The 31st Piece Overturns the Game Board

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."

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.

"Could it be the Emon…"

- Has their fortress been taken by the moles?

Jamad laughed in disbelief.

Even if Seol and Jamad were wrong, the possibility that the Frostmaw had lost their fortress in the snowy mountains was enough to tell how bad their current situation was.

However, even so, the current circumstances made no sense.

They attacked and abducted the Federation's guards. For what reason?

Seol narrowed his gaze and stared intently in the direction they had disappeared.

"Huh?"

- Seol.

Seol increased his pace and started to pursue them deep into Hwigeltong.

[You consume Firery Breath's potion.]

[Your Cold Resistance has greatly increased.]

[Your body temperature won't easily drop.]

"Yes..?"

- Are you thinking of intervening in the fight between the Emon and the Frostmaw?

Seol scratched his chin.

"I'm not sure…"

The fight between the Emon and the Frostmaw had been going on for a long time. If the power balance has tilted so much, overturning things won't be easy.

"Let's just watch for now… There's no reason to intervene yet."

- Alright, let's focus on the pursuit for now.

The pursuit didn't last long.

If the Frostmaw were heading to the snowy mountain, they should have delved deeper into the polar region. But instead, they had stopped somewhere unexpected.

"We got them…"

Finally, the traces of the Frostmaw stopped.

Seol quickly infiltrated the poorly built fortress.

* * *

"It's your fault."

"No. It's your fault."

Ishi and Yeva had been imprisoned behind cold iron bars.

At least the Frostmaw weren't heartless, as they had left a blanket for them.

"Ugh… It's cold… Hwigeltong is too cold…"

"What if supplies arrive while we're gone?"

Ishi growled at Yeva's question.

"Are you serious? Are supplies what matter now? Don't you know trolls eat people?!"

"Really…? But I don't even have much meat on me!"

"Are you sure about that?"

"Do you have to argue about that? This is why you don't have a girlfriend."

"Yeva…"

Ishi stared at Yeva.

Today, his bore looked particularly more sleazy. Feeling uncomfortable, Yeva asked.

"Wh-what…?!"

"To be honest… There was something I wanted to say for a while."

"Hey! H-how could you say it in a place like this…"

"Should I not…?"

"Since you brought it up, go ahead! I-I'm ready."

"Last time, during the supply distribution, your cigarettes weren't missing. I took them."

"Our relationship… What? Y-you bastard!"

"But I did share them with you."

"You crazy bastard. You were showing off with my cigarettes! And I… I thought you were a decent guy…"

Yeva cursed Ishi.

"I hope you get eaten by a troll, you wretch."

"If I get eaten, you'll get eaten too."

"Right…? Then, I take it back."

Oof…

They sighed out loud.

Ishi asked.

"Why do you think they brought us here?"

"It is strange. They didn't kill us but brought us all the way here carefully… It doesn't make sense."

"What does the Federation say to do in situations like this?"

"Survive on your own! Don't you think that's what they would say?"

"Haha… As expected of the Federation… Those pieces of trash."

After thinking for a while, Yeva asked.

"Do you think he managed to escape?"

"Who? Ah, the Korean…?"

"Seol, yes."

"Who knows? He either escaped or froze to death."

"What do you think about hoping he rescues us?"

"From a Japanese perspective, I think that's a very trashy hope to have."

"So it's universal. Russia thought the same just now."

"…"

"…"

Yeva murmured while leaning against the wall.

"They say Koreans are very caring…"

"Although it wasn't for me, kimchi is worth trying."

"Maybe he won't just abandon someone in need."

"They do have a decent security rate."

"You idiot, what does that have to do with this…?"

"There's no way someone would burst into this place just because they are caring…"

ROAR—!

At that moment, a Frostmaw troll approached them and shouted.

"G-got it! We're going to be quiet…"

"H-huh? These bastards are opening the cell!"

"No! I don't want to die! I don't wanna go!"

While being bound, they were being dragged somewhere by the Frostmaw trolls.

Grr…

Wak! Kak!

"Ugh… What are they even saying… Damn it…"

"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."