Chapter 226
Chapter 226
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 226
>Chapter Title: The 31st Horse Overturns the Game Board
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“Welcome inside! I’m truly glad you came!”
Seolhong grabbed Kang Seol’s hand with her small hands. She had to use both to wrap around his.
“Huh? What’s that dark, spiky thing?”
“It’s a medical sea urchin.”
【Bitan is a great sea urchin!】
“A sea urchin that talks…”
- Medical sea urchin lololol
- Just slapping random stuff together lol
Poke poke…
Seolhong fiddled with Bitan unnecessarily and made a surprised face.
“It’s so squishy!”
【Ack! Don’t touch me!】
Bitan bounced up onto the table.
Attention turned to Bitan for a moment, but Seolhong soon realized the gravity of the situation and spoke with a hardened expression.
“Who you are and what that sea urchin is don’t matter right now. Cheonju, could you examine this woman?”
“It’s not difficult.”
In truth, it was.
Kang Seol wasn’t a real doctor—just a quack who knew a few folk remedies, true to his title.
“How have her symptoms been these past few days?”
“She coughs occasionally and has a lot of phlegm. Her body feels heavy, so she can’t leave the bed.”
“Any chronic illnesses she usually suffers from?”
“None! Cheonju was actually quite healthy.”
Cheonju woke from her sleep and looked at Seolhong and Kang Seol with bleary eyes.
“Who is this person…?”
“She’s a doctor! Cheonju, the doctor’s here!”
“Haa… That’s a relief.”
Protector Seolhong and patient Cheonju answered Kang Seol’s following questions diligently.
‘Fortunately, it’s a local disease.’
Considering the East’s vast size, there were countless local diseases.
Luckily, Kang Seol knew a few medicines that worked well against this one.
And he had the ingredients on hand.
A short while later, Kang Seol returned with the brewed medicine.
No elaborate process was needed.
His cooking and alchemy skills overlapped anyway.
For a disease like this, his level was more than enough.
“It’ll be a bit bitter.”
Slurp…
Cheonju took the medicine and swallowed.
In that instant, her eyes snapped open.
“It’s bitter…”
“Is it?”
“And… familiar…”
- Cheonju! The East’s local diseases aren’t all that different. Just grind up thimbleweed properly, mix it with tonics that aid vitality recovery, and most cases improve.
- How do you know this?
- Just something I learned wandering as a kid.
Recalling Yuhwa’s memory for a moment, Cheonju looked at Kang Seol.
“This medicine… where did you… No, never mind.”
“Cheonju, get some good rest now.”
“Thank you…”
“Enough, I’ll handle the thanks.”
Cheonju lay back on the bed weakly and fell asleep. Kang Seol gazed at her quietly.
‘Cheonju… it’s been a while. You’re still alive.’
Cheonju and Yuhwa’s bond was thicker than expected. And it had lasted until now.
The affectionate gaze Kang Seol gave Cheonju struck Seolhong differently.
It felt like a doctor devoted to his patient.
Seolhong stared at Kang Seol, entranced, until he spoke.
“As long as she avoids overexertion, she’ll recover her strength.”
“Ah! Th-thank you! Allow me to express my gratitude.”
Seolhong crossed her arms unnecessarily as she said this.
“I am Yonghwa, daughter of the great Dragon Emperor. One day, I will surely repay you.”
That meant she had nothing to offer now. Kang Seol didn’t press the point.
He hadn’t come expecting payment, and it wouldn’t help him much anyway.
He had just come to check something out.
Kang Seol decided to probe Seolhong a bit more.
“If you’re Yonghwa… shouldn’t you be busy with the Dragon Struggle right now?”
Seolhong’s expression darkened immediately at the question.
“Haha… No lie there. I’m just as troubled by the Dragon Struggle.”
She grabbed Kang Seol’s hand tightly.
Kang Seol didn’t pull away.
“Squeeze… I’ll definitely repay you. I don’t know if I’ll pass the Dragon Struggle’s first trial, but I’ll repay this kindness. Ahaha! Am I being too shameless…?”
Kang Seol stared at her blankly.
“That look… Are you pitying me?”
“How could someone like me presume to pity Lady Yonghwa? More importantly, is the Dragon Struggle that crucial?”
“It is. It’ll shake up the power structure in the Dragon Palace. Those Yonghwa who fall behind will probably… well…”
“What happens to them?”
“Who knows? Maybe sent off to another land as diplomatic tools, living ordinary lives. Khan has plenty of imperial daughters, so not all are valued highly.”
Even as self-deprecation, it was remarkably pragmatic.
“Ahaha! No need to worry. I’m not that beautiful, so I won’t be first in line at least.”
“…You’re beautiful enough.”
Seolhong strongly resembled Yuhwa’s portrait.
Except she still looked young.
Seolhong smirked.
The trial of the Dragon Struggle was far too harsh and immense for a child to bear.
“All dragon offspring have flower names. Various flowers bloom across the frozen lands each year. That’s why they’re flowers.”
Seolhong spilled unasked stories freely. Kang Seol had no reason to stop her, so he listened quietly.
