By Zephyria 
Since when had he been there?
Owl felt inwardly flustered but showed no sign of it, naturally shifting his gaze to the brazier.
“I have no obligation to answer……”
Baek Ryeo-il lightly jumped down from the tree. The sound of his landing was barely audible.
“Hey. You don’t seem to realize how much I’m holding back right now, but my patience is running thin.”
“……”
Flap, flap.
Owl paid no mind to Baek Ryeo-il’s words, focusing entirely on fanning the fire.
“What on earth were you thinking, following us all the way here? The Divine Physician? Was he so weak that you had to personally rescue him? And what’s with that medicine? What kind of scheme are you plotting?”
Baek Ryeo-il’s tone gradually grew more agitated.
“Not to mention Peng Do-hwan…! Do you still not know what kind of man he is? Turn back now. You’ll be no help in rescuing the Divine Physician, so just go back and wait quietly. Before things get even more dangerous.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about……”
Finally, Owl spoke.
“But if I had to say which of you and Young Master Peng is more dangerous… it would be you.”
“……”
As if taken aback by the unexpected answer, Baek Ryeo-il’s eyes widened.
“Don’t interfere with us. That is how you can help. If you truly can’t do that, then go and remove the badger mask. Remove it and see who is hidden beneath, and confirm if it’s the face you hoped to see. Why can’t you do that…?”
“……”
Baek Ryeo-il clenched his fist. He trembled violently for a long moment as if about to explode, then vanished without a sound.
“……”
As expected… Baek Ryeo-il had already guessed the badger’s identity.
Yet, the reason for choosing to travel with him wasn’t solely to find the Divine Physician. If Baek Ryeo-il had been alone, he would have fled the moment he saw him, hiding somewhere he could never be found. The variable was Peng Do-hwan.
As long as Seong Mu-yeon’s identity remained well-hidden beneath the mask, Baek Ryeo-il would never be able to lay a hand on him due to Peng Do-hwan’s interference.
As long as Baek Ryeo-il targeted Seong Mu-yeon, Peng Do-hwan, due to his antipathy towards him and his innate nature, would do his utmost to ensure Seong Mu-yeon’s safety.
Owl was fully utilizing that delicate stalemate.
Of course, one nagging question remained.
‘For reasons unknown… he seems to not want Peng Do-hwan to know the youngest’s true identity…’
Perhaps he feared Peng Do-hwan would snatch him away before he could carry out his revenge.
Maybe he wanted complete revenge, monopolizing him in a place unknown to anyone, yielding to no one.
In any case, the subtle balance between the two men served as their safety net.
They had to find the Divine Physician before this safety net tore.
That was the only way.
* * *
Jegal Un, who had been working late into the night, suddenly looked up, struck by a thought.
‘It’s past the time for contact.’
Once every three months, he would secretly meet with the Divine Physician to prepare Seong Mu-yeon’s medicine. Normally, the date and location should have been communicated by now, but for some reason, there had been no word.
‘…Could he have simply forgotten?’
From his experience, the Divine Physician was indeed as thorough and cold-natured as the rumors suggested, but that was only on the surface. The more one knew him, the more unexpected facets he revealed.
Divine Physician So Ja-young.
The absolute master of medicine, called a benevolent physician who healed the sick—in truth, she was terrible at self-management, her room always a mess, and she would often get drunk to the point of unconsciousness. Contrary to her cold exterior, she was surprisingly compassionate, unable to pass by those in pitiful circumstances.
‘Not to mention taking in the Demonic Cult’s Seventh Young Master, Seong Mu-yeon…’
How could the Divine Physician, who shared not a single drop of blood with him, do such a thing?
It was something even he, his actual blood relative, could not do.
‘……’
To think the place where he finally found his lost aunt was the Demonic Cult.
As he recalled the fact he had tried so hard to forget, a thick sense of displeasure smoldered from deep within his chest. In the end, Jegal Un put down his brush and rubbed his tired eyelids.
Just then, the door slid open with a drruk sound.
“You’re still awake.”
“Father?”
Jegal Un sprang up from his seat to greet the Jegal Clan Head.
“What brings you here at this late hour?”
As Jegal Un moved to prepare tea, the Clan Head waved his hand to stop him.
“…Father?”
