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Chapter 598: North Sea

A day had passed, and it was just about dawn.

Yuri was stepping out of her residence.

This was because she had received a message from the Red Feather.

He told her to come to his place immediately.

‘No way.’

Her pace quickened.

She had thought she would take a day to think it over, but had he already made up his mind?

‘I was trying to find a way to persuade him.’

Amidst her thoughts of potential rejection, the news came through.

Yuri needed to calm her restless breath.

She mustn’t show impatience.

Although she felt as if she had already been discovered, this was something she had to guard.

How long had she been walking?

Perhaps it was the hurried steps, but she had already arrived at his residence.

As soon as she entered, she noticed a crowd gathered in the yard.

Yuri approached them.

“Here you are.”

The young man, noticing Yuri’s approach, directed his gaze to her—Red Feather.

“I thought you would be late, but you came quickly.”

“How could I dare to be late?”

“No need for flattering words. They won’t change anything.”

He spoke in that disrespectful tone.

She wanted to smack him upside the head, but the situation didn’t allow for that.

‘Hmm?’

As she forced herself to maintain her composure while looking at him, she sensed something odd.

‘He looks unusually fatigued.’

The state of the Red Feather showed just that.

His eyes looked particularly weary.

Had something happened in the middle of the night?

Questions arose, but she refrained from asking.

What mattered wasn’t the reason behind it.

As Yuri observed him with a peculiar gaze, Red Feather began to speak.

“What did I say yesterday?”

“Excuse me?”

“I asked what I needed to do upon going to the North Sea.”

“…Ah…!”

Upon hearing the question, Yuri’s eyes widened.

“Be precise. Make it easy to understand.”

“…I will go to the North Sea to lift the curse placed on the Gungju.”

“Is that all?”

“…Yes.”

Red Feather stroked his chin thoughtfully for a moment.

Not long after, he spoke to Yuri again.

“If there’s any sign of danger at all, cancel the request and return immediately.”

His stern words sealed Yuri’s lips tight.

“Furthermore, if I meet the Gungju and it seems impossible to heal, I will also return immediately.”

“…”

“My orders are absolute, and until the mission ends, I am responsible for my team. Will you accept this?”

If something happens, he will just leave.

Even if he meets the Gungju, he’s saying that if healing is impossible, he’ll leave.

He’s in charge until the request is over, and she must follow his orders without question.

To put it simply, that’s what he was saying.

At a glance, it didn’t sound like a proper request.

Especially the phrase about absolute obedience was a dangerous one.

But.

“…I will accept.”

Yuri had no other choice.

For her, what mattered was that he had agreed to take on the request.

“Also, you must fulfill the conditions I put forth to the Upper House.”

“…I accept that as well.”

Refusing was never an option from the start.

Now that Yuri had chosen the Central Plains, it was only natural.

“Hmm.”

Hearing Yuri’s answer, Red Feather nodded briefly.

“Good. Then I accept the request.”

“…!”

At long last, Yuri heard the response she had so desperately wanted.

She tried to break into a bright smile, but then he added.

“The job will be completed within two months. I don’t have the luxury of time.”

“Thank you…wait, what?”

Yuri faltered momentarily at his words.

“Did you just say…?”

“For what?”

“How long do you expect to take for the request?”

“Two months.”

Red Feather replied flatly to Yuri’s question.

Yuri let out a short sigh upon hearing this.

“I thought I misheard…are you saying two months just for the journey? That might be a bit tight….”

“What are you talking about?”

Red Feather scowled at her words.

“I said I would finish everything within two months. Why would it take two months just for the journey? Are you crazy?”

“N-no…!”

As Red Feather spoke with irritation, Yuri’s expression contorted in frustration.

“Why don’t you just admit it? If you don’t want to go, just say so.”

It would surely take at least two months just to travel to the North Sea.

Given the current situation, they couldn’t just come and go freely between the Central Plains and the North Sea; they needed to take a secret route.

That path would definitely take longer than simply traveling.

It was already expected to take several months to go, and with this, it was obvious more time would be consumed.

So he was going to somehow finish everything in two months and come back?

That was utterly nonsensical.

For Yuri, it felt like he was mocking her.

“No matter what, treating a person like this….”

“I’m sorry.”

Before Yuri could finish her protest, Red Feather cut her off.

