Chapter 619: Dragon (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 619: Dragon (4)
I couldn't help but frown at his words.
Why is she pretty? What kind of nonsense was that?
“You definitely said you wore a mask because of a burn...!”
Ah.
Hearing Yuri’s outburst, the pieces finally clicked into place. It seemed Namgung Bi-ah had been wearing a mask this entire time.
At least she listened to that one piece of advice.
It was the one thing I had warned her about most sternly before she left for the North Sea. I didn't know what the people there were like, but...
‘Your face is the problem, so cover it up if you can.’
In any world, beauty is an easy target. And in that regard, Namgung Bi-ah’s face wasn’t just a treasure; it was on an entirely different level. That’s why I told her to hide it as much as possible.
Fortunately, it seemed she had taken my words to heart.
“Ah.”
Having been called out, Namgung Bi-ah seemed to realize why Yuri was upset. She gave a slight, awkward nod.
“That was a lie.”
“...Huh?”
At the casual confession, Yuri’s face went blank.
“A lie...?”
“Yes. A lie. Sorry.”
Even her apology was nonchalant. The situation was bordering on comical, but...
“...First, let’s get up. We need to move.”
This wasn’t the time to stand around and watch a comedy routine, so I quickly moved to depart. As I shifted, I reached for Namgung Bi-ah.
“Ah...?”
Before she could react, I swept her up into my arms.
“...”
“...I’m only doing this because you look like you can’t walk. Even if you don’t like it, just stay—”
“I don’t mind.”
“Oh. Right.”
Her immediate, firm response made me feel a bit awkward.
“No way... You wouldn't even touch me earlier, saying I was filthy from being carried on your back...”
I ignored the dumbfounded grumbling coming from behind me. Channelling my Qi, I directed a strand toward Yuri.
Fwoosh!
“Hup.”
The Qi wrapped around Yuri’s body, lifting her into the air. This was only possible because my body had returned to its original state.
We needed to reach the hideout quickly. While checking our bearings, I threw a question back at Yuri.
“There’s something I need to ask before we go.”
“Yes?”
“Your brother—the one involved in the rebellion. He said his name was Yuseon.”
“...What?”
Yuri’s expression twisted strangely. She looked as if she had just heard something utterly bizarre. Judging by her reaction, was it the Eldest Young Master? She had previously said the Second Young Master was the most likely culprit.
“Information about that bastard—”
“Wait a moment...”
“Hm?”
“Did you just say Yuseon?”
“That’s right.”
I had heard it clearly. Yuseon. The bastard had called himself Yuseon. I confirmed it for her, but Yuri’s expression only crumpled further.
“Aren’t you... mistaken about something?”
“What?”
What did she mean? Mistaken?
“Truly, if you heard that name, you must have misheard.”
“No, I heard it clearly. The guy definitely said Yuseon...”
“Yuseon... that name doesn't belong to any of my brothers.”
“Hm?”
This time, it was my turn to frown. Not her brothers? What did that mean?
As I scowled in confusion, Yuri looked at me with a trembling gaze.
“That name...” Yuri began, “It belongs to the First Young Lady of the Ice Palace. My older sister.”
Words I had never expected to hear escaped her lips.
* * *
Deep underground, beneath the Ice Palace.
This was a sanctum that only those of the Bloodline—and among them, only the Palace Lord, the ruler of the North Sea—could enter.
Yuseon was walking down the central path.
Step.
One step.
Step.
Another two steps.
With every stride Yuseon took, a subtle change occurred. Her frame grew smaller. The lines of her physique became more delicate. The cold-faced young man gradually transformed into a stunning woman.
She bore a resemblance to Yuri, yet her aura was entirely different.
“Today was a magnificent harvest.”
As she continued walking, Yuseon spoke to the person following her. Even her voice had changed, shifting into the captivating, melodic tone of a woman.
“To think... your lingering regret was not only one of my own kind, but a pureblood at that. It is truly a delightful surprise.”
