Star Instructor, Master Baek
Chapter 360: The North Sea Ice Palace's Decision

TL: FoodieMonster007

"Hoo…" Baek Suryong sat cross-legged in his room, circulating his qi to regulate his breathing.

CRACKLE…

As he meditated, a pure white frost began to creep across the floor, dyeing the entire room white. True to its divine nature, the White Ice Bangles on his wrists were helping their master recover.

Shortly thereafter, Baek Suryong finished meditating and opened his eyes. For a moment, a white light glinted within them before slowly subsiding.

The Divine Azure Dragon Sword, resting on his lap, trembled in relief. [It seems your rampaging energy has finally calmed.]

Baek Suryong smiled and patted the sword's body. "How long was I out?"

[Two whole hours.]

Baek Suryong nodded, though his face was still pale, a testament to the severe internal injuries he had sustained in his fight with Seol Suryeon.

At that time, he had recklessly drawn upon the Heaven Defying Divine Art while simultaneously activating the White Ice Divine Art to withstand Seol Suryeon's frigid energy. Naturally, a backlash had followed.

On the first day, he had been bedridden. Only now, on the third day, he was finally able to pull himself together.

[How is your body?]

"I'm pretty much back to normal now," Baek Suryong replied, rising to his feet and gazing into the bronze mirror in his room.

Sharp eyes and a frosty impression. The face of Seol Ryonghwi was still reflected there.

He no longer had any reason to maintain the disguise, but he left it as it was. The sudden appearance of Baek Suryong would only cause greater confusion in the already chaotic North Sea Ice Palace.

Looking at it now, this face does seem to resemble my past self a little.

[You are shameless. I saw your past life, and that face could by no means be called as handsome as this one.]

"…I said the impression we give off is similar, the impression. Also, since when have I allowed you to read my memories as you please?" Looking slightly irritated, Baek Suryong flicked the Divine Azure Dragon Sword with a finger.

Of course, the sword wouldn't feel pain from such an act, but it was the meaning behind the action that mattered.

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Sighing, the Divine Azure Dragon Sword adopted a serious tone. [Your body endured this time, but I cannot guarantee it will endure the next.]

"Enough with the nagging. I know my own body best."

[It is precisely because you know it so well that you push it to such a precarious state.]

Baek Suryong shrugged. She was correct, and he didn't deny it. Grabbing the long robe he had left by the bedside, he quickly changed out of his pajamas.

[Where are you going?] the Divine Azure Dragon Sword asked, puzzled.

"My internal injuries are healed, so it's about time I head back to the Azure Dragon Academy. I'll just meet with the Empress first before I go."

[You could rest for a few more days…]

Three days had already passed since Seol Suryeon's death, and the North Sea Ice Palace remained in a state of chaos. The Seol Clan, which had enjoyed immense power for decades, had collapsed overnight, and Seol Suryeon, who had reigned as Empress Dowager, was dead.

The resulting power vacuum and confusion were not something that could be settled in just a few days.

"Greetings, Prince!"

"G-Greetings, Prince!"

"Prince!"

The instant Baek Suryong left his room, the martial artists he encountered all bowed and greeted him with the utmost respect.

He furrowed his brow in displeasure. "I told you I'm not the Prince, so please stop calling me that," he insisted.

"M-My apologies, Prince!"

…They didn't hear a word I said, did they?

The problem seemed to stem from the fact that many people had seen him chasing after the fleeing Seol Suryeon. Even though he tried to explain later that he had merely finished off a severely weakened Seol Suryeon after Eun Hwiryong had already defeated her, no one believed him.

If that wasn't bad enough, the situation was compounded when Eun Hwiryong and Han Songbaek revealed to the entire Palace that he was the student of the Ice Moon Goddess and the owner of the White Ice Bangles. Because of that, many of the Palace's warriors had naturally concluded that only Seol Ryonghwi could be the new Prince.

"No, why am I the Prince? What nonsense."

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At first, he had tried his best to deny it every time someone called him 'Prince,' but his words were largely ignored. Ultimately, since it was ridiculous to grab each and every person to explain himself, he eventually just gave up.

