Chapter 1124: If A Friend Calls, Of Course You Should Come (Part 4)

"What's the problem?"

The cold voice of Seol So Baek made the Beast Palace disciples flinch.

They were not foolish enough not to understand the situation. It was undeniable that this young man was the North Sea Ice Palace Lord, one of the Five Palaces beyond the Great Wall along with the Beast Palace.

However, the expressions of the Beast Palace disciples looking at the cart piled with animal hides remained dark. Even if the opponent was the North Sea Ice Palace Lord, shouldn't they say something?

"Well...."

The voice that came out as if slightly suppressed gradually regained its original color.

"Is there a need to kill innocent animals like that?"

"I don't understand what you're talking about."

Seol So Baek cut him off as if there was no value in discussing it.

"Debating whether animals are guilty or not is meaningless, and even if there is meaning in that, is there a reason why I should receive your judgment on that action?"

 "Oh...."

Chung Myung looked at Seol So Baek with an intrigued expression, and the Five Swords, who remembered Seol So Baek, all opened their mouths at once.

'Is he So Baek?'

'Sasuk. I don't know, it doesn't seem like it, right?'

'Is this the So Baek I know?'

"Wow, back in the day, the little guy was really cute."

Chung Myung looked at Seol So Baek with fresh eyes.

Although his appearance had grown to the point of being unrecognizable, in Chung Myung's mind, Seol So Baek was still a child. An innocent child who had never been treated as a child.

But the Seol So Baek he saw now was clearly different from the innocent child who lived in the hut.

Seol So Baek, who stared at the Beast Palace disciples with cold eyes, exuded the dignity befitting the Lord of the North Sea Ice Palace.

'It's interesting.'

Four years was enough time for a small child to become a grown man. However, it was an insufficient time for the innocent child to show proper dignity.

Was it the position that makes a person, or was the blood of the North Sea Ice Palace in Seol So Baek's veins more intense than Chung Myung thought?

"Then, do you think it's an honorable deed to kill innocent animals?"

However, the Beast Palace disciples did not easily back down in the face of Seol So Baek's momentum.

Everyone has principles they cannot retreat from. The Beast Palace disciples, who treated animals like friends, could not tolerate the behavior of the Ice Palace, which stripped the skins of healthy animals under the pretext of a gift.

"What you're wearing isn't animal skin?"

"It's not something obtained by killing. It's something we've taken from dead animals according to the flow of nature. We don't kill healthy animals just to get their skins."

"Haha."

At that moment, Seol So Baek laughed as if it were ridiculous.

"People learning the ruthless art of killing people, yet advising not to kill animals indiscriminately? What a ridiculous statement."

"People commit sins, but animals do not."

At that moment, Seol So Baek's eyes turned sharp.

"It seems like the place where you live is quite prosperous."

"...Excuse me?"

"Seeing you boast about such affluent things. But what can you do? The North Sea, covered in ice and snow, is a place where you have to do anything to survive. There's no room for consideration even for the circumstances of mere animals."

Seol So Baek's voice was intensely cold.

In reality, while the Ice Palace enjoyed a relatively affluent lifestyle in the North Sea, Seol So Baek was not an ordinary member of the Ice Palace. Moreover, he lived a life unrelated to the Ice Palace until he matured, experiencing firsthand how the people of the North Sea lived.

So he knew. He knew how challenging it was to live rooted in that cold land where it was impossible to grow a single grain of grain properly.

How would the words of the Beast Palace, saying not to kill innocent animals, sound to Seol So Baek, who knew how difficult it was to survive in such a frigid land?

"Are you saying we're wrong now?"

"Well... I guess not. It's just..."

Seol So Baek turned his head slightly. Through the warehouse door, the figures of large animals could be seen.

"Did you bring those?"

"Yes, but?"

"Interesting."

Seol So Baek sneered.

"It must take quite a bit to raise such large animals. From what I know, Yunnan wasn't doing well until recently either."

"...What do you mean?"

"If you have food to feed those animals, you would share it with those who are starving. Even in such difficult times, the animals have been well taken care of. Are animals more important to you than people?"

"Well, you've said...."

"If you've said it all, what are you going to do?"

The atmosphere became chilly. Seol So Baek continued in his cold voice.

"I heard that the Beast Palace is a free-spirited place, but this doesn't seem like freedom; it seems more like extravagance. Even if there is a problem on this side, is it right for you, who are nothing more than guests, to directly question the lord of the Ice Palace?"

"Th-that's..."

"The term 'fence-sitter' is used at times like this. Thanks to it, I've learned well what Beast Palace is like."

"T-that's excessive!"

"Excessive?"

Seol So Baek revealed a smile. At the same time, a cold chill emanated from his body.

"Is it okay for you to ignore the North Sea Ice Palace, and is it excessive for me to speak casually about the Beast Palace? I didn't know that the Beast Palace was such an impressive place. I'm curious. How much more can you ignore the Ice Palace?"

"...."

"At this point, I think I need to prove that the Ice Palace is not a place to be ignored."

A sharp tension filled the air. At the moment when Seol So Baek, who had solidified his gaze like the icy walls of the North Sea, extended his hands and took a step forward, Chung Myung's voice came from behind.

