---

Chapter 599: North Sea (Revised)

“Why aren’t you going?”

The question, asked with a bright naivety, hangs in the air, met only with silence.

Am I just caught off guard by the sudden situation? I found myself at a loss for words.

‘What the heck?’

Why is that guy here?

I had intentionally kept quiet to avoid detection.

How did he just suddenly pop up here?

Thoughts race through my mind.

Especially now, at a moment I least wanted to encounter him.

‘I just sold that old man out…’

Memories of the ‘business’ I had with Pildu Ma flooded back, making it hard to look directly at Pejon.

If he finds out that I used his name for something unsavory…

‘It won’t just end with a folded piece of paper.’

As a disciple or whatever, he could easily rip off my limbs and scatter them in different rivers.

If it were that guy, he would do it without a second thought.

While I was sweating coldly thinking of this, Pejon, seeing me in silence, spoke up.

“What’s wrong? You look like a thief caught in the act.”

“…What do you mean? When did I steal anything?”

He was annoyingly perceptive.

“So that’s why it’s strange—”

“When did you two start calling each other brothers?”

“Indeed. Haha.”

Pejon hurriedly changed the topic at Moyong Hi-ah’s interjection.

“Hahaha! Must be because it’s morning; my tongue is a bit loose.”

“…”

I thought it was kind of pathetic to see him backtrack like this.

Of course, I couldn’t say that out loud.

“Uh, Bi Prince.”

-Elder.

“Yes.”

-What is it, kid?

“Are you going together?”

-Why would that old man follow us? He should stay quietly at home.

“It looks fun! I’ll be helpful, so take me with you.”

-Shut up and take me with you.

-If you don’t want to die.

“…”

“Haha.”

The underlying tension was palpable in the short exchange.

Especially the last remark felt exceptionally chilling.

I could feel Pejon’s determination to not let me go.

I’d like nothing more than to just ditch him.

‘He’s not someone who can be easily discarded.’

It would take the whole group just to push him away.

And then if I actually managed to shove him out…

‘In the process…’

My gaze drifted towards Tang Soyeol and Moyong Hi-ah.

‘I have no idea what that guy might do to them.’

But still, he’s a mentor, you think I’d have some trust, right?

‘Nope. Not a chance.’

If you were to pick someone who knows Pejon well in the current Central Plains, I’d rank among the top ten.

That guy saw nothing but martial arts.

Especially since I’m nothing more than a launch pad for his fantasies as a disciple.

Too lazy to even leave the Righteous Faction.

That’s exactly the Pejon I knew.

“Huuh…”

I let out a quiet sigh.

As long as Pejon had decided this, there was no escape route.

“Do I really have to stay quiet…?”

-Please don’t cause trouble.

“To think I’d hear such a warning from Gu Gongja… it’s rather refreshing?”

-You shouldn’t be the one to say that.

-You trying to act tough?

‘…’

After wrapping up an utterly fruitless conversation, I clicked my tongue and faced forward.

“…Let’s get going.”

Thinking about going with that man made my head throb already.

What could I do? It’s all my karma.

What a stroke of bad luck that my mentor had to be him.

My life really was a string of bad luck.

I suppressed my irritation and lightly nudged Tolly.

“Hey, try to move as fast as you can—”

“Um, um… over there…”

I frowned at the unexpected words coming from behind.

It was Yuri who had spoken.

“What now?”

“If, if we’re going… how do we get there…?”

She seemed to panic at the thought of going. Her eyes were trembling as if she didn’t know how we would transport.

Seems like she had already expected everything but hoped otherwise.

Seeing her like this, I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Haha, what, are you worried we’ll fly there or something?”

At my joking words, a glimmer of hope appeared in Yuri’s face.

“Right? Flying in the sky? That’s just a nonsense fantasy… That couldn’t be—”

“That’s correct. You’re smarter than I thought.”

Tap—

Before she could finish speaking, I kicked Tolly.

And then—

Fwooosh—!!!

