Chapter 610

"How’s your condition?"

Namgung Bi-ah didn’t respond to the question.

She simply stared at the young man in silence, observing him.

"In case it bothers you, let me clarify."

The young man gestured to Namgung Bi-ah’s waist with his hand.

"The treatment wasn’t done by me. I had another woman take care of it, so there’s no need to…"

"I don’t care."

"…I see."

Her curt reply made the young man chuckle awkwardly.

"Let me ask again: how are you feeling?"

Again, Namgung Bi-ah gave no verbal response.

Instead, she lifted her bound hands, showing him the shackles.

Clank.

The chains binding her wrists rattled.

As the young man looked at them, Namgung Bi-ah spoke.

"Release me."

"Ha-ha."

Her demand made him laugh incredulously.

That she could say it so boldly left him at a loss for words.

"If I could release you, I would have done it already."

"Then release me now."

"Sword Dancer, I’m telling you, I can’t."

"Why?"

"…"

Why?

For a moment, he was at a loss.

How was he supposed to answer that?

Looking at her genuinely puzzled expression, the young man gave a bitter smile.

"Because this is the only way to keep you alive."

The words he finally uttered only served to tear at his heart.

It was a miserable excuse, one he despised having to say aloud.

"Don’t even think about escaping. Those shackles aren’t something you can easily break."

"…"

Namgung Bi-ah’s expression subtly shifted upon hearing that.

She had, after all, been discreetly testing the strength of the chains.

And now she understood.

‘It’s suppressing me.’

Her energy wasn’t flowing properly, likely due to the shackles.

Had the young man noticed her efforts?

"Your internal injuries probably haven’t fully healed yet, so just rest for now."

He spoke in a calm, measured tone.

"…"

Hearing his words, Namgung Bi-ah stopped testing the restraints and relaxed her hands.

Then she turned her gaze away, scanning her surroundings.

Vrrr—!

Though the persistent vibration of the Thunder Fang at her waist was bothersome, assessing her surroundings took priority.

It was too dark to see clearly, but it didn’t feel like an ordinary room.

As something brushed against her senses, Namgung Bi-ah asked the young man.

"A formation?"

"Correct."

The space was indeed enveloped by a formation.

She could sense its presence but couldn’t discern its specifics.

The shackles blocking her energy made it impossible to determine more.

In short, there was nothing she could do at the moment.

"Hm…"

Accepting this, Namgung Bi-ah suddenly shifted her body, lying down comfortably.

"Huh?"

The young man let out an incredulous breath at the sight.

Her behavior was so unexpected it left him dumbfounded.

Namgung Bi-ah had simply lain down.

As if she had decided to take it easy and rest, her posture was entirely relaxed.

"…What are you doing?"

Seeing this, the young man asked, and Namgung Bi-ah turned her head slightly to answer.

"…I’m going to sleep."

"In this situation…?"

"…You’re not releasing me, are you?"

"Well, no, but…"

How could she be so unapologetically bold?

Her behavior was beyond anything he could have anticipated. To lie down without a hint of hesitation—

Watching her made his chest ache all the more.

So he had to ask.

"How can you… not ask me anything?"

Why wasn’t she asking?

He had to know.

Namgung Bi-ah turned her gaze toward him, her silence lingering for a moment.

She knew what he was asking.

Why had things come to this?

Why had he created this situation?

Why wasn’t she questioning him about it?

"I already asked," she replied.

She was referring to their encounter before she lost consciousness.

And she still remembered his answer from then.

"You said there was something you had to protect."

"…"

Something he had to protect.

Just as she had something she needed to protect.

That’s why he had done what he did.

That’s what their conversation had been about.

"What else is there to ask…?"

"…Nothing."

It was the best answer he could give, though it was wholly unsatisfying to hear.

Even knowing this, Namgung Bi-ah didn’t press him further.

The young man, however, couldn’t understand her restraint.

"Don’t you resent me?"

It was him who had targeted her as she fled.

He had deployed soldiers to block her escape and sent elites of a higher caliber to inflict both external and internal injuries on her.

Was that truly something he had to do?

He wasn’t sure.

If he claimed it was necessary, it would sound like an excuse.

If he admitted he shouldn’t have done it, it would feel like a justification.

In the end, even rescuing her had been an act of self-serving guilt.

Namgung Bi-ah replied, "…Not really."

Not really?

How could she not resent him?

As this thought began to take shape—

"You made your choice," she said in her usual calm tone.

"I assume there must have been a reason…"

"…"

There was a certainty in her words.

Hearing them, the young man’s bitter smile faded entirely. He could no longer even feign amusement.

"Because you’re his friend," she added.

Her words struck him like a blade to the heart.

No, he had already decided not to call himself by that name anymore.

Those memories were something he needed to bury far away to survive the present.

"Ha-ha… That’s your reason for trusting me?"

"Do you need more?"

"Normally, yes. A lot more."

Yes, a great deal more. It was the sort of trust that required countless reasons.

But for her, this alone was enough.

"Sword Dancer."

"Yes?"

"Do you think… he still sees me as a friend?"

"I don’t know."

How could she know?

The young man thought to himself that the answer was likely no.

If his friend ever learned the truth, what kind of expression would he wear when looking at him?

It wasn’t a thought he wanted to entertain.

As a cold wind swept through the room, Namgung Bi-ah spoke again.

"And you? What do you think?"

"…"

What did he think?

Did he still consider his friend a friend?