“I don’t have the time to waste on spending months there.”

She could understand why she was angry.

Given the circumstances, it made sense.

“But if I say it’s happening, then it’s happening. Quit mumbling.”

Now wasn’t the time to explain.

It would take ages to do that.

And even if it did, it was clear she wouldn’t understand.

So, he concluded, it was better to just show her.

Following that, Red Feather raised one hand quietly and commanded.

“Come down.”

“What do you mean—!”

Before Yuri could finish, something fell before her.

Swoooosh—!!

Boom—!!!

Something crashed to the ground, shaking it violently, causing a force of wind to burst forth.

“Princess!”

In the face of this sudden turn of events, Woo Beom and Woo Seok shielded Yuri, on high alert to enter a defensive stance.

Whooosh-!

A gust of wind blew, clearing away the smoke.

Dense dust soared into the void.

In an instant, the surroundings became clear, revealing a scene that left Yuri gasping in astonishment.

The ground was deeply cratered from the impact.

Something was writhing atop the now-quite-chaotic floor.

Growl….

Something massive, with blue scales.

A monstrous being, with an ugly twisted face and glowing blue eyes, was standing there.

Yes, it was a monster.

The fiendish creature she had seen for the very first time.

It was an overwhelming existence, far beyond the Demon Beasts she had encountered before.

“What is that…?”

Yuri gasped as she gripped her trembling shoulders, her wide eyes fixated on the creature.

“Ah, shit.”

From somewhere, a curse rang out—it was Red Feather.

He looked around urgently.

Bam—!

Growl—!!

Without delay, he swung his hand, striking the monster’s head hard.

The surprised creature’s head snapped back, letting out a cry of agony.

“Didn’t I tell you to come down quietly? Now it’s all a mess again.”

Growl…growl…

“What do you mean you did well? You’re the one who will clean this up! Are you going to take care of it?”

Growl….

“Your excuses are pointless; look at how tiny your hands are compared to your body! What are you going to do about it?”

Bam—! Crash—!

He repeatedly tapped the monster on the head, looking exasperated.

As she looked at the creature that was now weakly whining under the onslaught, Yuri found herself at a loss for words.

With a heavy sigh, she watched the nonsensical outburst of Tolly.

“Do you think I want to look cool doing this?”

He had definitively told it to come down quietly.

But it looked like he secretly enjoyed the attention.

‘No wonder I lost more bets than usual earlier.’

It appeared he had also grown bigger.

Who did he take after to be this disobedient?

“Did I train you like this? Huh?”

Growl….

“Is that right? This brat….”

Was he in a rebellious phase or something? This wasn’t the time to hold back—she thought of hitting him again, but—

“…Actually, um….”

A stammering voice came from behind.

Yuri was staring wide-eyed, her gaze fixed on the bizarre sight.

“W-what is…that?”

Finally snapping back to reality, she pointed at Tolly.

What is that?

In response, he answered.

“A ride.”

“Excuse me?”

“I said it’s a ride.”

Faster than a carriage by far.

It was a creature that would swiftly take her without the need for obstacles to the North Sea.

That’s what this was.

‘There’s no other choice.’

To handle everything within two months, she’d need a fast means of transportation.

Fortunately, she had just the thing.

Thanks to that, she now needed to retrieve Cheol Jiseon from the Hohbuk area.

‘Didn’t he say Jiseon was tied up in Hohbuk?’

A regrettable but necessary sacrifice.

That brat would manage on his own.

Right now, Yuri was in a hurry.

‘If it’s this guy.’

She didn’t know how far it was to the North Sea, but riding this thing wouldn’t take all that long.

Though he eats like a pig and doesn’t listen to a word,

He’s certainly valuable as a ride!

The problem was.

“…You want me to ride this?”

The reactions around her weren’t exactly what she expected upon hearing she’d be riding it.

Of course, Yuri reacted this way as well.

So did Tang Soyeol and Moyong Hi-ah, looking equally stunned.

They had never seen this guy before.

For the record, Lady Mi hadn’t come.

She had been told not to come the previous night.

‘Honestly, I was exhausted running around all over…’

Dealing with everything throughout the night had her body trembling with fatigue.

While Pildu Ma did agree to consider her words, the results felt uneasy.

