🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 17
Jujeokseo immediately took Baeksa with him and headed toward his office.
Although Baeksa was flustered, she did not show it and hurried after him.
Once they entered the office, he brought out a soft cushion and set it down for Baeksa before asking,
“Do you remember the guiding feather?”
“Ah, yes… I remember.”
The feather whose color had faded because she had absorbed its power.
How could she possibly forget it?
The child nodded vigorously.
Then came the next question.
“What about the warming stone?”
“Ah, I remember that too… It was really warm.”
“Those were all made with abilities. The guiding feather and the warming stone as well.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Jujeokseo opened his hand, and a large crimson feather appeared in his palm.
A crimson feather blazing as fiercely as fire.
‘A Vermilion Bird feather…!’
Baeksa’s eyes widened at its magnificent appearance. Her small mouth fell open.
“All beastfolk with abilities can imbue their powers into parts of their own bodies.”
“Parts of their bodies…?”
“It doesn’t have to be anything grand.”
Only then did Baeksa think of the yeouiju that Yeoryun and Songra could control at will.
To dragons, a yeouiju was practically a part of their bodies. She simply had never thought about storing power in a body part because she herself had never possessed a yeouiju.
‘Ah, the yeouiju…’
Having ultimately failed to discover the true identity of the orb she had seen that day, Baeksa’s face darkened slightly.
However, she quickly hid her disappointment.
Jujeokseo, who had been waiting, brushed back his bangs with one hand and said,
“Watch carefully.”
As flames ignited at his fingertips, a massive blaze surged upward before being absorbed into the feather in an instant.
The feather then glowed brightly as though it had been heated, wisps of smoke rising from it.
“This is the primary material used to make warming stones. Every member of the Vermilion Bird clan creates these warming stones and distributes them each year to the beastfolk of the Southern Lands.”
“Then the guiding feather too…?”
“My younger sister made it by imbuing it with her ability. Her power was the ability to find paths.”
The ability to find paths.
It was an ability Baeksa had never heard of before.
“That’s such an amazing ability…!”
“Isn’t it? After her ability manifested, most of the people who used to call her a mutant stopped.”
Jujeokseo took out a smooth, polished stone from beneath the desk.
Tilting the hand holding the feather and the stone so Baeksa could see clearly, he slowly brought the two together.
“Now…”
Instantly, flames flickered across the stone’s smooth surface before gradually cooling down, causing the stone’s color to change.
It turned into a beautiful reddish-orange color, like perfectly cooked food.
“Wow…”
“This is something only Vermilion Birds with fire abilities can do. Azure Dragons, Black Tortoises, and White Tigers create things like this through different methods. As for dragon beastfolk, you probably know more about that than I do.”
“Yes.”
“Objects like these are called divine artifacts because they contain the power of the gods.”
Jujeokseo handed the warming stone to Baeksa. The little snake accepted the warm stone with both hands.
“Wow, it’s really warm.”
“Indeed.”
Jujeokseo smiled gently.
“You should be able to use your ability in a similar way.”
“Ah, but I…”
“It’s fine if you don’t know how. I can teach you step by step.”
“Um, I don’t have any feathers… Will that be okay?”
“But snakes have scales, don’t they? Your scales are white and pure. If turned into a divine artifact, they would shine like jewels.”
Fidgeting with her fingers, Baeksa opened her hand just as Jujeokseo had done.
“You want to summon one of your scales the way I summoned my feather, don’t you?”
“Y-Yes.”
“It’s not difficult. A scale is still a part of your body. Close your eyes and imagine calling one of your scales into your hand.”
“Calling a scale…”
Was it really possible?
Baeksa was a very lacking beastfolk.
She learned slowly and grew more slowly than the other children.
So she did not truly believe she could do it.
‘But I want to succeed.’
This time, she wanted to succeed.
She wanted to prove she was useful somehow.
‘So please, scale.’
As Baeksa wished with all her heart, a tiny white light appeared in her hand.
Then—
Flash!
A small white, translucent scale materialized in her palm.
Seeing the scale appear, Baeksa’s eyes became perfectly round.
