Ch#75
At Seolyo’s words, Soya sniffed.
She detected a sour scent mixed in with the thick aroma of herbal medicine.
“Is this the smell of the northern lands?”
“Yeah! It’s the smell of a ferocious beast from the northern lands!”
Soya’s eyes widened roundly at Seolyo’s innocent reply.
‘Ferocious beast…!’
She recalled her father’s words that the plague spreading through the village had been deliberately unleashed by someone with malicious intent.
‘That person—no, that ferocious beast spread the plague out of evil intentions.’
Soya remembered encountering the ferocious beast from the northern lands during the mountain army festival three years ago.
One of the four ferocious beasts, Chaos.
He had been incredibly strong. Even Hyun Oppa, transformed into a massive tiger, hadn’t been able to defeat him—he was truly that powerful.
‘Back then, we managed to drive him off with Lord Baekho’s help…’
Soya glanced briefly at the Baekho Sword hanging at her waist.
‘I need to tell Father and stop that ferocious beast from committing any more evil deeds.’
Soya called Jjakjjagi over and whispered something to it.
Soon enough, Jjakjjagi nodded vigorously and soared into the air.
Meanwhile, the source of the northern lands scent that Seolyo had picked up was none other than Gungki.
One of the four ferocious beasts, he was in the midst of carrying out orders from Hyeonraback, lord of the northern lands.
Three years prior, his lord had sent a scarecrow fashioned from his own spirit core to Baekho Palace to investigate Chaos’s death, only to suffer a backlash that left him unable to move properly for some time.
In truth, it had been I-rim who killed them, but unaware of this, Hyeonraback believed it was Baek Sa-eon’s doing.
Thus, after finally recovering, Hyeonraback had commanded Gungki—the only one among the four ferocious beasts who had ever inflicted damage on Baek Sa-eon—to lure him out of Baekho Palace and eliminate him.
Gungki had deliberately left traces at the border where the western lands met the central outskirts.
‘I succeeded in luring Baek Sa-eon out of Baekho Palace as planned…’
He had once clashed with Baek Sa-eon long ago during a war.
Driven by ambition to sever the western lands tiger’s head and present it to his lord, he had confronted him—only to nearly die by his sword.
He had scattered his poison bugs and barely managed to flee from that spot alive.
‘A ruthless bastard.’
The sight of Baek Sa-eon immediately slicing away his contaminated flesh and swinging his sword at him had been chilling, like a war god risen from the underworld.
Had the demonic poison not belatedly reached his spirit core and paralyzed him, he never would have escaped alive.
‘If I fight him head-on like back then, I’ll just die a dog’s death again.’
He had managed to lure Baek Sa-eon this far, but the thought of that man, who had been like a war god, made it impossible to act rashly.
‘Fortunately, tonight is the night the fog shrouds the moon.’
His poison bugs were affected by even the tiniest light.
That was why, even in densely wooded mountains, they couldn’t fully escape the sunlight—they hid underground and could only infiltrate through the hands of people digging for wild herbs.
Moonlight affected the poison bugs just as much as sunlight.
But if the fog blocked the moon tonight—if it just veiled that brilliant moonlight.
‘I’ll have a fighting chance.’
So if he could just buy time until then…
“Hello, mister.”
At the sudden voice, Gungki startled and turned around.
A little girl with snowflake-white hair was beaming at him.
‘This child…’
She was Baek Sa-eon’s daughter, the one he had brought along.
‘Perfect. I can use the child to tie Baek Sa-eon’s hands and feet.’
Such were Gungki’s dark schemes as he eyed Soya.
Suddenly, Soya sniffed.
“Wh-what are you doing?”
“Mm-hmm, so it’s you.”
As he stared in bewilderment, Soya smiled brightly as if nothing had happened and muttered to herself.
“Say, mister. Have you seen my father by any chance?”
“Your father…”
“Baek Sa-eon, the Family Head of the Baekho Clan—he’s my father. I want to see Father. Will you come with me to find him, mister?”
Gungki gazed at the child, who looked up at him with sparkling eyes as she spoke.
Soon, he forced a generous smile and extended his hand to her.
“Yes, child. I’ll take you to your father.”
“Wow, thank you!”
The child beamed and grabbed his hand.
It had gone far too smoothly—his worries about how to lure out Baek Sa-eon’s daughter had been for nothing.
Not even a single guard in sight.
“The plague that corrupts people’s spirit cores—it’s so scary.”
Gungki inwardly let out a sinister chuckle as he watched the innocent child chatter on, oblivious to his black heart.
‘Heh heh, good. Lure this child to a remote spot, take her hostage, and then Baek Sa-eon…’
Just as he tried to lead her onto a more secluded mountain path, Soya suddenly cried out.
“Huh? Mister, over there! Come take a look!”
“Wait, not that way…”
“Oh? I just saw it? There was a rabbit over there!”
With that, the child dashed off on her own.
‘Damn it. This is why kids are such a pain.’
Sweat dripping, Gungki chased after Soya.
