Chapter 400: If We Had Met, He Would Have Just Thrown a Drunken Fit

TL: FoodieMonster007

The Saintess's hall sat at the very top of the North Sea Ice Palace's tower. The tower itself looked like crooked icicles jutting toward the sky, a mystical sight.

At its entrance, Han Seol suddenly remembered what Geom Mugeuk had said.

"I am a person who considers a subordinate's reasons more important than the organization."

She abruptly turned to Chan, the subordinate who had followed her to the entrance.

"Do you have a reason, too?" she asked.

Chan looked confused. "What kind of reason are you referring to?"

"A reason that I would need to understand."

He could not comprehend the question.

"I do not," Chan answered curtly. Han Seol left him behind and entered the tower.

Chan watched her go, a strange expression on his face. She had never asked such a question before, and it sparked a thought.

Princess, has something come up that I need to understand?

Han Seol walked up the ice stairs. Everything in sight looked like ice. The structure was built with the North Sea Ice Palace's unique architectural techniques, made of something that was ice yet not ice. Light entered through the windows and reflected in various colors, adding to the mystique.

Even as she ascended the fantastical space, Han Seol's thoughts were extremely realistic.

This is normal. Why is the word 'understanding' even necessary between a leader and a subordinate? Even parents and children can't understand each other.

Her mother waited at the top of the tower.

Ice Empress Han Seogyeong. She was a woman of iron, reputed to have a heart made of ice.

She was also known as the most martially gifted among the recent generations of Ice Empresses. Of course, since she had never revealed her martial arts to the outside world, no one knew the true extent of her skills. The Ice Palace's strength lay in this secrecy and mystique, its power unrevealed.

"Saintess."

To Han Seol, she was not Mom, but Mother, and not Mother, but the Ice Empress. It had been that way since she was young. Her mother had never once held her in a warm embrace. If Han Seol took one step forward, her mother would take two steps back. She was raised strictly as a Princess, and to her, her mother was a stern Ice Empress.

If their faces had not been so similar that anyone could tell they were mother and daughter, Han Seol might have suspected she was not her biological mother.

Though they now stood less than five steps apart, the cliff between them was impossibly deep. They looked at each other from opposite ends of that cliff.

"The person who kidnapped the second brother of the Northern Blood Sect was, as expected, a martial artist from the Demonic Cult."

It was a significant report, revealing that the Demonic Cult had intervened in the North Sea's affairs. Despite this, the Ice Empress was not greatly perturbed.

"It was an act committed unilaterally by a subordinate, and the Young Cult Leader seemed to be covering for him."

The Ice Empress's eyes asked for a reason, but Han Seol could not answer. It was something she herself could not understand.

"He seemed to be a cherished subordinate."

Then, the Ice Empress spoke in a calm tone. "Even so, we cannot allow a blood relative of the Northern Blood Sect to die at their hands."

The Northern Blood Sect had asked for help, and her mother was trying to grant their request. Han Seol did not know what kind of deal her mother had struck with the Northern Blood Sect Leader.

"For now, I have told the Young Cult Leader to hand over the subordinate's whereabouts."

"If he is a cherished subordinate as you say, will he hand him over so easily?"

"I suppose not."

The Ice Empress's gaze flew toward Han Seol again, demanding the answer she was thinking of.

Did her mother, no, did the Saintess know how suffocating this was?

It had been this way since she was a child. Her mother believed she had to find the answers herself. That was how one became strong. As if that was the correct answer.

Mother, that answer is wrong.

She had wished her mother would be a refuge, a place to rest for a moment from a world that always urged her to find the answer. She had wished her mother would be waiting at the end of this road with open arms.

Now, even that lingering regret from the past had vanished for Han Seol.

"I will find a way."

She bowed politely and was about to turn away when she spoke as if she had just remembered something.

"Oh, the reason the Young Cult Leader came with the Drunken Demon was because of the deceased owner of the Hundred Wines Snow Cellar."

"How did the Drunken Demon react to her death?"

"He didn't seem to believe that she took her own life."

"The Drunken Demon will not leave so easily, then."

The Ice Empress knew what kind of relationship the Drunken Demon and the owner of the Hundred Wines Snow Cellar had.

"Then I will take my leave."

Han Seol bowed politely once more and turned away. Though she was her daughter, her report was no different from those of her subordinates. One might have found that regrettable, yet neither of them showed any sign of it.

From behind, the Ice Empress called out.

"Princess."

Han Seol turned back again.

"The Young Cult Leader is the one who brought about the orthodox, unorthodox, and demonic summit. Do not underestimate him."

When her mother spoke so formally, it was to emphasize that something was truly important. Han Seol had not yet sensed that Geom Mugeuk was such a person, but she bowed her head respectfully.

