Seven months had passed since Yaksha's Great War ended.
Most of the Ghosts that had crossed to Khan had returned to the Ghost Realm or were exterminated by the Central Army.
The ground hardens after the rain. The citizens who witnessed the fight against Yaksha remembered a few Dragon Flowers who had fought without caring for their lives.
Naturally, Tae Yul, Shin Yo, and Seol Hong were among them.
Although the opinions about Tae Yul's rational attitude during Yaksha's Great War caused division in people's opinion, no one could deny that he helped the war conclude with minimal damage.
Shin Yo and Jang Du had been active all over the battlefield. However, maybe because of her cold demeanor, people thought of her as someone unapproachable.
And then, there was Seol Hong.
"Lady Seol Hong! Please, look over here!"
"Ah, it smells good."
"Yes! The bread just came out! Please, take it!"
A citizen of the Empire hurriedly offered bread wrapped in paper.
Seol Hong accepted it with a smile.
One of her guards tried to stop her.
"Lady Seol Hong, the food might be..."
Nom...
However, Seol Hong had already taken a bite of the bread before they could finish speaking.
"L-Lady Seol Hong!"
"It's okay."
People gathered around wherever she passed.
Something peculiar was the variety of attire of the people around her. Some were wearing clothes made of golden silk adorned with decorations, while others were dressed in threadbare clothes with loose gaps between the threads. Both the poor and the wealthy admired her.
It wasn't just because of her accomplishments but also because of the stories of the journey she had undertaken to reach this point.
From the underground to the clouds, Seol Hong's story had an allure.
Although no one knew what her evaluation within the Dragon Palace was, the Empire's citizens' love for Seol Hong continued growing.
Clack...
Clack...
Seol Hong's horse entered the palace's grounds.
After dismounting, she handed the reins to a servant.
"I'll leave it to you."
"Yes..."
The servant led the horse away, eventually leaving only Chi Woo and Seol Hong.
"Seol Hong."
"..."
"Seol Hong?"
"Ah... I was lost in thought for a moment."
Seol Hong had grown taller than before. She was gradually starting to resemble Yu Hwa.
Her physical body was showing growth. It was as if her body was saying, 'Look at how much I have grown.'
However, her heart was different. Rather than growing, it looked like it was shrinking.
"Any news?"
"Not yet..."
"I see... We'll have to wait a bit longer."
Chi Woo frowned.
Seven months had passed, and several seasons had come and gone. Seol disappeared to somewhere unreachable.
"Maybe... It's time to stop?"
"What do you mean?"
"Seol..."
Chi Woo muttered in a low voice.
"It wouldn't be surprising if he were dead..."
Jin Ryeo approached them and sat next to Seol Hong. After leaning against the window, she said.
"Lady Seol Hong, can you see that storm cloud?"
"Storm cloud?"
"Yes. It feels like it's been raining a lot lately. It's almost as if a huge snake is trying to become a Dragon."
"You're right..."
Jin Ryo continued while gazing at the cloud reflected in the window.
"I came from the North. When I got here, I didn't know about the culture and people of this place. Lord Tae Yul used to explain things to me whenever he had time, as if I were a child. It reminds me of a legend he once shared with me."
"Legend? What kind of legend?"
"The Dragon Emperor Hong Cheol used to be a salmon. However, due to being unable to bear the tyranny of Hwagmu, he swam upstream to become a Dragon. Isn't it funny? How can a salmon become a Dragon?"
"Well... salmon are revered in Khan. That’s why they often appear in legends... But I didn't know there was one like that."
"Perhaps... just perhaps..."
Jin Ryeo turned to Seol Hong and said.
"Maybe Seol is a salmon."
"A salmon?"
"Yes! The Dragon of the Celestial Realm mentioned a salmon, remember? A salmon always returns! And the one who will return... Maybe it's him?"
Seol Hong thought for a moment and then gently smiled.
"I hope things are as you say."
* * *
At that moment, Seol was pursuing the beings who had taken Ishi and Yeva.
[Jamad used Ancient Glacier Shamanic Spell: Yeti's Guidance.]
[Can only be used in snowy terrain. It precisely tracks the trail left by entities that have passed by stepping over the snow.]
"They went this way."
- These footprints...
"They are definitely not human..."
The footprints headed toward Hwigeltong.
The inhabitants of Hwigeltong were generally divided into two groups—the Emon and the fallen Frowstmaw trolls.
In this case...
"It's the Frostmaw."
- The Emon move underground, after all.
