Chapter 49
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Chapter 49
I wasn't the only one who failed to immediately grasp the situation.
Seol Yo blinked his eyes in bewilderment, then lowered his head to gaze at his own palm.
What lay there was not the paw pad of a beast covered in black fur, but the soft, delicate palm of a human.
The moment Seol Yo realized this, his body went rigid, and then....
"Ahhhhh!"
Seol Yo cried out in shock and tried to scramble to his feet, but instead tumbled backward onto his rear and collapsed back down.
"Seol Yo!"
Hiccup!
When I grabbed his hand urgently, Seol Yo froze in astonishment.
"You, you... are you really Seol Yo?"
I leaned toward him and asked.
"Yeah...."
Seol Yo nodded, his ears flushing crimson.
"...!"
At his straightforward affirmation, my jaw dropped.
'Seol Yo has actually become human!'
I froze in shock at my own question.
* * *
The cold, arid Northern Lands.
A man with long black hair cascading to his feet sat upon a throne.
He was Hyun Rabaek, the patriarch of the Hyunmu Clan and the lord of the Northern Lands.
With an expression of ennui, he had been resting his chin askew when he suddenly lifted his head.
"Hondon is dead."
The connection with Hondon, which had been growing faint for some time, was now completely severed.
Yet his demeanor regarding the death of his subordinate was utterly indifferent.
The last trace of Hondon had vanished in the Western Lands, ruled by the Baekho Family.
The command I had given Hondon was singular.
[Sow discord among the Three Great Families. Prevent them from producing another bride of the Golden Dragon.]
The bride of the Golden Dragon.
To erase that tiresome name from the continent's history forever.
"Yet why did the trail go cold in the Baekho Family?"
Hyun Rabaek furrowed his brow as he turned over the command I had issued.
It was strange. To my knowledge, the Baek Family of the West had no daughters of direct bloodline.
The patriarch of the Cheongryong Family had yet to marry, and I had personally severed all direct lines of the Hyunmu Clan.
Thus, the most likely candidate for this generation's bride of the Golden Dragon was the youngest daughter of the Jujak Family—the only legitimate daughter among the Four Great Families.
Of course, daughters of branch families could become candidates at any time, but it was peculiar that Hondon would bypass the youngest daughter of the Jujak Family and head to the Western Lands.
"Shouldn't he have eliminated the girl of the Southern Lands first, not the West?"
Hondon was a cunning beast who excelled at mimicking humans and discerning matters of importance.
He must have certainly seen something in the Western Lands.
It seemed necessary to investigate why Hondon had ventured to the Western Lands and what he had been doing there when he died.
And if possible....
"The Baekho Family has become a constant nuisance."
Hyun Rabaek muttered while furrowing his brow slightly.
Sayeon, the patriarch of the Baek Family.
He was an irritating presence both long ago and even now.
"If possible, it would be better to dispose of him as well."
Having made his decision, he extracted thread-like black strands from his spiritual core.
The black strands writhed and coalesced, transforming into human forms that knelt and prostrated themselves before him.
"Go to the Western Lands and uncover the circumstances of Hondon's death. If anyone interferes in this matter, you may kill them all."
The scarecrows he had fashioned from his soul bowed deeply and vanished.
Hyun Rabaek slowly turned his gaze toward the man in black cloth who was prostrating beside him and asked.
"What is the situation within the Imperial Family?"
"A storm of blood appears to be approaching soon. The Fifth Prince Tae Irim has drawn his blade."
A pause.
For the first time, Hyun Rabaek's expression hardened, showing a visible reaction.
The Fifth Prince, Tae Irim.
The bloodline of the Imperial Family he despised.
And at the same time....
The only remaining trace of 'her'—her child.
"It is already being said that the Fifth Prince has seized control of the central military forces. If this continues, a new Dragon Emperor will be born in the near future."
"...I see."
Hyun Rabaek murmured in a dry voice.
