A Dragon Lives In That Scholar's Deep Spring - Chapter 8

– CHAPTER 8 –

“No. It was just a momentary lapse of consciousness, so my mind and body were fine. Right now, I’m out searching for Lady. I was trying to help her put on her clothes, but when I came to my senses, I found myself lying on the floor and couldn’t remember what had happened. I must have made up lies just to calm down.”

While the steward might not understand, Do-gyeom could fully trust the words of the child. Wasn’t the Lady someone who effortlessly tossed aside even larger men than herself? Do-gyeom doubted that he could keep up with her agile movements.

“But we couldn’t find where the Lady went. How could this be?”

The woman who once claimed that unnecessary killings were bothersome wouldn’t harm anyone without reason, but if she needed to resort to killing before returning, that would be a problem.

Do-gyeom hoped that the mysterious woman would return to where she belonged.

“…As long as no one was hurt, it’s fine.”

Even if she was leaving, she should have properly dressed. If she wandered around in tattered clothes, the village authorities wouldn’t ignore her, and then her life wouldn’t be guaranteed.

“Is this okay? We searched the entire village but couldn’t find her.”

“Could she still be inside the house?”

“We searched every nook and cranny, even places we don’t usually go, but she wasn’t there.”

Honestly, it was unexpected. To return, she had to rely on Do-gyeom, who she encountered as soon as she arrived. Whether it was to obtain information inside the palace or to return, it seemed impossible to do it alone.

Above all…

“Aahhh,aaah!”

That was when the child’s scream was heard. Do-gyeom and the steward turned in the direction of the sound at the same time.

“What’s wrong?”

“Lady!”

Standing in the front yard, Sun-yi was rolling her feet as if she could collapse at any moment. She covered her already tear-filled eyes with her small, chubby hands.

“Lady, Lady. What should I do? What should I do…”

“Sun-yi.”

With large strides, Do-gyeom reached Sun-yi and grabbed her shoulders. The child collapsed as if her legs had lost their strength.

“She, she’s here!”

As Do-gyeom sat down with the child, Sun-yi pointed with one hand to a small spring while still covering her eyes.

“There. Look there.”

Although much smaller than a well, it was a natural spring where water naturally flowed, used as a substitute for a well in Do-gyeom’s house. The water was so clean that it was visible where Sun-yi pointed.

“Why…?”

Following Sun-yi’s pointing finger, Do-gyeom remained silent. The steward filled in the gap.

“No, how did the Lady end up there?”

“After searching for a while, I came here to drink water…”

There was no foam rising to the surface. Only the long hair of the woman, which they thought had disappeared, undulated like seaweed.

“Trying to die in someone else’s front yard! No, how could she throw herself into a spring used for drinking water?”

“…She’s not dead.”

Do-gyeom motioned for the steward to stop as he was about to take off his outer garment and enter the water.

“It seems like she tried to save herself.”

“Excuse me?”

“I didn’t expect her to prove it like this.”

To prove that she wasn’t human and that she wasn’t a bandit in disguise, to this extent. Do-gyeom was more astonished than tired, and could only chuckle dryly.

Unable to provide detailed explanations to the steward, he instead took off his shoes and hat. He left them on the shore, barely wet.

“I’ll go in.”

“Oh my, no matter how nice the weather is, the water is freezing, master! Let me go in.”

Although the steward tried to stop him, Do-gyeom had already neatly folded his clothes and was about to enter the water.

“No one should touch her until she leaves this house, whenever that may be.”

“Excuse me?”

“I haven’t been permitted to touch her either…”

The danger was to be borne alone, but Do-gyeom, who had already waded halfway into the cold water, did not bother to elaborate. It was deeper than it seemed, and the water quickly rose to his chin.

As his body pressed heavily against the water, his arms and legs felt as heavy as if they were carrying sandbags. However, he couldn’t reach the woman without completely submerging himself, so he took a deep breath and dove underwater. With his eyes open and barely able to see through the blurry water, Do-gyeom slowly reached out to the woman.

The woman, who had just opened her eyes before he could reach her, looked at Do-gyeom. Her blue eyes, which seemed to be about to dissolve in the rippling waves, looked as if they had been crying all along.

Finally, the woman opened her mouth. There didn’t seem to be any bubbles as if she were saying something that should have been accompanied by a rush of bubbles. Do-gyeom, who had been holding his breath, exhaled heavily. His face contorted suddenly.

