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Chapter 587: The Young Princess of the North Sea Ice Palace

“Yi-hyun is dead.”

In the damp-smelling underground space of Hanam.

There, a man knelt and reported to someone.

In front of the figure with their head bowed.

An old man was sitting on a broken rock.

Upon hearing the report, the old man turned his gaze to the man.

“What about the corpse?”

“I couldn’t find it, but based on the circumstances, it’s undoubtedly certain.”

“I see.”

The child is dead.

Hearing that, a bitter feeling lingered in the old man’s eyes.

But that was not the only problem.

“Additionally—”

The man continued.

“…It seems the formation we deployed has been解除.”

At those words, the old man furrowed his brows.

The formation has been解除?

That was an intriguing tidbit.

“What was the time frame?”

“It was less than an hour after we set the formation.”

“…Oh?”

That was the most shocking fact the old man had heard in recent years.

Who could have done this?

He thought it might be the Martial Alliance, but the old man knew better.

The Martial Alliance didn’t have the capabilities to dismantle their own formation yet.

That’s just common sense.

They were the ones who cut off their own growth in formation and sorcery.

Having abandoned them, there would be no further progress.

Thus, the old man rested his chin on his hand in contemplation.

‘Less than an hour.’

Just less than an hour.

If it took that long to dismantle their own formation, then it had to be someone with considerable expertise.

That’s where the questions arise.

Under this vast Central Plains, there couldn’t possibly be anyone as skilled in formations as they were.

The old man turned his gaze.

“Could it be you?”

As the question hung in the air, someone lurking by the wall raised their head.

If anyone could do it, it would be that person alone.

When it comes to discussing formations, they are as proficient as in medicine.

“Shin Yi.”

“…”

As the old man called his name, Shin Yi’s wrinkles deepened.

“…That can’t be.”

“That’s right. It definitely couldn’t have been you.”

With Shin Yi’s response, the old man chuckled lightly.

“At least if you have a conscience, you shouldn’t have done that.”

“…”

“If it’s not you… then who could it be? I don’t know.”

Questions reflected in the old man’s eyes.

“I’m curious, so go find out.”

“…Yes, Great Lord.”

As he received the order, the man kneeling disappeared.

Leaving the two of them alone in the space.

Only then did Shin Yi finally open his mouth.

“Will you tell me now?”

Hearing those words, the old man looked at Shin Yi.

“What do you mean?”

“Why you called me here. I want to know that.”

“Uhmm.”

At Shin Yi’s words, the old man smirked.

Was it because he wanted to see the bloodline wandering outside? What do you think?

“That’s what I mean.”

“…”

Shin Yi responded to the old man’s words with a stony expression.

He knew it was absurd.

Seeing that, the old man chuckled softly.

“You’re still as dreary as ever.”

“Get to the point.”

“Right… I suppose I should.”

With a thud.

The old man descended from the rock he was sitting on, walking towards Shin Yi.

“What’s it like out there? Is the living situation tolerable?”

“I told you, get to the point…”

“I’m asking how it feels to betray your clan and live as a dog of the Righteous Faction.”

“…!”

At the old man’s words, Shin Yi’s expression twisted in an instant.

“Clan Leader…!”

“Do you have any excuses, Shin Yi?”

There were many.

There were a multitude of words, excuses, and justifications he could utter, but Shin Yi couldn’t continue speaking.

Because, well, the truth was that nothing was different from an excuse.

“Regardless of the life you lived after leaving us, the reason I’ve not cared was simple: you are of my bloodline. You know it too, right?”

At the old man’s words, Shin Yi’s eyes sharpened.

“So, what exactly do you want from me now?”

“Having seen so many years, I think you might understand now that the Righteous Faction has no future.”

He didn’t refute the statement.

Shin Yi knew it to be true.

Currently, the Righteous Faction had no future.

With the Sword Sovereign stepping back, countless reforms have repeated.

But nothing could be called rightful growth.

They’ve just been packaging the facade of peace in the world.

Inside, it was already decaying and rotting away.

“So…”

Recalling this, Shin Yi addressed the old man.

“Are you asking me to join the Clan Leader’s miserable plan?”

“Miserable, you say…”

With Shin Yi’s words, the old man’s eyes turned cold.

“What else would you call it but miserable?”

Ignoring that, Shin Yi continued to speak.

“In the blinded quest for revenge, not seeing an inch ahead. Because of that, isn’t it that only a few of our bloodline remain to be sacrificed…?”

Thud-!

The old man seized Shin Yi by the throat.

Ghack!

“Jiegal Yi-cheon.”

Shin Yi gritted his teeth.

It was a name he’d not heard in decades.

“Even if all the bloodline curses me, you especially should never do such a thing.”

“Guhgh!”

“At the very least, really at the very least, you shouldn’t be saying anything while having fled and forgotten the clan’s wrongdoings.”

As his breath tightened, the old man eventually threw Shin Yi aside.

Thud-! Shin Yi’s frail body tumbled to the ground.

“Gugh…”

“Yes, you’ve always been like this since long ago.”

Watching the choking Shin Yi, the old man spoke.

“Among the bloodline who lived hiding, unable to forget the humiliation they suffered from the alliance, you were notably calm.”

It was a story from a distant past.

Now, there were hardly any left who remembered those old times.

“Are you to say one shouldn’t live consumed by revenge? Should one find a new way to live even now? You told the current Clan Leader that.”

That memory existed too.

Thinking back on that, the old man smiled.

“How hilarious and self-serving those words are.”

“…”

“What exactly are you to forget and what should you see differently?”

He chuckled louder.

The laughter echoed through the space.

“Wanted to forget the debts, did you, Jiegal Yi-cheon? Yes, forgetting is truly a convenient thing.”

“…Clan Leader…”

“Don’t call me that.”

