By Zephyria 
Ho-yeon nodded, saying he fully understood the pain. His long, loose white hair swayed along with the movement.
“Still… I’ll call a physician. We have skilled physicians here in the Ice Palace.”
Ho-yeon was referring to Woo Cheon-seok, a disciple of the divine physician Wan-ho. Mu-gyeong pulled Ho-yeon into his embrace, stopping him from trying to slip away. Ho-yeon, whose eyes were still heavily lidded, blinked in bewilderment, completely hidden within Cheon Mu-gyeong’s chest.
Because Mu-gyeong leaned down while locking him in his arms, Ho-yeon braced his legs to support the weight, but all he could feel was the sensation of heavy muscle. A deep, low breath scattered across the nape of Ho-yeon’s neck.
It felt as if a pungent smell of burning was rising from his forearms. Ho-yeon, whose arms hung down, almost instinctively reached up to wrap them around the man’s back to comfort him.
He was the master of the Demon Sect and a Venerable One with martial prowess beyond what Ho-yeon could even fathom. But what did that matter if he possessed a body that suffered repeatedly, seized by fire energy? Perhaps his ruined personality was a defect born from the agony that tormented him.
Ho-yeon’s mother had a congenital heart condition and would often clutch her chest several times a day; in those moments, even she, who was always gentle, could not hide her irritability. Pain was a punishment that robbed a person of their composure.
“That day too… was it because you were in pain?”
While remaining quietly embraced by Mu-gyeong, Ho-yeon spoke of the day that had driven him into qi deviation. Without answering, Cheon Mu-gyeong buried his face in the nape of Ho-yeon’s neck and breathed deeply. Since even the freezing winds of the North Sea could not soothe a single fingertip of Cheon Mu-gyeong, the only one who could calm him, then and now, was Ho-yeon.
“If you force things and take them away just because you’re in pain, I can’t help but dislike you.”
Just how gentle and trusting could this person be?
“If you would only apologize… I could act as if the burning of the letter and the deception never happened. I’ve accepted things… far worse than this.”
Cheon Mu-gyeong now knew exactly why that statement had twisted his mood. Ho-yeon’s compassion was open to everyone. There was little difference to Ho-yeon between the orphans of Eumbyeol Hall and himself. No, the orphans likely occupied a far larger place in Ho-yeon’s heart than he did.
Since the day he was born, Cheon Mu-gyeong had never uttered an apology. It wasn’t because of pride or dignity. It was because, by his standards, there had never been a single instance where he needed to beg for forgiveness.
Even now, if asked whether he had committed a wrong great enough to seek forgiveness from Ho-yeon…
“I promise I will not commit the same act again.”
The strong survive, the winner takes all, survival of the fittest. These were the traits that formed Mu-gyeong. If Ho-yeon was born with an innate compassion for others, his nature was one of belligerence.
It might have been because he was born and raised in the Demon Sect, but the demonic way—faithful to power and instinct—was closer to his nature than the chivalry riddled with pretense and hypocrisy. Therefore, in his eyes, this was not something to apologize for. It was an event that would not have occurred had Wi Ho-yeon been in a position to suppress him.
“You said you couldn’t sleep. Rest… in my bed.”
Ho-yeon’s voice was softer than when he was cold, but it wasn’t as affectionate as before.
“I admit that I committed an error.”
Ho-yeon, who had been trying to pull away from Mu-gyeong’s embrace, stiffened as if struck by a bolt of lightning.
Ho-yeon had hoped for an apology from his lips many times, but a part of his consciousness had completely given up, believing it would never happen. Was it even plausible for the leader of the Demon Sect to offer an apology to a mere North Sea dweller?
In truth, it wasn’t even a word of apology. Just a single sentence admitting an error. Yet, even at that word, which barely resembled an apology, Ho-yeon’s heart—which he had frozen solid—began to soften again like the earth meeting a spring breeze.
‘To think I’m trying to forgive the man who tried to kill me again just because of one sentence; how ridiculous must I look to Cheon Mu-gyeong?’
Despite trying to steel his heart, the impulse to try and understand Cheon Mu-gyeong continued to surge.
“People… everyone makes mistakes.”
Cheon Mu-gyeong hugged Ho-yeon even tighter, and Ho-yeon spoke with his arms hanging limp.
“But you aren’t a person.”
That was the extent of the words he could utter in an attempt to harden his heart.
In the hands of the youngest, Ha-dong, were honey-preserved dried apricots and jujube sticks, one in each hand. Not only Ha-dong, but Geum-hyeon also had skewers full of large sweet potatoes coated in sugar. The sound of the sugar coating, frozen hard by the biting winds of the North Sea, crunching in Geum-hyeon’s mouth was very cheerful.
“I wonder what the Great One does for a living?”
Soho, asking Hee-un, carefully stroked the wrist guards made of snow leopard hide.
“Seeing how generous he is, I wonder if he’s a great merchant from somewhere, but his martial prowess seems so high that it’s impossible to gauge. So, calling him a mere merchant would be an insult to the Great One.”
