Ch.108Seiran

In the darkened office, a shadow from the window danced on the breeze.

The Emperor, who had been sitting quietly, frowned. It was because of the thick stack of documents that had been placed before him.

“Are all these from the Knights Order?”

“Yes.”

The answer came from a place without any presence. It was an old man standing like a dark shadow. As he revealed himself, everything around became clearer, as if color had returned to a gray world.

‘What a monstrous old man…’

The Emperor clicked his tongue while thinking to himself, examining the contents of the documents. Though everyone was speaking indirectly, the conclusion was the same. They wanted to verify the authenticity and capabilities of the Ice Dragon Sword that had recently come into the imperial family’s possession.

No faces were visible, but a faint greed could be sensed in the handwriting. It was natural for knights to covet powerful weapons.

“They should just say it directly. The captains should know best that I hate this sort of thing.”

The old man silently smiled at the Emperor’s grumbling.

“So who do you intend to give it to?”

“What?”

The Emperor asked back in disbelief at the old man’s question. Who would he give it to? Why would he ask such a thing? A legendary sword chooses its own master. The Ice Dragon Sword that the small girl from Cheongik had brought was no exception.

The threads of fate were strongly woven. To unravel them would require the life of the sword’s owner, the young Sei-rin. Even if they were to take the Ice Dragon Sword now, no one would be able to draw out its full potential.

“Obviously, the finder is the keeper. This mission was only about eliminating the reincarnators.”

The Emperor said this while crumpling up all the documents spread across his desk and tossing them into the trash.

“You mean you’re returning it to her?”

“Isn’t that obvious?”

“Hmm… So you intended to give it to her from the beginning.”

“Not ‘intended.’ Choose your words carefully. It was ‘destined.’ I merely hastened that destiny a little.”

“…I’ll return the item to her as soon as the investigation is complete. I heard that traces of the Starlight Dragon…”

***

Half of Cheongik’s regular forces had entered a rest period. All missions that had been coming to Cheongik were temporarily suspended. It was understandable. The reincarnators scattered throughout the world had been largely eliminated.

News from the Ice Dragon Mountains spread quickly. Many notorious reincarnators had died. Troublemaking reincarnators were keeping quiet and hiding. Conversely, the whole world was watching the Karma Empire.

It was because of the Dragon Heart that had appeared in the Ice Dragon Mountains. Survivors of the incident spoke of it. They said there was a real treasure there. Those who heard the rumors late rushed to the Ice Dragon Mountains.

However, all that remained were the bodies of those who had been swept away by avalanches and the terrible remnants of battle.

***

It was an exceptionally bright day.

Sei-rin did not participate in Cheongik’s training routine, despite having recovered from her injuries.

Revealing her discomfort, cold winds swirled around her. This was the effect of the Ice Dragon Heart. Mana-infused cold winds followed her emotions and movements.

Flora, watching from a distance, asked Theo a question.

“What’s wrong with Sei-rin?”

“She’s sulking.”

Flora looked back at her friend after hearing that answer. The protruding lips, slightly distorted gaze, and occasional deep sighs confirmed she was indeed sulking. Flora was curious about the reason.

“I mean, why is she sulking?”

“They took her Ice Dragon Sword at the Imperial Palace.”

“Ah…”

Flora nodded in understanding. Sei-rin’s left hip was empty. On her right side, the White Dragon Sword and Black Dragon Sword remained in place. That empty space was probably prepared for the Ice Dragon Sword.

“They didn’t take it away completely, right? I’m sure they said they’d return it soon when they took it…”

Flora recalled the events from a week ago as she spoke. Right after submitting their report, the Emperor’s personal knights had come to Cheongik with soldiers. She remembered them taking the Ice Dragon Sword with a respectful attitude.

“Don’t tell me they haven’t returned it yet?”

“That’s right.”

Sei-rin folded her arms and closed her eyes. Even from a distance, her exceptional senses allowed her to hear her friends’ conversation clearly. At first, she wanted to deny it angrily. Her, sulking? That couldn’t possibly be true.

But she realized she couldn’t deny it. Her energy fluctuated with her emotions. Unless she completely controlled the Ice Dragon Heart, Sei-rin couldn’t hide her feelings.

‘Hmph…’

Sei-rin acted like a prim cat. She pushed away anyone who approached her with irritation, then lay on a tree branch, gazing longingly in the direction of the Imperial Palace.