“Patriarch, it’s a scale…!”
“You learn quite well when you’re taught. You’re clever, which makes teaching you enjoyable.”
“Hehe…”
“Then I’ll give you today’s homework.”
“Homework?”
“Yes. You probably can’t imbue your scale with your ability right away. You still don’t understand how to handle your own scale yet.”
Gently wrapping his large hand around hers and helping her clasp the scale tightly, he continued,
“So for the next two days, carry this scale with you and become familiar with it.”
“If I become close to the scale… can I make a divine artifact like you?”
“Of course. You’ll succeed without much difficulty. You seem smarter than Hwayeong.”
At Jujeokseo’s words, Baeksa’s eyes curved into crescents as she smiled brightly.
‘This is the first time I’ve ever been praised.’
To be honest, she had been worried that she might fail again and be scolded.
But not only had she succeeded beautifully, she had even been praised.
Baeksa’s tiny heart pounded with joy.
Ever since arriving at the Vermilion Bird clan, it felt as though only good things had happened.
“You can do it, right?”
“Yes, Patriarch! I’ll do my very best…!”
“Good. Then bring that scale to me in two days. Don’t lose it.”
“Yes.”
Baeksa smiled sweetly.
Seeing that, Jujeokseo suddenly seemed to remember something and asked,
“Come to think of it, can you read and write? I completely forgot to ask.”
“Ah, um…”
Baeksa hesitantly shook her head.
Yet saying she didn’t know no longer felt as embarrassing or painful as before.
It was probably because the warm-hearted Vermilion Bird Patriarch had continuously comforted and encouraged her.
Jujeokseo nodded.
“Then perhaps we should begin studying letters in two days as well. I’ll teach you how to read and write.”
“R-Really…?”
“Of course. Once you learn to read, you’ll be able to read books by yourself. Your world will become much broader.”
Baeksa’s face brightened at his words.
In truth, studying had always been something she desperately wanted to do.
Yeoryun and Songra hated studying and reading, but Baeksa envied the fact that they could read books.
Reading allowed people to learn more things, and writing allowed them to send letters to those they were grateful to.
The girl she had once been before dying had never even been given such an opportunity, but she had always secretly dreamed of learning to read and write.
Naturally, Jujeokseo’s offer filled her with gratitude and happiness.
Wearing the brightest smile she had ever shown, the child repeatedly bowed her head.
“Thank you, Patriarch. Thank you so much…!”
“It’s only natural. There’s no need to be so grateful. Now then, you may go and—”
The next words should have been, “go and rest.”
However, Jujeokseo paused before finishing.
Then, after glancing toward the window to make sure it was properly closed, he lowered his voice and asked,
“Baeksa, while you’ve been staying here, have you happened to run into Hwayeong?”
“Hwayeong? You mean your second son?”
“Yes.”
Baeksa thought carefully.
Since arriving here, she had only met the Crane Physician, Sirang, and the Patriarch.
The other attendants had merely passed by her, so it felt difficult to say she had truly met them.
And among them, none seemed to be one of the Vermilion Bird clan’s young masters.
‘Though I did meet a spirit creature…’
But the little bird had asked her to keep it secret, so she could not say anything.
After finishing her thoughts, Baeksa shook her head once more.
“No, I haven’t met him yet. If I do, I’ll make sure to greet him politely.”
“No, there’s no need for that. I just… find it hard to believe that brat is still behaving himself. Don’t worry about it too much.”
Jujeokseo waved his hand dismissively.
“You should go rest now. I’ve had Sirang wait outside.”
“Yes, Patriarch. I’ll see you again in two days.”
“Very well.”
Holding the large peony flower and her small scale tightly, Baeksa quietly left the office.
Sirang, who had been waiting outside, took the peony flower from her and carried it for her.
After Baeksa left.
On the office windowsill—
“Ppiyat?”
Hwayeong, who had been hiding there in a tiny form, narrowed his eyes into triangles.
‘Why doesn’t Father trust me?’
Of course, as Jujeokseo suspected, he hadn’t exactly been behaving himself.
Still, doubting his own son was clearly Father’s fault.
