Chapter 41
The bird was huge—truly enormous.
Its entire body was covered in gray feathers, the color deepening toward the tips until they were nearly black.
Its beak was gray, and the area around its cheeks had a greenish-yellow hue. The eyes that looked at Un-yeong were a murky shade of red.
A beast of massive size, with red eyes.
It should have been terrifying, yet Un-yeong felt no fear. Its appearance alone was not enough to shake the steadfast heart of a sword demon.
Besides, she sensed no intent to attack from the creature in front of her.
An intent to attack was an expression of the will to take life—but this beast had no such strength left.
It merely sat on the ground, shedding tears, as though it might crumble away and vanish at any moment.
Tears fell from its large eyes.
“Ah, wait… um… I didn’t mean to make you cry.”
Flustered, Un-yeong didn’t know what to do. She placed a hand on the bird’s chest.
Thump.
A slow heartbeat pulsed beneath her palm.
A sign that its life was coming to an end.
Sensitive to energy flow, Un-yeong could feel that more energy was leaving the bird’s body than entering it.
“You’ve been in pain, haven’t you…”
She simply knew. Moved by pity, she slowly ran her hand over the creature’s body, circulating her own energy.
What the bird needed now was probably poisonous energy.
Gathering the toxin stored in her own meridians, Un-yeong gently passed it into the bird.
An invisible aura surrounded her. Though unseen, her energy rose like a white mist.
This was a burdensome energy manipulation for Un-yeong in her current state—the technique of harmony and binding that the sword demon Seol Un-yeong had perfected on the battlefield.
It claimed a certain space, weaving an invisible net of energy so that anything entering that domain could never escape.
It was the same net that had spread the sword demon’s fearsome reputation: Once inside, no one survived.
I can only use it crudely now…
Biting her lip, she released more energy. The white cloudlike aura spread and began to wrap around the bird’s body.
Just a little more… just a little more.
She trapped the bird’s energy within the white cloud and infused it with more poisonous energy.
She did not know how long she maintained this flow, but gradually, the leaking energy lessened. Soon, her own energy began to resonate with the bird’s, circulating through its entire body.
Exhaling deeply, Un-yeong lifted her head and met the bird’s gaze.
Its eyes looked much clearer now.
“…Have you been here for a long time?” she asked quietly.
She didn’t expect an answer.
She could simply tell that this creature had endured in this cavern for many long years, and had lived even longer before that.
The bird slowly lowered its head to rest on her shoulder.
Feeling the solid weight of a living being, Un-yeong closed her eyes.
And then she saw it—a memory of the bird from long ago.
It had once been beautiful, with transparent, gleaming red eyes. When it spread its massive wings, the glossy gray feathers shone with light, while the black feathers drank it in.
It was simply beautiful.
“You’re beautiful…”
She wanted to say it aloud—if only she could hold onto this life a little longer.
Perhaps it understood her feelings.
The bird gave a faint shake of its head.
“…You had someone kind to you, didn’t you.”
Energy was still leaking from within its wings, a sign of a grave wound—one that could not easily be healed.
Someone must have created a formation for this giant bird, gathering energy to sustain it, hoping that one day it might fly high in the skies again.
But human lives are short. Left alone, the bird had stood guard here for countless years.
Sometimes, kindness can become a burden. Seol Jadan’s kindness, meant to keep Un-yeong alive, had also brought her painful years.
“You must have been lonely…”
She understood.
Yes—surviving alone was like that.
The bird lifted its head. She felt its will to leave now.
She understood that as well.
After all, in the moment of death, the heart was at peace.
“…There’s somewhere you want to return to, isn’t there. In that case… I’ll let you go.”
Un-yeong slowly withdrew the energy she had been feeding into the bird, stepping back one pace, then another.
Meeting its gaze, she gave a small nod.
“…May you be at peace.”
The bird blinked once, then slowly closed its eyes.
Un-yeong clenched her fist.
