237. He Was Here (2)
The Lord of the North Sea Ice Palace smiled as she looked at me.
Until now, her face had borne only a faint smile that felt a bit forced.
But this was a genuine laugh.
"You have no idea what a little rascal that kid was back in the day."
"My master?"
My master, who was usually so taciturn and rarely showed emotion— a troublemaker in his youth? I couldn't imagine it.
"That's right. His father, the Lord of the Snow Wind Palace, often came to me worried and seeking advice. But I should have raised a child myself to understand. That friend of mine, asking me—someone who hasn't even married—for advice like that."
"……."
She hasn't married yet.
Wait a minute...
Calling the previous Snow Wind Palace Lord a "friend" and referring to my master as "that kid"—she must be quite old. Yet the palace lord looked no older than her early twenties.
"I wonder how he's changed now. Has he finally grown up, or is he still the same...?"
The palace lord continued.
"I heard he's alive, but I haven't seen him once since then."
"I see. Honestly, my master is so reserved and solemn that I sometimes wonder if he's the same person you're describing."
"He's grown up well. He used to wet himself in fear whenever I scolded him..."
"Kuh-!"
Her words hit me out of nowhere, and I nearly spat out my tea.
But soon, a bitter taste filled my mouth.
"That must mean the incident hurt him that deeply."
"……."
Not only had his home been destroyed, but most of the people he considered family had died or vanished.
It was a miracle he hadn't gone mad.
He must have changed as he aged, but the palace's destruction and inheriting its legacy had probably transformed him completely.
His taciturn nature might be a way to suppress that profound grief.
Then a puzzling thought struck me.
The look in the palace lord's eyes when she saw the Silver Mist Sword earlier.
That emotion was unmistakably longing.
And the object of that longing had to be its previous owner, the Snow Wind Palace Lord.
Meaning the previous Snow Wind Palace Lord and the North Sea Ice Palace were extremely close.
Close enough for her to call him a "friend."
Considering the relationship between the North Sea Ice Palace and Snow Wind Palace, they were practically blood allies.
So why hadn't the North Sea Ice Palace reacted at all when that place was wiped out?
"Truth be told, I invited you here, young hero, to chat like this and also to repay our debt to your benefactor with a favor or two. Since you're leaving tomorrow."
The North Sea Ice Palace Lord finally got to the point.
"That's alright."
"No, it's our palace's law. Please don't feel burdened."
So, what should I ask for?
After some thought, I decided on one thing.
This answer would determine whether the North Sea Ice Palace would be my ally or enemy moving forward.
There were even rumors in the world that the North Sea Ice Palace had erased the Snow Wind Palace, so I needed to confirm the truth.
From what she'd said about the previous Snow Wind Palace Lord and my master, I could guess there were circumstances, but I needed solid confirmation.
I could ask my master, but bringing up those memories would be cruel.
I wanted to hear it directly from the North Sea Ice Palace Lord's mouth.
"Then, please answer one question."
"Of course. Ask away."
"When the Snow Wind Palace was destroyed, why didn't the North Sea Ice Palace help? You could have at least prevented its annihilation."
"……."
The palace lord's expression darkened.
Was she thinking back to that time?
What on earth was the reason?
I grew tense without realizing it, my mouth going dry.
I wanted to sip my tea, but I couldn't reach for the cup. I didn't want to miss a single word.
"I think the same. If our palace had stepped in, the Snow Wind Palace wouldn't have been destroyed."
She sighed and continued.
"But that day, we couldn't step in."
"Do you mean you didn't help—or that you couldn't?"
"Exactly."
Clear anger rose on her face as she answered.
"Why wouldn't we help them? They're not just close to our palace; our disciples' children were there too."
"……."
"Every five years, our North Sea Ice Palace sends everyone except the essential guards north. If we don't periodically eliminate the spirit beasts up there, they become unmanageable."
"Weren't the spirit beasts of the North Sea handled by the Snow Wind Palace?"
"They couldn't handle all of them. So we took one area, they took another. But since this is our North Sea Ice Palace territory, outsiders wouldn't know."
"I see."
"That day, we had gone north to deal with the North Sea spirit beasts."
"……."
She went on.
"We successfully subjugated them and returned, then sent a letter saying we'd meet up for drinks after so long. But... the disciple who delivered it found the Snow Wind Palace reduced to ashes."
"Was there no distress signal or request for aid when they were attacked?"
Even bandits with any scale have systems to send signals.
A place like the North Sea Ice Palace or Snow Wind Palace surely had one.
"Of course there was. But... it wasn't activated. If it had been, our guards would have rushed over, or we would have turned back immediately."
I bit my lip at the news that the emergency signal, which should have activated, hadn't.
Suddenly, I recalled the mad warrior Yu Deok-jin I'd met in Yunnan when I found the Silver Mist Sword.
And the content of the letter in his possession.
"As I told you before, bring that sword to me. Then, I will acknowledge you as my son."
So why had Yu Deok-jin's father ordered his son to bring him that sword?
Because he coveted it?
No, more likely he feared that sword would foil his plan to wipe out the Snow Wind Palace.
In other words, preparations to destroy the Snow Wind Palace had been meticulously underway.
The attack that day probably involved bribing or eliminating whoever would send the aid signal in advance.
Or...
"We investigated afterward and learned the emergency signal device had already been sabotaged."
There was a traitor after all.
But my master had said nothing was left behind?
When I asked about it, the North Sea Ice Palace Lord gave a wry smile.
