NOVEL NEXT 131. Song of Blessing (3)
“Oh my, you little shrine maiden! Where did you find all these people?” the tavern keeper exclaimed with joyful exasperation as she carried jugs of alcohol and plates of food. Until yesterday, the tavern had been devoid of even a single fly, but now it was bustling with barely enough room to stand.
Park Shin-ju, the culprit behind this sea of people, lounged casually, waving her hand.
“I do have a special talent, don’t I?”
“It’s kind enough that you brought your friends, but you’re a real blessing, a true blessing! Why don’t you come over here and have a drink instead of just lying there?”
“You really know what you’re talking about! It sounds tempting, but…”
“Mr. Kim!”
The goblin, buried in Park Shin-ju’s hair, cried out sharply. They had left Cha Taeyang behind for an important task, only to find Park Shin-ju setting up a party. As a goblin who had just made a big decision, this was unacceptable.
“You’ve got quite the voice. I’m not drinking, I’m not drinking.”
“Pinky promise.”
“What a fussy goblin. There’s no need for promises. It’s not like I’d take this lightly, especially when it’s a request from my dear.”
“Black Mr. Kim told Sori to keep a good watch!”
The goblin, transformed into human form, stubbornly held out its hand. Yielding to its insistence, Park Shin-ju extended her pinky finger and signaled her refusal to the tavern keeper with her eyes. The keeper didn’t press further and moved on to other patrons.
“Sigh, these Mr. Kims always do this when you let your guard down for a moment.”
The goblin, heaving a big sigh, settled on Park Shin-ju’s forehead. It couldn’t help but worry about the other subject of surveillance they had parted ways with after descending from Cheonsan.
“Are you that anxious?”
“Of course! That ill-fated Mr. Kim is sure to cause trouble. He might have already done so!”
“Well, I see it differently.”
Park Shin-ju knew Lee Kang-to’s type well. If only for Yun Gaho’s sake, Lee Kang-to wouldn’t—or rather, couldn’t—cause problems.
“He may be unpredictable in other ways, but his priorities are clear, so it should be fine.”
With her wide network, Park Shin-ju had heard rumors about Lee Kang-to even before joining the team. To be precise, about an uncontrollable swordsman who could only be managed by Gyeon Ji-woon.
‘They say he’s skilled but so peculiar that no one would take him, until Guild Master Gyeon picked him up.’
To put it bluntly, he was a madman who would stop at nothing to fulfill his desires. Park Shin-ju recognized him as the infamous swordsman from the rumors the moment she saw Lee Kang-to.
However, contrary to the rumors, Park Shin-ju found him easy to manipulate. Thanks to Yun Gaho, who had skillfully baited and tamed him. At the mention of being Yun Gaho’s closest friend, Lee Kang-to would follow instructions, albeit with a pout.
“By now, he’s probably crushing the other hunters involved in this case.”
While someone like Lee Kang-to might be undesirable as an ally, he’s most troublesome as an enemy.
Having subtly provoked his temperament, he would likely be trampling the enemies without a shred of mercy. Even if the victims later decided to speak up, there would be no consequences since he belonged to a different guild.
If there was one concern, it was whether he might cling too desperately to Yun Gaho, but…
“We can always pry him off by force if needed.”
“Hm?”
“Oh, just talking to myself.”
Park Shin-ju’s expression, which had momentarily turned cold, quickly returned to her usual carefree demeanor.
“Shall we get to work now?”
“Great idea! I just need to help like before, right?”
“Yeah, I’m counting on you, partner!”
The goblin, grinning widely at Park Shin-ju’s words, took the lead towards the audience. Park Shin-ju followed leisurely, hands clasped behind her back.
As they emerged from the back room into the crowd, NPCs waiting for Park Shin-ju greeted her with boisterous welcomes.
“Finally, the legendary young storyteller has appeared!”
“We’ve been waiting forever! How could you leave us hanging like that?”
“I heard even the traveling performers were in awe of her skills? I’ll pay any amount, just show us again!”
Park Shin-ju gracefully ran her fingers through her hair as she made her way through the crowd. Thanks to her prior arrangements, the tavern keeper had prepared a sturdy wooden box. Swiftly climbing atop it, Park Shin-ju looked down at the audience and called out,
“First, let me greet you all! Thank you for coming to hear my story.”
As Park Shin-ju bowed extravagantly with one hand on her chest, the tavern fell eerily silent. Everyone held their breath, not wanting to miss a single word from this exceptional storyteller.
“I’m grateful for your enthusiastic support. However, I don’t intend to accept money for my stories.”
“Surely it’s not for free. What do you want then?”
In response to someone’s shout, Park Shin-ju curled her lips into a smile.
“When the Month of Purification comes, please send off a lantern for me.”
It was an odd request. Not money, grain, or herbs, but to send off a lantern. As the audience murmured in confusion, Park Shin-ju watched them quietly before giving a wink. Recognizing the signal, the goblin performed its trick.
