[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-childhood-friend-of-the-zenith":3,"chapter-childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-613":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Childhood Friend of the Zenith",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1240463,1667,"Chapter 612","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-613",613,"\u003Cp>This memory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It is about a promise made at some point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A story from a time when things were less than they are now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We were both young.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A time when we didn’t know anything, watching the falling snow, and the memory of when we didn’t hate it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[The princess read about this in a book this time.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Oh, really?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though I spoke to her every day, she only responded as if it was bothersome.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, the girl was happy and kept talking to the boy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[They say people from Zhongyuan are really impressive.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Suddenly?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the girl brought up Zhongyuan, the boy showed a bit of reaction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl knew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a reaction born from the boy not being able to hide his irritation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it was okay.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even this kind of conversation, the girl was fine with it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[It said so in the book.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[What book did you read this time?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Meeting the most beautiful woman in Zhongyuan, the first daughter of the Binggong family.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[...]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the name of a book the maids secretly enjoyed reading.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a book the girl had recently been very immersed in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing this, the boy frowned, as if he had heard something wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Isn’t that a banned item?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Things related to Zhongyuan were prohibited from being brought to the North Sea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So the boy asked if this was such a case.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Ah!]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl shouted at the boy as if she was suddenly angry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[This was written directly in the North Sea! It’s not something from Zhongyuan!]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Oh, right.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as the boy was about to brush it off, he couldn’t help but ask, as if something was on his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[...So, why does your speech sound like that?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Hm? Does it sound strange?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Very.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[But it said so in the book…]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had tried to imitate the words spoken by the bloodline in the book.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it seemed that it didn’t sound right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Where do they ever speak like that?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[The first daughter in the book said it like that.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a warm, somewhat lewd story about a cold, aloof man from Binggong who changed after meeting a woman from Zhongyuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The male protagonist’s personality was like that in the story.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly remembering a line, the girl spoke with a serious expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[You are the first woman who has treated me like this.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a line written just like that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then, there was definitely the line.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Will you marry me?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[...]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After hearing those words, the boy froze for a moment and then looked at the girl in disbelief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, as if he had something to say, he started moving his mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Ah! It’s snowing.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The boy couldn’t say what he wanted to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl, excited once again by the snow falling from the sky, distracted him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Look, Cheong-ah! It’s snowing!]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[...Yeah, it’s snow.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At her excited words, the boy could only smile bitterly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[You didn’t even wait for an answer. Then why did you ask?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Huh? What?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Nothing, nothing.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Laughing it off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I am not someone who should be aiming for anything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s what the boy thought again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[The snow is pretty today, huh?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Yeah.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl looked at the snow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[It’s pretty.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The boy was looking at the girl, who resembled the snow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the memory from when the falling snow was not hated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Breaking through the blizzard, I kept walking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How much time had passed?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It must have been about one hour or so.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I continued walking on the snow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Naturally, no footprints were left in the snow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Woo-woo-wooo-!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I turned my gaze in response to the vibration I felt in my chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The speed wasn’t particularly fast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘It’s not easy to move while feeling the vibration.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though my mind was in a hurry, it wasn’t easy to control.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the first time I had tried this method.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The vibration coming from the Thunder Fang of Namgung Bi-ah, somewhere far away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had to keep feeling the vibration coming from that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was faint but clear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A contradictory sensation, but that was exactly how it felt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a power I had realized after living these past few years, post-shedding my skin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I could feel the aura of a magical artifact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be more specific.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I can only feel the magical artifacts I’ve used.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I had experienced the effect of the artifact firsthand, I could sense it when I wanted to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How did I realize this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…I figured it out while looking for something I had lost.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had once lost the mask given to me by the Shadow King. After desperately trying to find it, I accidentally figured out this method.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When I asked the Shadow King about it, he said something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘It might be a dragon trait.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t know much about it. What exactly were dragons?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed like they were living with such traits attached to them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I had to think of a reason.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘It’s because the magical artifacts originally came from dragons.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All the white-grade beasts were referred to as dragons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the early magical artifacts were all things that they had spat out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps that’s why I was able to do this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I could only guess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’d need to meet another dragon to understand for sure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Oh, I’ve met one.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Shadow King, who was turning into a dragon due to the curse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the form of the princess I had just encountered was similar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it wasn’t them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A red-eyed figure flashed through my mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Blood Demon.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three encounters with the Blood Demon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In those meetings, it had said things that made me suspect it was a dragon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, I still remembered the words the Blood Demon had spoken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Something about the Dragon Emperor,’ I think.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What did that mean?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was it just referring to the leader of dragons? Or was there something else?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And was that referring to the Blood Demon?