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Chapter 600: North Sea

“What do you mean…?”

Yuri looked at me with disbelief, her expression saying it all.

It seemed hard for her to accept what I had just said.

While listening, I kicked the Dead Guy with my foot to turn him over.

His back immediately came into view.

“…Huh?”

Yuri reacted in surprise as if confirming something.

There was blood on the fur bound to his back.

“I killed the guy who was wearing it and put it on myself.”

It could be the blood of beasts around.

But—

“The clothes felt a bit awkward for me, like I hadn’t fully adapted to them.”

That wasn’t the only strange thing.

The slight discomfort showed in my uncoordinated movements.

The moment they saw us, they tried to act naturally, but—

‘That tension inside them.’

The emotions displayed were particularly vivid and unpleasant.

Tension?

Of course, they could be tense.

If an outsider approached their hideout, it was only natural to be on guard.

But their tension wasn’t that simple.

There was anxiety mixed in that they had to act properly.

And, most importantly,

‘They weren’t on guard.’

They showed no vigilance when we appeared.

That was the part that convinced me.

Then there were the times they hurried to take us somewhere without even checking the situation properly.

There was more than one thing that felt forced.

I explained this briefly, and I could immediately see Yuri’s expression crumble.

“That can’t be true… It just can’t be…”

“There’s nothing that’s impossible in this world.”

I knew that just by looking at my life.

There’s no such thing as something that can’t happen.

“But this is…! This place cannot be entered freely unless you’re from the Bloodline of the Ice Palace!”

Only those of the Bloodline of the Ice Palace could come here. I nodded at Yuri’s words.

‘Was that why they touched the wall earlier?’

It seemed like they had some means of getting in with confidence.

But—

“Regardless, it got breached.”

“That’s…”

“Does it seem like it didn’t?”

Whatever the case, it was breached just the same.

Even if it was a place only the bloodline could enter, so what?

The situation had already unfolded.

I looked at the Dead Guy and thought.

‘It doesn’t seem like they were planning to ambush us.’

They didn’t look like they were trying to kill us.

Let alone the fact that they weren’t skilled at deception. Their realm seemed terribly crude.

‘Did they not know how strong the guards of the princess are?’

Woo Beom and Woo Seok, right?

One was at a complete peak, while the other was a Transformation Realm Martial Artist despite being injured.

It’s clear those guys were not enough to capture us.

While it was possible they didn’t know their opponents, the chances were slim.

‘Then, what are their intentions….’

Probably, as I mentioned earlier.

Their goal was to take us somewhere.

Maybe they intentionally placed low-realm people here for that reason.

“…That… that’s impossible….”

Yuri still seemed to be in shock, her condition was far from normal.

I approached the one that the Pejon had captured and asked Yuri.

“Hey.”

“Yes…?”

“How many children does the Ice Palace Lord have, including you?”

“That’s… why….”

“Just say it clearly, divided by gender.”

Yuri hesitated for a moment but soon provided an answer.

“There are a total of four.”

“The ratio?”

“Starting with the First Prince, then the First Princess, the Second Prince, and finally, there’s me.”

“Among them, who showed a bit of ambition?”

“What do you mean by ambition…?”

Yuri froze, realizing the intent behind my question.

“Are you suggesting… that there might be a traitor among the bloodline?”

Her tone carried a noticeable sense of discomfort.

Looks like family ties run strong; she made such a face too.

“I’m just asking.”

Unless one was from the bloodline, they couldn’t know or open the door.

That was something Yuri had said herself.

However, the fact that such people were inside—

‘One of the bloodline could have betrayed them.’

That was the most plausible suspicion.

A child looking to overthrow their own.

Such things occurred quite often in the Central Plains.

Isn’t there bloodshed over the desire for the clan leader’s seat?

Yuri turned serious as she voiced her thoughts.

“…It absolutely cannot be. The bloodline cannot betray one another.”