The beast sprang into action, soaring into the sky.

“AAAAAAAHHHHH—!!”

Yuri clung to my back and shrieked at the sudden jolt.

It was quite the racket.

The wind brushed my face.

This speed was still something I couldn’t get used to.

As Tolly finally settled into a straight course, the scenery unfolded before my eyes.

It was still a sight I couldn’t adapt to.

The land of the Central Plains spread out wide beneath the clouds.

The breeze swept past my cheeks, with a chilly sensation that’s hard to associate with summer.

‘Not bad.’

It was one of the rare sensations I enjoyed in this life.

Of course,

“Ugh…!! I’m flying! What is this madness?!”

Behind me, Yuri sounded utterly horrified.

Growl—

Tolly started to pick up speed.

I had told him to climb as high as possible.

At the same time, I erected an energy barrier.

The wind was so fierce that I needed to make sure we wouldn’t fall off.

‘At this speed… how long will it take?’

I couldn’t precisely calculate time since I wasn’t sure about the distance, but rough estimates suggested a month for the round trip.

If we could keep flying, it might be faster, but that wouldn’t be the case.

We had to rest at least once every three days.

So that was the estimate.

In that case,

‘That means I have about a month left to resolve things.’

We needed to return within two months.

That meant getting everything wrapped up in that time frame.

Could I do it?

I wasn’t sure.

But I had to. That was the mindset with which I started this.

Trying to steady my mind while quietly organizing my plans, just then…

“Ugh… I think I’m going to be sick…”

“…”

I closed my eyes at the voice behind me.

Should I knock her out? The impulse crossed my mind again, but I needed to endure it.

It would be more troublesome to take care of someone who lost consciousness here.

‘…We’ll make it, eventually.’

Like always. If I endure, things will work out.

With that thought, time passed.

Fortunately, I arrived at our destination sooner than expected.

On the seventh day of our journey.

We had reached the North Sea.

We crossed mountains and navigated the sea.

Considering everything that had happened, there would be a night’s worth of stories to share, but…

It was still a complicated moment to bring it up.

This journey was not easy at all.

I had expected this, but traveling by carriage felt entirely different.

Though the speed was many times faster, the most troubling factor was the fatigue.

Neither day nor night could we get proper rest, leaving us with sleepless nights.

It wasn’t just someone standing watch; everyone had to stay awake, doubling our fatigue.

While we said we would rest for Tolly every three days, it also served as a much-needed break for us.

Speed was nice, but personally, it was something I wouldn’t want to repeat.

If we’d taken our time, it would have been fine, but rushing like this made it exceptionally taxing.

Even in a physical body that had attained the Transformation Realm, this was still too much.

“…Ugh…”

Yuri, who was at an elite level, looked like a corpse every day.

She tried not to show it, but it was clear as day.

At least she didn’t complain, so that was a relief.

‘She wouldn’t know what to say.’

Here we were, taking on a mission to a troubled Ice Palace in person.

What could Yuri possibly say?

She had to keep her mouth shut and follow docilely.

Had she whined even once throughout the journey…

‘I would have left her behind without hesitation.’

Whether it was the mountains or the sea, I would have tossed her away.

Since she had held it together, I spared her.

‘But at least it’s good that…’

Fwooosh—!

I felt the cold wind brush my cheek and frowned.

It was far too chilly for summer.

The energy felt surprisingly cold.

As I sensed it, I began to slowly lower our altitude.

The clouds brushed against us, gradually revealing our appearance.

On the seventh day since departing the Central Plains, we arrived at the New Outer Martial World, North Sea.

It was an earlier arrival than I had predicted.

“Wow…”

Tang Soyeol exclaimed in awe at the sight before us.

Snow was falling all around.

Snow during midsummer.

What an utterly alien sight.

What was the ground like beneath?

A thick blanket of snow covered everything.

Every mountain visible was… All of them made of ice?

‘Indeed, it is a wonderous spectacle in the eyes of someone from the Central Plains.’

That sentiment was spot on.

