When the Black Moon Rises - Chapter 25
Chapter 25
While Youngsun was circulating the letter in the banquet hall, Ju Myoungyoon, who was leading Baek Giha to the Ju Clan's territory, finally raised his voice in displeasure.
“Why are you walking so close again?”
It was understandable. To avoid Baek Giha, who was sticking so close that their horses' shoulders nearly brushed, Ju Myoungyoon and Sa Danyoon had been continuously moving aside. Now, they were practically walking along the very edge of the road.
“We're traveling together.”
“There's no one else here, and even if someone comes from the opposite direction, the road is wide enough that we wouldn't need to make way. Please keep your distance.”
The outpost with the passage to the Human Realm was where the Ju Clan had lost in the war, and it was now the boundary of their territory. Previously, the heart of the Ju Clan's territory was quite a distance from the old border, but not anymore. This meant that Ju Myoungyoon could quickly handle matters with Baek Giha at the Ju Clan's territory if he wished.
Thus, after receiving horses at the outpost, Ju Myoungyoon and the Baek Clan Head, riding his black steed, rode side-by-side. The journey would only take two days if they rode diligently, so Ju Myoungyoon wanted to proceed without rest. However, despite there being no one around, the Baek Clan Head continued his strange behavior, wasting time.
His strange behavior was this:
“Elder. No, esteemed sir.”
‘Oh, no. He’s calling me that again.’
“What is it?”
“Would it be alright if we ate before we go?”
“Eat?”
“Yes.”
“...Are you hungry?”
“Yes.”
He'd heard that Divine Beasts, being immortal, didn't feel hunger.
Was he deliberately delaying the journey? Was he waiting for someone to follow them?
Ju Myoungyoon's brow furrowed slightly, but even seeing this, Baek Giha pressed the matter.
“Let’s eat and go. I have some decent food with me.”
“...Very well.”
He wanted to tell him to stop wasting time and get on with the journey, but…
“Haha. I'll prepare it. Please, have a seat here.”
Seeing him personally unpack his own meal suggested he wasn't lying about being hungry… The skillful way he quickly set up a roadside picnic spot suggested this wasn't his first time. Besides, regardless of his feelings, he couldn't be rude to the Clan Head of the victorious clan.
‘A Divine Beast eats too? That's unexpected.’
With this thought, Ju Myoungyoon quietly called Sa Danyoon aside.
“You go ahead to the Ju Clan’s territory and call for some of our guards. This man's behavior is suspicious. I don’t want any misunderstandings arising from traveling alone with him.”
“All the way to the territory? Is that necessary? There’s an outpost on the way. We could request outpost soldiers as escorts.”
“Mobilizing outpost soldiers requires authorization. Getting guards from the clan will be faster than getting permission from the Mystic Ruler.”
“Will you be alright alone?”
“What else can we do? Please get there as quickly as possible.”
Sa Danyoon sighed and nodded.
“I’ll go without sleep. Whatever happens, don’t overreact. I didn’t know he was like this, but seeing him today, he seems to have something up his sleeve.”
“I didn’t know he was like this either. It's suspicious that he came alone. I'm worried he might be trying to provoke another war, so warn the Ju Clan soldiers not to let their guard down.”
“Yes. I’ll be going then.”
“Alright. Hurry back. Understand?”
“Don’t worry.”
After watching Sa Danyoon depart in haste, Ju Myoungyoon approached Baek Giha and sat on the rock he had prepared. Having unloaded his belongings from his horse with practiced ease, Baek Giha was skillfully piling up twigs.
With a snap of his fingers, a flame erupted from thin air, igniting the twigs.
“Where did your warrior go?”
“I sent him ahead on an urgent errand.”
“That’s a shame. I was going to offer him something good.”
‘Something good?’
Ju Myoungyoon's eyes narrowed at the cryptic words.
“Well, there will be other opportunities. By the way, Elder…”
As Baek Giha placed the food he had brought over the flames, Ju Myoungyoon extended his senses. However, no matter how keenly he searched, he couldn't detect any other presence.
‘If no one's watching, why is he acting like this?’
He doubted he'd get a straight answer if he asked, so instead of questioning the title, Ju Myoungyoon responded with a slightly resigned, “Yes.”
“Um, well. While the etiquette of the seven clans of the Mystic Realm is generally similar, I'm asking just in case.”
“Yes.”
“In the Ju Clan… is it true that marriage cannot proceed without the presence of the parents?”
“?”
“What I mean is, for example, if the Elder were present, would a marriage arrangement for your children be halted…?”
“Isn’t that usually the case? Is it different for the Baek Clan? There’s no reason to hold it without the parents. The date can be changed.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
“I see.”
He abruptly stood up as if unable to remain still, and suddenly circled the area. He stopped again, then circled once more before sitting down. “??” As Ju Myoungyoon watched this bewildering display, the returned Baek Giha asked another question with a calm expression. Ju Myoungyoon's expression crumpled further than before. “...A joyous occasion?”
“Yes. Well, to put it simply, is there something good that…” Baek Giha, gauging Ju Myoungyoon's reaction, rephrased. "Is there some good news, Elder? Perhaps a recent joyous occasion of some kind?"
‘Is this man mocking me?’ The usually composed elder was genuinely angered. What joyous occasion? My daughter is in danger because of the missing persons case you demanded I take responsibility for, and you ask about joyous occasions? You dare speak of joy at a time like this?
Finally, Ju Myoungyoon raised his voice, uncharacteristically loud. “There is no joyous occasion!”
“...There isn’t?”
“Would there be?”
