Chapter 584: I’m glad.

The North Sea.

A place where snow falls year-round, and blade-like cold rages.

I heard that while it was always cold, the disaster was caused by the death of the White-grade monster, the Snow Dragon (雪龍).

I’ve never been there in my past life.

After all, it’s a bit of a stretch to call that place part of the Central Plains.

‘The Outer Martial World.’

Yes, the Outer Martial World.

The Central Plains is already a vast land, but this is a world spread out even further beyond it.

A place beyond the reach of the Alliance, which rules the Central Plains under the guise of management, and where they live in mutual vigilance.

Originally, their relationship wasn’t good, but it wasn’t exactly bad either.

About twenty years ago, trouble arose when the Palace Lord of Ice (빙궁주), the ruler of the North Sea, visited the Central Plains.

‘I heard he clashed with the Sword Saint.’

The reason is unknown, but the Palace Lord of Ice fought the Sword Saint, who was the Alliance Leader at the time.

It’s said that the aftermath of the battle devastated a wide area, including the surrounding mountains.

After that.

The Martial Alliance blocked all routes to the North Sea.

‘Thanks to that, I heard the merchant guilds trading with the Ice Palace at the time were all thrown into disarray.’

Honestly, I wouldn’t know, as I have no memories from that time.

There’s only the record saying it happened that way.

Time passed like that, leading to now.

The relationship between the Alliance and the Ice Palace was still not good.

They weren’t classified as hostile forces, nor were they taking an aggressive stance.

However, people from the Central Plains are prohibited from going to the North Sea.

Ah, of course, it’s said you can go with the Alliance’s permission.

Right after the law was announced. No one had ever received permission and left for the North Sea since.

This means the Alliance says one thing but has no intention of granting permission.

‘It’s clearly that kind of situation….’

Suddenly, the young lady (소공녀) of the North Sea Ice Palace, here?

‘What is this?’

I couldn’t easily react to Madam Mi’s words.

It was always like this when something that didn’t happen in my past life occurred.

Yes, naturally, this is something that didn’t happen in my past life.

In the first place, back in my past life, when the Heavenly Demon caused the Blood Calamity.

Even then, the North Sea showed no reaction whatsoever.

‘The bloodline members from there never came to the Central Plains.’

There might be a few if you look through the records, but as far as I know, there’s only one person.

Moyong Hi-ah’s mother.

I heard she was a bloodline member of the Palace Lord of Ice, but that was before the Palace Lord of Ice caused the incident.

But now, a young lady?

And not the Alliance, but the Hundred Flowers Merchant Guild?

There wasn’t just one or two things I couldn’t understand.

If this statement were true…

‘The Alliance couldn’t possibly have allowed this.’

It would mean the Martial Alliance permitted members of the North Sea bloodline to come to the Central Plains.

And furthermore, it would mean they delegated the task to another merchant guild instead of handling it themselves.

No matter how I looked at it, that was impossible.

‘What on earth did they do?’

I don’t think the Alliance and the Hundred Flowers Merchant Guild pulled something off.

Judging by the current situation, the problem lay with the Ice Palace.

The fact that the Alliance would accept it, even enduring such humiliation…

Means the Ice Palace side must have set some kind of condition.

What could that be?

What condition did they set, and what impact would it have?

It bothered me quite a bit.

Damn it.

‘I already have so much to worry about.’

I wanted to avoid getting involved in anything else here.

But…

‘Doesn’t it seem like I’m already involved?’

The fact that I am related to this matter.

The thing Madam Mi was about to ask me.

Judging by the current situation, it must be related to the Ice Palace.

Is there any reason for me to be involved with the Ice Palace?

I don’t know.

So, I just stared at Madam Mi.

I needed to hear the explanation first.

Seeing that I was waiting for her to speak, Madam Mi continued her explanation.

“I heard the fourth child of the Palace Lord of Ice arrived in Hanam today.”

“…”

Hearing that, my eyes widened.

Not that they were coming, they had already arrived.

“They will likely arrive at the guild before long….”

As she spoke, the way Madam Mi looked at me changed.

What kind of look is that?

“As you’ve probably already guessed, I have a request regarding this.”

“…Yes.”

As expected. It is indeed a request concerning the Ice Palace.

My expression naturally furrowed at the increasingly troublesome situation.

What kind of request could she possibly be making?

