“Return safely.”
“Yes, Father.”
“And remember this.”
“What do you mean?”
“You are not alone.”
Seol Jungcheon’s voice was warm.
“You have the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Palace, your family, and those who believe in you.”
“......”
“They are your strength.”
Unhwi lowered his head.
“I will remember.”
Seol Jungcheon withdrew his hand.
“Go.”
“Yes.”
Unhwi turned around.
He walked toward the door.
Opened it.
And just as he was about to leave—
Seol Jungcheon’s voice came from behind him.
“Unhwi.”
Unhwi stopped.
Then turned his head.
Seol Jungcheon was looking out the window.
“You will forever remain my pride. My son.”
Warmth surged within Unhwi’s chest.
“......Thank you, Father.”
He closed the door.
And walked down the corridor.
***
Inside the study.
Seol Jungcheon gazed out the window.
Snow was falling.
The corners of his eyes were moist.
“......You truly grew up well.”
He murmured quietly.
“Truly.”
His gaze shifted toward the Go board.
The stones had not yet been cleared away.
Black and white.
Intertwined together.
His defeat was obvious, and he did not deny it. Unhwi’s skill at Go was unmatched beneath heaven.
No.
There was probably one person who could rival him.
Unhwi had apologized.
Said he was sorry.
But in Seol Jungcheon’s eyes, he himself should have been the one apologizing.
Even if Unhwi’s greatness came from the life he had lived, had Seol Jungcheon not made such foolish mistakes, he could have protected that value.
If he had done so, Unhwi would never have needed to leave the Snow Mountain.
The method would have been simple as well.
Just as Unhwi had once been in his previous life, the Snow Palace could have created a position similar to the Blood Heaven Arbiter.
An Ice Heaven Arbiter.
If such a title had existed, then the Palace Lord, the Young Palace Lord, and the Ice Heaven Arbiter would have become the three absolute authorities of the Snow Palace and led the entire faction together.
But if matters had developed that way, another problem would have arisen.
In the end, it would have become a struggle of power, and balance would have needed to be maintained. Even if Seol Horyeong was undeniably a genius, he still had not reached the level of Unity of Heaven and Man that Unhwi had attained.
Furthermore, the difference in influence within the martial world was overwhelming.
Which meant Seol Horyeong would become little more than a figurehead for the foreseeable future, and if that happened, the Snow Palace would inevitably waver.
“......He must have anticipated this.”
There was no way someone as brilliant as Unhwi would fail to understand such things.
In the end—
There was no way to keep hold of Unhwi.
He could see Unhwi’s back.
Growing more distant.
As a father, he had received far too much from him.
Though he had been clumsy at expressing it properly, one thing was certain—the gratitude he felt was greater than even the Snow Mountain itself.
He only wished for him to remain safe.
My son.
The snow continued to fall.
Pure white.
Covering the world.
***
Outside the Snow Palace.
A snow-covered path.
Unhwi walked forward.
Then stopped before the main gate of the main palace.
Four people stood there.
Seol Horyeong.
Seol Muryun.
Seol Yeonhwa.
And Seol Unhae.
The four Polar Heirs.
Unhwi quietly looked at them.
Seol Horyeong spoke first.
“We were waiting.”
“Eldest Brother.”
“You’re really leaving?”
“Yes.”
Seol Horyeong scratched his head awkwardly.
He was not a fool either. What had happened, and what Unhwi was thinking—
There was no way he would not understand.
“Little Brother.”
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry.”
Unhwi shook his head.
“You have nothing to apologize for, Eldest Brother.”
“Of course I do. You’re leaving because I was incompetent, aren’t you?”
“No.”
There was no way Unhwi could fail to understand Seol Horyeong’s feelings.
Of course, that did not mean he was lying merely to ease his mood.
The truth was that Unhwi was not leaving because Seol Horyeong was incompetent.
“There are things I must do.”
“Things you must do.”
“Yes. Things I must uncover. Things I must confront.”
“......”
“As all of you already know, grudges and ties in the martial world follow a person until the moment they die—or even after death.”
At Unhwi’s sudden remark, everyone widened their eyes.
“There is a great painting that depicts this world. I have only seen a fragment of it.”
“A fragment......? The Snow Palace?”
“To be precise, only up to the martial world.”
“......”
“And I intend to see the entire painting.”
There were still far too many untold stories.
The Murim Alliance, the Sichuan Alliance, the Heaven’s Will Alliance, and even the Snow Palace.
Many things had happened, but as Unhwi said, all of it was merely a fragment.
The master of Heaven Gate.
The Undying Maitreya.
The Heaven Beyond Heaven.
And at the center of it all—the Heavenly Wayfarer.
As well as Yu Cheong, who could clearly be called an enemy.
Unhwi said nothing further.
Truly.
He believed this much was enough.
Seol Horyeong and Seol Muryun nodded as though they understood.
But Seol Yeonhwa and Seol Unhae did not. They tilted their heads in confusion, though neither asked questions.
Seol Horyeong spoke.
“When are you planning to return?”
“To be honest, I do not know myself.”
“Hm?”
Seol Horyeong laughed.
“Well now, our genius little brother actually has something he doesn’t know?”
“I have not come to understand every single thing beneath heaven.”
“Then...... does that mean you may never return?”
A strange smile appeared on Unhwi’s face.
Only Seol Horyeong understood what he truly meant.
There had never been a time in his life that was not dangerous, but this matter in particular was truly perilous.
That could not be denied.
There was a high chance he would die.