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Since the Blood Demon got it from the Blood Demon, it must be him.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, does that mean the Blood Demon is the leader of dragons?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I have to figure out the meaning of that too.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, it wasn’t the time to be thinking about that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I was walking, following the energy, I heard a voice behind me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Vioe-gun would never do that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the voice that had been muttering since earlier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After hearing that, I let out a slight sigh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Vioe-gun.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’ve said that over ten times. Close your mouth. It’s annoying.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, it quieted down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had to focus, but it kept muttering, which distracted me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I felt my head lower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A feeling of melancholy reached me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I begged so much to be taken along, and now that I’ve brought you, why are you like this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The person I was carrying wasn’t anyone else, but Yu-ri, the little princess of the North Sea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After we had met at the cave entrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We were now traveling together, though not exactly as companions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“At least you said you wouldn’t be a burden, so why are you acting like one?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ha, but…! The prince told me to get on your back…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He told you to get on because you can’t even walk properly. If you had done well, would I have told you to get on my back?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Balancing one’s internal energy is about adjusting it delicately in any situation, ensuring mobility remains unimpeded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When stepping on water or snow, precise control and a significant amount of energy are required.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a feat impossible for someone of Yuri’s level, who, even as a first-class martial artist, lacked such refined control.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And so, I carried her on my back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Normally, I’d have just left her at the entrance.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The conversation I overheard at the entrance had been the problem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Desperately, Yuri had insisted that Vioe-gun wasn’t like that, that he had made a promise to her, and therefore he wouldn’t do such a thing. It had piqued my curiosity, so I decided to listen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed related to Woo Hyuk, which caught my interest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is getting a bit tangled.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Things were becoming a bit of a hassle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I glanced at Yuri, still on my back, and said,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let me repeat: I’m not heading to find the Vioe-gun you’re talking about.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When I asked Yuri what promise she had made with Vioe-gun, she didn’t answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead, she looked at me and said,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[“Please, take me with you. I’m begging you…”]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where exactly did she think I was going to make her plead so desperately?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...I understand that.\"\"But why are you asking me to take you?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I asked, changing direction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I hadn’t said I was going to meet Woo Hyuk. I had clearly stated I was just leaving.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Yuri, having realized I intended to go somewhere after stepping outside, had clung to the hem of my pants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And why did you take me out in the first place, Young Master?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hm.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why had I taken her with me?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I thought about it for a moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The answer wasn’t hard to find.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Good question.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even I wasn’t entirely sure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Pardon?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Now that I think about it, there wasn’t any real need to bring you along.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Frankly, she was an unnecessary companion. Whether I was moving covertly or traveling long distances, Yuri’s presence was more of a hindrance than anything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despite knowing all this, I had taken her with me because she had pleaded so earnestly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I had to give a reason…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It’s just… you looked so desperately sincere.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a reason as simple as it gets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her voice, so desperate in its search for Woo Hyuk, wasn’t something I could ignore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hope in her eyes, even though they carried disbelief, had been hard to overlook.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, I brought her along.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...For just that reason?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Call it the misfortune of having the wrong friend,\" I said with a chuckle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a pitiful life, having only a handful of people I could call friends—and not even enough to fill one hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The suffering I endured was all because of one of those rare friends.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So, what promise did you make with him?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’re still not going to tell me?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the third time I’d asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What promise could have made her believe so firmly that Woo Hyuk wouldn’t act otherwise?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was curious, but once again…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuri remained silent. She had no intention of answering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching her, I said,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If you don’t answer, I’ll leave you here. Are you sure you still won’t talk?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"…!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The threat made Yuri flinch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What would happen if I really left her here? It wouldn’t be a good situation, that much was certain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Yuri was surely aware of that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, she merely tightened her grip on my clothing, refusing to answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“She’s not saying a word.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was she so sure I wouldn’t actually leave her behind?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I briefly entertained the idea of throwing her off and walking away, but decided to let it go for now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fine. Then at least tell me what your relationship with that guy is. Surely you can answer that much.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What was the connection between Yuri and Woo Hyuk?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To cry so desperately… there had to be something there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Could it be that you’re… lovers or—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We’re friends. Very old friends.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I see.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Friends, huh?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Very old friends, at that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The princess and Woo Hyuk are friends.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How long ago could that have been?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’d heard that Woo Hyuk was from the North Sea, but to think he and the princess were childhood friends was unexpected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, now that I think about it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something Woo Hyuk once said came to mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So, do you know who that guy’s fiancée is?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"…Pardon?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was something Woo Hyuk had mentioned at one point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had said he had a fiancée.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“At the time, I wondered what kind of monk even has a fiancée.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’d thought she must be someone from Zhongyuan, but now, considering the circumstances…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Could it be someone from the North Sea?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thought crossed my mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, whatever the case may be,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What good would a fiancée be at this point?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was mere idle curiosity about something I’d heard in passing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What… what do you mean by that?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hm?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"His fiancée?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuri’s voice was anything but calm as she repeated my words.\u003C\u002Fp>",2073,"2026-06-05T15:10:11.188Z",1,"novelbin.me","cee73a2a8ec80188f0ce7c3a35e486d3d44c8874b4b85a95dd1434dcf84bbbaf","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-614","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-612",974,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fchildhood-friend-of-the-zenith-cover.jpg"]