The moment I heard the words 'Northern Sea Ice Palace', a thought came to my mind.
‘Lee Ahn, it must be fate telling me to go see you.’
It was a place I hadn't even thought of, yet I’d heard its name twice in one day.
Moreover, it wasn’t just something I overheard in passing.
Weren't both Lee Ahn and the Drunken Demon people deeply connected to me?
“Why are you so surprised?”
“I was just thinking that my brother is the kind of person who receives annual gifts of wine from the Ice Palace.”
“I may be ignored by you, but when I go out, I'm a person of renown.”
How could I not know? I knew better than anyone.
I knew just how fearsome the Drunken Demon could be when he was truly drunk and rampaging.
Only the Blood Heaven Blade Demon could call him a drunkard.
“But is the Ice Palace not sending wine a matter you need to discuss with the Sword Sovereign?”
For a moment, a flicker of bewilderment crossed the Drunken Demon’s eyes.
“That’s because you don’t know how delicious their Ice Wine is.”
“In that case, since we’re on the topic, shall we go to the Northern Sea Ice Palace together?”
“The two of us?”
“If they don’t send the wine, we can just go there and drink it ourselves. Surely they won’t refuse us a glass of Ice Wine if we visit in person, right? Let’s have a glass of Ice Wine at the peak of the snow mountain.”
It would be a lie to say I wasn't bothered by the Drunken Demon, who always lamented that he was put last.
I wanted to take this opportunity to spend time with him.
Drinking Ice Wine with the Drunken Demon amidst the flurrying snow on the peak of a snow mountain?
Ah, just thinking about it was exciting.
It would truly be an unforgettable moment.
Besides, hadn't I just bathed in a hot spring in a snowfield yesterday? Yes, this was fate telling me to go to the Northern Sea.
“Let’s go together.”
I thought he would naturally agree, but unexpectedly, the Drunken Demon refused.
“I’m fine.”
“What? You always say you want to hang out with me. Was it all just words? Didn't you want to go on a trip?”
“I have something to do.”
From his expression, it was clear there was some reason.
Could it be a situation related to the Ice Palace that he couldn't speak of? I was curious, but I didn't press him.
The Drunken Demon was the Demon Sovereign I was most comfortable with.
Because of that, I could have pestered him about it, or I could have joked that he didn't want to be away from Yeo Bin.
But I didn't.
When someone signals that this is as far as it goes, one must step back.
We always make mistakes with those we are comfortable with, and we are often rude to them.
The more comfortable you are with someone, the more you should be considerate and take care of them, especially when you think about the effort they put into creating that comfort.
So, I was the one to change the subject.
“Brother, what did you think of yesterday’s meeting?”
“Do you know why I particularly liked this meeting?”
“What is it?”
“The fact that the meeting was held in a tavern. And I like it even more that my Demonic Path is in a tavern.”
The Drunken Demon’s words made me laugh.
It was a moment that added another layer of meaning to the Flowing Wine Tavern.
A place where my Demonic Path and the Drunken Demon’s Way of Wine met.
After chatting about this and that, we parted ways.
Neither of us brought up the matter of going to the Northern Sea again.
*
After parting with the Drunken Demon, Geom Mugeuk returned to the Blood Heaven Blade Demon's residence.
He had come to see the Blade Demon today to express his gratitude for helping the meeting conclude successfully.
But now, the purpose of his visit had changed to a farewell before departing for the Northern Sea.
The Blade Demon and the Sword Sovereign were in the courtyard, talking as they looked at the flowers they had planted.
Geom Mugeuk quietly stood beside them and said, “The flowers are really pretty.”
Just looking at them made him feel good.
The Plum Blossom Sword Sovereign watched Geom Mugeuk as he looked at the flowers.
She could feel that he wasn't just pretending to like them for her sake, but that he genuinely loved flowers.
“Should I plant some flowers in your courtyard too, Young Cult Master?”
“No, I wander around so much they’ll die quickly. I have to leave again this time.”
“Where to?”
“Something came up, so I have to go to the Northern Sea.”
At the mention of the Northern Sea, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon asked with a surprised expression, “Why there?”
“According to my right-hand man, my heart is freezing over there.”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon didn't understand Geom Mugeuk's jest.
“What are you planning to do this time?”
“Could there be anything more surprising than the Righteous, Demonic, and Unorthodox Sects meeting?”
“If it's you.”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon sighed and shook his head.
“Just when I thought spring had come, a snowstorm begins to rage again!”
The Plum Blossom Sword Sovereign added, “Blood will be spilled on the pure white snowfield.”
Given his track record, he deserved such a misunderstanding, but still.
