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Chapter 621: Choice and Decision

The Heart of the Dragon Emperor.

I had to swallow my words at the statement made by the Gungju.

Forcing my stiff neck to turn, I gazed at the Ice Spirit.

It felt like a cold chill, compressed and compressed again.

A perfect spherical object, as if delicately carved by a master sculptor.

Moreover, it was massive. A chunk of ice the size of an ordinary residence.

It was strange that this was referred to as an egg…

‘Is that a heart?’

Unbelievably, it was said to be the heart at the center of the physical body.

‘And it belongs to the Dragon Emperor?’

The Dragon Emperor.

I suspected it was an entity presumed to be a Blood Demon.

The heart of such a Blood Demon was this Ice Spirit.

What in the world could this situation mean, being so far from the Central Plains and in the North Sea?

‘Moreover…’

A space that could only be entered under specific conditions.

It was said that the bloodline of the Ice Palace had been guarding this place.

A situation that was utterly incomprehensible.

I turned my gaze to the Ice Spirit and asked.

“…That’s, a heart?”

“Mm.”

The Gungju replied to my question.

“Considering you didn’t mention the Dragon Emperor, it seems you already knew.”

Oh dear.

I grimaced, realizing my slip of tongue.

I had just made a clumsy mistake, unlike my usual self.

“Don’t be so surprised. It’s not that significant.”

“…”

“If you ask if that’s a heart, I’ll say that’s how I perceive it.”

“…Are you saying only you see it that way?”

“Indeed. Ultimately, the history of the palace has referred to that as an egg.”

An egg.

What could it possibly contain, to be called an egg?

‘Certainly. It’s more accurate to see it as an egg than a heart.’

It was hard to believe something that looked like that could be a heart.

If I were to nitpick, seeing it as an egg would be advantageous.

“Why do you think of it as a heart when you know that?”

First, I needed to hear why the Gungju thought that way.

In response to my question, the Gungju stepped closer to the Ice Spirit and continued.

“Do you know when the extreme cold of the North Sea began?”

“…Well?”

When it comes to ‘when,’ I had no idea.

I had only heard that the North Sea was a cold land from the start.

If they asked when it became cold, I wouldn’t have a clue.

I wasn’t particularly close to studying history.

As I spoke with a somewhat foolish expression, the Gungju smiled slightly at me.

“Though the North Sea has always been cold like winter’s chill, it wasn’t a place of eternal frost like it is now.”

I had to make a strange face as I listened to her words.

For the North Sea was now a land covered in snow and extreme cold year-round.

“Spring was warm, summer hot, and autumn ripe, leading into a chilly winter. That was the North Sea of the past.”

Not much different from the Central Plains, it was said.

The Gungju was currently speaking to me about that.

But.

‘Not anymore.’

All her statements were in the past tense.

They only served to highlight the contrast to the current situation.

“Everything changed over five hundred years ago, the moment this Ice Spirit appeared in the North Sea.”

‘Five hundred years ago…’

That was most likely around the time mass slaughter was raging due to the Blood Calamity caused by the Blood Demon.

A period when Shin Noya and his comrades were engaged in war.

“At that time, someone who called himself the Dragon Emperor appeared and left two things in the North Sea.”

A question arose from the Gungju’s words.

‘Surely, the Dragon Emperor must be a Blood Demon.’

Based on my speculations and the information I had gleaned, it was possible to infer that the Dragon Emperor mentioned could be a Blood Demon.

But.

‘This Dragon Emperor left something here while the war was in full swing?’

During a time of conflict, could the Blood Demon come all the way to the North Sea to leave something behind?

Even if he did leave something, for what purpose?

At this moment, fragmented pieces were still swirling in my head.

To piece this together, I needed more information.

“Half to the east. And half to the west. The Dragon Emperor stored the object known as ‘Ice Spirit’ like that.”

Thud.

Frost fell from the Gungju’s cheek.

“I commanded the bloodline of the North Sea to maintain it.”

“Command?”

I frowned at her words.

