Chapter 74
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 74
Sa-eon’s party traveled for a long while before finally arriving at the village where the rumored plague was spreading.
“Thank you for gracing us with your presence, Lord of the West. I am Nok-seo, the chief of this village.”
A deer beastkin with long horns greeted Sa-eon’s group.
So-ya stole a glance at the chief’s horns, unable to hide her inner fascination. She had heard that some beastkin who lived close to nature retained animal characteristics even in their human forms, but this was the first time she had seen it in person.
“Where are the sick?” Sa-eon asked.
“This way, please.”
The chief led them to a large building in the center of the village.
The moment So-ya stepped inside, she flinched. Numerous people were lying on the floor due to a lack of beds, groaning in agony. Some of them had skin that had turned pitch black.
At the sight, So-ya reflexively grabbed hold of her father’s sleeve.
“It began to break out suddenly not long ago, and we have no idea why. We reported it as a plague, but upon investigation, we found it isn't contagious.”
“……”
Sa-eon’s eyes grew heavy as he looked down at the patients. The moment he saw their condition, he understood why the Emperor had sent him here.
This is Demonic Poison.
Sa-eon himself had been struck by Demonic Poison in the Northern Land ten years ago.
The Peril Beast, Gung-gi.
Sa-eon recalled that wicked creature who had spread Demonic Poison and contaminated the spirit cores of beastkin amidst the chaos of the battlefield.
Is this its doing?
More accurately, it was likely the work of the poisonous insects controlled by Gung-gi, one of the Four Peril Beasts. Gung-gi’s poisonous insects burrow into people’s skin, injecting poison into the body and contaminating the spirit core.
Back then, many of those who had gone to the battlefield with Sa-eon had died as the black poison spread through them, just like this. Even Sa-eon, who had managed to stop the spread by carving out the contaminated flesh the moment the insect burrowed in, had to spend every full moon awake, unable to endure the surge of yin energy.
It was a Demonic Poison that potent.
The problem is… why are these symptoms appearing here, so far from the battlefield?
Sa-eon’s brow furrowed. Gung-gi’s poisonous insects were weak to light and heat. They might thrive in the Northern Land, which was shrouded in black mist and cold, but in ordinary lands, they would perish quickly from even the slightest light or heat.
“Where else near here is the plague spreading?” Sa-eon asked, spreading out a map.
“Including our village, there is Wind Wildflower Village to the north and Blue Moss Village to the south…”
“…They all border the mountain.”
His eyes scanned the points the chief indicated, and his brow furrowed deeper as he muttered to himself. All three villages bordered the same mountain. The people here were ordinary farmers. In the spring, they would climb the mountain to forage for wild greens to save on food…
It was just about time for shepherd's purse and wild chives to bloom, so they would have inevitably climbed the mountain.
I’ll have to investigate this mountain first.
As he reached that conclusion, he suddenly noticed a small hand gripping his sleeve tightly. So-ya had a somber expression on her face.
She had followed her father with nothing but excitement, and now she felt terribly upset and guilty for not having thought more deeply about the suffering of the sick.
If only I could use my power of purification, I could help them.
So-ya thought back to the power she had used to heal Sa-eon’s spirit core three years ago. She still hadn't found the owner of that voice, and thus, she couldn't use that power without a medium.
I came all this way, and yet I’m being no help at all.
As So-ya stared down at her toes in distress, a heavy palm settled gently on top of her head.
So-ya looked up at Sa-eon. Seeing the child’s face filled with sorrow, Sa-eon lowered himself to meet her eyes.
“It’s all written on your face, little Cotton Ball. What are you thinking about?”
“I didn't know people were hurting this much. I feel so sorry for being excited about coming with you, Father.”
“That’s understandable. I didn't explain to you that it was such a scary illness.”
“You know, Father… I…”
“No.”
Sensing what So-ya was about to say, Sa-eon cut her off firmly.
