Chapter 42
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 42
In her dream, So-ya celebrated her sixth birthday.
Today was the day of So-ya’s first beast transformation.
Her heart went thump-thump; she was so excited.
So-ya is going to become a magnificent firebird, just like Father and my brothers!
They’ll definitely praise me and tell me how wonderful I am, right?
The mere thought made a giggle escape her lips.
Following what her father and brothers had taught her, she pressed her small hands together neatly and…
Poof!
Success at last!
Huh? Why is everyone so quiet?
Is it because So-ya became such a magnificent baby firebird that everyone is stunned?
Father! So-ya succeeded in her beast transformation!
Please, hurry and congratulate So-ya!
Father! …Father?
Father, why…
Brothers…
…
…
It’s so cold here.
It was cold, lonely, and terrifying.
But even in this cold and lonely place, the thing that was the coldest and most frightening of all…
Was her father’s gaze, chilling enough to freeze her very heart.
And her brothers’ voices, which made them feel like total strangers.
But…
But…
So-ya still misses Father. And my brothers, too.
Father, please don’t abandon So-ya.
Brothers, please come back to get So-ya.
So-ya will definitely succeed in her beast transformation next time.
I’ll become a magnificent baby firebird then.
So, please…
Please…
.
.
“Whine! Whimper!”
So-ya’s eyes flew open at the sound of whimpering near her head.
“Pant, pant…”
She gasped for air, her forehead drenched in a cold sweat.
“Whine…?”
Seol-yo, in his black wolf form, looked up at So-ya with worried eyes.
“Seol-yo…? Ah…”
Only then did So-ya realize that she wasn’t in the Vermilion Bird Mansion, but in the West Wing End Room of the White Tiger Palace, and that she had been having a nightmare.
“It was just a dream.”
A long sigh escaped her small lips.
“Whine, whimper…”
“Thank you, Seol-yo. I woke up thanks to you.”
So-ya wiped away her cold sweat and gave Seol-yo a bright smile.
In response, Seol-yo nuzzled his head against the side of So-ya’s bed.
Seol-yo had been living with them in the White Tiger Palace for several days now.
The only ones who knew Seol-yo was a demonic beast were Sa-eon, the head of the White Tiger Clan, his two sons, and San-ho, who had accompanied the Clan Head during the war in the Northern Land.
For everyone else, San-ho—the leader of all the wolves in the Western Land and the head of the Indigo Wolf Clan—had provided a false guarantee for Seol-yo’s identity.
Thanks to that, Seol-yo was able to roam the White Tiger Palace in his wolf form, and people doted on him, calling him the “kind wolf who helped the Young Lady.”
Of course, the shy Seol-yo stuck strictly to So-ya’s side and would hide whenever anyone else called for him.
“Oh my, you’re up early, Young Lady.”
Just then, the door opened and Yeon-jeong walked in.
“Yeon-jeong!”
“Waking up early without even being called. Our cute Young Lady must be very excited since today is the day of the Mountain Lord Festival.”
“Ah, yes. That’s right.”
In truth, she had woken up early because of the nightmare, but So-ya simply nodded without correcting her.
Today was the day of the Mountain Lord Festival, an event that had the White Tiger Palace buzzing for days. It was also the day So-ya would be officially recognized as Sa-eon’s adopted daughter in front of the White Tiger Clan’s retainers.
“Shall we go get ready then?”
With Yeon-jeong’s help, So-ya washed up until she was squeaky clean and changed into clothes that were easy to move in.
As she was quietly getting dressed, So-ya paused when she noticed the white tiger pattern embroidered on the fabric.
“Oh? This is…”
It was the same pattern she had seen on Sa-eon’s clothes not long ago.
Yeon-jeong placed a hand near So-ya’s ear and whispered as if sharing a massive secret.
“Hehe. I heard that for this Mountain Lord Festival, they’ve invited all the major families of the Western Land, not just the tigers. The Clan Head is determined to introduce our Young Lady to everyone.”
“…”
So-ya’s face flushed a rosy red.
Yeon-jeong chuckled as she watched the corners of the girl’s mouth twitch, threatening to curl into a smile.
“But did you know, Young Lady? The reason why the Mountain Lord Festival is held on Mt. Horim? Actually, the entirety of Mt. Horim is the spiritual body of the ancient Divine Beast White Tiger.”
“Pardon? That whole mountain?”
So-ya asked back, unable to believe it.
“Then I’ve been stepping all over the White Tiger’s body? Oh, what should I do? I feel so sorry.”
“Don’t worry too much, Young Lady. The White Tiger is very large and sturdy. Even if a hundred—no, a thousand or ten thousand of our little Cotton Balls came and ran around, he wouldn’t feel a thing.”
As she brushed So-ya’s hair, Yeon-jeong told her stories about the Four Divine Beasts.
