Chapter: 605
I had a dream.
It was simply a dream of walking across a white snowfield.
The weather was cold and biting.
But strangely, I didn’t feel that cold at all.
Yaaaah!
In the falling snow, Gu Ryeong-hwa was running around excitedly.
I looked at her and said,
“Then fall down.”
Hehehe!
It seemed she wasn’t listening.
If she keeps jumping around like that, it won’t be long until…
Ugh!
Ah.
Sure enough.
Gu Ryeong-hwa stumbled and fell flat on her face.
Uwaaaah!
Perhaps she fell hard; Gu Ryeong-hwa started to cry.
I sighed and approached her.
“I told you not to run like that.”
“Oh my gosh…”
Her cheeks, face, and eyes were covered in snow.
I gently wiped it away with my hand.
“Heehee…”
“When on earth are you going to grow up?”
At most, she was only seven or eight.
For someone who had never matured since, it was an embarrassing thing to say.
Now that I think about it, I recall I was a bit more articulate and sharp when I was younger.
I wonder how I ended up like this as I grew up.
As I continued to fuss over Gu Ryeong-hwa for a while, suddenly…
Swish.
Someone placed a hand on my hair.
The hand was so large it seemed to envelop my entire head.
Feeling the rough palm, I turned my head slightly.
The first thing that caught my eye was my mother.
Her eyes were sparkling with a smile as she looked at us.
Naturally, she wasn’t the one with the large hand. My mother had small hands.
So, who could the owner of the hand be?
I shifted my gaze slightly and locked eyes with the owner.
A tall man with red-tinted eyes and reddish hair.
The master of the Gu Clan.
It was my father.
My father was gently stroking my hair.
Had this ever happened?
I couldn’t recall, so I knew.
‘It’s a dream.’
So I thought it was a dream. It felt so vivid, yet nostalgic.
This had to be a dream.
“Father.”
The young me said with a smile.
Smiling while looking at my father—what a rarity that would be now.
What was even more astonishing was…
‘Is he smiling?’
The corners of my father’s mouth rose just a bit.
My father smiled while looking at me.
I smiled, and my father did too.
“Oh! It’s Dad!”
Gu Ryeong-hwa spotted her father, jumped up, and ran into his arms.
Being small in stature, she could only wrap her arms around his thighs.
“Dad!”
At Gu Ryeong-hwa’s shout, my father silently patted her head.
What a sight to behold.
‘Not a bad view at all.’
As I was watching, a thought crossed my mind.
Was it because I knew it was a dream?
Or was it…
‘Is it because it’s a sight I’ve always wanted to see?’
It was a strange feeling I couldn’t quite explain.
Also, there was a strange embarrassment as if I were witnessing something I shouldn’t.
Somehow, I felt that way.
If this is a dream, I should stop watching and wake up.
This isn’t the time for such things.
Thinking that, I tried to get up anyway.
Stretch.
‘…?’
Suddenly, my cheek puffed up.
I wondered what was going on when someone grabbed my cheek and tugged.
My mother? That’s definitely my mother.
In that moment,
“Oh my! Look at your wonderful skin.”
A heavy, coarse voice issued words that didn’t quite match the tone.
“Is it because you’re young? Your skin is definitely plump.”
It was my father.
He was holding both my cheeks while saying this.
Even with such words, his expression was as usual, emotionless.
“If I were ten years younger, would I have skin like this? Hoho.”
Wow, this is so annoying.
Just looking at him sends chills down my spine.
I honestly felt like I was having a pretty normal dream.
There’s never been a nightmare like this.
What a bizarre combination: father’s voice, expressionless face, and those words.
‘This is dreadful.’
I’ve got to split.
I thought only of wanting to escape somehow.
“At first, I thought I hadn’t taken after you much, but now, after not seeing you for a while, it seems like we’ve become even more alike?”
The laughter that followed made it all the more unbearable.
In a dizzying situation.
I squeezed my eyes shut and willed my energy to surge.
Whoosh!
I intended to muster the strength to wake myself up.
“He still looks scary; I bet even my niece….”
Whoosh!
My energy flowed, and I could feel my body responding.
Using it, I opened my eyes wide.
“Ugh…”
I gasped for breath, finally regaining some clarity.
Only then could I barely escape from the nightmare.
I saw an unfamiliar ceiling.
Looking at that, I felt relieved to have woken from my dream.
I had just escaped what was truly horrific and dreadful.
That thought crossed my mind.
“Oh my…”
I heard the same tone of voice I’d heard in the dream just moments ago.
The difference was that it wasn’t my father’s low-bass voice, but rather a sharp woman’s.
Moreover…
The cheeks still captured by my father were still being held.
“Are you awake?”
…
With my cheeks still in a vice grip, I turned my gaze towards the speaker.
It was a familiar face.
“…Baekryeon Geom…?”