Can I refuse? If I could, I’d want to refuse without even hearing it.

Of course, that’s impossible.

Damn it.

“If it’s a request…?”

I asked cautiously.

“It’s just that… this young lady….”

Just as Madam Mi was about to answer.

A hurried presence was felt from the direction of the door.

Creeaak-!

Immediately after, the door opened and a man entered. Judging by his clothes, he seemed to be from the guild.

At his lack of any courtesy, Madam Mi frowned, which was rare for her, but…

“D-Guild Master!”

The urgent voice caused the atmosphere to change drastically.

Seeing that, I thought.

I could tell right away.

It was always like this.

“There’s been a problem….”

“A problem?”

“Yes… the, the young lady…”

For some reason, things never went smoothly when it involved me, and that…

“…has apparently escaped.”

---

The wide, sprawling street.

The blazing sun.

An inexplicable heat and crowds filling the street were visible.

Noon in Hanam County was always like this.

Especially now, as it was heading towards summer. It was already a crowded time.

Furthermore, the Alliance was scheduled to hold a martial arts tournament soon.

It was around the time when the crowds started to grow slightly larger than usual.

“It’s particularly hot this year.”

“You say that every year.”

“That’s true.”

People gathered under a shaded tent, avoiding the sunlight.

They were spending their time fanning themselves, seemingly finding it hot.

“Ah, this time Grandma Jin… Huh?”

As he was about to start a conversation, he suddenly noticed the gazes of the people around him fixed somewhere.

The man also turned his head, and immediately understood.

It was because someone particularly eye-catching stood out amidst the crowd.

“What is that?”

“Aren’t they hot?”

“Unless they’ve gone mad from the heat… What are they doing?”

There was a good reason for that.

It’s the season where sweat starts to bead up just by standing still.

Even fanning oneself is becoming quite a struggle.

A figure was visible, wrapped in fur clothing in this weather.

They wore it pulled down so low that their face was hidden.

Anyone seeing them would think it was mid-winter, perhaps even a cold snap, judging by their attire.

No matter how you looked at it, it wasn’t clothing suitable for summer.

Because of that, they were drawing a lot of attention from the surroundings, but…

The person in question wasn’t paying much attention to it.

She was only concerned about one thing.

‘There are so many people.’

The people filling the street.

She could feel the gazes, whether intentional or not, directed at her, but…

She liked the current situation even more.

She could feel the heat.

It was different from the biting cold of her homeland.

Unlike the deserted streets feared by the cold, this place was filled with the sounds of people.

It was exactly as she had read in books once.

The woman was very pleased with the current situation.

‘Yes… I wanted to see this.’

It was the sight she had longed to see.

It seemed exactly like the background she had imagined, and that felt wonderful.

The woman felt her shoulder.

She felt a slight pain.

‘Am I hurt?’

She probably wasn’t injured. It didn’t hurt that much.

Just moments before, while wandering around the county, the woman had bumped into a man.

The man, who seemed hurried, saw her, pushed her hard, and disappeared.

Because of that, the woman had plopped down onto the ground.

This was likely from that incident.

‘Hmm….’

It wasn’t severe enough to require treatment, so she could overlook it.

Perhaps because it was a situation she never experienced in her homeland, even this felt mysterious.

The Central Plains. Truly a mysterious place.

‘Where should I go next?’

The woman spoke and started walking.

She didn’t have much time.

Although she had luckily escaped, she figured she’d be caught soon anyway.

Even if not, she had to go of her own accord.

If she didn’t, her father would truly be furious.

That would be a very big deal.

Actually, it would have been fine if she hadn’t run away in the first place.

‘But what could I do? I wanted to see it.’

It was something she wanted to see somehow.

If not now, she might never get to see it. Therefore, the woman had to enjoy the present moment.

‘Now, where shall I go?’

She had seen enough of the county.

Ah, not enough, but she needed to see other places too, so she had to get moving soon.

The woman’s head turned.

Her pale blue eyes, visible through the fur clothing she wore, looked towards one spot.

‘Over there….’

The alley where the man who pushed her earlier had disappeared into.

That was the place.

‘What will I find if I go there?’

There were many things she wanted to see.

She wanted to see the famous Shaolin Temple, and if possible, she even wanted to visit the Martial Alliance.

Before the woman left her homeland, her father had given her a warning.