‘Who knows.’

The young man couldn’t answer.

If he still thought of him as a friend, could he have done any of this?

He didn’t know.

And now, it was far too late to think about it.

Creak.

The young man rose from his chair.

He didn’t answer her question.

"I’ll take my leave now."

"…"

Namgung Bi-ah didn’t seem to expect an answer anyway.

As he turned toward the door and began walking away, Namgung Bi-ah’s voice called out.

"…Still."

At her words—

"When you meet him… apologize."

The young man froze in place.

Her tone was sharp and cold, filled with firm resolve.

Though she had remained indifferent to her own pain and situation, she was different when it came to this.

"He’ll be hurting a lot."

"…Hurting? Him?"

"He’s fragile."

Fragile.

It was the word that least suited his friend.

To the young man, his friend seemed like someone who wouldn’t falter even if the whole world collapsed.

"If you make him cry, I won’t forgive you."

"…"

It wasn’t the kind of thing one usually said in this situation.

But the young man didn’t argue. He didn’t feel he had the right to.

"…Fine. If I ever meet him again, I’ll apologize."

By now, his friend was likely somewhere in Zhongyuan.

If, by chance, his friend ever came to the North Sea after hearing news of him—

‘I’ll probably be gone by then.’

He wouldn’t be there anymore.

It was inevitable.

‘I hope my apology, given in such a way, will be enough.’

If he could atone with his life, perhaps it would help.

Such foolish thoughts crossed his mind.

Creak.

The young man opened the door and stepped outside.

As he walked down the corridor, he brushed away his thoughts.

Only one thing now filled his mind.

[Cheong-ah! Cheong-ah!]

A voice from a distant past.

A time when he wasn’t Woo Hyuk, but someone else.

The happiest days of his life.

In his mind, he saw a silver-haired girl running toward him with a bright smile.

[Come play with me!]

Completely unconcerned with his circumstances, she called for him with laughter.

It was such a simple memory.

An ordinary day that might have meant nothing to anyone else.

And yet, it was a memory he now had to carry alone.

On the day he left the North Sea for Zhongyuan, the boy had spoken to the girl.

[If, by some chance, I survive and see you again.]

Even as arrows pierced his back and blood flowed freely, the boy had smiled at the crying girl.

[Then I’ll—]

The memory dissolved into mist, fading away.

The young man shook his head, forcing it from his mind.

There was no need to recall it.

Even that was an excuse—a justification no one would ever accept.

He kept walking.

Tap.

His footsteps echoed through the dark, unlit corridor.

*************

A full moon hung in the dark sky.

The surroundings were pitch black, emphasizing that it was night, and snow was falling relentlessly.

"This is absolutely insane."

I cursed as I pushed through the blizzard.

Why didn’t this godforsaken weather show any signs of calming down?

The more I saw of it, the more I hated it.

What kind of land was this?

It was utterly absurd.

The North Sea, they said, had snow falling all year round.

Supposedly, when the Blood Demon wreaked havoc, something happened here that permanently changed the environment.

When I’d first heard about it, I’d thought,

“Oh, is that so?”

and left it at that.

But now that I was here, it was far worse than I could have imagined.

"How can anyone possibly live in this place?"

The cold was unrelenting, and snow fell at all hours. Farming would be impossible under these conditions.

Which meant the only way to gather food in this environment would be hunting, wouldn’t it?

It seemed like the only option was to catch something and eat it.

But in this cold, how many animals could possibly exist?

Even so, people somehow survived here. There must have been a way.

But whatever it was, it didn’t change the fact that this place was utterly miserable.

Swaaaah—!

The blizzard reduced visibility to near zero.

In this environment, I wondered how anyone could find their way.

But honestly, it didn’t matter where I looked.

Vrrr—!

All I needed was to follow the vibration I felt in my chest.

As I moved, I adjusted my steps.

‘This way, to the north.’

I changed my course, heading in the direction where I could sense the energy.

Of course, no matter where I moved, the only thing in sight was still the endless blizzard.

Looking at it, I muttered, "This place is absolute hell."

Was this even a place worth calling land? It made my blood boil.

Grinding my teeth and letting out curses, I heard an uneasy cough from behind me.

"Ahem… Sir, no matter how terrible it is… perhaps you shouldn’t curse like that in front of someone who lives here…"

"What? You got a problem with it?"

"N-no, sir."

I was about to lash out further, but the woman behind me shut her mouth with a dejected tone.

Yeah, of course, she wouldn’t have anything else to say.

She knew that if she spoke out of turn, I’d leave her behind.

Satisfied with her silence, I turned my eyes back to the front.

"Talk about rotten luck."

As if the miserable weather wasn’t enough…

"In this horrible blizzard, I even have to carry a heavy burden."

"H-heavy burden?!"

Her voice rose, offended by my words.

"What else would you be but a heavy burden?"

"I… I am not heavy!"

Even so, she didn’t seem to deny the term “burden.”

"Not heavy? You’ve got no shame. Then again, if you had any, you wouldn’t have followed me in the first place."

"That’s not—!"

"Ah, shut it. One more word, and I’ll leave you behind."

"…"

Only after my warning did she finally fall silent.

Sigh.

I let out a deep sigh and continued moving.

The path ahead still looked long, stretching endlessly before me.

And so, on this endless road—

I was moving through the North Sea with Yury, the second princess of the Ice Palace.

Carrying her on my back, no less.