Chapter 106
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 106
“Heugh, haa...”
Hyeon Ra-baek breathed raggedly, feeling his body rot from within.
This was the side effect of accepting the Evil into his Spirit Core. Even though he knew his body had reached its limit, he had drawn out more power than he could handle.
The Bride of the Yellow Dragon.
He knew that if he could only eliminate the protagonist of the oracle—the one destined to awaken the Ancient Divine Beasts—his plan to shroud the Empire in Evil would be perfect.
But he had been struck down during a momentary hesitation.
Through his fading vision, he saw So-ya tending to the fallen boy. However, his gaze was fixed not on So-ya, but on the boy with black hair and ashen eyes.
He didn't know how the boy was still alive, but...
He was certain. It was that child.
“Seol-yo. Are you okay? I’ll... use purification... Why isn't the power of the flame...?”
So-ya’s voice drifted to him in snatches.
He wanted to keep the boy in his sight a moment longer, but So-ya blocked his view.
He felt his breath slowly slipping away. Just as he was forcing his heavy eyelids to stay open, something caught his eye.
‘That is...’
A teal hair tie dangling from So-ya’s hair suddenly seized his attention.
‘Am I seeing things?’
Perhaps it was a hallucination brought on by the approach of death.
‘Why is her possession on that child?’
Hyeon Ra-baek let out a hollow, dry laugh.
‘There’s no way... Urgh...’
But what actually escaped his lips was a clump of dark red blood.
“Cough, hack!”
Supporting Seol-yo, So-ya stood before the man vomiting blood.
The black crust that had covered his skin was peeling away, and his body had begun to decay. Even if left alone, he would draw his last breath before long.
So-ya knew. With her Flame of Purification, she could extend this man’s life, if only by a little.
But she didn't.
She didn't want to.
She had no intention of extending a hand of mercy to this man who had caused so much pain and suffering to so many people—no matter what his circumstances might have been.
So-ya was about to turn away when a voice stopped her.
“The Imperial Family...”
The raspy voice caught her mid-step.
“Beware the Imperial Family. They are always... the type to stab you in the back like that...”
Hyeon Ra-baek opened his parched lips, barely squeezing out the words.
“I don’t know why you have the Yellow Dragon’s Orb, but...”
With those final words, his head slumped forward.
So-ya had defeated many demonic beasts with her father on the way here, but this was the first time she had witnessed a person’s death.
Though she was frightened by the sight, she didn't recoil. She stood her ground firmly.
And finally, accepting his death, So-ya turned away with Seol-yo.
“Seol-yo, are you okay?”
Seol-yo also looked solemn, as if it were his first time seeing someone die.
“...Yeah, I’m fine, So-ya. Let’s go back now.”
“Okay.”
Just as So-ya nodded...
Drip.
Something cold and slimy fell onto her face.
So-ya slowly looked up. Black mud was dripping from the ceiling of the cave, and then...
Rumble—!
The underground palace began to shake.
“So-ya!”
Seol-yo immediately underwent his beast transformation into a large wolf. He took his shield in his mouth and let So-ya mount his back. Then, he kicked off the ground and bolted toward the exit.
Rumble, crash!
Along with the sound of the earth shaking, black mud rained down incessantly from the air. Seol-yo ran and ran, dodging the falling sludge.
However, when they reached the entrance of the underground palace...
“Seol-yo, the entrance is...!”
The black mud had piled up, blocking the way.
As they hesitated, unsure of what to do...
Rumble, crash!
Another thunderous roar erupted, and the entire world shook violently. So-ya and Seol-yo were instantly buried under the black mud.
* * *
When So-ya regained consciousness...
“Peep...?”
Blink, blink.
She blinked several times and looked around, realizing she was outside the underground palace.
The first piece of evidence was the absence of the black water that had reached her ankles inside the palace. The second was that the landscape around her was the same desolate, black northern land she had seen before entering.
“Pee-ee...”
As she slowly tried to stand, So-ya realized her body was incredibly small.
Glancing down, she saw her reflection in a puddle. She had become a tiny baby bird. Even her red feathers were gone; she looked exactly as she had during her infancy, before her First Growth.
“Pyahhh!”
So-ya shrieked in horror.
—Do not be alarmed, little bird.
“Peep? (Divine Beasts?)”
—While escaping the underground palace, your Spirit Core simply sealed a portion of itself again to protect you from the remaining energy of Evil.
“Pee-ya?!”
—But do not worry, little bird. It is only temporary. You will return to normal in an hour or two.
“Pya...”
Relieved, So-ya relaxed her puffed-up body. As she did, her bottom plopped into the puddle, soaking her tail feathers.
‘But the problem is...’
So-ya’s expression turned serious.
Because her Spirit Core’s power was partially sealed, she couldn't transform back into a human. Moreover, she must have injured her wing while escaping; her shoulder felt sore and stiff, making it unlikely she could fly.
‘This is bad. I have to find Father and Seol-yo.’
So-ya stood up, shook the water off her tail feathers, and began walking diligently along the path before her.
However, with her short baby bird legs, she couldn't get very far no matter how hard she scurried. After all, didn't her beast form resemble a crow tit, a bird famous for its short legs?
‘Sigh. No one will ever find me like this. It’s better to just wait until my strength returns.’
Just as So-ya let out a heavy sigh...
“A baby bird...?”
A voice from above made So-ya freeze.
“I thought I heard a bird chirping in the North a few days ago.”
It was a voice So-ya knew well.
“I suppose I didn't mishear it after all.”
At the same time, it was a voice that felt incredibly foreign.
“Hello, pretty little bird. How did you end up lost all alone in this scary northern land?”
A man with hair as red as a flickering flame leaned down toward So-ya and asked.
‘Brother San-yu...?’
It was Jeok San-yu, the first young lord of the Vermilion Bird Clan.
So-ya was so startled she let out a hiccup and tumbled onto her bottom.
“Peep, peep...!”
“Hmm? Now that I look closer, you’ve injured your wing. You poor thing.”
His eyes drooped sadly as he looked at So-ya’s wing.
“Wait just a moment, little bird.”
“...?”
As she watched him blankly, he pulled an ointment from his robe and applied it to the wound on her wing. Every time his fingertips touched the injury, So-ya’s tiny body flinched.
‘He doesn't recognize me. He doesn't even seem to know I’m a beastkin.’
So-ya thought as she stared at San-yu’s face while he focused on her wound. Fortunately, thanks to her Spirit Core being sealed, he didn't seem to realize she was a beastkin.
“Pee-ee...”
So-ya intentionally let out bird-like chirps, mimicking a real bird to avoid being caught.
After meticulously applying the medicine to each wound, San-yu tore a piece of his sleeve and wrapped it around So-ya’s wing like a bandage.
“It might be a bit uncomfortable, but you have to bear it.”
He spoke tenderly as he tied the end of the bandage.
“There, all done.”
“Peep...”
The bandage around her wing was uncomfortable, but being with him was far more distressing.
‘Now that I’ve been treated, I can go, right?’
Desperate to leave the area as quickly as possible, she began to shuffle backward.
Whoosh.
In an instant, her field of vision soared as her tiny body was lifted onto his palm.