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Chapter 19
There was a brief bit of bickering, but in the end, they seemed to have decided to cooperate—at least for now.
Still worried, Jimjo plucked a few of his feathers and handed them to me.
[Sangun. If things get dangerous, stab your opponent with the tip of these feathers. Even a light scratch will work—you don’t have to pierce them.]
[You mean, to make sure they’re sent off properly?]
[Better that than letting you die, Sangun. What’s a human’s life compared to your safety?]
[Jimjo’s feathers, huh. Not many things can protect me as effectively as poison. A fine gift—thank you.]
At my thanks, Jimjo’s eyes began to sparkle brightly.
[When you come back, I’ll pluck as many feathers for you as you want!]
[Don’t be ridiculous. You’ll end up looking like a bald chicken.]
I watched the two of them until they were out of sight. For some reason, my chest felt strangely empty, and I let out a quiet sigh.
We weren’t together all the time, and honestly, when they were around, it was often noisy and bothersome. But now that they were gone, the silence felt lonely—and a bit worrying.
If only I hadn’t lost my strength.
It was good to have been given another chance at life. But being the one protected, rather than the protector, felt unfamiliar—helpless, even pitiful.
Had I ever relied so completely on others in a thousand years? I could swear I hadn’t.
That was why rage and killing intent boiled up inside me toward those Blood Sect bastards. If they hadn’t used me as a tool—if humans had just handled their own affairs—none of this would have happened.
…Enough self-pity.
Feeling sorry for myself wouldn’t change anything. It was far more productive to do what I could in the time I had.
“Going outside to play might not be a great idea…”
I did want to go out. I’d wandered Luoyang with that fox before, but we never got to really explore it properly.
But I wasn’t a strong predator anymore.
And since I still had my inner core, if humans found out, they’d probably come after me.
That’s absolutely not happening.
I didn’t come to the human world just to get killed for no reason. I’d have to stay cautious.
There’d be plenty of time to sightsee once the fox and Jimjo returned.
With that thought, I wandered around the garden. Then, from the entrance, a commotion arose.
…Am I being thrown out again?
In this human form, maybe the guards were sparring or something? I kind of wanted to watch.
I’d never seen humans fight with weapons before—it piqued my curiosity.
It might be useful to observe for future reference, so I headed toward the entrance. By the time I arrived, however, the situation had already ended.
“…I lost.”
“Then you are qualified.”
I blinked in surprise.
One of the guards at the gate was kneeling on one knee, and opposite him stood a massive man sheathing an enormous saber.
“Ah, Lady Hyeryeong.”
“Are you all right?”
As she stepped forward toward the wounded man, whose body was dotted with small blood drops, another guard stopped her.
“He’s fine, my lady. It’s not a pleasant sight—please, step back.”
“But still…”
“He merely lost a fair duel, my lady. Guest, please, come inside.”
The defeated guard staggered to his feet and stepped aside.
The man with the saber glanced at me once, then strode straight into Cheonwolru. For an instant, our eyes met—and my instincts flared sharply.
That gaze… I don’t like it.
It was pure instinct. You could read a person’s nature in a single look or gesture—and this man didn’t give off a good feeling at all.
With the fox and Jimjo gone, the only one left to look after Cheonwolru is me, isn’t it?
I couldn’t just stand by and watch a man with such a disrespectful aura roam freely through the place the fox had built with such care. I owed both her and the humans here; the least I could do was uphold some decency.
With that thought, I first approached the injured man.
“You don’t look all right… you’re bleeding, aren’t you?”
“This much will heal soon. Please, go inside, my lady.”
“You should get treated.”
“Of course. Honestly, it’s lucky that brat Sangun isn’t here right now. If that little thing had gotten hurt…”
Just imagining it made the wounded guard scowl. His companion patted him on the shoulder.
“Come on, don’t make the young lady worry. Go get treated, and call for someone to take your post.”
“My apologies. I’ll escort the lady myself.”
His rough but courteous tone left me little choice but to follow him inside.
Besides, treating the wound was the priority anyway.
“At least it’s not serious.”
Perhaps this sort of thing wasn’t uncommon, because soon enough, a physician arrived.
“Whoever he fought must’ve been formidable.”
“It’s been a while since someone got through Cheonwolru by skill alone. So, young lady, don’t worry too much. I’ll guarantee it—these are nothing but scratches.”
“…So he’ll be all right?”
The physician looked surprised for a moment. Huh? Why that face?
“Of course, of course! He won’t even need bed rest—he’ll be able to work again tomorrow.”
Then he smiled kindly and added,
“Well… maybe not that soon.”
“Now, now,” the older physician said with mock sternness, “don’t make the young lady fret.”
“Ah! Yes, yes, I meant he’s totally fine!”
“Haha! Youth really is a blessing—sturdy as an ox, this one.”
“Urgh!”
The physician clapped the guard’s bandaged back with hearty slaps, making me sigh in relief.
Humans were so fragile that I’d been worried, but apparently, it wasn’t a serious injury after all—at least not in the eyes of a medical expert.
“Thank goodness…”
“Indeed, indeed. Now then—shall I give you a sweet?”
“A sweet?”
“Yes! You see, many patients complain about the bitter medicine here, so I always keep some sweets on hand. And since you stayed to look after the wounded out of pure concern, you deserve a reward.”
With that, the old man handed me a small bundle wrapped in crinkled paper.
When I opened it, a sticky-looking sweet candy was revealed.
“Doctor, she’s—”
“Thank you. I’ll enjoy it.”
“Hahaha! I hope it suits the young lady’s taste.”
To me, the physician looked no older than a baby, but his gesture warmed me. Feeling pleased, I popped the candy into my mouth in one go.
Compared to the one Sehwa had given me, it was stickier and much sweeter—but not bad at all.
“My lady, shall I escort you to your room?”
“There’s no need. I know the way well enough not to need a wounded man to guide me.”
At that, the guard looked shocked—and then strangely gloomy. Huh, what’s his problem?
“Hahaha! He’s just at that age when being called ‘mister’ still sounds nice.”
“Well then, I’ll be going.”
“Yes, yes. Take care.”
I waved lightly to them and hurried off to find Sehwa.
My steps quickened.
The man who had crossed Cheonwolru’s threshold was the first to have earned the right to do so since I’d come here. The only problem was that his gaze still felt unpleasantly sharp.
If that kind of man decided to make trouble here…
With the fox gone, that would be a disaster.
I can’t let some insolent human ruin her playground.
The fox had postponed her fun just to go gather herbs because of me. The least I could do was protect this place in her stead.
The problem was, I still couldn’t gauge that man’s strength.
Hoping he wasn’t too difficult an opponent, I quickened my pace—so lost in thought that I didn’t see what was in front of me.
“Ahk!”
Humans really were blind and clumsy creatures.
Before I knew it, I had run straight into someone and fallen backward with a thud.
“Ugh…”
Rubbing my sore nose, I blinked back the reflexive tears that welled up.
Seriously—who did I just bump into?
