Chapter 98
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 98
After hearing about the Black Tortoise and "The Evil" from the divine beasts, So-ya became preoccupied with how to reach the Northern Land.
Getting to the border is the first hurdle.
To reach the land of the Black Tortoise, she had to pass through the empire’s northern border, which was guarded by the Imperial Army. However, traveling to the border was impossible without an imperial decree. Even if she managed to reach it, crossing into the Northern Land without permission could be considered treason.
As So-ya paced the garden in deep thought, she suddenly whipped her head toward the sound coming from the main gate. It was a messenger tasked with delivering letters and supplies to her eldest brother at the border.
If I slip in among them, I might be able to head north.
But she knew she would be caught immediately if she tried to sneak in with the messengers.
"Argh, this won't work! I should just tell Father!"
After much deliberation, So-ya went to find Sa-eon.
Hyeon-yi told me. We’re family. When things are difficult, we’re supposed to solve them together.
She spoke up boldly.
"I have to go to the Northern Land to wake the Black Tortoise. Please help me, Father."
Sa-eon looked thoughtful for a moment at So-ya’s request, then soon gave his answer.
"Alright, Cotton Ball. But on one condition: Father is going with you."
He immediately brought out brush and ink and began writing a letter to the Emperor.
"If a father says he’s going to visit his son, His Majesty will surely grant permission."
Knowing her father was coming along made So-ya feel immensely reassured.
A short while later, the Emperor gave his consent quite readily. The official reason for Sa-eon’s journey north was to deliver supplies to the White Tiger Palace and boost morale. The fact that So-ya was accompanying him was kept a secret both inside and outside the palace. If word reached the ears of the peril beasts that a young girl was being taken to such a dangerous battlefield, it would surely arouse suspicion.
* * *
Finally, the day arrived for Sa-eon to depart for the Northern Land.
So-ya used her beast transformation to turn into a tiny bird and tucked herself away in Sa-eon’s embrace. While the workers of the White Tiger Palace loaded supplies onto wagons, Sa-eon left them behind, saying he would meet them at the border.
Once they were out of everyone’s sight, a small voice chirped.
"Pya!"
So-ya poked her head out from Sa-eon’s robes and cheered.
"We did it, Father!"
"My little Cotton Ball, wasn't it stuffy hiding in there?"
"Not at all! It was so much fun, like playing hide-and-seek."
So-ya let out a series of happy chirps. Sa-eon patted her head before picking up his pace toward the Northern Land.
As they gradually neared the border, the desolate black sandstorms of the north began to blow.
"Kreeeeeeeeek!"
At the appearance of a swarm of demonic beasts shaped like black animals, So-ya pointed at them with her short wings and shouted.
"Father, demonic beasts!"
"Stay back for a moment, Cotton Ball."
Sa-eon immediately drew his sword and charged at the monsters. So-ya flapped her wings in the air, cheering him on with all her might. She watched in awe as her father wiped out dozens of demonic beasts in a single movement.
However, it wasn't long before they hit a snag. A centipede demonic beast with far too many legs appeared.
Sa-eon, who had been slaughtering the beasts with fierce momentum until a moment ago, suddenly turned pale. Every time he cut down a centipede demonic beast, he squeezed his eyes shut as if in agony.
"Father, are you okay?"
"The legs... there are too many..."
"I'll help you!"
Unable to watch any longer, So-ya released her beast transformation with a poof and stood before Sa-eon. She took up the White Tiger Sword and began dispatching the centipede demonic beasts one by one.
Once the monsters were mostly cleared out, So-ya turned back to Sa-eon.
"It’s all done now, Father!"
"...Thank you, Cotton Ball," Sa-eon replied, his face having grown haggard in that short span of time.
So-ya couldn't understand her father. He could easily defeat much scarier demonic beasts, so why was he so afraid of these small centipedes?
"...Cotton Ball, aren't you afraid of the centipede demonic beasts?"
"No! You just have to defeat them like this!"
So-ya replied as she found a centipede demonic beast that was still twitching and poked it with the White Tiger Sword. Plink! Plink!
Every time she did, Sa-eon flinched as if he were the one being poked by the sword.
"Our little Cotton Ball is so brave. Defeating even those horrible centipede demonic beasts..."
It seemed her father really, really hated centipedes. He looked like he couldn't even bear to watch the legs of the dead monsters twitching.
"Father, please rest here."
So-ya helped Sa-eon sit against a tree trunk and then went to find a stream to fetch some water. It was surprisingly new to realize that her father, who was always so dependable, had something he was afraid of.
Sigh. I guess I’ll have to protect him.
