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Chapter 592: The Young Princess of the North Sea Ice Palace

Where should I start?

At first, it was the smile I was trying to maintain that posed the problem.

There was absolutely nothing wrong with a bright, innocent smile. Yet, somehow, that smile felt unsettling.

Why was that? I couldn’t quite grasp the reason.

It was purely instinct.

If someone were to ask if I really believed in something as trivial as that, I would confidently say yes.

Because…

“I’m incredibly unlucky.”

In my life, bad premonitions had never once failed me.

That was why my instincts had reason to be trusted.

Thus, I needed to find out.

Why did the girl named Yuri from the North Sea feel so unsettling? I had to find a reason to solidify my instinct.

[Did you really come to lift the curse?]

The first thing she said related to the curse.

It became clear that her purpose here was to unearth ‘Cold Pulse Syndrome’ or the ‘curse.’

‘Though it might not be true.’

For now, I had to approach it with that thought in mind.

If Yuri’s purpose was indeed this, then several questions arose.

First.

“Why did a bloodline from the Ice Palace come in person?”

They claimed they could cure it.

Yet, for a bloodline from the New Outer Martial World to come see me directly was problematic.

“Perhaps sending someone first to confirm would be less strange.”

To believe in unverified information and come in person from the bloodline?

Would you make such a difficult choice in a relationship between the Central Plains and the North Sea, even if safety was assured?

It seemed unlikely.

Ah, of course, there is one possible reason.

Desperation.

A pressing need for treatment.

In such cases, some degree of understanding could be reached…

The second reason I questioned was related.

“She’s different.”

I didn’t sense that urgency from Yuri.

So let’s think of other reasons.

Did she say she wanted to get a glimpse of the Central Plains?

That she desperately wanted to come?

I chuckled at the thought of Yuri saying that.

‘Right, like that’s the reason.’

Would she take on such risks for something so trivial?

Perhaps if she were a complete airhead, she might do that.

But she was not.

In the beginning, I felt that might be valid, but seeing her now, I was sure.

The young princess of the North Sea was no fool.

She was neither stupid nor innocent.

So let’s summarize.

“Even though she’s from a bloodline, she came to confirm that there are those who can heal in the Central Plains.”

The problem was, she implied that the curse she mentioned could be controlled directly.

“In other words, that means it’s not an urgent situation.”

It wasn’t that urgent to the point of death.

Yet, something significant enough for the bloodline to come in person.

This meant the treatment was undoubtedly urgent.

“But the one requiring treatment isn’t herself.”

This indicated that someone important to the bloodline needed healing.

“So…”

As the atmosphere intensified,

Yuri looked at me and said,

“Is that really the only reason you mentioned Lord Gungju?”

Her piercing gaze was quite intense.

Her tone had shifted dramatically.

No, it wasn’t a shift…

“Is that your real tone?”

She must have pulled out her true self.

“…”

Upon hearing my question, Yuri knitted her brows.

Seeing that, I smiled.

“Now that the mask is off, it looks pleasant.”

“…You.”

“I’d felt uneasy for a while. But now I’m feeling better.”

Perhaps it was a bit of kin hatred.

There certainly was a hint of that feeling.

As I continued speaking, Yuri’s gaze became sharper.

“I’m still… waiting for an answer.”

“You’re seriously asking now? I can back off too.”

“Why did you mention Lord Gungju?”

There seemed to be a flimsy reason to bring him up.

That was how it appeared to Yuri.

And I thought the same.

With those two reasons alone, it was too limited to gauge the condition of the Ice Palace Lord.

True.

“If those were the only two reasons, I might not have been so convinced.”

I shifted my gaze.

Behind Yuri, Woo Beom was glaring at me. I pointed toward the person next to him.

Suddenly being pointed at, the individual flinched.

“That person is the third reason.”

“What?”

Yuri expressed confusion at the unexpected identification.

Yuri had two guards.

Due to Woo Beom causing a ruckus, I had missed spotting another person.

The one next to Woo Beom was not only smaller but appeared more frail.

That guy must be the third reason.

“How odd, why would I look for a reason from a guard—”

“Stealth, escape. I don’t know about assassination, but he’s a martial artist specializing in that, right?”

As I mentioned this, the man reacted particularly strongly.

His physique gave it away.

A martial artist’s body often undergoes changes based on their cultivation from an early age.

Sword masters have relatively balanced and light builds.

Assassins tend to be small and lean, and because martial artists focusing on external powers are generally larger, there are exceptions like me who aren’t as big due to inherent issues.

‘That’s a special case, so let’s skip that.’

Even I retained some characteristics of martial artists.

Ah, perhaps not right now, since I had just shed my shell.

Anyway.

The physique’s characteristics and the faint presence I sensed were evidence of that.

He was a martial artist specialized in stealth.

As I decoded this information, I noted,

“Ha.”

Yuri let out a short scoff.

It almost sounded like a sneer.

“What’s the problem with that?”

True.

There wasn’t a major issue.

What did it matter if a guard was from the martial arts category?

As long as he fulfilled his role as a guard, it was sufficient.

Moreover.

‘Coming to the New Outer Martial World implies that something could happen.’

It was safer to assume he was sent to protect the bloodline.

In case an emergency arose, he would ensure a safe escape.

However.

“Why did he suffer an internal injury?”

“…!”

At my blunt question, Yuri’s eyes widened.

Her expression turned alarmed.

Indeed, he was in a state of internal injury.

It seemed he was significantly harmed, his breathing slightly erratic.

Typically, those who engage in stealth training are often subjected to torture and are trained under such conditions.

