The Dragon Palace (2)

The Dragon King who ought to have been waiting in the palace was nowhere to be found. In his place, a strange immortal stood ready to receive us — a situation I had never anticipated. I slowly drew Cheong behind me.

The immortal threw back his head in a booming laugh and stroked his beard.

"To shield a woman first, even in a moment like this. A fine man indeed."

"O spirit of the heavens, might I ask who you are?"

I kept my tone respectful, but I did not drop my guard. Whether he noticed or not, the immortal took a gentle step back.

"You need not be so wary, child of the mortal world. I am here as proxy for the West Sea Dragon King."

"…His proxy, you say?"

"Just so. The West Sea Dragon King is presently absent. If you came all this way seeking him, I am afraid you must turn back."

The Dragon King was absent, and an immortal was standing in as his proxy? This was clearly no ordinary state of affairs — and if we simply turned back, the water ghost raging in the waters above would remain unsolved.

I let my wariness ease and dropped to my knees, bowing to show every courtesy I could. Cheong, still behind me, seemed briefly taken aback — then she followed my lead and bowed as well. The immortal appeared quite taken with the gesture, and a gentle smile spread across his face.

"You know the value of proper courtesy. Very well, then. What business brought you to a place this deep? I am no Dragon King, but I shall hear you."

From the way he spoke, I gleaned one piece of information.

I am no Dragon King, but…

If his divine rank were lower than the Dragon King's, he would surely have spoken of him with deference. To address him so lightly meant—

At the very least, he is the Dragon King's equal. Or his superior.

In that case… if I played my words well, I might obtain from him what I had originally hoped to receive from the Dragon King himself.

"I thank you. The reason we came this deep into the Dragon Palace is none other than the great water ghost that appeared in the sea above."

"Hrm? A water ghost, you say?"

The immortal cocked his head. He seemed unaware that such a thing even existed.

"Yes. It is a water ghost formed from the souls of maidens sacrificed over the past fifteen years. Its power was so great that the ship we were aboard sank, and several people died."

"Heavens…"

"We seized a gap and tried to dive deeper to escape, but the current caught us and carried us here."

I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠naturally omitted any mention that we had come looking for the Dragon Palace on purpose. That would only have invited suspicion.

"So in that fleeting span, a water ghost was running rampant near the surface. I have been so occupied purifying the vital energy of the Dragon Palace that I failed to notice."

Purifying the vital energy of the Dragon Palace? I pressed on.

"The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠people of the surface did not know that the Dragon King who rules the seas had left his throne. When the one who ought to mediate and watch over such matters is absent, how were the people of the land to respond?"

"And how did they respond?"

"They believed the Dragon King was wrathful, and they offered him a sacrifice. The water ghost is a being born of the accumulated grudges of the maidens who were offered as that sacrifice."

The immortal's eyes widened slightly. I had spoken as though I were merely reporting the facts, but the implication was clear. In the end, this whole disaster had happened because the Dragon King was gone.

Whether he grasped that meaning or not, the immortal stroked his beard.

"You are right. Though the Dragon King suffered a mortal wound and is recuperating in the Celestial Realm, that is no excuse for neglecting these waters. And I, who have been watching over this place in his stead, cannot claim to be without fault either."

"…I beg your pardon?"

What did he just say?

"The Dragon King… suffered a mortal wound?"

"Ah. Dear me."

The immortal covered his mouth with his sleeve, as though he had let slip something he shouldn't have. But he soon lowered the sleeve and spoke again.

"Since the matter has come up, I shall tell you. The reason this West Sea Dragon Palace has fallen into such a state is that, fifteen years ago, it was struck by a Demon God. That day the Dragon King was gravely wounded, and the aquatic creatures who guarded the palace died in droves."

…Just what had happened fifteen years ago?

I was left speechless by a backstory I had never seen coming. I had been about to pin the water ghost's appearance on the Dragon King — and now it turned out he had been mortally wounded by a Demon God and was currently at rest?

…Who on earth could have predicted that.

So this immortal before me had, in truth, been managing the seas in the wounded Dragon King's place for fifteen years. But governing the ocean was no simple task, and any number of problems were bound to arise. Those problems had led merchants and coastal villagers to the mistaken belief that the Dragon King was angry.

In the end, the heart of it all was the absence of a proper steward.

"Thanks to you, I have learned of a matter I had overlooked. And though it may be chance, the fact that you reached this depth in mortal bodies tells me that both of you were born with no ordinary fate and no ordinary aura. I would grant you a reward in the Dragon King's stead. Is there something you desire?"

…!

The immortal before me was a man you could talk to. In an instant he had acknowledged both his own fault and the Dragon King's, then gone straight into negotiating a reward. If people from the modern world had heard this, they might well have praised it as the proper way to apologize.

I glanced at Cheong. She had bowed along with me, but she was so thoroughly bewildered that she couldn't get a word out. Given that he had referred to the two of us together, he likely meant to grant two rewards. I made the request in her place.

