Ch#73
Gahyeon entered the library and examined the books.
They were books related to beastmen bloodlines.
‘Could the traits of the direct lineage manifest late?’
Beastmen society placed particular emphasis on bloodlines, and that was because of the power of the Yeonghaek passed down through the blood.
Among them, the blood of the direct descendants who inherited the Four Divine Beasts’ lineage was the strongest of all, aside from the Imperial Family.
And the stronger that blood was, the more vividly its traits appeared.
For that reason, direct lineage members who weren’t chosen as the next Family Head would seal away part of the direct lineage power dwelling in their Yeonghaek when they married.
It was to prevent the direct lineage blood from flowing to other clans.
The fact that Gaya, Gahyeon, and Gayul—the three brothers—all perfectly resembled their father Sa-eon’s traits stemmed from the same principle.
But Soya hadn’t shown a single sign of Jujak traits until now.
If she were truly a direct descendant of the Jujak Clan, those traits should have appeared during her first Beast Transformation.
‘Maybe flying beastmen exhibit it differently.’
Thinking he might have missed some information, Gahyeon scoured every related book.
Even so, the library in the western lands had relatively few records on flying beasts.
Refusing to give up, he spent a long time flipping through the books.
‘But what if it’s not that the direct lineage blood manifested late… but that it manifested from the very start, only to be suppressed by some other mystical power?’
At the sudden thought, Gahyeon frowned.
‘But… could something like that even be possible? The Jujak Clan is one of the Four Great Clans that inherited the blood of ancient divine beasts. To overpower that, it would have to be…’
Unless it was power on the level of an ancient divine beast, no ordinary beastman could suppress the direct lineage blood.
It was then, as Gahyeon sank into serious contemplation with a somewhat grave expression.
“Oh? Gahyeon oppa, so you were here!”
“Ah, Soya.”
He jumped at the sound of Soya’s voice, quickly slipping the book he held back onto the shelf and flashing a bright smile as if nothing had happened.
“Did you come to find a book?”
“Yeah. In five days, I’m going to investigate the plague with Father! So I thought I’d look for related books ahead of time.”
“With Father? I see. Our Soya must be thrilled. The medical texts are over here.”
Gahyeon replied in his usual gentle tone and helped Soya search for books related to the plague.
As he rifled through the shelves, Gahyeon stole a glance at her.
‘Is that red feather really Soya’s?’
He tried to reassure himself—maybe Gayul had seen it wrong, mistaken it for some other bird’s feather.
But deep down, Gahyeon found himself accepting it as Soya’s feather.
Above all, it was no ordinary bird feather; it had glowed red like flames blazing fiercely.
It matched the description of a Jujak feather he’d seen in books as a child.
But if it truly was Soya’s feather…
‘Does Soya still not know?’
She seemed utterly unchanged from her usual self.
Right. She definitely didn’t know yet.
If she’d really found that feather, she would have shown some sign of agitation, one way or another.
Whether in joy, sorrow, anger…
[Hey, hyung. What if Jjakjjagi, just hypothetically…]
He recalled Gayul’s voice from earlier, muttering worriedly in a way that was unlike him.
[Jjakjjagi really turns out to be the daughter of the Jujak Clan, and she leaves us—what then?]
Of course, Gahyeon had shot back that it was nonsense, Soya would never leave them. But even so, he couldn’t help the anxiety creeping in.
‘If Soya really is the true daughter of the Jujak Clan, and she finds out…’
Gahyeon bit down hard on the soft flesh inside his cheek, forcing back the surge of unease.
* * *
Five days passed in the blink of an eye, and the day dawned when Soya would set out with Sa-eon to investigate the plague.
Rising early that morning, Soya twisted her hair into neat round buns and dressed in practical clothes suited for travel.
With the Baekho Sword at her waist and the Tiger Mask she’d won at the Sanguje festival three years prior tucked away, she looked every bit the young lady of the Baekho Clan.
“Wow, you look so cool, our young lady!”
“Our young lady’s grown up so much already—she’s off to assist the Family Head. It’s truly impressive.”
Yeonjeong and Sanho gazed at Soya, exclaiming in admiration nonstop.
“Hehe.”
Even at twelve years old, Soya still felt bashful at their praise.
“Our young lady, you’ll be just fine without me, won’t you?”
“Yes, don’t worry, Yeonjeong-nim. I can wake up on my own in the mornings now, and I eat my meals and tonics like a good girl.”
Yeonjeong felt a little regretful about not joining the journey.
In her place, Sanho and Seolyo would serve as Soya’s escorts.
Stepping outside, they found Sa-eon exchanging greetings with Gahyeon.
“Father! Oppa!”
Soya ran to them with quick little steps.
“Where’s Gayul oppa?”
“G-Gonna go t-together, Jjakjjagi!”
Gayul, who had overslept, came barreling out and plastered himself to Soya.
Sa-eon eyed him with mock suspicion and asked.
“Baby tiger, be honest. You’re not tagging along to help Father—you just can’t bear to be away from Jjakjjagi, are you?”
“I-I’m Jjakjjagi’s oppa, so I have no choice! I gotta protect Jjakjjagi!”
Gayul shot back with a look that said it was the most obvious thing in the world.
No wonder—he’d never once joined her before, yet he’d suddenly shown up insisting on coming along.
Sa-eon let out an exasperated chuckle at his children’s sibling bond.
It was endearing, too, how Gayul turned into such a childish big brother act whenever he was by Soya’s side.
After exchanging light farewells with Gahyeon, they headed for the main gate.
Beastmen didn’t use transportation unless there were special circumstances.
Riding in palanquins or carriages over long distances was terribly inefficient.
Running in their Beast Transformed state was far faster.
Sa-eon could outpace any mode of transport even without transforming.
With a burst of energy, Seolyo shifted into a massive wolf and lowered herself in front of Soya.
Soya climbed onto Seolyo’s back, and Jjakjjagi settled atop Soya’s head.
“Then let’s head out.”
At Sa-eon’s signal, everyone transformed with sharp bursts of energy and shot forward like arrows.
“Take care of me, Seolyo.”
As Soya stroked Seolyo’s head and made her request, Seolyo let out an excited rumble and kicked off the ground.
With every pound of Seolyo’s paws against the earth, the surrounding scenery whipped past.
Feeling the cool early spring breeze brush against her skin, Soya beamed.
It was her first time venturing this far from Baekho Palace.
At most, she’d only climbed Horim Mountain behind the north gate.
Their destination was a village on the outskirts, where the central lands ruled by the Emperor bordered the western territories under the Baekho Clan’s domain.
The closer they got to the central lands, the more diverse animals they spotted—ones Soya had never seen back at Baekho Palace.
“Eee? Look over there, Sanho-nim! That one’s coming out of the ground!”
“Ah, that’s a mole.”
“…!”
Her heart thumped wildly as she laid eyes on animals she’d only read about in books.
‘I really made the right choice coming with Father.’
With every step Seolyo took, Soya felt like the world beneath her was expanding one step at a time.