“The flower attached to me, Death Flower… it’s a cursed name.”
“Cursed?”
“Born killing their mother, most don’t grow and wander childhood forever.”
Seolhong’s eyes grew moist as she spoke.
“Doesn’t it suit me? Ahahaha! No idea who named me, but they’ve got taste.”
“Are you in pain?”
“……”
Seolhong paused and looked at Kang Seol.
“How curious.”
“What is…?”
“You feel… comforting somehow.”
“……”
“Even on our first meeting, I feel at ease. Is that why you’re a doctor? Or have we met somewhere before?”
“…Maybe once.”
Not as a stranger like now, but in a special relationship.
“Hmm… I don’t remember. Anyway, how about this?”
Seolhong extended her hand forward.
“Be friends?”
“Friends?”
“What if you need my help far in the future? My position’s embarrassing, low in succession, but who knows.”
“What do you want from me?”
“As a friend, heal Cheonju.”
“Fine. But… what’s your plan for the Dragon Struggle?”
That was what he was most curious about.
Her mindset.
It felt like events unfolding in Khan would entangle with this Dragon Struggle.
“It’s already begun! Scribes are dispatched two or three per Yonghwa, watching even now. They’re probably eavesdropping on us. If I give up here… it’d tarnish my mother’s name.”
Seolhong clenched her fist.
“I won’t give up. I’ll prove my worth.”
Kang Seol smiled at her words and tucked away what he held in his hand.
* * *
Karen yelled at Ur.
“You idiot!”
Ur retorted.
“You’re all idiots.”
Karuna agreed.
“We’re all idiots.”
Jamad shook his head vigorously.
“Enough, let’s stop this headache of infighting. Ur, so what’s the situation?”
“I have a feeling we’ll be stuck here much longer than expected.”
“Tch! Useless guy!”
“What? A knight who only has brute strength yelling at the almighty Ur?!”
“Your master trusted you, and this is all you’ve got?”
“What about you?!”
“That guy never expected anything from me to begin with!”
“Urgh…”
After a long squabble, the heated group fell into a brief lull. Jamad asked Ur.
“You still haven’t figured out what kind of space this is?”
“No clue where we even stand, so not yet. But there’s good news. For us… no, for that guy.”
“Good news?”
“I found a few spots suitable for making an entrance.”
Karen exclaimed in admiration.
“Ooh! You weren’t just slacking!”
“The problem is, there are steps to confirm them. And even if we make an entrance, crossing it is another issue.”
“…Explain simply?”
“In the worst case, even if we make an entrance, maybe none of us can cross for a while.”
“Not worst case?”
“If things improve, two or three might make it.”
“You?”
“Sadly, Lord Ur must refine this space. Seems full of hidden things.”
“Well, you hardly ever came out anyway.”
“Ahem… On that note, we need to perform an important ritual.”
All the summons’ eyes turned to Ur at his words.
“Ritual?”
“The spots estimated suitable for entrances so far: four in total. And we’re four as well.”
Woof-!
Koko barked to remind them not to forget her, but Ur gestured.
“You’re not ready yet.”
“So? Head to each direction?”
“No, too risky. Better to project power that way—far more efficient.”
“Project power? Without going ourselves?”
“Too dangerous. Lose your way here, and who knows how long to return. Remember how long it took us to first meet?”
“Ah, right.”
Karuna asked.
“But what good does projecting power do?”
“If lucky, it reaches your precious master. Trapped here, it’s the only way to help the guy outside.”
“So we go limp after releasing power?”
“Not quite. If the direction isn’t suitable for an entrance, the power returns to us soon.”
“If it doesn’t return…”
“It reached your master.”
Jamad, Karen, and Karuna agreed to Ur’s proposal.
“Good! Let’s start!”
Moments later, positioned as Ur directed, they faced forward and waited.
Ur instructed them.
“Project your power in the set directions. Unleash everything until exhaustion. If it doesn’t surpass a threshold, it might not even reach the door.”
Whooooom…
“Then… fire!”
KABOOOOOM-!
Strange powers of various colors shot out simultaneously, vibrating the space.
* * *
Kang Seol returned to his room and sat at the desk, looking at the hand mirror with tassels.
‘This… Yuhwa’s keepsake?’
Blade Dancer Yuhwa’s item.
This was definitely her keepsake.
- Whoa, stealing again.
- Now stealing a kid’s stuff too? Impressive!
- Weren’t you pitying her while listening? Then you steal it lololol
“But… it’s weird?”
The arrow’s direction hadn’t changed.
Still pointing at Seolhong.
Even so, he needed to check.
He gazed intently at the hand mirror infused with his words’ energy.
In that moment.
Fwoosh…
Suddenly, the candle went out.
- Kyaaack!
- Ghooooost!
- It’s gonna pop out somewhere!
Startling enough, but Kang Seol felt curiosity instead.
He looked at the hand mirror.
“…A woman?”
Someone appeared in the mirror.
It seemed the hand mirror was haunted.
The ghost’s face… was familiar.
“…Come…”
Kang Seol closed his eyes.