[You brought this upon yourself,] the Divine Azure Dragon Sword snickered.

TWANG!

Baek Suryong thumped her with a middle-finger flick.

[I have said it several times, but you need to respect me more…!]

As the two bickered, they arrived at their destination before he knew it. Until recently, this had been Seol Suryeon's chambers, but now it served as Empress Eun Hwiryong's temporary residence in place of the collapsed Royal Court.

"The Prince has arrived!"

"I told you I'm not…" Baek Suryong muttered in defeat, but there was really no getting through to these people.

Sighing, he stepped into the room. The guards tactfully made way for him so that the Empress and the Prince could speak in private.

"Why is everyone so insistent on calling me Prince?" he immediately launched into a complaint, describing the annoyances he had experienced.

"That's because they believe you are qualified for the position," Eun Hwiryong explained, smiling wearily. As Baek Suryong had barely left his room for three days to recuperate, it was understandable that he wouldn't know the various rumors about him circulating within the North Sea Ice Palace.

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Baek Suryong groaned. "Even so, isn't this a bit much?"

"It is also true that there is no other suitable title to call you. Now that the Seol Clan has fallen, we cannot treat you as their heir." Eun Hwiryong grinned slyly. "If the title of Prince is too burdensome, how about becoming an Elder or a Warden?"

"That's not great either…" Baek Suryong began, but his voice suddenly trailed off.

On second thought, maybe having some kind of position here wouldn't be so bad?

He asked, "By any chance, is there a fairly high-ranking position that has no responsibilities but allows one to enjoy all the honor and power?"

The Divine Azure Dragon Sword sighed deeply. [Shameless. Truly shameless. You will receive heavenly punishment for your audacity someday…]

[Does it matter? I have a heaven-defying fate anyway. Won't heavenly punishment come for me no matter what I do?]

[……] The Divine Azure Dragon Sword was rendered speechless.

Meanwhile, Baek Suryong looked at Eun Hwiryong and grinned.

Eun Hwiryong stared at him in bewilderment for a moment before nodding. "…The position of Grand Warden, normally occupied by retired rulers, is vacant since Seol Suryeon refused it and called herself the Empress Dowager instead. It's an honorary position with no formal duties, so it will not be a burden to you. You will also be able to command everyone in the Palace except for me. Not that you can't do that right now, even without a formal title…"

Baek Suryong smirked in satisfaction. "Good. Let's go with that."

And so, Baek Suryong became the Grand Warden of the North Sea Ice Palace.

Considering his age, it was an unconventional appointment, but there was no one in the North Sea Ice Palace now who would oppose Eun Hwiryong's decision. Additionally, they decided to forgo a grand appointment ceremony and simply announce it quietly the next day since Baek Suryong didn't want to kick up a fuss.

"By the way, what were you looking at so intently?" Baek Suryong asked, glancing at the documents Eun Hwiryong had been poring over. The words 'Blood Cult' were visible in several places, piquing his interest.

Eun Hwiryong replied, "These are the letters exchanged between Seol Suryeon and the Blood Cult over the past several decades. I found them in a secret passage connected to this room."

After the intense battle, the martial artists of the Seol Clan had initially refused to believe that Seol Suryeon had joined hands with the Blood Cult to lure the Ice Moon Goddess into a trap and stain the North Sea Ice Palace with blood for her own greed. However, as concrete evidence was revealed one after another, they eventually bowed their heads and accepted her crimes.

Eun Hwiryong held up one of the documents. "This is the list of children abducted from our Palace by the Blood Cult thirty-five years ago. Hayeon's name is on this list."

Baek Suryong recognized the name. Eun Hayeon was Eun Hwiryong's younger sister and Yeo Min's biological mother. The fact that her name was written on the list meant that his previous conjecture was correct.

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"…I am truly sorry about your sister," he said solemnly.

"I think it's a relief that I found out this way, at least." Eun Hwiryong carefully caressed her sister's name with her finger. "Still, I am glad that she lived long enough to grow up and give birth to a daughter."

"……" Baek Suryong said nothing, giving Eun Hwiryong time to grieve.

