
It was speed I still couldn’t get used to.
Managing to regain my balance, Ttol-Ttol adjusted its posture to face forward.
Only then did the scenery unfold before my eyes.
It was a sight I still struggled to acclimate to.
The vast land of the Central Plains stretched out below the clouds.
The breeze flowing against my cheeks and the coolness that seemed hard to associate with summer.
‘Not bad.’
This was one of the few sensations I appreciated about my current life.
Of course,
“Uuuuuuuuh…!! I’m flying! What the heck is this!!”
The person behind me seemed utterly horrified, though.
Growl-
Ttol-Ttol gradually increased its speed.
I had told it to climb as high as possible.
At the same time, the sight ahead was breathtaking.
The strong winds meant I had to block them to prevent anyone from falling.
‘At this speed, I wonder how long it will take.’
Not knowing the distance or being able to make precise calculations, I figured round-trip would take about a month.
If we could keep flying, it would be quicker, but that wasn’t the case.
We’d need to rest at least every three days.
That was merely the time frame I came up with.
Then,
‘That means I have just under a month to resolve everything.’
I must return within two months, which meant I had to wrap up all affairs within that time.
Can I do it?
I have no idea.
But it had to be done; that was the mindset with which I began this task.
As I tried to gather my thoughts and organize my plans,
“Uugh… I think I might throw up…”
“…”
I closed my eyes at the voice I heard behind me.
Should I knock them out? The impulse to do so crossed my mind, but I had to hold back.
It would be a hassle to take care of someone who fainted now.
‘…If I keep going, we’ll get there.’
It’s always like this. If you persevere, things usually work out.
I waited, thought, and thankfully, we arrived at our destination sooner than expected.
On a certain day, seven nights later,
We had arrived at the North Sea.
We crossed the mountains and the sea.
If I were to recount all the things that happened, I would have endless stories to tell through the night.
However, it was still a complicated moment to bring those up.
This wasn’t exactly an easy journey.
Though I had anticipated it, it was significantly different from traveling by wagon.
The speed was dozens of times faster, but the main issue was fatigue.
Since we couldn’t properly sleep at night, we’d been forced to pull all-nighters.
Rather than someone taking watch, all of us had to stay awake, so the accumulation of fatigue was overwhelming.
We had allocated a break for Ttol-Ttol every three days, but considering the long-distance travel, it also served as rest for us.
Fast travel was good, but personally, it was an experience I wouldn’t want to repeat.
If we had taken our time, it would have been more manageable, yet hurrying along added a unique level of strain.
Even in my physically trained state, it was tough.
“…Ugh…”
Even top-tier Yuri seemed like a walking corpse every day.
She was trying hard not to show her fatigue, but—
Hiding it was impossible at this point.
At least she didn’t whine about how tired she was, so that was a relief.
‘How could she possibly complain?’
After accepting a commission to head to a chaotic Ice Palace, what could Yuri possibly say?
She had to follow quietly.
If she had complained even once during our travels…
‘I would have tossed her out.’
Regardless of whether it was a mountain or the sea, I would have considered it.
As it was, forbearance suited her well.
‘That said, it’s a relief.’
Whooooooooosh-
I felt the wind brushing past my cheeks and frowned.
It was far too cold for summer.
This chill was particularly striking.
I sensed this and lowered our altitude gradually.
As a result, the clouds shifted, slowly revealing the landscape.
On the seventh day since we departed the Central Plains, we arrived at the New Martial Arts Forest, North Sea.
It was ahead of my expectations.
“Wow…”
Tang Xiaoyeol gasped at the shimmering sight.
Snow was falling all around us.
Snow in the middle of summer.
It was an utterly alien sight.
What about down below?
The ground was blanketed with a thick layer of snow.
The mountains occasionally poked through… were they all covered in ice?
‘They say it looks mystical to those from the Central Plains.’
That statement was absolutely spot on.