[Do not go to the Martial Alliance.]

She clearly heard him say that, but she had erased it from her mind long ago.

If she were going to heed his words, she wouldn’t have run away in the first place.

Her steps moved forward.

The woman was already entering the alley.

As she went a little deeper, the noisy sounds quickly diminished.

It was a quiet alley, unlike the bustling Hanam.

A path that looked somewhat old, as if completely unmaintained.

Through that gap, the woman slowly moved her steps.

Even this was new.

Everything that wasn’t covered in snow was new.

The faint smell of smoke.

The dusty alley.

She engraved everything she saw, one by one, into her memory.

She walked like that for quite a while.

“Huh?”

The woman suddenly stopped walking and looked somewhere.

Visually, nothing was visible.

Only cracked ground and accumulated dust could be glimpsed.

It should have been just that, but somehow the woman felt drawn to that spot.

What could it be?

Why?

The woman approached a step, harboring questions.

Then she reached out her hand. She waved it as if something were there, but…

As expected, she felt nothing.

‘Was it my imagination?’

Perhaps so.

The woman chuckled.

It was obvious there was nothing there, so why did she bother trying to touch it?

She knew it, but she seemed quite excited.

There couldn’t possibly be anything.

Thinking that, she was about to move again when…

Halt-!

Seeing something, the woman had to stop her actions.

Someone was in front of the woman.

It was a young man looking at her with strange eyes.

Pale skin and yellow irises.

His appearance was that of long black hair, loosely tied.

He was a figure who gave off a somewhat cold and stifling aura.

When did he appear? The moment the woman was about to voice her question.

“I found you.”

The young man said.

“You match the description.”

“…!”

Upon hearing that, the woman immediately turned around.

This is bad. It seems she’s been discovered.

Wanting to escape quickly, the woman prepared to push off the ground, but…

“Ah!”

Someone was already standing behind the woman.

It was a woman of rather small stature wearing a veil.

Her face wasn’t clearly visible, but her flowing green hair was striking.

She was blocked front and back.

“…What should I do?”

It didn’t seem like she could break through easily.

As the woman swallowed dryly, agonizing over her options.

“Sigh.”

A sigh was heard from somewhere.

It came from behind the veiled woman.

“Damn it, having to play tag at my age. What ridiculous sights I see….”

The voice clearly conveyed a sense of utter disbelief.

Hearing this, the woman slightly turned her head.

And then she saw.

It was the young man walking from behind the veiled woman.

Dark hair and black eyes.

And black martial attire that didn’t particularly stand out.

While he seemed less distinctive compared to the two she’d met earlier…

He was somehow captivating.

Perhaps it was his fierce-looking eyes? Or maybe his annoyed expression?

Whatever it was, the woman felt a strange sensation looking at the young man.

The young man, Gu Yangcheon, seemingly not hiding his feelings, frowned deeply and spoke to the woman.

“Looking at you, you don’t seem particularly young. Why are you seeking childlike fun all by yourself, bothering people?”

“…”

It was a tone of voice she had never heard before.

In the woman’s entire life, she had never encountered such an attitude.

“Madam Mi really needs to train her people better. To lose track of someone, and of all people….”

“How could they lose someone like that?”

The rest of his words weren’t heard, but the implication was clear.

The woman watched this silently.

Then.

She raised her hand and adjusted the fur hat she was wearing.

Her vision had been obscured, preventing her from seeing properly.

“Anyway, now, stop….”

Gu Yangcheon was about to continue speaking, but he quickly shut his mouth.

The woman touched her fur clothing, revealing her face.

Through the slight opening.

What was first seen were clear, pale blue eyes.

The color of the eyes resembled someone’s exactly.

That was possible.

I heard those eyes were said to be a symbol of the North Sea bloodline.

Unlike her, this woman was of pure blood, so it wasn’t particularly strange.

However… the eyes weren’t the problem.

“Oh dear. I wanted to enjoy it a little longer.”

Gu Yangcheon’s eyes widened at the woman’s voice.

Her tone was full of playfulness.

The pure white hair visible inside the fur coat.

It matched the description he had heard exactly.

But…

‘What the?’

Why.

“I’ve already been discovered.”

Could it be that the woman’s smiling face resembled Moyong Hi-ah’s?

So much so that one might wonder if they were the same person.