Chapter 54
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Chapter 54
At that very moment, Yeon Jeong appeared carrying a bowl of medicinal broth.
"Master, I've prepared the medicine you requested."
"Perfect timing."
Sayeon accepted the bowl with a subtle smile and handed it to Jeok Soya.
"Ugh! The smell!"
Baek Gayul recoiled a step, pinching his nose shut.
However, Jeok Soya made no attempt to hide her curiosity as she peered down at the bowl and asked.
"What is this?"
"A medicine that's very good for the body. Especially beneficial for the core."
"...!"
At the mention of medicine good for the core, Jeok Soya's eyes brightened and she reached out her hands.
"I want to drink it! I'll become even healthier after drinking the broth Sayeon gave me!"
Jeok Soya grasped the bowl with both hands and drank it down in eager gulps.
"Poor little cotton ball. That really doesn't look tasty."
Baek Gayul watched Jeok Soya with sympathetic eyes.
"How is it, cotton ball? Do you feel healthier?"
"Yes...! I really do feel like my body and core are much healthier!"
At her spirited response, Sayeon let out a soft chuckle and took the empty bowl from Jeok Soya's hands.
"What a brave little cotton ball, drinking your medicine so obediently."
"Hehe."
It wasn't just a casual reply—I could genuinely feel my energy surging.
With my core now stronger and healthier, I could wield my abilities freely, and the thought alone made me smile.
* * *
Late into the night.
A boy with platinum hair that gleamed in the moonlight stood motionless beneath the dark sky.
His cyan eyes fixed upon a single point in the darkness.
Soon, his pupils contracted vertically like those of a reptile, and a golden luminescence shot forth like a serpent into the shadows.
Shhwack—!
Where the light passed, an assassin in black garments collapsed, bleeding.
Saaash—
The golden light carved through the assassin's body once more.
The assassin couldn't even manage a small cry before his breath ceased entirely.
The boy regarded the corpse with cold eyes before walking forward with measured steps.
What had been a body moments before crumbled into black ash and scattered.
Shhwack— Shhwack—!
Wherever he passed, the thick scent of blood resonated through the air.
Though one might expect his expression to contort at the vibrating blood-scent, the boy's face remained utterly expressionless throughout.
Tae Irim, the sixteenth emperor of Taehwa Kingdom.
As if he had foreseen it, he methodically hunted down and eliminated the assassins lurking in the darkness.
From the start, his reason for coming to the Western Lands was neither to hand the Crimson Blood Herb to Baek Sayeon nor to meet Jeok Soya—it was solely this.
Eliminating the puppets Hyun Rabaek had hidden throughout the Western Lands.
Having found and silenced the last puppet, I wiped away the blood spattered across my cheek with the back of my hand and turned away without emotion.
These puppets were fragments of his soul, extracted from his own spiritual core by the lord of the Northern Lands who had accepted 'evil'.
Normally they would not perish even if killed and would return to their master, but since the Yellow Dragon's ability had taken their breath, a blow had surely struck his spiritual core as well.
'With this, Hyun Rabaek will withdraw for a time.'
At least I had secured enough time for Jeok Soya to complete her first growth, so it would be fine to return to the Imperial Palace now.
I could not leave the Imperial Palace vacant for long.
Though I held the throne, I had not yet eliminated all the remnants of the First Prince who had fled.
'I seem to be a little tired.'
Tae Irim rubbed the corners of his eyes as he thought.
Since sending Sayeon to the Southern Lands, he had not rested for a single moment.
The words he had offered Jeok Soya about being too busy to sleep well were partly to soothe her mood, but they held some truth as well.
His body was in a state where collapse at any moment would be unremarkable.
Had he not awakened as the Yellow Dragon, he would have long since wandered the nine heavens as a spirit.
But he was someone who could not even afford to collapse.
To not lose that child again....
This time, to surely protect that child....
"Huh? Brother Rim?"
In a flash.
At the voice coming from ahead, Tae Irim lifted his head.
Jeok Soya was walking toward him, cradling an armful of books.
A soft smile bloomed instantly across his cool face.
"Soya."
He called to her in an affectionate voice and stepped out from the darkness.
Because of this, Jeok Soya did not see the cold expression that had filled his face moments before, instead meeting his warm, smiling gaze.
"At this late hour, what are all those books for?"
"Oh, well, you see."
Jeok Soya explained with a somewhat embarrassed expression.
It seemed her ability had manifested recently, but she still didn't know how to control it.
So she was on her way to the Library to gather many books to study about her ability.
"Your ability is 'purification'?"
"Yes! It's a power that makes corrupted things clean!"
"Hmm."
Tae Irim, listening to Jeok Soya's explanation, nodded quietly.
"Yes, you could think of it that way."
He murmured softly, then spoke while looking at Jeok Soya.
"Your ability is not 'purification'. You merely borrowed that power for a moment. Borrowing power from beings with strong abilities—that is your true ability."
"Borrow it? From whom?"
Jeok Soya asked with a bewildered expression.
"I can't tell you that. You have to discover it yourself."
"...?"
"Close your eyes and listen to your core, Soya. Will you try?"
"Listen to it?"
"Yes. Focus on the sound coming from within you."
I closed my eyes as Tae Irim instructed, yet I still couldn't understand what he meant.
'I don't hear anything at all....'
It was then that doubt crept into my mind.
―...little bird....
Huh?
―...little bird....
This voice...!
It was the very same voice I had heard in a dream days ago!
The moment I recognized it, a massive flame blossomed before my eyes with a whoosh.
Even though my eyes were closed, I could feel the enormous flame blooming before me.
But the instant I tried to move toward the flame.
Fwooosh―
The flame scattered in an instant, and a cool breeze brushed across my skin as I returned to reality.
"Ah...."
I blinked blankly before suddenly turning to look at Tae Irim.
"Brother Irim, what just happened...."
Then, as I lowered my head absently, I gasped in shock.
"Wh-what...?"
Because a small flame was blooming in the palm of my hand.
"'The flame that purifies all things.' That's what it's called."
"...It's so beautiful."
I murmured, gazing at the crackling flame dancing in my palm.
Even as it burned brightly, there was no sensation of heat. Instead, it felt warm and comforting.
Just like that mysterious voice I had heard moments before....
"Ah!"
I suddenly let out a soft exclamation.
"I've seen this flame before! A spirit visited Sayeon's Study Room, and the flame burst out like this back then too...!"
So I was using the power of purification even then.
I gazed at the flame with an excited expression.
Unlike before when it had shone briefly and extinguished, this flame didn't fade easily and remained in my hand.
"Brother Irim, could it be that purifying things also heals wounds?"
"If you truly wish it, anything. You can purify anything. Corruption, curses, wounds."
"...!"
To be able to heal anything. It was truly remarkable.
'If I can borrow such power, I can be of help to my family too!'
Jeok Soya's eyes sparkled with eagerness as she longed to rush to Sayeon and reveal her newfound abilities to him.
"However, great power demands great sacrifice. The heavens are sometimes cruelly just and impartial, you see."
As Tae Irim spoke those words, his eyes suddenly grew distant and profound.
It was a gaze so deep, so sorrowful—as though he were remembering something unutterably tragic.
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