Chapter 99
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 99
“Som-som?”
Ga-ya blinked, looking down at the bulge inside his collar before raising his head again. His brow furrowed as he caught sight of a man’s silhouette approaching from the opposite direction.
‘Did Som-som… just hide because she saw that guy?’
The thought immediately soured his mood.
‘This is strange. I feel really annoyed.’
Just as his expression twisted into a scowl, the man across from him noticed Ga-ya and came to a halt. Ga-ya pulled his collar tight, concealing the red tail feathers peeking out, and glared at the man.
“Lord Ga-ya?”
Though Ga-ya’s gaze was fierce enough to tear him apart, Jeok San-yu didn’t seem particularly bothered. After all, Baek Ga-ya had always looked at him with those eyes.
While Ga-ya’s glare felt exceptionally savage today, something else had been bothering San-yu for a moment.
“Did you happen to hear a bird just now?”
Hidden inside Ga-ya’s collar, So-ya flinched.
“I don’t know. I didn’t hear anything,” Ga-ya lied through his teeth, tightening his grip on his collar.
“No, I’m certain I—”
“I guess spending too much time on the battlefield has you hearing things, you burning chicken head.”
“…”
San-yu’s eyes hardened at the sarcastic remark.
‘I suppose. There’s no way a bird would be singing in this desolate Northern Land, crawling with demonic beasts.’
As San-yu withdrew, So-ya let out a breath of relief.
She peeked out from Ga-ya’s collar, watching San-yu’s retreating back. His long, red hair, tied up high, swayed gently with every step.
‘Brother San-yu…’
The last time she had seen him, he was twelve—exactly So-ya’s current age. Now, he had grown as tall as her father.
‘I suppose he would be, since he’s at the age where he’s already completed his Second Growth.’
In beastkin society, the age of eighteen, when one completes the Second Growth, marks the transition from minor to adult.
Seeing him felt incredibly strange. Ever since he left the mansion, the young So-ya had spent her days waiting for the war to end so he could return.
He had been a truly wonderful older brother.
Every night, he would read fairy tales to her and tell her stories about the world beyond the mansion walls that she was so curious about. He was the one who taught her how to read and write; it was through him that the young So-ya learned about the world.
On nights when she couldn’t sleep after a nightmare, he would stay by his little sister’s bedside until she drifted off. He was a kind and affectionate brother, as if trying to fill the void left by their mother.
‘But…’
So-ya thought of Jeok Ah-yun and Jeok Hwa-yu. She remembered their sharp gazes and cold voices the day they abandoned her in an instant.
[Take her spirit core and lock her in the Cold Palace.]
[Who exactly do you think is your brother?]
They, too, had once cherished and adored her, but those happy childhood memories had vanished in a heartbeat.
And so, So-ya… she didn’t know.
Brother San-yu had always been the kindest person in the world to her. But would he have been any different from the others?
She really didn’t know.
“Peep…”
A melancholy chirp escaped So-ya’s beak despite herself. Her wings felt heavy and slumped.
“Peep?”
Huh?
So-ya blinked as she felt a finger suddenly thrust into her beak.
“You don’t have any teeth.”
Ga-ya muttered in fascination, his finger held firmly between her mandibles. “I heard birds don’t have teeth, and it’s actually true.”
“Wh-what are you doing?!” So-ya asked, backing away in a fluster.
“Hmm. Don’t be too sad, Som-som. Even if you don’t have teeth, your big brother will take care of you for the rest of your life.”
Ga-ya’s absurd behavior instantly chased away the complicated emotions So-ya had felt while looking at San-yu.
“Take care of what?!”
“Since Som-som doesn’t have teeth, your brother will have to hunt for you, right?”
“I have a sharp beak even without teeth!”
Puffing herself up, So-ya pecked at Ga-ya’s palm with her nimble beak, just as Jjaek-jjaek used to do to her.
Ga-ya burst into laughter at the ticklish sensation on his palm.
After huffing and puffing on his hand for a while, So-ya finally plopped down. She looked up at Ga-ya, staring intently at the face that so closely resembled her father’s.
“Thank you, Brother. You said those mean things just to hide me, didn’t you?”
“Mean things?” Ga-ya tilted his head. “When did I say anything mean?”
His response, sounding genuinely confused, felt like a considerate gesture to So-ya.
‘He’s pretending not to know so I won’t feel bad.’
Of course, that wasn’t it. Ga-ya truly had no awareness that he had been rude.
‘Brother Ga-ya is a truly, truly kind person!’
So-ya, however, completely misunderstood.
*
Since Sa-eon had rushed to the border at such a breakneck pace, they had to wait a few more days for the supplies from the White Tiger Palace to arrive.
Inside the guest barracks prepared for Sa-eon, So-ya had comfortably released her beast transformation and was helping her father and brother draft a plan.
“So, you’re saying this tiny little Cotton Ball has to go into the Northern Land?”
When Ga-ya asked with a raised eyebrow, a small exclamation of awe escaped So-ya’s lips. In that moment, Ga-ya’s expression was identical to Sa-eon’s. She finally understood why everyone called Ga-ya the ‘young master who resembles the Clan Head the most.’
“It won’t be easy,” Ga-ya said, his brow furrowing slightly. “Getting past the demonic beasts is one thing, but avoiding people’s eyes will be harder. Above all, there are two other direct descendants of the Four Great Clans here whose five senses are superior to others.”
“That is why I need your help.”
“…The battle of annihilation in two days. It would be best to aim for the chaos then. The commander will be pleased if Father offers to lend a hand.”
Ga-ya fell into thought for a moment before proposing a strategy.
“I’ll provide cover, so Father and Som-som should find an opportunity to take this path around.” He pointed to a spot on the map spread across the table.
“Understood. I’m counting on you.”
“Please, Brother,” So-ya added, nodding with a determined face.
Ga-ya turned to So-ya and asked in a teasing voice, “Can our toothless Som-som really fight demonic beasts?”
“I can—!”
“Don’t underestimate your younger sister, Ga-ya,” Sa-eon interrupted before So-ya could finish. “She’s a fearsome Cotton Ball who kills centipede demonic beasts without even blinking.”
“Oh.” Ga-ya looked at So-ya with an impressed expression. “That’s quite impressive, Som-som.”
Hearing her father and brother praise her made So-ya feel strangely proud. Ga-ya burst into laughter as he looked at her face, which was clearly brimming with a bit of vanity.
Then, suddenly.
Freeze.
Ga-ya and Sa-eon both stiffened at the same time. Sensing something, they whipped their heads toward the area behind So-ya’s shoulder.
So-ya followed their gaze, but all she saw was an ordinary wooden box.
‘What’s wrong?’
Just as So-ya tilted her head in confusion—
Whoosh!
In a flash, Ga-ya lunged toward the box with lightning speed.
Clatter! Bang!
Following the loud commotion, a small black bird popped out from inside the box.
So-ya’s eyes widened as she recognized him.
“Seol-yo!”