“Is there a reason you are so sure about that?”

“…”

The bloodline cannot betray one another.

There was a strange nuance to those words.

‘Did they place some kind of golden binding on each other?’

If that were the case, it’s a convenient yet cruel method.

Since Yuri spoke with such conviction, I would reconsider my thoughts.

But that aside.

“It doesn’t matter anyway.”

I tossed aside the Dead Guy like garbage.

I grabbed the fainted guy by the neck.

“If you don’t know, you can just ask.”

Woo Hyeok—!

I sent energy into the fainted guy.

At that moment.

“–Kuah!?”

The guy who had fainted regained his consciousness.

I tightened my grip upon seeing that.

Crack—!

“Urrgh…!”

I put restraints on him to prevent him from moving rashly.

Seeing this, the Pejon asked me.

“Should I take over?”

Upon hearing that, I chuckled.

He figured out I was intending to torture him.

The Pejon didn’t know what I had done in my previous life after my reincarnation.

Maybe he was trying to stop a mere youth from torturing, but—

I was confident.

“I’m fine.”

In this aspect, at least, I’d be better than the Pejon.

I turned to Seongyul.

“Come here.”

“Yes.”

The intention in calling Seongyul was singular.

‘He said he could sense lies.’

Whatever he felt or whatever he had said.

Such ability could be incredibly useful at times like this.

I pulled Seongyul over and slightly relaxed my grip.

“Ghh…”

The obstructed breath sprung free as the guy gasped for air.

“Cough… cough…”

His eyes darted around, trying to assess the situation.

“Why… why are you doing this?”

Has he grasped everything? He was quick to get into character.

As I silently stared at him, he hurriedly spoke to Yuri behind me.

“Princess…! W-What is…!”

Upon hearing a man’s voice, Yuri attempted to move.

The moment I sensed that, I tightened my grip.

Squeeze—!

“Crack—!?”

I forcibly opened his mouth.

And then—

Snap—!

“Grrr…”

I yanked out his molar and tossed it outside.

As expected, they had hidden poison.

I dusted my hands and said to him.

“From now on, all you can answer is the truth. You can’t spit out a lie.”

As I spoke, my insides grew colder.

Anxiety surged.

I pushed it down with heat.

Yet, I had to cool my mind even further.

In such situations, staying rational was key.

‘That’s the best method to follow.’

I kept repeating it.

But one thing was for sure—it wasn’t as easy as it sounded.

‘This is a mess.’

What Yuri mentioned about the process was already tangled from the start.

The prepared hideout.

The stable path to the Ice Palace.

That was how it all began, yet here we were.

‘In other words…’

The situation was deteriorating far worse than I had expected.

Then—

‘What about Nangong Bi-ah?’

What state was she in, I wondered?

Was anything happening to her?

As these thoughts crossed my mind, I suddenly felt a desire to smash something.

But I must hold back.

Humans are too fragile to break easily.

Now was the time to endure.

“What do you mean… what do you mean by that…!”

The man shouted. His acting wasn’t bad.

His stuttered words sounded genuinely heartfelt.

“What happened to those who were here?”

“What do you mean those who were here…! I don’t understand your words…!”

I looked at him, and Seongyul shook his head slightly.

Indicating he was lying.

Upon seeing that, I reached out to the man’s face.

Without hesitation, I plucked out his left eye.

Swish—!

“Gahhh—!!”

Blood erupted as the man screamed.

Blood splattered against the faces around us.

The expressions of everyone observing were filled with shock.

Normally, it would matter, but at this moment, I couldn’t care less.

Only my urgency remained.

“Gah… ahhh….”

He let out a pained moan that echoed, now half-eyed.

Looking at him, I remarked.

“You only need one eye to see.”

My voice was laced with thorns.

Even if I tried to control it, it seemed impossible.

“If you lie again…”

I had to channel all my nerves.

