Chapter 034 : Han Seol-bi
‘It is a relationship where we will soon hold an engagement ceremony.’
Hyeokryeon Yeom ruminated on the words Seol Ye-rin had just said while performing movement arts.
‘Hmm.’
-Tsk tsk, what are you worrying about so much?
-Hoho, of course, he would be worried. Isn't he thinking about what in the world the Young Palace Head’s words meant?
‘No, I am not.’
A need to worry about the meaning?
None.
Since an engagement ceremony is just something to hold.
Since the Young Palace Head also needs to keep Hyeokryeon Yeom by her side to have even a little possibility of surviving, this was a naturally necessary action for the sake of maintaining each other's relationship.
The problem was.
-Then what kind of worry is it?
‘If we hold an engagement ceremony… I was worried that people from Our Cult might visit the Ice Palace.’
I wasn't ready to face Hyeokryeon Geuk yet.
-…You were worrying about something unexpectedly strange.
‘Is that so?’
-From our perspective, it is a strange worry. Rather than that, we are here.
Looking ahead at the Sword Venerable’s words, the castle walls of the Ice Palace began to be seen before I knew it.
“Finally……!”
Moyong Geum burst out an exclamation seeing the castle walls of the Ice Palace.
After Seol Ye-rin declared she planned to hold an engagement ceremony with me, Moyong Geum had been performing movement arts silently without a word.
It wasn't a secret that the Small Snow Squad members were chattering via telepathy that it was clear Moyong Geum had an interest in the Young Palace Head.
“We can supply Cold Iron!”
It seemed he wasn't happy about arriving at the Ice Palace, but happy about the fact that he could earn money by selling Cold Iron.
“Hahahaha, let’s go see the Cold Iron quickly…….”
“Young Master!”
“No, let’s go see the Palace Lord!”
Only after Jang Baek-rim restrained Moyong Geum did Moyong Geum seem to come to his senses.
‘I think his eyes spun just now.’
True to his name, Moyong Geum (Gold) seemed to go crazy for money.
“Captain.”
Just as we were about to enter the Ice Palace, Eun Bin called me separately.
“Why?”
“Is it okay to enter inside the Ice Palace like this? Isn't the probability very high that the one who commissioned Blood Tears to ambush Young Master Moyong is a traitor within the Ice Palace?”
As expected of Eun Bin who has experience leading a squad, his judgment was quick.
“It is certainly as the Vice Captain says.”
The spy within the Ice Palace is a thorough guy enough to read our movements and send assassins.
“So we have to go in.”
Even if just to notify them of the fact that we survived the attack of Blood Tears.
“While I see the Palace Lord with the Young Palace Head and Young Master Moyong. The Vice Captain should take the Small Snow Squad members and convey the story of subjugating the assassins to the General Manager.”
Currently, the only person trustworthy was the General Manager, Seol Su-hyeok.
“Understood.”
“Don't forget to take Ji-yeong, Squad Leader Baek, and Un-seo too.”
“…Do I absolutely have to take them?”
“It would be good if you induce the Elders to eat Tae Un-seo’s cooking.”
“…Confirmed.”
I expected if it were Eun Bin, he would understand perfectly what I wanted.
Like that, the Small Snow Squad was able to bring the Moyong Clan Merchant Guild safely into the Ice Palace.
***
“Greetings to the Palace Lord.”
“Right, it has been a long time.”
“It seems it is the first time since seeing you when I was young.”
North Sea Ice Palace, Palace Lord’s Hall.
Moyong Geum was conversing with my father-in-law without being nervous at all.
“…Were you acquaintances?”
“I am close friends with the Moyong Merchant Guild Leader. We met often until the trade was cut off.”
“Then…….”
Naturally, my head turned towards Seol Ye-rin.
“Was Ye-rin acting prickly this time too?”
“Although she covered her face with a veil, it seems she has become pretty to the point I couldn't recognize her.”
So, it means the two are childhood friends.
“I have never gone out of the Ice Palace, though.”
“It is natural that you do not remember. Young Master Moyong visited the Ice Palace together with the Merchant Guild Leader to take Cold Iron. Although you did exchange greetings every time that happened.”
Seol Ye-rin would not have taken a single step out of her room.