And yet he still had to go. He did not wish to avert his eyes from the truth, and there were matters he needed to resolve with the Heavenly Wayfarer.
“Little Brother.”
“Yes, Eldest Brother.”
“Remember this. This is your home.”
“......”
“You may return whenever you wish.”
Seol Muryun stepped forward.
“Little Brother.”
“Yes, Second Brother.”
“Thank you.”
Unhwi silently looked at Seol Muryun.
“For everything you have done.”
Seol Muryun’s voice was deeply sincere.
“If not for you, the Snow Palace would still be diseased.”
“......”
“Vermin would still be gnawing away at it, factions would still be fighting, and Father would still be isolated. But you changed all of that.”
Seol Muryun placed a hand on Unhwi’s shoulder.
“Thank you. Truly.”
Unhwi shook his head.
“I merely did what was natural.”
“Doing what is natural is often the most difficult thing of all.”
Seol Yeonhwa approached.
“Little Brother.”
“Sister.”
“Write letters.”
“......Pardon?”
“Even if only occasionally. You should at least let us know you are still alive, shouldn’t you?”
Seol Yeonhwa smiled softly.
“Otherwise I think I’ll worry too much to sleep.”
“......I will.”
“And.”
Seol Yeonhwa pulled Unhwi into a tight embrace.
“Be careful. Promise me.”
“Yes.”
“It’s a promise.”
“......Yes.”
Seol Yeonhwa stepped back.
Her eyes had reddened.
Finally, Seol Unhae approached.
Unlike the others, he stared silently at Unhwi for some time.
“Do I need to say something lengthy?”
“You do not.”
Even so, Seol Unhae’s expression looked complicated.
He was different now than before.
More precisely, he had become deeper as a person.
And then—
Seol Unhae did something no one truly expected him to do.
He knelt.
Not only Unhwi, but all the Polar Heirs stared in shock at the sight.
“......What are you doing?”
“Apologizing.”
“......”
“I made your childhood difficult. I will not make excuses about external family sects or claim I was greedy for the position of Young Palace Lord. I ask forgiveness for tormenting you during your childhood.”
At the very least, he was not cowardly.
If anything, he appeared dignified.
That only made it more impressive.
In the past, he might have knelt while crying and begging for forgiveness. But what meaning did an apology from someone who was not truly sincere hold?
When Unhwi had seen Seol Unhae again at Windwall, he had already maintained a similar attitude, but now it had deepened further.
The man who once swore he would never apologize—
Had apologized.
Quietly, Unhwi extended a hand and helped Seol Unhae to his feet.
“You have become something closer to a proper martial artist.”
“......Is that praise?”
“It is. And I forgive you.”
“......”
“Even if my childhood memories were not pleasant, and even if they caused me great suffering, they still shaped the person I am today.”
“......”
“I will neither resent you nor hate you. And regarding your arm, Elder Brother.”
Quietly, Unhwi brushed over Seol Unhae’s missing arm.
“For most martial artists, once a limb is severed, recovery is impossible. But that does not mean there is no method at all.”
“......What?”
“If Fourth Brother reaches the pinnacle himself—or if I ascend to an even higher realm and restore it for you.”
The words were so unrealistic that Seol Unhae could only blink blankly.
“I cannot promise with certainty. But I will do my utmost.”
“......Thank...... thank you.”
Unhwi lightly patted Unhae’s shoulder.
Grudges and ties never ended. Because they never ended, they continued endlessly.
Unhwi stepped back.
His four family members stood before him.
Forming a respectful fist salute, he spoke.
“During the years I lived upon the Snow Mountain, there were painful memories filled with tears, but there were also many moments of happiness.”
“......”
“In the martial world, grudges and ties are considered an absolute value that must never be severed. But I value bonds even more than that.”
“......”
“Because of all of you, I was happy. And that happiness can continue only if all of you remain safe and at peace. That is why this youngest brother dares to ask something of you here.”
“Then ask.”
“Please, all of you, remain safe and well. Only then can I remain happy.”
At Unhwi’s sincere words, every one of the Polar Heirs shut their eyes tightly. Some even had reddened eyes.
Seol Horyeong spoke briefly.
“We will.”
“Thank you.”
Unhwi lowered his fist salute.
“Then I will be on my way.”
Everyone nodded.
Unhwi began walking.
Toward the snow-covered road.
He never looked back.
He walked while looking only ahead.
The four watched his departing figure.
Growing smaller.
More distant.
Then, at some point—
Seol Horyeong raised a fist salute toward Unhwi.
Seol Muryun and Seol Yeonhwa followed.
Seol Unhae did as well.
All four Polar Heirs sent him their farewell.
Unhwi’s figure disappeared into the snowstorm.
Yet the four still remained standing there.
In that place.
For a long time.
***
Yangryeong Province.
General Command Headquarters.
Unhwi arrived there three days after leaving the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Mountain.
A familiar place.
Yet no longer somewhere he would remain for long.
He opened the door and entered.
Han Seokhyeon was waiting for him.
“Ah, Commander General. You have returned.”
Han Seokhyeon immediately rose from his seat and formed a fist salute.
“There were no problems?”
“No, none at all.”
Unhwi walked inside and sat across from Han Seokhyeon.
“No problems......? Then perhaps it would be fine for you to become Commander General instead.”
For a moment, Han Seokhyeon simply blinked.
Had he heard incorrectly?
“......Pardon?”
“Become Commander General. You.”
“......M-Me?”
“You should be capable of it.”
When Unhwi had first met Han Seokhyeon at Seolap, he had felt it immediately.
This was a man with ambition.