“But, if I use my purification power…!”
“Treating them like that is only a temporary fix. If someone else’s spirit core gets contaminated, do you plan on wounding your own body every single time?”
“That’s…”
So-ya’s voice trailed off, as if she hadn't thought that far ahead.
“It’s very admirable that my little Cotton Ball wants to help people. But you can’t save everyone that way,” Sa-eon said in a resolute tone. “This isn't a naturally occurring disease; it’s a sickness someone spread on purpose with evil intent. We came here to find the source.”
“……”
“So, let’s find the cause first. We can think about your idea again after that.”
“Okay…”
Swayed by Sa-eon’s persuasion, So-ya nodded.
Of course, Sa-eon also knew that if this truly was Gung-gi’s Demonic Poison, there was no clear way to fix a contaminated spirit core. But on the other hand, if this really was the work of the North, he couldn't afford to expose So-ya’s power to them.
“I’ll look for the cause with the other adults, so if you’re that worried, why don’t you find another way to help the people, little Cotton Ball?”
“Another way?”
At those words, So-ya looked around for something she could do.
Something I can do…
Then, her eyes landed on the young beastkin who had been left behind because their parents were sick.
I think I found it!
Strength returned to So-ya’s clenched fists, which had been hanging limp.
*
While Sa-eon led his subordinates to investigate the mountain, So-ya remained in the village with Ga-yul and Seol-yo to comfort and play with the young beastkin.
“This game is called ‘Drop the Handkerchief.’”
The young beastkin, who were wary at first, gradually showed interest in the game So-ya taught them and soon became fully immersed. Before long, the sound of children’s laughter echoed through the air. Seeing their brightened expressions, So-ya’s mood improved as well.
When I first came to the White Tiger Palace, Yul-i oraboni played with me like this too.
So-ya thought of Ga-yul, who had played ball and tag with her whenever she was feeling down. She hadn't realized it then, but perhaps Ga-yul had felt the same way when he was with her.
Just as So-ya turned toward Ga-yul with a bright smile—
Flinch!
Ga-yul jumped in surprise and immediately whipped his head away, pretending to be busy with something else.
Huh? Why is Oraboni acting like that?
Ga-yul’s behavior was strange. It was unmistakable. He was repeatedly stealing glances at her while pretending not to.
I think he’s been like that since we were at the White Tiger Palace.
Come to think of it, Ga-yul wasn't the only one acting strange.
Hyeon-yi oraboni was strange too. Ever since that day we ran into each other in the library, he’s been walking on eggshells around me.
Ga-hyeon thought he was hiding it well, but to So-ya, who was surprisingly quick-witted, his awkward behavior was plain as day.
“I think my brothers are being a little weird,” So-ya muttered with a mock-serious expression.
For the past few days, the two of them would have serious expressions, only to jump in surprise and feign ignorance whenever she approached. Or they would steal glances at her while pretending not to, almost as if they were monitoring her…
“Those tigers were always weird,” Seol-yo remarked, tilting his head as he thought of Ga-hyeon and Ga-yul.
Seol-yo had never seen such strange kids. Most children would scream and throw stones at the sight of him. But Ga-yul had been excited, saying it was his first time seeing a Peril Beast and pestering him for a duel. And Ga-hyeon had been subtly pressuring him not to bother So-ya too much.
All the tigers of the White Tiger Palace are strange. But the strangest of them all is the man who picked me up and brought me here.
Just as Seol-yo’s thoughts drifted toward Sa-eon—
“Do you think my brothers are keeping a secret between just the two of them and leaving me out?” So-ya muttered sadly.
“Then, should I tell you another secret those tigers don’t know?” Seol-yo asked, as if trying to comfort her.
So-ya immediately showed interest. “Another secret? What is it?”
“That man over there… he has a strange smell,” Seol-yo said, pointing to one of the physicians tending to the patients.
“A strange smell?”
“Yeah! The smell of the Northern Land!”