‘But is that really a friend?’
Just a relationship without even knowing the face.
In other words, a stranger.
“He is a stranger.”
At Seol Ye-rin’s firm drawing of a line.
“Haha, it seems it has been too long since we couldn't communicate due to horse bandits.”
Moyong Geum made a truly regrettable expression.
But now I felt I could understand the meaning of those words.
‘He must feel it’s a waste since he couldn't trade Cold Iron for all that long time.’
A feeling of roughly grasping the person called Moyong Geum.
It seems the Palace Lord had already done this grasping.
“General Manager.”
“…….”
He called General Manager Seol Su-hyeok, but there was no answer.
“The General Manager went out for a moment as there was a matter to discuss with the Vice Captain. If you have any needed business, please tell me.”
“I was thinking shall we go see the Cold Iron, but a story to tell the General Manager. Did something happen?”
My father-in-law pretended not to know and broached the subject to me.
At that gaze, I glanced at Moyong Geum,
“Oh my, Palace Lord. It is nothing special. There was a brief ambush on the way coming here, but…….”
Moyong Geum stepped forward first.
“An ambush?”
“Yes, yes. It was nothing special. Thanks to the Small Snow Squad Captain, we blocked the ambush easily. Thank you very much for attaching a great escort.”
Watching Moyong Geum’s action, I could feel that he was certainly quick at calculation.
The first life I passed through.
The scouters who came to sign a contract with me in the past life were acting exactly like Moyong Geum.
From Moyong Geum’s perspective, my father-in-law and I were like customers.
Now he opened the trade with the Moyong Merchant Guild due to the connection formed in the past.
But, if Moyong Geum makes even a small mistake here, he doesn't know if this deal might fall through.
That absolutely must not happen,
“Palace Lord, if you just tell me where it is, I will guide Young Master Moyong.”
“Did you find me?”
Just as we were about to leave, General Manager Seol Su-hyeok returned again.
“Right, guide the two people to the warehouse keeping the Cold Iron.”
“Yes, Palace Lord.”
We began to move following General Manager Seol Su-hyeok.
“How much would the amount be?”
Moyong Geum began to ask the General Manager with sparkling eyes.
“There is a lot of Cold Iron we set aside while trade wasn't happening all this while. I trust the Moyong Merchant Guild will sell it well.”
“A lot of money……. Since Cold Iron is overflowing with scarcity, I can adjust the volume of goods distributed at once a little, right?”
“We will entrust everything about selling.”
“Thank you!”
Watching Moyong Geum whose eyes sparkled as soon as the talk of money came out, I came to have a thought ‘Perhaps……’.
‘Surely the Merchant King of the Moyong Merchant Guild isn't Moyong Geum, right?’
The Merchant King who will come to possess the power to sway the business world of the Central Plains in the future.
To fight against Hyeokryeon Geuk, I had thought in advance of the people I had to win over through the memories of his past life.
First of all, the Ice Palace was the very first.
Second was the experts of the Potala Palace, Poison Palace, and Great Thunder Temple.
Third was the Merchant King responsible for the business world of the Central Plains and the Manor Master of the Ten Thousand Gold Manor.
And if possible, even those who can be won over among the Ten Venerables under the Heavens.
‘To deal with the Demonic Cult, I should prepare at least this much.’
If Moyong Geum is the one who becomes the Merchant King in the future, I had to win him over right here somehow.
-Captain.
At that time, Eun Bin’s telepathy was heard.
-What is it?
-While we were out, the atmosphere of the Ice Palace was strange.
-What is strange?
-It is the news that the Palace Lord summoned the heads of the Five Families of the Ice Palace.
Five Families?
-Kneuk kneuk, does it mean the Five Families are still being maintained?
-Tradition ought to be continued.
As if they secretly overheard the telepathy between me and Eun Bin, the Sword Venerable and the Demon Queen brought up the story.
‘Please tell me a bit.’
In the Demonic Cult, I hadn't heard news up to the Five Families of the Ice Palace.
-In the Ice Palace, the Five Families exist.
-North Wind Seol Clan, Ice Wolf Baek Clan, Cold Blood Han Family, Snow Tiger Gwak Clan, Guardian Jang Clan.
