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Chapter 593: The Red Feather

A well-known figure for quite some time in the North Sea, particularly within the Ice Palace.

[No one in the Central Plains doesn’t know that guy.]

With a relaxed expression, my “friend” explained things to me, looking rather pleased.

Even after several years, he still appeared bright and refreshing.

[Anyway, he’s an incredible friend, isn’t he?]

Perhaps it was the passage of time.

Gone was the self-satisfied friend lost in his own world; now he was eager to boast about a new acquaintance.

[That guy is bound to make it big. So, everyone in the Central Plains definitely knows him.]

[The Red Feather, huh?]

[Yep. The Red… snicker… Feather.]

His breathing became a bit disruptive mid-sentence, but I didn’t bother to care.

My friend has always been a bit eccentric.

Still, if such a bizarre character garnered that much praise—

I felt an inkling of interest bloom within me.

So, I decided to ask.

[White Fox.]

Upon hearing me, the figure stationed behind us, ‘Hoi,’ turned her head.

Tall for a woman with a slender build, yet her voluptuous silhouette stood out.

She was the one commonly known as the White Fox.

Always wearing a white fox mask, no one knew the face behind it.

I recall my friend saying she wore it to cover up a gruesome scar from a childhood burn.

Knowing that, I never pressed her to remove her mask.

[Do you know about the Red Feather too?]

[…]

Upon my inquiry, the White Fox nodded.

Her speech was remarkably sparse.

While I tended to be reserved, she spoke even less than I did.

It was more comfortable this way.

She didn’t flirt unnecessarily nor did she show any signs of distress.

Moreover, was it true that she was an immensely powerful martial artist from the Central Plains?

I found myself admiring the White Fox.

Although I felt somewhat dismayed by her imminent departure back to her hometown.

[If you know about him, he must be really famous then.]

[Even if she didn’t know the Red Feather, she would probably know him well.]

[Huh?]

I tilted my head at my friend’s remark.

I was curious about what he meant.

[Well, it’s not surprising considering their… ]

Clack.

At that moment, just as my friend was about to speak.

A sound echoed from the White Fox’s waist.

She had quietly grasped the hilt of her sword.

Upon witnessing this, my friend flinched slightly.

[… We’re… friends.]

[Ah.]

I failed to catch on to that.

[Friends, huh.]

So, the White Fox was also a notable figure in the Central Plains.

How could it be otherwise?

There’s no way such an exceptional person wouldn’t be well-known.

I nodded and asked my friend.

[Are you famous too?]

[Me…?]

My friend pondered for a moment about my inquiry.

[… A little?]

[Hmm, I see.]

That must have been true.

I believed my friend’s words. At the very least, I thought he wasn’t one to lie.

Which left me wondering.

Was the Red Feather really such an impressive person?

Just how impressive? Curiosity bubbled within me.

[What kind of person is he?]

I posed the question to the White Fox.

Since they were purportedly friends, I thought she might have some insights.

After a brief moment of silence, the White Fox finally spoke.

[A puppy.]

[… Huh?]

The unexpected response took me off guard.

[A cute little puppy.]

For some reason, her tone was firm.

Her impression was surprisingly refreshing compared to what my friend had described.

Did this mean he was pure-hearted and gentle despite his strength?

As I tried to conceptualize that, my friend nearby turned away, struggling to suppress his laughter.

I could see his shoulders shuddering, making it clear it was hard for him to hold it back.

Knowing he had a tendency to be eccentric, I did my best to disregard it.

[A puppy, huh… ]

[Cute.]

All I could think about were the White Fox’s words.

An extraordinary being who mastered flames.

A nobleman who won’t overlook the weak and injured.

A hero determined to save the world.

And simultaneously—

A remarkable genius etched in history.

But also, a man with an endearing puppy-like charm.

[How intriguing.]

I chuckled softly.

Stories of the Central Plains have always been captivating.

Thus, I wasn’t prepared for what came next.

Days later.

A bloody storm would sweep through the North Sea.

And I would find myself traveling to the Central Plains in search of the so-called cute puppy.

Sitting at the now quiet table, I murmured to myself.

“… A cute puppy, you say.”

My tone dripped with grievance.

How could I not feel wronged?

“There wasn’t even a cute puppy, much less a deadly snake.”

Where on earth was the puppy?

To my eyes, he looked more like a vicious beast, or worse, a malevolent spirit.

In all my life, I had never encountered such a violent person.

And what of his tone and gaze?

He looked as though he could overturn everything in an instant if things went awry.

A self-centered being.

A reckless fool.

A word I had never thought of in my life popped into my mind.

Though I had encountered him in the North Sea, I would have deemed him worthy of execution.

“Of all things…”

Yet of all times.

Now, I needed him.

Thud.

I struck the table with my slender hand.

“Princess.”

At my actions, the figure before me, Woo Beom, cautiously spoke.

“I’m sorry…”

His first words were an apology.

At Woo Beom’s apology, I shifted my gaze toward him.

“I couldn’t achieve what I was supposed to.”

Unlike the disarray he had caused earlier, Woo Beom’s demeanor was serious now.

Watching him, I said.

“Don’t apologize. It’s all my fault.”

“How could…!”

“I failed to understand the situation properly.”

Everything had gone awry.

All my attempts to appear foolish accomplished nothing.

“…I ruined even the situation you had painstakingly set up.”

While heading to the Upper House, we had managed to escape due to the abilities of the treasure and the arrangements made by Woo Beom and Woo Seok.

