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Chapter 83

"He always disappears when I take off the Eun-gipo, so I kept it on and brought him here today," Arin grumbled.

Woo-hyun lifted his head. "That's my job. If your identity gets exposed because of me, that tiger will kill me."

"Would you like to hear what the tiger in front of you has to say?"

"Shut up, seriously."

Woo-hyun clicked his tongue and turned away. Arin watched him fiddle with the back of his hair and said,

"Divine Maiden, remember how Woo-hyun used to throw a fit about cutting his hair?"

"I do. I worried about how he'd turn out, always skulking around with half his face hidden."

Arin covered her eyes with her hand, and Yeoryeong chuckled.

Woo-hyun glared at her. "Are you picking a fight?"

"No—I'm saying you look better now. With your forehead showing, you have a face after all."

She smiled and gave a thumbs-up, leaving him speechless. He just frowned.

"...You've got a mouth on you, girl."

His sharp retort was as unchanged as ever. Yeoryeong glanced at his reddening ears and said,

"A boy who looks like a girl is calling someone a girl."

"Don't you start either, old hag!"

"I'm the Divine Maiden. Since you're her guard, you should mind your manners."

When she raised her staff, Woo-hyun reflexively covered his head—a habit from the many times she'd whacked him as a child.

"There's no one else here!"

"Strained water often leaks outside too."

"Tch, nagging."

He grumbled and flopped onto the wooden bench. Outside was a land of monsters, but the village was peaceful—like coming home, even though he'd only been there a few months. He soon fell asleep.

Arin glanced at him and said to Yeoryeong, "I brought what you asked for, Divine Maiden."

"These are well-preserved this time."

"I've gotten better with practice—though I'm still far from your level."

"Maybe not. You might even be better than me now."

Compared to a few years ago, her power was far more refined—astonishing, even surpassing Yeoryeong's own at the same age.

While Yeoryeong examined the cores, Arin fell silent, then spoke.

"You know, one of the monsters I met this time kept moving even after I extracted its core—as if it were still alive."

"Really?"

"Yes. I had to destroy it, but its host was in a strange state..."

Usually, removing or destroying the core made the host collapse like a cut puppet. But this one kept living, writhing in pain when the core was destroyed. It unsettled her.

"Maybe they've started succeeding with living subjects. It's disturbing."

So far, they had suspected the Black Demon clan was animating corpses with cores—but a case that broke that theory made her uneasy.

Yeoryeong narrowed her eyes. "Did it bother you to kill them?"

"Yes."

"They were already dead. It only looked alive—that was an illusion."

She spoke coldly and rose.

"If such things appear again, don't hesitate. Nothing is more dangerous than pitying your enemy."

Yeoryeong was particularly ruthless when it came to the Black Demon clan—Arin knew it was because of Hyeokgwang.

She nodded and changed the subject. "Still, it's been easier since Woo-hyun started coming with me."

"Good. I was worried he'd cause trouble."

"He's surprisingly proper as a guard—so much so that it's awkward."

"His teacher must be strict."

It was the result of Dogyeong's intensive training.

"How are you and Hwasa getting along?"

"We're working better together."

"Your compatibility was perfect—that creature survived because of you."

The egg Arin had received from the Fire Serpent hadn't hatched for years. She had feared it never would.

"I'm just grateful he was born healthy."

Sss.

Hwasa licked her finger in response. Few knew this cute little snake was a fearsome Fire Serpent. With its playful nature, it had stolen Arin's heart.

Yeoryeong then said, "Your birthday is coming up. Doyoung and Muje have both requested leave to visit."

"Really? My threats must have worked this time."

"Threats?"

"I told them if they didn't come this time, I'd never see them again."

Arin muttered darkly, and Yeoryeong laughed. She suspected why Muje had been avoiding Arin—after being so close since childhood, the familiarity must have become awkward. Especially as he entered adolescence and began seeing her as a woman, he must have struggled. Now Arin had grown into a lovely young lady. Bound by the word "friend," he had likely chosen distance over confusion.

But Arin, unaware, felt hurt.

"Don't be too hard on him. He must have his own troubles."

"What kind of troubles? We used to talk about everything. Now I don't even know what he's thinking."

She pouted. Her closest friend had suddenly pulled away—two years of only letters after seeing each other daily.

"Honestly, I'm worried it'll be awkward when we meet."

With so many thoughts, the approaching birthday made her nervous.

Just then, Woo-hyun mumbled, still lying down, "Worried he won't want to hang out with you anymore?"

His gaze had oddly flicked toward the wall, but Arin didn't notice. He seemed to sneer at someone before turning back.

"Maybe he got tired of being attached at the hip. Just forget about him."

"Shut up. We're close—he always replies to my letters."

Arin's weak protest made him scoff.

"We're shoo clothe."

"Hey! Don't tease me!"

She snapped, and he chuckled, then stood.

"Let's go—it'll get dark soon."

He draped the Eun-gipo over her head and nodded to Yeoryeong.

"We're leaving, old hag."

"Divine Maiden."

He shrugged and hurried Arin along. Yeoryeong shook her head—she knew why he'd rushed her off.

Not long after they left, Muje appeared at the shrine. He had been hiding the whole time, clearly avoiding her.

Yeoryeong narrowed her eyes. "If you'd come a little earlier, you'd have seen Arin."

He didn't deny it, heading toward the bench—then stopped.

Something caught his eye.

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