“No, please don't misunderstand! I'm just going to meet someone! I'm going to see Lee Ahn. To laugh, talk, and sightsee. I’m going to look for a tavern in the Northern Sea with a skilled chef.”
The two looked at each other and sighed, pretending not to hear.
“I wonder how many will die this time.”
No! This is a trip to the Northern Sea!
*
Before leaving for the Northern Sea, I diligently went around to say my goodbyes.
Last time, when I went to save Jo Chun-bae's family, I had left in a hurry as if running away from home, but this time, I bid farewell to everyone.
I planned to travel around the Central Plains with Lee Ahn after leaving this time.
My father said only one thing.
“Don't cause any trouble!”
My master, the Fist Demon, added one thing to the 'don't cause any trouble' remark.
“The Ice Palace Master is a cold person.”
I know.
I know just how cold that person is.
And that's why he's a person whose temperament is so perfectly suited to the name of Ice Palace Master.
I couldn't even meet the Poison King and the Demon Buddha.
The two had gone deep into the Thousand Poison Forest to gather poisonous herbs again.
“This is too much! How can you two always play without me?”
The words I left with Sangseon to deliver to them only echoed in the Thousand Poison Forest.
Of course, I said that, but I could feel that as the two of them spent time together, it was having a positive influence on them both.
The Soul-Devouring Demon Sovereign unexpectedly revealed her inner thoughts calmly.
“I hope there will be a day when I can go out with you next time.”
It seemed she was envious of me interacting with the other Demon Sovereigns.
I gave her the most encouraging words I could.
“You are the first Demon Sovereign of the next generation. When the time comes, there will be plenty of opportunities for that.”
Soul-Devouring Demon Sovereign, do not forget that now is the time to bury your life in effort.
Only through this period can you become the Demon Sovereign you aspire to be.
Do you think the Fist Demon's great fists and the Evil Heart Laughing Demon's shining mask were made just like that?
I could only hope that she would grow up to be a wonderful Demon Sovereign.
And the person who moved me more than anyone else was the Evil Heart Laughing Demon.
When I entered the Evil Heart Laughing Demon’s residence, I was startled.
The room had changed.
A new bed had been placed on the wall opposite the one I had brought.
And surprisingly, the Evil Heart Laughing Demon was sitting on that bed.
He, who had always stood in the middle of the empty room, was now sitting on a bed.
“Laughing Demon Sovereign!”
“You’ve come?”
“Finally, the Laughing Demon Sovereign has his own bed.”
“I took this opportunity to get one.”
I was truly happy.
He had understood my heart, the heart that had moved my bed into his room.
My wish for him to sleep comfortably in a bed now.
“Sleeping in a bed is more comfortable and better than I thought.”
I sat on my bed and looked at the Evil Heart Laughing Demon, who was sitting on his bed on the opposite side.
Because his position had changed, his perspective would also change.
This change would also change him.
Just like me, the Laughing Demon was growing stronger.
“I plan to visit the Northern Sea.”
“For what reason?”
“I'm going to see a pretty heart.”
When I first used the expression 'pretty heart', the Evil Heart Laughing Demon was there beside me.
So he would know who I was referring to.
“I thought she’d get stronger if I didn't take care of her, if I just left her alone, but it seems I've reached my limit. I have to go see her.”
The two eyes within the white mask smiled charmingly.
He recalled the joke he had once made to tease Lee Ahn and said, “If the heart you speak of is that ugly heart I know, it will be beating well even in the cold.”
*
That night, the Drunken Demon came to find me.
“Care for a drink?”
“Sounds good.”
I always drank with the Drunken Demon at the Drunken Dream Pavilion, but today, we sat facing each other in the front yard of my residence.
“I’m planning to go to the Northern Sea, even if by myself. You know Lee Ahn, my former guard? She’s there now. But since you happened to mention the Ice Palace, it made me want to go see her.”
“The reason why I said I wouldn’t go with you is…”
It seemed to have been bothering him.
He had been grumbling that I never spent time with him, but when I finally suggested we go, he backed out.
“There’s a place inside the Ice Palace where they brew wine. It's called the Hundred Wines Snow Courtyard. I know the head brewer there.”
I asked, just in case.
“Is the head brewer a woman?”
The Drunken Demon flinched and nodded.
Brother, don't be surprised yet.
I can already guess what's going on.
“She likes you, doesn't she.”
The Drunken Demon didn't answer and just drank his wine.
A silent affirmation.
A romance between the Drunken Demon and a brewer from the Northern Sea Ice Palace.
The Drunken Demon must have not accepted her feelings for a long time.