With such dissonant scenery, how could it not be enchanting?
The land spread far into the distance.
In that expansive view, no part was left untouched by snow.
Everywhere was white.
From that scene, I felt a strange sensation.
It was undoubtedly a beautiful sight, yet…
‘Something is off, and it feels unsettling.’
Maybe it was the abrupt feeling of nausea that lurked beneath.
Having flown for so long, was I experiencing motion sickness for the first time?
Tsk.
I tried to ignore it while scanning the surroundings.
Turning to Yuri, I asked, “Hey, where should we go?”
“Ah…”
Yuri snapped back to reality from my question.
I had initiated our departure, but she was the one directing us.
“You mentioned a safe location.”
“W-We have to head… west from here.”
Growl-
Ttol-Ttol turned to the direction.
“If we go west, we’ll find a large iceberg. There, warriors will be waiting…”
Yuri, who had seemed desperately close to dying during our journey, appeared a bit more invigorated now that we were back in North Sea.
The stuttering in her words vanished, and vitality sparkled in her eyes.
Despite almost resembling a corpse just five days ago.
‘So, a large iceberg.’
That’s where the Ice Palace’s army was supposed to be. Listening to that, I asked Yuri,
“Are you saying they waited here expecting us to arrive?”
“I made sure it would hold until I returned.”
“…But what if it takes months?”
Were they really going to wait indefinitely for Yuri to return?
Especially in a time of war like this.
“…The hiding place has been secured to avoid detection. I prepared food and supplies for half a year.”
“Half a year? So that’s the limit, huh.”
“…Yes.”
That meant they had held out until the little princess returned.
This indicated…
‘How crucial was the little princess’s role?’
Moreover,
Even if a rebellion was underway,
‘There was confidence they could last half a year.’
That was a fair assessment, I suppose.
I lowered our speed a bit as we moved.
It was for the sake of finding our location too.
The sound barrier surrounding Ttol-Ttol had been placed as we entered the North Sea.
This was to minimize its presence.
It’s lively for a creature this size; if it moved carelessly, it could be detected easily.
As we navigated,
“Over there.”
Yuri pointed to a direction with her hand.
Following her words, an enormous iceberg came into view compared to the surroundings.
Growl.
Confirming that, I descended.
Whooooooosh-
As Ttol-Ttol landed, the wind blended with the snow blew out violently.
This time, it landed more gently.
I must have nagged it a lot, so it finally seemed to be listening.
Thud.
When we reached the ground, my feet sank.
It indicated there was quite a bit of snow.
Growl…
Ttol-Ttol let out a short growl before gradually shrinking in size.
Now it was dozens of times smaller than before.
Looks like it had worn itself out from all the strength it had used.
“Rest around here.”
Growl.
Upon hearing my command, Ttol-Ttol flew off somewhere and vanished.
I had heard there were monsters even in the North Sea, so it would probably occupy itself there.
Leaving it like that meant I could call on it later if needed.
I focused my energy on my legs.
Then, I took another step forward.
This time, my feet didn’t sink into the snow; instead, it felt like firm ground beneath me.
This was to avoid leaving footprints in the snow.
Needless to say, Pajeon and Tang Xiaoyeol definitely knew better than this. Yoon Young was already executing it instinctively.
Seeing this, I exerted my energy and sent it toward Yuri.
Whoooom-
“…!”
Yuri’s body levitated off the ground.
It was me making her float with my energy.
Unexpectedly, her hand clamped over her mouth.
It seemed she almost let out a scream.
What I did was something not even a top-tier could perform, so I had to resort to this.
‘I don’t want to carry her directly.’
Since Yuri understood the situation, she kept her mouth shut and said nothing.
She indeed had some awareness.
With a swift motion,
Yuri pointed her finger at something. I nodded in response.
Was she indicating to go that way?
We slowly walked in the direction Yuri indicated.
After walking about five hundred paces, we reached the huge iceberg I saw earlier.
