Bachelor Swordsmanship Remastered [EN]: Chapter 180

180. North Sea Ice Palace

“Hoo-ooo.”

With a deep sigh, Unhyun moved his reluctant feet.

*Turbuk, turbuk.*

Beyond the low hill, a carriage came into view.

And the figures of his companions, waiting for Unhyun, were also visible.

They stood silently in their places until Unhyun approached.

Thud.

Stopping, Unhyun lowered his head.

“I’m sorry.”

The guilt of being late and losing the Falling Sun Sword weighed heavily, causing Unhyun to bow deeply.

Unbeknownst to Unhyun, Bingseol flinched and stepped back.

Nor did he see the Little Palace Master watching him with a complex expression.

Swish.

Unhyun raised his head.

“Ahem.”

Jegeal Giho cleared his throat, and Bingseol immediately averted her gaze.

Doggorang stood silently as always, but the Twelfth Palace Master stared at Unhyun with unusually bright eyes.

‘Huh?’

Unhyun wore a puzzled expression.

“…Um.”

“Are you finished now?”

The Twelfth Palace Master was about to say something, but the Little Palace Master spoke first.

Unhyun hesitated before opening his mouth.

“Ah, yes. But, um…”

Unhyun continued with difficulty.

“Could we stay here for one more day?”

The Little Palace Master’s eyebrows furrowed slightly.

But Unhyun couldn’t help it.

He absolutely couldn’t admit that he had lost the Falling Sun.

But he couldn’t leave like this either.

He had to stay at least one more day and search the surroundings.

Even if it was a futile hope.

But what excuse could he make?

Just as Unhyun was thinking of all sorts of excuses.

“Haa.”

The Little Palace Master sighed softly.

“…Alright.”

Unexpectedly, she spoke willingly.

“If that’s what you want, then so be it. How could someone like us dare to go against your wishes?”

‘Huh?’

Unhyun was puzzled, wondering what this sudden change was about.

But Doggorang, Jegeal Giho, and even the Twelfth Palace Master nodded in agreement.

“…Um, what’s going on?”

“Ah, and.”

The Little Palace Master raised her head, looked straight at Unhyun, and said.

“From now on, please practice a little further away. Waking up suddenly in fear is enough for today.”

Rustle.

The Little Palace Master turned and headed for the carriage.

And the Twelfth Palace Master and Jegeal Giho also looked at Unhyun as if in agreement.

“Pardon?”

Unhyun belatedly asked, but the Little Palace Master was already entering the carriage with Bingseol.

Clack.

The carriage door closed, and Unhyun looked back at the Little Palace Master and Jegeal Giho.

“Oh dear, the fire’s about to go out.”

“I’ll go get some firewood.”

Jegeal Giho quickly clung to the bonfire, and the Twelfth Palace Master hurriedly moved away.

Unhyun couldn’t understand at all.

But one thing was certain.

There was no sign of the meal that should have been there.

Although the sun was already high in the sky, the group had not yet eaten breakfast.

***

The group stayed there for two more days, not just one.

Unhyun, who had barely managed to get another day, skipped his training and searched the surroundings, turning over every stone.

But he couldn’t find the blade of the Falling Sun Sword.

He wondered if it had flown far away and searched the surroundings extensively, but it was still nowhere to be found.

In the end, Unhyun had no choice but to give up.

‘It’s just a guess that the blade came off.’

When he thought about it, it was impossible for only the blade to come off while the handle was intact.

After all, the part that fixed the blade to the handle hadn’t broken.

‘So, only the blade disappeared?’

In any case, the fact that the blade of the Falling Sun Sword had disappeared remained unchanged.

And the Little Palace Master’s gaze towards Unhyun was becoming seriously cold.

In the end, Unhyun had to leave without saying a word to anyone, suffering in silence.

Clatter, clatter.

“Finally, the wasteland is over.”

Jegeal Giho said with a happy expression.

From yesterday, sparse green grass had begun to appear, and now the surroundings were filled with lush green meadows.

The wasteland was over, and the great plains of the North Sea had begun.

“Will we see a village soon too?”

Jegeal Giho said with expectant eyes.

He missed proper food and a warm bed, but above all, he wanted to wash.

But the Little Palace Master poured cold water on his expectations.

“We don’t have time to stay in a village. It’s not far to the Ice Palace now, so we’ll run without rest.”

“What? Why not? Just stopping by a village for a bit…”

“We’ve already wasted two days.”

The Little Palace Master said firmly.

“There’s no time.”

“But still…”

Jegeal Giho was about to say something but soon sighed.

He knew that the Little Palace Master would never back down.

“And.”

The Little Palace Master turned to Unhyun and said.

“Don’t show the Falling Sun to anyone for the time being.”

Unhyun, who had been unusually quiet since then, sighed with a hollow expression.

“…I won’t.”

The Little Palace Master frowned, but Unhyun didn’t care.

‘There’s nothing to show anyway.’

Even if he wanted to show it, there was no sword to show.

All he had was the handle and scabbard of the Falling Sun; the exterior looked plausible, but it would be immediately exposed if he drew it.

“Is there something you don’t like?”

At the Little Palace Master’s sharp voice, Unhyun raised his head.

The Little Palace Master’s sharp eyes were looking at him challengingly.

As if telling him to speak up if there was something he didn’t like.

Unhyun gave a bitter smile.

“It’s not that… Ah!”

Suddenly, an idea came to Unhyun.

“Little Palace Master.”

Unhyun said with a serious look.

“When we get to the Ice Palace, please let me see the Ice Lord first.”

The Little Palace Master’s eyes sparkled.

However, she shook her head.

“I can’t promise that.”

“Then.”

Unhyun said again.