With how odd this was, how could it not be wondrous?

The land stretched far into the distance.

In that view from afar, there was not a single spot where snow wasn’t falling.

All around was white.

An inexplicable sensation washed over me.

Sure, it was a beautiful sight, but…

‘Something feels off, and it’s kind of unsettling.’

I felt a bit nauseous.

Perhaps it was from all the flying around that I was experiencing motion sickness.

‘Tch.’

I tried to ignore it and started to survey the area.

Then I turned to Yuri behind me and asked.

“Hey, where do we go from here?”

“Ah…”

My question snapped Yuri back to reality.

While I had initiated the journey, it was Yuri who was guiding the direction.

“There’s supposed to be a safe location.”

“You, you need to go… west from here.”

Growl—

Tolly adjusted his direction as he heard her.

“If you head west, there should be a large iceberg. There will be warriors waiting there…”

Having been on the brink of death for days, Yuri seemed to have regained some vitality now that we had returned to the North Sea.

The stuttering way she spoke had vanished, and her eyes sparkled with energy.

Just five days ago, she had looked like a walking corpse.

‘A large iceberg.’

They said the ice palace’s troops would be there. Hearing this, I asked Yuri.

“So you mean they’ve been waiting here, knowing when we would arrive?”

“They were prepared to last until my return.”

“…That could be a few months, right?”

Would they have known when Yuri would return?

Not to mention, this was a time of war, after all.

“…They’ve made sure the hideout won’t be discovered. We also stocked supplies and equipment to last for half a year.”

“Half a year. That was the limit, huh?”

“…Yes.”

That meant they had endured until the Young Princess returned from her journey to the Central Plains.

This implies…

‘Just how significant was the role of the Young Princess?’

Also…

Even if a rebellion occurred,

‘They had confidence they could last for half a year.’

That seemed to be the right perspective.

I lowered our speed a bit.

This was partly to locate where we needed to go.

As soon as we entered the North Sea, I’d cloaked Tolly in an energy barrier.

It was to reduce our presence.

With a size like his, a hasty movement could easily attract attention.

While we were moving like this…

“Over there.”

Yuri pointed to a specific location.

Sure enough, a large iceberg stood out compared to the surroundings.

Growl.

As soon as I confirmed that, I began to descend.

Fwooosh—!

When Tolly landed on the ground, the gust of wind kicked up a flurry of snow.

This time he landed rather calmly.

After all my nagging, it felt like he was finally listening a bit.

Tap.

As I touched the ground, my feet sunk into the snow.

That meant a significant amount of snow was piled up.

Growl—

Tolly let out a short growl and gradually reduced his size.

He became several dozen times smaller than before.

Seemed like using so much energy had taken its toll on him.

“Stay hidden and rest around here.”

Growl.

At my command, Tolly flew off somewhere and vanished.

He had heard that there were demon beasts in the North Sea, so he would keep himself entertained.

I could just leave him be and call on him when needed.

I gathered my energy to my legs.

And took another step forward.

This time, my feet didn’t sink into the snow; it felt like I was stepping on solid ground.

This was to avoid leaving footprints in the snow.

Not just Pejon and Tang Soyeol, but Seongyul had already figured this out and acted accordingly.

Seeing that, I transmitted some energy to Yuri.

Woo Hyeok—!

“…!”

Yuri’s body suddenly floated.

I had deliberately lifted her with my energy.

Caught off guard, Yuri quickly covered her mouth with her hands.

It seemed she almost screamed.

This was a method I couldn’t pull off at her elite level, so I had to resort to this.

‘I really don’t want to carry her myself.’

Understanding the situation, Yuri held her tongue and refrained from speaking.

Clearly, she had some awareness.

Swiftly, Yuri pointed her finger somewhere. I nodded, acknowledging her gesture.

Was she indicating to go that way?

Slowly, we walked in the direction Yuri indicated.

After walking about five hundred paces, we arrived in front of the massive ice wall we had seen earlier.