He felt like he’d be possessed by the ghost.
Like he’d move as she wished.
“Help me… help Seolhong…”
“Enough. What do you want from me?”
The woman in the mirror wept.
“God… Seolhong… that poor child… someone, please…”
Flicker…
The ghost finished speaking, and the candle relit, illuminating the room.
‘…That face. Definitely Yuhwa.’
The one in the mirror was Seolhong’s mother, the Blade Dancer Yuhwa.
She had pleaded for help like a prayer, not necessarily to Kang Seol.
Kang Seol returned the now-silent hand mirror to Seolhong.
“Ah! I searched so much thinking I lost it…”
“Is it precious?”
“It’s the only thing my mother left. Of course it’s the most precious in the world. Anyway…”
Seolhong beamed.
“Thanks for finding it. Cheonju would’ve been mad if she knew.”
Seolhong didn’t suspect Kang Seol of taking the hand mirror.
Kang Seol turned away from her.
Seolhong made one request.
“For now, please… take good care of Cheonju.”
Kang Seol hadn’t decided yet.
Whether intervening in her life was right.
As she said, he was like her god. Intervening would change everything for her.
Back in his room, Kang Seol looked out the window.
Raaaaain…
‘It’s raining.’
The weather mirrored his uneasy heart—worst possible.
Everything felt at a standstill.
Perhaps that was his wish.
As long as time existed, nothing in this world stayed still.
Kang Seol checked Cheonju’s condition morning and evening. Seolhong shut herself away, darting off somewhere. He deliberately didn’t tie her down. He planned to heal Cheonju first, then think.
Truthfully, it was an excuse.
He didn’t want to decide yet.
Over days, Cheonju improved.
She could move to the bathroom alone now.
Kang Seol brewed medicine once in the morning, once in the evening, and visited her.
He’d given morning medicine today, so now evening medicine.
Rumble-!
Lightning cracked fiercely.
“…Damn it.”
The bed was empty.
Cheonju was gone.
Flash-!
Kang Seol urgently searched for Cheonju. When had she moved? She’d been fine in bed this afternoon.
Braving the rain through the city, he soon found her. She must’ve left recently.
The grandmother crawled along, laden with things dangling from her.
Raaaaain…
“…Cheonju!”
“No… you bastards…”
“Cheonju?”
“You can’t… take our Lady Seolhong!”
Cheonju wailed at the empty air like a madwoman. Kang Seol felt a chill down his neck.
He approached slowly and supported her body.
Cheonju wasn’t fully recovered; rain would make her sick again.
“She went… alone! No… nooo!”
“What happened, Cheonju?”
“Lady… the lady… went alone.”
“……”
“She went… chasing those bandits alone!”
Tears or rain poured from Cheonju’s eyes.
“Why… why, Lady Seolhong…”
Thud…
Cheonju knelt and begged Kang Seol desperately.
“Doctor! Please find the lady… If anything happens to our Lady Seolhong… I could never face Lady Yuhwa even in death…”
In that moment, Cheonju’s pleading evoked Kang Seol’s past memories. A younger Cheonju.
- Hehehe… Yuhwa, the Dragon Palace doesn’t suit you. Why not run now?
- Cheonju, always the same talk. My ears are callused.
- It’s true. You’re a free spirit. The palace is stifling.
- My future’s here…
- The name? Decided? Did the Dragon Emperor name her?
- No, he doesn’t pay me extra attention. I chose it myself.
- What’s the child’s name?
- Seolhong… Seolhong.
Yuhwa stroked her belly with a radiant smile. Cheonju beamed innocently.
- I see! Heehee… You picked a pretty name.
- Cheonju.
- What? I’m busy picking your gown for tonight’s banquet.
- Why did you stay by my side?
- ……
- Everyone hates me. You… weren’t you loved by the Dragon Emperor too?
- I never bore his child. It ended there, heehee… I’m a ghost in the palace.
- That’s…
- I saw you dance, Yuhwa. That was enough.
- ……
- Even a ghost found a reason to live.
Cheonju had miscarried the Dragon Emperor’s child and lingered in the palace like a specter, doing menial tasks. She had helped Yuhwa.
- Hope Seolhong takes after your beauty.
- I pray to the gods every night for a beautiful, loved child.
- Hmph, first time hearing gods grant such wishes.
- Gods fulfill desperate prayers.
- Why?
- Because… they’re gods.
That past Cheonju flickered before Kang Seol’s eyes.
“Please… please… Yuhwa… why…. You said gods fulfill desperate prayers…. Why did you lie to me….”
Cheonju babbled incoherently and fainted.
Too much rain exposure.
Not critical, but she’d overexerted; it’d take time to wake.
Kang Seol carried Cheonju back to the inn. He had a maid change her wet clothes for dry ones, then left.
Bitan said.
【Where to?】
“Who knows…”
His golden eyes followed the long arrow.
【Starting now?】
“Yeah.”
[The next adventure begins.]
[The 33rd adventure begins.]
[Adventure 33. Dragon Struggle]
……
Desperate prayers, and the god fulfills them.
The god of those struggling to survive broke his long silence.