When the Black Moon Rises - Chapter 46
Chapter 46
“……”
“I feel like I'm seeing a new side of the Baek Clan Head. Our children usually count before drinking their medicine. Shall I give you a signal? Let's say you drink on the count of three. One… Three."
“Ha, after one comes two, not three. Why skip to three?”
Ju Myoungyoon simply stared at him silently, without a reply.
Urged by the gaze, Baek Giha asked again, "But, couldn't I at least know what’s in this before drinking? I actually have a hypersensitivity to certain herbs, and I shouldn't consume anything that doesn't agree with me..."
A desperate smile returned, but Ju Myoungyoon, having finished what he wanted to say, continued to watch Baek Giha in silence.
“Ah, I have to drink it. Who am I to refuse? Maybe an extra bowl will help me maintain my youthful appearance.”
With an awkward laugh, Baek Giha squeezed his eyes shut and poured the medicinal concoction into his mouth.
If he couldn't endure this much for the sake of winning a much younger wife…
Every last drop from the bowl flowed into Baek Giha’s mouth.
Seeing this, Ju Myoungyoon finally dropped his cold demeanor and, as he took the empty bowl, replied, “Seeing you drink it so well makes me quite satisfied.”
“I paid special attention to this. The apothecary who made it was so meticulous, weighing every ingredient. So, thinking of you, I had him add an extra scoop of everything that's good for the body when brewing it.”
...Wait, what did you say?
“But it came out too thick, so I added some of our clan's precious medicinal wine, and today’s particularly good meat broth. How do you find it?”
How do I find it?
Are you asking if it’s killing me?
Is that what you really want to know?
Fortunately, having achieved his goal, Ju Myoungyoon left the room with a relieved expression.
Baek Giha hurriedly spat out what was in his mouth. A waterfall of liquid with the smell of sewage poured out.
For Sehwa, all she could see was darkness.
Black mist blocked her vision completely, and an acrid smell permeated the space, spreading an ominous energy.
She looked around fearfully in the darkness where she couldn't see even an inch ahead.
Behind the mist, a shadow with red eyes, which had appeared at some unknown moment, was glaring at her.
By the time she noticed it, it was already too late.
As she turned to flee, the shadow caught her in an instant.
It swung its massive black hand to strike her trembling cheek and trampled her underfoot.
“!”
Along with the sound of breaking bones, a scream that couldn't become sound burst forth.
The shadow tore out her fingernails and toenails, and brought down a whip.
The violence was merciless and seemed as though it would never end.
She curled up, unable to even think of escaping.
A moan escaped through her tightly pressed lips.
The black shadow sometimes spoke in a man's voice, sometimes in a woman's voice.
“I’m the one who fabricated the evidence of your parents' and two brothers' collusion with the Baek Clan.”
“Loudly confess your wrongdoings here and beg at my feet.”
“Someone gag that mouth!”
“Just die. Hand everything over to me and leave now. Go to a better place.”
As if responding to those voices, the mist covering her hummed.
“Execute!”
“Execute!”
“Behead the clan’s traitor!”
“Behead her!”
She wanted to run away, but everywhere was pitch-black darkness, and she couldn't tell where to flee.
She couldn't even see properly where she was stepping.
Despair washed over her – no matter where she ran, it seemed she couldn't escape this black shadow that dominated her.
Then, from somewhere, came the roar of a great beast.
“―――!!!”
It was a threatening sound that seemed to tear through the darkness.
Sehwa barely managed to open her eyes and look toward the source of the sound, not even thinking to wipe away the red blood matted in her hair.
In the distance, a massive white tiger was running toward her.
And with that same running speed, it lunged at the black shadow.
“!!”
The two massive beings became entangled, striking at each other's vital points with murderous attacks.
The battle that began by cutting through the darkness continued for a long time.
Blood sprayed into the air, and neither hesitated to tear at the other's flesh.
The shadow's power was extraordinary, and its size was massive.
However, it couldn't withstand the beast's sharp claws and teeth.
The shadow, unable to contain its anger but acknowledging defeat, turned and disappeared into the darkness.
She stared blankly with disbelieving eyes at the sight of the shadow that had tormented her fleeing.
When she turned her head, her eyes met those of the white tiger.
Though the tiger’s front paws and mouth were soaked with the shadow’s blood, Sehwa felt no fear.
She remembered – this was the beast she had seen during her exuviation.
The beast, after licking clean the blood from its paws and mouth with its tongue, approached her, then stopped at a slight distance and lay down.
Up close, the beast was as massive as a small hill.
Sehwa, who had been blankly staring at the white fur that seemed to emit light, slowly approached with her battered body.
The beast remained motionless, as if waiting for her to approach.
Sehwa's hand touched the white tiger's body.
The fur under her fingertips was incredibly smooth and very warm.
Though she touched it freely, the white tiger only purred as if pleased, showing no sign of rejection.
She leaned her body against the massive white tiger before her, almost lying down.
The fur that gently swayed with the beast's breathing tickled her cheek.
As she lay there, she could perceive some irregularity in the white tiger's body, beyond the wounds from its fight with the shadow.
'What is this?'
Looking at the white fur before her and the black lines crossing it, she placed both hands on the tiger's body.
Sehwa's hands began to glow blue. The blue light that had briefly sparkled only in her palms soon shone bright enough to cover the white tiger's entire body.
The beast's somewhat unstable breathing became peaceful.
As she was looking at it with satisfaction, something gently tugged at the hem of her skirt.
When she glanced down, a small baby snake with a blue head and white body was looking up at her.
Its small, white, icicle-like tail stood up and wiggled.
'Ah, how cute.'
In the baby snake's clear gaze was an unmistakable goodwill.
She reached out to stroke the small snake.
The baby snake slithered away across the floor, spun around in place, then climbed up her leg.
Eventually, the snake crawled over her hand and seeped into the tiger’s fur.
The white tiger glanced irritably at where the snake had gone, but that was all.
The tiger’s body, which had been gazing at her with hazy eyes, began to slowly disappear from that moment.
She wanted to ask in surprise where it was going, but somehow her voice wouldn't come out.
The white tiger too, looking at her with eyes full of regret, continued growling until the very end.
And where the white tiger and the small snake that had seeped into it had disappeared, there was a purple spirit orb emitting transparent light.
Sehwa picked up the spirit orb and brought it to her lips.
It melted like water and flowed into her mouth, seeping into her internal organs through her throat.
As she felt the power filling her, everything in her vision turned pure white.
It felt like she had had a long dream.
Sehwa woke up with a severe headache.
“Ugh. Ugh.”
Groans escaped through her clenched teeth.
‘What's wrong with my head? Why does it hurt so much?’
At that moment, someone carefully raised her upper body, which had stiffened with pain, and poured something into her mouth.
Like someone who had found rain in a desert, she grabbed those hands and frantically swallowed what entered her mouth.
Desperately grasping at the hand that tried to withdraw the medicine, wanting to drink even one more drop.
In her desperate grip, her nails scraped harshly across someone's skin.
Even though it must have hurt, that hand didn't forcefully pull away from Sehwa.
Only after the strength left Sehwa’s body did they withdraw their hand, carefully laying her back down comfortably.
‘What is all this? The pain is too…’
She curled up, clutching her forehead until the pain subsided.
In that short time, her entire body became drenched in cold sweat.
It wasn't just the headache. Her entire body ached as if she had been beaten for a long time.
‘What is this? Did I fall somewhere?’
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