‘Why did the Master of the Martial World’s name come up all of a sudden?’

While the situation wasn’t entirely clear, the moment she affirmed it, Pildu Ma accepted it and prepared to act.

There had been no restrictions placed on him.

He had judged that placing restrictions wasn’t fitting given the circumstances.

Still, she couldn’t let it just go, so she asked Nahi to oversee matters related to Pildu Ma.

In case anything unusual occurred with that guy.

‘Make sure to kill him.’

That was the command she had set.

If he was unusable, he had to go. That had to be arranged right now.

What remained was simply.

‘To go to the North Sea and check on Nangong Bi-ah’s condition.’

From the start, the Ice Palace Lord and everything else was irrelevant.

Her goal was solely that.

Going to the North Sea was merely a pretext.

The Ice Palace Lord and their future were of no concern to her.

What might happen, she truly didn’t care.

As she was organizing her thoughts and plans, she heard.

“Prince…what is this…?”

Moyong Hi-ah approached me with her expression mirroring Yuri’s.

So, I briefly explained.

“He’s a creature I picked up and raised.”

“You picked it up…?”

Moyong Hi-ah’s expression turned peculiar upon hearing the answer.

“Isn’t it clearly a Demon Beast…?”

“Correct.”

“You raised a Demon Beast you found?”

She looked utterly baffled, unable to comprehend.

Training a Demon Beast was the most difficult challenge, something never once accomplished in many years.

So, it was no wonder she found it shocking.

“Anything can be made to obey if you can smack them enough.”

I smiled as I said that.

Right now, there was no time for extensive explanations.

I chose to skim over it.

The reason I had called Moyong Hi-ah aside, when I wasn’t going to explain much, was:

‘I intended to show it to her sooner rather than later.’

Prepare yourself mentally.

That was the significance of my actions, and thankfully, Moyong Hi-ah seemed to understand.

“Sigh…”

Her deep breath gave clear evidence that she realized the situation.

Just then.

“Wait a moment…you mean ride it?”

Yuri inquired with a quivering voice.

“You mean…you’re going to ride this monster?”

“Monster? Watch your words. Tolly will get hurt.”

“Tolly…?”

At the name, Yuri hesitated.

Her ears were turning slightly red…what’s up with that?

“Anyway…are you saying we’re going to go to the North Sea on that thing?”

“Yup.”

“That’s nonsense. How can we possibly ride that…?”

“As I mentioned before.”

I cut her off as she rambled on.

This conversation was becoming tedious.

It was really a waste of time to be having this debate in the first place.

“If you don’t want to go, then hit the road.”

“…!”

“If you aren’t going to listen to me, just leave.”

That was a statement I had made from the start.

If she challenged my words, the mission would be canceled.

I had no time to spend on this conversation.

As I spoke firmly, Yuri bit her lips.

“…I’m sorry. I seem to have lost my focus for a moment.”

Yuri’s choice came quickly.

She was well aware that she had no other way out.

With slow, deliberate steps, she walked over.

“Can I jump on right now?”

Her acceptance of that choice was swift.

Considering her earlier attitude, it was admirable.

As she coiled closer to Tolly to climb on—

“Princess! It’s dangerous…!”

As her guards hurried over to her, I instantly released my air pressure.

Woosh-!!

“Gah…!”

“Gah…!!”

As the guards were brutally forced down by the pressure, I addressed them.

“You guys are done here.”

“W-what do you mean…?”

“It’s too many people.”

Sure, weight was a problem, but I had no intention of taking extra baggage.

“That’s absurd…! Are you saying only the Princess should go right now!?”

“Exactly, that’s the idea.”

“There’s no way we can accept that…!”

“Sigh….”

That’s understandable.

But.

“If you can’t accept it, what will you do?”

“…!!”

“Don’t annoy me. Should I just kill you to prevent you from boarding?”

This wasn’t a warning.

If they tried to hold on one more time, I would genuinely kill them.

As I let my fingers loose and spoke, Yuri communicated a message to her guards from behind.

“…Woo Beom, Woo Seok. I’m fine.”

“B-but, Your Highness…!”

“I’ve heard the conditions of the request. I accepted them. What he’s saying aligns with my wishes.”

“…”

Upon hearing Yuri’s resolute statement, the guards fell silent.