“... .” Baek Giha looked dumbfounded. He stared blankly at Ju Myoungyoon, then asked again. “Truly, no joyous occasion? Not even a past one? No happy news recently?”
‘This… is he toying with me?’
“No!”
Baek Giha, who had been scrutinizing Ju Myoungyoon's face as if searching for the truth, suddenly stood up again. He turned and walked away, then began striking nearby trees. He didn’t seem to be using spiritual power, yet he struck with such force that the trees cracked and toppled over.
CRASH!!!
‘…What is this? Has he gone mad?’ Ju Myoungyoon recoiled in shock. Unaware of this, Baek Giha continued until he had felled five trees before clearing his throat and returning.
With a flushed face, he said, “That’s a relief, esteemed sir.” ‘A relief?... He’s relieved there’s no joyous occasion?’ The elder's arm trembled. Ju Myoungyoon felt like breaking the burning twigs himself, or perhaps shoving them into the other man's mouth.
'And why does he keep calling me "esteemed sir"?' Unable to comprehend the direction of the conversation or the reason for the strange honorific, Ju Myoungyoon leaned in and asked in a low voice, “Say, Baek Clan Head. There's no one listening, so why do you keep calling me that?”
“Why would the esteemed Elder say such a thing? An elder is an elder.”
“...”
“Weren’t we on good terms on the battlefield? I was deeply impressed by your unwavering leadership, how you rallied your soldiers even in the most disadvantageous situations, how you led the charge in every battle, and how you secured the retreat without ever backing down from the enemy, even in defeat.” “...?”
“Hahaha! Look at that pathetic sight!”
“I heard that the Ju Clan is so steeped in pleasure that they can’t even properly birth a Spiritual Beast anymore, and it seems those rumors are true! Look here, Myoungyoon! Seeing how your soldiers are running away with their tails between their legs, it seems they've all inherited the seed of a snake! Why not use the Sa Clan name instead of Ju!”
Ju Myoungyoon stared at him, recalling the man's voice echoing across the battlefield.
“What’s wrong?”
“...”
“Esteemed sir? If you have something to say, please speak.”
“...” It wasn’t that he had nothing to say, just that he was holding back. As Ju Myoungyoon continued to remain silent, Baek Giha pulled his rock closer. Closer to Ju Myoungyoon. “Esteemed sir.”
“Don’t come any closer.”
“How can you say such hurtful things? Here, try this.” He offered something he had been grilling over the fire. It was an ingredient that even Ju Myoungyoon, accustomed to the rough fare of the battlefield, had never seen before.
“What is this?”
“You’ll know once you try it. It needs to be warmed like this for quick absorption…”
“?” Ju Myoungyoon stared at the object in his hand. Despite being grilled, it was white and pristine without any burn marks. It was warm, but not hot or mushy.
‘What is this?’ He briefly suspected an assassination attempt by poisoning, but his curiosity was greater. He had a feeling that if he ate this, he would understand why Baek Giha had come all this way.
Ju Myoungyoon looked at Baek Giha. Baek Giha was staring back with an expectant look.
‘...Poison. No, even he wouldn’t go that far. I don't think he's that kind of man.’ Unable to contain his curiosity, the elder brought it to his mouth and took a bite. The moment his teeth sank in, it turned to liquid and slid down his throat.
“!”
“Whoa there. Esteemed sir, don’t spit it out. You mustn’t.” Ju Myoungyoon, who had been about to clutch his throat and spit out whatever had entered his body, felt a sudden warmth spreading through his belly. The core that had been cold and empty from constant extraction of spiritual power was now filled with a warm energy.
Spiritual power is filling up?
“!” He abruptly looked up at Baek Giha. “W-What is this? Is this spiritual power? No, it’s not a typical spiritual pill. Is this… Baek… Baek Clan Head, is this your spiritual power? A Divine Beast’s Spirit Orb?”
Baek Giha lowered his eyes at Ju Myoungyoon’s words, a slightly embarrassed expression on his face. He offered another piece of the warm, white substance.
“I brought plenty. Have some more, esteemed sir.”
“Have some more? What in the world are you doing?!” Ju Myoungyoon finally exploded. When formed into Spirit Orbs, foreign spiritual power can be immediately identified by its color. He still needed to extract compensatory spiritual power, so what was the meaning of this? Even if this was a ploy to drive a wedge between him and the Mystic Ruler, this was too much.
“Are you trying to get me framed as a collaborator and beheaded by feeding me this?!”
Baek Giha waved his hand. “Elder, don’t say such dreadful things. I simply offered it as a tonic for your hard work, since you won’t need to extract any more spiritual power.”
“I… won’t need to extract any more spiritual power?”
“Yes. I won’t demand any more compensatory spiritual power. I’ll take what you already have. Ah, and I’ll personally return the Spirit Orbs you’ve created.”
“... .”
“Esteemed sir?”
“...Why?”
“What?”
“Why would you return my Spirit Orbs?”
“Well, as I’ve said repeatedly, I was deeply impressed by your valor, esteemed sir, and I wished to be on friendly terms with you.”
“Ju Myoungyoon! Before I kick your fat backside, why don't you get the hell out of our territory with your men?!”
“I have no parents, so I’ve always thought how wonderful it would be if someone like the esteemed Elder were my father.”
“If you still resist, I have no choice. I'll behead all of you snakes and offer your heads to the Baek Clan altar!”
“If you wouldn’t mind, please consider me as your… s-son, F-Father.”
“…….” Ju Myoungyoon gave up on trying to understand this man.
🤣🤣🤣
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