The woman’s eyes narrowed as if she were about to do something, then she suddenly grabbed Do-gyeom’s neck.

Just as Do-gyeom thought she was trying to strangle him, her small hand pushed him up with great force. Helplessly pushed out of the water, Do-gyeom instinctively took a deep breath.

“Master!”

“Lady, lady!”

The steward tried to pull Do-gyeom out of the spring altogether, but Do-gyeom refused.

“Go and prepare a blanket in the hall, Sun-yi, and father, hurry up and make a fire to warm the room.”

“Excuse me? No, how can a person still be alive underwater?”

“Hurry!”

“Yes, yes!”

As Suny-yi and her father moved towards the hall, Do-gyeom checked the surroundings and took a deep breath before entering the spring again. Despite his best efforts to hold his breath, he felt as if the cold water was filling his lungs.

The woman was now kneeling with her face buried in her knees, covering her ears tightly. Unlike her strong attitude when she had just chased Do-gyeom away, she now seemed somehow distressed.

“Father, mother….”

At that moment, Do-gyeom saw a vague image of himself in the past, grieving alone every night after losing his parents, and his brow furrowed once again. Despite still being bearable, his chest felt tight.

He carefully covered the woman’s white hands with his own, trying to clear his mind. Her eyes, full of hostility earlier, were now filled with resentment. But she didn’t strangle him or push him away as before.

Once this emotional moment passed, she would likely continue to be suspicious and guarded, scrutinizing and analyzing every action and word. But for now…

He gradually felt his breath running out and his lungs tightening. Although he naturally looked distressed, this time the woman just stared at him without saying a word.

Still, he didn’t retreat. He didn’t want to leave her alone.

Could she sense Do-gyeom’s feelings? The woman, who had been staring at Do-gyeom intently, suddenly tilted her head and pushed away his hand, then pointed upward abruptly.

Was she indicating that he should leave her alone to not disturb her? As Do-gyeom prepared himself to be rejected once again, the woman suddenly kicked off the bottom of the spring and rose to the surface.

Realizing there was no reason for him to stay underwater any longer, Do-gyeom followed her out.

“Puhaha!”

The woman laughed mockingly as Do-gyeom coughed and breathed heavily.

“You’re weak. It’s pathetic how you struggle in the water without being able to breathe, like a fish out of water.”

“It’s you who’s strange for breathing underwater on this land!”

Although he felt unjustly accused, it was futile. Sitting at the edge of the spring, the woman giggled as she played with her long hair.

“Why did you follow me in? I would have killed you if you disturbed my sleep, remember?”

“Whether you were sleeping or dead, I needed to make sure.”

“You confirmed that I’m alive, and yet you came back in again. Is it because you want to die this time?”

As Do-gyeom untied his belt and removed his socks outside the spring, the woman dipped her white legs into the water without feeling cold. Seeing her bare feet, Do-gyeom cleared his throat and shook off the water from his clothes.

“I… tried to pull you out. Because the water was like ice.”

“You’ve seen me use an ice-made spear, yet you’re still stubborn about your standards.”

With a sarcastic remark, Do-gyeom covered the woman’s shoulders with his clothes as she attempted to go back into the water. 

“Be patient and try to understand. I’m in the process of convincing and trusting you. Didn’t I ask you to wait instead of suddenly leaving while we were talking before dawn?”

“I quietly waited. But why do you keep trying to make things complicated? You, and that little kid!”

Not having the patience to tolerate Do-gyeom’s stubbornness, the woman quickly became annoyed.

“Even if we postpone the conversation, you still need to eat and dress right now.”

“Don’t make it troublesome. How far do you think you can go just because I’ve tolerated you a few times?”

“Even if everyone in your place walks around half-naked, the rules here are different. At least while you’re here.”

“I’ll leave. I’m leaving!”

The woman shouted back, her voice on the verge of tears, as if she wanted to cry. A small drop of water hanging from her long eyelashes fell onto her white face, sliding down slowly.

“I don’t need spoons or chopsticks to eat anything. Just drinking the water’s essence is enough for me. I don’t feel cold at all without wearing innerwear like a shirt. Is there anyone here who can stop me from not wearing clothes just because I don’t feel like it?”