The White Tiger Clan’s Baby Cotton Ball - Chapter 217

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Part 2, Chapter 9

“I’m sorry, Soya. I made you uncomfortable.”

He hastily withdrew his hand and gave an awkward smile.

“Oh, no. I’m, I’m sorry, Your Majesty.”

Seeing his face full of regret, Soya also hurriedly waved both hands.

For a while, words disappeared between them and an awkward atmosphere flowed.

‘What should I do, this isn’t right…’

In the subdued atmosphere, Soya became tearful.

‘What if His Majesty misunderstands? That I dislike His Majesty…’

Restless in her desire to somehow escape this atmosphere, Soya soon squeezed her eyes shut and exclaimed.

“Actually… I wanted to see Your Majesty!”

“Soya…?”

A surprised expression appeared on Irim’s face.

“Earlier I said I came to the capital following Father to meet Hyeoni Elder Brother. But actually, that’s not it… I pestered Father to come to the capital because I wanted to see Your Majesty.”

Fortunately, once she started speaking, the next words flowed smoothly.

“So what I mean is, I wasn’t uncomfortable at all earlier. I missed Your Majesty so much, and I’m so happy to meet you again like this.”

These weren’t words spoken just to ease his apologetic feelings toward her.

This was Soya’s true heart.

His face, having become an adult, was unfamiliar, and she found it strange how she kept getting nervous and feeling heat rise to her face at his every word and action…

Even so, she was happy to meet him again like this.

So very happy.

After mustering the courage to reveal her inner feelings, her heart pounded noisily.

But no answer came from Irim.

‘Did I say something unnecessary?’

Worried, Soya glanced up at him and froze.

He, who had always been composed and mature in front of her, was frozen with an expression she’d never seen before.

“If I made Your Majesty uncomfortable with unnecessary words…”

As the worried Soya carefully began to speak, Irim, belatedly coming to his senses, quickly opened his mouth.

“No, Soya. I also…”

After seeming to choose his words for a moment, he looked steadily at Soya and gently curved his eyes.

“I missed you very much too. I’m truly happy to see you again like this.”

“…”

This time Soya’s mouth clamped shut like a shell.

That he missed her. That he was truly happy to see her again like this.

These were similar words to what she’d heard from Sanyu Elder Brother not long ago, and from Hyeoni Elder Brother just today.

But why did those words from His Majesty make her heart flutter so much?

‘Really, it’s strange…’

Soya couldn’t calm her fluttering heart, bothered by the constantly pounding sound of her heartbeat.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the same time.

‘Oh my, I’m alive.’

The black snake that had fled from Soya finally caught its breath.

This suspicious black serpent’s name was Heuksa.

Its hobby was deceiving innocent young beastmen into unfair contracts.

Its specialty was fleeing from beastmen stronger than itself.

It was a subordinate of the Northern Deity Hyeonto Yeomwang, born from the power of water.

Heuksa trembled as it recalled the sharp arrowhead that had been aimed at it earlier.

‘That wicked girl was definitely ready to kill me!’

Heuksa had clearly seen it. The moment the special ability flickered and was contained in the arrowhead.

‘Damn it. All because of that promise with that brat.’

This was all because of the promise with that black-ponytailed brat.

[Please. Protect Soya while I’m gone.]

Three years ago, Heuksa had received a request from Seolyeo, who was leaving White Tiger Palace.

‘Protect her? That terrifying girl…!’

No matter how it thought about it, the subject of the request seemed wrong.

Shouldn’t that scary girl be asked to protect weak little me?

Heuksa first met Seolyeo in the Eastern Lands.

Originally inhabiting the Northern Lands, it had fled to the Eastern Lands to escape that bastard Hyeonra Baek, who had allied with evil.

Then it accidentally discovered Seolyeo, who had visited the Eastern Lands with Soya, and recognized his identity at first sight.

The familiar yet special aura emanating from Seolyeo.

That was definitely the aura of its master, the Northern Deity Hyeonto Yeomwang.

As a subordinate of Hyeonmu, there was no way it wouldn’t recognize it.

—Really? Can you really do anything?

At their first meeting, it approached with a subtle voice and asked Seolyeo, who was inwardly praying he would do anything if only he could find Soya.

[I’ll, I’ll do anything! I’ll do anything, so please find Soya! Please…!]