Suddenly, white smoke billowed up, and Park Shin-ju, who had been wearing a warrior’s attire just moments ago, transformed into a reddish-brown tiger. Behind her, the mirage of Cheonsan shimmered. The audience gaped, stunned by this strange feat.
“Whether you’ll give me the payment I want or not, think about it again after the story is finished! Without further ado, let’s begin the tale you’ve been waiting for! Everyone, prick up your ears.”
Enjoying the focused attention, Park Shin-ju twirled once atop the box. Then, deliberately lowering her voice as if about to reveal a great secret, she whispered,
“Would you believe me if I said I met a plague tiger?”
◆◇◆◇◆
– Roar!
The tiger that leapt out of the white pouch let out a mighty roar. Judging by the similar energy and feeling I had sensed from the scarecrow earlier, it seemed to be a creation of Baek-a, made from a portion of her own power.
‘It’s small in size, but its presence is impressive.’
Perhaps because it was a gift prepared for her sister, it was evident at a glance that only the purest and most powerful energy had been gathered.
The tiger’s form, which looked as if it had been molded from blazing flames, immediately dashed towards the scarecrow—no, towards Baek-a. The tiger, headbutting the rank badge, melted away and disappeared.
“Huh?”
Baek-a’s eyes, which had been shedding tears until now, trembled slightly. This was followed by twitches across various parts of her face. It seemed she was trying to muster strength, but her face wasn’t moving as freely as she wished.
To confirm exactly what was happening to Baek-a, I placed my hand on her shoulder once more. The tiger—that is, Baek-a’s energy—was frantically trying to undo the spell that was tormenting its master.
‘This alone isn’t enough.’
It wasn’t just the spell cast on Baek-a that was binding her. Yeomra’s energy, flowing like air throughout the entire domain, was creating a synergistic effect with the spell.
While the energy released from the pouch was impressive, it didn’t seem powerful enough to overcome both of these forces.
“If there’s not enough power, we just need to add more.”
Taking a deep breath, I focused on Baek-a’s mana channels. Unlike before when I only let a small amount of mana flow for exploration, this time I actively employed sharply honed magical power to reverse the flow.
Just as I was about to put this thought into action, Kalia suddenly burst out.
[Gaho, are you really going to do that?]
“Yes. We have to try everything we can.”
[You could get hurt too if you’re not careful! You know that, right?]
“I know. I read about it in the book Master gave me before.”
Interfering with the mana channels of a living being is a risky endeavor. If Baek-a were to reject my help, the mana could backfire, causing severe internal injuries. Such injuries are difficult to treat even with potions.
“But if we get her cooperation, all those risks become practically non-existent, don’t they?”
[Who would be happy about someone rummaging around inside them? Even with permission, defense mechanisms might kick in automatically!]
“Well, that’s true.”
But we can’t just stand by and do nothing, can we? Realizing that I wouldn’t easily change my mind, Kalia, who had been lecturing me, clicked her tongue.
[Tch, just focus on the areas where the new energy is operating. The other parts are dangerous.]
“Yes, I understand.”
[If it feels wrong, pull out immediately. That way, you shouldn’t die.]
Having said her piece, Kalia vanished abruptly. Even in that moment, she didn’t forget to criticize me for being stubborn, which made me smile.
“Look who’s talking.”
Alright, from now on, I really need to concentrate. Giving myself a stern pep talk, I let my mana flow into Baek-a. Thanks to the small spark-like remnants left behind, tracing the tiger’s trail wasn’t too difficult.
The crucial part came next.
Following the traces left behind, I tried to break the bindings, and as expected, I felt resistance. My mana hit something and stopped moving. When I tried to push through forcefully, Baek-a’s energy attempted to invade my mana channels in return.
“Ugh, we’re here to help you. Please cut us some slack.”
Just as I was about to attempt another careful approach, Baek-a’s thoughts were transmitted through our connected mana.
– Who are you?
“Baek-a?”
– Answer me. What exactly are you? And how do you have the gift I gave to my sister?
The voice directly transmitted into my mind was strong, but underlying worry and fear seeped through that she couldn’t quite hide. It seemed she wasn’t sure whether we, who had come after such hardship, were a rotten lifeline or not.
“Your mother, Sarome, sent us. As for the white pouch, we received it by chance when we met your sister while searching for you.”
– …I can’t believe that. Even Yeomra’s minions could say such things.
Hearing Baek-a’s story that followed, I understood why she was being so defensive.
Baek-a had come to the afterlife on the king’s orders to find a mystical lantern. After searching tirelessly until her iron shoes and iron staff were worn down, she finally found a lantern said to bring forth divine harmony at the edge of the Western Garden.
– I didn’t even realize a shameless spirit was following me.
Yeomra, facing a crisis due to his conflict with the flower keeper, tried to deceive Baek-a and forcibly take the lantern. But that wasn’t enough for him; he demanded something unthinkable from Baek-a.
– He asked me to bear his child.
I frowned at this unbelievable story.