Chapter 49
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 49
So-ya wasn't the only one who failed to grasp the situation immediately.
Seol-yo blinked with a dazed expression, then lowered his head to stare at his palms.
What he saw wasn't the fur-covered paws of a beast, but the soft, smooth palms of a human.
As the realization dawned on him, Seol-yo’s body stiffened for a moment before he finally let out a cry.
“Aaaah!”
Startled, Seol-yo tried to scramble to his feet, only to lose his balance and fall back onto his backside with a loud thud.
“Seol-yo!”
Hiccup!
When So-ya suddenly grabbed his hand, Seol-yo froze in shock.
“Are you… are you really Seol-yo?” So-ya asked, leaning in toward him.
“Yeah…” Seol-yo nodded, his earlobes turning a bright shade of red.
“...!”
At his quiet confirmation, So-ya’s jaw dropped.
Seol-yo really turned into a human!
Even though she was the one who had asked, So-ya found herself frozen in equal parts shock and wonder.
*
The cold, arid Northern Land.
A man with long, black hair trailing down to his feet sat upon a throne.
He was Hyeon Ra-baek, the leader of the Black Tortoise Tribe and the sovereign of the North.
Resting his chin on his hand with a look of profound boredom, he suddenly lifted his head.
“Hondon is dead.”
The connection with Hondon, which had been growing faint for some time, had finally been severed completely.
Yet, even at the death of his subordinate, his demeanor remained utterly indifferent.
The last place Hondon’s traces were felt was the Western Land, ruled by the White Tiger Clan.
He had given Hondon only one command:
[Disturb the Three Great Clans. Ensure they can no longer produce a Bride of the Yellow Dragon.]
The Bride of the Yellow Dragon.
His goal was to erase that loathsome name from the continent's history forever.
“But why did his trail end at the White Tiger Clan?”
Hyeon Ra-baek frowned as he mulled over his own orders.
It was strange. As far as he knew, there were no young girls of the direct lineage in the Western Baek Clan.
The Blue Dragon Clan Head was not yet married, and he had personally severed all direct lineages within the Black Tortoise Tribe.
Thus, the most likely candidate for this generation’s Bride of the Yellow Dragon was the youngest daughter of the Vermilion Bird Clan—the only legitimate daughter among the Four Great Clans.
Of course, girls from the branch lineages could become candidates at any time, but it was odd that Hondon would head to the Western Land while leaving the Vermilion Bird Clan’s youngest daughter alone.
“It would have made more sense to eliminate the girl from the South first, not the West.”
Hondon was a clever Peril Beast, excellent at mimicking humans and discerning logic.
Undoubtedly, he must have seen something in the Western Land.
It seemed necessary to investigate why Hondon had gone all the way to the West and what he had been doing there before he died.
And if possible…
“The White Tiger Clan is constantly proving to be a nuisance,” Hyeon Ra-baek muttered, his brow furrowing slightly.
Baek Sa-eon, the head of the Baek Clan.
He had been an eyesore long ago, and he remained one now.
“It might be best to clean that side up as well, if possible.”
Having made his decision, he pulled thread-like black strands from his spirit core.
The black strands wriggled and clumped together, transforming into human shapes that knelt and prostrated themselves before him.
“Go to the Western Land and uncover the truth behind Hondon’s death. You may kill anyone who stands in your way.”
The scarecrows created from his soul bowed deeply and vanished.
Hyeon Ra-baek slowly shifted his gaze to a man in black rags prostrating himself nearby.
“What is the situation in the Imperial Court?”
“It seems a bloodbath is imminent. The Fifth Prince, Tae Yi-rim, has drawn his sword.”
Hyeon Ra-baek paused.
For the first time, his expression hardened, showing a visible reaction.
The Fifth Prince, Tae Yi-rim.
The bloodline of the Imperial Family he so loathed.
And at the same time…
The child who was the only remaining trace of her.
“Rumors are already circulating that the Fifth Prince has seized control of the central military. At this rate, a new Yellow Dragon will likely be born in the near future.”
