Chapter: 610
“How is your body?”
“…”
At the words that reached her ears, Namgung Bi-ah didn’t respond at all. She simply continued to watch the young man quietly.
“I’m mentioning this just in case you care.”
The young man points to Namgung Bi-ah’s waist with his hand.
“I didn’t treat you. I had another woman take care of that, so you don’t need to worry…”
“I don’t care.”
“…I see.”
At Namgung Bi-ah’s firm response, the young man smiles awkwardly.
“I’ll ask again, how is your body?”
“…”
This time, Namgung Bi-ah also didn’t answer the young man’s question. She merely showed him the chains binding her hands.
Clink.
A sound echoed from the chains around her hands. As the young man looked at this, Namgung Bi-ah spoke to him.
“Let me go.”
“Haha.”
He had to laugh in disbelief at that. Who would’ve thought she’d say it so confidently?
“If that were possible, I would’ve released you a long time ago.”
“Then let me go now.”
“Geommuhee, that’s not going to happen, so I’m telling you.”
“…Why?”
“…”
Why, indeed?
He was momentarily left speechless. What should he even say in response?
Seeing the woman’s genuinely confused expression made the young man smile bitterly.
“The only way I can avoid killing you is this.”
The words he said as an answer wound up stabbing his own heart instead.
It was truly a lamentable thing to say.
“Don’t even think about escaping. Those are chains that won’t break easily.”
“…”
At his words, Namgung Bi-ah’s expression subtly changes.
That’s because she was already secretly trying to strain against the chains.
And then she realized something.
’Let’s make a wager.’
Perhaps due to the chains, her energy wasn’t flowing properly. Did he notice her attempts?
“Your injuries might not have healed fully yet, so just rest for now.”
The young man said this with a calm tone.
“…”
Upon hearing that, Namgung Bi-ah had to release the strength she had been secretly exerting.
Afterward, she turned her gaze, looking around.
Hummm-!
Though she was concerned about the faint vibrations in her brain, for now, looking around took priority.
It was dark, making it hard to see, but it didn’t feel like just an ordinary confinement.
As a sensation brushed her nose, Namgung Bi-ah spoke to the young man.
“Formation?”
“That’s right.”
There was indeed a formation set in the space around them.
She could tell, but grasping the actual context was difficult.
Did it distort the space?
The chains blocking her energy made it harder to understand precisely.
In other words, it meant there was no way out for now.
“Hmm….”
Having grasped that much, Namgung Bi-ah suddenly lay back down, shifting her posture.
“Huh?”
Seeing this, the young man let out an astonished breath. It was just too absurd.
Namgung Bi-ah laid down.
She simply took a relaxed position, as if she intended to rest despite the situation.
“…What are you doing?”
The young man asked, surprised, and Namgung Bi-ah merely turned her head to respond.
“…I want to sleep.”
“In this situation…?”
“…You said you wouldn’t let me go.”
“That is true, but….”
What confidence was this?
It was an entirely unexpected sight. Who would’ve expected her to lie down without a hint of hesitation?
Seeing that made him feel even more unsettled.
So he couldn’t help but ask.
“How come… you’re not asking?”
Why wasn’t she asking? He felt compelled to inquire.
After he posed the question, Namgung Bi-ah gazed at the young man silently.
A somewhat uncomfortable silence lingered in the air.
She understood what the young man was asking.
Why did it have to be like this?
How did this situation come about?
That was likely the question burning in her mind.
“I asked you…”
It was something she had already asked when they met before she lost consciousness.
She also remembered the answer from that time.
“You said there was something you had to protect.”
“…”
There were indeed things that needed protecting.
Just like you.
And she had something she needed to do because she was in the same position.
They’d shared that conversation.
“Besides… is there anything else…?”
“…None.”
Words pushed out to the limit of what she could say.
That was all the young man had to offer.
To those who heard it, it might have been a frustrating tale.
Even while knowing this, Namgung Bi-ah didn’t ask any further questions.
