Toxin Chapter 7

The chief struggled with a high fever, and the tribe members were on the verge of unconsciousness, sinking into a sleep-like state. The bodies of those who had survived the day were akin to those who had faced the Pasan soldiers. Now, with only one side of his face left, the chief breathed heavily, chewing on his anger.

“I didn’t know that Jincheon Ryei was such a terrifying thing… I’ve learned firsthand why they call it the scream of a demon. I warned you in advance… Don’t rashly rush in to pull it out. Now… surviving here is the top priority.”

“Yes.”

Jincheon Ryei. I had witnessed its terrifying power. It wasn’t small enough to hide in one’s arms, and diverting it now, when our lives were in imminent danger, was unthinkable. The chief, with his only remaining side of the face, stared with a rough breath, suppressing his anger.

“The poison of Ime… slowly spreads through the body, gnawing at the flesh, melting the bones, and eventually drying up the blood… Quietly enough that you won’t even realize you’re dying…”

Drying up the blood and gnawing at the flesh. Slowly, without even realizing that one is dying… It was an ending that suited an assassin so well.

“I heard my father passed away in two months.”

“I heard the same. Since you’re a mixed-blood child, the effect will only be half as effective, and it might take even longer… or it could be stronger.”

“It doesn’t matter how long it takes.”

In my calm voice, the chief stared at me, sweating coldly. It was as if he was asking if there was no other way. I would answer that without hesitation. Just like in the past and even now, all I had was this one body. I had learned from the chief’s son how to use a body that was nothing more than a shell to its advantage.

“When I was young, I neglected my family while taking care of the tribe members. I raised you wrong.”

The chief closed his eyes, which had become even more sunken.

“Apologize on behalf of my son….”

He knew it too. With just that one word, the resentment towards Orumun would not be completely neutralized, but the chief’s apology, free of any pretense, was a very fresh shock to me. I somewhat knew why the Imes trusted and followed him, and I even handed over the sacred naming ceremony of my bloodline to the chief without hesitation.

***

The blue air announcing dawn entered through the small window. I couldn’t sleep because of the complexity in my mind. The unexpected meeting with Raonhilljo was also one of the reasons why I couldn’t easily fall asleep. Additionally, extreme tension and hunger distorted my stomach. In this state, I felt like I could eat even a pig that had fallen asleep without anyone knowing. Or maybe I was so hungry that I wanted to snatch away pig food and eat it. Throughout my life, which always used hunger as a pretext, fasting for two days was normal, but my energy was depleted from a harsh ritual feast. Now, unless I died in the hands of the Black Immortal King, I was going to starve to death like this.

As my body writhed as if it were about to melt, my heart sank when I reached for the waistband and realized that my mother’s white silk pouch, which contained the Baekgak, was mysteriously gone. It was there just a moment ago—when exactly did it disappear?! In the midst of the chaotic situation earlier, I must have dropped it. I sprang up and rushed outside.

As I stepped out, it was just before dawn, and the dense darkness surrounded me on all sides. Fortunately, there were many places to hide within the castle, and I hadn’t been spotted by the guards during my approach. Worried that I might have dropped it while supporting the chief, I searched the open space, but it wasn’t visible, and I couldn’t remember how long I had carried it. Where was it? Where on earth…? My eyes, not yet accustomed to the interior of the castle, shook uncontrollably. I moved as inconspicuously as possible, following paths that wouldn’t catch the eyes of the soldiers, carefully placing each step. When I saw the forest in the distance, I didn’t hesitate and ran. Breaking through the thick bushes and relying on my memory, I retraced the path I had taken earlier. There was no reason to avoid the path where the dormant Yumryong might be hiding. Then, beneath a pile of bushes, something bulky and unmoving came into view. Approaching, I saw that it was the Yumryong sacrificed to Jincheon Ryei.

The Yumryong, now headless, exposed its sinewy muscles and bones. Whether the body had stiffened postmortem or not, it lay as if taking a comfortable nap, facing the sky with only the shattered head missing. The hunger that had momentarily subsided flared up again. The Ime tribe’s staple was pigs and chickens, but there had been times when even that was a luxury for my mother and me. On days when we struggled with hunger, we even dug the ground to catch mountain snakes. The Yumryong had wings and legs, and other than its length and thickness, it resembled an ordinary snake. So, there was nothing inedible about it. I picked up the Yumryong without hesitation.

