Chapter: 598
A day had passed, and it was just beginning to dawn.
Yuri was stepping out of her residence.
This was because she received a message from Red Feather.
He told her to come to his place immediately.
‘No way.’
Her pace gradually quickened.
She thought she would think it over for a day, but had it already been resolved?
‘I was looking for a way to persuade him somehow.’
She heard the news while trying to find other options to avoid rejection.
Yuri had to somehow calm her restless breathing.
She mustn’t show any impatience.
Although they say everything that needed to be found has already been exposed, this was one matter she had to keep under wraps.
How long had she been walking?
Perhaps because of her hurried steps, she had already arrived at her destination.
As soon as she entered the residence, she saw a crowd gathered in the yard.
Yuri approached them.
“Here you are.”
The young man, with red feathers, acknowledged her approach and directed his gaze towards Yuri.
“I thought you’d be late, but you made it early.”
“I’m too important to be late.”
“You don’t have to throw in sweet talk. It’s not like that’s worth anything.”
He still had that rude tone.
She would have liked to give him a good smack, but she was in a situation where she couldn’t afford to.
‘Hmm?’
Forcing herself to regulate her expression, she looked at him.
She sensed something strange.
‘He looks a bit tired.’
That was the condition of Red Feather.
His eyes appeared particularly weary.
Did something happen in the middle of the night?
She was curious but didn’t bother asking.
What was important was not that.
As Yuri observed him with a peculiar gaze, Red Feather spoke up.
“What did you say yesterday?”
“Pardon?”
“What am I supposed to do when I go to the North Sea?”
“…Ah…!”
Yuri’s eyes widened at his question.
“Be specific. Make it easy to understand.”
“…Please go to the North Sea and lift the curse on your Majesty.”
“Is there nothing else?”
“…Yes.”
After hearing her answer, Red Feather stroked his chin as if deep in thought for a moment.
After a short pause, he spoke to Yuri again.
“If even the slightest safety issue arises, the request will be canceled, and I will return.”
Yuri’s mouth snapped shut at his firm words.
“Moreover, I will meet with the princess and attempt to treat her, but if it’s deemed impossible, I will return immediately.”
“…”
“My orders are absolute, and I’ll be responsible for the party until the end of the mission. Do you accept this?”
If trouble arises, he would abandon ship.
If he meets the princess, he might try to treat her but would leave if that didn’t work out.
Until the moment this request was finished, he would be the one in charge, and she would have to follow his orders without question.
To put it simply, that’s what he meant.
At first glance, you could tell this was an extremely unsuitable statement to label as a request.
Moreover, he knew that the phrase about “absolute obedience to orders” was dangerous.
But…
“…I will… accept it.”
Yuri had no other options.
What mattered for now was the fact that he accepted the request.
“In addition to this, the conditions I stated earlier must also be fulfilled.”
“…I will accept that too.”
The choice of rejection was out of the question.
Since Yuri chose to head to Central Plains, this was the natural course of action.
“Hmm.”
After hearing Yuri’s response, Red Feather nodded briefly.
“Alright. In that case, I will accept the request.”
“…!”
Only then did Yuri hear the answer she had longed for.
She tried to beam with joy upon hearing this.
“I’ll finish the work within two months. My time is limited.”
“Thank you… Huh?”
She paused for a moment at his words.
“Just now… what did you say?”
“What?”
“The timeline. When will you finish the request and come back?”
“Two months.”
Red Feather answered Yuri’s inquiry in a calm manner.
Hearing this, Yuri let out a short sigh.
“I thought I misheard you… You’re saying it’ll take two months just to reach the destination? That’s a bit tight…”
“What are you talking about?”
Red Feather furrowed his brow at Yuri’s remarks.
“You said you’d finish it all in two months. What? How is it two months just to arrive? Are you out of your mind?”
“No…!”
As Red Feather spoke with irritation, Yuri, who had been holding back, finally lost her composure.
“Why are you the one… What do you mean, if you don’t want to go, just say so?”
Getting to the North Sea from here would take at least two more months.
Since freely traveling between the Central Plains and the North Sea wasn’t an option, a special route would have to be taken to sneak over.
This meant spending even more time than the regular path.
It already seemed like it would take months to arrive, so now it was expected to require even longer.
In this situation, saying he’d finish the work and come back within two months?
That was nonsense.
For Yuri, that felt like a mockery of her situation.
“No matter how you slice it, treating people like this…”
“Sorry to interrupt.”
Red Feather stopped Yuri from snapping in anger.