In that instant, a vast surge of energy burst out from the bird’s body. The aura swirled around it, forming a storm of power.
The storm grew faster and faster, and the bird’s form began to blur.
Then—flash!—an immense light exploded from it. The brightness was so intense that Un-yeong had to shut her eyes.
When she opened them again, the bird’s body had vanished from before her eyes.
She blinked rapidly.
It was truly gone.
Though she had experienced many strange things in the past, she could not help but be surprised.
A sigh escaped her slightly open mouth.
“…What is this…”
Things born of nature return to nature—but this disappearance did not feel natural.
A being outside the natural cycle.
“What could it have been…”
The storm of energy had not yet dispersed. It soon gathered into a single mass and was drawn toward one spot.
Un-yeong’s gaze followed it to the ground.
There, lying alone, was an egg the size of her fist.
The white egg shimmered with an odd light.
“…Ah, it left behind an egg?”
She slowly approached.
The egg gave off an aura similar to the bird’s. Its smooth surface gleamed prettily.
Bending down as if entranced, she picked it up and gently stroked it. The surface was sleek, almost like touching a gemstone.
“Want to come with me?”
The egg could not answer, but Un-yeong felt as though it had.
She cupped it in both hands and breathed a little poisonous energy into it. The egg absorbed her aura.
“Alright, let’s go together.”
Muttering to herself, she turned around.
“Yeong-ah!”
From afar, Do-jin came running toward her.
“Are you okay? You’re not hurt anywhere? Where did the bird go?”
His eyes moved anxiously as he checked her over.
— It would be best not to approach right now, Young Master.
It had been Je-gal Dam who stopped Seol Do-jin when he tried to follow Un-yeong toward the bird.
— It seems to be calling only for the young lady. It should not be dangerous.
So they had watched from a distance. The events were mysterious, but they could not stop worrying.
“I’m fine. You saw, right? There was no danger. I don’t know where the bird went, but instead…”
“Instead?”
“It left this behind.”
Un-yeong opened her hands to show him the egg. Do-jin’s eyes widened.
“W-What is that?”
“An egg.”
“An egg? What kind? From that bird?”
“I don’t know. It was just here.”
She shook her head, and Do-jin was left gaping.
Before long, Je-gal Dam and Namgung Hwi had also come closer, staring intently at the egg in her hands.
Un-yeong looked to Je-gal Dam.
“What do you think, Young Master?”
“…I’m not sure,” he replied, shaking his head calmly.
“At least it’s not a Jimjo, right?”
“Yes, I don’t believe so. The only similarities to ancient records are its size and its poisonous nature.”
“And the differences?”
“Its appearance doesn’t match, and records say that around a Jimjo, poisonous creatures gather and the land becomes barren.”
“This place doesn’t look like that.”
“Indeed. And also…”
Unusually, Je-gal Dam bit his lip, as though reluctant to speak further about what had happened here.
“I understand. Thank you,” Un-yeong said.
“It’s nothing.”
“Then… Brother, was that some kind of divine beast?” Namgung Hwi, who had been listening, asked.
“Hard to say. We’ll need to investigate further.”
“I see.”
Namgung Hwi nodded, cheeks flushed with excitement.
Seeing such a sight for the first time had stirred him.
Looking at Un-yeong with shining eyes, he asked,
“So, what will you do with that egg?”
“Well… what should I do? I could ea—”
She stopped mid-sentence when a sudden pulse of energy from the egg tickled her hands.
“…I guess I can’t. I’ll take it back to the estate for now.”
“Yes, that’s best. We should also tell the elders,” Do-jin said, seizing on the thought that it might be related to their ancestors.
“Ah… right, the elders…”
At the mention of them, Un-yeong rolled her eyes.
How was she going to explain this?
She didn’t know much—but she had learned far too much.
Should I hide the part about the poisonous energy…?
Her thoughts grew heavier, but then she shook her head.
Forget it. Whatever happens, happens.
