Seol Baekmyo stared blankly at Cheon Myeong, who was walking in front of her.
'I can't believe things turned out this way...'
The two were currently strolling leisurely through the North Sea.
At first, Seol Baekmyo thought she had misheard Cheon Myeong.
She, the Young Palace Lord of the Ice Palace, had told him to ask for anything he wanted, and the words that ca out of his mouth were a request for a tour.
Because she wanted to give Cheon Myeong a more magnificent reward, from Seol Baekmyo's perspective, it was a rather absurd answer.
Moreover.
'He seems to be treating like I'm not even here.'
At first, Seol Baekmyo thought it was her own misunderstanding.
It was a bit much to say this herself, but she had always been treated with priority wherever she went.
Her position as the Young Palace Lord played a part, but her radiant appearance could be said to have been a large factor.
But Cheon Myeong... since this was the first ti she had felt this way, Seol Baekmyo was still not used to this situation.
Stop-
At that mont, Cheon Myeong suddenly stopped walking.
Seol Baekmyo, who was following Cheon Myeong from behind, had no choice but to stop as well, and as if she were seeing sothing amazing, Seol Baekmyo stared blankly at Cheon Myeong.
'What on earth is he doing?'
Cheon Myeong had been stopping like that once in a while and doing sothing.
Until now, Seol Baekmyo had observed it from a distance, but this ti, she decided to get a little closer and watch.
"Baekjo, is it here?"
"Peep."
"Or here?"
"Peep peep."
"Try to focus a little more."
Cheon Myeong was holding Baekjo with both hands and lifting it up high.
And he moved the lifted Baekjo in various directions, then began to speak incomprehensible words.
"...?"
Of course, that sight could not help but look strange to others.
Not only was it strange to lift a bird like that and move it around, but to mutter to himself as if he were talking to the bird.
In fact, from the surroundings, gazes treating Cheon Myeong like a madman had been felt for a while.
'...What is he doing?'
Of course, Seol Baekmyo also couldn't help but find Cheon Myeong's current behavior strange.
No matter how you looked at it, it didn't look like he was sightseeing.
Fortunately, she wasn't treating Cheon Myeong like a madman like the people around her, but she was the sa as the others in not understanding Cheon Myeong's actions.
"Is this place certain?"
"Peep."
"Good."
As if the confirmation was over, Cheon Myeong finally lowered the Baekjo he had lifted high.
At that mont, Baekjo, which familiarly entered Cheon Myeong's bosom.
And as Cheon Myeong was about to move his steps again, Seol Baekmyo urgently called out to him.
"Y-Young Master!"
"...?"
"Where are you going?"
Since leaving the Ice Palace, Cheon Myeong had been walking at the front.
Originally, it should have been the other way around, with Seol Baekmyo guiding him through the North Sea.
Although she had been dragged along by Cheon Myeong until now, since she had been asked by Cheon Myeong to guide him through the North Sea, Seol Baekmyo intended to fulfill that duty from now on.
"There's a place nearby that sells delicious ice treats. Would you like to go there?"
"Ice treats?"
"Yes. It's a confection made by freezing fruit in sugar water. It's a specialty of the North Sea."
Isn't sightseeing supposed to start with eating?
Since it was rare to find ice treats for sale in the Central Plains, Seol Baekmyo first tried to win Cheon Myeong's favor with them.
And with that as a starting point, she would now take the lead and begin to guide him through the North Sea in earnest...
"I'll try it later."
...she had intended to, but Seol Baekmyo's plan was instantly thwarted by Cheon Myeong's answer.
"That's not what's important right now."
"..."
Then what on earth is important?
No, in the first place, is there anything that can be called important in sightseeing?
Just looking at the beautiful scenery and eating delicious food would make for a satisfying tour.
Although Seol Baekmyo thought that was all there was to sightseeing, it seed that was not all for Cheon Myeong.
"...Then is there perhaps a place you would like to go?"
In the end, after so thought, Seol Baekmyo asked Cheon Myeong.
Looking at Cheon Myeong's current appearance, it seed as if he were moving with a destination in mind.
If so, if Cheon Myeong told her the destination, she could guide him there.
Although it was a little strange that Cheon Myeong hadn't asked her anything until now after asking her for guidance, since she had decided to guide him, Seol Baekmyo felt she couldn't just stand by like this.
"A place I want to go?"
"Yes."
"Hmm..."
As Seol Baekmyo asked, Cheon Myeong swallowed a groan as if he were troubled.
There was a place Cheon Myeong wanted to go. However, since he couldn't say it clearly, he didn't know what to say to Seol Baekmyo.
