Chapter 46
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 46
“Pya...!”
So-ya let out a cry of wonder at the sensation of floating, a feeling she was experiencing for the very first time.
But there was no time to be lost in awe. Even at this moment, Brother Hyeon was in pain.
So-ya flapped her wings with all her might and ascended toward the top of the cliff. Once she gained momentum, the flight became much easier.
Soaring high into the sky, So-ya spotted a group of people gathered in a frantic commotion. At the center of the crowd stood Sa-eon, his expression grim.
“Pya!”
At So-ya’s cry, Sa-eon’s head snapped upward.
His eyes narrowed as he spotted a tiny, snow-white bird flapping its wings desperately, and then...
“...Cotton Ball?”
Recognizing So-ya a beat late, Sa-eon’s face filled with shock.
“Cotton Ball, you...!”
“Pya! Peep!”
So-ya cut him off.
“Pyaya! Peep, pya!”
As he listened to the baby bird’s frantic chirping, Sa-eon’s face gradually hardened into a mask of stone.
“What...?”
“Peep, pee-eeep...”
“Dammit, get someone over here immediately! Wait, Cotton Ball, what happened to your body!”
Sa-eon snatched So-ya out of the air, cradling her in his hands. The baby bird’s body was covered in wounds.
“Peep?”
So-ya tilted her head curiously, but suddenly, the world began to spin.
“Cotton Ball!”
Cotton Ball...
Cotton Ball...
Cotton Ball...
Sa-eon’s voice echoed like a fading memory. So-ya collapsed right there in the palm of his hand.
* * *
Blink, blink.
When she opened her eyes again, So-ya was lying on a makeshift cot inside a tent. Her body felt heavy and sluggish, and her wing joints—or rather, her armpits—ached dully. It was the aftereffect of a first flight, something all baby birds experienced.
I actually flew...
She stared blankly, still unable to believe it, when the events right before she fainted came rushing back.
“Brother Hyeon...!”
So-ya bolted upright and saw Ga-hyeon lying on the cot next to her.
“Oh, thank goodness...”
Seeing Ga-hyeon sleeping peacefully, So-ya let out a long sigh of relief.
Lord Sa-eon brought Brother back safely.
A faint smile touched So-ya’s lips.
I protected him.
However, her clear expression soon clouded over.
Everyone must have seen.
So-ya remembered the crowd of people gathered just before she lost consciousness. The thought that everyone had seen her in her beast form made her feel dejected.
No. Even if I went back in time, I’d make the same choice.
Just as So-ya shook her head to dispel her gloom, the tent flap opened.
“Cotton Ball!”
Sa-eon, entering the tent, saw that So-ya was awake and strode toward her.
“Ah, Lord Sa-eon.”
“Are you... are you alright?”
“Yes, I’m fine—”
Wham!
Sa-eon suddenly pulled So-ya into a fierce embrace.
“Huh...?”
So-ya’s eyes went wide.
“You did so well. Truly.”
“Lord Sa-eon...?”
“You flew with those tiny wings, even though no one taught you, just to tell us your brother was in danger.”
“Uh...”
“Our little Cotton Ball is so brave and amazing. I wonder whose daughter she is to be this incredible.”
“...”
For some reason, Sa-eon’s voice sounded thick with emotion, as if he were on the verge of tears. So-ya couldn't find the words to respond and simply stayed still in his arms.
Lord Sa-eon is so strange. He talks about the smallest things as if I’ve done something world-changing...
So-ya thought, her fingers twitching shyly within his warm embrace.
Even now. He’s talking as if I saved the world, as if I did something truly magnificent...
But when she finally pulled back from the hug, there was no trace of tears on his face.
I really felt like he was crying, but maybe I was wrong.
So-ya tilted her head and asked, “Is Brother Hyeon okay?”
“Yes. A very brave little Cotton Ball called for help just in time, so the danger has passed.”
“What a relief...!”
Sa-eon chuckled and stroked So-ya’s hair.
“Can you tell me what happened on the mountain?”
“Well, you see...”
So-ya recounted everything she had seen and heard. She told him about finding the man who had tried to kill her in the Land of the Vermilion Bird, and how Hondon had appeared from within that man’s body.
“Hondon...?”
“Yes, that’s what Brother Hyeon called him. One of the Four Peril Beasts, Hondon.”
In an instant, Sa-eon’s expression turned grave.
“Why would Hondon be here...?”
The Four Peril Beasts. They were four demonic beasts that had thrown the world into chaos long ago. The four ancient clans had joined forces to seal them away, but eight years ago, Hyeon Ra-baek, the head of the Black Tortoise Tribe, had awakened their sealed souls and become their master.
“He said he had something to check. He thought I might have the power to sense evil arts, so he said he had to check my spirit core...”
