A Dragon Lives In That Scholar's Deep Spring - Chapter 21

Chapter 21

It was almost time for the prince to enter the Pearl River. As Do-gyeom concluded his remarks, he decided to remain silent about Farang.

“I did not doubt your loyalty. Don’t overthink it. There must be a reason for things we can’t help.”

Eon’s words were correct. Do-gyeom acknowledged it willingly and stood up.

“Yes, you’re right. I won’t forget.”

After bowing properly, Do-gyeom left the hall, where the third son had been studying. He didn’t even realize he had returned to Gyujanggak.

Farang.

Farang.

It was because of the desire for her to return safely to where she lived that a crack had formed in his heart.

* * *

“Oh my, in spring, the ice melts, and in the yard, the windowpanes thaw. In summer, leaves and flowers fall in the heavy rain, and in autumn, the leaves fall again. In winter, it snows. If you don’t use the yard even for a short while, it becomes overrun. These seasons keep coming and going four times a year. Don’t you love it?”

Sun-yi, who was sweeping here and there in the spacious yard, finally spoke her mind. Nam San-daek, holding a cigarette holder, scolded her without hesitation.

“Nonsense. Are you saying you’d starve because grains grow in the fall, not spring?”

“Oh, I didn’t mean it like that, ma’am.”

“You need to work properly every day, no matter if it’s spring or not!”

“Alright… I’m sorry.”

Farang, leaning against a pillar in the main hall and staring blankly, blinked slowly. Whether Farang watched or not, the women’s chatter continued as they worked.

“We should learn to be grateful for the changing seasons. Each season brings different vegetables and fruits, and the flowers and trees on the mountains and fields bloom and wither differently.”

“You’re right, watermelons in the middle of summer are the best. When you scoop them from the cool spring and cut them open, the sound and taste are just amazing.”

The seasons. In this place, it seemed as if human strength couldn’t affect the seasons, but the seasons where she used to live belonged to the one who ruled.

For thousands of years under Farang’s rule, it was natural that the whole world was bathed in blue. Even the weather, whether it rained or snowed, depended on her mood.

Due to the nature of the dragon race, as they didn’t live in communities, for a dragon with a strong desire for dominance like Farang, the sky and the weather meant more. Everyone wanted to adorn the sky with their color, leading to countless fights.

Come to think of it, what happened there? Did the dragons fight over the throne when the king disappeared, turning it into ruins? And what about the water? The sea that erupted like an explosion the moment it grew into an adult…

“…I want to sleep.”

When Farang felt down and alive, she recalled those brilliant water droplets that used to comfort her. The place where she could sleep deeply was the only thing she longed for, and a sigh escaped involuntarily. Her weak gaze suddenly fell on the well in the front yard.

“That water… it’s somewhat different.”

Farang, who thought the sensation was different, felt a strange sense of familiarity and straightened up.

“It’s strange. The water from this well is different from elsewhere. You can even get some energy from it… and use it like this.”

Did she ever say such words before? She wracked her brain, but apart from a faint memory, nothing else came to mind. In that small memory, Farang was looking down at the water rising from her palm.

“Have I ever said such a thing?”

It seemed like it might be part of her memory from the previous night as if it had resurfaced as if it had been carved. After briefly furrowing her brow in concentration, Farang shrugged her shoulders.

“Alcohol was only good when drinking.”

To think that drinking would make you thirstier, like water. Farang decided that she should drink in moderation from now on. The problem was that she didn’t feel the sense of danger.

If it were poison, it would have immediately separated from the body’s fluids, but with alcohol, the more you drank, the more tension melted away, and the sensitive nerves gradually relaxed, so she didn’t think about forcibly expelling it.

To be precise, she hadn’t thought of it as poison because she was feeling a bit lightheaded. It was a rather dangerous drink. She realized once again that not all liquids were mild, even if they were water.

“…What is this?”

Farang’s expression, which she had been thinking about absentmindedly, stiffened.

“Next.”

There was no next. There was only one goal: to find a way to remove the parasitic ring and return to her world.

“Sun-yi.”

“Did you call me?”

Sun-yi, who had just finished cleaning the yard, approached with a broom in her hand.

“Is there a sea here too?”

If there was flowing water, it would inevitably gather somewhere. However, it was doubtful because the place seemed excessively dry.

“A sea? Lady, did you come from the mountains? Of course, there is.”

Farang had entered all the water she encountered on the day she went to Buyongji, but she hadn’t been particularly pleased with any of it. Even if it was called a sea formed by the flowing water, she didn’t expect it to be much different. Farang pointed to the small pond that seemed to work the best.

