A Tree Beyond the Years — Chapter 12

THERE ARE MANY WAYS

TO SEAL A YOKAI,

BUT THE ABSOLUTE WORST AMONG THEM

IS A SEALING ART THAT USES A HUMAN—

AND WORSE YET,

A SEALING ART THAT TRAPS A YOKAI WITHIN A HUMAN BODY.

SINCE THE FRAIL SECOND CHILD COULDN'T BE USED AS A SACRIFICE,

THERE WAS ONLY ONE ANSWER.

EVEN SO...

A HUMAN CANNOT SERVE AS A VESSEL

CAPABLE OF WITHSTANDING A YOKAI'S MALICE.

NEITHER LIVING NOR DEAD,

THEY TURN INTO A YOKAI'S PUPPET, DESTROYING EVERYTHING AROUND THEM,

AND IN THE END,

THEY, TOO, END UP BEING DEVOURED. /

IT IS A BIT STRANGE THAT

I CAN'T READ ANY FEAR OF THE YOKAI FROM HIM, BUT...

HE MUST HAVE TRANSCENDED SUCH EMOTIONS ALREADY, OR SIMPLY LOST HIS MIND ENTIRELY.

HAVE THE YOKAI COMPLETELY SURROUNDED US?

RIGHT.

THERE'S NO WAY THAT SMALL YOKAI WAS ALONE.

LED BY THE ALPHA SEALED INSIDE THE LANDOWNER,

THEY WERE TURNING THE INSIDE OF THE FORTRESS WALLS INTO A STRONGHOLD FOR THE TREE YOKAI.

STAY BEHIND ME.

WHY?

...ISN'T IT BECAUSE THEIR HOST FAILED TO PROVIDE TODAY'S PREY,

WHICH IS WHY THEY'RE RAMPAGING LIKE THIS?

SUNLIGHT IS POISON TO TREE YOKAI,

SO WE ONLY NEED TO HOLD OUT UNTIL DAWN BREAKS.

FIRE MIRROR.

PHEW...

FOR NOW, WE MADE IT THROUGH SAFELY IN THIS ROOM-

LANDOWNER...?

YOU WERE QUIET ALL NIGHT,

SO I THOUGHT YOU WERE ASLEEP...

I THINK YOU COULD DO IT.

...PARDON?

!

WHAT IN THE WORLD IS...?

PULL ME OUT.

FROM INSIDE THIS ABYSS.

...IT'S STRANGE.

DID HE WAIT ALL NIGHT JUST TO SAY THIS?

A "FIRST"

MAKES A PERSON FEEL TRULY PECULIAR.

FROM THE FIRST TIME

HE BROUGHT HIS UNVARNISHED FACE UP CLOSE TO MINE,

TO THIS VERY MOMENT,

REVEALING HIS INNERMOST THOUGHTS FOR THE FIRST TIME...

BECAUSE THEY MAKE IT IMPOSSIBLE TO RESIST, JUST LIKE FATE.

I HAD INTENDED TO LEAVE ONLY AFTER FULFILLING MY MISSION ANYWAY...

SO EVEN IF I CONSIDER STARTING OVER FROM SCRATCH, NOTHING REALLY CHANGES.

...?

ALLOW ME TO INTRODUCE MYSELF FORMALLY.

I STUDIED IN SONGDEOK,

AND MY NAME IS JAKYEONG.

JAKYEONG.

JAKYEONG...

JAKYEONG.

I AM GISEOK OF THE ROYAL FAMILY OF THE KINGDOM OF SEOP.

OH, DEAR... IT'S NOT AS THOUGH I CAN ADDRESS SOMEONE OF YOUR NOBLE STATION BY NAME IN RETURN.

STILL, AT LONG LAST...

I FEEL LIKE WE'RE FINALLY FACING EACH OTHER AS EQUALS.

WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!

THIS ISN'T RIGHT!

HOW COULD YOU DO SOMETHING SO OUTRAGEOUS AND UNPARDONABLE?!

THERE MUST BE SOME MISTAKE!

SENDING ALL OF US AWAY JUST LIKE THAT?!

...THE LANDOW NER!!

THE LANDOWNER IS HERE!!

PLEASE, HAVE MERCY ON US!

WHAT DID WE DO WRONG?

I DON'T HAVE NEARLY ENOUGH MONEY FOR MY MOTHER'S MEDICINE...!

SEEING THEM LIKE THIS...

"WE'RE ON THE BRINK OF STARVATION,"

"WE DON'T EVEN HAVE A SINGLE YEOPJEON TO FEED OUR CHILDREN..."

I WONDER IF THEY WERE JUST BORN HEARTLESS, RATHER THAN POSSESSED BY A YOKAI...

(EXASPERATED...)

THEY SHOULD BE ABLE TO LEAVE WITH THE WEALTH THEY'VE GATHERED SO FAR.

WHAT WILL YOU DO?

IS HE TELLING ME TO ANNOUNCE TO THIS PACK OF MONKEYS THAT I'M THE ROOT CAUSE OF THIS MESS,

AND SUFFER A STONING AT THEIR HANDS?

IF I DON'T GIVE A CLEAR ANSWER RIGHT NOW,

EVERYTHING WILL END UP ALL FOR NAUGHT.

TURNING THIS FORTRESS INTO AN ENVIRONMENT THE YOKAI DESPISE COMES FIRST,

AND THE TALISMANS I'VE DRAWN OVER THE PAST FEW DAYS

ARE STILL NOWHERE NEAR ENOUGH.

SO FOR NOW, REMOVING THE YOKAI'S PREY IS THE RIGHT CALL.

SEND THEM ALL AWAY, PLEASE.

WHAT WAAAT WHAAAT

I SHOULD HAVE STOLEN A FEW OF MASTER'S TALISMANS BEFORE LEAVING.

How could such a madman...

HM?

DID YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY?

WAIT, SHOULDN'T I BE THE ONE ASKING THAT?

Never mind, forget it.

PLEASE PLACE A BRASS BOWL IN THE SARANGBANG.

A BRASS BOWL?

YES. KEEP IT NEAR WHERE YOU SLEEP, AND STRIKE IT IF ANYTHING STRANGE HAPPENS.

...SO THAT YOU CAN COME RUNNING?

WHO ELSE WOULD COME IF NOT ME?

...HA,

HAHA.