Upon arrival, Yuri stretched her right hand forward and pointed with her left hand.

Was she signaling for me to advance? Based on her intent, I nudged her forward.

As Yuri approached the wall, she placed her right hand against it.

Then—

Wooooooom—!!

The ice wall reacted.

A slight vibration and a faint light emanated from it.

Curious about what was happening, I paused to observe.

Then suddenly—

Drudududud—!

The wall began shifting, creating an opening.

A square-shaped space formed.

I recognized it immediately.

‘An entrance.’

What lay before me was unmistakably an entrance.

Without hesitation, I stepped inside.

Tap.

As my foot made contact, a resonance echoed.

I walked slowly through the passage, which wasn’t too lengthy.

It wasn’t long before I stepped outside the corridor.

Emerging from the corridor, I arrived in a certain space.

A wide circular area.

Several boxes were scattered about, and the warmth I felt from the passage deepened.

Though still colder than the Central Plains.

And there…

“Ah!”

“Young Princess…!?”

Two figures that had already been inside stood up abruptly upon spotting us.

Looking at their appearances, I thought,

‘They’re in fur coats.’

Fur coats to ward off the cold.

They appeared to be uniquely fashioned, with metal fused onto the fur.

It was a somewhat cumbersome attire for wielding martial arts.

When I was still assessing them…

“We’re warriors of the palace.”

Yuri conveyed that to me.

Filled with relief in her tone.

Hearing that, I carefully set Yuri down.

“The Princess has arrived…!”

“We’re so glad to see you. Is the Princess unharmed?”

As the warriors cautiously approached, Yuri spoke up.

“I’m fine… luckily, things went as planned. But what about the Demon Lord?”

“The Demon Lord…”

One of the warriors’ expressions darkened.

“…is not doing well.”

“That…!”

Yuri’s face twisted in distress at the warrior’s words.

Her expression turned urgent as she asked the warrior, “Even though the deadline hasn’t passed yet… what happened?”

“That is…!”

“First, instead of explaining, we need to return to the palace immediately.”

“Ah…!”

Forces of sorrow were evident in the warrior’s voice, as Yuri looked at me with words on her lips.

But…

“I’m sorry… it seems the situation is urgent. We must escort you back to the palace immediately…”

I was not listening to that.

I simply nodded towards the men standing there.

At that gesture, Yuri furrowed her brow slightly.

“Over there, the red flag…”

“What should we do about one of them?”

Just as Yuri tried to speak to me, Pejon interrupted.

Upon hearing that, I spoke to Pejon, “Are you stepping in?”

“Mm, my body was stiff, so I’ll lend a hand.”

“Then the left side. It might be easier to interrogate over there.”

“I figured you’d say that.”

“What are you all talking about right now…?”

Yuri questioned, her brow raised.

But in that moment…

Whoosh—!

I launched myself toward the warriors.

“Huh!?”

“What the—!”

The warriors looked alarmed as they reached for their weapons, but it was already too late.

I seized the neck of the warrior on my right.

Crunch…

“Gluck…!”

I twisted like it was nothing.

Thud—!

The warrior’s neck snapped, and he fell to the ground.

Instant death.

I looked to my left.

The other warrior had also been subdued by Pejon. He was holding the unconscious one by the scruff of his neck.

It all happened in the blink of an eye.

Seeing this, Yuri’s eyes widened.

“W-What are you doing right now!? Why are you attacking the warriors…!”

“Warriors, my ass.”

I shot her a look.

“Do these guys still look like your warriors?”

“Yeah?”

Yuri responded as if she couldn’t comprehend. I internally clicked my tongue at her bewildered expression.

She had assured me the hideout wouldn’t be discovered, yet here we were.

My irritation boiled over.

Soon as we reached the North Sea, and this was the situation I had to witness? It made my stomach churn.

Tap tap.

I nudged the corpse at my feet with my toes and spoke to Yuri.

“These guys.”

These guys.

“Are enemies.”

They were not on our side.

 

---