But coincidentally, at the very time he opened his heart to Yeo Bin, the wine stopped coming, so he must think the woman is heartbroken.
“You think she stopped sending wine because she heard you got together with Yeo Bin, right?”
But this time, he shook his head firmly.
“No. If she had sent the wine with such personal feelings, I would not have accepted her wine.”
I could feel the sincerity in the Drunken Demon's words.
“The wine the head brewer sends is truly excellent. We have been interacting as a person who makes wine and a person who drinks it.”
A master brewer and the greatest drinker.
That was their relationship.
“Then why did you say you wouldn't go?”
At that, the Drunken Demon said something unexpected.
“The wine spirit has spoiled again.”
There was a time when the Drunken Demon and I had cleaned up the spoiled wine spirit together.
He had said it was an ominous sign since it had never happened since he became a Demon Sovereign.
That wine spirit had spoiled again.
“So I’m brewing it again and keeping an eye on it. I said I wouldn't go because I couldn't leave at a time like this. I was going to tell you earlier but didn't because I thought you'd worry.”
I could tell.
Many things had changed since my regression, but Hwa Mugi had not yet changed the coming fate.
“Was it the same as before?”
“What do you mean?”
“Did it stink as much as it did back then?”
Fortunately, the Drunken Demon shook his head.
“It spoiled less than before. It was terrible back then, wasn't it?”
What meaning could such a difference hold? But if I was to assign meaning in the first place, I might as well assign meaning to this difference.
I’d believe that the situation had improved.
The wine brewed this time would surely spoil less.
Because this meeting must have changed our fates, even if just a little.
“Brother, don't worry too much. If it spoils, we'll brew it again, and if it spoils again, we'll brew it again.”
Brew it, and brew it again.
This was my stance against Hwa Mugi and evil.
Not assigning too much meaning to it.
Hwa Mugi, I will not let you become my everything.
You are the one who should be restless and obsessed with me.
Why isn't it working? Why isn't it taking effect? You should be the one to feel anxious and fret.
Perhaps the best revenge is not to kill him, but for me to live happily and well.
Hwa Mugi? Who was that again?
*
The next day, as I was about to leave the Main Sect early, the Drunken Demon came to find me.
“Let’s go together.”
The Drunken Demon had already come prepared for a journey.
Even his attire was different from usual.
It was the same clothes he wore on the day of the meeting, but the painting was different.
Back then, it was a painting of a drunken Wine God laughing, but today, it was a scene of the Wine God on a boat in a moonlit lake, drinking alone.
It was like a scene from a poem.
“Your clothes are really cool. If you have any spares, give me one too.”
“I’ll give it to you when we return.”
I didn't ask why he had changed his mind and decided to go.
There are things you can know without asking.
“Let's run to the Northern Sea using lightness arts. I’ll match your pace, brother.”
The Drunken Demon gave me an incredulous look.
“You’ll match my pace?”
“Of course. The faster person should match the slower person's pace.”
“You've never properly run with me, have you?”
“Same to you, brother.”
“Shall we make a bet?”
A lightness arts bet with me? This was almost like betting my father on who could sneer better.
“We are people who drink and fight. What do we do if we get into trouble after drinking? We run, right? We are experts at running away.”
The Drunken Demon was full of confidence.
“If I lose, I’ll give you this.”
The Drunken Demon took out a small wine bottle from his sleeve.
“It's Dragon Fire Wine.”
Dragon Fire Wine was among the best of the wines that were also elixirs.
It was a truly precious wine.
“You’re going to give me something this precious?”
“My inner energy and its properties don’t match, so I've just been storing it.”
“You're doing this because you’re worried I'll feel burdened if you just give it to me as a gift, right?”
“Just try not to fall and cry!”
The Drunken Demon had made a huge bet.
To bet the Dragon Fire Wine first meant he also wanted something from me.
“What if you win, brother? Is there something you want?”
The condition the Drunken Demon set was unexpected.
“If I win, just grant me one favor.”
“What is it?”
“I'll tell you if I win.”
“What should I do? It looks like I won’t even get to hear that favor.”
After setting our destination, we started running.
The Drunken Demon was certainly fast.
Fast enough to make me wonder if he was the fastest among the Demon Sovereigns in lightness arts.
If he was this fast, he hadn't intended to just give me the Dragon Fire Wine.
This was a bet he intended to win.
But unfortunately for him, he wasn't as fast as the Swift Step which I had brought to Great Mastery.
Brother, I'm a man with a conscience, so I’ll listen to what your favor is while I drink the Dragon Fire Wine.
Faster, and faster.
We sped northward just like that.