"I will keep that in mind."

The Ice Empress watched the faint silhouette of Han Seol turn and descend the tower stairs through the transparent ice floor.

Geom Mugeuk and the Drunken Demon stood on a snow-covered field. After standing for a long while, the Drunken Demon spoke abruptly.

"This is it. The place where the owner first told me she liked me."

That was back when he was still young, before he had even become a Demon Supreme.

"Why didn't you accept her feelings?"

The Drunken Demon turned his head to look at Geom Mugeuk.

"Back then, my life was overwhelming with just alcohol alone."

"What do you mean?"

"The competitors vying to become the Drunken Demon were crazy about alcohol. On the other hand, I…"

"You didn't like alcohol as much as they did."

The Drunken Demon nodded meekly. This was the first time Geom Mugeuk had heard this. He had thought the Drunken Demon must have loved alcohol more than anyone from the very beginning.

Yes, sometimes life pushes us in such unexpected directions. A person who couldn't kill an ant might become an assassin, and someone who got chills just from looking at a blade might become a famous swordsman, and then, as if it had always been that way, they adapt all too well.

"You like alcohol now, don't you?"

At that, the Drunken Demon smirked. "Like it? It's my entire life."

Geom Mugeuk smiled with him.

"Her help was a big part of why I came to like alcohol this much. We were awkward at first, but gradually we exchanged letters, talking purely about alcohol. We talked about the stories she sent about liquor, and about all sorts of spirits from the Central Plains."

Geom Mugeuk could feel it. She had been the Drunken Demon's kindred spirit, bound by alcohol.

"When you think about it, her help was a big reason I rose to this position and was able to achieve my martial arts. I knew she was such a grateful person, yet I only came to see her now. I'm this selfish of a bastard."

That was the reason for the Drunken Demon's rage. It was the sorrow of losing a kindred spirit and the anger at the reality that he could no longer turn back time.

That's just how life is.

Geom Mugeuk was about to say this but stopped himself. That was not what the Drunken Demon wanted to hear right now.

"You're a bad guy!"

The Drunken Demon nodded. "Yes, I'm a bad guy."

As if waiting for that confession, snowflakes began to fall. In the Central Plains, flower petals fluttered down, but here, it snowed.

The Drunken Demon looked up at the sky.

"I am a bad guy!" he shouted.

His shout echoed. Geom Mugeuk looked up at the snowing sky with him.

"Where in the world is there a good Demon Supreme? They're all bad guys. She'll understand you, Hyung. She must have been happy sending you alcohol. Maybe it was better that you exchanged letters without meeting. If you had met, you would have just thrown a drunken fit. You did well. That was probably better for her."

The Drunken Demon looked at Geom Mugeuk. The kid would never know what a great comfort those words were.

Seeing his trembling eyes, Geom Mugeuk gave a silent nod and moved on.

"Still, we have to catch whoever did this, right?"

Since the Drunken Demon was convinced it was not a suicide, someone must have driven her to her death.

"To investigate that incident, we have to enter the Ice Palace."

Geom Mugeuk had already formulated a plan for the Drunken Demon's concern.

"The fact that the North Sea Ice Palace has stepped in on the Northern Blood Sect's matter means they have a reason to grant their request."

"That would make sense."

"So if we solve that problem for them, they'll let us investigate this incident."

The Drunken Demon understood Geom Mugeuk's intention. He planned to trade the return of the Northern Blood Sect Leader's second brother's son for permission to investigate this case.

"What if they've already killed the guy?"

"If they wanted to kill him, they would have killed him from the start instead of kidnapping him. The fact that they kidnapped him means it's probably to save someone."

"Do you even know where he is now?"

As expected, the answer came without hesitation.

"If he's pulled something this important, he would have informed Go Wol of his whereabouts through the Hidden Moon, even if no one else knows. You can tell just by the fact that he hasn't been discovered by the searches of the Northern Blood Sect and the Ice Palace. He's probably in the Hidden Moon's North Sea safehouse right now."

Geom Mugeuk knew better than anyone how meticulous Go Wol's work was. Go Wol's safehouse would be a true safehouse.

"Don't you know your subordinate too well?"

"A heart isn't called a heart for nothing. Let's go."

Geom Mugeuk and the Drunken Demon began to walk slowly through the increasingly heavy snowfall.

"The deadline passed, and there was no contact from the Northern Blood Sect."

Lee Ahn never imagined the Northern Blood Sect Leader would abandon his own son.

They call it the ruthless jianghu, but this is too much. If it were me, I would have given my life for my child. Are you really going to be like this?