Innocent Seolyeo readily agreed to the contract without knowing what he was promising.

Lending its power and taking compensation was a technique used by this black snake, a subordinate of Hyeonmu.

Others called it a cunning swindler, but what did it care.

Moreover, when Seolyeo briefly borrowed its power, he even showed the tremendous ability to move through space.

Seeing that, Heuksa was certain.

This child would surely fulfill its long-cherished wish.

From then on, Heuksa consistently lingered around Seolyeo.

For Seolyeo to grant its wish, he first had to awaken the power of Hyeonmu.

However, even though Hyeonra Baek, the head of the Black Tortoise Clan, had died and Seolyeo remained as his only blood relative, Hyeonmu’s authority did not pass to him.

This was because Seolyeo denied his own blood.

It was troublesome.

It had finally met an excellent beastman who could fulfill its wish and even made a contract, but this way nothing could be accomplished.

So while pretending to help Seolyeo, it tried to make him awaken Hyeonmu’s power, but Seolyeo seemed to avoid it entirely.

Then a problem arose. Evil had attached itself to Seolyeo.

Just when it thought this was a disaster, an even more surprising thing happened.

The evil that had tried to possess Seolyeo’s spirit core was instead devoured by him.

—A beastman who can devour evil… I wasn’t wrong after all. If it’s that child…

Heuksa desired two things.

For Yeomwang, who had been sleeping for so long, to awaken again.

And to restore the name of Yeomwang, which had been tarnished because of Hyeonra Baek.

However, the evil clinging inside Seolyeo’s body was a variable.

Later, on a summer night three years ago when a rift appeared in the curtain of time.

By chance, Seolyeo opened the power of Hyeonmu and departed for the north.

Now two paths remained before Seolyeo.

Either become more complete, or be completely devoured by evil.

—Fine. I’ll protect that child. But you mustn’t be consumed by evil either. No matter what happens.

Thus, Heuksa made this demand of Seolyeo as a condition for protecting Soya.

With the hope that Seolyeo would become more complete rather than being consumed by evil in that place, fulfilling his long-cherished wish.

In any case, due to these circumstances, Heuksa diligently circled around Soya to keep his promise with Seolyeo.

But a problem arose a few months ago.

The water energy of the Western Lands gradually weakened, making it difficult for him to approach Soya.

Born from the power of water, he couldn’t survive when water energy weakened.

So he fled outside the Western Lands, and as soon as Soya left the Western Lands, he reappeared around her.

Though he hadn’t expected to be discovered so quickly.

That terrifying girl—they said she was approaching her Second Growth Stage, and it seemed her senses had become much sharper in the meantime.

‘What should I do? If I’m caught again, she might really kill me this time.’

Just as Heuksa was groaning and agonizing over this dilemma.

—So it was you after all. Heuksa.

A chilling voice came from behind him.

—Who dares to carelessly speak this Lord Heuksa’s name…!

Heuksa turned around huffing angrily, but froze in place when he recognized who it was.

White Tiger Mountain Lord appeared with his snow-white hair fluttering, staring at him with an eerie expression.

This wasn’t his usual harmless and cute tiny size that appeared before Soya, but a tall figure that looked at least seven feet tall.

—Hii, hiiiik…! White Tiger Mountain Lord?

As Heuksa stumbled backward in surprise, flames suddenly blazed up near his tail.

—Ah, aah, hot!

It was Vermillion Bird Heavenly Lady’s flame.

—How cleverly you’ve managed to stay alive, you long-tailed swindler!

—Aigu, hot, my tail! Save Heuksa, aigu!

The startled Heuksa rolled around on the dirt ground to extinguish the fire on his tail.

As he shed tears from the pain, Cheonghae Yongsin’s blue spear was pointed at Heuksa’s nape.

—Pl-please spare me, Divine Beasts.

Heuksa, instantly surrounded by the Divine Beasts, cowered and trembled violently.

—What is a coward who failed to protect his master and fled alone doing here?

Cheonghae Yongsin asked in a cold voice.

—Well, that is, that is…

Heuksa rolled his eyes around frantically, then spotted a water puddle and immediately leaped into it with a splash.

In an instant, Heuksa’s body turned to water and smoothly disappeared.

—Oh no. He escaped.

Expressions of dismay crossed the Divine Beasts’ faces.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————