Episode 5: The Secret of the Transparent Bird
"Lord Cheonma, it's Jeokun."
Inside the barrier, Hwi was practicing cutting Cheonseong's hair.
Jeokun's voice was heard from beyond the barrier.
"Come in."
Hwi flicked his finger, opening a side of the barrier. Jeokun appeared, his face hidden by a Shura mask.
Jeokun removed the Shura mask, and his red eyes shone sharply in the darkness of the barrier.
Hwi was clearly happy to see Jeokun.
"Perfect timing. I've got something to show you."
"What is it?"
In response to Jeokun's question, Hwi restored the straw doll's hair to its original state.
"Watch closely."
Hwi moved quickly, as soon as he finished speaking.
"Flying Spirit Quick Sword!"
The straw doll's hair was cut even cleaner than before.
"I did this for Byeol-ie. You think he'll be disappointed?"
"You did this for Cheonseong?"
Jeokun looked confused, as if he couldn't quite grasp Hwi's intentions.
"That's right."
"I don't know about disappointed, but he'll definitely be scared."
"...Scared? Why?"
Jeokun's words hit a nerve. Hwi's expression darkened.
"Of course he would. Who wouldn't be shocked by your sword energy, my lord? Cheonseong's just a kid, and he doesn't even know who you really are, does he?"
"Right, that's true..."
"Why were you even trying to show Cheonseong the Flying Spirit Quick Sword in the first place?"
"To cut his hair. Byeol-ie said he really wanted this hairstyle."
"If that's the case, you should definitely stop. You might end up cutting off more than just hair. Remember, Cheonseong's just a defenseless kid."
Thud.
The straw doll, held up by Cheonma's magic, fell backward as if in despair.
The straw doll's face went blank, as if it had lost everything.
'If he keeps this up, he'll be like this for days.'
Jeokun, seeing Cheonma's noticeably deflated mood, continued, feeling he had no choice.
"You don't need to use the Flying Spirit Quick Sword to cut Cheonseong's hair. A dagger would work just fine. Why don't you practice with that?"
"That's it! Byeol-ie won't be in danger, and I won't risk revealing my identity."
As if happy to have found a new solution, Hwi's straw doll returned to its original position.
The straw doll's expression seemed brighter.
Hwi always got like this whenever Cheonseong was mentioned. Jeokun shrugged.
"So, what brings you here?"
Hwi sat down on a chair placed on one side of the barrier and turned his gaze to Jeokun.
"Cheonseong seems to be looking for you, my lord. He keeps pacing around the veranda."
"Byeol-ie's waiting for me? Is he back from Ikseon's already?"
"Cheonseong didn't go there to play today."
"Then?"
"He went into your personal library, my lord."
"Byeol-ie went into my library?"
Cheonma's face became quite serious.
"...This is a problem."
"Yes, your secret library is in there..."
Before Jeokun's worried words could finish, Hwi's mouth opened.
"Our Byeol-ie's already so smart, and now he loves reading too? He's going to be a genius! Soon, I won't have anything left to teach him, and everyone will be saying the Demonic Cult has a prodigy..."
Jeokun, watching Hwi completely miss the point, sighed internally and thought.
'Is there no cure for this?'
Jeokun made a mental note to ask the physician for a cure for this 'doting father' syndrome when he went to pick up more insomnia medicine.
* * *
'I even figured out where the Demonic Cult is, but I can't go...'
At that time, Cheonseong was sitting on the veranda, lost in thought.
Actually, it was okay if he didn't leave right away. Cheonseong wasn't ready yet either.
However, the problem was getting a chance to leave.
'I spend most of my time with Dad.'
It would take more than a day just to get to the Demonic Cult, and even longer to adapt there.
'If I stay with Dad, getting to the Demonic Cult is impossible!'
And it's not like a seven-year-old has any good reason to leave home.
"Ugh, my head! That's enough for today!"
Perhaps because he had been reading books all day, he had no strength left to think.