At Yuseon’s smiling words, the man behind her, Woo Hyuk, bit his lip.
“...That friend is not some 'lingering regret' of mine.”
Woo Hyuk tried to deny it, but...
“Haha.”
Yuseon merely burst into a light laughter.
“Biwegun. You are special.”
“...”
“Because I know that, I am letting your lie slide. Do you understand?”
It was suffocating. Woo Hyuk was suddenly overcome by a crushing pressure.
Yuseon stopped walking.
“Isn’t that right? If it weren’t for that...” She turned her head to look at Woo Hyuk. As if to hide her slit pupils, Yuseon smiled with her eyes. “I wouldn’t have let your deception pass so easily.”
“...”
The White Fox.
Woo Hyuk frowned at the mention of Namgung Bi-ah. Seeing his expression, Yuseon continued.
"I won't ask a trivial question like 'why did you do it?'" Her voice was filled more with amusement than anger. “Because I knew you would do it from the very start.”
“...!”
Woo Hyuk’s eyes widened. “...What...?”
She knew? Those words shook him to his core.
“...What do you mean? You... you definitely ordered me to kill the White Fox!”
“I did. I certainly did.”
But she expected him to fail?
Woo Hyuk’s eyes trembled with realization.
“This is much more entertaining, isn't it? I was curious to see if you would move as I predicted, or if you would truly follow my command.”
Woo Hyuk’s clenched fists shook.
“Did you really think you could act behind my back?” Yuseon’s smile deepened, clearly relishing his reaction. “Right now, there is no one in the North Sea who can escape my gaze.”
The thing in the underground.
She had overcome the curse and become one with it. Having shed her wretched mortal shell to become a transcendent being, the North Sea of today was no different from an extension of her own body.
Therefore...
“I know about your attempt to save your master. And I know about the measures you took to save the White Fox.”
Whether it was what Woo Hyuk did for the Monster of Wudang, or his actions regarding Namgung Bi-ah—Yuseon knew it all. She had simply been watching the drama unfold with amusement.
Hearing this, Woo Hyuk’s spirit seemed to break.
“...Just what,” he asked in a hollow, exhausted voice, “Just what do you want from me?”
What did this woman want from him to go to such twisted lengths?
“What I want? Many things.”
Whatever Woo Hyuk was thinking, Yuseon surely desired more.
“You are a far more important piece than you realize.”
Precious. So very precious. He was an essential component for the future Yuseon dreamed of.
“Not just you... but the White Fox as well...”
Thankfully, another piece had rolled in on its own. And it wasn't just any kin, but a pureblood. This was the ultimate opportunity—a chance to gather the three fragments. A chance to devour the pureblood and elevate her own existence.
Just then...
“First Young Lady...”
Halt.
At Woo Hyuk’s address, Yuseon’s gaze sharpened instantly.
“Biwegun. I told you clearly, didn’t I?”
A chilling aura, far more malevolent than anything felt before, emanated from her.
C-crack!
Frost began to crawl across the stone walls.
“Do not call me that. I asked you nicely, didn’t I?”
“...”
“I am showing you a great deal of mercy.”
She had let his younger sister—whom she loved yet wanted to tear apart—live right before his eyes. And with deep magnanimity, had she not also spared the Monster of Wudang?
“You can at least grant me this one ‘request,’ can’t you?”
Faced with that terrifying pressure, Woo Hyuk was forced to avert his eyes. He couldn’t understand her. She seemed to let everything else slide with a laugh, yet she reacted with violent sensitivity to a simple title.
He couldn’t comprehend it, but he had no choice.
“...My apologies. Lady Yuseon.”
“Hmm.”
Hearing the correction, Yuseon smiled in satisfaction and resumed her walk. She descended further until they arrived at a massive entrance.
A heavy, colossal iron door blocked the way. Standing before it, Yuseon reached out her hand.
W-woooong—!!
A tremendous vibration erupted from the iron.
Kiiiiii—!!
The door groaned open on its own, as if pushed by an invisible giant. From the slowly widening gap, a blast of frigid coldness surged out.