“At least let me show the Falling Sun Sword to the Ice Lord first.”

The Little Palace Master frowned.

She couldn’t understand what Unhyun’s intention was in saying this.

But anyway, Unhyun had to meet the Ice Lord.

“Alright. I’ll do that.”

The Little Palace Master nodded.

“As much as possible.”

“Pardon?”

Unhyun involuntarily asked back, but the Little Palace Master turned her head instead of answering.

Unhyun couldn’t ask further.

Because the Little Palace Master’s expression, as she looked out the window, was stiff.

***

Jegeal Giho had many complaints.

He sat slouched the whole time, pouting his lips and not hiding his discomfort.

Unhyun found it both absurd and funny to see Jegeal Giho, who was an adult and even large, acting like that.

“To come all the way to the North Sea and not even get to see a city, does that make any sense?”

Jegeal Giho grumbled to himself.

“There’s no environment as stimulating to romance as a night in an unfamiliar city. No, the beauties of the North Sea are waiting, and to just pass by without doing anything!”

The lament was now turning into an unjust appeal.

“They’re not waiting.”

The Twelfth Palace Master said in a clear voice.

“No woman is waiting for an old man. Not at all.”

Jegeal Giho frowned and looked at the Twelfth Palace Master.

“I’m not an old man, I’m an *oppa* [term used by younger women to address older men they are close to, like ‘older brother’]. Or an older brother.”

“Ew.”

The Twelfth Palace Master stuck out her tongue and made a disgusted face.

Having met men who flirted with her in the martial arts world, she was naturally disgusted.

Jegeal Giho sighed.

“What does it matter anyway? It’s not like the carriage is going to turn around.”

As he said, it was true.

Since the Little Palace Master’s will was firm, the carriage would not stop until it reached the North Sea Ice Palace.

“How can there not be a single village during those few days of camping?”

Jegeal Giho lamented.

At night, even the Little Palace Master had to stop the carriage and rest.

But as fate would have it, there were no cities or villages near where the group was camping.

All there was was the endless great plains.

Perhaps the Little Palace Master was taking a shortcut, and that’s why there were few villages.

Clatter, clatter.

While Jegeal Giho was oscillating between anger and resignation, the carriage was running.

Unhyun, who was looking out the window, suddenly realized that the scenery had changed.

“There are many trees.”

Tall, slender trees soared high into the sky.

They were quite dense, but perhaps because the branches were not very lush, they looked eerie.

“That’s right.”

Jegeal Giho also looked out the window and nodded.

“The North Sea seems more livable than I thought. I thought there would only be ice fields.”

“There are.”

The Little Palace Master said softly.

She too was looking out the window.

“Deep beneath those trees, there is land that never melts throughout the year. So, the saying that it’s an ice field isn’t entirely wrong.”

“But it doesn’t look that cold?”

Jegeal Giho shrugged.

“This is enough…”

“The people here don’t prepare for summer at all.”

The Little Palace Master interrupted Jegeal Giho’s words.

“Because summer passes quickly. You are seeing the summer that comes for only a very short time of the year.”

Unhyun nodded.

The reason why even the lush forest looked desolate was not just because of the color of the trees.

“Then what about winter?”

Unhyun asked.

“When you breathe, the energy gathers on your eyebrows and freezes.”

The Little Palace Master said calmly.

“Even if you don’t sweat, your skin freezes just from breathing, and if you cry, your tears freeze and you go blind. That is the winter of the North Sea.”

Not being able to breathe or cry was not just because of the extreme cold.

Somehow, the expression seemed to tell of her past years, and Unhyun’s heart felt heavy.

“Whew, not even being able to breathe properly, it’s a truly dreadful land.”

Jegeal Giho clicked his tongue.

“It’s a land of grace.”

The Little Palace Master said quietly.

“The reason we can live even in such harsh conditions is because this land exists. Therefore, we never forget the gratitude we have for this land.”

Her eyes were shining.

At that sight, Unhyun and Jegeal Giho were silent for a moment.

Clatter, clatter.

The carriage was slowly leaving the forest.

And it was the very next moment.

“Wow!”

Jegeal Giho exclaimed.

Unhyun was also surprised.

Whoosh.

The view opened up, and a vast expanse of water revealed itself.

It was the North Sea.

“T-This is the North Sea…”

Jegeal Giho stammered.

Although strictly inland, the North Sea, which had the name ‘sea,’ was very wide, befitting its name.

The surface of the water, sparkling in the sunlight, formed a horizon far away, and the cold wind was enough to clear one’s chest.

It was truly a spectacle.

“Yes. This is the North Sea.”

The Little Palace Master said without taking her eyes off the North Sea.

“And that is.”

The group followed the Little Palace Master’s gaze.

Beyond the clear sea, a tall white building stood like a fantasy.

“That is the Ice Palace.”

In the Little Palace Master’s low voice, a complicated emotion was evident.

Unhyun clearly saw her turn her gaze away from the Ice Palace.

“Wow, that’s the Ice Palace?”

Jegeal Giho said in an excited voice.

“It’s more like a fortress than a palace?”

It seemed that way to Unhyun too.

The sight of it rising next to the transparent North Sea certainly inspired awe, but its exterior was closer to a fortress than a palace.

“Come to think of it.”

Jegeal Giho muttered to himself.

“I heard that the North Sea Ice Palace has mountains of beauties and treasures…”

Unhyun gave a bitter smile.

It seemed that those beauties and treasures were always a part of the story, no matter where he went.

“The Ice Palace, this is something to look forward to.”

Jegeal Giho said with shining eyes.

Perhaps having noticed his heart?

Clatter, clatter.

The North Sea’s swift horses began to gallop even faster across the plains.

The distant North Sea Ice Palace was gradually getting closer.