Ice Crystal Eyes (2)
I tilted my head at the palace lord's words.
A request? What could it be?
I'd have to hear her out first.
"What is it you wish to ask of me?"
"There's something I'd like you to find. It's not easy to locate by ordinary means, but with your Ice Crystal Eyes, it should be simple."
"And what would be my reward for finding it?"
"It won't just benefit my palace. It'll be good for the Seolpung Palace too."
"……?"
"Thanks to you owning a secret vault, I can explain without wasting time."
No way?
"What we're seeking is the items the former Seolpung Palace Lord, Han Ho-su, hid somewhere."
"I get that finding it would be good for Seolpung Palace, but why do you want it, Palace Lord?"
"Ah, the truth is, I entrusted something to the former lord. He said he'd keep it in his own secret vault. I want it back, but only its owner can access what Han Ho-su hid."
"But your deputy, Gwak, can see it."
"Yes."
Hmm, what to do?
I had no idea what was in the former Seolpung Palace Lord's secret vault. But my instincts were telling me I needed to find it.
The problem was dragging Seo-hyang Sojeo into it.
"All right."
Seo-hyang Sojeo answered then.
"If I can help, it's only natural I step up."
"Thank you."
"Um…… are you sure you're okay with this?"
She nodded at my question.
"I'm fine. I'm glad I can be of use."
……
……
Jin-ho hyung was with Mother-in-law, Aunt-in-law from the outer clan, and my sisters-in-law's aunts……
Huh?
I tilted my head.
"What are you doing right now?"
"Oh, learning how to throw hidden weapons."
"Hidden weapons?"
"Yeah. Not the full training, just the basics. As you know, I'm a man, so I can't learn the Ice Palace's martial arts."
Come to think of it, Jin-ho hyung had no talent for precise techniques like throwing hidden weapons, right?
Shuuk— Thud!
"Hm, your form is shaping up nicely now."
"Thanks to your guidance, Mother-in-law. Haha."
But watching him, it seemed less like a lack of talent and more like he'd never been properly taught.
Come to think of it, I'd never seen the outer chief officer use hidden weapons either.
This was a good opportunity for Jin-ho hyung.
Playing around throwing hidden weapons, though—classic North Sea Ice Palace.
I told my brother I'd accepted the palace lord's request and would be stepping out briefly.
"I'll be back."
"Sure, take care."
With that, Seo-hyang Sojeo and I passed through the Door of Mist and headed to the Ice Palace Inn.
Bing Hae-rin, the little palace lord, came with us.
Sending the little palace lord along suggested whatever the palace lord sought was quite important.
Of course it was—why else would she go to such lengths?
The real reason her face had lit up upon first seeing Seo-hyang Sojeo might have been the hope of finally retrieving it.
But…… what was she looking for?
I was curious, but I couldn't very well ask Bing Hae-rin……
Well, it'll come out naturally enough.
When we arrived at the Ice Palace Inn, Palgap greeted me at the door.
"Young master, you're here?"
"You knew I was coming?"
Our plan had been to leave the Ice Palace tomorrow morning, so I'd assumed he'd be resting inside.
"Just a feeling you'd show up, so I came out."
Palgap's instincts were incredible.
Hearing my voice, the other guards rushed out.
"You're back?"
"Earlier than expected. Is something the matter?"
I nodded at their questions.
"Something came up. So, anyone free right now?"
They answered immediately.
"We're always ready for your command."
"Just give the order."
So reliable.
Soon after, we geared up thoroughly and set out.
"Do we really have to search all this vast North Sea?"
Bing Hae-rin shook her head at my question.
"No. It's too big for the palace lord to ask something so unreasonable."
"Then……"
"Probably around where Seolpung Palace stood."
"……."
I hesitated, then asked carefully.
"Are you okay with that?"
"Huh? With what?"
"That place……."
"It's fine. I barely remember it anyway."
She said it matter-of-factly.
"Let's hurry. If the snow wind picks up, we'll lose time."
And so we headed to the site of the former Seolpung Palace.
Climbing a hill of snow, we spotted something in the distance.
That must have been it.
Just as they'd said—everything destroyed.
Only faint traces remained; nothing of significance.
"No point getting closer. I don't recommend it either."
Those who wiped out Seolpung Palace might still be watching.
And from the gold bell's records, Han Ho-su was clever.
In a crisis like that, he wouldn't hide it inside or near Seolpung Palace.
But as a guardian, he couldn't stray too far.
So it had to be around here.
But even scouring the area with that logic yielded nothing.
Just endless snow-covered plains.
Where the hell had he hidden it?
I felt at a loss.
Still, too early to give up.
We took long poles and started probing the snow.
Twenty years since Seolpung Palace's destruction.
Considering the terrain and climate, whatever we sought was likely buried deep.
About an hour of trudging through snow later—
"Kkwi?"
Geum-ryeong, tucked in my sleeve, tilted its head.
"What's up, Geum-ryeong?"
"Kkwi!"
It hopped out onto the snow and dashed off somewhere.
Huff huff!