I needed to prevent my hands from tearing him apart at any moment.

“I’ll rip out your kidneys and show them to you before your eyes.”

It was easy to control things so that he wouldn’t die.

Taking out a few organs wouldn’t be fatal.

Just incredibly painful.

“Now I’ll ask.”

About ten times.

About ten times he can endure physically.

That was what my past experiences had taught me.

“Why were you here?”

As I whispered the question, the one eye left in his socket trembled.

His body would probably give way sooner or later.

But how long could the man’s sanity endure?

That question didn’t take long to be answered.

Four times.

He uttered lies for a total of four questions, and by the fifth, he breathed his last.

Among the answers extracted, there were hints of treachery involving the Bloodline of the Ice Palace.

A vast expanse of earth.

Above it, a thick layer of snow.

Underneath the harshly swirling blizzard, the white snow turned red.

It was all blood.

Among the many people lying on the ground, none drew breath.

The blood that flowed from them stained the white snow.

In such a brutal scene, a woman knelt.

Blood streamed from beneath her white fox mask.

A deep scar marred her abdomen, from which blood also flowed.

“Haah… haah…”

Her ragged breaths betrayed her poor condition.

It wouldn’t be strange for her to collapse at any moment.

Even in this situation, she clutched her sword as a makeshift cane, barely holding on.

“Such a disgrace.”

Hearing the voice, the woman lifted her head.

Before her stood the one who had wrought this carnage.

She asked the young man as she gazed at him.

“…Why…?”

She could barely manage to speak.

But the meaning came across clearly.

“Why did you do this?”

The young man’s face displayed a bitter expression as he heard her question.

“Well, I just don’t know.”

His voice was dry and cracked.

“I’ll ask the opposite. Why are you doing this?”

“…”

“The Gungju and you have no relevant ties. You’re merely others. There’s no reason for you to protect him, yet you act like this.”

“…”

The woman offered no answer to the young man’s words.

Still silent.

Though I could appreciate such quietude, it left only frustration now.

“…The one you should be protecting isn’t the Gungju.”

“…”

This time, there was nothing in response, but one thing had changed.

Swish.

“…!”

The woman was slowly rising.

Though she had missed a vital spot, getting up in such a condition should be impossible.

She steadied herself without a single groan.

And directed her sword toward the young man.

“…Ha.”

So that was her answer.

Realizing this, the young man sighed.

She remained strong.

They say love makes you similar; perhaps she inherited some of that determination from her friend.

Is there truly no other way?

The young man bit his already chapped lips once more.

After repeating his worries again and again, he finally spoke.

“I’m sorry.”

He raised his sword in the end.

Thinking to himself that he had no further avenue for retreat.

“This is the only way I have.”

“…”

The sword was pointed. There would be no more dialogue.

A brief silence hung in the air. With a quick exchange of gazes, the woman made her move first.

Swish—!

Though her body was injured, her sword moved with unshakable resolve.

The young man swung his sword in response.

The Wudang’s celestial timings unfolded from his fingertips.

In a flash, the Thunder Qi met the Taoist Qi.

In that instant.

Boom—!!!

The energies clashed, bursting into an explosion of light and echoing with the sound of thunder.

It was but a fleeting moment.

Before long, the light dimmed once more.

Only one remained standing.

The young man held his sword while the woman crumpled to the ground in defeat.

“…”

As he looked at her, the young man’s eyes clouded over.

There was no feeling left.

Only a sense of pitifulness in this scenario and in himself.

He approached the fallen woman and lifted her, draping her across his shoulder.

The woman wasn’t dead.

She had merely lost consciousness.

As the young man sensed this, he whispered softly.

“…I’m sorry, cousin.”

Having uttered those words, he treaded onward, disappearing into the blizzard.

What remained behind were—

The thick trails of blood left by others and the multitude of corpses.

And—

The crescent-shaped hair ornament that a woman had received as a gift from someone.

 

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