Translator: RaidenTL

Chapter 15: Tae Un-seo

The menacing man holding the kitchen knife was named Tae Un-seo.

"Nice to meet you. I am Hyeok Ryeon-yeom, Captain of the Little Snow Unit."

Tae Un-seo glanced at Hyeok Ryeon-yeom.

"You don't look like a martial artist of the North Sea."

"Correct. I recently entered the Ice Palace from the Demonic Cult."

"Do they just take in Demonic Cult bastards these days?"

"Ahem! If I may, Lord Hyeok Ryeon is the one who will become the Young Palace Lord's husband!"

Wi Ji-young stepped forward.

"...So you have a powerful backer."

He was ignored immediately.

"Tae Un-seo."

"Has the Captain abandoned me too?"

"……."

Abandoned?

Hyeok Ryeon-yeom tilted his head as he saw Dan Mok-ho remain silent at Tae Un-seo's words. It was unlike the leader of the Snow Tiger Unit.

"I am not abandoning you."

"Yeah, yeah. If the higher-ups issued the order, I have to go."

Tae Un-seo’s gaze shifted back to Hyeok Ryeon-yeom.

"But you see, I don't want just anyone to be my Captain."

Tae Un-seo picked up his knife. The problem was...

"A kitchen knife?"

The weapon Tae Un-seo held was indeed a common kitchen cleaver.

"Mind your own business. Who cares what weapon I use? If you're a Captain, prove it with a blade."

"You want me to show you what a Captain looks like?"

"Exactly."

"Well, you see, I don't just pick anyone to be my subordinate either."

Hyeok Ryeon-yeom placed his hand on the hilt of his sword. He had no use for the weak, no matter how short-handed he was. To wipe out the mounted bandits and operate as a special task force, he needed warriors who were each worth a hundred men.

"You said you ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠were from the Demonic Cult? I like your fire."

Shuak!

Tae Un-seo swung his blade without hesitation. Before anyone could stop him, he lunged at Hyeok Ryeon-yeom.

Fwoosh!

"Urgh!"

However, his blade could not pierce the flames protecting Hyeok Ryeon-yeom.

"A kitchen knife and flames... You're better suited for cooking than carving people."

Hyeok Ryeon-yeom swung his Fire Control Sword. The flames surged, leaping onto Tae Un-seo's cleaver.

Sizzle!

The cleaver, caught in the blaze, began to melt instantly.

"What?!"

"When a swordsman loses his blade..."

Thwack!

Defeat followed immediately.

Bang!

Hyeok Ryeon-yeom struck him with the flat of his blade, sending him flying. Tae Un-seo crashed into a distant wall.

"...That was a bit much."

"Consider him lucky I didn't kill him."

Hyeok Ryeon-yeom spoke to Dan Mok-ho, the leader of the Snow Tiger Unit, but internally he was impressed.

Not bad.

At the last second, Tae Un-seo had tilted his head to minimize the impact. It looked like he had been blown away by a direct hit, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠but he had actually used the momentum of the blow to throw himself back.

"So, what's the decision?"

"I'll take him."

Just for the way he handled that last strike, Tae Un-seo was worth training.

"Since he's from the Snow Tiger Unit, I'll leave him in your hands."

Elder Gwak Tae-san handed Tae Un-seo over to Hyeok Ryeon-yeom with a satisfied expression.

"Squad Leader Baek. Carry him."

Seeing Baek Mu-yong hoist the unconscious Tae Un-seo onto his back, Hyeok Ryeon-yeom turned away without a second thought.

Seol Yerin quietly opened her eyes. She could feel the Yin Qi slowly beginning to spread. No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn't just stay here.

"I really want to go out."

Because she was the Young Palace Lord, she might be a target for the bandits? That didn't matter. If she couldn't feel Hyeok Ryeon-yeom's warmth right now, she felt like she would revert to her old self.

I don't want to go back to those days.

The Palace Lord would surely understand. Once she made up her mind, she acted immediately. But as she was about to move to find Hyeok Ryeon-yeom...

"So this is where you were."

"Third Young Master?"

"Let's go."

"Pardon?"

"I think I'll need the Young Palace Lord's help."

