The Gift of the Divine Beast
The clock tower of the Imperial Palace struck five times.
Dang-dang-.
The world outside had already turned crimson, the long shadows of the red sunset stretching deep into the Emperor’s office.
Emperor Karsion halted the pen hovering over his scrolls and gazed out the window for a long moment.
His eyes drifted to the calendar on the corner of his desk. A bold red circle marked a certain date, and his gaze lingered there.
The anniversary.
Karsion offered a bittersweet smile and rubbed his face. The Emperor’s throne was radiant, but as a man and as a father, the weight he carried was never light.
His brilliant second son, his daughters whose laughter had once been so sweet, and even the youngest child who had been so small when he left them—all of them had fallen before they could fully bloom.
When the seasons changed and cold winds swept in, the empty spaces left by the children felt especially vast.
‘Time has already passed like this…’
Karsion leaned back against the chair. At this time of year the office always felt especially wide and cold.
The intense grief and pain he once felt were long gone. All that remained was a dull, aching longing that settled heavily in one corner of his chest.
“Your Majesty.”
Count Lucas, his longtime aide, had sensed his mood and quietly set down the tea tray.
“Afternoon schedules are complete. It would be best to stop working today and rest. Your complexion… has been rather dark lately.”
Karsion shook his head at the worry in Lucas’s voice.
“No. I’m fine. It’s just… looking at that sunset makes me think of the children.”
“Your Majesty…”
“The children who left before me. They would never come back even if I wept for them. For the sake of the children still here, I must remain strong.”
He lifted the teacup. The warm liquid passed down his throat, yet it could not fill the emptiness in his heart.
His gaze fell on the small frame on the desk. Inside it stood Kailian holding a smiling Blanc, Demian standing beside them.
“Look, Lucas. Demian and Kailian.”
Karsion’s eyes softened. The Emperor was gone, replaced by a father’s gentle gaze.
“Since that day they’ve tried not to face each other… but lately I can see they’re trying. They still can’t quite return to how they were. Too many tragedies have passed, and the wounds between them run deep. But at least they no longer draw blades at each other in anger.”
They were slowly trying to open the door in their hearts.
“Both children still seem uncomfortable with me. As a father I sometimes hesitate… what expression should I show them?”
The guilt of failing to protect his children.
The sin he had forced upon the surviving ones. The wall between them remained as solid as ever.
“But… thanks to Blanc. Since he arrived, the awkward air has begun to melt away.”
Blanc. Just the name brought a smile to his lips.
Whenever he watched that boy’s antics, the stiff silence between Emperor and children naturally turned into laughter.
“Lucas. This evening, how about dining with the children? Though they’ll still be awkward, with Blanc around the atmosphere should be much better.”
“A splendid idea, Your Majesty. The Crown Prince would be delighted too. It’s almost time for his return.”
“Yes. When he comes back I’ll treat him to some of Blanc’s favorite dried meat…”
*Clack. Bang.*
Outside the door came the sound of something heavy being dragged, accompanied by the servants’ frantic voices.
“Lord! You really want to bring this inside…?”
“Ah, I know. Just a second. Blanc has been so stubborn…”
Kailian’s voice sounded troubled.
“Bring it in.”
Karsion called out curiously. The door opened carefully.
Backlit by the sunset, Kailian stood in the blinding light holding Blanc.
“Kyaaa!”
I’m back!
Unlike before, Blanc wore an oddly arrogant expression. Chest puffed out, chin raised high.
It was the posture of a general reporting a victorious campaign. Yet while Blanc strutted with pride, Kailian looked utterly flustered. She gave an awkward smile and rolled her eyes.
“A-Admiral Mama… I’m back.”
“Yes. Come in quickly. But why is it so noisy out there?”
“Well…”
Kailian hesitated, glancing down at Blanc in her arms.
“I told him not to, and that we should just send it to the kitchen… but Blanc insisted he *had* to show Admiral Mama because it’s what he caught…”
“He caught something?”
Karsion looked at Blanc with curiosity.
Blanc wagged his fluffy tail as if he had something to boast about.
“Yes? What did you catch? A rabbit?”