Sa-eon recalled 'that incident' which had recently caused an uproar in the White Tiger Palace. It wasn't simply a case of someone who knew evil arts approaching a young silver tiger, pressured by his parents, to make a quick profit.
Giving her the scent pouch imbued with evil arts to put So-ya and the other girls in danger, and revealing her past in the Vermilion Bird Clan to get her kicked out...
Does this mean the Northern Land was involved in all of it?
He had vaguely suspected it, but it was the scenario he had hoped for least. Of all people, their blades were aimed at So-ya. Was it mere coincidence? Or...
A thin furrow appeared between Sa-eon’s brows.
Seeing how serious he looked, So-ya watched him warily. Just then, a large, warm hand came to rest on the crown of her head.
“You must have been so shocked and scared, our little Cotton Ball.”
Sa-eon spoke softly as he stroked her hair.
“I’m sorry. Your father should have been by your side, but I wasn't.”
“N-no! Brother Hyeon was with me, and, and also...!”
Startled by Sa-eon’s apology, So-ya waved her hands frantically before her voice trailed off.
In that moment when she thought she might die, the person she had thought of most was Sa-eon. She had truly missed his large, sturdy back that always protected her. She had hoped he would appear, just as he always did whenever she was in danger.
“See? Now that you think about it, you were upset that I wasn't there, weren't you?”
Noticing So-ya’s hesitation, Sa-eon asked with a smirk.
“Uh, well...”
So-ya felt as if her inner thoughts had been read. Her face flushed slightly, and she couldn't bring herself to answer easily.
“You can be honest, Cotton Ball. It’s only natural for a child to look for her father.”
“I did think of you, and I missed you. But that doesn't mean it’s your fault, Lord Sa-eon. It’s just that I...”
“It is my fault. If a child is hurt or in danger, it’s always the parent’s fault,” Sa-eon said with a bitter smile.
He had brought this child here because he wanted to protect her after she had nearly died. Yet, after bringing her, he had let her be left alone on a mountain and fall into danger at the hands of a Peril Beast.
This was no time to be sulking because Cotton Ball won't call me 'Dad.'
Did he even have the right to be a father?
As Sa-eon was lost in self-reproach, So-ya spoke up.
“Um, Lord Sa-eon, about that.”
So-ya called out to him in a very solemn voice.
“I’m not a baby. I’m already nine years old...”
“You sound exactly like Yul.”
Sa-eon burst into a short laugh. Come to think of it, while So-ya always seemed to be walking on eggshells around others, she never hesitated to say what needed to be said in her own quiet way. It was adorable, and it made him want to tease her more.
“You haven't even gone through your First Growth yet. That makes you a baby.”
Among beastkin, the First Growth marked the transition from early childhood to adolescence, so he wasn't technically wrong. However, So-ya felt it was unfair to be called a baby.
“But I even drove away that mean Hondon and protected Brother...!”
Sa-eon paused. He had assumed it was Ga-hyeon who had dealt with Hondon. Surprised, he asked, “You... you dealt with Hondon, Cotton Ball?”
“Yes. Though the Great White Tiger helped me.”
So-ya opened her palm and gathered her energy. A white light coalesced in her hand, forming a pure white sword.
“...!”
Sa-eon’s expression froze.
“Cotton Ball, this...”
As the Head of the White Tiger Clan, Sa-eon recognized it instantly. It was the White Tiger Divine Sword, a divine object forged from the spiritual body of the Ancient Divine Beast, the White Tiger.
“Where did you...?”
“I met the Great White Tiger. He helped me so I could protect Brother.”
So-ya explained as she handed the White Tiger Divine Sword to Sa-eon.
“Could it be... she awakened the White Tiger?”
Three things were required to awaken a sleeping Ancient Divine Beast: the blood of the direct lineage, the heart of the Divine Beast, and the spiritual body.
So-ya did not have the blood of the direct lineage. However, Ga-hyeon, who did possess that blood, had been in the same place. Furthermore, another name for the Divine Beast White Tiger was 'The One Who Guards.' To awaken him, a 'heart that desires to protect' would have been necessary. Finally, the spiritual body—the entirety of Mt. Horim, where they had stood, was essentially the spiritual body of the Divine Beast.
All three conditions to awaken the Divine Beast were met.
But even if those three things were gathered, not just anyone could awaken an Ancient Divine Beast. If it were that easy, they would have been awakened a dozen times over by now. According to the oracles passed down from ancient times, there was only one person who could awaken the Divine Beasts.
[On the night the Red Moon rises, the Bride of the Yellow Dragon shall awaken the sleeping Four Divine Beasts, sweeping away the darkness scattered across this land and bringing peace.]
The Bride of the Yellow Dragon.
...No way.
Sa-eon’s gaze deepened as he stared at So-ya.