"This maiden's father is a blind man. Because he cannot see, this girl — whose heart is overflowing with filial devotion — suffers every day. In truth, the reason she came here at all was to offer herself as a sacrifice, having heard a rumor that doing so would restore her father's sight."

"Heavens! Is that true?"

"H-hic. Y-yes. It is…"

"And so, if you would tell us how her father's eyes might be healed, we would be most grateful."

Approaching it through filial piety had been the right call. The immortal looked at Cheong and smiled with genuine warmth.

"Such filial devotion is precious indeed. I shall tell you the way. Hmm…"

He closed his eyes for a moment.

"…What? I-is that truly so…?"

"Haha. Would I lie to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you? Go home and see for yourself."

"Ah… ahh…!"

Hearing the immortal's words, Cheong's tears finally spilled over. She wiped them away, looked at me, and bowed her head. I would have liked to receive her thanks then and there, but the immortal was still waiting for the remaining reward.

A reward, huh.

Truthfully, I hadn't thought of anything in particular. I had gotten involved in Cheong's story in the first place only to ease her suffering and restore Shim Bong-sa's sight. I couldn't say I'd fully accomplished the former… but the latter I had just obtained. And personally, I didn't have any particular greed. Even if I had, I wouldn't have known what I could actually get.

I thought it over, and one being came to mind.

"…The water ghost on the surface is the vengeful spirit of those who died unjustly. Rather than punish them, I believe washing away their long-held grievances and granting them passage to the afterlife would be the way to settle the hearts of the people."

"My word."

"And if the sin of having harmed others cannot be fully washed away, then until the Dragon King returns, sentence them to clean this palace — and afterward, help them live on as members of the Dragon Palace household."

This felt like the right thing. Saving Cheong had been important, of course — but the ones who had died over those fifteen years had died unjustly as well.

Better to curry a little favor than claim some reward I don't even want right now — just in case.

Of course, there was a calculating edge to that thought as well.

The immortal marveled at my request, then nodded.

"Not only did you look upon a being that tried to kill you and uncover its circumstances — you even ask that I grant it passage to the afterlife… You are no ordinary man."

Then, as though thoroughly pleased, he grinned and stepped toward us.

"I like that answer, so I shall see to it myself. And it seems another guest has just arrived."

At those words I turned around. The water ghost was churning up the seabed as it approached. It hadn't been able to ride the current as we had, so it had simply followed the flow, descending endlessly until it arrived.

The immortal advanced toward it, one step at a time. We were at the bottom of the sea, and yet a ripple rolled outward from the tip of each footfall, as though the water itself were making way. Then he reached his fingers into the hair of the water ghost, which was shrieking as it came.

The water ghost's howls soon became the weeping of women, and from between the strands of hair, the faces of more than ten maidens emerged.

At those words, the women who had been sobbing threw themselves into a bow toward the immortal. Then, wrapped in a pure white radiance, their souls rose toward the sky — likely ascending to the Celestial Realm.

"I would know both of your names."

"I am called Shim Cheong…"

"I am Kim Shin-ryong."

"I see. Kim Shin-ryong. An uncommon man. I shall consider this request as one I did not grant. Instead, I will give you this mirror. Should you ever have need, knock upon it. It will come to your aid."

…! The Immortal's Mirror!

Even at a glance, it was no ordinary looking glass. It was surely a treasure of the Celestial Realm, comparable to the Five-Colored Orbs that Kongji's mother, the fairy, had given me — or perhaps even stronger. I suppressed my excitement and received the mirror with care. If I declined something like this, he might well take offense.

The immortal looked satisfied, and spoke to the two of us.

"It is not good for mortals to linger long in the Dragon Palace. Return now to the surface."

"We thank you, Immortal."

With the immortal's aid, Cheong and I were able to ride the current, and when I came to my senses, we were in the sea before Cheong's village.

…We had made it back safely.

"Kim Shin-ryong. Even the name is no ordinary one."

After Kim Shin-ryong and Shim Cheong had gone, the immortal bolted the gates of the Dragon Palace firmly shut and murmured to himself. Those who carried a dragon in their names — as this man did — tended to accomplish extraordinary deeds upon the earth. So this fellow called Kim Shin-ryong would surely make his name known someday as well. Having discerned the goodness of such a man's heart, the immortal smiled with quiet satisfaction.

"I shall have to tell Oh Yun as well. That I handled his affairs for him."

The immortal who spoke the West Sea Dragon King's name so lightly was no ordinary being.

Without even knowing it, Kim Shin-ryong had left an impression on Sugwan Daeje.

"But Kim Shin-ryong, Kim Shin-ryong… I am certain I have heard that name before… Was it from Oh Gwang, I wonder."

Sugwan Daeje mulled over the name for a while, then shook his head and rose toward the sky.

"The memory is hazy. But it cannot have been anything of great importance."

Deciding he would ask again later, Sugwan Daeje left the sea behind.