'We're doing all this to survive, so I should take it easy. Luckily, I'm not going to die tomorrow.'
I sprawled out on the veranda.
'Huh? What's that up in the tree...?'
I spotted a transparent bird sitting in a tree in the yard.
"A Transparent Messenger Bird!"
'If I'm not mistaken, that's the same bird that delivered the scroll!'
There's no rule saying there's only one Transparent Messenger Bird, but I had a feeling it was the same one.
'It looks like it's staring at the hong-gwa. Maybe it wants to eat some?'
The bird was staring at a ripe hong-gwa fruit on the tree.
Hong-gwa fruit is a red, super sweet fruit from the hong-gwa tree, and it's really popular.
'It has such a strong, sweet smell that birds usually peck at it. Why is it just staring and not eating?'
I was curious, but I wasn't planning on doing anything about it.
'It's not my problem, right?'
I was too tired to care. I tried to ignore it, but my eyes kept drifting back to the hong-gwa tree.
'I know I should just ignore it, but...'
Even though I tried to ignore it, that Transparent Messenger Bird hovering near the hong-gwa kept bugging me.
'Well, it did bring me that scroll and tell me where to find the cure for my condition. I might owe it one.'
I decided to help it out. I got up and looked up at the bird in the tree.
"Hey! You want some hong-gwa?"
"...Chirp!"
The bird, which had been watching me quietly, nodded and chirped in agreement.
"Then why aren't you eating it? You can just peck at them, right?"
"Chirp-ee..."
The bird seemed to deflate and made a sad chirp, like it had some tragic reason for not eating the fruit.
"Hey, why the long face? Now I feel bad."
I eyed the height of the tree.
'I've climbed plenty of trees with Ikseon. This should be easy.'
"Alright, alright. I'll get you some hong-gwa. Don't look so sad!"
The bird tilted its head, looking skeptical.
'What kind of bird looks at you like that?'
Did I really just offer to do that?
I kind of regretted offering, but then I remembered Dad saying you should always keep your word.
'You're one lucky bird!'
I grabbed onto the trunk, remembering all the times I'd climbed trees with Ikseon.
"Chirp!"
The bird chirped in amazement, probably surprised by my moves.
'Heh, that's nothing.'
"You haven't seen anything yet!"
Pumped up by the bird's chirps, I ignored my fear and shimmied up the tree.
Once I got up to the branches, the hong-gwa was right there.
'Now to just grab it!'
I reached out as far as I could for the ripe fruit.
'What? It's still too far?'
I climbed all the way up here, and I still can't reach it?
"Chirp-eek?"
The bird, which had been watching me, chirped like it was asking what was wrong.
"Hold on, don't rush me! I'm trying to pick the best one!"
"Chirp-chirp!"
The bird started flapping its wings in a steady rhythm, like it was cheering me on.
'This is the worst kind of encouragement, huh.'
Seeing the bird flitting around so easily, I tightened my grip on the tree, determined.
'There's no way I'm going down empty-handed! That bird will totally laugh at me!'
Besides, I'm going to the Demonic Cult all alone. I can't give up on something like this.
'If I'm going to survive there, I need to be tougher than this.'
With renewed determination, I reached for the fruit again.
But it was still just out of reach, driving me crazy.
"Just... a little... more...!"
It was then.
"Got it!"
The second I grabbed the hong-gwa, I suddenly realized how high up I was.
'Whoa, it's way higher than I thought!'
The dizzying view made me panic, and I lost my grip.
'I started falling, fast.'
Is this how I'm going to die? Not saving Dad, but getting bird food?
It was then.
My body, which had been plummeting, suddenly stopped falling.
"Something's soft!"
"Chirp! (Gotcha!)"
The Transparent Messenger Bird had caught me.
'Wait, did that bird just talk?'
"You! You can talk?"
The bird looked back at me like it was no big deal.
"Chirp, chirp. Chirp? (What's with the face? Never seen a talking bird before?)”
