Chapter 621: Choice and Decision.

The Dragon Emperor’s Heart.

At the words the Palace Lord spat out, I had to swallow my gasp.

I forced my stiff neck to move and looked at the Ice Crystal.

It felt like a cold chill, compressed and compressed again.

It was a perfectly circular object, as if carved by a meticulous sculptor.

Moreover, it was huge. A mass of ice possessing the size of a typical dwelling.

It was strange enough that that was an egg….

‘That’s the heart?’

Furthermore, the center of a physical body being its heart was unbelievable.

‘And it’s the Dragon Emperor’s?’

Dragon Emperor (龍 = Dragon, 帝 = Emperor).

By my estimation, it was a being presumed to be the Blood Demon.

That the Blood Demon’s heart was the Ice Crystal, and that it was in the Northern Sea, far from the Central Plains, what kind of situation was this?

‘What’s more….’

A space that could only be entered if specific conditions were met.

That the Bloodline of the Ice Palace had been living while guarding that place… It was an utterly incomprehensible situation.

Directing my gaze towards the Ice Crystal, I asked.

“…That’s… the heart?”

“Mm.”

Hearing my question, the Palace Lord spoke.

“Since you didn’t mention the Dragon Emperor, you must have known?”

Oops.

Realizing my slip of the tongue, I scowled.

Unlike my usual self, I had made a clumsy mistake.

“Don’t be so surprised. It’s not something I particularly mind for a reason.”

“…”

“If you ask whether that is a heart, it means I see it that way.”

“…Are you saying you alone see it that way?”

“That’s right. Ultimately, the Palace’s history referred to that as an egg.”

An egg.

Leaving aside what it could possibly contain to be called an egg.

‘Indeed, it makes more sense to see it as an egg rather than a heart.’

Something shaped like that was difficult to see as a heart, so. If one were to nitpick, seeing it as an egg would be more beneficial, but.

“Even knowing that, why do you think of it as a heart?”

I had to hear first why the Palace Lord thought that way.

To such a question, the Palace Lord, stepping closer to the Ice Crystal, continued speaking.

“Do you, sir, know when the Northern Sea’s extreme cold began?”

“…Well?”

If it’s about when, well. In the first place, I had only heard that the Northern Sea was a cold land, that’s all. If you asked when it became cold, I had no way of knowing. That’s because I hadn’t associated closely with history studies.

As I spoke with a somewhat foolish expression, the Palace Lord gave a slight smile seeing this.

“The Northern Sea, even originally, winters were as cold as extreme cold, it was indeed such a place. But it wasn’t a place where all four seasons possessed cold like this.”

Hearing the words, I had to make a strange expression.

A land where snow fell and extreme cold reigned throughout all four seasons. That was the current Northern Sea.

“Spring was warm, summer was hot, autumn was bountiful, and it was a land that greeted a chilling winter. That was the past Northern Sea.”

A place not much different from the Central Plains. That was the Northern Sea, the Palace Lord was now telling me.

However.

‘It’s not like that now.’

All the words were in the past tense, making the contrasting current situation stand out even more.

“Everything changed five hundred years ago. From the moment this Ice Crystal appeared in the Northern Sea, it was overturned.”

‘If it was five hundred years ago….’ It was likely a time in the Central Plains when the Blood Demon’s rampage caused a bloodbath, a period of slaughter. Shin Noyang and his comrades were likely fighting a war during that era.

“At that time, a person calling himself the Dragon Emperor appeared and left two things in the land of the Northern Sea.”

At the Palace Lord’s words, questions sprang up.

‘Clearly, the Dragon Emperor must be the Blood Demon.’ My estimation, and the information I had gathered, even when combined, made it possible to guess that this being they called the Dragon Emperor (龍 = Dragon, 帝 = Emperor) was the Blood Demon.

But then.

‘That guy, the Dragon Emperor, during that time, left something here…?’ It was the height of war. Could the Blood Demon of that time possibly have come all the way to the Northern Sea to leave something behind? If it was true that he did leave something, ‘For what purpose?’ Still, fragmented pieces were just swirling in my head. To piece this together, more information was needed.

“Half in the east. And half in the west. The Dragon Emperor stored the object called the ‘Ice Crystal’ like so.”

Thud thud.

Frost fell from the Palace Lord’s cheek.