Geum-ryeong tapped the ground, drooling all over.
Aigoo, what a waste!
That's precious stuff!
But if it was drooling like that, something tasty for it must be nearby.
I scooped it up and said,
"Let's dig here."
"Okay."
We dug where Geum-ryeong had been. Soon, we found something.
This?
I picked it up. A bundle of gold ingots.
Why was this here?
What to do with it?
I glanced at Bing Hae-rin with those questions.
"North Sea rule: finders keepers."
"Got it."
I counted the ingots in my pouch. Eleven in total.
"Hard to get an even number like this. Real luck."
Our group: me, Seo-hyang Sojeo, Palgap, and six guards—nine people.
Plus Bing Hae-rin made ten.
And we couldn't forget Geum-ryeong's key role.
I handed one to each.
Then offered one to Geum-ryeong.
"Here, yours."
"Kkwi?"
It eyed me like, Really? I nodded.
Geum-ryeong gulped it down in one go.
Whoa, not even gold coins—this big ingot, whole. Impressive.
That sparked an idea.
"From now on, sniff out valuables around here. I'll pay you a cut."
"Kkwiit!"
Geum-ryeong excitedly bounced around.
"Huh? Dig here?"
Silver pieces.
Pat pat pat.
"Whoa, something here too?"
A spirit medicine.
Hop hop hop.
"Here as well?"
Gold coins.
"Heavens, why is all this treasure buried in the North Sea?"
Bing Hae-rin explained.
"This North Sea is a land for fugitives, like that Zhu Yong."
True, there was that saying.
A prime destination for those who couldn't live openly in the Central Plains.
They'd liquidate assets into gold and silver, of course.
Hide here, dreaming of returning someday.
But they didn't know.
How harsh and unforgiving the North Sea was.
Bloodthirsty spirit beasts were one thing.
Sudden blizzards claimed far more.
Beasts took the bodies; treasure was all that remained.
Spirit beasts don't eat gold or silver.
"So, ownerless stuff."
"Pretty much."
As we talked, Geum-ryeong acted oddly.
Not drooling, but tilting its head uncertainly.
Like it sensed something pricey buried, but wasn't sure.
Could it be?
I told everyone,
"Let's dig here."
"Yes."
We grabbed shovels and dug. This time, deep.
How far down?
Thud.
Something hit the shovel.
We dug carefully from there.
But nothing visible.
Just something hard.
Then Seo-hyang Sojeo spoke, voice trembling.
"Something…… there."
"Yes?"
"That…… looks covered in cloth…… Am I the only one seeing it?"
"Seems so."
She hopped down from above, took the shovel from me, and dug a bit beside our pit.
Then lifted something with both hands.
We all gaped.
The hidden trove revealed.
Everything imaginable.
Jewels, small boxes, scrolls, weapons.
An enormous haul.
And on one small box, the inscription:
[To the Little Palace Lord of Seolpung Palace, my son Myeong-hyeon]
I bit my lip.
This was the palace lord's legacy to his son.
We'd found it.
Was it this box that sparked my intuition?
I pulled out a gold coin and gave it to Geum-ryeong.
"Here, your share."
"Kkwi?"
A look like, Just this?
"Geum-ryeong? I said a cut, not how much."
"Kku…… kkwi……."
Perplexed expression.
"You've eaten plenty today. Gold ingot, gold coins, silver…… Too much and you'll get sick."
……Does Han Ho-su get tummy aches?
Probably not, but anyway……
"That's enough for today. Now move all this to my secret vault. Can you?"
Geum-ryeong nodded.
Once everything was in my vault, all that remained was……
Climbing out of this snow pit.
My guards, all first-rate or better, scaled it easily.
Palgap, much improved, followed without issue.
But Seo-hyang Sojeo wasn't there yet, so I had to carry her up.
"Maybe I shouldn't have come down."
"Nonsense. Who else could have spotted those?"
I scooped her up in both arms.
Her face flushed; I chuckled.
From this angle, she really is stunning.
Gah! What am I thinking……
Shaking off the thought, I kicked off and leaped, setting her down gently.
For some reason…… her plum blossom scent clung to me, refusing to fade.
……
……
We returned to the Ice Palace Inn.
The day had waned; evening already.
Seo-hyang Sojeo, Bing Hae-rin, and I passed through the Door of Mist back to North Sea Ice Palace.
Straight to the palace lord's chambers.
"Come in."
She knew we were here.
We entered; she offered seats.
"How did it go?"
Faint hope lit her face.
I smiled confidently.
"Found it."
"Really?"
"Yes."
I stood, opened my secret vault.
Laid out everything we'd found. I didn't know which was hers.
She rummaged through.
After a while, her hand stopped.
She held a terribly worn box.
Frayed, on the verge of crumbling—yet she cradled it like a treasure.
She sank down, set it on her lap, and carefully opened the lid.
Inside: several sheets of aged paper…… and a single blue jade ring.
A plain ring, no ornate carving.
She gazed at it with deep affection.
What could that ring be, to earn such tender eyes?