The title of Censorate Inspector held more weight than I expected.
The investigation into the Three Axe Merchant Group moved quickly and thoroughly.
But they won’t receive any serious punishment. Ji Hyeon must have taken a hefty bribe from them too.
Unless the Emperor gives a direct command, they’ll settle it with a moderate penalty.
Well, that’s enough.
The real matter lies elsewhere. I only used this to scatter their attention.
Now it’s time to slip away.
.
.
.
“The road to the North Sea is rough. Please be careful.”
At Deputy Merchant Lord Bok Yun’s worried words, I smiled and nodded.
“I will. You be careful too, Deputy Merchant Lord Bok.”
“Don’t worry. I tend to leave a lasting impression.”
“That makes two of us.”
I replied with a light laugh, then glanced at the boy standing beside him.
His face looked oddly familiar.
This was Bok Yun’s younger brother, Young Master Bok Yeong.
In my previous life, Young Master Bok Yeong became the Merchant Lord.
I’d heard he was deeply versed in the classics.
But unless he was planning to enter government service, that kind of learning wasn’t exactly useful for a merchant.
“Young Master Bok Yeong.”
“Ah, yes?”
“Are you, by any chance, interested in government service?”
“…Pardon? H-how did you know?”
“I can tell just by looking. There’s a place in the capital called Apricot Blossom Academy. It’s newly established, but great scholars teach there. If you want to study, I recommend you apply.”
At my suggestion, his eyes lit up.
He’d already received basic arithmetic education as the son of a merchant group, making him a perfect fit for the kind of talent the Emperor was seeking.
If he were to earn the Emperor’s favor, it wouldn’t be a bad outcome for the Gwangjun Merchant Group either.
And the Deputy Merchant Lord Bok Yun I’d seen wasn’t the sort to act rashly, even if his younger brother caught the Emperor’s eye.
Bok Yun nodded.
“I’ll take the initiative and push for it.”
“Good.”
“And take this.”
He held out a small whistle carved from the bone of a beast.
“What’s this?”
“If you run into any of the steppe tribes, this will help. It’s a token that shows you’re with our merchant group. They’ll treat you accordingly.”
In other words, the Gwangjun Merchant Group would vouch for us.
“You’ll have to come back to return it.”
He meant I had to return safely. That I’d have to visit the Gwangjun Merchant Group again to return it.
Feeling the sincerity in his words, I nodded.
“Understood. I’ll be sure to return it to you.”
I tucked the whistle into my robes and offered my farewell.
“Then we’ll be on our way.”
.
.
.
It wasn’t that I couldn’t ride a horse, but crossing the steppe was harder than I expected.
No matter how far we rode, the endless grassland stretched before us.
This is why people pack dried rations and water.
We occasionally encountered nomads, and the whistle Deputy Merchant Lord Bok Yun gave us proved very useful.
They didn’t just leave us alone — they even shared food and water.
But it didn’t always work. And in those cases, we had no choice but to draw blood.
We couldn’t allow ourselves to be plundered.
After several days of travel, we finally arrived at the edge of the North Sea.
“From here on is North Sea territory.”
At Escort Guard Jin Yu’s words, I nodded.
“I see.”
Even without him saying so, I could tell we had arrived.
The farther north we came, the colder it had gotten, and beyond this point, everything was blanketed in snow.
“Hey, are you planning to enter the North Sea now?”
A voice called out. I turned to see a middle-aged man in a fur coat looking our way.
“Yes?”
“You’re heading into the North Sea, right?”
“Ah, yes. That’s right.”
When I replied without hesitation, the man frowned and muttered bluntly.
“You’re hell-bent on dying.”
“…”
I was taken aback by his rough tone.
“Enough talk. Just follow me.”
What?
Why the sudden demand?
I stood there, puzzled, and he barked again.
“Oi! When I say come, just come! What’s with all the suspicion? You’ll freeze to death if you stand around. Hurry!”
I exchanged glances with my escort guards, then followed after him.
There was no malice in his expression or actions.
He led us to a dugout hut built beneath a rock outcrop.
“Tie your horses up in there.”
The place he pointed at resembled the homes of nomads.
“Get whatever you need now. Once you’re inside, you won’t be able to come out until morning.”
We tied up our horses, grabbed our packs, and stepped into the hut. The man shut the door behind us.
“This way.”
Inside the rock shelter, a campfire burned, with two other men sitting around it.
One was young, the other appeared to be around the same age as the man who brought us.
“Unexpected guests?”
“They were about to enter the North Sea. I brought them in.”
“Today of all days? They’re hell-bent on dying.”
Their conversation didn’t make much sense to me.
Escort Guard Seo Wu stepped forward and asked.
“Is there a reason we shouldn’t cross into the North Sea today, even though there’s still daylight?”
“You really don’t know? Today’s a snow wind day.”
“Ah! Is that today?”
At that, Escort Guard Jin Yu jolted, then lowered his head to me.
“My apologies, my lord. I didn’t realize today was a snow wind day… I nearly placed you in danger.”
“The snow sind, huh?”
A familiar name.
It’s the fourth form of the True Snow Twelve Form Sword I’ve been learning.
That sword art comes from the Snow Wind Palace.
The middle-aged man explained.
“On days the snow wind blows, you’d best not enter the North Sea. If you get caught in one of those gales mixed with snow, you won’t be able to see even an inch ahead. And if you stumble into a Snow Flower while in the storm, you could start seeing illusions and lose your way.”
The fifth form of the True Snow Twelve Form Sword is Snow Flower.
“If that happens, you’ll fall into a snow swamp and never get out.”
Snow Swamp. That’s the sixth form.
“And if snow falls while you’re stuck there, you’ll just freeze to death.”