This means they have a higher tolerance for pain than average folks.

If someone’s struggling this much, it likely means they are badly injured.

Yuri’s flustered expression prompted me to continue.

“An internal injury? Those can be healed.”

It’s not unusual for a guard to get injured protecting a target.

It wasn’t a bizarre situation whatsoever.

In fact, one could say he was fulfilling his role as a guard well.

“But if that was the case, he shouldn’t have come here.”

That was the core of the issue now.

I shifted my gaze to Moyong Hi-ah.

“Was there a battle on the way here?”

“…I don’t recall anything.”

“Then that means there wasn’t.”

I wasn’t sure how far Moyong Hi-ah had gone to meet Yuri. However, if there had been no battle since she met her, it must have occurred long before that.

If a battle had occurred in the Central Plains.

“They would have turned back.”

It was only right to head straight for the North Sea.

There could be others hunting for her in unfamiliar territories in the Central Plains.

Unless they were just ordinary punks, perhaps.

I narrowed my eyes at the man.

‘That guard… he’s on the level of a Transformation Realm martial artist.’

The guy who had suffered an internal injury was significantly stronger than Woo Beom.

He was far too powerful to be merely a guard.

Well, as a bloodline of a ruler, it made sense to have strong martial artists attached.

I could set that aside for now.

‘Something could have happened that injured him. And it likely happened in the Central Plains?”

If they realized this, they wouldn’t have come to the North Sea. But they didn’t.

This implies that ‘he was injured somewhere else.’

The chances were high.

Then where was it?

If not here, the answer was pretty obvious.

“They’re saying he got injured traveling from the North Sea….”

It’s not like they intentionally chose a wounded man as their guard.

This indicated some significant incident must have occurred in the North Sea.

“To come here despite that means.”

“…”

“It implies they were in urgent need of treatment or.”

I tilted my head and looked at Yuri.

“They needed a place to hide.”

“…”

Could it be that they were forced to flee to the Central Plains?

A click.

At my words, Yuri clenched her fist.

I didn’t miss that moment.

“Even while something significant happened on the way from the North Sea to here, you didn’t cancel your plans, right?”

“That….”

“That implies something of considerable magnitude happened to the Lord of the Ice Palace. Initially, I thought perhaps you had fallen out of favor with your father?”

That had been one of my assumptions.

It was more of a possibility that seemed greater.

“Or perhaps since there are many siblings, they might be competing against each other and killing one another over resources.”

Given how many great houses have disputes over clan leadership, it wasn’t too far-fetched.

“Alternatively, some other force might be targeting you.”

Not just another bloodline, but possibly an external force as well.

But what’s crucial now is.

“In such circumstances, you came to the Central Plains.”

Ultimately, this was the key point.

“And furthermore, you came here seeking the method to treat the curse.”

In such a situation, to specifically request a treatment for the curse on someone else made sense.

So, what situation would put this woman in jeopardy?

There were two possible answers.

One.

“The Lord of the Ice Palace wants to kill you.”

The second.

“Conversely, it could mean the Lord of the Ice Palace cannot protect you.”

“…”

I was contemplating this when Yuri asked me for treatment.

The only choice I had was to confirm.

“…So you brought up the Lord Gungju, right?”

I directly referenced the Lord of the Ice Palace to gauge her reaction.

By saying that, I could confirm.

“In premise, I was half convinced, so it was merely for verification.”

Something was wrong with the Lord of the Ice Palace’s condition.

Probably something related to the curse Yuri mentioned.

And perhaps in that window, some force had intervened.

Thus, Yuri sought refuge and additionally.

“You heard I treated Cold Pulse Syndrome and came to the Central Plains. Am I wrong?”

That was the realization I had reached.

I summarized and explained it; Yuri stared at me in silence for a moment.

After a short while, she opened her mouth again.

“…It makes some sense, but I could’ve responded insincerely, you know?”

Her response to hearing about the Lord of the Ice Palace could be a ruse.

Listening to Yuri, I pointed at her finger.

“What do you mean?”

She glanced at my fingertip, which had been indicating the ring she was wearing.

“That ring.”

Looking at it, I commented.

“That doesn’t seem like a common item at all.”

The coldness permeating the room seemed to emanate from that treasure.

Moreover.

‘That treasure was obscuring the man’s internal injuries.’

The inexplicable chill blurred my detection of his injuries.

The reason it took me so long to gauge the man’s condition was because of that.

The item she had used to flee prior must have been that ring.

“You received that item before coming here. Most likely, it was the Lord of the Ice Palace who provided it.”

“How can you be so certain?”

“It’s just a hunch.”

“What?”

Honestly, it was just a gut feeling.

It just felt that way.

‘Though such an item might be commonplace in the North Sea.’

It felt unlikely.

Unless it was something he had prior ownership over.

‘Just a feeling, indeed.’

I thought only the Lord of the Ice Palace would be in a position to hand over such a treasure.

I had no idea what powers that treasure held.

“…”

Upon hearing my last words, Yuri stared at me with an incredulous expression.

After meticulously explaining everything, I concluded with a mere gut feeling, which left her at a loss for words.

But what could I do?

It was genuinely just a hunch.

For a while, silence loomed between us.

No one broke the quiet.

I found myself just gazing at Yuri.

Time passed in that brief moment.

“Haah…”

A sigh layered with exhaustion escaped Yuri’s lips.

“The words of the White Fox have strayed far off the mark.”

With a weary gesture, she brushed her forehead.

“They said I looked like a cute puppy. But I’m nothing but a venomous serpent.”

“…?”

At that remark, I couldn’t help but frown.

A puppy…?

 

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