Chapter 102
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 102
Chapter Title: Beast Palace (2)
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To fix the wardrobe malfunction on Lady Narang, I hurriedly shrugged off the robe I was wearing and draped it over her shoulders.
"Ughhh... Th-thank youuu..."
Her outfit was definitely a bit on the aggressive side.
......Had she always had such bold tastes?
An awkward silence hung in the air for a moment.
And what broke that silence...
"Kyau!"
"Oh my, Silver Wolf! It's been ages!"
It wasn't Silver Wolf—it was Neukdaeng-i.
Her tail wagging furiously, Neukdaeng-i leaped straight into Lady Narang's chest and panted excitedly, overflowing with joy.
If she were male, it would've been unforgivable.
Thankfully, Neukdaeng-i was a neutered female.
"It's great to see you after so long, hehe. But what brings you here, Young Master...?"
The situation was a tad delicate.
Objectively speaking, it looked like I'd come all the way to the doorstep of a girl I was sorta-kinda seeing, whose texts I'd barely gotten lately.
But I already had the perfect excuse lined up.
"I was sent by the Divine Doctor to gather Seven-Section Herb native to Yunnan. I heard it blooms a lot around here."
It was true—I'd heard it straight from the herb gatherer earlier.
The Su Forest had the highest concentration of wild Seven-Section Herb in Yunnan, making it a flawless cover story.
"Aha...! Seven-Section Herb, Seven-Section Herb... Um, yeah. There are some nearby, but..."
She seemed convinced, so I swiftly changed the subject.
"By the way, where's Dalam-i?"
"Ah... Dalam-i? Ahaha..."
Lady Narang let out an awkward laugh and averted her eyes just a bit.
It wasn't that she didn't want to talk about it—it was more like she was wondering if she even should.
I had a pretty good guess already.
It clicked when I heard the name Myo Hwaseo.
Their surname "Myo" probably came from there.
Hwaseo—Flower Squirrel—literally meant chipmunk.
Myo Narang was a prettier name than Dang Narang, anyway.
Dang Narang sounded a bit like... Tang Dynasty army or something...
Anyway.
Putting it together explained all the weird little things lately.
Like why I couldn't read Dalam-i's thoughts even with the Heavenly Beast Heart-Returning Art, which lets you communicate with animals and read their minds.
She was way too proactive and free-roaming to just be a pet.
And—this was my theory, but—the cheating attempt during the exam was probably Dalam-i's doing, with Lady Narang as the rat in Ratatouille.
The reason they wanted the Heavenly Beast Heart-Returning Art had to tie into how the Beast Palace was treated as wiped out by the world.
And I wasn't one to hold back curiosity.
"By any chance... is Dalam-i the divine beast Myo Hwaseo?"
"Ah...!"
She didn't confirm or deny, just widened her eyes.
But that reaction alone told me I'd nailed it.
"Since I'm already here, I'd love to at least say hello. Would that be okay?"
"Y-yes... Sure..."
In the lingering awkward silence, we followed a short ways behind Lady Narang.
"Oh..."
Buildings that once housed people and animals together came into view—now overflowing with beasts alone.
"Kyau!"
"Coral, guests! No teeth!"
All sorts of animals swarmed us, sniffing and perking up their ears and snuffling curiously.
Neukdaeng-i, quite the social butterfly, wagged her tail like mad while bonding with the new beast friends.
I stroked the head of a fearless baby tiger that'd boldly climbed right onto my chest.
"So lively. Nice."
"Hehe, right? The academy's great, but I love the Beast Palace most!"
Lady Narang beamed with innocent delight.
A smile hazardous to the heart.
Surrounded by the growing crowd of animals around her, we were led to a building that looked relatively intact and well-kept.
"Um... this is the Beast Palace for now! Wait just a sec!"
She left me in the tidy garden, handed back my robe, and scampered inside.
A moment later.
Trading her wild allure for refined elegance, Lady Narang bowed deeply and greeted me formally.
"Allow me to greet you properly. It's quite rundown now, but I am Myo Narang, Palace Lord of the Beast Palace in this era!"
"Geum Sihyeon of Ten Thousand Gold Treasury Fortress. Pleased to meet you."
We exchanged polite bows.
Then, without a word, we both burst into chuckles.
"Thought you were deputy palace master at most, but you're the lord herself."
"Hehe, it's just me now... Basically a one-person sect!"
Glancing around as we talked, signs of dedicated care were everywhere.