Hyeok Ryeon-yeom took Seol Yerin's hand and began to move.

"W-where are we going?"

"We're heading out to suppress the mounted bandits."

When they stepped outside, they saw Wi Ji-young, Eun-bin, and Baek Mu-yong, who was carrying someone on his shoulders.

"This person is..."

"I know you're awake, so get down."

"Huh?"

Just as Baek Mu-yong turned his head to look at Tae Un-seo's face...

Hop!

Tae Un-seo leaped down from Baek Mu-yong's shoulders.

"Caught me. How long did you know?"

"From the start."

"Aside from ruining my knife, you're a pretty sharp Captain."

"I can get you as many of those kitchen knives as you want."

"...Will you let me cook, too?"

At the mention of cooking, Wi Ji-young's ears perked up.

"Warrior Tae, you know how to cook?!"

"Who are you?"

"I'm Wi Ji-young, Lord Hyeok Ryeon-yeom's maid. Should I go grab some ingredients?"

Tae Un-seo looked at Hyeok Ryeon-yeom with an expression that asked, Why is a maid here?

"Ji-young is your senior, so you'd better listen to her."

"Senior?"

"Should I get the ingredients or not?!"

"Are we leaving the palace? If so, I'd like to bring some."

"Understood! My Lord, I'll go grab some ingredients!"

Since they were heading out to hunt bandits, they might have to travel quite far. Wi Ji-young seemed to be preparing in advance in case they had to camp out.

"Tae Un-seo. Go with her."

"...Is that okay?"

"If you're passionate about cooking, you should pick the ingredients yourself."

Tae Un-seo followed Wi Ji-young without a word.

"Who is he?"

"A new recruit."

The answer came from Eun-bin.

"If you have any information on Tae Un-seo, tell me."

At Hyeok Ryeon-yeom's question, Eun-bin spoke up.

"That guy, despite how he looks, is a former chef."

"A chef?"

"Why is the Snow Tiger Unit keeping a chef?"

"...You didn't get to see it because the Captain melted his cleaver, but that guy is incredibly skilled with a blade."

When Hyeok Ryeon-yeom gave a look that suggested it was natural for a chef to be good with a knife, Baek Mu-yong added:

"As for his cooking... it's best not to expect much. He was assigned to the Snow Tiger Unit because he's better at carving people than food."

"He's better at carving people than ingredients?"

"Yes."

Now Hyeok Ryeon-yeom was genuinely curious about what Tae Un-seo's food tasted like.

"But is the Young Palace Lord coming with us on this expedition?"

Eun-bin glanced at Seol Yerin.

"She will be moving with us."

"Did the Palace Lord give permission...?"

"It's better than her freezing up again while I'm away, so it'll be fine."

Eun-bin paused and then nodded. He couldn't bear the thought of anything happening to the Young Palace Lord.

"If you're suppressing bandits, does that mean we're heading south?" Baek Mu-yong asked.

"Are there bandits in the west or east?"

"Not really."

"Then we're going south."

—Mounted bandits?

The Sword Venerable, who had been quiet until now, spoke up.

Three hundred years have passed, and now there are so many who covet the Ice Palace.

It wasn't just the bandits. Later on, even the Demonic Cult would invade the Ice Palace. Although the Ice Palace was located in the barren North Sea, many people constantly eyed it because of the strength required to survive in such a harsh environment.

—Heh, it seems the descendants have grown weak. To think anyone would dare look down on the North Sea.

Though he spoke with a chuckle, the Sword Venerable's face was full of rage.

"Third Young Master."

Seol Yerin approached Hyeok Ryeon-yeom as she felt the Yin Qi emanating from where the Sword Venerable was. It was warm near Hyeok Ryeon-yeom.

Hyeok Ryeon-yeom took her hand. It felt cold. As he transferred his Yang Qi through their joined hands, her hand began to warm up.

"Are you alright?"

"Ah, yes. Thank you."

Don't be so angry. I'll take care of the bandits.

Why? Because he had to be recognized by the Ice Palace Lord. And because he had to survive.

"My Lord!"