Even if he said he wanted to go to the place where the Three Sacred Treasures were, Seol Baekmyo wouldn't be able to guide him there.
In the end, after so thought, Cheon Myeong showed his chest forward instead of an answer.
"I want to go where this fellow wants to go."
"...Pardon?"
Don't tell ... is the 'this fellow' Cheon Myeong is talking about the bird in his bosom?
Since Seol Baekmyo didn't know any of the circumstances, she naturally couldn't understand what Cheon Myeong was saying.
"My introduction was late. This fellow's na is Baekjo."
"..."
"Baekjo, say hello."
"Peep."
Ah... so its na is Baekjo.
Since the other party had revealed their na, wouldn't it be the way of the martial world for this side to reveal their na as well?
Although it was a sowhat absurd situation, even in this situation, Seol Baekmyo showed her courtesy to Baekjo.
"Uh... I'm Seol Baekmyo."
"Peep peep."
"...?"
Although Baekjo had replied with sothing, Seol Baekmyo naturally couldn't understand those words.
At that mont, Cheon Myeong translated Baekjo's words and said to Seol Baekmyo instead.
"Baekjo says your na is beautiful, Young Palace Lord."
"Ah... really?"
"Yes. It's very rare for Baekjo to give such a complint. It's amazing."
Seol Baekmyo had heard such complints very often in her life.
So she was very desensitized to the complint itself, but since this was the first ti she had been complinted by a bird for having a pretty na, although it was sowhat strange, she felt very good.
"Thank you. Your na is also very pretty."
"Peep peep."
"Huh?"
"It says your face is also pretty and your heart seems kind."
Cheon Myeong, who imdiately translated.
At the continuing complints, Seol Baekmyo's face turned slightly red, but soon, Seol Baekmyo felt sothing strange and asked Cheon Myeong.
"By the way, Young Master, do you understand everything Baekjo says?"
"Well, yes."
"...How is that possible?"
"This fellow, despite its appearance, is a spiritual creature. It might be using so trick so that only I, its master, can understand."
"Oh..."
As Cheon Myeong explained, Seol Baekmyo began to observe Baekjo carefully.
Then, her expression changed slightly.
Watching her, Cheon Myeong asked Seol Baekmyo.
"What's wrong? Did Baekjo perhaps burp?"
"Peep!"
Baekjo strongly protested to Cheon Myeong.
However, without even giving it a glance, Cheon Myeong lightly ignored it.
Soon, Seol Baekmyo, who had slightly bowed her upper body, lifted it and said.
"Uh... I just thought I had seen Baekjo sowhere."
"This fellow?"
"Thinking about it again, it seems not. Since that's just a statue, it might not be a white bird like Baekjo."
"A statue... are you talking about the one in the reception room?"
A statue made of ice.
When he had first seen that statue, he had only paid attention to the fact that it was made of ice and had not paid much attention to its appearance.
However, hearing Seol Baekmyo's words and recalling the statue's appearance again, Cheon Myeong could see that it was quite similar to Baekjo's appearance.
"Yes, there is a statue in that room."
"Does that an... the statue exists in other places as well?"
"Originally, it would have been there first. I know that the one in the Ice Palace was made by modeling the one there."
"...!"
An ice statue that resembles Baekjo.
It's not in the Ice Palace but sowhere else?
For so reason, Cheon Myeong couldn't just ignore Seol Baekmyo's words.
"Where is that place?"
Cheon Myeong suddenly asked with an urgent voice.
Then, flustered, Seol Baekmyo couldn't answer right away.
Although she didn't know the reason, because the montum felt from Cheon Myeong's voice was no joke, Seol Baekmyo seed surprised for a mont.
Then, this ti, Cheon Myeong even placed his hands on Seol Baekmyo's shoulders and said.
"Please tell where it is!"
"Y-Young Master, if you suddenly do this..."
"Hurry!"
Cheon Myeong, who approached so close that even his breath could be felt.
This was the first ti soone had treated her with such forcefulness.
And for a man to place both his hands on her shoulders this close.
Although Cheon Myeong was Seol Baekmyo's cousin, since they hadn't seen each other for a long ti, to Seol Baekmyo, Cheon Myeong was just a man in feeling.
Flush-
A face that turned red.
The Snow Skin, Ice Flower had beco a red flower.
"Uh..."
As if it had passed its limit, Seol Baekmyo's body began to fall backward.
As Seol Baekmyo suddenly tried to fall backward, Cheon Myeong reflexively supported her body.
"Young Palace Lord?"
"..."
In Cheon Myeong's arms, Seol Baekmyo finally lost consciousness.