“You’ve heard of the ancient Four Divine Beasts, haven’t you, Young Lady?”
A very long time ago. Long before the nation of Taehwa Empire even existed.
There were four miraculous ancient Divine Beasts who protected the beastkin living on this land.
The Blue Dragon of the East, the White Tiger of the West, the Vermilion Bird of the South, and the Black Tortoise of the North.
People called these four beasts, who ruled the world alongside the Yellow Dragon—the guardian of the center—the Four Divine Beasts.
Though they had now become legends, there were still those who believed they would wake up again one day.
And ever since the Black Tortoise Tribe turned traitor eight years ago, conspiring with the demons to cause chaos on the continent, that belief had spread like a beacon of hope.
“That is why people are waiting for the Yellow Dragon’s Bride. There is an old oracle that says the Yellow Dragon’s Bride will awaken the ancient Four Divine Beasts.”
“Doesn’t the ‘Yellow Dragon’s Bride’ refer to the person who will become His Majesty the Emperor’s wife?”
So-ya, who had been listening quietly, tilted her head and asked.
In the Taehwa Empire, “Yellow Dragon” was a title used to refer to the Son of Heaven.
This was because it was said that while the Four Great Clans inherited the blood of the four beasts, the Imperial Family ruling the Taehwa Empire inherited the blood of the ancient Yellow Dragon who led them.
“Nowadays, it has become a title for the Son of Heaven’s partner, but originally, the Yellow Dragon’s Bride was a being who sought harmony by encompassing all the Four Divine Beasts to prevent the Yellow Dragon’s immense power from being misused.”
That was also why the Four Great Clans put forward candidates for the Yellow Dragon’s Bride. Because they possessed the bloodlines closest to the Four Divine Beasts.
“Anyway, the important thing is that while the other Divine Beasts used parts of their spiritual bodies to leave behind Divine Objects, only the White Tiger did not.”
So-ya knew about Divine Objects. She had seen one at the Vermilion Bird Mansion when she was very young.
The Vermilion Bird’s Divine Object was a large bow with red feathers…
She remembered how, unable to contain her childhood curiosity, she had secretly touched it.
“So, the beastkin of the Western Land believed that a Divine Object must be hidden somewhere on Mt. Horim, which is known to be the White Tiger’s spiritual body. The Mountain Lord Festival began as a way to find that Divine Object. Though now, it has turned into a hunting event for young beastkin.”
While So-ya was lost in the story Yeon-jeong was telling, Ga-hyeon and Ga-yul, who had finished their preparations first, suddenly burst in to find her.
“So-ya, are you ready?”
“Cotton Ball, what are you doing! Let’s go, hurry!”
“Yes! I’m all ready now!”
Having finished her preparations just in time, So-ya jumped up and took her brothers’ hands, heading out toward the North Gate.
In front of the North Gate, which connected the White Tiger Palace to Mt. Horim.
Dozens of mountain beasts stood with roofless palanquins strapped to their backs.
The Mountain Lord Festival began at the summit of Mt. Horim, and children who had not yet undergone their First Growth had to ride palanquins to reach the top.
As soon as he spotted the palanquins, Ga-yul began to sneak away toward the mountain entrance, only to be snatched up by Sa-eon.
“Where do you think you’re going, baby tiger?”
“Ack! I can climb to the top of the mountain by myself without a palanquin!”
“A baby tiger is talking nonsense.”
Sa-eon ignored the grumbling Ga-yul and sat him atop a palanquin before reaching out a hand toward So-ya.
“Our little Cotton Ball will ride this palanquin over here.”
“Yes, Sa-eon!”
Just as So-ya took Sa-eon’s hand to climb into the white palanquin adorned with the White Tiger Clan’s crest…
“Grrr!”
Seol-yo, who had followed So-ya, growled and chased away the mountain beast carrying her palanquin.
“Seol-yo, you mustn’t do that.”
So-ya didn’t know what to do at Seol-yo’s aggressive behavior.
“You rascal. Do you like our Cotton Ball that much?”
Sa-eon asked, stroking Seol-yo’s head.
In response, Seol-yo huffed and turned his head away primly.
“Snort!”
“I suppose it can’t be helped. You be responsible for the Cotton Ball’s palanquin today.”
As Sa-eon spoke with a chuckle, Seol-yo excitedly lay down flat on the ground.
“Whine, whine…!”
Seol-yo, who had been making fierce growling sounds just moments ago, now looked up at So-ya with his large eyes and let out cute little whimpers.
“Huh?”
Sa-eon let out a hollow laugh, dumbfounded by the sight.
“That fellow… surely not.”
Sa-eon narrowed his eyes and stared at Seol-yo with a mock-serious expression, muttering to himself.
“Is he a male?”
He looked exactly like a young boy putting on an act to look good in front of a girl he liked.