The Seol Clan would be my father-in-law’s family.
I roughly understood Baek Mu-yong’s family, the Ice Wolf Baek Clan, and the Elder from the Snow Tiger Squad, Gwak Tae-san’s family, the Snow Tiger Gwak Clan.
Elder Han Bing-ok’s place of origin is the Cold Blood Han Family.
‘It is the first time I hear of the Guardian Jang Clan, though.’
Another armed force of the Ice Palace.
It seemed to be the family of the Guardian Squad protecting the Ice Palace.
The fact that he summoned all of them would mean my father-in-law drew his sword at the news of the ambush.
I expected the force that realized Blood Tears was defeated would come to find us immediately.
If it becomes like this, I wonder if I should leave the elimination of the traitor to my father-in-law.
“Is something wrong?”
At the feeling that Hyeokryeon Yeom was continuously exchanging telepathy, the Young Palace Head, Seol Ye-rin, asked.
“No. First of all, showing the Cold Iron to Young Master Moyong and opening the trade seems to be the priority.”
“We arrived.”
As I conversed with Seol Ye-rin, we arrived at the warehouse.
We could discover Cold Iron piled up fully inside the warehouse.
“Wooooah!!”
I had an illusion that Moyong Geum’s eyes, witnessing the fully piled Cold Iron, were dyed in golden light.
“This, all! of! it! The Moyong Merchant Guild will purchase and distribute it!”
“Thank you, Young Master.”
“For transport, I will go back and tell my father and send the escort agency to the Ice Palace.”
“Yes, Young Master, come to think of it, it seems you moved without being given time to relieve the fatigue of the journey. Since you finished checking, please rest quickly now.”
At the fact that he could finally rest, Moyong Geum’s pulse seemed to relax.
“Whew, it seems I should do that.”
Moyong Geum’s escort, Jang Baek-rim, supported Moyong Geum who started to stagger.
“I will treat you to a delicious dinner!”
At that appearance, Tae Un-seo shouted with sparkling eyes, and,
“N, no. First I need to sleep a bit.”
“Guide him to the accommodation.”
“Yes, I will guide him.”
Moyong Geum stopped his steps for a moment and conveyed a greeting with a light clasped hands greeting towards me.
“Young Palace Head, Captain. You worked hard escorting me a long way. I wish to see you again after taking a rest for a while. Since I have things to talk about too.”
“Yes, yes, Young Master. Then see you later.”
Baek Mu-yong took Moyong Geum along with White Night.
“Miss Seol should also go back quickly and rest, no?”
“After sending me back, what work do you intend to start again, Captain Hyeokryeon?”
She is incredibly quick-witted too.
Since it seemed she was curious about the telepathy with Eun Bin, I conveyed the news about the Five Families to Seol Ye-rin via telepathy.
Then,
“Wait… then…….”
“What’s wrong?”
“If Father summoned the head of the Cold Blood Han Family, surely! General Manager!”
Seol Ye-rin quickly looked back at General Manager Seol Su-hyeok.
“Probably, as the Young Palace Head anticipated, it is expected they will come in together.”
“Ah. I, I will try going back to the Young Palace Head’s Hall quickly.”
“Why are you suddenly like this?”
The moment I made a puzzled expression at Seol Ye-rin’s appearance of being extremely flustered and restless.
“Oh my oh my, you really came out, Sister!”
I could see a woman running at a crazy speed from far away.
“Sister?”
A woman enough to be able to call Seol Ye-rin sister.
My head started spinning fiercely.
“To be able to see Sister like this, ah, this Seol-bi is so touched!”
The pure white hair of the woman who ran quickly and landed in front of Seol Ye-rin fluttered.
“This woman is……?”
“Oh my, who is this person?”
Hyeokryeon Yeom and the woman’s eyes became entangled.
“He is Captain Hyeokryeon Yeom who became the new Small Snow Squad Captain this time.”
At Seol Su-hyeok’s introduction, the woman reacted.
“Small Snow Squad Captain… Nice to meet you! I am Sister’s lovely sworn sister! Han Seol-bi!”
‘Surname Han?’
A woman of ultra-extroverted disposition who looks completely opposite to Seol Ye-rin appeared in front of my eyes.