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Chapter 29
After that, I often went to look around the academy.
There were many reasons. I still hadn’t fully figured out children yet, and every one of them was brimming with individuality, making it hard to set a standard for what “ordinary” even meant.
Still, my companion was always Fox.
It would be troublesome to keep covering his face all the time, and there was no need to bother the busy Sehwa either—that was the idea.
[Hey, Sangun. I have something to ask.]
[What is it?]
[Maybe it’s about your past… I mean, in the future. Did something happen between you and a human child?]
[Why do you think that?]
[Well… you can’t seem to take your eyes off them.]
At the sharp question, I looked down at Fox. Supporting my legs solidly and carrying me on his shoulders, his eyes were filled with curiosity.
[Something did happen.]
It wasn’t a difficult story, so I explained it briefly. As I did, I felt Fox’s hands tighten.
[Don’t tense up.]
[Ah, sorry.]
When his grip immediately loosened, I shrugged.
[It’s something that never happened now, so don’t worry about it.]
[…As if I could not worry.]
[If I decided to mingle among humans to get revenge, of course I’d have to understand them. Children are cute, whether human or animal.]
I snickered as I watched a boy play a mischievous prank on a little girl.
That kid was strange. He couldn’t take his eyes off the girl, yet what he did was closer to harassment.
‘Even when they’re young, humans are still humans, I guess.’
Just as I shook my head at the girl who finally burst into loud tears—
“Lord Ruju.”
Turning at the familiar scent, I saw a martial artist from Cheonwolru approaching.
“What is it?”
“A distinguished guest has arrived. Someone from Hangzhou.”
At that, Fox’s eyes narrowed.
“…Is that so? Where is the guest being received?”
“Sehwa has escorted them to the Cheonhwagak.”
“Understood. We’ll return at once.”
Fox quickly headed toward Cheonwolru. Sitting on his shoulder, I asked what I was curious about.
[Who is this ‘distinguished guest’?]
[Ah. I haven’t told you yet. They’re not a guest of Cheonwolru, but of the Hao Sect.]
[Huh? A guest of the Hao Sect coming to Cheonwolru?]
Even though Fox was the sect master of the Hao Sect, there had never been a Hao Sect guest at Cheonwolru.
When people did come, they were all just there to watch the courtesans perform.
[Cheonwolru is run by me, the Hao Sect master. Of course they can come. There are conditions, though.]
[Those conditions being that they’re either prestigious or strong enough to come and go freely, right?]
[Correct. They’ll feel properly treated too, so it’s not a bad thing.]
[For a “distinguished guest,” you don’t seem very tense.]
[Why would I be tense? In the end, this is all just a game.]
Fox shrugged.
[Well, there are parts that stopped being a game… but I can guarantee this guest has nothing to do with the Blood Sect.]
[You’re sure?]
[They’re not the kind of guest with something dirty behind them. Well, only you can smell the Blood Sect, so I can’t be absolutely certain.]
[…You’re already backtracking?]
[It’s true I don’t know the Blood Sect’s scent. No human could smell it either.]
…Something felt a little off.
Fox’s sense of smell wasn’t dull. No matter how long he stayed in the human world, he was still a fox.
And yet he couldn’t smell that stench, like rotting blood?
[Do you remember the smell of the elixir I gave you before?]
[Of course. Just in case, I sniffed it several times.]
[Did you notice anything strange in that smell?]
[Strange?]
[Yes. For example, a smell like blood that’s rotted and pooled.]
Fox’s eyes narrowed.
[Sangun. That elixir didn’t have any such smell.]
[…What?]
[Maybe my sense of smell has dulled after staying in the human world so long, but when I smelled that elixir, I deliberately heightened my senses. So I’ll say this clearly. There was no such smell.]
My face stiffened without me realizing it.
‘Then am I the only one who can smell it?’
That was… strange.
Differences in sensitivity were one thing.
But there was no spirit beast—or even an ordinary animal—that couldn’t smell the strong, vile stench of rotting blood.
So what did this mean?
[…Sangun?]