“I’ve felt uneasy all day, and now I know why. Today is your aunt’s birthday.”
“Ah……”
Jegal Un’s expression darkened.
The Clan Head extended his palm to him. Jegal Un immediately understood and retrieved a necklace from within his clothes, handing it over.
“Lately, I’ve been worried you’ve been neglecting the search for your aunt. I know the world is in turmoil and you’re busy as well. I too have been handling incidents erupting everywhere and completely forgot your aunt’s birthday……”
The Clan Head slowly traced the surface of the golden necklace with his fingers.
“But finding your aunt is a destiny we must never forget, Un. Always keep it in your heart and never forget.”
“……”
“Do you have some complaint?”
Receiving no answer, the Clan Head’s gaze abruptly changed. A sharp look pierced his son, who kept his eyes lowered.
“No, I don’t.”
“You and I should feel guilty even sitting here! Originally, the position of Jegal Clan Head was not mine but your aunt’s! Our duty is to manage the clan to the best of our ability so we are not a burden to its true owner when she returns. Have you grown greedy, enjoying honors beyond your station?”
A harsh rebuke poured forth.
It was a story he had heard until his ears were calloused. The one originally meant to inherit the Jegal Clan was his aunt, Jegal Mimi, and he was merely holding the clan temporarily until her return.
In his younger, less discerning days, Jegal Un had thought the same. He believed it was right to guard the clan well and return it when its true owner appeared.
But as he grew older, his thoughts changed. His aunt, who had disappeared over a decade ago, would not return. Everyone except the Clan Head thought so.
Then, who was the clan’s master now?
Jegal Un gritted his teeth and strove to become the best. The Clan Head would depose Jegal Un and seat another relative in his place whenever he deemed it better for the clan’s future.
This was a clan he had nurtured, sacrificing sleep night after night. He could not let it fall into another’s hands due to his father’s futile delusion.
Especially if that other was Seong Mu-yeon.
‘If this is greed, then so be it.’
That’s why Jegal Un had to hide Seong Mu-yeon’s existence. The aunt his father so desperately sought was no longer in this world, but the sole legacy she left behind…
‘Father would gladly pass the Clan Head position to my aunt’s child. Even if he is a Demonic Cult young master…’
“Are you listening to me!”
Snapped out of his thoughts by the Clan Head’s shout, Jegal Un hid his true feelings and calmly replied.
“Yes, Father. I apologize. It’s true I had momentarily forgotten about my aunt. But I will not give up until the end.”
“Good.”
Only then did the Clan Head’s expression soften as he nodded.
“That’s my son.”
The Clan Head returned the necklace and patted Jegal Un’s shoulder.
“Rest well.”
Thud.
Only after the Clan Head had completely left did Jegal Un finally release the breath he had been holding in a long sigh.
‘Seong Mu-yeon…’
That said, Jegal Un had no intention of letting him die either. Keeping this secret and letting him die and disappear unknown to anyone would be the cleanest ending.
It was certainly not out of mercy or pity.
Jegal Un was confident he wouldn’t shed a single tear even if Seong Mu-yeon dropped dead before his eyes. He might even feel relieved.
But Jegal Un ultimately couldn’t turn his back on the dying man and had saved Seong Mu-yeon’s life, even at the cost of revealing the secret.
‘I’m in no position to criticize the Divine Physician either.’
After a brief moment of self-mockery, Jegal Un’s face soon hardened again.
‘Has something really happened…’
He let out another long sigh.
The cousin he had barely found had been displeasing from the start and seemed to only cause him continuous trouble ever since.
Yet, why couldn’t he sever his concern?
“Attendant! Is anyone there?”
“Yes, Young Clan Head. You called?”
“I must depart on a journey. Make the preparations.”
“Huh? At this hour? Is there urgent business? If so, shall I summon a guardian law enforcer to accompany…”
“No need. Guardian law enforcers, what a bother. I’ll return in three days, so let it be known.”
“Yes.”
Jegal Un was the type who found plans going awry harder to bear than death. Basically, anyone with a shred of sense would give prior notice before things went wrong, but it was hard to expect such common-sense behavior from either the Divine Physician or Seong Mu-yeon.
‘If the tiger won’t leave its den, I must enter it myself.’
With the weary expression of one shouldering all the world’s worries and pains, Jegal Un left the room.