Following the sound of trickling water, So-ya soon found a stream. She crouched down and began filling a water skin.
Rustle.
At the sound coming from the opposite side, So-ya reflexively looked up. And in that instant...
"...!"
So-ya’s eyes grew wide as she spotted a handsome young man frozen in front of her. He had hair as white as snow and eyes as blue and clear as the sky. Though he had a somewhat cold impression...
The young lord before her looked exactly like someone So-ya liked very, very much. Like her father, Baek Sa-eon.
Could it be...?
Somehow, So-ya felt she knew exactly who this person was. Soon, both So-ya and the young man spoke at the same time.
"Ga-ya... Brother?"
"Som-som?"
* * *
Sa-eon was resting against the tree trunk. He felt nauseous from seeing too many centipedes.
"Our little Cotton Ball is truly amazing. How can she kill centipedes so well...?"
A small smile played on his lips as he recalled So-ya drawing the White Tiger Sword and charging at the centipede demonic beasts to save him.
"To think she’d step up so bravely to protect her dad. Our little Cotton Ball is all grown up."
He was chuckling to himself while recovering his strength when he heard a sound.
"Father! Father!"
From a distance, he heard So-ya’s voice, sounding somewhat excited, accompanied by light footsteps. As he reflexively looked up, Sa-eon spotted a young man walking toward him, holding So-ya’s hand.
"...!"
Sa-eon’s eyes widened slightly before he scrambled to his feet. His trembling eyes soon softened with emotion.
"I met Brother just up ahead!"
"Father."
Baek Ga-ya, the eldest son of the White Tiger Clan, stood before Sa-eon.
"Ga-ya."
Sa-eon pulled his son into a tight embrace.
"You’ve grown well, son. I’ve missed you."
"You saw me last year, didn't you?" Ga-ya replied, as if his father was being dramatic.
In truth, Sa-eon had visited the border regions last year, and the year before that, using various excuses.
"Right. I did see you last year."
Despite his son’s blunt reaction, Sa-eon simply burst into laughter. It was customary for the successors of the Four Great Clans to leave their families and carry out imperial orders after completing their First Growth. Thus, for Ga-ya, he was merely fulfilling his natural duty as the clan's successor.
Sa-eon had thought the same when he was that age, but now that he was a father, he understood. He knew how precious every single moment of watching a child grow was. He felt the overwhelming emotion of facing a child who had grown so much in his absence, and the deep regret of not being there for every moment of that growth.
Even if his son, who looked at him as if he were being silly, didn't seem to understand these feelings.
Sa-eon grinned and ruffled his son’s hair.
* * *
Ga-ya led the two of them to the Imperial Army’s barracks. So-ya had to transform back into a small bird to avoid being discovered by the soldiers.
While Sa-eon spoke with the officer in charge, Ga-ya took So-ya for a walk in the woods near the barracks.
"I was always curious since I heard I had a younger sister," Ga-ya said, looking back at So-ya perched on his shoulder. "You’re much smaller and rounder than Baek Ga-hyeon described."
"Peep?"
"Thanks for the handkerchief, little Som-som."
He grinned and pulled out the handkerchief So-ya had sent him as a gift a while ago. Seeing it, So-ya’s face brightened instantly.
"You’ve been carrying the handkerchief I gave you?"
"Yeah. The tiger on it looks a bit unfinished, but it’s cute the more I look at it."
So-ya let out a series of giggles. Since no one around her spoke like that, Ga-ya’s words sounded like a funny joke.
"But why do you call me Som-som?"
"Everyone else calls you Cotton Ball. I don't like being the same as others. Besides, this is cuter. Som-som—"
"...?"
So-ya tilted her head, not quite understanding Ga-ya’s reasoning.
He seems a bit unique. But...
"I think you’re a kind and good person, just like Father, Brother Ga-ya."
So-ya truly thought so. Her eldest brother, whom she was meeting for the first time, was a very kind and good person—enough to treasure a gift from a younger sister he had never even seen.
"Hmm."
Ga-ya wore a meaningful expression at her words.
"I doubt it."
"...?"
As So-ya blinked in confusion, he smiled, his eyes curving into crescents.
"I’m much kinder and better than Father. Remember that, Som-som."
So-ya burst into giggles once more. Just as a soft smile was about to bloom on Ga-ya’s lips at the sound of the young bird’s clear laughter...
Huh?
So-ya, still on Ga-ya’s shoulder, froze as she spotted a man walking in the distance.
That person is...?
Brilliant red hair, like a blazing flame, was a characteristic found only in the direct lineage of the Vermilion Bird Clan.
Before she knew it, So-ya hurriedly dove into the folds of Ga-ya’s clothes to hide.