Hee-un, who answered, had just bought a hand mirror to see her face and a jade hairpin. A bronze mirror was an expensive item that only children from wealthy families in the North Sea could possess.
Even though all the children had bought expensive thick fur boots and hand warmers, the weight of their pouches never seemed to decrease. It was beyond admiration; it was almost miraculous that the money didn’t run out no matter how much they spent.
Among the marketplace merchants, there was no one who tried to overcharge Hee-un. Most knew they were orphans, but since they resided in Eumbyeol Hall within the Ice Palace and Wi Ho-yeon was famously protective of them, they behaved.
In reality, it was less about fearing Wi Ho-yeon and more about the tacit understanding that Wi Yeon-gang was their backing. Especially since the Palace Master had specifically ordered that Eumbyeol Hall be looked after while Ho-yeon was absent, they could not treat the children carelessly.
“Uncle doesn’t like him.”
Geum-hyeon, who was more articulate than Ha-dong, spoke with remnants of sweet potato smeared around his mouth.
“Huh?”
“Uncle doesn’t like the Great One. He looked at him like this.”
Geum-hyeon brought his hand to his eye and moved his fingers wildly, as if mimicking someone shooting a bad energy from their eyes.
Hee-un’s face also darkened for a moment at Geum-hyeon’s sharp observation. Her uncle was a man who was gentle and kind to everyone.
However, just as Geum-hyeon had seen, the uncle’s gaze had not been welcoming toward the Great One. It was the first time Hee-un had witnessed Ho-yeon’s cold gaze. Even though she had suspected it, she felt a belated pang of guilt for having left Eumbyeol Hall in high spirits, blinded by the gold.
“This won’t do.”
Hee-un gripped the mirror and jade hairpin tightly.
“I have to return everything. You guys, give yours back too. We can’t help what we’ve already eaten, but I’m returning all the items.”
At Hee-un’s thunderous announcement, the youngest wailed as if the world were ending, and Geum-hyeon quickly put on the fur boots he was holding, getting them dirty. Only Soho reluctantly untied the wrist guards.
“But the Great One is so nice to Uncle. So even if Uncle is angry, won’t he forgive him soon?”
“Soho, have you ever seen Uncle get angry?”
Without thinking deeply, Soho shook her head. Even if they carelessly broke a jar while playing, he would first check if they were hurt, and even if they came home after fighting with other children, he would scold them sternly but always comfort them in the end.
“If Uncle is angry enough to be like that, he must have done something truly wrong.”
“But… what does that have to do with us returning the gold?”
Soho tilted her head in confusion while handing the wrist guards to Hee-un. Hee-un didn’t take them immediately and looked down for a moment.
“I wonder?”
Then, shortly after, she returned her gaze and opened her eyes wide.
“Then let’s use all the remaining gold for Uncle. How about that?”
Soho, who had covered the wailing Ha-dong’s mouth, nodded vigorously.
“There is quite a lot.”
Cheon Mu-gyeong muttered, looking at Ho-yeon, who was sleeping peacefully on the bed. Wi Ho-yeon had slept long since arriving in the North Sea from the lands of the foreign tribes. And now, despite saying he would give up the bed for him, he had fallen asleep first. Of course, it wasn’t simply because he slept a lot.
Even if his dantian had found stability, his mind and body were thoroughly exhausted.
As for Cheon Mu-gyeong, although it hadn’t been long since he had absorbed a great deal of Ho-yeon’s yin energy, the curse of the fire dragon had rampaged due to the side effects of the heaven-defying demonic art. Anyone who used the heaven-defying demonic art even once was seized by a hunger—a demonic hunger—and would rage further to seize the yin energy placed before them. Thus, it was his own doing.
Mu-gyeong reached his right arm toward Ho-yeon—the arm that had returned to normal after the scorched skin had peeled away. He brushed aside the hair covering Ho-yeon’s face and turned toward the door.
Opening the frost-covered door and stepping out, he saw Wi Yeon-gang attempting to enter the courtyard. Not only him, but four children from Eumbyeol Hall were running behind Wi Yeon-gang.
Seeing Mu-gyeong, who had come out as if he knew they were there, Wi Yeon-gang cleared his throat unnecessarily.
“I came because I wanted to make things clear this time.”
Even as he spoke, Wi Yeon-gang tried his best to straighten his shoulders.
“The wealth you sent back then has been kept without spending a single coin, so I intend to return it all.”
As soon as Wi Yeon-gang finished speaking, the children rushed in. After hurriedly greeting the Palace Master, they arrived before Mu-gyeong, panting, as he seemed to be their true objective. Among them, Hee-un stepped forward first and thrust out a pouch of gold. This was a different decision from her earlier plan to use it all for Ho-yeon.
“Great One, we have already spent an amount equal to one silver piece. I will speak to my uncle and find a way to make it up, but we are returning the rest of it all.”
The people of the North Sea were united in one heart and mind to drive the leader of the Demon Sect away.
An absurd sneer curled on Cheon Mu-gyeong’s lips.