“Then where does this water come from?”

“Oh? You know about it. It’s a spring that has been there since before this house was built. When the wells around here run dry, the owner opens the gate and allows people around to draw water. But everyone gathers and says our house’s water taste is just…”

“So, where does it come from?”

“Well…”

The easiest way was to enter the spring directly and go upstream, but the entrance was too narrow. However, thinking differently, if there was water with energy, even if it flowed underground, she should be able to sense it on the surface…

Farang carefully listened to Sun-yi’s explanation and made a mental note of it as she waved her away.

“I’ll be resting in my room, so don’t call me. I don’t need meals or snacks.”

“Oh, no wonder you were drinking like a fish yesterday, and you’re still feeling woozy… Well, suit yourself.”

Sun-yi, who cast a discreet glance, left the inner courtyard with light steps. Alone in the yard, Farang took a look around and then raised her gaze to the sky.

“There must be a way.”

If there was water with energy, she believed she could somehow harness that power to sever the ring. Farang’s eyes sparkled with hope.

* * *

“Master, have you already retired for the day?”

The stable keeper, who had been taking care of the horses all morning while worrying about the increasingly restless horse, looked up at the sky in surprise. The sun was still high, and it was midday.

“I just stopped by.”

“If there was something left behind, you should have sent someone.”

“What I left behind was a person.”

“A person? …Ah.”

The stable keeper, who realized belatedly, chuckled with a knowing look. Do-gyeom, who had never considered the possibility that someone might have seen him carrying Farang last night, asked.

“Is she in the main hall?”

“Yes. It seems she drank a lot yesterday, so she came out to the courtyard saying she was going to sleep again.”

“She’s going back to sleep?”

Do-gyeom’s expression, which had been almost trusting of Farang, hardened as suspicion grew. Something didn’t feel right.

“Has anyone gone into the main hall since then?”

“No, she said she doesn’t need meals or snacks, so we were told not to disturb her…”

“No, this won’t do.”

“What do you mean?”

Do-gyeom’s steps quickened as he headed toward the inner courtyard. The stable keeper followed him, unable to understand what was happening.

“Master, why the…”

Do-gyeom, who was heading to the main hall, suddenly bent down to inspect the well. Worried that the cloth might get wet, the stable keeper grabbed his sleeve. Do-gyeom didn’t care whether the clothes got wet or not.

Nothing. He just hoped for a miracle. This time, he opened the main hall door without hesitation, grabbing the handle.

“Master…!”

The stable keeper urgently tried to stop the owner from opening the door to the room where Farang stayed, but it was in vain.

“…”

“No, she clearly said she was going to sleep…”

His intuition was correct. There was no one in the room.

* * *

“I have a question.”

“Yes?”

The merchant, who was absentmindedly organizing his belongings, absentmindedly raised his head in surprise. The most beautiful woman among those he had seen rolling around in the market for over a decade stood before him.

“What… do you mean?”

He remembered how Mr. Hong, who was doing some merchandising near Unzong Street, had been fussing about how he had seen the princess.

He assured him that the princess’s jade eyes were better than those of Hwang Jin, who had shaken the nation, but perhaps he would change his mind when he saw this woman. The merchant could be more certain.

“Just speak, madam.”

They say you have to be good at haggling to have good luck in business, but for some reason, it felt like this young lady could get his items at a low price and still have good luck. The merchant stopped what he was doing and focused on the young lady, patting her palms together.

“So…?”

Just as the young lady’s plump lips were about to open and she was about to make her pitch, someone grabbed her arm.

“You’ve come!”

The owner of the booming voice that suddenly echoed was an old woman who looked so elderly and ragged that it would be hard to believe she could make such a loud sound.

The merchant, who had been focusing on the young lady, was taken aback by the unexpected appearance of the old woman. However, the young lady, as if she had already known, calmly turned her head.

“You’ve come to save this parched land!”

“This old hag has been a nuisance in the market since the beginning! Won’t you please shut up?”

The merchant raised his arm in frustration, but the old woman completely disregarded him and shouted with an ecstatic face.

“You’ve come to save this land that’s drying up. Water, give us water!”

“…Water?”

Although it would be frightening to most people, the young lady didn’t flinch. Instead, she calmly replied to the old woman’s request. The merchant left his seat to fetch water for the young lady.

“Don’t worry about this lady. This old hag is famous around here. She may have been a great shaman in the past, even performing rituals for the nation, but now she’s lost her mind and left her faith behind.”

“Shut up! How dare you mock the diviner who opened her mouth for a place of safety! I am the head of the National Shrine of the Star Constellations!”