“I’m sorry to leave you both behind in a foreign land.”

“Do not worry about us…”

“Enough with the sentimentality! Just hurry up and get on.”

Before I let things lag, I gave Yuri a gentle push.

“Kyah-!”

Yuri screamed as she soared into the air.

Fortunately, she landed nicely on Tolly’s back without falling.

“Only she, you, and myself are going.”

I pointed at Yuri, Tang Soyeol, and Seongyul in order.

That was the most minimal crew possible.

Seongyul was essential for various checks. His ability was quite acceptable.

As for Tang Soyeol, while it didn’t used to be the case, he was now on the same level.

The Northern Sea guards displayed their displeasure in their expressions at this arrangement.

‘They’re just extra weight.’

One of them had reached the Transformation Realm, yet he was injured.

The other didn’t need to be dragged along at all.

So just four were enough.

That’s how I planned it when I thought I was done gathering.

“Then what am I supposed to do?”

Moyong Hi-ah asked me.

“Hmm?”

“What I was called here for was just to show that giant snake?”

She seemed pretty displeased that I had called her early only to not take her along.

“…Hmm.”

True?

I had called her to show it beforehand, but did I have to leave her behind if I wasn’t taking her?

‘I guess that’s a slight oversight.’

I may have made a mistake here.

“Yeah, what was I thinking?”

“…Are you kidding me!?”

“Just wanted to show you for a bit?”

“…”

Moyong Hi-ah was about to get angry but forced her lips shut at my remark.

“It’s been a while since we met, and I thought it wouldn’t be long before we’d part again. I’m sorry.”

An awkward laugh escaped me.

This was indeed my mistake. Calling her just because I wanted to see her was ridiculous.

Seeing her expression as she let out a sigh, I cautiously asked.

“Want me to smack you?”

At the suggestion of letting off steam, Moyong Hi-ah’s eyes turned sharp.

“Do you think you’re the Prince? I’ll pummel you if I get annoyed!”

“…When have I ever decided to beat anyone up…?”

“Seriously, you must be mad. How did I even end up entangled with a person like you…?”

“Wait….”

Just as she was about to unleash a long-winded complaint, she threw something my way.

I caught it, noticing it was some kind of orb.

A small red orb.

“It’s from Lady Mi.”

“Lady Mi?”

“Yeah.”

Lady Mi sent this?

What’s this?

As I examined it closely, Moyong Hi-ah continued explaining.

“She said to use it in case of danger.”

“…Hmm.”

So, it’s a Treasure, huh?

Upon hearing that, I felt a bit uneasy.

‘Plenty of Treasures already float around as it is.’

Adding more to the mix could be a problem.

Though I had my grievances, I kept my mouth shut.

Since I had already received it, and the one who gave it was Lady Mi.

I shoved the orb into my inner pocket.

“And was there anything else she wanted to convey?”

“Hmm.”

When I asked if Lady Mi had given any additional messages, Moyong Hi-ah paused to think.

“Be careful and come back safe. If you get hurt, I’ll be furious.”

“…?”

That didn’t sound like Lady Mi at all.

But….

“What? Does it sound fake?”

“N-no…um…not really.”

Moyong Hi-ah’s fierce glare made me hold back my curiosity.

I decided simply to accept it.

Following that, I scratched the back of my head and climbed onto Tolly’s back.

Once situated, I felt something cling tightly around my waist.

It was Yuri.

“What are you….”

Wondering why she was doing that, I confirmed, and Yuri was gripping me with trembling hands.

Judging by her condition, she seemed far from okay.

I opted to ignore it.

Turning my head back to face front, I said,

“Hold on tightly. If you fall, it’ll be the end.”

“Y-yes? D-death…?”

“Yup.”

“Understood.”

“Alright, let’s go.”

“W-wait…huh?”

Just as I was about to direct Tolly to move, she interjected with something strange.

I felt a tingling sensation as I turned my head back.

That’s when I noticed it.

There should have clearly been three people behind me, but someone else squeezed in at the end.

Behind the expressionless Seongyul was someone riding along.

‘What’s that about?’

As I focused on that area, a head popped out, meeting my gaze.

“Why are we not departing yet?”

“…”

“I’m tired of waiting. Let’s get going already.”

It was Pejon.

 

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