Although he had expected it, Yang Chung's heart sank to the floor now that it was a reality. His father had traded his son's life for the honor of the Northern Blood Sect.

Kill me!

He wanted to shout it proudly, but the words would not come out. He wanted to live.

"If you kill me, the main sect will surely take revenge," he begged, still trying to save his life in the wrong way.

On the other hand, Ju Gyo and Hwangchu did not cling to useless pride.

"Please, spare us!"

The two of them still had their eyes squeezed shut, their desire to live intense.

"Alright, you two open your eyes. It's time for all of us to think about this together."

Eventually, Ju Gyo and Hwangchu opened their eyes. Lee Ahn had lit a lamp in the dark room, so they could see her face. The two were startled. They had never dreamed that the woman who captured them would be so beautiful.

You crazy bitch! What are you?

Ju Gyo was so baffled that the words almost escaped his lips. With looks this beautiful, she could be living a much more exciting life than kidnapping a blood relative of the Northern Blood Sect.

"The threat didn't work. What should we do now?" Lee Ahn asked, coming closer to them. She was even more beautiful up close. "Should I cut off a hand and send it?"

Ju Gyo, who had been staring at her blankly, nodded inadvertently before flinching in surprise.

"Whose hand are you talking about?"

Yang Chung glared at him. Whose hand would it be? His own, of course. To ask when it was so obvious!

"It won't work! He's already given up on my life, so do you think sending a hand will work?" Yang Chung had already hidden both hands behind his back.

Lee Ahn threatened him. "It could be a bluff, right? Thinking, 'She wouldn't actually kill me.'" She whispered suggestively to Yang Chung. "I'll cut off your left hand, the one you don't use for your sword."

She grabbed the hilt of her sword as if to cut him immediately, and Yang Chung shrieked in terror.

"I told you it won't work!"

Lee Ahn took her hand off her sword. "Right? So what do we do? Should I really cut off your head and send it?"

The words coming from her pleasantly soft voice were all horrifying.

"So? What do you gain from that?"

"At least I'll feel a little better."

As Yang Chung trembled in fear, unable to say anything, Ju Gyo stepped forward. "Then we will kill everyone you're trying to save."

Lee Ahn stared at him intently. "Can't be helped, can it? What? Did you think I'd feel guilty for a reason like that? Weren't you all going to kill those people miserably anyway, even without me? No? Did you really bring them here to help them make money?"

Naturally, they said nothing.

"Alright, I've given my answer, so now you give yours. Otherwise, I'll just kill you all, send you to the Northern Blood Sect, and disappear like smoke."

There was a reason Lee Ahn was intimidating them. She thought that if she could get them to offer some answers, she might find a solution. Even a clue would be good.

What would the Young Master have done?

She pondered it, but it only made her feel that she still had a long way to go. There had to be a solution to this problem. A clear, correct answer that, when she looked back on this moment years from now, would make her kick her blankets in regret for not having done it.

But right now, she did not know what to do. It was just frustrating, as if a blanket was covering her face.

"Release me! I will go and persuade the Sect Leader," Ju Gyo said, trying his best to at least save himself.

It was a matter that wouldn't work even if they persuaded him together, but Yang Chung blocked his path. "You think that'll work?" he scoffed. He dismissed Ju Gyo's opinion and proposed a new plan. "Go and kidnap my older brother. Then Father will surrender."

Lee Ahn was dumbfounded. Like father, like son, these people were really something else. That was probably half-sincere. The other half was likely for this reason.

"Your brother is probably surrounded by masters right now. You're telling me to get caught, right?"

Struck where it hurt, Yang Chung flinched. "I was just stating my opinion."

"Wrong answer. Alright, next correct answer?"

The three captives racked their brains. In truth, what Lee Ahn would attempt was already decided.

I'll have to make a different offer to win them over.

She had people to save, after all. However, the moment she made a new offer, she would lose the upper hand. These were people who didn't even blink at the threat of their son's death.

It was better when I was just a bodyguard next to the Young Master, not thinking about anything.

Just as she was searching for an answer, someone knocked on the door from outside.

Not just Lee Ahn, but all three men were startled. Yang Chung looked back at the other two with a triumphant smile. The expressions of Ju Gyo and Hwangchu also brightened.

They're here! They've come to rescue us!

You're dead now!

They smiled coldly. Ju Gyo signaled with his eyes, telling them not to do anything rash and to keep their mouths shut. She could kill them all and then deal with the rescue party outside.

However, it was an unnecessary warning. Yang Chung wanted to live just as much as Ju Gyo did. Yang Chung did not even breathe.

Lee Ahn drew her sword and asked in a low voice, "Who is it?"

Then, a very welcome voice came from beyond the door.

"The right answer."