I was trying to say “White Lotus Sword,” but with my cheeks being pulled, I could barely pronounce it.
Hearing my words, Baekryeon Geom smiled and said,
“Long time no see.”
She had the distinctive sharp features of the Moyong clan and looked far younger than her age.
The current leader of the Moyong family, Baekcheon Geomju, was her elder sister. It was Baekryeon Geom.
‘Why is this lady here?’
She was a completely unexpected figure.
Could this be a dream as well?
That’s how shocking this encounter was.
I attempted to sit up.
“…Ugh…”
“Oh, are you okay?”
A heavy fatigue weighed upon my entire body.
It wasn’t painful, but I felt incredibly sluggish.
What in the world was happening here?
I recalled the moment I was on the verge of collapsing.
The episode where I went berserk and confronted Pajeon.
The incident involving bloodshed.
Because of that, I had stepped into a realm of imagination and subsequently fainted before the defeated foe due to exhaustion.
And…
‘Namgung Bi-ah.’
I immediately reached into my pockets.
I felt something brush against my fingertips. I pulled it out.
It was the decoration I had picked up last time.
…
I bit my lip upon seeing it.
The thing I most hoped to be a dream wasn’t a dream at all.
‘What’s up with this?’
Why was it there, of all places?
Could it be a mere coincidence that it looked identical?
I thought about it but knew well that it wasn’t just that.
Why on earth was it there?
It was the very location filled with corpses.
Even amidst a raging blizzard, the smell of blood lingered heavily.
Perhaps something dreadful occurred.
When that thought began to suffocate my body.
“The child’s body wasn’t found.”
I turned my head at Baekryeon Geom’s words.
“Well, I can’t exactly say not to worry, but wouldn’t you like to calm down first?”
…
There was no body.
Did that mean you already checked?
Yet even so…
‘How could I calm down?’
Emotions don’t simply disappear.
I merely tried not to show them.
Ironically, just as Baekryeon Geom remarked,
The news of no body being found was oddly helpful.
I cast a cold gaze around.
‘A cave?’
All sides were thoroughly sealed.
The distinct smell mixing with the air indicated it was indeed a cave.
Realizing this, I asked Baekryeon Geom.
“…Where is this place?”
“It’s about two hours away from where you were.”
Two hours.
By running or walking, that wasn’t a specific enough location.
“How is your body?”
“It’s okay….”
Our conversation gradually rekindled my vitality.
My heart filled with energy halfway, and besides feeling very tired, I had no significant issues.
The injuries from before.
‘They haven’t worsened too badly.’
Even after I had caused quite the ruckus, my injuries were fortunately in check.
As I was diligently assessing my condition, Baekryeon Geom spoke to me.
“You’ve been out for…”
“About a day, I think.”
I answered for her.
Then, Baekryeon Geom’s eyes widened. She seemed surprised at how I knew.
She appeared curious, so I clenched and unclenched my fist repeatedly while explaining to her.
“I could tell based on how much energy I’ve regained.”
“…You’re aware of all that?”
Normally, the amount of energy wouldn’t be enough to gauge this precisely.
If you naturally possessed keen senses, it could be discerned, perhaps.
But for an ordinary martial artist, that would be impossible.
‘There must be quite a bit of energy.’
I had consumed so much in the past; there was no way I wouldn’t realize.
“You are still impressive. You can notice even this….”
Baekryeon Geom looked at me in wonder.
“It’s just… a technique.”
I muttered, feeling a bit embarrassed by her compliment.
“Anyway, what are you doing here, senior?”
…
At my question, Baekryeon Geom paused for a moment in silence.
I’d heard she left for the North Sea with Namgung Bi-ah, Woo-hyeok, and Goeseon.
I also heard that she created a route that allowed immediate access to the North Sea.
So, it wouldn’t be strange for Baekryeon Geom to be there.
‘The situation is what it is.’
Right now, unusual events were unfolding in the North Sea.
Immediately after I passed out, I also needed to ascertain why I was here.
That’s why I asked Baekryeon Geom.
How did you end up here?
‘In other words,’
How are you connected to this?
That was the question.
…
After hearing this, Baekryeon Geom remained silent, still staring at me.
Was there something difficult to respond to?
A question flitted through my mind.
At that moment…
“Right now, can you move?”
“What?”
Her question returned as a reply, not an answer.
Can you move? I hesitated, then answered.
“Yes, I can move.”
While I had just awakened and wasn’t completely sure.
Aside from the fatigue, I was in a good condition.
“If so, I think it would be better to talk while we go.”
Going?
Where was she going when the conversation wasn’t even over yet?
As I slightly frowned at Baekryeon Geom’s words.
“The princess is waiting for you.”
…
“I’ll explain as we go. Would you mind following me for now?”
At the smiling words of Baekryeon Geom, I decided to get up first.
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