The White Tiger Clan’s Baby Cotton Ball - Chapter 48

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 48

 

At that question, Gayul and Arang simultaneously turned to look at Soya.

 

“Yes, cute! So, so cute, Soya!”

 

Arang said, grabbing Soya’s hand firmly.

 

“Your fluffy down feathers are cute too! Your flapping wings are cute too! Your pointy tail feathers are cute! Oh, and your beak too! Your beak is yellow like forsythia flowers! So cute!”

 

“Don’t call someone else’s little sister cute! She’s my little sister!”

 

Gayul huffed and separated Arang from Soya, then spoke to Soya like a warning.

 

“Cotton Ball. You’re too cute when you transform, so you need to be careful. So you don’t get kidnapped by wicked tigers like that one.”

 

However, Soya still couldn’t understand what they were talking about.

 

“Did you… really see me properly?”

 

My beast transformation form is cute? Really?

 

Not unsightly and terrible?

 

“You’re teasing me and playing a prank right now, aren’t you? That’s it, right?”

 

“Huh, huh? Cotton Ball, are you… angry?”

 

Gayul thought Soya was angry.

 

Because Soya’s eyes were red and her face and voice had stiffened.

 

“We’re not teasing or playing pranks. So don’t be angry…”

 

That’s when it happened.

 

Plop. Plip plop.

 

Large tears seemed to shimmer in Soya’s eyes, then soon formed droplets and fell with a patter.

 

Gayul was startled and flinched as she asked.

 

“Eek, Cotton Ball? Are you so angry that you’re crying?”

 

“…That’s impossible. It’s all lies.”

 

“Co, Cotton Ball…?”

 

“Those people said so. That I was a pathetic baby bird with only unsightly white down feathers…”

 

Her voice trembled as she recited with her own mouth the harsh words that the Vermillion Bird Family members had poured on her for so long.

 

“They said my beast transformation form was terrible, so if they saw it, they would cut off my wings…”

 

So even after regaining her Spirit Core, Soya didn’t even dare to attempt beast transformation.

 

Because she didn’t want to show the White Tiger Palace people, who had shown her such a kind and warm world, her form that was supposedly terrible enough to make them want to tear off her wings.

 

Because she didn’t want to lose her world again, like that day when she had lost everything in an instant.

 

“What? Who are those people! I’ll teach them a lesson!”

 

“Me, me too! I’ll beat them all up in the name of the Great White Tiger Family!”

 

“Kyiing… Grung, grung!”

 

But these people said my beast transformation form was cute.

 

They said even my white down feathers, unsightly like dandelion seeds, were fluffy and cute.

 

They didn’t avoid me, calling me dirty or terrible.

 

They said I was small and cute and they just wanted to take me with them.

 

It was a completely different story from what Soya had heard all along.

 

“Really… I’m not terrible? Really, truly, am I cute?”

 

“Of course! You’re the cutest among all the beastkin I know!”

 

“Ri, right, Cotton Ball! So don’t cry…”

 

“Grung! Grung, grung!”

 

It was confusing, and still hard to believe easily.

 

But still…

 

[What’s wrong isn’t you, but them.]

 

Saeon had said that. That what was wrong was all them.

 

My most reliable fence in the world, my ‘real family’ had told me so.

 

So maybe I can believe these words?

 

Maybe I can believe these words that I’m cute, that I’m not terrible at all?

 

‘I want to believe.’

 

The suddenly blooming wish filled Soya’s heart warmly.

 

The words of people who were restlessly trying to comfort me over my tears.

 

The words of these people who were getting angry on my behalf about my past.

 

The words of people who taught me such warm emotions.

 

‘…I want to believe.’

 

Surge.

 

At the rising emotions, tears suddenly welled up.

 

“Soya…!”

 

“Cotton Ball…!”

 

“Kyiing…!”

 

“Sniff, sniffle, mmph…”

 

But Soya bit her lower lip firmly and rubbed her eyes vigorously.

 

She didn’t want to cry anymore because of the wounds those wrong people had given her.

 

“Everyone, sniff, thank you. I won’t cry anymore.”

 

So Soya smiled brightly while sniffling with her reddened nose.

 

* * *

 

That day, Soya spent the happiest day ever.

 

Having become the mountain lord, Soya wore the White Tiger Mask and danced in circles around the bonfire with the other children.

 

When Soya showed clumsy dance moves, everyone followed along, waving their arms and legs.

 

Seolyeo, in the form of a large wolf, also squeezed in among them and imitated Soya’s dance, which looked so ridiculous that everyone burst into laughter.

 

They gathered closely together to eat delicious grilled food, and all made wishes together in front of the dying embers.

 

She could understand why this Mountain Lord Festival was called the most anticipated event for young beastkin in the Western Lands.

 

After the event ended, Saeon entrusted the White Tiger Sword to Soya.

 

[I appoint Soya, daughter of the White Family, as the sword keeper of the White Tiger Divine Sword.]

 

Divine artifacts left by divine beasts couldn’t be owned by mere humans, so families merely kept them safe.

 

The one who guards such divine artifacts was called a ‘keeper,’ and Family Head Saeon had appointed Soya as the ‘sword keeper’ of the White Tiger Sword.

 

She worried whether she could really take on such a weighty position, but…

 

‘I’m a baby bird who can do anything now. So I’ll do well with the mission Saeon gave me too.’

 

Soya thought spiritedly.

