Chapter 61

“……Kill your breath and stick to the wall.”
Kang-seok briefly marveled at the uncanny abilities displayed by the man known as Black Ho. He’d whisper that someone was approaching, and then dissolve into a cold chill, stunning the nations without even realizing it.
“I’ve only stunned them for a moment, let’s pick up the pace again.”
“……Yes, my lord.”
To Zhong Wenyin, who was displaying his extraordinary abilities, the word “lord” that was only reserved for the narrators came out naturally.
“You two, please concentrate. We don’t have much time.”
Black Ho was right, and Chun Shik and Kang Seok needed to ratchet up the tension. They had come all this way to represent the village.
“Yes! Don’t worry, my lord. Chun Shik, are you sure this is the right place?”
“……Father, isn’t my memory remarkable? I saw a large group of nations traveling to the ice cave when I was here the other day.”
He was one of the men who ran the most errands for the Nara. A renowned hunter in the North Sea, Kang Seok and his son Chun Shik were renowned for the tributes they brought with them based on the quality of their game, which allowed them to travel in and out of the citadel of the Ice Palace more often than others.
He had brought them with him because he thought they would be able to figure it out in less time, eliminating unnecessary places and spaces. As they started walking once more, Kang-seok spoke softly.
“……Who is that young man, or rather, who is he, by the way?”
Seeing his questioning look, Kang-seok coughed and continued.
“Why are you doing us, the strangers, such favors…….”
“They have a right to know. It’s something that directly affects their lives. We get what we want and leave, but they don’t, and that’s why they need to know. It’s not too late to help them and then find what you want. ”
It was a valid point. It wasn’t just a group of people who had traveled all this way to find white ginseng whose lives were being directly and profoundly affected, it was the entire North Sea population. The Grand Duke insisted that someone had been taken, that there was a conspiracy against them by people he believed to be their own countrymen, and that what he had seen, heard, and felt should be spread to the North Sea people.
“How can you offer such a helping hand without compensation or reward? You seem like a very high person…….”
When Kang-seok finished speaking, he looked at Black Ho.
“A man who can give good will for good, who cannot see past injustice, who is generous to the weak and competitive with the strong, who will stand up for what he thinks is right. I don’t know about the countries you speak of, but that is the man I serve.”
“…….”
At those words, a sudden feeling of shame slowly began to envelope his entire body. Chun Shik couldn’t even look up.
“So, as he said, see with your own two eyes. If what’s happening, what’s happening here, is nothing, I’m glad for you, but…… if it’s not, be sure to tell the to the North Sea people.”
“……I will keep that in mind.”
When they had finished talking, they walked on, stopping for a few puffs of air, and Black Lake cleared his throat.
Soon enough, Chun Shik stopped in his tracks.
“This is it.”
It was an endless cave with a spectacular view of ice crystals. It was the so-called ice cave.
After being distracted by the marvelous view, Black Lake looked at Chun Shik and Kang Seok.
“Are you sure this is the right place?”
“……Yes, my lord. If I know nothing else, I pride myself on my memory. I’ve traveled to many places to bring tribute to my lords, but I’ve never been as far as this one. From what I’ve heard in passing, it’s only been a couple of years since I’ve been able to identify this den.”
As a live fish, he is as sensitive to his surroundings as a black tiger. The first thing that struck him as suspicious was the rarity of humans. In a citadel that could hold hundreds of people, there were only a few dozen of them.
Furthermore, when he listened to them, he heard that the crowds were thinner than before.
Goooooooooo.
But what if the reason is.
If the reason is because they found this ice cave right in front of them.
“……Come on, let’s move.”
* * *
The meticulously carved ice bow’s inscriptions were a sight to behold, a spectacle that anyone would recognize. It had been carved out of a huge block of ice, and it was obvious that it had taken great effort to keep it from collapsing.
Despite the austere atmosphere, it was unusual to walk around the sprawling citadel and not feel any human warmth.
“It’s strange how so few people are staying in a citadel like this.”
“Something …… must have happened.”
It was almost as if the air was thick with war clouds. The rare humans that did show up seemed to be on high alert, as if they were on the edge of their seats.
Then.
“Shh.”
I nodded in response to my aunt’s words and ducked behind a white-and-blue pillar, the chill in the air blowing in, and held my breath.
Shit, Chuck.
“I’m sick of doing this every time.”
“If you’re tired of it, what are you doing?”
“……I can’t believe that every time I go to the ice cave, I have to face an old monster.”
“Don’t worry, it’s because you don’t realize the times have changed, and you’re still reveling in the glory of the past. Besides, you’ve been blockaded by ten thousand years of iron limbs.”