“I don’t have time to waste months there.”
Yuri understood his frustration.
Given the circumstances, it was only natural.
“If we’re going to do it, then let’s do it. Stop mumbling.”
At this moment, he didn’t have the luxury to “explain” anything.
It would take ages to communicate verbally.
No, it was clear that it wouldn’t be understood even after a long explanation.
So, it was better just to show it.
After that, Red Feather raised one hand quietly and said:
“Get down.”
“What on earth do you mean—!”
Yuri tried to continue her protest, but before she could finish.
WHOOSH—!!!
BOOM—!!!
Something fell right before Yuri’s eyes.
The ground shook loudly, and pressure burst forth.
“Your Majesty—!”
At this sudden turn of events, Woobeom and Wooseok rushed in to protect Yuri, getting ready for a fight.
WHOOSH—!
Suddenly, the wind blew hard, starting to clear the smoke away.
A dense cloud of dust surged into the air.
In an instant, the area cleared up, revealing the scene clearly.
Yuri, who had been calming her racing heart, looked ahead.
“…Huh…!!”
She had to take a sharp breath as she gazed at the unfolding scene.
The ground, deeply cratered from the impact.
Something was squirming on the ransacked earth.
GROWL…
Something huge with blue scales, the size of a house.
A grotesque creature with fierce features and glowing blue eyes was there.
Yes, it was a monster.
The first horrifying monster she had ever seen.
It was a being far more overwhelming than any creature she had encountered before.
“What is that…?”
Just as Yuri grabbed her trembling shoulders and stared wide-eyed at it.
“Oh, crap.”
A curse was heard from somewhere. It was Red Feather.
He scanned the area frantically.
SLAM—!
GROWL—!!
In an instant, he waved his hand and struck the creature’s head with a powerful clang.
The shocked creature spun its head in surprise and let out a howl.
“You! I told you to behave and come down quietly! Look at this mess again.”
GROWL… GROWL…
“What kind of effort should I put into getting you to pick up after yourself? Are you cleaning this mess?”
GROWL…
“Don’t you dare make excuses, you tiny-handed little pest! What exactly do you expect to clean up?”
THUD—! KRUNCH—!
He continued to rain mockery as he delivered playful smacks.
Looking at the poor creature, who could only whimper helplessly after being hit.
“…”
For some reason, Yuri found herself speechless.
Looking at that clever little creature scrambling for excuses made her sigh heavily.
“Don’t you think I don’t know that I’m trying to pull off a cool act?”
I clearly told it to behave.
Seems like this little one secretly enjoys the spotlight.
‘No wonder the bets were escaping faster than usual earlier.’
It seemed to have also grown larger.
Who does it take after to be so disobedient?
“Did I teach you to behave like this? Huh?”
GROWL…
“Is that true? This kid is really….”
It really is in a rebellious stage, not listening to a word.
Feeling that she might need to give it another thump.
“…That… over there… um….”
From behind, a stammering voice broke the silence.
Yuri was staring at me, her mouth and eyes wide in shock.
Her surprised expression was truly astonishing. She seemed thoroughly dumbfounded.
“W-What’s that?”
Yuri finally regained her composure and pointed at the creature.
“What is it?”
As I heard the question, I replied.
“A ride.”
“Pardon?”
“A ride.”
Faster than any carriage.
A vehicle that would swiftly take us to the North Sea without any obstacles.
That was this creature’s purpose.
‘There’s no other option.’
To handle everything within two months, I needed a means of swift transportation first.
Fortunately for me, I had something faster than anything else.
Thanks to that, I also had to gather the one who was supposed to be in Hubei with the iron line.
‘Didn’t Ji-seon mention that guy was tied up in Hubei?’
It was an unavoidable sacrifice.
That little creature would have to fend for itself.
Right now, my urgency took precedence.
‘If it’s this guy.’
I’m not sure how far it is to the North Sea, but riding this creature should significantly cut down the travel time.
Although it eats poorly and hardly listens,
In terms of actual speed, it’s immensely valuable.
The issue was…
“… You want me to ride that?”
The surrounding reactions when I said I would ride it were not ordinary.
Of course, Yuri’s reaction was noteworthy.
Others present were equally astonished.
Tang So-yeol and Mo Yong-hee wore shocked expressions as well.
I guess they hadn’t seen it before.
By the way, Mrs. Mi didn’t show up.
That was because I asked her not to come the night before.
‘Plus, I thought I’d collapse from exhaustion running around everywhere.’
My body was thoroughly worn out from finishing tasks late at night while moving around.
