Chapter 95
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Chapter 95
Standing before the recovered Blue Dragon Extreme Sword, Jeok Soya had finally succeeded in awakening the Blue Dragon.
―Hello there, little bird.
A colossal divine beast with magnificent horns and azure scales materialized before her.
"Oh my...."
Cheong Hae Yong Sin, the Eastern Divine Beast.
Before this beautiful and enigmatic ancient divine being—the only one of the Four Sacred Beasts to bear the character for "divine"—Jeok Soya couldn't help but gasp in awe.
'Now I understand why they call it divine.'
It was truly overwhelming.
―Wood gathers together yet remains fragile. Yet from this small and delicate seed, life blooms across all creation.
The Blue Dragon spoke to Jeok Soya in that crystalline voice.
―I shall grant you a seed from which life itself springs forth.
A small seed of azure light descended into Jeok Soya's palm.
It swiftly grew into something immense, unfurling leaves, blossoming into flowers, and bearing fruit—and when that luminous fruit burst open, sparkling light scattered in all directions, awakening life with gentle pops.
The radiant motes settled everywhere, bringing forth life with soft bursts of sound.
Even the spring flower branch from Baek Ho Palace that Jeok Soya had brought to show Chung Ha suddenly bloomed with golden blossoms with a cheerful pop.
Jeok Soya beamed with delight.
"Thank you, Blue Dragon!"
The entire world shimmered brilliantly, and then Jeok Soya returned to reality.
"Huh...? Jeok Soya, did something just...."
Chung Ha, standing beside her, sensed something strange and blinked her eyes.
Jeok Soya suddenly thrust the spring flower branch toward Chung Ha.
"Mother, this is for you."
"Oh my."
"Father told me about it. He said it was a spring flower you used to love."
"Sayeon?"
A faint blush settled across Chung Ha's face.
Jeok Soya giggled at the sight.
* * *
The Border Region dividing the Empire from the Northern Lands.
The Imperial Army, composed of talented individuals dispatched from each family, stood guard against the demonic beasts threatening the Empire.
Among the countless commanders, two youths stood out distinctly.
They were Jeok San Yu of the Jujak Family and Baek Ga Ya of the Baekho Family.
Both were eighteen-year-old handsome youths who had completed their second growth phase.
Jeok San Yu, whose impression was as warm as spring sunlight, and Baek Ga Ya, whose atmosphere was as cold as frost.
If one were to name the greatest contributors to dealing with the endless tide of demonic beasts, it would undoubtedly be these two.
Jeok San Yu, renowned as the finest archer of the Southern Lands, infused his arrows with the power of flame before releasing them.
Wherever his arrows passed, demonic beasts were engulfed in raging fire and perished in agony.
Baek Ga Ya, cold and beautiful as frost, the young prince of the Western Lands and a true Baekho beast-human with steel-attribute abilities, charged directly at the demonic beasts and slaughtered them with his steel-like body.
Wherever he passed, the corpses of demonic beasts lay scattered amid pools of blood.
Though the sight was gruesome enough to make one's skin crawl, Baek Ga Ya maintained an unwavering composure, his expression remaining utterly blank throughout.
Nearby, the girl with coarse, azure hair was Chung Sua, the head of the Cheongryong Family.
Each time she wielded her spear, sprouting plant vines coiled around the demonic beasts.
The verdant vines that bloomed from the blue spear constricted the bodies of the demonic beasts as they thrashed in desperation, crushing them to death.
Since the most capable individuals from each family had been gathered and dispatched, each warrior fought with the strength of a hundred.
Yet everyone understood the truth.
This manner of fighting would never end the war.
Unless the 'evil' of the Northern Region was eliminated, the demonic beasts would surge forth endlessly, no matter how many were slain.
Their role in guarding the Border Region was merely to prevent enemies from invading The Empire—not to counterattack.
"Honestly, this is unbearable."