Though their time together had been brief, being separated from the Ice Dragon Sword left her with a great sense of loss.

“You’d think the same, Sei-ran. I’m not being strange. Yes, that’s right.”

She talked to herself, addressing her silent younger sibling.

Time passed quickly. As the sun in the sky set and the red sunset began to color the sky, Sei-rin, lying on the tree branch, suddenly sat up.

“This is…”

She felt a familiar power moving. Not away, but toward her. Something that had been inside the Imperial Palace was now coming out and approaching this place. Someone else might not have noticed, but Sei-rin could tell.

‘It’s coming.’

The Ice Dragon Sword was coming. Cold storms swept through Cheongik headquarters’ training ground, following Sei-rin’s urgent emotions.

“W-what? Suddenly the wind…”

“Sei-rin!”

Sei-rin paid no attention to her seniors’ warnings. She leaped up, her figure rising into the air. The wind wrapping around her entire body granted her a slight ability to fly.

Since gaining her new power, the boundary between what she could and couldn’t do had become blurred for Sei-rin. She trusted her instincts. If she felt she could do something, she would try it.

Sei-rin’s figure flew quickly and landed on top of the wall surrounding the Cheongik building, her small legs stretched out. In that position, she reached out her hand.

The Ice Dragon Heart had become Sei-rin’s foundation. Cold air and wind accompanied whatever martial art she used. The Formless Flying Sword technique was no exception. She had made others’ martial arts her own.

With the cold wind, a blue light shot up from the middle of the city. As the cold air dispersed, it sprinkled small ice particles and snow around. Everyone passing by stopped at least once to witness this mysterious sight.

Snow that should never fall at this time of year. Every time the light flashed in the sky, snow fell beneath it.

‘Come here.’

Sei-rin gestured toward the sky. Her smile deepened with joy. Is this how one feels when a runaway pet returns? With a piercing wind, light fell from the blue sky.

Whoosh!

A flash of light wrapped in a snowstorm flew toward Sei-rin. Several presences followed behind it. All were people belonging to the imperial family. Perhaps they were worried about the sword’s sudden movement.

But it was fine. The Ice Dragon Sword was simply returning to its original owner.

Thwack-

The rapidly flying sword settled in Sei-rin’s hand. Simultaneously, cold wind spread out in a circle from Sei-rin. The temperature in the area dropped instantly.

The Ice Dragon Sword made a resonating sound, as if expressing joy at returning to its master.

Whoosh-!

Sei-rin moved her hand and swung the sword. At the same time, the sword’s vibration stopped, and the cold wind spreading from her subsided.

Clink-

The Ice Dragon Sword, having absorbed Sei-rin’s mana, began to form ice crystals on its cold blade. This became its scabbard. Her small hand naturally moved to fasten the Ice Dragon Sword to her left hip.

Several presences belatedly arrived just below Sei-rin, at the foot of the Cheongik wall. Sei-rin looked at them and spoke.

“There’s nothing to worry about. It’s just returned to its owner.”

“You are…”

“…”

Behind them, imperial soldiers arrived one after another, with tense expressions and weapons drawn. They must have thought the Ice Dragon Sword they were transporting had been stolen.

Sei-rin jumped down from the wall with her hands behind her back. Wind rose beneath her feet, extremely slowing her falling speed. Looking as if she were flying through the sky, Sei-rin spoke.

“Thank you very much for bringing it this far. It seems the investigation is complete.”

Everyone remained silent. The original purpose had been naturally achieved, albeit not in the way they had wanted. The person in charge, who arrived last, belatedly assessed the situation and held his forehead.

Given the circumstances, it was awkward to say anything to Sei-rin. A brief silence fell.

Sei-rin continued to create a mysterious atmosphere. The wind emanating from her body naturally fluttered her hair and uniform. Occasionally, water vapor frozen by the cold air fell to the ground and sparkled.

At that moment, two heads popped up over the Cheongik wall. It was Flora and Theo.

“Sei-rin. Come back inside now.”

“It’s almost dinner time.”

Sei-rin turned at the words of the two youngsters. Since joining, Sei-rin had never missed a meal. Her small tongue peeked out between her tiny lips.

Her body, which had been descending to the ground, soared up again. With light steps, she crossed the high wall in one bound. Her overwhelming presence impressed everyone. She possessed a different charm from the existing masters.

“Good work.”

A bright smile spread across Sei-rin’s face.