“He ordered the Bloodline of the Northern Sea to maintain it with his command.”

“A command?”

Hearing this, I furrowed my brow.

“So, you were guarding the Ice Crystal according to his command? Is that what you mean?”

“That’s right.”

“…Why?”

Why would they bother doing so? The reason was insufficient. The Dragon Emperor left the Ice Crystal. Whether that was an egg or a heart, leaving that aside, the Bloodline guarding it – their justification. I wanted to know that.

“The reason…”

Regarding this, the Palace Lord said.

“Because we had to.”

“What does that…”

“If we didn’t, the Northern Sea would perish.”

“…!?”

“That is what our Bloodline carries as its karma.”

If not guarded, the Northern Sea perishes. I listened to the Palace Lord’s words.

“When the Dragon Emperor appeared and left the Ice Crystal in the Northern Sea, the one guarding that place, that is.”

He took a breath.

“To our ancestors, the Dragon Emperor said:

[Guard and maintain it.]

[Until the ‘Pureblood’ appears.]”

At the word ‘Pureblood’, my fingertips trembled slightly.

“His words became shackles. Shackles that bound us for generations.”

“I don’t understand. It’s just words… What power could they possibly have?”

“If it were just words, I could have refused them anytime.”

Those words then…

‘Meant they weren’t just words.’

Swish.

The Palace Lord touched his own cheek with his hand. Where scales sprouted and frost fell.

“The Dragon Emperor, as he spoke the words, imposed a curse.”

“A curse where the body gradually turns into a dragon, that’s what I mean.”

“…!”

It was a familiar phrase. This curse was the same as something I’d heard from the Dark King once. ‘The Dark King’s curse was also about turning into a dragon.’ That’s what they said. If one bore a child, the curse would pass on, and the person themselves would face death, I believe. Named the Yeon Family Curse. That’s what it was called. ‘The curse the Blood Demon inflicted upon Yeon Ilcheon’s Bloodline.’ So, was it the same curse inflicted upon the Palace Lord before me now? Or perhaps.

“If you don’t guard the Ice Crystal, you become a dragon. Is that it?”

“Haha.”

As I said that, guessing, the Palace Lord laughed aloud. I was wrong.

“If that were the case, it would have been better. If it were just that… it wouldn’t be this chilling.”

A cold emotion was intertwined in his laughter.

“As I said earlier, the Ice Crystal is the cause that drove the Northern Sea into extreme cold. It is the cause.”

The snow falling from the sky, the extreme cold that raged without regard for seasons, even the extreme cold. All were caused by that Ice Crystal, I said, but.

“However.”

The Palace Lord said.

“Conversely, it is also this Ice Crystal that protects the Northern Sea.”

“…Yes?”

“To be precise, it would be correct to say the Ice Crystal in the Ice Palace. That would be correct.”

What could this possibly mean now?

‘The Ice Crystal brought the extreme cold to the Northern Sea, yet it’s also the Ice Crystal that’s defending against it.’

Tap tap.

My fingers tapped my waist.

Two Ice Crystals.

One is here, and the other is located in the Ice Palace.

If there were intentionally two Ice Crystals, and one of them was defending, Hmm.

“…Opposition…?”

“Oho.”

At my mumbled words, the Palace Lord reacted. Did that mean I was right?

If the Ice Crystal causes the trouble, and the Ice Crystal also defends, then

“One causes the extreme cold. And the other defends? Is that what you mean?”

It was truly a state of opposition. Was the current state of the Ice Crystals like that?

To my question with that meaning,

“Correct.”

the Palace Lord affirmed.

‘Wow.’

Upon hearing the answer, the first thought that came to mind was:

‘What a fucking mess.’

The situation was truly fucked up. While thinking that, I didn’t speak carelessly. The Palace Lord’s explanation hadn’t finished yet.

“One Ice Crystal brought the extreme cold. It brought the extreme cold.”

The Palace Lord pointed at the Ice Crystal with his hand.

“That’s the original right in front of us.”

“Original?”

“It’s my personal opinion. Would you like to hear the explanation?”

“First, please continue what you were saying.”

“Understood.”

A detailed explanation would be better heard later.

“I understand that the Ice Crystal is affecting the Northern Sea’s weather. It’s affecting the weather, I understand.”

How is that possible? I didn’t ask such things. To delve into the principles would be too complex, besides. What’s important now is how this relates to ‘me’.