Inside was a pure white space, as if it were a world made of snow. It was vast—so large it could have housed the entire North Sea Ice Palace without issue.
A space like this exists underground?
Woo Hyuk stared into the void with astonished eyes.
“Congratulations,” Yuseon said. “This is likely a first. For someone who is neither the Palace Lord nor of the Bloodline to set foot here.”
“...”
“How is it?”
Yuseon gestured gracefully toward the center of the vast chamber. Something was floating in mid-air. It was small compared to the scale of the room, but it was a chunk of ice of significant size.
What is that?
The moment the thought crossed Woo Hyuk’s mind, Yuseon spoke.
“What are your thoughts on beholding the Ice Crystal?”
“...!”
Woo Hyuk gasped.
The Ice Crystal. The most sacred treasure of the North Sea Ice Palace. An object the Bloodline regarded as both their source of power and their curse.
That was the Ice Crystal?
It was brilliant and terrifyingly cold. That was his first impression. But as he looked at it, only more questions arose.
“...Why are you showing me this?”
“Hmm.”
Yuseon walked calmly toward the crystal.
“I just wanted to show you. Isn’t it fascinating?”
That such a small piece of ice, compared to the vast lands of the North Sea...
“Is what makes it snow over this land all year round.”
She paused, her eyes gleaming.
“And the fact that it uses the Bloodline as collateral to sustain its existence.”
“What does that—!”
“Shall I tell you something truly amusing?”
Woo Hyuk was stunned by her words. Having reached the Ice Crystal, Yuseon turned back to him.
“Biwegun, what do you think this is?” she asked, pointing at the frozen mass.
“...You mean the Ice Crystal?”
“That’s right.”
A chunk of ice. The ancient treasure of the Ice Palace. That was all Woo Hyuk saw. But from her tone, he knew it was something far more sinister.
Yuseon leaned in close to the crystal.
“This, you see... is an ‘egg.’”
“...?”
An egg?
“The egg said to have been planted by the Dragon Emperor himself. An egg that is not far from hatching.”
“...What are you talking about?”
“You know, I think this is fate.” She smiled. Yuseon couldn't stop smiling. “That the fragments would gather just as the hatching nears. That a pureblood would appear before me.”
A soft laughter escaped her.
“That I was ‘chosen.’ It must all be fate.”
“...”
An incomprehensible madness radiated from her. Looking at Yuseon, Woo Hyuk had to swallow a groan of terror.
“All of this feels like the world is telling me to walk my path without hesitation.”
Yuseon recalled the pureblood dragon she had just encountered.
A pureblood.
Not a being who, like herself, had merely sprouted a seed left by the Dragon Emperor in an attempt to transcend their race. But a true dragon—those who shattered their own mortal vessels and ascended to the heavens.
Their worth was different. They were destined to stand above all other dragons. A being with the inherent right to become the Dragon Emperor.
That was a pureblood.
She had heard that no such being existed in this land, so how could one have appeared now?
[Let go.]
Recalling the words he had spoken, Yuseon felt a thrill run through her. It was a power naturally possessed by those born to rule. He hadn't even seemed to have awakened his full strength, yet with just those two words, Yuseon had been forced to a momentary halt.
A dragon who had completed its evolution but had not yet bloomed. A lost ruler.
She coveted him. Yuseon craved him with every fiber of her being.
However, she had let him go without devouring him immediately. It would have been a waste to consume him on the spot.
In a more... more perfect state.
Not when he was injured and broken. She would crush and devour him when he was at his absolute peak. By doing so, she planned to seize all the qualifications and conditions the pureblood possessed.
Then, the world would know.
That not him... but she was the one worthy of being the Dragon Emperor.
Thus, she would covet all the fragments. And she would even covet the one that would soon be born from the Ice Crystal before her.
And so...
I will climb higher and higher. I will soar into the highest heavens and bring a permanent spring to the North Sea.
That... was Yuseon’s goal.