That was something young people simply couldn’t understand.
“Don’t you resent me?”
The young man targeted Namgung Bi-ah as she attempted to escape.
He gathered forces to block her escape route.
He even sent a general of the highest caliber along with dozens of troops to inflict external and internal injuries upon her.
Was that the way it should have been?
The young man couldn’t provide a definitive answer.
If he said it should have gone that way, it would be an excuse.
If he said this was done knowing it was wrong, that would also be an excuse.
In the end, it was he who saved Namgung Bi-ah, but that too felt like mere self-satisfaction born from unresolved guilt.
When he was asked about it, Namgung Bi-ah replied.
“…Not really…?”
She indicated that she had no specific thoughts on the matter.
How could she not feel resentment?
At that moment, before he could ask, she continued.
“That’s what you chose.”
Namgung Bi-ah stated in a calm voice.
“I imagine there must have been a reason for it…”
“…”
These words reflected a resolute belief.
At that declaration, the young man had to suppress a bitter smile.
He could no longer even manage a smile.
“You’re his friend, after all.”
Those words became a sword, stabbing the heart that belonged to Woohyuk.
No, he had decided he wouldn’t refer to himself as Woohyuk anymore.
Those memories belonged in a distant past.
That was how he could live in the present.
“Haha… Is that all you have to say to me?”
“Do you need more?”
“Normally, I’d need a lot more.”
Indeed, much more. There should be countless reasons behind this.
But.
To you, it seemed that was all you needed. That’s what it meant.
As the young man spoke, he erased the image of his friend that had surfaced in his mind.
“Sword Dancer.”
“Uh huh.”
“Still. Do you think he sees me as a friend?”
“I don’t know.”
How would one even know that?
Such emotions colored the air.
Of course, the young man thought to himself, not really.
When he found out about all of this.
What expression would that friend wear on his face?
It was an incredibly unwelcome thought.
Hwiing.
A chilly breeze faintly accompanied the words exchanged.
“…Then… you?”
Namgung Bi-ah turned the question back to the young man.
“What do you think of yourself?”
“…”
That led him to reflect on himself.
Did he still regard that person as a friend?
‘Well…’
The young man couldn’t find the words to answer.
If he thought of him as a friend, would he have acted this way?
He wasn’t sure.
He couldn’t think about it any longer.
Revisiting paths already walked was way too late.
Thrum-thrum.
The young man stood up from the chair he had been seated on.
He offered no answer to the question.
“I’ll see myself out first.”
“…”
Namgung Bi-ah seemed to lack any intention to hear an answer.
The young man turned and headed toward the door.
As he quietly observed the young man’s back, Namgung Bi-ah suddenly spoke up.
“…Still.”
In that voice.
“If you meet that person… apologize.”
Suddenly, he came to a halt.
At Namgung Bi-ah’s words, his body stiffened.
Her tone was filled with a resolve that felt icy cold.
While she remained indifferent to her own predicament and suffering, this was an exception.
“He’s going to be in a lot of pain.”
“…Is he really going to be in pain? That friend?”
“Because he’s a soft-hearted person.”
Soft-hearted.
That was the most mismatched word for that friend.
To the young man, that friend seemed invincible, someone who wouldn’t crumble even if the world fell apart.
“If he cries, I won’t forgive you.”
“…”
That wasn’t something typically said in a situation like this, was it?
Such a thought crossed his mind, yet he refrained from questioning it.
He felt unworthy of such rights.
“…Fine, if we meet someday, I’ll definitely apologize.”
By now, he would likely be in the Central Plains.
If he later hears from him, perhaps by the time that friend visits the North Sea.
‘I probably won’t exist by then.’
He himself wouldn’t be upon this earth.
That was the moment.
It also had to happen.
‘I hope they’ll accept my apology still.’
If he could offer his life in exchange for an apology, would it help even a little?
That absurd thought flitted through his mind.
Creak.
The young man grasped the doorknob to exit.
As he stepped out of the room, he wiped the thoughts from his mind.