Later circumstances were ultimately due to Woo Beom’s sacrifice.

Woo Beom had intentionally acted the part of a foolish noblewoman filled with vanity and arrogance to draw the gazes of the people.

There were several reasons for this.

One was to create the impression that a foolish young princess accompanied such guardians.

Secondly, to divert attention from the injured person, Woo Seok.

This was all an effort to steer negotiations in my favor.

“…Nothing turned out right at all.”

“Princess…”

“I truly had not anticipated this.”

The Red Feather was not the cute puppy I had imagined.

“Much smarter than I anticipated, and quite relentless as well.”

This too was my mistake.

I had made several errors in my actions, and he had noticed them all.

This meant one thing.

‘He’s arrogant but not inept.’

He knows he’s strong and talented, maintaining an air of arrogance.

Yet he possesses the strength to back it up.

This was troubling.

In my mind, he was becoming someone I found difficult and standoffish.

‘Those of royal lineage.’

Most individuals with that kind of presence were like that.

It was predetermined that they would sit above someone else.

The chosen ones meant to become the head of dragons.

He was precisely the kind of person I feared the most.

Just like—

‘… the Demon Lord.’

The Red Feather I met was someone akin to my father.

His gaze as he looked down at me.

The atmosphere he exuded.

Even the confidence that no one could stop him.

I couldn’t forget the impression of that young man I had encountered.

[Young Princess.]

Before heading to the Central Plains.

My father’s words came to mind.

He had warned me not to get involved with the Martial Alliance.

He had also uttered another statement afterward.

[If by any chance you meet someone who controls fire from the west in the Central Plains.]

[Do whatever it takes to stay far away from him.]

Hearing those words, I should have been shocked.

He was a man who always urged me to fight back against any adversities.

That he would say to run was frankly astonishing.

[He must have entered his middle age. A man who wields flames. Remember that.]

His tone was far graver than when he spoke of the Martial Alliance.

Hearing that, I couldn’t help but ask.

[Who is he that merits such words from you?]

How could the ruler of the North Sea speak like that about another?

When I voiced my curiosity, he stated.

[He is.]

The Ice Palace Lord addressed me directly.

[The supreme being in the Central Plains.]

His tone was incredibly firm. It was as if he would not allow any rebuttal.

Perhaps that was why.

For some reason, memories of that time resurfaced in my mind.

I had also heard that the Red Feather wielded fire.

From the west.

I couldn’t help but wonder which side he hailed from. A fleeting thought passed through my mind.

‘Since he has entered his middle age, it surely can’t be him.’

In terms of age, it definitely wouldn’t match up.

My father had gone to the Central Plains with my grandfather long before then.

Perhaps it was before the Red Feather was even born.

The figure my father warned me against was not that young man.

‘This isn’t the time to be worrying about such things.’

I repeated the motions of splashing cold water on my face, feeling fatigued.

As I thought, this truly wasn’t the time to be concerned with this.

“Ha…”

At the moment all my plans had crumbled.

Tangled up in confusion, the Red Feather spoke up.

[It seems the situation has changed a bit. We should discuss the details tomorrow, don’t you think?]

His voice carried laughter.

And I couldn’t help but feel it bore mockery.

He must have realized something.

[If we’re going to have a ‘negotiation’, it seems I need to prepare something to talk about.]

He was clearly indicating that the scenario had shifted completely.

Initially, I had come seeking his help.

Now it was no longer a request for aid but a desperate plea.

It was a shift in positions.

From requester and requestee.

To creditor and debtor.

Naturally, he would be the creditor, and I would be the debtor.

“Ha…”

This wasn’t good.

If it proceeded like this, it would become a difficult conversation. Especially since he seemed to be aware.

‘… That the North Sea is in turmoil right now.’

How had he figured that out from just that brief encounter, I wondered.

Yet, the realization was already exposed.

The North Sea was in chaos.

With treachery and rebellion twisting through, the cold winds melded with a bloodbath.

‘The reason for this is all because…’

My father, who had steadfastly held his position.

The abnormal circumstances surrounding the Ice Palace Lord’s body had become a problem.

Although he was doing everything to hide and prevent it, the time was running out.

To change the position now required the curse that the Red Feather possessed, the ability to break it.

That had to be a falsehood.

It shouldn’t have happened.

It simply couldn’t happen.

Amidst the mounting complexity, I gradually felt exhausted.

“… It seems I need to give it some thought.”

Despite the brief conversation, I confirmed one thing as I gazed at the Red Feather.

He was not—

“A person who acts out of righteousness and cooperation.”

Distant from what my friend described as a hero.

He was far too rational and cold.

If it didn’t benefit him, he wouldn’t budge.

Conversely.

‘If it becomes a hindrance, he would be brutal.’

Just the words and actions alone couldn’t convey the understanding I gleaned from his eyes.

He was definitely not a benevolent figure.

‘He isn’t someone who moves out of compassion or circumstances.’

To persuade him would require terms grounded in logic and appeal to his interests.

Otherwise, my words would mean nothing.

I stared out the window.

The daylight had passed, and dusk had fallen.

He suggested we talk in detail tomorrow at noon.

That signified the time I had to figure things out was limited.

Thus, I decided to acknowledge the reality.

I needed to clearly understand my position and grasp the topic at hand.

Only then could I make a more accurate judgment.

‘The night is short.’

Before noon arrives, I must determine in this fleeting night.

How on earth I could secure his cooperation.

 

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