A Dragon Lives In That Scholar's Deep Spring - Chapter 4

– CHAPTER 4 –

Do-gyeom subtly shifted aside next to the ice spear while the other hesitated. 

It was a futile attempt even though he anticipated it. No matter which direction he turned, the sharp edge followed him menacingly.

By this point, the crumbling state was such that he could only mock like knives even if his tongue were to be dissected.

“What exactly is your identity? Did you come here to steal valuable books from Gyujanggak?” 

“Steal? Me?”

The moon, concealed in an ashen cloud, gradually revealed itself, illuminating the woman and Do-gyeom brightly.

“I’m asking why you’re floating on a pond, waiting to harm people. You…”

Blue. The woman’s hair, as she stared at Do-gyeom incredulously, had a blue tint. The blue gleam emanated from her blue irises.

Was it because of the blue hair wrapped around her body that made her look colder and paler than a dead person?

“You…”

Do-gyeom swallowed dry saliva, trying to steady his trembling voice.

“What… exactly is your identity? Are you a nine-tailed fox or something?” 

“I’m the one who wants to ask that.”

Accompanied by an annoyed reply, the ice spears, floating as if time had stopped in the air, suddenly flew towards him. Do-gyeom, desperately avoiding them, felt his wet clothes flutter.

“You said you were asking!”

Successive sounds of breaking ice echoed in the dim room. Shattered ice shards sparkled and scattered, and amidst them, Do-gyeom stood sadly holding not a sword but a folding fan.

“…Is this how one asks?” 

Although it served as an alternative to a sword, barely deflecting the flying spears at a frightening speed didn’t provide an excellent opportunity for a breakthrough. Concealing his sense of defeat, Do-gyeom stared at the woman.

“In that case, there’s no obligation to answer.” 

“Why… my spear…”

As the woman’s eyes narrowed, several spears appeared inexplicably in the air, followed by a cold and harsh cracking sound.

“Why are my spears breaking!” 

Some managed to dodge by chance, but Do-gyeom, who had even missed the fan, clenched his arm. Of course, narrowly avoiding being pierced through the side was more a stroke of luck than skill.

Yet, it wasn’t him who lost composure. 

“Surely my folding fan isn’t such a magnificent shield as those sold by Song merchants.”

Now, the ice spear was weak enough to be blocked by a raised hand instead of a fan. When carefully examined while floating in the air initially, it seemed to crack sharply, and indeed it was.

“Your ice spear, which shatters against a mere fan, is just any ordinary frozen ice.”

“No way.”

As the attack was blocked, the woman, holding the spear herself, excitedly rushed towards Do-gyeom. There was no way to escape this time. Do-gyeom fell backward reflexively, grabbing and blocking the spear that rushed at him.

It was a strength that didn’t match her physique at all. Gradually losing its offensive power, the spear, which had been comforting to block, suddenly froze white upon contact with his hand, inflicting a scorching pain like a burning stove.

“What is the identity of you who woke me up, and where is this place!”

More bewildering things could happen, yet the woman, who felt no warmth despite being right in front of him, endlessly puzzled Do-gyeom.

Why would the side that dominates in strength make such absurd excuses?

“You dare talk nonsense! Do you think I’ll believe that you invaded here without knowing where this is?” 

No, perhaps she seemed even more mentally unstable than him. Something dropped from Do-gyeom’s cheek, as he puzzled, and that was when it happened.

“Talk nonsense… What kind of talk is that?”

Despite being the one attacked all along, why was the intruder bleeding? With only the interrogator and no one to answer, the frustration was overwhelming.

“Hey. There’s blood coming from your nose…”

Before he could articulate what he had seen, this time, a fierce spear, made of ice, transformed into water and poured down.

“What on earth…”

Even the woman, who had seemed ready to kill Do-gyeom moments ago, collapsed weakly into his arms.

“…That’s what I wanted to say.”

After being struck by a lightning bolt and then embraced by the woman, Do-gyeom was dazed for a while. Instead of a person, was it embracing ice that made the black void tinged with ash?

His vision was dizzying.

“What kind of dream is so fierce and noisy.”

Finally giving up on thinking, Do-gyeom closed his eyes and took a long breath.

Only the moon, hidden in the distant sky, silently watched over the two.

* * *

Having fallen asleep in deep water, upon waking, she found herself in a dark, dry space with no way out. It felt like in a dream, where a weakling like a plant dared to come into the water and touch her lightly as if to break her neck… 

“Are you awake?”

It wasn’t a dream. Sharpening her senses, Farang immediately sent her spear toward the sound before even looking up.

“Ugh!”

