---

Chapter 612: Biwaegun.

This memory is of a promise made long ago.

A tale from a time when things were less significant than now.

When we were both young.

A memory from a time when we saw falling snow without harboring hatred.

[The princess saw this in a book.]

[Oh, really?]

Every time I tried to engage her in conversation, she would respond as if it were a bother.

But the girl would still excitedly talk to the boy.

[They say the people of Central Plains are that amazing.]

[Out of the blue?]

Mentioning the Central Plains sparks a reaction from the boy.

The girl knew.

She knew it was a reaction he couldn’t hide from his annoyance.

But it didn’t matter.

Even this type of conversation was enough for her.

[That’s what it said in the book.]

[What book did you read this time?]

[Meeting the most beautiful woman of the Central Plains, the First Prince of the Ice Palace.]

[…]

The name of a book that the maids used to enjoy reading in secret.

It was also a book that the girl had been deeply engrossed in lately.

Upon sharing this, the boy frowned, as if he had misunderstood something.

[Isn’t that on the prohibited list?]

Items related to the Central Plains were banned from coming into the North Sea.

So she inquired if this was one of those items.

[Oh!]

The girl exclaimed in frustration at the boy.

[This is directly written from the North Sea! It’s not something from the Central Plains!]

[Ah, I see.]

Just when she thought it would be brushed off, the boy, unable to hold back, finally spoke up.

[…So why’s your speech like that…?]

[Hmm? Is it strange?]

[Extremely.]

[I swear the book said it like this….]

She mimicked the words used by the bloodline characters from the book.

Apparently, it sounded quite odd.

[Where exactly do they say such things?]

[The First Prince mentioned it in the book.]

A cold-hearted first prince undergoing a transformation after meeting a woman from the Central Plains – a warm and tumultuous story.

That’s how the male protagonist’s character was described.

With a suddenly recollected quote, the girl spoke with a serious expression.

[You are the first woman to have treated this prince in such a manner.]

There was a line written like that.

And right after that, there was surely.

[Will you marry me?]

[…]

When the boy heard this, he paused for a moment, staring at the girl in disbelief.

Then, as if he had something to say, he began to fidget.

However.

[Ah! It’s snowing.]

The boy ultimately couldn’t voice what he wanted to say.

The girl was once again excited by the flakes falling from the sky.

[Look, Cheong-ah! It’s snowing!]

[…Yeah, it’s snowing.]

The boy could only smile bitterly at her enthusiastic words.

[Didn’t even wait for a response. Then why did you ask?]

[Huh? What do you mean?]

[Never mind. It’s nothing.]

He laughed it off.

Feeling as if he was not someone worthy to be rivaled.

That’s how the boy thought again.

[The snow looks beautiful today, huh?]

[Yeah.]

The girl gazed at the falling snow.

[It’s beautiful.]

The boy was watching the girl, who resembled the snow.

Yes.

This was a memory from a time when falling snow didn’t feel so bad.

I trudged through the snowstorm.

How long had I been walking?

It had been about a time point after an hour.

Continuously stepping on the snow.

Naturally, no footprints were left behind in the snow.

Woo-oo-oo-!

I shifted my gaze upon feeling a vibration from my heart.

The speed wasn’t particularly fast.

‘Moving while sensing vibrations isn’t easy.’

My heart raced, but adjusting was not easy.

This was the first time trying to write like this.

I had to keep sensing the vibrations coming from the Thunder Fang of Nangong Bi-ah, who was somewhere far away.

It was subtle yet clear.

A contradictory sensation, yet that was the perfect description.

This was an ability realized during the past few years, after shedding my skin.

I could sense the aura of treasures.

More precisely.

‘Only the treasures I had used.’

The ones I had experienced the effects of could be felt if I wished to sense them.

If one were to ask how I discovered this.

‘…I found out while trying to locate something I had lost.’

I had once lost the mask given to me by the King of Demons, and while sweating profusely about how to find it, I accidentally came across the method.

When I asked the King of Demons about it, he said something like.

‘It might be a trait of dragons.’

That was something I didn’t know much about. What exactly were dragons?

That they lived with such attributes.

If I were to think of a reason.

‘The treasures were originally obtained from dragons.’

All White Grade Demon Beasts were referred to as dragons.

And all the initial treasures were objects they had expelled.

Perhaps it’s due to this that it’s possible for me to do this.

I could only speculate.

I should have encountered other dragons to understand it.

‘Oh, I have met one.’

The King of Demons, who was cursed and transforming into a dragon, or the form of Gungju I encountered just recently—it resembled that as well.

If it wasn’t them.

The memory of someone with red eyes flashed through my mind.

‘Blood Demon.’

Three encounters with the Blood Demon.

In those meetings, he had let slip lines that hinted at his being a dragon.

Moreover, I still remembered the words spoken by the Blood Qi.

‘Something about the Dragon Emperor, if I recall.’

What could that mean?

Is it simply the head of dragons? Or is there something more to it?

And does it signify the Blood Demon as well?

‘Given that the Blood Qi was obtained from the Blood Demon, it must be him.’

So does that mean the Blood Demon is the head of dragons?

