Ch#74
Sa-eon and his entourage arrived at the village where the troubling plague was said to be rampant after riding for quite some time.
“Thank you for taking the precious time to come, Lord of the West. I am Nokseo, the village chief here.”
A deer beastman with long antlers greeted Sa-eon’s group.
Soya covertly glanced at the village chief’s antlers, hiding her inner curiosity.
She had heard that some beastmen living close to nature retained their animal features even in human form, but this was the first time she had seen it for herself.
“Where are the sick ones?”
“Please come this way.”
The chief led them to a large building in the center of the village.
The moment she stepped inside, Soya flinched in shock.
Countless people were lying on the floor groaning in agony, beds in short supply.
Some of them had skin that had turned pitch black.
Seeing that, Soya unconsciously grabbed her father’s clothes.
“It started suddenly a few days ago, and we couldn’t figure out the cause at all. We reported it as a plague, but our checks confirmed it wasn’t contagious.”
“…….”
Sa-eon’s eyes darkened as he looked down at the patients.
The moment he saw their condition, he understood why the emperor had sent him here.
‘This is demon poison.’
Sa-eon himself had been struck by demon poison in the northern lands ten years ago.
‘The Four Evils, Gungki.’
He recalled that peculiar fiend who had spread demon poison and corrupted the beastmen’s Yeonghaek amid the chaos of the battlefield.
‘Is it his doing?’
More precisely, it was likely the work of the poison bugs wielded by Gungki, one of the Four Evil Beasts.
Gungki’s poison bugs burrowed into people’s flesh, injected toxin into their bodies, and corrupted their Yeonghaek.
Back then, many of those who had gone into battle with Sa-eon had died as the poison spread black through them just like this.
Even Sa-eon, who had sliced away the infected flesh the instant the bug burrowed in to halt the spread of the demon poison, had barely endured the yin energy for a fortnight, spending sleepless nights wide awake.
It was that vicious a poison.
‘The issue is… why these symptoms are appearing here, so far from the battlefield.’
Sa-eon’s brows furrowed.
Gungki’s poison bugs were vulnerable to light and heat.
They could survive in the northern lands shrouded in black mist and chill, but in ordinary terrain, even the slightest light or warmth killed them off quickly.
“Are there other villages nearby struck by the plague?”
Sa-eon asked as he unrolled a map.
“Including ours, Windflower Village up above and Blue Moss Village down below…”
“……They’re all backed up against a mountain.”
His eyes scanned the spots the chief pointed out, and he muttered with narrowed brows.
All three villages bordered the same mountain.
The people here were all ordinary folk who made their living farming.
In spring, to stretch their food supplies, they would head up the mountain to forage for wild greens…
It was the season when wild garlic and chives were sprouting, so they must have gone up inevitably.
‘First, we need to investigate this mountain.’
As his thoughts reached that point, he suddenly noticed a small hand gripping his clothes tightly.
Soya wore a dejected expression.
Soya felt terribly sorry and guilty for getting excited just about following her father without giving deeper thought to the suffering people.
‘If I could use my purification power, I could help these sick people.’
Soya recalled the power that had healed Sa-eon’s Yeonghaek three years ago.
She still hadn’t found the owner of that voice, and without a conduit, she couldn’t wield it.
‘To come all this way and not be able to help at all.’
It was then, as Soya stared down at her toes in distress.
A thick palm settled softly on top of Soya’s head.
Soya looked up at Sa-eon.
Sa-eon crouched down to meet the gaze of the child whose face brimmed with upset.
“Your face shows exactly what you’re thinking, little cotton ball.”
“I didn’t know people were suffering like this. I feel so sorry for being thrilled about coming along with you, Father.”
“That can’t be helped. I didn’t explain that it was such a frightening disease.”
“But Father, I…”
“That’s not allowed.”
Sa-eon cut her off sharply, sensing what she meant to say.
“But if I use my purification power…!”
“Treating them that way would only be a stopgap. If someone else’s Yeonghaek gets corrupted again, do you intend to injure your own body every time?”
“That’s…”
Her voice trailed off small, as if she hadn’t considered that far.
“Your heart to help people is truly praiseworthy, little cotton ball. But you can’t save everyone that way.”
Sa-eon spoke in a firm tone.
“This isn’t a disease that arose naturally—it’s one someone with malicious intent deliberately spread. We’re here to find the source.”
“…….”
“So let’s find that cause first. Then we can revisit the method you thought of.”
“Yes.”
Convinced by Sa-eon’s words, Soya nodded.
Of course, Sa-eon knew better.
If this truly was Gungki’s demon poison, there was no clear way to mend corrupted Yeonghaek.
But if it really was the northern lands’ doing, he couldn’t risk exposing Soya’s power to them.
“Father will find what’s making people sick along with the adults, so if you’re still worried, little cotton ball, how about helping people some other way?”
“Some other way?”
At that, Soya looked around for something she could do.
‘Something I can do…’
Then she spotted young beastmen children left behind because their parents were ill.
‘I found it!’
Strength returned to Soya’s previously limp fists.
While Sa-eon led his attendants off to investigate the mountain,
Soya stayed behind in the village with Gayul and Seolyo, soothing the young beastmen children and playing with them.
“This is a game called Drop the Handkerchief.”
The children, wary at first, gradually took interest in the game Soya taught them and soon became fully absorbed.
Before long, peals of their gleeful laughter rang out, and Soya’s own mood lifted with their brightened faces.
‘When I first came to Baekho Palace, Oppa Gayul played with me just like this.’
Soya thought of Gayul, who had played ball and tag with her whenever she felt down.
She hadn’t realized it then, but Oppa Gayul must have been with her out of these same feelings.
It was then, as Soya turned to him with a beaming smile.
Startled, Gayul flinched!
He jumped in surprise, then whipped his head away, pretending otherwise.
‘Huh? Why is Oppa acting like that?’
Gayul’s behavior was odd.
It was definite. While feigning otherwise, he kept stealing glances at her.
‘He’s been like this since Baekho Palace.’
Upon reflection, it wasn’t just Gayul who had been strange.
‘Oppa Gahyeon was odd too. Ever since that day we ran into each other in the library, he’s been watching me.’
Gahyeon believed he hid it without a hint, but Soya, sharp in her own subtle way, saw his awkward demeanor plain as day.
“The oppas seem a little strange.”
Soya muttered, putting on a deliberately serious face.
These past few days, the two of them wore grave expressions until she approached, at which they startled and played it off,
Or sneaked peeks while pretending not to, almost as if they were keeping watch on her…
“Those tigers have always been weird, haven’t they?”
Seolyo tilted her head, thinking of Gahyeon and Gayul.
She had never seen such strange kids before.
Most children screamed and pelted her with stones at the sight of her.
But Gayul, who had gotten thrilled at seeing her demonic hand for the first time and begged for a duel right away.
And Gahyeon, who had subtly pressured her not to bother Soya too much.
‘The tigers of Baekho Palace are all weird one and all. But the weirdest by far is that man who picked me up and brought me here.’
It was then, as Seolyo’s thoughts drifted toward Sa-eon.
“Have the oppas made some secret just between the two of them, leaving me out?”
Soya muttered in an upset tone.
“Then want me to share another secret those tigers don’t know?”
Seolyo watched her a moment, then asked as if to comfort, and Soya perked up at once.
“Another secret? What is it?”
“Over there—that man smells strange.”
Seolyo pointed to one of the doctors tending the patients.
“Strange smell?”
“Yeah! The smell of the northern lands!”