Just as he was hardening his resolve, Wi Ji-young returned with Tae Un-seo. Tae Un-seo's complexion seemed strangely bright.

"Ji-young, did something happen?"

"Ah! They say even the Ten Thousand Great Mountains are best seen on a full stomach! I suggested we eat something before we leave, and Warrior Tae said he'd do the cooking!"

At those words, everyone stared at Tae Un-seo, who was holding a kitchen knife and wearing something resembling a smile.

"Fine... go ahead."

Seeing the joy on Tae Un-seo's face, none of them could bring themselves to tell him not to cook.

Tak-tak-tak-tak.

The way Tae Un-seo sliced the ingredients on the cutting board was not the skill of someone who had only cooked once or twice.

"His knife skills are like that, and yet he can't cook?"

The movement of the cleaver was consistent, and the ingredients were being sliced with perfect uniformity. Hyeok Ryeon-yeom watched to see what the problem was.

Swoosh!

...Crazy.

He watched as an absurd amount of salt was dumped in.

"What are you making?"

"In the North Sea, we usually have soup and dumplings for breakfast."

Soup and dumplings. In other words, Tae Un-seo couldn't even manage to make a simple soup properly. He was so bad at it that he had been sent to the Snow Tiger Unit to carve people instead.

The problem was revealed by the slight curl of his lips. Tae Un-seo was actually enjoying himself.

"Here it is, served and ready!"

Soup and dumplings were placed in six bowls. The size of the dumplings was perfectly uniform. However...

"...They're hard."

"Munch, munch. The dumplings aren't much different from usual, though?"

At Baek Mu-yong's words, Hyeok Ryeon-yeom realized that in the North Sea, all dumplings were this hard.

"This is a problem."

Since he had found a problem, it was only natural to solve it.

Vroom—

Extreme Yang Qi began to heat the dumplings. As the Yang Qi surged to warm the insides of the hard dumplings...

Sizzle—

The delicious aroma of dumplings began to waft through the air.

"This smell..."

Tae Un-seo froze as he saw the dumplings emitting steam. Hyeok Ryeon-yeom tore off a piece of a dumpling. Seeing the piece come away softly, he took a bite.

"H-how...?"

"Food is supposed to be eaten warm to taste its best."

Munch, munch.

Now that the dumplings were properly heated, they were much easier to eat than before. Next was the soup Tae Un-seo had made. He lifted a spoonful to his mouth but hesitated.

"Wait, was this not boiled?"

"I did boil it."

Soup is meant to be eaten hot. It seemed that because of the North Sea's bitter cold, even boiled food cooled down rapidly. Cold soup and hard dumplings? There was no way it would be good.

Vroom—

Warmth began to heat the bowl once more. Tae Un-seo's eyes sparkled as he saw the soup begin to bubble.

Slurp—

If eaten warm like this, no matter how bad it tasted...

Ugh—

He almost gagged.

What on earth did he put in this?

Was he trying to poison him? But he didn't sense any poison. It was just incredibly, horribly foul-tasting. It was barely food.

For a moment, he almost spat it out.

Sparkle— sparkle—

But looking into Tae Un-seo's shining eyes, he couldn't bring himself to do it.

Whew.

Gulp—

He finally forced the soup down his throat. He quickly shoved a dumpling into his mouth and started chewing.

"How... how does it taste?"

At Seol Yerin's question, Hyeok Ryeon-yeom, thinking he couldn't be the only one to suffer, handed her the soup and a heated dumpling.

"It's delicious. You should try some too, Lady Seol."

Grin.

With the thought that he wouldn't go down alone, he encouraged her. Baek Mu-yong and Eun-bin's jaws dropped at the sight. Ignoring them, Hyeok Ryeon-yeom watched as Seol Yerin dipped a dumpling into ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the soup and put it in her mouth. He was curious to see her reaction.

"Oh! I've never had such a soft dumpling before! The soup is actually quite good too!"

...What?

It ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wasn't the reaction he expected.

"T-thank you. You two are the first people to ever say my cooking is delicious!! From now on, I will do my absolute best to cook for you! No, I will serve you with all my loyalty!"

Tae Un-seo began to shed thick tears of overwhelming emotion.