Her child's movement was an unforeseen variable.
Yet the plan would not change.
To topple the empire and annihilate every seed of the vile Imperial House—for that purpose alone, I have become the evil of this world.
Even if the target I must destroy is her child.
Then suddenly, another child came to mind—one who would have been a similar age had he lived.
A small boy who inherited the blood of the Northern Lands, severed by my own hand.
* * *
The sudden transformation of Seol Yo into a human turned Baek Ho Palace upside down.
Even Baek Sara, who had been confined to the Sacred Shrine, came out upon hearing the news to see Seol Yo.
Sara closed her eyes and placed her hand on top of Seol Yo's head, muttering something, then suddenly opened both eyes wide and spoke.
"It's certain. This one is not a demonic beast but a beast-human. I can sense the aura of a spiritual core."
"...How strange. For the past seven years, this creature wore the guise of a demonic beast, yet suddenly it has shed its skin."
Sayeon looked down at Seol Yo with his arms crossed skeptically.
He had picked up Seol Yo seven years ago in the contaminated Northern Lands.
The tiny creature, on the verge of starvation, was being attacked by demonic beast hunters and limped along on one injured leg.
Though it bared its fangs savagely at me, I sensed no intent to harm.
For some reason, I could not ignore it and pretend not to notice.
But when I brought him to Baek Ho Palace, he bolted straight for the mountains and made his nest there instead.
I thought he was a rather unusual demonic beast that didn't harm people, but it turned out he was a beastfolk, not a demonic beast at all.
"It seems someone corrupted what was originally a beastfolk. But the corrupted energy has vanished, leaving only the pure, original essence behind. It's as if someone 'purified' this child."
"W-well, you see, Aunt!"
Soya, who rarely raised her voice, interjected into the conversation between Sayeon and Sara, her words tumbling out in excitement.
"Suddenly flames burst from my hands with a snap, and Seol Yo became human! Like this... no, it was definitely like this... that's strange, why isn't it working now...?"
Soya tensed her fingertips with an "Ugh..." but no flames emerged as they had before.
At that moment, Sara's laughter rang out from above Soya's head.
"Ah-ha! You little cotton ball. That must be your ability."
"...!"
"Congratulations on awakening your ability, little one."
"Is my ability to turn Seol Yo into a human?"
"This child was never a demonic beast—he was originally just an ordinary beastfolk. Your ability is the power to cleanse what has been corrupted."
"To cleanse...?"
"Yes, it's called 'purification.'"
Soya blinked her wide eyes, then asked what had been puzzling her.
"Then... will my ability help the family?"
"Of course it will. Once you master your ability, it will be an enormous asset to the family."
"...!"
Soya's face lit up brilliantly.
* * *
While Sayeon and Sara continued their conversation, Soya stepped outside with Seol Yo.
Soya crouched absently in the flower garden.
'I actually awakened an ability.'
My heart had been racing ever since.
I had secretly given up hope, thinking I might never grow or awaken an ability in my lifetime.
My spirit core had been too severely damaged, and until just recently, I hadn't even dared attempt transformation into my beastfolk form.
I recalled how people had reacted when I saved Baek Gahyun at the Mountain Lord Festival.
'Everyone said I was amazing.'
I wanted to be useful to the people of Baek Ho Palace and repay their kindness.
'I'll master my ability no matter what, and become someone truly necessary to Baek Ho Palace.'
As I burned with this resolve, I turned to look at Seol Yo, who was crouching beside me.
Even though he had become human, the way he crouched with both hands pressed to the ground was identical to how he'd looked as a wolf, and I couldn't help but smile.
"Thank you, Seol Yo. I awakened my ability because of you."
"...?"
Seol Yo simply tilted his head in confusion.
As Seol Yo became human, the wounds on what were now his arms—previously his front legs—had also vanished.
'Does "cleansing" mean it removes wounds too?'
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org