Once we arrived, Yuri extended her right hand and pointed ahead with her left finger.
Was she telling me to send her forward? Based on that idea, I allowed her to proceed.
As Yuri approached the wall, she pressed her right hand against it.
And then—
Wuuuuuuuum—!!
There was a reaction from the iceberg.
A slight tremor and a soft light emerged.
As I glanced at it curiously,
Dudduddudududu-!
The wall shifted, creating space.
A square-shaped opening.
I realized it immediately.
‘An entrance.’
That what lay before me was indeed an entrance.
Without hesitation, I stepped forward.
Tap.
With my foot connecting, a resonance echoed.
I walked slowly down the corridor.
It wasn’t very long.
In no time, we could exit the corridor.
Once we emerged, we arrived in a certain space.
A spacious, circular area.
Several boxes were visible, and the warmth I sensed from the corridor seemed to have intensified.
Still, it was just as cold as the Central Plains.
Moreover,
“Ah!”
“Your Highness…!?”
I could see two figures who were already inside.
Upon discovering us, the men immediately rose to their feet.
Looking at their attire, I thought,
‘Fur coats.’
Fur coats to withstand the cold.
They looked peculiar, with what appeared to be iron plating layered on top.
Somewhat cumbersome for using martial arts.
As I was confirming this,
“We are warriors from the palace.”
Yuri relayed to me.
Her tone was filled with relief.
I carefully set her down.
“Your Highness has arrived…”
“I’m truly relieved. Your Highness, are you hurt in any way?”
As the warriors approached slowly, Yuri spoke.
“I’m fine… Thankfully, things went smoothly as planned. How is the palace master?”
“The palace master…”
One of the men, identifying as a warrior, wore a downcast expression.
“…Is not in good condition.”
“What…!”
Yuri’s face twisted at the warrior’s words.
Then, with an anxious look, Yuri turned to the warrior and asked,
“It’s still not the deadline yet…! What happened?”
“That’s…”
“First and foremost, it seems urgent for you to return to the palace.”
“Ah…”
In a dim tone, Yuri continued looking at me.
However,
“I’m sorry… It feels like there’s a pressing issue. First, we need to escort you back to the palace…”
I wasn’t paying attention to that conversation.
Only nodding as I glanced at the men.
In response, Yuri furrowed her brows slightly.
“Uh, that red flag…”
“What should we do about one of them?”
Just as Yuri was about to address me, Pajeon interjected.
Hearing that, I turned to Pajeon and said,
“Are you planning to step in?”
“Well, my body has been stiff for a while, so I’ll help out.”
“Then let’s hit the left side. That should make it easier to ask questions.”
“Right, I figured as much.”
“Uh, what are you all talking about…?”
Yuri raised an eyebrow, confused by the ongoing discussion.
But at that moment—
Whoosh-
I lunged at the warriors.
“Gah!?”
“What the—!”
The men looked startled and reached for their weapons, but it was already too late.
I seized the throat of the one on my right.
Crunch—!
“Gurrrr…”
I twisted it right then and there.
Thud-
The man whose neck I twisted fell to the ground with a thud.
He was dead on the spot.
I looked to the left.
It seemed Pajeon had already subdued the other one. He was gripping the collar of the unconscious man.
Within a blink, the scene had changed.
Yuri widened her eyes in shock and shouted,
“W-What are you doing!? Why are you attacking the warriors…!”
“Warriors my ass.”
I stared at Yuri.
“Do you still see these guys as your warriors?”
“Y-Yes?”
Yuri responded as if she couldn’t understand. I inwardly clicked my tongue at this.
What was it they said about the hidden place being safe—So much for that!
Annoyance surged within me.
After finally arriving at the North Sea, witnessing this situation made my stomach churn.
Tap-tap.
I lightly kicked the dead man’s body with my toes and said to Yuri,
“These guys.”
These fellows.
“Are enemies.”
They weren’t on our side.
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