But the spear didn’t materialize. Instead of water pooling at her fingertips, there was only intense pain, as if someone was squeezing her heart.

Since waking up from shallow water, this pain had been ongoing, and it was the first time in thousands of years. Feeling unfamiliar, the power seemed to dissipate and escape, causing a strange sensation in Farang’s chest.

Then a familiar voice vibrated in her ears once again.

“It seems I’m not the only one hurt.”

Without control, her senses opened wide, gathering all the information around. Countless unfamiliar scents rushed in, making it difficult to distinguish or separate them.

Dry, strong smell of wood, parched, acrid smell of blood, hot, burning sensation…

“Where is this?”

“It’s my house. You fainted right in front of me, but I can’t call a physician into my own country for an intruder, can I?”

She didn’t understand what was being said. It was confusing. 

Dizzy. The blue light that illuminated the surroundings was the culprit of the intense heat, or, pausing for a moment to consider, she abandoned the thought due to severe thirst.

“Water.”

Instinctively searching for water like her body, the large, straight hand offered a bowl of water. Although she didn’t jerk back from the pain of reaching out,…

“…What is this?”

“Offering kindness recklessly might bring about unexpected consequences, so I worry.”

The man, after drinking all the water while looking at Farang, held out the empty bowl. Farang opened her eyes wide, showing her anger.

“Do you want me to draw out the water from your body and let you drink?”

“It seems like you’re in a hurry, pressuring me like this.”

For some reason, unlike before, the man didn’t flinch even at the fierce threat.

“Why can’t you even summon that piece of frozen ice now?”

Farang, gritting her teeth, not with a spear but her body, fiercely grabbed the man’s neck. During the process of pushing the well-built man against the wall, various objects fell, making small noises.

“But that doesn’t mean I can’t kill you.”

At first, perhaps bewildered, but now, adapting. Even while struggling to breathe, the man faintly smiled.

“The weakness of strong people… remains constant.”

Exposed to excessive stimuli, she failed to realize one crucial fact: a blade was pointed at her throat.

“It’s believing too much in the fact of being strong alone.”

The one who had been hiding a short knife in his sleeve reversed it and brought the sharp edge closer. Then, in a moment of distraction, using the difference in their physique, he struck the inner joint of Farang’s extended arm. It seemed aimed at the moment when the arm was bent and the strength was released.

“…Living as a strong person, even the weaknesses of weaklings are constant.”

However, as if ignoring all natural laws, the strength Farang used to withstand the diagonal attack with her small arm was greater. Like a sturdy axe striking thin wood forcefully, despite the relentless attack, her grip only tightened around the neck, increasing the pressure.

Instead, feeling only irritation, Farang finally decided that she should just kill him this time. She didn’t enjoy getting blood on her hands, but she didn’t have the luxury of choosing how to kill even at that moment.

“You always criticize recklessly.”

Whether it’s a dragon or anything else, as long as you crush the heart, it’s all that needs to be done. Farang’s gaze focused on the man’s heart area, beating rapidly.

While choking his neck and preparing to stab directly into the area where the heartbeat could be felt with her nails, the man grabbed Farang’s wrist.

“Before killing… don’t we still have many questions to answer to each other? Shouldn’t we start with that?”

“Just capture whoever’s in control of these different sensations I’m feeling now and ask them.”

“It will be difficult to find someone who can help you better than me!”

Even as his breath seemed to be on the verge of giving out, the man’s spirit was commendable in its own right. Sure, boasting whatever words out of fear of imminent death might be a facade, but as Farang, who needed to assess the situation and devise a solution immediately, there was no need to waste unnecessary strength by grappling with others.

“In that case, hurry up and satisfy me.”

It was a judgment to assert a clear advantage by showing restraint. Finally freed, the man breathed heavily to regulate his breathing.

With arms crossed, Farang, who had been sniffing a few times, unreservedly touched the defenseless man’s body.

“W-what, what are you doing!”

Although he hadn’t been this surprised even when his neck was being choked, he could feel the man’s heartbeat accelerating even without directly putting her ear to it.

Expecting only to rummage through his body to find any remaining iron nails, Farang’s eyebrows twitched at the unexpected reaction.

“There’s no guarantee you won’t use a metal tool again. Shouldn’t we prevent annoyance in advance?”

“Even so, how can a woman just touch a man’s body casually… and tell him to satisfy her!”

Frustrated enough from the layers of clothing, the man, who had checked his attire once more, retreated from Farang and kept a distance.

As Farang took a step closer, he stepped back even further, eventually raising his hands as if to surrender when he reached the wall.

“I’ll take care of it myself, so stop it!”