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Chapter 107
Jeok Soya swallowed hard, her gaze fixed upon him.
'What, what is this! Why, why!'
San Yu smiled softly as he peered into the trembling chick's bead-like eyes.
"Come with me, pretty little chick. I'll take you ‌‌somewhere ‌‌‌‌safe."
"Chirp!"
'Absolutely not!'
Soya was about to shake her head vigorously in refusal when a sudden realization made her pause.
Perhaps if the bird had interacted ‌‌‌‌with humans for a long time like Jjak Jjak, it would be different.
But ordinary birds couldn't understand human speech—a fact that now came rushing back to her.
With her wing injured and unable to flee, unable even to ‌voice her refusal, Soya had no choice but to accompany San Yu.
"Chirp..."
As she drooped her body with a dejected expression, San Yu let out a soft laugh.
"Why do you look so listless? Do you really not want to come with me?"
San Yu chuckled warmly as he gently stroked the chick's tiny head.
"Even if you don't like ‌‌‌‌it, bear with me for a ‌‌‌while. A small chick like you can't wander this place alone—it's far too dangerous. Demonic beasts swarm these lands."
As he spoke in that calm voice, he suddenly lifted his gaze toward something distant.
"Something strange is happening. Ever since a moment ago, the demonic beasts have been losing their strength and fleeing..."
'The demonic beasts are losing their strength?'
Soya's ears ‌‌‌perked up at his grave murmur.
'It's because Evil fled!'
Soya's hindquarters fidgeted with curiosity about the details.
She desperately wanted to meet Father and Older Brother soon to hear what had happened.
"But you mustn't let your ‌‌guard down. You're just a small chick, after all."
San Yu smiled gently at Soya once more as he spoke.
'Hmph. You don't need to worry about me.'
Soya let out a scoff and turned her head away.
"Where is your ‌‌family, little chick?" San Yu asked in a gentle voice as he resumed walking slowly.
Naturally, since ‌‌he believed Soya to be a chick rather than a human in animal form, he wasn't truly expecting an answer.
"Now that I think about it, what kind ‌‌‌of bird are you? I've never seen one like you before... You're small and plump, almost resembling a ‌‌‌‌sparrow..."
'Small and plump—what else could you possibly add to that?'
Soya bristled inwardly at his unsolicited ‌‌commentary and, pretending not to understand his ‌words at ‌‌all, ‌‌‌‌rolled about and busied herself with other things.
"Your downy feathers look just like snowflakes—so fluffy and beautiful."
'Hm?'
Soya's ears perked up at ‌‌‌those words despite her pretense of indifference.
"Have you ever seen snow? In the Southern Lands where I lived, it never snowed. I only saw it for the first time after coming here."
But San Yu, unaware of Soya's reaction, continued his story matter-of-factly.
"My younger ‌‌sister also had beautiful white downy feathers like yours, or so I've heard."
"...?"
“...?”
"Ah, I didn't witness it myself. I always hoped that child would become a magnificent bird, but ‌I was away on the battlefield and couldn't be there for their ‌‌‌first transformation."
"...."
His voice suddenly grew heavy with sorrow.
"And I won't see it in the future either. ‌‌‌That child has left this world after all. While I was away...."
"...."
Soya stared ‌‌at him ‌‌‌blankly for a moment. ‌‌
For a brief instant, I couldn't comprehend his words.
The people of the Jujak Family always wished for me to disappear.
So I vanished as they desired....
Then why does he speak like that?
With such an expression.
With ‌‌‌‌such a voice.
As if he's grieving my absence.
"Ah, I'm sorry, little bird. Did I make you serious too?"
San Yu suddenly ‌‌‌snapped back to himself and laughed, shifting the mood.
"Sorry for being so heavy. But you seem to understand my words perfectly. How clever you are."
'Oh, bird sounds! Bird sounds!'
Soya chirped melodiously, pretending not to understand his words.
He burst into laughter once more.
"Your singing is absolutely terrible."
'My, my singing is fine, thank you very much!'
It was a voice the people of Baek Ho Palace always praised as adorable.
Soya bristled with indignation but couldn't show it, so she pretended it was an accident and pecked at his palm with her beak.
Jeok San Yu laughed, tickled by the sensation.
Shwiiing―!
