Chapter 5
Chapter 5
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: The Secret of the Transparent Bird
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"Heavenly Demon, it's Red Cloud."
Inside the barrier, Dang Hwi was practicing how to cut Seol Cheon-seong's hair.
Red Cloud's voice came from beyond the barrier.
"Come in."
With a flick of one finger from Dang Hwi, one side of the barrier opened, and Red Cloud appeared, his face covered by the Asura Mask.
Red Cloud removed the Asura Mask, and in the dim barrier, his red eyes gleamed sharply.
Dang Hwi looked pleased to see him.
"Perfect timing. There's something I want to show you."
"What is it?"
As Red Cloud asked, Dang Hwi restored the straw doll with its hair cut back to its original state.
"Watch closely."
No sooner had he spoken than Dang Hwi moved swiftly.
"Flying Spirit Quick Sword."
The straw doll's hair was cut off much more neatly than before.
"I prepared this for Star. She won't be disappointed with this, right?"
"You prepared this for Lady Cheon-seong?"
Red Cloud's eyes filled with confusion, unable to grasp Dang Hwi's intentions.
"That's right."
"I wouldn't know about disappointment, but she'll definitely be scared."
"...Scared? Why?"
Red Cloud had pointed out something Dang Hwi hadn't considered. Dang Hwi's expression darkened.
"It's only natural. Who wouldn't be startled by the Heavenly Demon's sword aura? Lady Cheon-seong is young, and she doesn't even know your true identity to begin with."
"Right... that's true..."
"Why show her the Flying Spirit Quick Sword in the first place?"
"To cut her hair. Star said she really wants this hairstyle."
"That's even more reason to stop. If you're not careful, it won't just be hair that flies off. Always remember she's a powerless little child."
Thud.
The straw doll, sustained by the Heavenly Demon's demonic energy, toppled backward in despair.
The doll's face turned blankly void, as if it had lost all will to live.
'At this rate, it'll stay like that for days.'
Red Cloud watched Dang Hwi's noticeably sunken mood and continued helplessly.
"You don't need the Flying Spirit Quick Sword to cut Lady Cheon-seong's hair. A regular knife would do it just fine. Why not practice that?"
"Of course! That way, Star won't be in danger, and my identity stays hidden."
Like rejoicing over a new path, Dang Hwi's straw doll returned to its place.
For some reason, the doll's expression seemed brighter than before.
Whenever talk turned to Seol Cheon-seong, Dang Hwi always got like this. Red Cloud shrugged anew.
"So, what's the reason you came to see me?"
Dang Hwi sat in a chair placed at one side of the barrier and turned his gaze to Red Cloud.
"It seems Lady Cheon-seong is looking for you. She's been pacing the floor."
"Star's waiting for me? She already came back from Ik-seon's?"
"Lady Cheon-seong didn't go to that house today."
"Then?"
"She went into your private study."
"Star went into my private study?"
The Heavenly Demon's face grew serious.
"...This is bad."
"That place does have your secret archive..."
Before Red Cloud's worried words could finish, Dang Hwi spoke up.
"Our Star's already so clever, and now she loves reading books too? She'll become even smarter. Soon there'll be nothing left for me to teach her. Word'll spread that there's a genius in the Demonic Cult..."
Red Cloud watched Dang Hwi worry about something entirely different and fell silent in resignation, thinking to himself.
'Is there no cure for this illness?'
Red Cloud resolved once more to ask the physician about a cure for daughter-fool disease next time he picked up insomnia meds.
'I even know where the Demonic Cult is, but I can't go there...'
At that moment, Seol Cheon-seong sat on the floor, lost in deep thought.
Truth be told, she didn't need to leave right away. She wasn't fully prepared yet.
But securing a chance to leave was the problem.
'I spend most of my day with Daddy.'
It would take more than a day to reach the Demonic Cult, and even longer to adapt there.
'If I stay with Daddy like this, going to the Demonic Cult is impossible from the start!'
There was no excuse for a seven-year-old to leave home on her own, either.
"Ow, my head! Let's stop here for today!"
After reading books all day, she had no mental energy left.