"But why? If there had been a confrontation, they would have killed Ishi and Yeva right away. Why take them?"
There was no way to know without confronting them directly.
Seol couldn't help but laugh as he took the unlikely role of a caretaker.
'But sometimes, this isn't bad.'
Seol faced one serious event after the other, leaving him unable to relax while in the East. It seemed Seol arrived in Khan just when it was going through a crisis.
Although Seol missed that tension, he enjoyed this brief liberation.
In reality, Seol was the weird one for chasing the Frostmaw while humming all the way to Hwigeltong.
"Wait..."
Seol was following the Glacier Shamanic Spell when he frowned.
"This isn't the direction of the snowy mountain."
The Frostmaw were beings that reigned over the polar regions while having the Hwigeltong's snowy mountains as a base. Just because their power had declined, that shouldn't have changed.
"And their breath reeks. Ishi, I think it's worse than yours."
"How can you compare me to them in the first place? Hey, just go and fart already, so this place collapses."
"You idiot... That wasn't me."
"If it wasn't me, it had to be you. Who else..."
Kwak! Kaak!
"I-I'm sorry. We'll be quiet."
"There's no way they're going to understand you..."
"Shut up!"
WHOOM...
Creak...
Yeva and Ishi were thrown into a space with a menacing atmosphere.
In front of them was a massive troll sitting in a grand chair alongside a Shaman, who seemed to be his subordinate.
"Damn... So there was a reason they brought us here."
"Are they trying to offer us?"
Krrr...
Kwak!
As the Troll said something, the shaman stepped forward.
Whoosh...
The Shaman holding the crystal orb muttered something and then placed his hand over Ishi and Yeva's heads.
"Eek! I don't want to die!"
"Stop it!"
Swoosh...
The troll Shaman said.
"Humans, be serious."
"Huh? Y-you speak the human language...?"
"It's a translation Shamanic Spell! They want to understand our language! But why..."
Ishi and Yeva's faces contorted.
The troll seated on the chair asked.
"Humans, I have some questions for you."
"Y-yes, sure! If we answer well, will you let us live?"
However, the troll's questions were different from what Ishi and Yeva had expected.
"If the Emon spill over from Hwigeltong, how would the humans react?"
"What? Well..."
Yeva and Ishi carefully answered.
However, the more they answered, the more they realized they couldn't provide a satisfactory answer.
"Are you planning to leave Hwigeltong...?"
"That's none of your concern. Next..."
The following questions continued in the same manner.
And finally, the Shaman said to the troll who was asking the questions.
"It seems unlikely that we will be able to move the forces out of Hwigeltong without attracting the Emon’s attention."
"So this is the end..."
"I'm going to stay behind."
"You will...?"
"Yes. I will try to buy us some time. But Brutul, you must leave Hwigeltong quickly, at least. Even if it's for the next generation of the Frostmaw..."
The troll called Brutul chuckled.
"The next generation of the Frostmaw... That sounds nice, but it won't happen."
"Brutul!"
"Where would we run to? The Frostmaw will fight. And if we fight, we're going to give our all."
Swoosh...
Brutul stood up and said.
"If we've decided to fight, we won't turn our backs! This is the only thing I learned from my father."
"I'm going to try to devise a plan..."
"Yes... Yes, you should..."
Brutul glanced at Yeva and Ishi for a moment before closing his eyes.
"We have no energy to spare for the upcoming battle. Kill them."
"What? W-wait a minute, please..."
"No... I don't want to die..."
The Shaman nodded.
Whir...
The Glacier Shamanic Spell began swirling in the Shaman's hands.
"Humans, it won't be painful."
"NOO!"
Whir...
Swoosh—!
With a slicing sound, the crystallized wind flew toward Yeva.
Paf—!
Ishi leaped forward and shielded Yeva.
"Ishi!"
"Huh...?'
Ishi closed his eyes, bracing himself for death. Yet as he waited, the pain never came, so he slightly opened his eyes.
Whoosh...
A dark figure stood before Yeva and Ishi. In their hand was the Glacier Shamanic Spell the Shaman had just cast.
"How impatient..."
"Wh-what?! Guards!"
Ishi and Yeva realized who the voice belonged to.
It was Seol.
"See? I told you. Koreans are caring."
"Sob... Seol... please, help us..."
Seol briefly glanced at the crying faces of Yeva and Ishi. Then he turned to Brutul.
"Who are you...?"
"A resident of Earth."
"What?"
"Let's talk."
"I'm not interested."
Seol smirked.
"I think you should be interested."