"No matter how thoroughly they destroyed it, they left in a hurry—traces were bound to remain."
"……."
"And we personally collected the remaining bones and enshrined them."
"That's why my master couldn't find any remains."
"Yes. But please don't tell him. He doesn't know about this."
"Pardon?"
I blinked in confusion. Her words didn't make sense.
"But those remains include his family too. Why not tell him?"
"If he knew, he'd come here without fail."
Of course he...
"We can't be sure the ones who destroyed the Snow Wind Palace have no eyes in the North Sea."
"Ah!"
The Snow Wind Palace was barely keeping its lineage alive in hiding.
So it would be dangerous for my master to come to the North Sea Ice Palace.
That's probably why he hadn't.
I recalled when my master had asked me to check the North Sea traces of the Snow Wind Palace.
He must have planned to go himself, risking a little danger, if he hadn't been injured then.
It happened that the North Sea Ice Palace gates had opened, drawing many people there.
I clasped my hands in a fist salute and bowed to the palace lord.
"I was short-sighted. Thank you for your wise judgment."
"I'm grateful for how much you care about him."
"Of course—he's my master."
A brief silence fell, and the palace lord and I both lifted our teacups.
My throat felt parched.
But knowing the North Sea Ice Palace wasn't an enemy made the tea taste refreshingly cool.
"What I just told you was something I owed to my direct disciple anyway."
"Pardon? Direct disciple? I'm just..."
"The disciple personally instructed by the Snow Wind Palace Lord himself. Do you plan to deny being his direct disciple?"
I scratched the back of my neck, feeling embarrassed.
"So, make another request."
"Then..."
Recalling the favor my master had once asked of me, a name naturally came to mind.
"I'd like to send a simple letter to one of the people who recently entered the Snow Wind Palace."
"A disciple you're close to, I take it."
"Yes."
I told her about Han Jae-in, the younger sister of young hero Han Jae-ik from the Henan One Family Martial Hall.
"The horse clan lord who oppressed their family was punished by imperial law, so I want to relay a message not to worry about the family."
The Ice Palace Lord stared at me steadily.
Why was she looking at me like that?
"Young hero, you really... don't know how to look out for yourself."
What?
I take very good care of myself, thank you very much.
"Do you not realize what a huge opportunity it is to ask a favor of the North Sea Ice Palace Lord?"
"Of course I do."
My help back then had been a big deal for them, but it wasn't much for me.
"You already gave me three silver snow pills at the time. On top of this lavish hospitality, you even allowed my brother entry. And though you say it's only natural, you've cleared up the questions that have nagged at me."
I continued.
"What more could I want?"
Too much greed leads to ruin—asking for more might burst my belly.
A true merchant knows to set a fair price. And in my book, this was it.
At my words, the Ice Palace Lord smiled.
A bright, heartfelt smile, not forced at all.
"Your master is truly fortunate. Or maybe the Snow Wind Palace is."
She went on.
"We'll pass the message to that Jae-in disciple. But even if we hadn't, it was our duty to prevent her from falling into heart demons. Truly no other favors?"
"Then... I'd like to visit where the Snow Wind Palace remains are enshrined. As a disciple of the Snow Wind Palace—and in my master's stead—to pay my respects."
She thought for a moment at my request, then nodded.
"Very well."
"Thank you for your consideration."
I clasped my hands and bowed again.
"By the way, I hear you're keeping Han Ho-su with you."
"Ah, yes. That's right."
"May I see it for a moment?"
I nodded readily and took the golden bell from my sleeve, placing it on the table.
"Kui?"
The golden bell, surprised at being suddenly taken out, looked around, then spotted the palace lord and flinched.
It slowly backed away, clearly terrified of her.
This little guy fears someone after all.
"It's grown quite a bit."
"Yes."
"It still seems young, yet it's already this big... How much money do you feed it?"
"Well..."
I scratched my cheek.
"I'm not entirely sure. I just give it whenever it asks during errands. For big jobs, I feed it gold pieces, and even silver ones—probably ten a month."
"……."
The North Sea Ice Palace Lord fell silent for a moment.
"Can you afford that?"
"Ah, of course."
It was nothing...
"That little one's truly blessed. So, when and where did you meet it?"
"In Yunnan, when I obtained the Silver Mist Sword."
I briefly told her how I'd gotten the Silver Mist Sword and met the golden bell.
She needed to know about it too.
A little later, I withdrew from the palace lord.
Back in my room, as I pondered my next tasks, Young Palace Lord Bing Hae-rin arrived.
"She asked me to guide you there."
"Ah, thank you."
"And personally, I'm grateful."
"Pardon?"
"Truth be told, she's been spending her days quite idly. Thanks to you, she was in good spirits."
It was about the palace lord.
Come to think of it, they said the central plains would quake if the North Sea Ice Palace Lord moved.
That's why she stayed put in the Ice Palace, letting the young palace lord handle affairs.
She led me on a long walk.
I wasn't sure of the direction, but it felt westward—had they placed it as close as possible to the Snow Wind Palace?
Soon, I faced a stone sculpture.
It depicted a beautifully tiled building—an exquisite replica.
"This is the original Snow Wind Palace. Reproduced at about one-hundredth scale."
"Ah..."
"They're enshrined inside."
At that moment, the golden bell burst from my sleeve and rolled on the ground with its feet.
Then it looked up at me with pleading eyes.
This look meant it wanted money... Was it hungry?
It was greedy for money but never begged without reason, so I pulled out a silver piece.
And I couldn't help but be shocked by what the golden bell did next.