“Are you saying you’ve been guarding the Ice Spirit according to his command?”

“Indeed.”

“…Why?”

Why on earth did it have to be that way?

The reasons were lacking.

The Dragon Emperor left the Ice Spirit behind.

Whether it’s an egg or a heart is beside the point, but why was the bloodline compelled to guard it?

I wanted to know that.

“The reason…”

To that, the Gungju replied.

“Because it must be done.”

“What do you mean by that…?”

“If it’s not protected, the North Sea will face destruction.”

“…!?”

“That is the burden of our bloodline.”

If it’s not guarded, the North Sea will perish.

I leaned in to listen to the Gungju’s words.

“When the Dragon Emperor appeared and placed the Ice Spirit in the North Sea, he said to those guarding it, in other words…”

She took a breath.

“Our ancestors received the words from the Dragon Emperor.”

[Guard and maintain it.]

[Until the ‘Pure Blood’ appears.]

My fingertips trembled slightly at the word Pure Blood.

“His words became shackles. Shackles that would bind us for several centuries.”

“I don’t understand. It’s just words… How could that hold any power?”

“If it were mere words, one could refuse.”

Those words then mean…

‘They were not just words.’

Suddenly.

The Gungju touched her cheek.

“The Dragon Emperor uttered a curse along with his words.”

Where the scales had sprouted, frost descended.

“It’s a curse that gradually transforms the body into that of a dragon.”

“…!”

Those words were familiar.

They were reminiscent of the curse I’d once heard from the King of Demons.

‘The King of Demons also mentioned turning into a dragon.’

If one bore a child, the curse would pass on, while oneself would meet death.

It was called the curse of the named, reference of their song.

‘The Blood Demon’s curse placed upon the bloodline of Yeon Ilcheon.’

Was it the same that was now directed at the Gungju before me?

Or…

“If you don’t guard the Ice Spirit, you would transform into a dragon. Is that it?”

“Haha.”

Seeing through my assumption, the Gungju chuckled. I was wrong.

“If that were the case, it would be better. If that were all it would be… I wouldn’t be this bitter.”

Cold emotions wrapped around her laughter.

“As I said earlier, the Ice Spirit is the cause of the North Sea being plunged into extreme cold.”

The snow falling from the sky.

The chilling cold that strikes regardless of the season.

It was all said to be caused by the Ice Spirit.

“But.”

The Gungju said.

“Conversely, it is also this Ice Spirit that protects the North Sea.”

“…Pardon?”

“To be precise, it would be more accurate to say the Ice Spirit within the Ice Palace.”

What on earth did that mean?

‘The same Ice Spirit that brought the chilling cold to the North Sea, is also the one that protects it?’

Tap, tap.

My fingers drummed against my waist.

Two Ice Spirits.

One was here, and the other was said to be within the Ice Palace.

If it were true that there were two Ice Spirits and one was providing protection…

Hmm.

“Are they in opposition…?”

“Oh my.”

The Gungju reacted to my muttering.

Was that the right answer?

If one Ice Spirit causes the chilling cold, and another protects against it…

“One brings forth the cold, while one protects against it, is that what you’re saying?”

That was indeed a contrasting situation.

Could it be that the current state of the Ice Spirit was like that?

Based on the meaning of my question, the Gungju confirmed.

“Correct.”

‘Wow.’

Hearing the answer, the thought that sprang to mind was, ‘What a mess.’

I thought the situation was really chaotic.

With that thought, I refrained from speaking carelessly.

The Gungju’s explanation was still ongoing.

“One of the Ice Spirits brought the chilling cold.”

The Gungju pointed at the Ice Spirit.

“That is the original standing right in front of you.”

“Original?”

“That’s my personal opinion. Would you like a detailed explanation?”

“First, please continue with what you were saying.”

“Very well.”

Hearing a detailed explanation would probably be more appropriate afterward.

“I understand that the Ice Spirit influences the weather of the North Sea.”

How was such a thing possible?

I didn’t bother to ask. The process was too complicated to question.