“I should probably remove the poison…”

Snakes have poison glands in their heads, but luckily, the Yumryong’s head was decomposed. Just in case, I wanted to clean it thoroughly, but I didn’t have the spirit or the right knife for that now. I wound the tail, the furthest from the head, around my hand and shook off the soil stuck to it. When I touched the Yumryong’s tail to my tongue, it felt cool and tasteless. Then, I lightly bit the end of the Yumryong’s tail, tore off the tough flesh, and rolled it around my mouth. It tasted like a snake. I started to eat greedily, this time tearing off the tail with my teeth.

At that moment, between the clouds, the moonlight spread through the gap. It was only a few steps away, standing there, that I froze. Even if the Yumryong I was eating revived, I wouldn’t be as shocked as I was now. The mysterious figure standing still at a distance of no more than a few strides was definitely looking in this direction. In the dim light of dawn, the person’s forehead twisted strangely. Only then did I realize that I was still holding the Yumryong’s tail in my mouth. Aware of this, I slowly pulled it away. Perhaps to explain the situation and prevent any misunderstandings.

“It was just something to eat.”

The man remained silent. Was he a caretaker? Or perhaps a sentinel…? A wry smile crept across my face as I continued to devour the Yumryong’s corpse since dawn. Although I had casually slipped away from the speech, there was no way I would mention eating the Yumryong. The moment I lifted the Yumryong, however:

“…!!”

The tree shadow cast upon the man was lifted, and, as if struck by lightning, the Yumryong slipped from my hands. Beneath the swaying tree, the man with an equally impressive figure was none other than Heukmuchun, the Black Demon King. Blood surged in reverse, and my heart raced wildly. Why, at this hour, alone…? My entire body instinctively tensed with the primal fear of having encountered a demon. The wounds inflicted by the Yumryong on Heukmuchun seemed to have completely healed, and he appeared remarkably healthy. The madness of the murderous fiend that had burned in his eyes during the day had disappeared, leaving only his characteristic nonchalance. He still had the relaxed eyes and shaking movements, but, with a faint scent of alcohol mingled in the breeze, it seemed he had actually been drinking this time. His gaze slowly fell on the Yumryong’s corpse in my hand and then returned to my face.

“I heard that the Ime tribe not only collects eyes but also eats their own kind. Do you also eat human flesh?”

Just hearing his voice sent shivers down my spine. If I could eat human flesh, I would tear into that meat and gnaw on the bones right away. However, I must not reveal any hostility until I approached Heukmuchun. Suppressing my urge to eat, I spoke up.

“No, I’ve never eaten it.”

As soon as Heukmuchun’s eyebrows twisted, I wanted to bite my tongue. Saying ‘I don’t eat’ was different from saying ‘I’ve never eaten it before’… I opened my mouth to correct myself, but a piercing voice interrupted me.

“So, you’re saying you might eat it if the opportunity arises.”

“No, I won’t. Even if I’m starving to the point of going crazy, I won’t do such a thing. Our ancestors always hunted only when hungry, and once their stomachs were filled, they considered it right not to catch more prey. Despite the different appearances, we also feel pain and emotions. There’s no difference from humans.”

“So, you’re claiming there’s no difference, huh? Pretending to be human, pretending to have personality, it’s disgusting. Just thinking about being lumped together with creatures like ghosts is repulsive.”

As he spat out his hatred, I clutched the forgotten Yumryong in my hand. My voice became sharp involuntarily.

“Statements like having red eyes, mesmerizing humans, pulling out hearts to eat, or the Ime tribe’s fire being an omen—all of it is baseless gossip and rumors made up by humans who treat the Ime tribe as demons. You, like the humans who commit actions even worse than animals, are the one… Heukmuchun, it’s you…”

Fortunately, it’s dark. The darkness conceals everything—the seething vitality fueled by intense hatred and anger, my expression, everything—thanks to the darkness.

Through the swirling autumn leaves, the face of the Black Demon King appeared. His winter-cold expression and features that made that expression even colder. His body, honed on the battlefield, looked as sturdy as if clad in armor. Soft strands of hair fluttered in the gentle breeze, and beneath, the black abyss, devoid of anything but darkness and ruins, emitted an eerie light.

Swoosh…

The world covered in faint dawn was even deeper in the early morning than at night. The gentle wind whistled through, rustling my clothes, and I pushed back my sweat-soaked hair. The border between night and day had completely disappeared, making this dawn forest intensely surreal. Soon, a voice intruded, cutting through the surreal space.

“Oh~ Your Highness! Where are you? Where have you disappeared to again?”

The origin of the calling, somewhere distant, caught the Black Demon King’s eyes. Then, several people were emerging through the bushes.

“Oh~ Your Highness~! If you disappear so suddenly, what shall we do…?! If you are ever at the mercy of a nasty Yumryong, you might bite your tongue and die!”

