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Chapter 610: Biwaegun.

“How’s your body?”

“…”

At the question, Nangong Bi-ah offered no reply. She simply watched the young man silently.

“I’m just saying this in case you’re concerned.”

The young man pointed to Nangong Bi-ah’s waist with his hand.

“I didn’t do the treatment. I had another woman do it, so you don’t have to worry…”

“I’m not worried.”

“…I see.”

At Nangong Bi-ah’s resolute response, the young man awkwardly smiled.

“I’ll ask again, how’s your body?”

“…”

Nangong Bi-ah stayed silent once more at the young man’s inquiry. She merely showed him the shackles bound to her hands.

Clank.

A sound echoed from the chains binding her hands.

As the young man looked at them, Nangong Bi-ah spoke to him.

“Release me.”

“Haha.”

Hearing that, he had to laugh in disbelief. Who would be so bold as to say that?

“If it were possible, I would have released you long ago.”

“Then release me now.”

“Hero of the Sword Dance, I’m saying this because it’s not possible.”

“…Why?”

“…”

Why indeed? He was momentarily at a loss for words. What was he supposed to say?

Looking at the woman with a face that genuinely seemed to not understand, the young man bitterly smiled.

“To not kill you, this is the only method I have.”

The words that came out as an answer only served to painfully tear at the young man’s heart.

It was truly a dismal statement.

“Don’t even think about escaping. Those shackles can’t be easily removed.”

“…”

Upon hearing this, Nangong Bi-ah’s expression subtly changed. She had already been quietly trying to exert power against the shackles.

And she realized something.

‘A bet.’

Could it be because of the shackles that her energy wasn’t flowing properly? Did he notice her actions?

“Your internal injuries probably haven’t healed yet, so for now, just rest.”

The young man said in a flat tone.

“…”

After hearing that, Nangong Bi-ah had to discreetly relax the strength she was exerting.

Then, she turned her gaze away and began inspecting her surroundings.

Buzzing—!

The incessant vibration of Thunder Fang was concerning, but for now, examining her surroundings took precedence.

Although it was dark and visibility was poor, it didn’t feel like a simple prison.

With a sensation brushing against her nose, Nangong Bi-ah spoke to the young man.

“Formation?”

“Correct.”

There was a formation deployed in the space around them. She could tell that much, but the specifics of the situation remained unclear.

Had the space been distorted?

The energy was blocked by the shackles, making it even harder to ascertain.

In other words, it meant she had no particular method available at the moment.

“Hmm….”

Having grasped that much, Nangong Bi-ah suddenly laid down, changing her posture.

“Huh?”

The young man let out a breath of astonishment upon witnessing this.

It was simply too absurd.

Nangong Bi-ah had just laid down.

As if she was intending to rest comfortably in this situation.

“…What are you doing?”

Seeing this, the young man asked, and Nangong Bi-ah simply turned her head to respond.

“…I want to sleep.”

“In this situation…?”

“…You said you wouldn’t release me.”

“Well, that’s true…”

What was with her audacity?

It was a sight he had never anticipated. To lay down without a hint of hesitation.

Looking at her, a wave of nausea washed over him.

So he had no choice but to ask.

“Why… aren’t you asking anything?”

Why wasn’t she asking? He couldn’t help but question.

Upon hearing that question, Nangong Bi-ah quietly stared at the young man.

An awkward silence hung in the air.

She knew what he was asking.

Why did it have to be like this?

How had things come to this point?

That must have been the question behind his inquiry.

“I already asked…”

She had brought it up before losing consciousness.

And she remembered the answer from that time.

“You said there was something you had to protect.”

“…”

There was something to protect.

Just like you.

I had my own duties as well.

That was the conversation they had shared.

“So aside from that… is there anything more?”

“…No.”

That was the maximum he could express.

To the listener, it was a frustrating answer.

Even though she was well aware, Nangong Bi-ah didn’t press for further words.

It was something the young man couldn’t comprehend.

“Do you not resent me?”

The one pursuing the escaping Nangong Bi-ah was the young man.

He had assembled troops to cut off her escape route.

He sent a Great General of Transformation Realm level and dozens of soldiers to inflict wounds, both external and internal, on Nangong Bi-ah.

Had it been something that ought to have happened?

The young man couldn’t find certainty in that notion.

To say it had to be so would be an excuse.

To acknowledge that he did it while knowing it shouldn’t have happened would be merely a justification.

In the end, it was he who saved Nangong Bi-ah, but that was merely his own selfish satisfaction, unable to escape the guilt.

Upon hearing that question, Nangong Bi-ah replied.

“…Not really…?”

Indicating she didn’t have any particular thoughts about it.

How could she not resent him?

After hearing her answer, a question arose in his mind.

“Were you the one who chose this?”

Nangong Bi-ah’s voice came out flat as she spoke.

“I thought there must have been some reason….”

“…”

It was a statement infused with firm belief.

Hearing those words, the young man had to wipe away his bitter smile.

Now he could hardly manage to grin.

“You’re a friend of that person, after all.”

Her words pierced like a sword into Woo Hyeok’s heart.

No, he had decided not to refer to himself as Woo Hyeok anymore.

Those memories belonged in a distant past.

Only then could he live in the present.

“Haha… is that really the only reason you have to trust me?”

“Is there a need for more?”

“Under usual circumstances, you’d need a lot more.”

Yes, a lot more. There should be so many reasons.

But perhaps for you, that’s all it takes. That must be the meaning.

With those words, the young man erased the face of his friend that arose with the conversation.

“Hero of the Sword Dance.”

“Hmm?”

“Do you think that friend still considers me a friend?”