What was important now was: what did this have to do with ‘me’?

“So, what is the curse you mentioned earlier?”

“Like I said before, the Dragon Emperor placed the Ice Spirit and cast a curse upon our ancestors.”

“A curse?”

“Yes. We call it the ‘Curse of the Ice Spirit.’”

I recalled hearing about it from Yuri.

‘The curse held by Moyong Hi-ah.’

A disease that gradually froze the body with an encroaching chill.

That was also the reason why Yuri brought me here.

Moreover.

‘The cause of the current condition of the Gungju.’

Being somewhere in between human and dragon.

It seemed ambiguous to call it a human body.

While it resembled the King of Demons, it looked weakened.

The King of Demons had gained a lifespan and strength close to immortality by turning into a dragon.

However, seeing the Gungju’s state, it didn’t seem that simple.

“What kind of curse could cause all this?”

What effect could this curse have that necessitated the bloodline’s protection of the Ice Spirit, leaving the Gungju in such a condition?

“When you are born into the bloodline of the Ice Palace, a seed is created in your body.”

“A seed?”

“Indeed. A seed that can bloom at any time.”

I wondered if she was referring to the illness in a roundabout way.

“Blooming means a disease that might explode at any time?”

“Similar. To be precise…”

Her finger that was pointing at the Ice Spirit shifted to herself.

“When sitting in the seat of the Gungju, it is proper to say it blooms.”

“…!”

My eyes widened at the statement.

“You mean…?”

“The curse of the Ice Spirit is such. The seed contained in the body blooms when seated in the Gungju position, and the physical body gradually transforms into that of a dragon.”

“…”

Now I understood the reason behind the Gungju’s condition.

The real question was.

‘Is that all there is to it?’

A fog seemed to thicken in my mind.

The act of sitting in the Gungju position causes the seed to bloom.

That meant it was a condition by which the curse would manifest more prominently and the body would change.

However.

‘So, what caused the weakening?’

It was said that the Gungju’s curse was released due to her taking this position.

It didn’t make any sense.

After all, the Gungju of the Ice Palace was supposed to be strong.

I didn’t know whether it was her present self or a past Gungju.

When the Lord of the Ice Palace ventured into the Central Plains, he had a record of battling the Sword Sovereign and achieving a draw, supposedly the foremost expert of that time.

Even seeing the weakened Gungju before me, I couldn’t deny that.

‘She was stronger than I am.’

She was undoubtedly way stronger than my current self.

By an overwhelming margin.

What could have caused someone like her to weaken? Was it simply an illness?

That thought didn’t correspond with what we had just discussed.

So, I began to ponder.

The events and information I had encountered, from the Central Plains to the North Sea.

One by one, I carefully pieced them together.

Tap, tap, tap.

My fingers moved.

‘First.’

When the rebellion was predicted, I questioned how the forces responsible for the power could be concentrated in one place.

How could they not have anticipated a betrayal?

In regard to that, Yuri had said.

[…Because the bloodline is essential.]

It was said that the bloodline of the Ice Palace was indispensable, and they mentioned there was a reason they couldn’t betray.

Secondly.

‘The curse blooms properly when one becomes Gungju.’

That was what the Gungju just stated.

Those words meant that there was something in the position of Gungju.

And it was labeled as the Curse of the Ice Spirit.

Not something else, but the Curse of the Ice Spirit, which only added to the confusion.

‘Ironically, the source of the extreme cold is the Ice Spirit, but it’s also the same that protects against it.’

Furthermore, the Ice Spirit that offers protection exists somewhere in the Ice Palace.

With only a few tidbits of information at hand.

I had to uncover the truth hidden within.

Converge.

Even if it meant agonizing over this for some time.

In the middle of my thoughts, I paused for a moment.

Tap.

My tapping fingers suddenly halted.

“The Ice Spirit that blocks the extreme cold.”

I spoke to the Gungju.

“Is it maintained by perhaps the life force of the Gungju?”

“…!!”

At my outburst, the Gungju’s eyes widened like lanterns.

 

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