He was no longer a Clan Leader.

What was there left to lead without the clan?

At one point, he was called that, but not anymore.

He had long since stepped down from that position.

He was now just the Great Lord.

For now, that was sufficient.

“Was it comfortable? Those days spent forgetting the clan’s resentment?”

“I… have never forgotten the clan.”

“How amusing, reflecting on how worthless that statement is right now.”

How can someone who bolted away from the clan to live as a physician state such a thing?

The old man found it truly ridiculous.

The one who had the most outstanding talent regarding formations in the history of the Jiegal Clan.

That person, who was once said to have the hope of reviving the clan.

“Nobody expected you to throw it all away and run.”

The old man faced such a being.

“…Are you blaming me then?”

“Well, perhaps not now, but maybe in the past… Perhaps.”

Shin Yi raised his exhausted body. The old man spoke while observing him.

“Even if you blame me, you have nothing to say.”

“…”

Having escaped from the enraged bloodline, and while trying to save the lives of the filthy Righteous Faction dogs, what could he possibly claim to them?

“Centuries have passed since the alliance falsely accused and brutally discarded the clan.”

The Jiegal Clan worshipped the Blood Demon.

Having received such accusations, the Jiegal Clan, which had once sat among the Five Great Clans, swiftly fell.

The Decree of Execution was issued, countless bloodlines perished.

The few that survived lived in hiding, their names concealed.

Life became such.

“And yet you dare to say not to live in revenge… How can you even say that? Not then, not to me now, you shouldn’t be saying that.”

“…”

That was the truth.

At the very least, Shin Yi shouldn’t have uttered such words.

“Clan Leader.”

“Speak.”

One issue arose.

“How… how can you be sure?”

Shin Yi’s voice quivered.

Upon hearing, doubt appeared in the old man’s eyes.

“What do you mean?”

“…How can you be certain that their decision was indeed a false accusation?”

Shhh.

The moment Shin Yi uttered those words,

The old man’s expression drained of emotion.

Seeing that, Shin Yi could feel it.

“Clan Leader… Have you already known… all along?”

“…”

Silence descended.

For a brief moment, within that short silence, Shin Yi felt a myriad of emotions.

“Shin Yi.”

The way the old man referred to him had changed.

“I recognize that our thoughts differ.”

His face returned to showing emotion.

Seeing that, Shin Yi was left with goosebumps.

“Such a pity. There are so few of our bloodline left…”

The old man genuinely seemed to express regret.

Yet, Shin Yi felt multiple meanings behind those words.

“With our intentions differing, there’s nothing that can be done. You may go back now.”

“…Clan Leader.”

“Don’t worry, even though our intentions differ, I have no plans to treat you harshly. After all, we are still of the same bloodline, aren’t we?”

Chuckle.

“The fact that you personally came to my letter in this way, must surely be for that reason.”

“…”

“Our conversation ends here. You must be quite busy anyway.”

The old man reacted as if he held no regrets.

Could that really be so? Shin Yi couldn’t guess.

At that moment.

Creeeak-!

The wall’s door opened, revealing the space.

It was the entrance Shin Yi had used to come in.

It was unmistakably a summoning spell.

“…”

Seeing that, Shin Yi said nothing further and turned away.

No more words were exchanged.

Bidding farewell in silence, just after Shin Yi vanished.

The old man once again found his seat and lowered his body.

At that moment.

“Are you alright?”

A voice emerged from the dark void. The old man did not respond.

He had known that all along.

To the worried inquiry, the old man replied.

“What do you mean?”

“…I wonder if it’s okay to leave it as it is.”

The traitor to the clan.

While everyone sharpened their blades, this bloodline sought its peace, shaming the others.

The man could not comprehend.

“If you’ve decided that our intentions differ, it would be better to kill me…”

“Deputy Lord.”

“…Yes, Great Lord…”

The old man turned his head to look at the man.

“…!”

Meeting his gaze, the man shivered slightly.

The old man’s eyes were so sharp.

“Have you forgotten our oath? I thought you wouldn’t be like that.”

“…I apologize.”

The man lowered his head at the words.

“We do not kill our kin. That is the rule we set, is it not?”

“…”

“Even if all is lost, crumbling slowly, we must at least uphold that.”

“…But…”

“Also, this is something that friend of ours is aware of as well.”

The very reason Shin Yi had came looking for him was due to this matter.

The reason Shin Yi had survived even after betraying them, was all part of the same story.

“If, heaven forbid, Shin Yi were to go out and divulge our tale…”

“Hehe.”

The old man laughed at the man’s concern.

A hint of disdain floated in that laughter.

“Even if he does, it would already be too late.”

Even if Shin Yi ventured out to spread the news about this matter.

It would be a long time coming.

Knowing this, the old man also sent Shin Yi off quietly.

The old man shifted his gaze from the man to stare into the void.

The ceiling that revealed nothing.

Beyond that, the old man was watching something.

“The gears have already begun moving.”

Once in motion, they could not be stopped.

The resentment and fury against the alliance, never once forgotten.

Now it was time for repayment.

The issue was.

“Deputy Lord.”

“Yes, Great Lord.”

“We will need to hide for a while.”

“I will inform the personnel.”

Due to the news of the formation being解除, there was a need for different actions.

‘Making it解除 means…’

There could be potential issues arising in Hanam, where things had gradually begun to spread.

It wasn’t a major concern.

But caution was still warranted.

Of course…

‘No matter what happens, it’s all the same now.’

Time just got a little delayed.

With that thought, the old man slowly closed his eyes.

‘Truly… not much time is left now.’

How long he had yearned for this.

The old man had to make an effort to calm his racing heart.

Now, all that remained was to watch the crumbling alliance.

No one could stop it now.

Not unless a significant upheaval occurred.

 

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