“...I see,” Hyeon Ra-baek murmured in a dry voice.
The movement of her child was an unexpected variable.
However, the plan would not change.
To tear down the Empire and exterminate every last seed of the foul Imperial Family—that was the sole reason he had become the evil of this world.
Even if the one he had to destroy was her child.
Then, a sudden thought occurred to him of another child who would have been around the same age now, had he lived.
A young boy who carried the blood of the North, which he had severed with his own hands.
*
The White Tiger Palace was thrown into an uproar by Seol-yo’s sudden transformation into a human.
Even Baek Sa-ra, who had been shut away in the shrine, came out to see Seol-yo after hearing the news.
Sa-ra placed her hand on top of Seol-yo’s head with her eyes closed, muttering something under her breath. Then, she snapped her eyes open.
“It’s certain. This boy isn't a demonic beast; he’s a beastkin. I can feel the energy of a spirit core.”
“...How bizarre. To think a creature that wore the mask of a demonic beast for the last seven years would suddenly shed its skin.”
Sa-eon looked down at Seol-yo with his arms crossed.
He had picked Seol-yo up seven years ago in the contaminated Northern Land.
The tiny thing, looking like it was about to starve to death, had been limping on one leg after being attacked by demonic beast hunters.
Even as it bared its teeth fiercely at him, Sa-eon hadn't felt any malicious intent.
For some reason, he couldn't just ignore it.
But once he brought it back to the White Tiger Palace, the creature had bolted for the mountains and made a nest there.
He had thought it was just a peculiar demonic beast that didn't harm humans, but to think it was actually a beastkin.
“It seems someone contaminated what was originally a beastkin. But the tainted energy has vanished, leaving only his original, pure energy behind. It’s as if someone ‘purified’ this child.”
“T-That, Auntie!”
So-ya, who rarely raised her voice, interrupted Sa-eon and Sa-ra’s conversation, shouting in an excited tone.
“Suddenly, sparks flew from my hands with a pop, and Seol-yo turned into a person! Like this… No, definitely like this… That’s strange, why isn’t it working now…?”
So-ya grunted as she tried to focus strength into her fingertips, but the sparks didn't appear like they had before.
At that moment, Sa-ra’s laughter rang out above So-ya’s head.
“Oho. My dear little cotton ball. It seems that is your supernatural ability.”
“...!”
“Congratulations on awakening your ability, little one.”
“Is my ability turning Seol-yo into a human?”
“This child was a normal beastkin to begin with, not a demonic beast. Your ability is the power to make tainted things clean.”
“Make them… clean?”
“Yes. It is called ‘Purification.’”
So-ya blinked, then asked the question that had been on her mind.
“Then will my ability be helpful to the clan?”
“Of course. It will be very helpful. Once you learn to control your ability well, you will be a great asset to the family.”
“...!”
So-ya’s face lit up brilliantly.
*
While Sa-eon and Sa-ra continued their conversation, So-ya stepped outside with Seol-yo.
So-ya sat in a daze, crouching by the flower bed.
I really awakened a supernatural ability.
Her heart had been racing for a while now.
Deep down, she had almost given up, thinking she might never grow or awaken an ability for the rest of her life.
Her spirit core had been so badly damaged, and until recently, she hadn't even dared to attempt a beast transformation.
So-ya recalled the reactions of the people when she had saved Ga-hyeon during the last Mountain Lord Festival.
Everyone said I was amazing.
So-ya wanted to be helpful to the people of the White Tiger Palace and repay their kindness.
I’ll master my ability no matter what and become someone the White Tiger Palace truly needs.
As she burned with determination, So-ya looked over at Seol-yo, who was crouching beside her.
Even though he was human now, the way he crouched with both hands on the ground was exactly how he used to sit in his wolf form, which made her giggle.
“Thank you, Seol-yo. It’s thanks to you that I awakened my ability.”
“...?”
Seol-yo only tilted his head in confusion.
Now that Seol-yo was human, the wound on his front leg—which was now an arm—had also vanished.
Does making things clean mean it can even make wounds disappear?