Baek Ga Ya, having swiftly annihilated every demonic beast before him in a single sweep, gazed indifferently at the desolate earth drenched in their blood, wiping the crimson spray from his cheek with the back of his hand.
"Your Highness! Gaya Prince! A letter has arrived!"
At that moment, a soldier delivered a letter to Gaya.
It was from his younger brother, Baek Gahyun.
"Hmm."
As Gaya tore open the envelope and read the parchment within, an intriguing gleam kindled in his eyes.
His cotton ball of a younger sister had undergone her first growth recently.
It had been three years since he'd heard she was adopted.
Yet he still hadn't managed to meet her.
Because of this cursed war.
"I'm curious too. My little cotton ball."
At this rate, the baby cotton ball would become an adult cotton ball before he knew it.
The thought left him feeling somewhat cheated.
Inside the envelope Baek Gahyun had sent was also a letter from the child herself addressed to him.
Though there was no time to write a reply amidst this fierce battlefield, Gaya nonetheless carefully collected every letter his family sent him.
As he unfolded the parchment from his youngest sister, something tumbled out.
It was a small handkerchief.
The child wrote that she had recently learned embroidery, and shyly added that she hoped this tiger would protect him.
Gaya gazed at the crooked tiger embroidered on the handkerchief and let out a soft chuckle.
"Her needlework doesn't seem very skilled."
She noted that it was her first attempt at embroidery and thus might look a bit odd, but promised to complete it more beautifully next time and send it to him, concluding her letter with that assurance.
Gaya carefully lifted the handkerchief to examine it.
His keen senses, characteristic of a Baekho human-beast, detected the faintest trace of blood scent from the delicate cloth.
It was the scent of blood that had seeped in when the clumsy child pricked her fingertip on the needle while embroidering.
"What kind of fool would go to such lengths for an older brother she's never even seen?"
Feeling the child's sincerity, he found himself laughing softly.
Meanwhile, at a distance from him.
Jeok San Yu, the eldest prince of the Jujak Family, was cleaning his weapons with a gloomy expression.
Contrary to his bright, spring-like appearance, his face had been shadowed by darkness ever since three years ago.
More precisely, since he'd heard that Jeok Soya, his young sister, had died.
Six years had passed since I last saw my younger sister as I left that battlefield—a child so small and delicate.
[Older Brother, you must come back safe and sound. Promise me?]
That innocent face, those spring-blossom-soft eyes the color of pale pink silk glistening with tears, as she hooked her tiny pinky finger around mine—my little sister.
'That child... was never my true sibling after all...'
Having been stationed in the distant Northern Lands, I never learned the full details of what had transpired.
Yet sorrow consumed me nonetheless.
How devastating it must have been for that small child to discover the truth.
How terrifying it must have been to learn such a thing when I was nowhere near to protect her, to comfort her.
And then, while leaving the estate, she met with an accident.
Upon hearing news of that small child's death, Jeok San Yu spent countless nights on this cold, merciless battlefield weeping tears of anguish.
If only, when this war finally ended and I returned home, I could find that small child's remains and give her a proper burial...
That alone—that singular hope—was all that sustained Jeok San Yu as he waited for this war to end.
Whiiing—
A small scrap of cloth came fluttering toward me on the dry wind.
Without thinking, I caught it.
'This is...'
A handkerchief embroidered with a clumsily stitched tiger.
I found myself staring blankly at those unskilled, endearing stitches.
Whoosh—!
A rough hand snatched the handkerchief from my grasp.
Slowly lifting my gaze, I found myself looking up into the cold eyes of Baek Ga Ya, the eldest prince of the Baekho Family.
"It seems your thieving habits have only grown worse."
As though something filthy had touched him, Baek Ga Ya brushed the handkerchief clean with sharp, dismissive motions.
"I was merely following your example of crude manners."
At this, Jeok San Yu's eyes narrowed into sharp crescents as he delivered his retort.
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