Not just the buildings.
The animals' fur gleamed softly, brushed smooth instead of wild and matted.
And.
"Cell service is spotty here, huh?"
"Yeeah. It's... complicated to explain, but that's why replies were slow...!"
Even the no-contact mystery cleared up.
The faint cloud in my heart vanished in a puff.
"So that elder, the second I stuck the needle in, whacks my head and yells 'Deeper!'"
"Hehe. Needle depth affects a ton in acupuncture. Still, sounds like an amazing master! I'd love lessons from someone like that."
After that, we shared recent happenings and strolled with the animal pack for a good while.
It would've been nice if the peaceful chit-chat lasted forever.
But some topics are unavoidable.
"Um, Young Master."
"Yes."
"Dalam-i... Lady Myo Hwaseo wanted to meet you too."
"I'm here, so of course. ...But is she really a divine beast?"
She'd been spacey from qi deficiency before.
Or bloated double-size from overeating, rolling instead of walking.
"Well, the divine beast struggles to wield spiritual power outside this forest..."
To my fair doubt, Lady Narang added an embarrassed excuse for Dalam-i.
Well.
Like Hong Soon-duk and a jiangshi, maybe.
This martial world was full of bizarre stuff no 21st-century rational mind could explain.
I left Neukdaeng-i with Lady Narang.
Climbing a quiet hillside trail, a building radiating sanctity soon appeared.
And.
"Hey, Geum Sihyeon! Hi!"
Despite it being our first meeting.
A girl popped out and greeted me warmly, like old pals.
"Ah! First time in this form, huh!"
And then.
Suddenly, perky ears sprouted from the girl's head, and a fluffy tail burst forth.
"......Dalam-i?"
"Yep! Dalami!"
I'd expected a massive squirrel for a divine beast.
Not this near-furry vibe with fur practically poofing out.
"Saw it in your fortune you'd come, so I waited! C'mon in! Got acorn jelly!"
Dalam-i... Myo Hwaseo dragged me inside.
She laid out a horrifying vegan spread, then plopped down hugging her tail—and I stared.
She'd drool rivers over her own acorn jelly, scarfing it down.
"Narang's acorn jelly is the best!"
"......"
Way too worldly for a divine beast—I blankly watched her indulge.
"How much do you know?"
At her sudden question, I spilled the info from Seussang Board City more openly than with Lady Narang.
"Yeah... that's how it's known. But having even one survivor friend... really lucky..."
Dalam-i—no, Myo Hwaseo—set down her chopsticks with a deep sigh.
She filled in some details to what I knew.
"...Judged the Heavenly Beast Heart-Returning Art was needed to solve it. Thought Hundred Flowers Academy might have it, so entered with Narang... Anyway, Geum Sihyeon, without you, no leads at all. Thanks again."
Myo Hwaseo grinned wide and grabbed my hand.
"If I can help, I will. Gotta survive."
Not a big deal for me.
A bit uncomfortable, I tried to pull away.
Squeeze.
"......?"
Squeeeze.
The grip tightened, and her fluffy tail swayed ominously.
"Geum Sihyeon. Can you help me—and Myo Narang—just one more time?"
"I'd help where I can without the arm-twist."
"Then yes! That's my Geum Sihyeon!"
Myo Hwaseo beamed and shook my hand wildly.
......Epiphany hit.
Masterminding the unethical cheating via Lady Narang? This furry divine beast's doing.
Asked her straight.
"Ehehe..."
Averting her eyes confirmed it.
After crashing under the same roof as Lady Narang for the night to shake off travel fatigue.
We headed deeper into the forest.
Our destination: a cave sealing another divine beast, Heuk Mangsaeng.
- Convince my friend... Heuk Mangsaeng. That's why I needed the Heavenly Beast Heart-Returning Art. Too toxic even for Narang to enter...
The closer to the cave, the thicker the poison qi churned—overwhelming for a human body.
If Myo Hwaseo was suppressing it with divine power or whatever, yeah, it'd be too much for Lady Narang.
But.
Convincing her?
I honestly wasn't sure if it was doable.
From the story, it sounded like one of our country's imugi legends—blocked from ascension right before and turned black instead.
Would she even listen to a human?
Swallowing doubts, I stood at the cave mouth and cleared my throat.
:: I told you not to come closer—it's dangerous... No, you're not Narang. Who the hell are you? ::
Deep inside the cave, enormous snake eyes gleamed with eerie menace.