'It's all for survival, so take it easy. Luckily, I'm not dying tomorrow.'
I sprawled out flat on the floor.
'Huh? What's that on the tree...'
By chance, my gaze fell on a transparent bird perched atop a tree in the courtyard.
"Transparent messenger bird!"
'If my eyes aren't deceiving me, that's definitely the one that delivered the scroll to me!'
There was no rule saying there was only one transparent messenger bird, but it felt exactly like the one I'd met.
'It's staring at the red fruit. Does it want to eat it?'
The transparent messenger bird was eyeing the red fruit hanging from the tree.
Red fruit from the red fruit tree was sweet and beloved by many.
'Its sweet scent draws birds that peck at it often, so why just stare without eating?'
I was curious, but too tired to do anything about it.
'Whatever, none of my business.'
I was already too exhausted to care about something else. I turned my head away sharply to ignore it, but my gaze snuck back to the red fruit tree.
'I know it's easier to ignore...'
Try as I might to look away, the transparent messenger bird hovering near the red fruit kept nagging at me.
'Well, it did bring the scroll and tell me where to find the mind-and-body weakening cure, so it's not totally unrelated. Might owe it more in the future.'
Having decided, I stood up from the floor and looked up at the messenger bird in the tree.
"You! Do you want the red fruit?"
"...Pip!"
The transparent messenger bird, which had been staring at me, nodded as if agreeing with a chirp.
"Then why not eat it? Just peck it off."
"Pii..."
As if it had some sad reason preventing it from pecking the red fruit, the transparent messenger bird let out a mournful cry and drooped.
'Why's it moping again? Makes me feel like I did something wrong.'
I gauged the height of the red fruit tree with my eyes.
'Climbing trees? I've done it plenty playing with Ik-seon. This is doable.'
"No choice. I'll pick one for you, so cheer up!"
"Pii?"
The transparent messenger bird tilted its head skeptically.
'How's a bird making that face?'
Did I regret offering too soon?
Seeing its reaction made me second-guess, but I recalled Daddy saying to always keep your word.
'Consider yourself lucky, messenger bird!'
I recalled playing with Ik-seon and clung to the tree trunk.
"Pip!"
Startled by my agile movements—or impressed?—the transparent messenger bird let out an admiring chirp.
'Hah, over this much?'
"Too early to be impressed!"
Buoyed by the cheering, I forgot my fear and climbed swiftly upward.
Reaching the branches, the red fruit was right in front of my nose.
'Just gotta pick it now!'
I stretched my arm as far as I could toward a ripe red fruit.
'What? Can't reach?'
I'd climbed all this way, but it was just out of reach.
"Piik?"
The transparent messenger bird watching me chirped as if sensing a problem.
"Don't rush me! I'm picking the prettiest one!"
"Pip-pip!"
Whether cheering me on or not, the transparent messenger bird flapped its wings rhythmically.
'Cheering can feel this unwelcome.'
I gripped the tree tighter, eyeing the freely fluttering transparent messenger bird, steeling myself.
'No way I'm coming down empty-handed! It'll mock me for sure!'
Above all, I was planning to head to the Demonic Cult alone someday. I couldn't give up on this.
'To survive there, I'll need even tougher tenacity than this.'
With renewed resolve, I reached for the red fruit again.
But somehow, it stayed just out of reach, teasing me.
"J-Just a bit more...!"
That was when it happened.
"Got it!"
The moment I grasped the red fruit, the view from below suddenly came into sight.
'This is way higher than I thought.'
Dazed by the dizzying height, my grip loosened in shock.
My body slipped from the tree, plummeting downward.
'Am I dying this pathetically? Not even to save Daddy, but fetching bird food?'
That was when it happened.
My endlessly falling body suddenly floated in midair.
"So fluffy!"
"Pii! (Gotcha!)"
My savior was none other than the transparent messenger bird.
'But did the transparent messenger bird just say something?'
"You, you! Did you just talk?"
The transparent messenger bird looked back at my stunned face with a casual expression.
"Pip-pip. Piik? (What's with the face? First talking bird you've seen?)"