The matter with Pilduma concluded with him agreeing to my terms,
Yet the outcome felt somewhat unsettling.
‘Why did the story of the fallen pop up all of a sudden?’
The situation was perplexing, yet when I confirmed him, Pilduma agreed and proceeded without further comments.
No prohibitions were imposed.
That was because I deemed it inappropriate for the circumstances.
However, I couldn’t leave it unattended; I had asked Nahi to issue instructions regarding Pilduma.
If something unexpected happened to him,
‘Eliminate him.’
That was the order I set in stone.
If he was not useful, he needed to be dealt with. For now, I had to do at least that much.
Now all that was left was to:
‘Go to the North Sea and check on Namgung Bi-ah’s condition.’
In the grand scheme, the Ice Palace and the trinkets don’t really matter.
My sole objective is that.
The plan to head to the North Sea was merely a pretext.
As for the Ice Palace future and all that…?
Whether it thrives or not, I could not care less.
As I calmed my thoughts and organized my plans,
“Your Majesty… what is this all about…?”
Mo Yong-hee approached me with a similar expression to Yuri and inquired.
So I gave her a rough explanation.
“He’s a creature I picked up and raised.”
“Picked up…?”
Hearing the answer, Mo Yong-hee’s expression turned skeptical.
“It’s clearly a monster…?”
“Yep.”
“You picked up and raised a monster?”
She wore a face confused as if she couldn’t fathom it even after pondering over it.
For a long time, successfully taming a monster has been nearly impossible.
So it’s understandable she might be taken aback by my showing it outright.
“Whatever you hit, eventually begs for your command.”
I said with a smile.
Now wasn’t the time for lengthy explanations, so I decided to keep it brief.
If I ever called Mo Yong-hee without giving an explanation, it was only because.
‘I planned to reveal this soon, so I wanted to give him a heads-up.’
Prepare your mind in advance.
That was the intention behind my call.
Fortunately, it seemed Mo Yong-hee caught on.
“Hah…”
That was evident when she exhaled deeply, grasping the situation.
At that moment.
“Wait a minute… Riding, you say?”
Yuri’s quaky voice pierced through my thoughts.
“I mean… Are you really saying we’ll ride this monster?”
“Monster? Watch your language. Don’t hurt Ttol-Ttol’s feelings.”
“Ttol-Ttol…?”
Yuri paused at the name.
Her ears began to turn slightly red… Why are her ears going red again?
“Anyway… are you really saying we’ll ride that to the North Sea?”
“I certainly am.”
“That’s insane! How can you…?”
“I mentioned it earlier.”
I interrupted Yuri, who was getting long-winded.
This was bothersome.
We were having the same discussion over and over again.
“If you don’t want it, then get lost.”
“…!”
“If you’re planning to disregard my orders, then leave.”
This was something I had mentioned from the very start.
If you choose to counter my words, then that means you’re nullifying the contract.
I didn’t have the luxury to waste time on conversations like this.
With the weight in my voice, Yuri bit her lip.
“…I apologize. I lost my topic for a moment.”
Yuri was quick to decide.
She must have realized that she had no other option.
With slow but determined steps, Yuri walked forward.
“Can I get on right this moment?”
Her choice was rapid, as was her acceptance.
Just like when she slapped my face yesterday, I couldn’t help but admire this aspect of her.
As Yuri spoke and aimed to approach Ttol-Ttol,
“Your Majesty—! That’s dangerous…!”
Yuri’s escort started moving towards her, but I quickly released a pressure wave.
WHOOSH—!!
“Ugh…!”
“Gah…!!”
The guards struggled under the force.
I looked at them and spoke.
“You guys can stop here.”
“W-What do you mean…?”
“It’s over capacity.”
Weight was a concern, but I wasn’t about to drag more baggage along.
“That’s outrageous! Are you saying we’re just leaving the princess behind?!”
“Yup. That’s exactly what I mean.”
“There’s no way we can accept that!”
“Hah…”
Yeah, it would be challenging to accept.
But…
“What if you don’t understand?”
“…!!”
“Stop with the hassle. Should I just handle you too?”
This wasn’t a warning.
If they attempted to stop me again, I wouldn’t hesitate to take them out.
As I released my grip, Yuri relayed a message to the guard behind her.
“…Woobeom, Wooseok. I’m okay.”
“B-but, Your Majesty…!”
“I’m aware of the request’s terms. I accepted them. What he is saying aligns with my wishes.”
“…”
The guards fell silent at Yuri’s resolute words.