“It’s not a rabbit…”
Kailian sighed heavily and gestured behind her.
“Come in, Master Rosalia.”
*Thud. Thud. Thud.*
Heavy footsteps echoed down the corridor outside the office.
“Forgive the intrusion, Your Majesty…”
Master Rosalia entered, sweating and carrying objects in both hands, her face heavy with exhaustion.
“…Hoo.”
Behind her, things that should never have entered the grand Emperor’s office began to appear.
*WHOOSH!*
A single black shadow the size of a house floated through the chandelier and dropped onto the priceless rug with a *splat*.
*Crack.*
A sound like marble shattering echoed across the floor.
“…!”
The office fell into perfect silence.
Count Lucas dropped his teacup. Karsion’s foot, moving toward Kailian, froze mid-step as if turned to stone.
It was a bear.
A B-rank magic beast—the Iron Bear—something even knights feared.
Its steel-like hide was caked with mud, and its jaw hung broken, tongue lolling long.
But that was not the end.
*Tock. Tock.*
When Rosalia released her mana, foam-mouthed wolves and killer bees began pouring out like a black rain beside the bear.
In an instant the Emperor’s sacred office had become a slaughterhouse for monsters, or rather, a graveyard for magical beasts.
“W-What… What is all this…?”
Karsion pointed at the scene before him, eyes wide with disbelief.
Kailian bowed her head in genuine apology.
“I’m so sorry, Admiral Mama. I tried to stop her, but Blanc said he *had* to show you because it’s what he caught…”
Kailian pressed a hand to her forehead, looking utterly helpless. She had only wanted to prepare a gift for her father, not something like this.
Blanc slipped from Kailian’s arms and leapt onto the bear’s belly with a *plop*.
“Kyaaaang!”
See?! I caught it!
I struck a heroic pose.
One front paw raised high over the bear’s nose, tail wagging, I looked straight at the Emperor.
How’s that? Impressed? Now face me. I even brought honey!
This was my own special care for the recently gloomy Emperor—and a silent display that I was no longer a helpless baby.
Kailian shook her head beside me, mouthing *you’re going to die* while I refused to back down, chin held higher.
“Kyaa?”
Why are you holding your head?
Karsion felt a migraine coming on.
The longing for the children who had left, the coolness of the evening, the awkwardness of his relationship with his children—all of it vanished from his mind beneath the pile of corpses and the sharp animal stench before him.
In its place sat a splitting headache.
“Your—Your Majesty, please calm yourself! He’s a Divine Beast!!”
Count Lucas rushed over, screaming, and clung to the Emperor’s side, repeating the words.
Karsion gently pushed Lucas aside and approached Blanc with deliberate slowness.
I sparkled with excitement.
Finally the Emperor is coming to praise me.
The Emperor knelt to my level, met my eyes, and stretched out his enormous hands toward my face.
*Smack.*
His hands grabbed my soft cheeks.
“Kyaa?”
*Squeeze.*
“Ky—Kyaa…!”
Ow! Hey, let go!
Karsion stretched my cheeks like two stretches of tteok.
His face was clearly smiling, but veins stood out on his forehead.
“Our… Blanc…”
He gritted his teeth so hard they creaked.
“So… stubborn… turning my office into a slaughterhouse… and wagging your tail like this…”
“Kyaaang!”
A slaughterhouse?! I worked hard to catch this! The maids said honey is good for my age!
I struggled, but Karsion’s grip was unbreakable. My cheeks were kneaded like dough.
“Thank you… I’m truly grateful… With you around I never get a chance to be gloomy. I feel alive again.”
Karsion’s gratitude for the fact that Kailian’s awkwardness had vanished and his resentment that his office had been turned into a mess were both wrapped into the way he pulled my cheeks.
“Admiral Mama! Blanc’s cheeks are stretching! Stop him! He’s doing it because he wants to show you!”
Kailian’s timid plea made Karsion finally release me. He rubbed his sore cheeks and let out a helpless laugh.
“Yes. This is what living is about. You need days without peace to truly live, hehe…”
“Kyaa, kyaaang…”
Seeing Karsion’s hand tremble and clench, I quietly slipped behind Kailian.
…Sorry.