A chubby subordinate approached, glaring at the Black Demon King with worried eyes. Following him, the Black Demon King’s guard and several people walked in line, and one large figure popped out from the group.

“Drinking suddenly, what’s gotten into you? We’re all exhausted searching for you.”

“…!”

As the familiar voice reached my ears, I raised my head abruptly. When the man’s contours were revealed in the dawn light, I was startled again. It wasn’t the court attire he always wore, but it was undoubtedly Raonhilljo. Perhaps he hadn’t noticed me yet; Raonhilljo walked closer to the Black Demon King, exchanging some light banter. Although I speculated they weren’t particularly close based on their previous conversation, it didn’t seem like a simple lord and servant relationship. A subordinate who noticed me shouted, scolding.

“You?! No! Why aren’t you quietly attending the celebration? Why are you here?!”

As the subordinate yelled, Raonhilljo’s gaze turned towards me, and his eyes widened. The unexpected encounter was awkward for both of us. The Black Demon King tilted his head disdainfully and gestured towards me.

“I caught this Yumryong while hunting. It looks hideous as a hybrid, but if you remove the innards and make it into a specimen, it should be quite interesting.”

It wasn’t a joke; the tone was entirely serious. Even though the Black Demon King made such a horrifying statement, Raonhilljo, without any hesitation, stared at me.

“Well, it looks peculiar, but it doesn’t seem disgusting in my eyes at all…”

The laughter-laden voice made my blood rush to my head. As everyone’s gaze focused on me, I felt like a filthy spectacle, confined within our midst, observed like a trapped animal. Involuntarily, the muscles on my face stiffened, and my brow furrowed. I quickly rose from my seat, eager to escape this place. Behind me, a refined guard raised his head as if fed up.

“You’re both mistaken. In my eyes, he seems to be the benefactor who sucked out Your Highness’s poison earlier today.”

Raonhilljo widened his eyes at the guard’s words.

“Poison? So, he sucked out the poison from Garon Your Highness today?”

“His Highness not only protected Your Highness’s legs but also secured the future heir. He’s the top contributor. However, His Highness seems to forget such facts and plans to preserve him as a specimen. How should I think of a lord who treats his subordinates like this?”

“Well, forgetting such things wouldn’t be good.”

Raonhilljo responded to the guard’s words and then looked at the Black Demon King.

“Garon Your Highness, how long will you keep these Ime in the castle? If you treat the surrendered Imperial nations like this, other Imperial nations will only grow more resistant. Moreover, it’s not pleasant to confine the leader of a nation to a toast.”

“I put them where they belong, in a place suitable for them.”

I wondered if there were any unpleasant memories or if someone in the family had suffered from the Ime. Why did he hate and scorn them so much? I was genuinely curious now. One of the Black Demon King’s subordinates cautiously spoke.

“W-Well, it depends on Your Majesty’s will, but it would be generous to send them away with broad-mindedness. There are many rumors circulating behind the scenes. I-I mean, it’s not necessarily true! No one would dare to defy Your Majesty’s decision! Even if there’s someone talking nonsense behind your back, it should be dealt with severely, but still, it’s just in case… Haha…”

The Black Demon King raised his eyebrows as if lost in thought.

“I don’t like the idea of monsters wandering around my castle. I’ve played enough for now; send them away.”

“Wh-When are you sending them…?”

“Tomorrow.”

“…!”

It was a voice as if pronouncing a death sentence. I involuntarily raised my head. At that moment, the eyes of the Black Demon King and mine met. Sending them away? What nonsense is that? If that’s the case, the reason I came here, my desperate efforts to survive, and everything that led to the removal of the assassin’s fang and the sucking out of poison—all of it would be in vain. In the face of an unexpected crisis, my thoughts became entangled in confusion. Staring into the abyss of a cliff, I looked at the Black Demon King with desperate eyes. His expression, shrouded in darkness, subtly changed for a moment. However, his eyes were filled with disgust, as if he had seen something repulsive. I clenched my trembling fists. At that moment, Raonhilljo spoke with a puzzled tone.

“Oh, by the way, didn’t that guy promise to paint Garon Your Highness’s portrait?”

The Black Demon King shifted only his dry gaze towards me.

“I have absolutely no recollection of granting permission…”

“If it wasn’t permitted, what does that mean?”

When the Black Demon King made an expression like he had bitten into something sour, Raonhilljo glanced at me. My face stiffened under his gaze, as it was practically the same as lying to him. However, it wasn’t the right time to explain the situation in detail. With the last straw clinging to hope, I looked at the Black Demon King.

“I will cover the eyes. If you dislike the horns, I’ll cover them too. Please allow me to paint Your Highness’s portrait.”