Thinking that her illness might have relapsed, Cheon Myeong was startled and checked Seol Baekmyo's condition, but nothing that could be called a problem was found.
A simple faint.
After checking Seol Baekmyo's condition, Cheon Myeong ca to that conclusion.
"Why on earth did she faint?"
Cheon Myeong muttered with a puzzled face, looking at the fainted Seol Baekmyo.
Cheon Myeong never found out that the reason Seol Baekmyo had fainted was because of him.
***
Whoooosh-
Cheon Myeong arrived in front of a valley where a rough wind was blowing.
No, it would be more fitting to call it an ice valley rather than a valley.
Because from the entrance, only pure white snow or giant ice chunks could be seen, Cheon Myeong naturally had that thought.
'This is the Ten Thousand Year Ice Valley.'
Literally, it seed that that place would be frozen solid even after ten thousand years.
The chill of the wind blowing from the Ten Thousand Year Ice Valley was much greater than anywhere else in the North Sea.
And a giant ice statue placed at the entrance of the Ten Thousand Year Ice Valley.
Although the size was different, the bird-shaped ice statue he had seen in the Ice Palace was also placed there.
'It resembles it.'
To be precise, it could be said that it resembled Baekjo's parents, whom he had seen in Wushan, more.
Because the size of the bird he had seen at that ti and the size of the statue in front of him now seed similar.
Cheon Myeong looked at Baekjo in his bosom and asked.
"Baekjo, how about it?"
"Peep."
"...As expected, it's inside."
Even after asking Baekjo, it seed that he would have to enter the Ten Thousand Year Ice Valley to reach his destination.
However, with this, it could be said that he had gotten a little closer to the Three Sacred Treasures.
The fact that a statue resembling Baekjo was placed at the entrance of the Ten Thousand Year Ice Valley had many suspicious parts to be dismissed as a re coincidence.
"Young Master."
At that mont, Seol Baekmyo called Cheon Myeong from behind.
"I don't know for what reason you wanted to co here, Young Master, but if you are thinking of going inside, it is better to stop."
After regaining consciousness, Seol Baekmyo had no choice but to guide Cheon Myeong to the entrance of the Ten Thousand Year Ice Valley because of Cheon Myeong's request, but this was as far as she could guide him.
Entering the Ten Thousand Year Ice Valley was impossible without the Palace Lord's permission.
Although she didn't think that Cheon Myeong would go inside, Seol Baekmyo warned Cheon Myeong out of unnecessary concern.
However.
"Why is that?"
Cheon Myeong looked at Seol Baekmyo and asked with a nonchalant face.
At that mont, Seol Baekmyo, who sensed that sothing was wrong.
However, since it was not yet certain, Seol Baekmyo answered Cheon Myeong's question with a calm voice.
"It is very dangerous inside. It is a place where blizzards rage all year round and the extre cold continues to the point where your breath freezes."
"..."
"So even in the Ice Palace, entering the Ten Thousand Year Ice Valley is strictly forbidden. Before that, no one would think of going inside unless they were planning to commit suicide."
If she had said this much, Cheon Myeong would have understood.
In fact, for Seol Baekmyo to have brought Cheon Myeong to the entrance of the Ten Thousand Year Ice Valley could be said to be quite a stretch.
Seol Baekmyo was about to tell Cheon Myeong to go back now.
But at that mont.
"...!"
Cheon Myeong had already turned his body and was walking towards the Ten Thousand Year Ice Valley.
Discovering that, Seol Baekmyo was at a loss for words for a mont, and she barely ca to her senses and shouted at Cheon Myeong.
"Young Master! Where are you going?"
"I'm going inside."
"...!"
Did he not hear what she had just said?
The Ten Thousand Year Ice Valley was a very dangerous place even for her, who had learned the Ice White Divine Palm.
But to say that he would go into such a place... Seol Baekmyo could not understand Cheon Myeong.
"Stop! It's dangerous inside!"
"..."
"Co back, Young Master! Going inside is sothing that cannot be overlooked, no matter how much you are the Young Master!"
Although Seol Baekmyo shouted from behind, Cheon Myeong just walked forward silently.
But at that mont, Cheon Myeong's steps, which had not stopped no matter how much she had shouted from behind, stopped.
"..."
A powerful energy felt from behind.
When he turned his head, Seol Baekmyo was holding out a palm towards Cheon Myeong.
"If you move any further, I will attack."
"..."
"This... is not a request, but a warning."
Seol Baekmyo, who was saying that with a great deal of cold energy in both hands.
The appearance of having fainted because of Cheon Myeong was nowhere to be seen, and there was only the Seol Baekmyo who was originally called the Snow Skin, Ice Flower.
(End of Chapter)
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