“I apologize for leaving you two behind in this strange land.”
“Our concern is…”
“Cut the drama and just hop on.”
As they started to lag, I whisked Yuri onto Ttol-Ttol.
“Eek—!”
Yuri screamed as she was suddenly thrown into the air.
Fortunately, she made a flawless landing on Ttol-Ttol’s back.
“There are only three going: you, him, and me.”
I pointed at Yuri, Dang So-yeol, and Seong Yul, in that order.
That was the minimum number needed for this quest.
I needed to bring Seong Yul along to check on different matters. His level wasn’t bad either.
Although it might have been a different story in the past, Dang So-yeol was also at an acceptable level to accompany us now.
The expressions of the North Sea guards showed their dissatisfaction with my decision.
‘Those guys are just dead weight.’
One has reached a significant injury level but is still recovering, while another isn’t necessary to bring along.
So it was exactly four people.
No further personnel were needed.
Just as I was thinking this through,
“What, then, should I do?”
Mo Yong-hee asked me.
“Huh?”
“You called me over to just show me this huge serpent?”
It seemed she didn’t take too well to being summoned only to be shown off this beast.
“… um.”
I get that, right?
I did summon her intending to showcase something.
Yet in the end, if I wasn’t planning on taking her along, I shouldn’t have arranged for her presence.
‘I was too tired to think that far ahead.’
I felt like I miscalculated somewhat.
“Yeah, why did I do that?”
“… Are you playing around…?”
“Did you just want to show off?”
“…*”
Mo Yong-hee, who had been ready to explode with anger, bit her tongue after hearing what I said.
“It’s been ages since we met, but I figured I wouldn’t have time to see you again soon. I’m sorry.”
I offered an awkward smile.
This was genuinely my error.
Simply wanting to see her was the reason I called her over.
Seeing my sincerity, Mo Yong-hee let out a sigh, running her hand over her forehead.
“…This is really frustrating…”
I carefully asked, observing her expression.
“Care to hit me?”
At my remark, “Are you venting your frustrations?” Mo Yong-hee glared sharply.
“Do you think I’m some softy? I’ll beat up anyone who tries to mess with me!”
“… When did I ever hit anyone like that…?”
“Seriously, I must be insane. How the heck did I end up tangled with someone like that…?”
“Um….”
As I was on the verge of defending myself,
Mo Yong-hee threw something in my direction.
I caught it and found that it was a small bead.
It was red and rather small.
“This was sent by Lady Mi.”
“Mrs. Mi?”
“Yep.”
That this was sent by Lady Mi sparked my curiosity.
What on earth is this?
As I glanced around, wondering what it was, Mo Yong-hee filled in additional details.
“She asked me to give it to you in case of danger.”
“…Hmm.”
So, are you implying it’s a talisman?
Hearing that stirred up a peculiar unease in me.
‘As if there aren’t enough talismans already.’
To add even more now?
I had some reservations but decided to keep those to myself.
Since I had already received it, and the sender was just who she was.
I pocketed the bead into my clothes.
“And was there any other message?”
“Hmmm.”
Did Madam Mi relay anything else? Mo Yong-hee contemplated for a brief moment.
“Be careful on your journey back. If you get hurt, I’ll be seriously in trouble.”
“…?”
I tilted my head, puzzled at that message.
It was not at all in Madame Mi’s usual tone.
But….
“Why does that sound odd?”
“Not at all… um… no.”
I couldn’t muster a response due to Mo Yong-hee’s penetrating glare.
I resolved to leave it at that.
I scratched the back of my head and mounted Ttol-Ttol again.
As I positioned myself, someone tightly grasped my waist.
It was Yuri.
“What are you doing…?”
I looked back to check, noticing Yuri clutching me with trembling hands.
The sight didn’t seem healthy at all.
I chose to disregard it.
Turning my head back forward, I said.
“Hang on tightly. If you fall, you die.”
“Yes…? D-Die…?”
“Yup.”
“Understood.”
“Okay, let’s get moving.”
“Now we’re off—huh?”
Just as I intended to instruct Ttol-Ttol to move.
There came a peculiar response.
With a tingling sensation, I turned my head back.
Only then could I grasp the situation.
There ought to be three people behind me, yet another individual was visible at the end.
Someone was seated behind the expressionless Seong Yul.
‘What’s this?’
As I surveyed that spot quietly,
A head popped up to meet my gaze.
“Why aren’t we leaving?”
“…”
“I got tired waiting around here. Let’s hurry it up.”
It was Pilduma.
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