“I don’t know.”

How could she possibly know?

There was an emotion contained in that.

Of course, in his heart, the young man thought otherwise.

When he discovered this truth, how would that friend look at him?

It was a thought he didn’t want to entertain.

Whoosh.

A cold breeze brushed by.

“…Then… what about you?”

Now, thinking about that, looking back at the path he had taken, was far too late.

Creak.

The young man rose from the chair he had been sitting on.

He didn’t offer an answer to the question.

“I’ll stand up first.”

“…”

Nangong Bi-ah didn’t seem inclined to reply either.

The young man turned his back and headed towards the door.

Just as he quietly observed her back, Nangong Bi-ah suddenly spoke.

“…But still.”

With that voice,

“If you meet that person… apologize.”

He halted.

At Nangong Bi-ah’s words, the young man’s body stiffened.

Her tone was filled with a resolute and cold emotion.

Though she approached her own situation and pain with indifference, this was clearly different.

“He’ll be in pain.”

“…Is he saying he’ll be in pain? That friend?”

“Because he’s a delicate person.”

Delicate.

That was the last word that suited that friend.

From the young man’s perspective, that friend seemed like the sort who wouldn’t falter even if the entire world crumbled around him.

“If you make him cry, I won’t forgive you.”

“…”

That wasn’t the sort of thing one would typically say in such a situation, was it?

He pondered, but the young man didn’t pursue the matter unnecessarily.

He didn’t even have the right to do so.

“…Alright, if I ever meet him, I will definitely apologize.”

He would probably be in the Central Plains by now.

If, at some point in the future, he heard news that friend had come to the North Sea…

‘By then, I will be gone.’

He wouldn’t be on this land any longer.

That moment felt like it could come at any time.

‘If I can apologize with my life, maybe that would provide some comfort.’

Such a trivial thought crossed his mind.

Creak.

The young man grabbed the doorknob and opened it, stepping outside.

As he took a step into the hall, he cleared his mind of those thoughts.

At that moment, there was only one thing occupying the young man’s mind.

[Cheong Ah! Cheong Ah!]

A long-ago memory.

When he was not called Woo Hyeok, but by another name.

The happiest time of his life.

The image of a silver-haired girl joyfully bouncing towards him played in his mind.

[Let’s play!]

She didn’t seem to care about the boy’s plight at all.

Such was the memory.

Nothing special and what could be considered an ordinary day for someone else.

A memory he had to carry alone.

The day he left the North Sea heading to the Central Plains.

He remembered the words he had said to that girl.

[If, by some chance, I survive and can see you again.]

Even with an arrow pierced in his back, blood gushing out, he spoke while looking at the weeping girl.

[Then—]

The memory hovered for a moment before scattering like mist.

The young man shook his head, forcing it from his mind.

There was no need to dwell on it any longer.

Even that, was merely an excuse.

An excuse that no one would understand.

The young man resumed walking.

Tap.

The sound of his footsteps echoed through the corridor.

The dark corridor was devoid of a single light.

*

The full moon hung in the dark sky.

The night was unmistakably dark, with snow falling thick all around.

“Am I going crazy or what?”

As he trudged through the blizzard, he spat out curses.

Was the weather really not going to calm down?

The more he looked, the more it was disheartening.

What kind of cursed land was this?

It was utterly ridiculous.

They say the North Sea has snow all year round.

When the Blood Demon invoked the Blood Calamity, there were reports of some incident at the North Sea that changed its environment.

When he only heard of it, he thought it was just ‘So that’s how it is.’

But coming here, it was even more terrible than he imagined.

“How can anyone survive in a place like this?”

The cold was relentless, and the snow fell without mercy, so farming was obviously out of the question.

Then the only source of food in this environment would… ultimately be hunting, wouldn’t it?

It looked as though the only way to get something to eat would be to capture something.

But he questioned how many beasts could possibly survive in this freezing weather.

Seeing that there were still individuals managing to survive in this situation indicated that there must be some way, but—

Regardless, it was still a pitiable land.

Whoosh—!

In the blizzard, visibility remained nonexistent.

In such an environment, how could one even find their way? But the reality was, it didn’t matter how he looked.

Thrum–!

He only needed to feel the vibrations resonating from his heart.

Adjusting his steps, he moved onward.

‘North from here.’

He shifted his path in that direction, towards where the energy felt strongest.

Of course, even after moving, all he continued to see was the snowstorm.

He muttered, “What a damn miserable land this is.”

Could he really live here? It was infuriating to think about.

As he clenched his teeth and spat out a curse.

“Ahem…”

An uncomfortable cough sounded from behind him.

“Uh, even so… swearing in front of people is…”

“What, you got a problem with it?”

“…No, ma’am.”

As he was about to shoot back another retort, the woman fell silent, her voice now glum.

Yeah, she wouldn’t have much to say.

If she said the wrong thing here, he would leave her behind.

After hearing the woman’s response, he turned back to face forward.

“Really, just my luck.”

In the already unpleasant situation.

“To think I have to carry this heavy load in such terrible weather.”

“It’s not heavy!”

Catching his words, the woman’s voice rose slightly.

“Then what makes you a heavy load?”

“…It’s not heavy.”

She seemed to deny being a heavy load, however.

“It’s not heavy? Do you even have a conscience? Well, if you did, you wouldn’t have followed me like this.”

“I’m not…!”

“Ah, be quiet. If you say another word, I’ll leave you behind.”

“…”

After giving her that warning, she finally fell silent.

Sigh.

Releasing a breath, he resumed his steps.

On the road that still looked far from over, he was moving.

With the young princess of the North Sea, Yuri, on his back.

 

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