Eun Hwiryong looked at Baek Suryong. Her sister was dead, but she had left behind a child at the Azure Dragon Academy, a child who was currently being taught by the man in front of her.

She asked, "Shall we go out for a walk?"

"Sure."

The two went outside and climbed onto the high fortress wall of the North Sea Ice Palace.

WHOOOOSH!

They stood side by side on the fortress wall, silently taking in the white scenery of the North Sea as their hair fluttered wildly in the harsh wind.

Baek Suryong glanced at Eun Hwiryong out of the corner of his eye.

Her internal injuries must be as severe as mine.

Even so, despite having gone through such a tremendous event and almost dying, she stood as solidly as a rock.

Baek Suryong deliberated for a moment, then asked casually, "Empress. Have you considered my proposal?"

"…About forming an alliance with the Murim Alliance?"

"I will not pressure you to accept. The North Sea Ice Palace has suffered great damage from this incident, and I know you need time to manage internal affairs."

Eun Hwiryong sighed. Just thinking about all the things that she needed to do exhausted her. Still, she understood the dire need to prepare for the threat that would come in the near future.

Baek Suryong continued, "The threat of the Blood Cult will continue to loom over the North Sea Ice Palace, especially now that you guys have literally betrayed the Cult. If you form an official alliance with the Murim Alliance, both sides can serve as a sturdy shield for each other."

"……" After a long pause, Eun Hwiryong threw a seemingly unrelated question at Baek Suryong. "What were Seol Suryeon's final moments like?"

"Miserable and desolate. She died in agony in a place no one knows. You should have been able to tell from her dying expression, right?"

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Baek Suryong had cut off Seol Suryeon's head and brought it back to the North Sea Ice Palace. Currently, that head was displayed at the main gate of the Seol Clan's domain as a warning about the end of one who sold out the Palace. The name Seol Suryeon would be remembered as a traitor for all eternity.

"…The Blood Cult's envoy did not come on the scheduled date. Instead, this was stuck on the fortress wall." Eun Hwiryong took a piece of paper from her robes and handed it to Baek Suryong. It was a missive written in human blood.

We will leave quietly this time. However, when we come next, it will be with swords.

Baek Suryong's expression hardened. "How did they find out what happened here?"

"A few Seol Clan members escaped during the chaos," Eun Hwiryong explained. "They must have met up with the Blood Cult's envoy."

Her gaze was exceedingly chilling as she looked at the Blood Cult's missive. The Blood Cult's message was clear. With Seol Suryeon dead, they no longer had a reason to cooperate with the North Sea Ice Palace.

"Even though we already shed so much blood for the Cult over the past few decades, those fiends still want more."

CRACKLE! SHATTER!

The missive held in her hand instantly froze, then shattered into pieces.

Letting the ice crystals fly away in the wind, Eun Hwiryong declared, "The North Sea Ice Palace will end its long seclusion and avenge our people. Children of the North Sea!"

As she spoke, her voice grew louder, eventually becoming a shout imbued with inner qi that echoed throughout the entire North Sea Ice Palace.

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Gathering her strength, she shouted once more, "Children of the North Sea!"

The startled martial artists of the Ice Palace all looked up at the fortress wall in unison, at the figure of their Empress cloaked in a blizzard.

"I intend to avenge our lost parents and grandparents, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters. I will have the Blood Cult pay us back in blood! Will you follow me?"

"…!!"

"…!!"

Now that all the deeds committed by Seol Suryeon and the Blood Cult had been revealed, rage and hatred filled everyone's hearts. Although it was characteristic of the martial artists of the North Sea Ice Palace to show little emotion, that didn't mean they had no emotions.

On the contrary, the more one restrained and suppressed emotion with cold reason, the hotter it burned when it finally exploded.

"We will follow you!"

"Death to the Blood Cult!"

"Glory to the North Sea Ice Palace!"

The shouts of the martial artists shook the skies of the North Sea again and again.

Eun Hwiryong looked back at Baek Suryong, resolve burning in her eyes. "I accept your proposal to form an alliance with the Murim Alliance."