‘How does this tiny little thing have so much stamina?’
Soya bounded effortlessly up the steep incline.
Just like a squirrel… no, far smaller and lighter—yes, exactly like a baby bird…
‘Huh? Where’d she go?’
In hot pursuit of Soya, Gungki reached a dead end and looked around frantically, having lost sight of the child.
“Seolyo, now!”
“Grrr…!”
The moment Seolyo, in the form of a massive wolf, pounced on Gungki, Soya transformed with a poof into a small bird and took flight.
“Peep, peep!”
Soya flapped her wings vigorously in the air, crying out as if calling for someone.
“Ugh, wh-what is this…!”
Pinned beneath Seolyo, Gungki thrashed about in an attempt to shove her off.
And it was then.
Shing—
With the sound of slicing wind, billowing sleeves fluttered.
“Peep!”
Soya fluttered straight toward the man who appeared, his fine white hair whipping in the breeze.
“Cotton ball, you.”
It was none other than Sa-eon.
Moments earlier, Sa-eon had been investigating the mountain with his attendants.
Then Jjakjjagi had appeared out of nowhere, clamping onto Sa-eon’s collar with its beak and tugging insistently.
Realizing the bird was Soya’s little friend, a small bunting, Sa-eon had been puzzled—until Soya’s bird cries echoed across the entire mountain, sending him racing over like a shot.
He had run so fast that Jjakjjagi was panting as it hurried after him.
“You’re not in the village—why are you here…!”
“Peep! Peep! (Father, this man’s a ferocious beast! Seolyo said he smells like the northern lands!)”
“What?”
Sa-eon turned toward the spot Soya was pointing at.
“Grr, ugh… Damn…!”
Gungki hauled himself upright, the recoil shoving Seolyo back.
“Seolyo!”
Soya swiftly released her beast transformation and hurried over to support Seolyo.
Seizing the opening, Gungki tried to flee—but Sa-eon, having pierced his true identity, blocked his path.
“One of the four ferocious beasts, Gungki.”
“Damn it, Baek Sa-eon…!”
“This time, it’s the day I sever your head.”
Sa-eon crookedly lifted the corner of his mouth and drew his sword.
Realizing there was no escape, Gungki drew his own weapon and charged at Sa-eon.
Sa-eon let out a soft chuckle, then fluidly swung his sword, relentlessly pressing Gungki.
‘…!’
Soya’s eyes gradually widened as she watched.
She had heard countless tales from Sanho and the others about how strong her father was.
She vividly remembered leaning against his solid back as a child when he saved her life, but since coming to Baekho Palace, she’d had no chance to witness his martial prowess…
‘He’s incredible…!’
Seeing her father’s skills firsthand, he was truly strong! Incredibly strong! Really, truly incredibly strong!
‘He’s handling that terrifying ferocious beast like it’s a mere child.’
Shing—
His longsword carved a long diagonal gash across Gungki’s body.
“Gr, grrgh… Baek Sa-eon…”
Soya swallowed hard, gripping the Baekho Sword tightly.
She had once seen Chaos tear free from his human disguise even while wearing it.
“Kkiririririk!”
Soon, ripping through his shed skin, Gungki’s true form emerged from within.
A poison bug queen the size of a house, covered in countless legs.
“Grrr… grrr…”
Devoid of its human shell, Gungki’s true body could no longer speak in human tongue, emitting only eerie sounds.
Tormented by the sunlight filtering through the underbrush, Gungki’s countless legs trembled violently.
“Ugh.”
Sa-eon’s expression darkened at the sight.
“Oh, come on, Father. Hurry!”
Seeing Sa-eon hesitate to finish it off, Soya cried out in a worried voice.
Sa-eon took a pained deep breath and readjusted his grip on his sword.
“I’ll warn you now—it’s not going to be a pretty sight.”
Sa-eon said, his face paling.
“The instant I slay this thing, poison bugs will come pouring out. How about the kids cover their eyes and fall back?”
“I’m going to help Father and everyone!”
“Grr, grr!”
Soya clenched her fists and shouted, at which Seolyo thumped the ground with her front paws from beside her.
“Cheep cheep!”
Even Jjakjjagi cried out in high spirits.
Sa-eon let out a chuckle and nodded.
“Most of them burn to ash in the sunlight, but some attack people, so take out any you see.”
With that, the moment Sa-eon cleaved Gungki’s true body in two.
It burst open, spilling out hundreds of poison bugs.
“Cheep cheep!”
Excited, Jjakjjagi began darting through the swarm of bugs.
Sanho and the attendants who had followed Sa-eon arrived just in time, drawing their weapons en masse to slay the poison bugs.
Soya stabbed the fleeing poison bugs with her Baekho Sword—p! p!
Seolyo smashed them flat with her thick front paws at Soya’s side.
“Utterly grotesque.”
Sa-eon’s expression soured further at the sight of the bug corpses.
Things were starting to get cleaned up.
“Peep!”
Jjakjjagi, who had been excitedly hopping around beside Soya, pecked one poison bug and gobbled it down.