"No, why fight right away? Let's get along."

"...Fight?"

At the moment Chung Myung's words were heard, the cold air that Seol So Baek had been emitting disappeared as if washed away. Seol So Baek, who had changed the atmosphere in an instant, turned around and smiled mischievously at Chung Myung.

"Well, we were just having a brief conversation. How could I do that with Dojang-nim right in front of me!"

"...."

"Oh, come on. Hehe."           [dammit...our boy is gone...gone...]

The strength drained from the bodies of the Ice Palace residents who had been moved by the suddenly grown young palace lord. With shoulders slumped, they lowered their heads powerlessly, and the corners of their eyes were moist.

'Mount Hua disease is acting up again.'

'No, why does everything related to the Mount Hua...'

'Why is he like that, seriously!'

Who could understand the feelings of the Ice Palace residents?

Seol So Baek had really grown splendidly in their eyes. There were undoubtedly those who initially felt uneasy about an immature child who had not experienced the Ice Palace properly ascending to the position of the palace lord simply because he carried the blood of the previous palace lord.

However, now no one in the North Sea doubted that Seol So Baek would become an excellent palace lord. It was because the glimpses of Seol So Baek's excellence shown so far were outstanding enough to dispel any doubts.

Unlike the previous palace lords who did not understand the lives of the people of the North Sea, growing up in the comfort of the North Sea Ice Palace, Seol So Baek, who had lived a life unrelated to the Ice Palace until he matured, understood the hardships of the people of the North Sea better than anyone. That's why he was becoming the one who took care of the people of the North Sea more than anyone else.

He was growing from someone who they protected to someone who would protect them.

He may not be perfect right now, but someday, Seol So Baek might become a person more perfect than anyone else. That was the evaluation of the current Ice Palace Lord, Seol So Baek.

Just one thing.

'Except for the Mount Hua Sect.'

It was completely incomprehensible why such a cool-headed, rational, yet warm-hearted person would go crazy as soon as the two letters 'Mount Hua' were mentioned.

The same went for those animal skins.

- P-Palace Lord. Those Mount Hua people live in the warm Central Plains, so do they really need these... skins?

- Hmm. So?

- Ah, no. It's not that we don't want to do it, but it's just that they're difficult to catch, and everyone is tired... They're rare, so...

- So?

- Um... It's not that we don't want to do it, but is this something that absolutely has to be done...?

- So?

- ....

- So?

- ....We'll do it.

It wasn't something that could be dismissed with a polite expression.

To procure those hides, how many nights did the North Sea Ice Palace's residents spend staying up? After all, creatures with such hides are mostly nocturnal and aren't visible during the day!

In the already freezing North Sea, imagine how insane it was to go hunting in a snowstorm during the cold night. A person who usually ensured that the sleeping arrangements weren't uncomfortable and that the food was sufficient, suddenly became a mad individual who, at the mere mention of the word 'Mount Hua,' urged the palace residents to hunt on bitterly cold nights with snowstorms.

"Moreover, well... even so, it seems like the words are a bit too extreme."

"Oh, is that so?"

Hearing Chung Myung's subtly scolding words, Seol So Baek laughed happily.

The inexplicable reaction made Chung Myung tilt his head in confusion.

"Why are you laughing?"

"I think I did well."

"Huh?"

"I tried. One should be warm in everyday life, but isn't it true that one shouldn't show even an inch of warmth to enemies or opponents?"

".... Huh?"

Uh... that's true, but... the Beast Palace isn't an enemy, right?

Nevertheless, whether Seol So Baek understood Chung Myung's feelings or not, he radiated an even brighter smile.

"It was a really challenging task, but as I persevered, the day came when I heard such words from Dojang-nim. Indeed, the words of the Dojang-nim, 'effort never betrays,' were correct."

"W-What effort?"

"Of course, Dojang-nim's effort."

"... Huh? What is that..."

"I tried to resemble Dojang-nim. When Dojang-nim fought, it was exactly like this! Like this, blocking those demonic bastards!"

"...."

"Still a long way to go, but if I continue to work hard, can't I become like Dojang-nim someday?"

Chung Myung looked at Seol So Baek, who was laughing brightly, with dumbfounded eyes.

When he shifted his gaze a bit, he saw the Ice Palace members who looked as if they were about to bury their heads in the ground, making it hard to watch. The contrast between their flushed faces and white attire was stark.

"Me?"

"Yes!"

"... I was like this?"

Chung Myung turned to look back at the Five Swords behind him. However, the Five Swords, avoiding eye contact as if it was difficult to explain, were looking away.

"What, well, it's not exactly the same."

"A bit... um, somewhat similar."

"I know what he was trying to resemble... Yes, I get what he was trying to resemble."

"Of all things..."

Chung Myung, after gazing at the Five Swords, turned his gaze back to Seol Sobek. Seeing him blink his large eyes and smile brightly, the image of a large dog vigorously wagging its tail of involuntarily came to mind.

Chung Myung's voice, devoid of soul, escaped his lips.

"...Really?"

- Now, to the North Sea, of all places...

…No, you idiot. I've never been like that?

Wow...

Wow, this is crazy. Seriously...