 

And if there was another change that came to Soya from that day…

 

“So amazing, Young Lady!”

 

“Wow, how do you climb so high with those small wings?”

 

The White Tiger Palace people watched Soya’s flight and called out one by one.

 

Since flying creatures were rare to see in the Western Lands, everyone found Soya’s flight fascinating.

 

Soya felt shy but didn’t dislike people’s reactions, so she deliberately showed her beast transformation form once a day.

 

And when Soya flapped her small wings and soared up, people’s admiration like just before would follow.

 

Until now, beast transformation had been a very scary, frightening, and terrible thing for Soya.

 

But not anymore.

 

Thanks to beast transformation, she had been able to protect Elder Brother.

 

Saeon had praised her, calling her the most spirited and brave baby Cotton Ball in the world.

 

And the White Tiger Palace people even liked and found her beast transformation form cute.

 

Walking on thin little legs with a tottering gait, flapping with tiny wings, and pecking at grains with a bright yellow beak.

 

They said everything was cute and amazing.

 

And most importantly….

 

‘My Spirit Core has become more stable too.’

 

Soya felt her Spirit Core adapting to her body and stabilizing each time she performed Beast Transformation.

 

She felt a bit wronged for having been so afraid of Beast Transformation all this time.

 

“Kwaaaaang!”

 

“Kyarrrreung!”

 

Gayul and Arang, who had similarly transformed into tigers, jumped around energetically below but couldn’t reach Soya.

 

“Kwang! (This is cheating, Cotton Ball! How can you fly around by yourself during a game of tag!)”

 

Gayul, who had even climbed up a tree to catch Soya but ultimately failed, grumbled in frustration.

 

“Piyat, ppyaa! (But Yul Elder Brother also ran up a tree last time! Knowing I can’t climb trees, he ran away when he was about to be caught, how unfair!)”

 

“K, kreung…. (Th, that was….)”

 

Having nothing to say in response, Gayul hung his head and just shook the tree branches.

 

Soya covered her beak with her wing and burst into laughter.

 

Ppyullot, ppyullot, ppyulleureureur―

 

That laughter that Yeonjeong and Sanho had admired, saying how even our Young Lady’s laughter was so adorable, rang out clearly across the autumn sky.

 

Just then, Ga Hyeon walked over from that direction.

 

Poof!

 

Spotting him, Soya released her Beast Transformation and approached Ga Hyeon.

 

“Hyeoni Elder Brother! Is your body feeling better?”

 

Ga Hyeon’s left arm was wrapped tightly with bandages.

 

It was a wound he had received that day while protecting Soya from Chaos.

 

“Yeah, I’m fine. A wound like this is nothing at all.”

 

Though Ga Hyeon answered with a bright smile, Soya’s eyes were full of worry as she examined his arm.

 

Meanwhile, Seolyeo, who had been playing together in the garden, tilted her head and observed the scene with keen interest.

 

* * *

 

The Mountain Lord Festival came to an end, and the tigers from the Western Lands returned home one by one.

 

On a night when an unusually quiet darkness settled over the once bustling White Tiger Palace.

 

Soya encountered some enormous presence in her dream.

 

Though shrouded in red light making its form indiscernible, Soya could sense that it was a very vast and pure existence.

 

―How disappointing, little bird. To have that old tiger steal the initiative.

 

It was a voice with an extremely warm and comforting resonance.

 

“Do you know me…?”

 

―Of course. I have been with you for a very long time.

 

“I’m curious who you are.”

 

―I’m sorry, little bird. Until you find me, I cannot tell you my name. So please find me soon.

 

The enormous presence scattered along with those cryptic words.

 

‘What was that dream?’

 

The memory of the dream was too vivid to dismiss as just an ordinary dream.

 

‘It said it’s been with me for a long time. But I was always alone until I came to White Tiger Palace.’

 

Soya was sitting on the dirt ground of the garden, thinking about last night’s dream.

 

“Kying, kying….”

 

At the sound of a weak whimper, Soya looked up and jumped to her feet in surprise.

 

Seolyeo was limping toward her.

 

“Seolyeo!”

 

Soya ran to Seolyeo and examined her limping front leg.

 

There was a wound, as if she had been pricked by thorns somewhere.

 

“Oh my…! Seolyeo, are you okay? How did you get hurt like this?”

 

Soya asked in a distressed voice.

 

“Kying….”

 

Seolyeo blinked her large eyes and looked up at Soya.

 

Feeling sorry for her, Soya’s eyebrows drooped sadly.

 

“Oh dear, what should I do. It must have hurt a lot.”

 

“Kying, kying….”

 

Seolyeo rubbed her head against Soya.

 

“It must have hurt so much, but you didn’t even cry and stayed so brave, our Seolyeo. Oh, how admirable.”

 

Soya was imitating the tone Yeonjeong had used when she herself had been hurt, stroking Seolyeo’s head.

 

Spark!

 

Suddenly, sparks flew from Soya’s fingertips.

 

“Huh?”

 

Startled, Soya jumped to her feet.

 

Seolyeo’s body was enveloped in a blindingly bright white light….

 

Swoosh―

 

The black hide covering Seolyeo’s body slowly peeled away.

 

And where the black outer skin had peeled off.

 

“…!”

 

There was a handsome boy around Soya’s age with black hair and gray eyes.

 

“Seolyeo became human…?”

 

Soya muttered in disbelief, her eyes wide with amazement.

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