There was only one thought that should occupy his mind now.
[Cheong-ah! Cheong-ah!]
A memory from a very long time ago.
When he was not called Woohyuk but went by another name.
A recollection from the happiest times in his life.
He remembered the white-haired girl who would come running with a cheerful invitation to play.
[Let’s play!]
It was as if she didn’t care at all about the boy’s circumstances.
That girl looked at him, her face full of smiles.
It was just a memory.
Those days were nothing significant, just ordinary moments for others.
Memories to cherish alone.
That was the kind of memory he held.
On the day he left the North Sea and set off for the Central Plains.
The boy remembered the words he had spoken to the girl.
[If, by any chance, I live to see you again…]
Even as an arrow pierced his back, bleeding profusely, he had looked at the crying girl and said.
[At that time—]
The memories that surged to the forefront halted there, dispersing like mist.
He had to shake his head vigorously to erase them.
There was no need to dwell on it anymore.
This, too, was an excuse.
An excuse no one would understand.
The young man began walking once more.
Thud.
The sounds of his footsteps echoed through the corridor.
Not a single light illuminated the dark hallways.
The full moon hung in the dark sky.
The surroundings were dark, clearly indicating the arrival of night.
Snow fell relentlessly, enough to be sickening.
“Are you really insane?”
He cursed as he trudged through the blizzard.
Why on earth does this crazy weather show no signs of calming down?
The more he looked at it, the more it felt infuriatingly absurd.
What kind of land is this, anyway?
It was utterly ridiculous.
They say it snows all year round in the North Sea.
When the Blood Demon caused bloodshed previously.
There must have been events altering the North Sea which led to the environmental changes.
When it was just hearsay, he thought it was merely something like ‘Oh, I see.’
But actually being here made it even worse.
“How on earth can people survive here?”
With the constant cold and the never-ending snow, it was evident that farming was impossible.
So, in this environment, the potential food source would ultimately come down to… hunting, right?
It seemed there was no choice but to capture something for sustenance.
He doubted any creature could survive in this frigid climate.
Seeing they survived in these conditions, surely there had to be some methods.
No matter what, it remains an awful, cursed land.
Whoosh!
With the blizzard raging, visibility was practically non-existent.
In such an environment, how would he find a way?
But in truth, it didn’t matter where he looked.
Woom!
All he needed to do was feel the vibrations from his heart and move onward.
As he walked, he adjusted his footwork.
‘From here, head north.’
His movements shifted toward the direction he sensed energy coming from.
Of course, after all that movement, he still could only see a blizzard.
Looking at it, he grumbled.
“This is one truly cursed place.”
Is this what you call a land? It was enough to make him want to explode with frustration.
He gritted his teeth, spewing out curses into the wind.
“Geez…”
In that moment, a light cough rang out from behind him.
“Um, regardless… cursing like that in front of a living person…”
“What, are you upset about that?”
“…No.”
As he attempted to retort yet again, the woman fell silent, her voice sullen.
Yeah, she really didn’t have much to say.
If she spoke out of turn, he’d probably abandon her right here.
After hearing her response, he turned his gaze forward once more.
“I really have terrible luck, don’t I?”
On top of everything else, the situation was disheartening.
“Given this miserable weather, why do I have to carry this heavy burden?”
“That’s… heavy, isn’t it?”
The woman’s voice raised a touch, perhaps slight irritation surfacing.
“Well, you’re a heavy burden on my back, too.”
“…I’m not heavy!”
However, it appeared she didn’t outright deny being a burden.
“Not heavy, you say? Do you have no shame? If you did, you would be following me around in the first place.”
“No…!”
“Oh, be quiet. If you say one more word, I’m leaving you behind.”
“…”
That warning finally made her go quiet.
Sigh.
He let out a breath and resumed walking again.
The road ahead still looked like it stretched on endlessly.
In that journey, he was moving alongside the princess of the North Sea, Yuri.
And that too, while carrying her on his back.
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