‘This meaning needs to be clearly discerned.’

Of course, this wasn’t the time to dwell on such thoughts.

As I was walking, following the aura little by little.

“Biwaegun wouldn’t have done that.”

A voice reached my back. The same one that had been mumbling earlier.

Upon hearing these words, I exhaled a slight sigh.

“…Biwaegun.”

“You’ve repeated that over ten times. Just shut up. It’s annoying.”

“…”

Finally, it quieted down.

I needed to focus, yet her mumbling was distracting.

I feel like my head is drooping.

A somber emotion seeped through me.

“I brought her here after she kept whimpering to take her. But now, why is it like this?”

The person I was carrying was none other than the Young Princess of the North Sea, Yuri.

Right after we bumped into each other at the cave entrance, we were accompanying each other, though not truly so.

“At least you said you wouldn’t be a burden, but what on earth is this if not a burden?”

“Ha, but…! The prince said to get on his back…!”

“Isn’t that because you couldn’t even adjust your footwork? Do you think I would’ve said to get on if you did it properly?”

“…”

Footwork is the act of skillfully adjusting one’s steps according to the situation, ensuring smooth mobility.

To step on things like water or snow requires considerable adjustment and inner strength.

As a top-level practitioner, Yuri was unable to manage it.

Hence why I had to carry her as we moved.

‘Normally, I would have just left her at the entrance.’

But the conversation from the entrance was the issue.

Nangong Bi-ah adamantly claimed she wouldn’t have done such a thing, stating that she had a promise with me, which made me want to hear it at least once.

Woo Hyeok seemed interested due to his connection with her.

‘Things got a bit tangled.’

It had become somewhat of a bother.

I looked at the burdened Yuri and said, “Once more, I’ll say it. I’m not headed to look for that Biwaegun you mentioned.”

I couldn’t get a response when I asked Yuri what promise she had made with Biwaegun.

Instead, Yuri looked at me and said, [Please take me with you. I beg you….]

Where did she think she was going that she was so earnest?

“…I understand.”

“But why did you want me to take you?”

I asked while turning in the opposite direction.

I hadn’t said I was going to meet Woo Hyeok.

I had clearly stated I was simply going out.

Realizing that I intended to leave out into somewhere, Yuri clutched my pant leg tightly.

“How did the prince end up bringing me with him?”

“Hmm.”

Why did I bring her along?

I thought for a moment about the answer.

The answer came quickly.

“True.”

I wasn’t sure myself.

“What?”

“Thinking back, there was really no need to bring you along.”

It was honestly a needless accompaniment.

Whether for stealth or long distance travel, the very being of Yuri served only as a hindrance.

Yet despite knowing all this, I brought Yuri along because of her earnest plea.

If I had to recall a reason for this.

“Simply, she looked incredibly desperate.”

It was a ridiculously simple reason.

The voice calling for nothing but Woo Hyeok was so earnest.

With a look that seemed unable to believe, she sought hope.

That’s why I brought her along.

“…You brought me along for just that reason?”

“That’s the fault of having a bad friend.”

I grinned as I said that.

To call anyone a friend when I could count them on one hand, and none were full, was a truly pathetic life.

I was suffering because of someone I could barely call a friend.

“So, what’s this promise you made with him?”

“…”

“Are you not going to tell me?”

This was the third time I asked since then.

What promise could she have made for Woo Hyeok to act that way, I was curious about it.

“…”

This time as well, Yuri remained silent. It indicated she had no intention of answering.

Seeing this, I said, “If you don’t answer, I’ll leave you behind. Still not willing to say anything?”

“…!”

As I threatened, Yuri flinched.

I wondered what would happen if I just dumped her here. It probably wouldn’t be a pleasant situation.

Yuri likely knew that too.

She just tightened her grip with no intention of answering.

‘She’s really not saying anything.’

Did she think I’d leave her behind?

I was curious whether I should just toss her aside, but for now, I let it slide.

“Then, just tell me what kind of relationship you have with that guy. Surely you can say that much.”

What kind of relationship did Woo Hyeok and Yuri have?

With such desperation, there had to be something more going on.

“Could it be, romantic…?”

“We’re friends. Very old friends.”

“I see.”

So they were friends.

And very old friends at that….

‘The princess and Woo Hyeok are friends.’

If they’ve known each other for a long time, just how long had it been since?

I had heard that Woo Hyeok was from the North Sea, but I never imagined he could be childhood friends with royalty.

‘Ah, now that I think about it.’

One of the things Woo Hyeok once said came to mind.

“By the way, do you know who his fiancée is?”

“…Excuse me?”

It was something Woo Hyeok had said long ago.

That he had a fiancée.

‘Back then, I thought of it simply as a sage’s story.’

Even thinking that there was no way she’d be from the Central Plains, but now things had turned out like this.

‘Could it be someone from the North Sea?’

Such thoughts crossed my mind.

Of course, whatever it was.

‘What use is an engagement at this point anyway?’

This was merely curiosity regarding something I had heard.

Yet.

“What do you mean… by fiancée?”

“Huh?”

“Fiancée?”

Yuri’s voice changed upon hearing my words, sounding unusual.

 

---