“Then, the curse you just mentioned, what is it?”

“As I said just before, the Dragon Emperor, upon leaving the Ice Crystal, imposed a curse upon our ancestors.”

“A curse.”

“That’s right. We call this the ‘Curse of the Ice Crystal’.”

I remembered hearing from Yuri. ‘The illness Moyong Hi-ah possessed.’ An illness where coldness spread within the body, gradually freezing the flesh. It was also the reason Yuri brought me here immediately.

Also.

‘The cause of the Palace Lord’s current physical state.’

Dragon Transformation (龍 = Dragon, 人 = Person, 化 = Transformation).

A body hard to call human, ambiguous. Similar to the Dark King’s condition, but weakened, it was apparent. The Dark King, upon becoming a dragon, gained a lifespan and power close to immortality, so they said. This was used for control through the Ice Palace’s martial arts, I heard, but. Seeing the Palace Lord’s condition, it didn’t seem entirely possible.

“What kind of curse makes one like this?”

What effect did it have that the Bloodline had to guard the Ice Crystal, and the Palace Lord ended up like this?

“From the moment one is born into the Bloodline of the Ice Palace, a seed forms in the body.”

“A seed?”

“That’s right. One that can bloom anytime. A seed like that.”

Talking about the illness indirectly, I wondered.

“Blooming, then, means an illness that could erupt anytime? Is that what you mean?”

“Similar. To be precise…”

The finger pointing at the Ice Crystal now pointed towards the Palace Lord himself.

“When one takes the position of Palace Lord (宮 = Palace, 主 = Lord), they bloom. It would be correct to say that they bloom.”

“…!”

Hearing this, my eyes widened.

“You mean…?”

“The Curse of the Ice Crystal is like that. The seed within the body blooms when one takes the position of Palace Lord, and the flesh gradually turns into a dragon. Gradually.”

“…”

The reason for the Palace Lord’s current state became clear.

The problem was.

‘Is that all?’

A fog formed in my mind. That was the point. Taking the position of Palace Lord causes blooming. That means, in other words, it’s a condition. The curse blooming significantly, and the body changing, I understood that. However.

‘So, what’s the cause of the weakening?’

Because he became Palace Lord, the curse erupted, and he weakened. That didn’t make sense. After all, ‘The Palace Lord of the Ice Palace is a powerful figure.’ Whether it was the current one or the previous Palace Lord, I couldn’t know, but. The Ice Palace Lord, when he sought out the Central Plains, fought against the Sword Master (劍 = Sword, 尊 = Master), who was on par with the era’s greatest, and had a record of drawing. Even seeing the weakened him before my eyes.

‘He’s stronger than me.’

Than my current self, he was stronger. Overwhelmingly so. What caused him, who was like that, to worsen like this? Was it simply due to illness? Thinking so didn’t align with what he just said.

So. I racked my brain.

Everything I had experienced starting from the Central Plains to coming to the Northern Sea, and the information. I tried to piece it all together, bit by bit.

Tap tap tap.

My fingers moved.

‘First.’

When I predicted the rebellion was about to occur. How could the forces responsible for power be concentrated in just one place, and not anticipate that they would rebel? That was the question. Regarding this, Yuri said:

[…Because the Bloodline needs to exist.]

The Bloodline of the Ice Palace was indispensable, she said. There was a reason they couldn’t betray, she said.

Second.

‘When one becomes Palace Lord, the curse properly blooms.’

Those were the Palace Lord’s words just now. Those words meant there was something about the position of Palace Lord, not different from that meaning, and it was called the Curse of the Ice Crystal. Not just anything, but the Curse of the Ice Crystal, it was. Furthermore,

‘Ironically, the source of the extreme cold is the Ice Crystal, and the Ice Crystal also defends against it.’

And the defending Ice Crystal exists somewhere in the Ice Palace. At best, there were only a few pieces of information. Even within that, I had to find the truth.

Gather it.

Even if it meant straining my unwilling brain, I had to.

While thinking like that for a moment, suddenly.

Thump.

My tapping fingers stopped.

“The Ice Crystal that defends against the extreme cold.”

I said to the Palace Lord.

“Is what maintains it, perhaps the Palace Lord’s life force?”

“…!?”

At my words, the Palace Lord’s eyes widened like saucers.