Chapter 49
It wasn’t just Soya who failed to grasp the situation right away.
Seolyo blinked in a dazed expression before lowering his head to look at his own palm.
There, instead of the black-furred beast’s paw, was a soft, fluffy human hand.
The moment Seolyo realized this, his body stiffened in shock, and then…
“Uwaaack!”
Startled, Seolyo cried out and tried to jump to his feet, only to plop back down on his rear.
“Seolyo!”
Hic!
When Soya grabbed his hand, Seolyo froze in surprise.
“Y-You… you’re really Seolyo?”
Soya leaned toward him and asked.
“Y-Yeah…”
Seolyo nodded, his earlobes turning bright red.
“…!”
At the innocent affirmation, Soya’s mouth fell open.
‘Seolyo really turned into a person!’
Having asked the question herself, Soya ended up just as startled and froze in place.
* * *
The cold, arid land of the north.
A man with black hair cascading down to his ankles sat upon a throne.
He was Hyeonraback, the leader of the Xuanwu Clan and the lord of the northern land.
He had been resting his chin on his hand with a listless expression when he suddenly lifted his head.
“Chaos is dead.”
The faint connection to Chaos, which had been weakening for some time, had now been completely severed.
Yet even at the death of a subordinate under his command, his demeanor remained utterly indifferent.
The last trace of Chaos had vanished in the western land ruled by the White Tiger Clan.
The single command he had given Chaos was this:
[Disrupt the three great clans. Ensure they can no longer produce a bride for the Imperial Dragon.]
The bride of the Imperial Dragon.
Erasing that accursed name from the continent’s history forever.
“But why did its trail end in the White Tiger Clan’s territory?”
Hyeonraback furrowed his brow as he mulled over the order he himself had issued.
It was strange. As far as he knew, the Baek Clan of the west had no direct-line daughters.
The head of the Azure Dragon Clan had yet to marry, and he had personally eliminated all direct descendants of the Xuanwu Clan.
Thus, the most likely candidate for this generation’s Imperial Dragon Bride had been the youngest daughter of the Zhuque Clan—the sole direct-line daughter among the four great clans.
Of course, collateral daughters could become candidates at any time, but it was odd for Chaos to head to the western land while leaving the Zhuque Clan’s youngest untouched.
“Shouldn’t the daughter of the south have been eliminated first, not the west?”
Chaos had been an intelligent monster, adept at mimicking humans and discerning right from wrong.
It must have seen something in the western land.
It seemed necessary to investigate why Chaos had gone as far as the western land and what it had been doing when it died.
And if possible…
“The White Tiger Clan has been a constant thorn in my side.”
Hyeonraback muttered, slightly furrowing his brow.
Baek Sa-eon, the head of the Baek Clan.
He had been an irritant long ago, and he still was now.
“If possible, it would be best to deal with them as well.”
Having made his decision, he drew thin black strands from his own Spirit Core.
The black strands writhed and coalesced, taking on human shapes before kneeling and bowing before him.
“Go to the western land and uncover the truth of Chaos’s death. Kill anyone who gets in the way.”
The scarecrows made from his soul essence bowed deeply and then vanished.
Hyeonraback turned his gaze to the man in black rags kneeling beside them.
“What of the imperial family’s situation?”
“A storm of blood seems imminent. The Fifth Prince, Tae Irim, has drawn his sword.”
Hyeonraback paused.
For the first time, his expression hardened, showing a visible reaction.
The Fifth Prince, Tae Irim.
The bloodline of the imperial family he loathed.
And at the same time…
The child who was her only remaining trace.
“Word is already spreading that the Fifth Prince has seized control of the central military authority. If things continue like this, a new Imperial Dragon will be born soon.”
“…I see.”
Hyeonraback murmured in a dry voice.
The movement of her child was an unexpected variable.
But the plan would not change.
To topple the empire and eradicate every seed of the vile imperial house. He had become this world’s evil for that purpose alone.
Even if the one he must destroy was her child.
Then, suddenly, he thought of another child—one who would be around the same age now, if alive.
The little boy who had inherited the blood of the northern land, whom he had cut down with his own hands.
* * *
The sudden transformation of Seolyo into a human threw Baekho Palace into an uproar.
Even Baek Sa-ra, who had been secluded in the shrine, came out upon hearing the news to see Seolyo.
With her eyes closed, Sara placed her hand on top of Seolyo’s head and murmured something before suddenly opening her eyes wide.
“It’s certain. This one’s no demon beast—it’s a beastkin. I can feel the energy of a Spirit Core.”
“…A peculiar thing. For a creature that’s worn a demon beast’s guise for the past seven years to suddenly shed its skin like this.”
Sa-eon looked down at Seolyo, arms crossed casually.
He had picked up Seolyo seven years ago, in the contaminated lands of the north.
The tiny thing had been on the verge of starvation, limping on one paw while fending off demon beast hunters, baring its fangs fiercely at him yet showing no real intent to attack.
For some reason, he couldn’t ignore it, so he brought it back.
But once at Baekho Palace, it had bolted straight to the mountains, nesting there.
He had thought it was just an unusual demon beast that didn’t harm humans, but it turned out to be a beastkin.
“It seems someone contaminated a beastkin originally. But the contaminating energy is gone, leaving only the original pure energy behind. It’s as if someone ‘purified’ this child.”
“Th-that’s right, Auntie!”
Soya, who rarely raised her voice, jumped into the conversation between Sa-eon and Sara, crying out in excitement.
“Suddenly, flames burst from my hand with a whoosh, and Seolyo turned into a person! Like this… No, definitely like this… Huh, why isn’t it working now…”
Soya grunted, “Nngh…”, focusing her energy on her fingertips, but no flames appeared like before.
At that moment, laughter rang out from above Soya’s head.
“Oh ho. You little cotton ball. It seems that’s your Unique Ability.”
“…!”
“Congratulations on awakening your Unique Ability, little one.”
“Turning Seolyo into a person… that’s my Unique Ability?”
“This child was never a demon beast to begin with—just an ordinary beastkin. Your Unique Ability is the power to cleanse contamination.”
“Cleanse… it?”
“Yes, it’s called ‘Purification.’”
Soya blinked a few times before asking what had been on her mind.
“Then, can my Unique Ability help the clan?”
“Of course it can. If you master your Unique Ability, you’ll be a tremendous help to the clan.”
“…!”
Soya’s face lit up with joy.
* * *
While Sa-eon and Sara continued talking, Soya stepped outside with Seolyo.
Soya crouched blankly by the flower bed.
‘To think I really awakened my Unique Ability.’
Her heart had been pounding nonstop since earlier.
She had inwardly given up, thinking she might never grow or awaken her Unique Ability in her lifetime.
Her Spirit Core was too damaged, and until just recently, she hadn’t even dared attempt Beast Transformation.
Soya recalled the reactions from people at the Mountain Lord Festival when she had saved Gahyeon.
‘Everyone said I was amazing.’
Soya wanted to be helpful to the people of Baekho Palace and repay their kindness.
‘I’ll master my Unique Ability no matter what and become someone essential to Baekho Palace.’
Burning with resolve, Soya turned to Seolyo, who was crouched beside her.
Even as a human, he was propped on both hands in the exact same posture as when he had been a wolf, which made her smile for no reason.
“Thank you, Seolyo. Thanks to you, I awakened my Unique Ability.”
“…?”
Seolyo just tilted his head.
Now that he was human, the scar on what used to be his front leg—now an arm—had vanished.
‘Does cleansing mean it heals wounds too?’