I held my breath as the chattering group paused and looked around. I wondered if they had sensed something.
But the old man, looking at me from the other side, shook his head.
“His spear is icy cold, but his gait is monotonous and his head is unsteady. He hasn’t been spotted yet, only suspicion. Let’s wait and see.”
I nodded in agreement at the sound of the transmission. It’s always better to stay out of sight and out of mind than to be seen trespassing.
“But I don’t know why no one has come to replace them.”
“They’ve gotten lazy, I suppose. They just take everyone and make them work, so we die more.”
“It’s not what it used to be. It’s a good thing the Vice-Palace Lord is in charge.”
“…… cancer. We just hope we can get through this unscathed.”
After exchanging a few words, I held my breath again as I watched them pass in front of the pillar. As I carefully cleared my throat, they didn’t know what to make of it and just kept walking.
I watched them pass and then looked at the old man who was staring at me.
He nodded.
* * *
“Ten thousand years old.”
The man with the sharp features and ice-cold eyes, looking at the handcuffed old man, spoke up.
“Where is he?”
“I thought you said you didn’t know.”
“Of course I don’t. And now that I’ve found the icy den you’ve been hiding in, you’re going to deny it.”
His voice was tasteless, and the purple color of his skin showed how much he had been tortured. Nevertheless, the old man shook his head as if he had no intention of answering.
“You are indeed a vagina.”
“Bugunju.”
The man frowned at the name of the old man’s mouth.
“Who is a vice lord, I am the lord of this Northern Ice Palace.”
“You coveted it so much that you sold the ice bow.”
The man’s eyebrows twitched at the old man’s words. What could be so empty when everyone else is dying?
“What’s the point of harming the North Sea people and selling all of the ice bowls to them?”
“Don’t think I’m here to hear the same old sermon.”
“……sayday.”
Sana snorted and glared into the old man’s eyes.
“Don’t call me that.”
“I’m sorry, Abi.”
“What about you.”
Han Han-san, now the acting palace lord of the Northern Sea Ice Palace, gave the old man a nod that told him it was too late, then looked at the unconscious man handcuffed to his side.
“I was no substitute for this man.”
“Substitute, that’s a loaded word.”
Han Tae-moon, the former palace lord of the North Sea Ice Palace, or rather, the former palace lord, pushed through his discomfort and continued.
“I don’t know what kind of bullshit you heard from those who approached you, but it’s not too late. Let’s go back. If we go back, we can drive them out and make the skies of the North Sea whole again.”
“……Hoo-hoo. Mangbal. The skies of the North Sea. It’s not too late.”
Han Il-sang picked apart Han Tae-moon’s words and clicked his tongue in derision.
“You’ve been hiding the story of the ice cave from me and only talking to him, and now you’re pushing the story of the bamboo ginseng to him. You know what it means.”
“……Misunderstanding.”
Ding, ding, ding.
Han Tae-moon’s blank expression was instantly distorted by the sound of applause that silenced his words of misunderstanding.
The sound of approaching footsteps was all he needed to hear. The cause of all this.
The man who had lured Han Il-sang, the vice palace lord, to commit evil deeds against the people of the North Sea, and who was pushing the North Sea Ice Palace to the brink of desperation.
“After all, this palace lord is wise. He has a sense of reality and eyes to see. You were not wise enough to take my word for it. Otherwise, you would have been driven out of the North Sea or imprisoned in this ice cage.”
The figure draws arcs around his eyes. His steps were light enough to muffle the sound of the snow on the ground. One wore a robe that, judging by the fineness of its fabric, might have been worn by a Taoist.
“I’m afraid that the man I thought was my father is actually my stepfather, and the man I thought was my brother is actually my brother, and he’s plotting to overthrow you, the vice ruler, and become the next ruler. I am dizzy. No, you’re right, palace lord.”
The backs of his hands and wrists, visible through the stretched out sleeves of his robe, were as white as the rest of his body, and Han Tae-moon spat out each word as if he were chewing blood.
“How can you call yourselves a political party after what you have done?”
“Faction……. It’s refreshing to hear of a political party in the North Sea.”
“How……!”
The Taoist shook his head and took a step, a step, a step, and rapped his forearm against the cage with his dead skin.
“A relic of a bygone era. Partisan, faction. Who argues with such black-and-white logic? And I wish you wouldn’t bring such high-minded talk out here in the wilderness, I just wish.”
The corners of Doyin’s mouth curled up in a sneer,
eyes burning with greed as he stared at his arms.
“I just need to finish this.”