[No, it’s nothing. I was just thinking.]
[Don’t tell me—you smell something different from that elixir?]
[…Yes. It smells like blood that’s rotted and stagnated.]
[If it were that kind of smell, there’s no way I wouldn’t notice it…]
[That’s why it’s troubling. Why am I the only one who can smell it?]
A brief silence fell between us.
[Let’s meet this guest first.]
There was no rush to investigate the Blood Sect’s scent.
Fox seemed to have much to say.
But since a guest was waiting, we couldn’t dawdle forever.
[You’ll make time to look into it later, right?]
[Of course.]
Only after hearing that did he nod. Then, after changing clothes, he headed to the room where the guest was waiting.
To avoid suspicion, I accompanied him in the form of a tiger cub.
“I apologize for making you wait, honored guest. Were there any inconveniences or discourtesies?”
“Ah, no. Not at all. The tea was very fine, and the refreshments were excellent.”
The person in the room was a middle-aged man. Wearing jade-colored silk robes, he had been glancing around uneasily, as if uncomfortable in such a place, but he sprang to his feet as if stung by a wasp to greet Fox.
Leaving them be, I settled down on a nearby cushion and lay down.
‘Dark circles under his eyes, and he smells of anxiety.’
On top of that, he was rather thin—considering his attire, his circumstances didn’t look good at all. Still, his demeanor was fairly composed.
Just as I observed him, the middle-aged man seemed aware of me as well, and his gaze met mine.
“Is it fascinating?”
“I’ve heard rumors that Cheonwolru has a fierce tiger guardian, but it seems gentle as well.”
“The tiger of Cheonwolru does not bare its fangs except toward those without permission.”
Fox tilted his head slightly with an inscrutable smile.
The human man, regardless, merely glanced around like prey chased by a predator before nodding.
“Would you like to enjoy Cheonwolru a bit longer, or shall we get straight to the point?”
At Fox’s words, the man lifted his head as if he had been waiting for them.
Perhaps his throat was dry; he picked up the teacup in front of him, drained it in one gulp, then let out a long breath before answering.
“It would be best to get straight to the point.”
“Very well. When Elder Wijihak, the head of the Silver Deer Trading Company, personally comes all this way, there is always a reason.”
At that, the man—Wijihak—looked surprised.
Seeing that expression, Fox smiled and added,
“How could we serve our guest properly without knowing who they are? So I must ask.”
Fox’s eyes briefly gleamed.
“Are you seeking information on Western Region medicine, or have you come for another reason?”
“…So you already knew.”
“I merely received word. Shouldn’t we do our utmost to treat our guests properly?”
“Heh heh, that’s true. Without guests, a trading company cannot exist, so you’re not wrong.”
Wijihak nodded slightly and continued.
“You likely already know, but it seems my son has fallen ill. What else can I do? I must seek out every possible means to treat him—even if that means Western Region medicine.”
He maintained as calm a demeanor as possible, but his trembling pupils and the unsteady sway of his upper body betrayed his true feelings.
Listening to the conversation, I asked Fox a question.
[May I ask something?]
[What is it?]
[What kind of person is that human?]
[The Silver Deer Trading Company is famous. They mainly deal in medicinal ingredients, and there are interesting rumors about the family of the company head. There’s hardly a better trading company for obtaining herbs. Why do you ask?]
The Silver Deer Trading Company… The name itself, and that faint sense of déjà vu in the smell—it felt oddly familiar.
[Something feels off. I want to check something briefly.]
At that, Fox leisurely brought his teacup to his lips and asked back,
[You mean the aura clinging to his body?]
[Yes. The qi inside him isn’t much different from an ordinary person’s, but it’s strange for this kind of aura to be clinging to him.]
I swallowed the words about how that aura felt oddly familiar. It wasn’t time to say that yet.
[I’ll make up something appropriate, Sangun.]
I rose from my spot and approached the man. Startled by my sudden movement, Wijihak looked at me.
Ignoring him, I moved closer and carefully sniffed, probing the aura clinging to his body.