The second form. Accumulated Snow.
I hadn’t witnessed the actual snow wind yet, but from this explanation, it felt like the True Snow Twelve Form Sword was a martial art crafted around the North Sea’s natural dangers.
“So when we hunters hear the snow wind is coming, we hole up like this.”
“I understand.”
So the man’s rude attitude earlier wasn’t out of spite, but concern.
I cupped my fists in thanks.
“Thank you for helping us.”
“Think nothing of it. Out here, people help each other. It’s the only way to survive.”
“But we didn’t notice anything. How did you know it was coming?”
“Hard to explain. It’s just instinct from experience.”
Escort Guard Jin Yu added,
“That’s right. I used to be able to tell too, but it’s been years since I left the North Sea. I didn’t feel it this time.”
“So there’s no regular pattern to the snow wind?”
“Not really. Around this time of year, it blows about once every fifteen days. But when autumn comes, it becomes completely unpredictable.”
“I see.”
So that’s why Master told me to leave and return before autumn.
The man who brought us in spoke again.
“So how long are you going to stand around? Sit. My neck’s hurting.”
“Ah, yes.”
We each picked a spot and sat down. He asked,
“You got food?”
“Yes.”
“Then eat your own. We don’t have enough to share.”
His grumbling made me feel awkward, but also a bit relieved.
He knew we’d feel burdened, so he didn’t offer anything.
Then one of the hunters around the fire glanced at me and asked,
“But you… um… by any chance…”
He began to stammer.
“Is that a girl in men’s clothing? I mean, cross-dressed?”
“Pardon?”
“Your face is really pretty. Like a girl’s.”
I was caught off guard. But then—
“Our Young Master’s just too handsome, so I understand the mistake.”
At Palgap’s words, the other escort guards nodded, only deepening my embarrassment.
The hunter gave a sheepish smile.
“So you’re a man. Sorry about that.”
“It’s fine. But why did you think that?”
“This year, the North Sea Ice Palace is opening its gate for the first time in ten years.”
“Already?”
Escort Guard Jin Yu looked conflicted as he explained.
“Every ten years, the North Sea Ice Palace accepts girls aged five to fifteen as disciples. That’s what we call the opening of their gate.”
“I see.”
“So sometimes, girls pretending to be boys show up in escort groups heading north. To avoid trouble.”
“So that’s why you thought so.”
But something felt off.
“Wait, didn’t you say the Ice Palace only accepts girls under fifteen? I’m nearly twenty.”
“…”
A chilly silence fell over the hut, like the Snow Wind was already blowing.
“I… I see.”
“You’ve got a baby face.”
.
.
.
Whoooo—
Wuuuum—
Swaaaash—
The wind howled like a sword master swinging their blade without pause.
“The wind sounds fierce.”
At Escort Guard Yeo Eung-am’s words, Jin Yu nodded.
“Yes. There’s a reason North Sea folks avoid the snow wind.”
“With wind like this, your life really would be in danger.”
At Escort Guard Lee Pil’s words, one of the hunters responded.
“For most people, yes. I never saw it myself, but my father said the martial artists of the Snow Wind Palace could move freely in this.”
“Pardon? The Snow Wind Palace?”
“Ah, first time hearing of it? Makes sense. It was a very closed-off group.”
“The masters there controlled the Snow Wind around the North Sea Ice Palace.”
The two hunters became excited as they spoke.
According to them, the Snow Wind Palace protected the North Sea Ice Palace, fought off spirit-beasts that roamed the North Sea, and governed the snow wind itself.
“It was a mighty sect.”
“Right. Since they controlled the snow wind, they were called the Snow Wind Palace.”
My master had never told me much about it. I didn’t expect to hear this here.
“But wait.”
Palgap spoke.
“Why do you talk about the Snow Wind Palace in the past tense?”
The hunter who brought us in replied.
“Because it’s gone now?”
“…Pardon?”
“It was wiped out. By a Demonic Cult.”
I looked toward Escort Guard Jin Yu.
His expression was hard to read.
Was it regret? Rage? Or pride?
A subtle, complex mix of emotions.
Seeing that, a sudden thought crossed my mind.
Maybe Escort Guard Jin Yu is a survivor of the Snow Wind Palace.
The wind howled through the night, making me wonder if the hut would be torn apart.
Reading our expressions, the hunter said,
“Worried this place will fly off?”
“Ah, yes…”
“It may look flimsy, but it won’t. Get some rest while you can.”
“Alright.”
We took turns catching some sleep.
.
.
.
A man walked across a snow-covered plain.
A beautiful young man, perhaps in his twenties.
It was my first time seeing him, yet he felt oddly familiar.
He stopped.
Before him, a fierce blizzard raged.
He drew his sword.
The white blade also felt familiar.
Then, his hair turned white.
With a single light swing of his sword, the storm split.
A path opened in the blizzard, one that no one should have been able to walk.
He walked in leisurely, untouched by the wind.
Then he stopped again, turned, and spoke to me.
What…?
“Young Master! Breakfast is ready. Young Master!”
Palgap’s voice brought me back.
When I opened my eyes, I wasn’t on a snowy plain, but in the shabby hut.
So it was a dream.
I heard Escort Guard Seo Wu’s voice.
“Add some powdered dried meat like this, and it deepens the flavor.”
“Aha!”
“Please, have a taste.”
“Wow! This is amazing!”
“Were you a cook before?”
“Father! This is really good!”
As I watched the scene, curious, Palgap explained.
“Escort Guard Seo Wu is cooking breakfast to thank them for letting us stay last night.”
“I see.”
I nodded.
And recalled the man’s words from the dream.
He said he would wait there.
Didn’t he?
–TL Notes–
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