The sound of something cutting through the air whipped past her ears.
San Yu quickly pulled Soya close and threw himself backward.
'...?'
In that instant, Soya froze, unable to comprehend what had happened.
Snow-white ‌‌‌hair fluttered before her eyes.
And between the strands, those piercing blue eyes radiating killing intent....
'K, killing intent?!'
Soya gasped in ‌‌‌‌shock, her eyes widening.
It was a chilling aura that seemed ready to tear apart anything in its ‌path.
And ‌the source of that killing intent was none other than....
'Older Brother Gaya...!'
Soya's beak fell open as she finally recognized him.
'Then that wind sound from just now was....'
Shwiiing―!
Before Soya could finish her thought, another attack came hurtling toward them.
Crash—!
The tree where San Yu had been standing moments ‌‌‌‌before toppled under a single blow from Gaya's assault.
He had felled it with his bare hands.
"Lord Gaya, have you lost your mind?"
With Jeok Soya in his grasp, San Yu couldn't mount a proper counterattack and could only dodge while retorting ‌‌sharply.
Had he been even ‌‌a fraction of ‌‌‌a second slower, he would have been bloodied. ‌‌
The murderous ‌‌‌intent gleaming in Gaya's eyes was genuine.
"You stole from me first."
Gaya tilted his head at an odd angle as he spoke.
"Stole? What are you talking about?"
"Give it back. My Softy."
"...?"
"That chick in your hands. Hand it over. It's mine."
He pointed at the tiny baby bird nestled in San Yu's palm, with only its bean-sized eyes peeking out.
"Unbelievable. Now you're making ridiculous excuses and throwing tantrums...."
Chirp! ‌‌Screech!
At that moment, Jeok Soya began fluttering her wings toward Gaya.
San Yu looked at her in alarm.
"Wait, little one. Your wings aren't healed yet—this is dangerous...."
Chirp! Chirp! ‌‌
"No, no, little one. Just wait. Calm down for a moment...."
Screeeech!
San Yu pleaded desperately to soothe her, but Jeok Soya only cried louder and struggled more frantically.
"See? I told you she was mine."
Baek Ga Ya stood before San Yu with an arrogant smirk playing across his face.
Then he extended his hand toward Jeok Soya.
The struggling ‌‌chick leaped from San Yu's ‌‌palm and landed gently in Gaya's hand. ‌‍
Chirp, chirp. ‌‌‌
Jeok Soya nuzzled her head against his palm, cooing softly.
Gaya's blue eyes, which had been so fierce moments ‌‌‌before, softened with warmth.
"Softy. Did you miss your older brother?"
Chirp! Chirp!
"That's right. Your ‌‌older brother missed you too."
Tweet tweet!
"Hmm. All this chirping—I can't quite understand. Are you saying your older brother is the most ‌‌‌magnificent in the world?"
Chirp!
Baek Ga Ya, who ordinarily swept across battlefields with an icy countenance, now wore a tender ‌‌‌‌‌smile as ‌‌‌‌he attempted conversation with the baby bird.
It was truly an unbelievable sight.
Had anyone else witnessed this, they would have gasped, "The prolonged war has finally driven Baek ‌‌‌‌Ga Ya mad!"
"...."
San Yu stared blankly at the sight before him.
His ‌‌‌‌empty palm felt ‌‌suddenly hollow, abandoned in an instant.
'So it really was a bird that he had been keeping all along?'
Baek Ga Ya and the chick appeared so ‌‌familiar with each other, as if they had known one another ‌‌for years.
A glance.
Ga Ya lifted his head while conversing with Soya, his gaze settling on San ‌‌Yu, before a ‌‌‌‌bitter ‌smirk crossed his lips and he turned sharply away.
With that, he departed, carrying the chirping chick with him.
"...Softy, was it? When did he even give it a name?"
San Yu murmured to himself, watching ‌‌‌Ga Ya's retreating figure as a hollow sense of loss washed over him.
"Even so, I was the one who treated its wounds."
San Yu recalled ‌‌‌how the chick had fluttered its injured ‌wings and rushed toward Ga Ya the moment he appeared, and he laughed bitterly at the memory.
"It prefers him, apparently. Not even a backward glance before leaving."
His melancholic voice seeped into the quiet air.

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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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