97. Farewell

97. Farewell

“Kuh-uh-uh.”

“Sleep well.”

Seol-yeon stroked her sleeping sister’s head. The snow-white and soft hair flowed through her fingers.

Her sleeping form was completely different from when she was awake, so peaceful and quiet.

The sight of her curled up, hugging her large tail, made Seol-yeon smile faintly.

If only she were this quiet all the time.

She’s an angel only when she’s asleep, an angel.

‘Why does my Seol-yeon cause trouble as soon as she opens her eyes, even though she’s like an angel when she sleeps? Won’t you tell Mom?’

“….”

Seol-yeon shook her head, scattering the old memories that came to mind.

The past is just the past.

Instead, Seol-yeon began to organize her thoughts one by one, with her eyes gently closed.

How shocked she was when Grandmother first mentioned that the arctic fox suin resembled Seol-ah. She was truly worried if Seol-ah would realize her true identity.

Fortunately, nothing like that happened.

Seol-ah’s belief in being a wolf seemed even stronger than Seol-yeon had thought.

In any case, thanks to Lucy’s grandmother, Seol-yeon was able to learn more about arctic foxes.

From the fact that arctic foxes and arctic fox suins always travel together, to the fact that arctic foxes do their best to protect the Arctic.

… And that arctic foxes are almost extinct due to human poaching.

“Haa.”

She didn’t know what connection there was between the disappearance of arctic fox suins and the extinction of arctic foxes.

However, considering that the arctic fox suins, who were occasionally seen before, suddenly vanished without a trace, she could only think that the hunting of arctic foxes must have had some impact on the suins.

And that… would be the same for Seol-ah.

Suddenly, anxiety bloomed in Seol-yeon’s heart.

The incidents that Seol-gu caused while dragging Seol-ah along. How dangerous were those things?

Thinking that Seol-ah could somehow resolve them with her strength was difficult now that she knew how arctic foxes became extinct.

If Seol-ah were to go out like this and fight humans who indiscriminately harm nature….

Surely, something terrible would happen.

She knew now that Seol-ah was quite strong. She knew that Seol-ah could make her own judgments.

Even if Seol-ah wanted to do something dangerous, if it was truly what she wanted, Seol-yeon could allow it. Apart from her worries, Seol-yeon now knew how to trust her sister.

However, this was very different from before.

Because Seol-ah’s strength alone was clearly insufficient.

“Kkang.”

“Huh?”

As Seol-yeon was lost in thought, a familiar fox sound was suddenly heard from beside her head. Seol-yeon tilted her head and quietly got up.

“Seol-gu? Is this… a book?”

“Kkang kkang.”

Seol-gu, who should have been sleeping in the same room as Father, had somehow entered Seol-yeon and Seol-ah’s room.

Seol-gu placed the thick book he was holding in his mouth on the floor with a thud. Seol-yeon picked it up.

… Although it was a bit slobbery, it seemed readable.

Although it was well-preserved, it was impossible to shake off the feeling that it was quite old. It was impossible to know from which era this document originated.

“The title is… ‘Basic Spiritology for Puppies: Easy Learning for Puppies’? Kingdom, what era is this from?”

“Kkang.”

“There are hairs stuck in it.”

As Seol-yeon turned the book around, she noticed that Seol-gu’s tail fur, presumably, was neatly stuck in various pages of the book.

It seemed unlikely that the fur simply got stuck while Seol-gu was carrying the book, as it was quite neatly placed.

“Are you telling me to read these parts?”

Seol-gu wagged his tail. It seemed to be the correct interpretation.

Seol-yeon slowly opened the first page marked with fur. Then, she read the first sentence.

“Author’s Note… Puppies are cuter than cats.”

“Kkang!”

“Ah, sorry. It’s the next page.”

Seol-yeon cleared her throat and turned a page.

“Spirits are components that form nature, and they are conceptual beings that are born from nature and repeatedly return to nature.”

Seol-gu extended his paw and pointed to the third paragraph from the beginning. It seemed to be showing only the conclusion.

“… Therefore, attempts to distinguish between spirits and animals are meaningless. More precisely, spirits and animals are essentially the same. Hmm… I see.”

Animals are spirits. Spirits are animals. Then… perhaps Seol-gu too?

Seol-yeon’s eyes turned towards the white ball of fur. Seol-gu, with his usual incomprehensible, goofy face, stretched out his legs and pointed to the book.

It must mean to turn the page.

Seol-yeon turned the book to the next page marked with fur and read the paragraph.

“Suins are one of the closest pseudo-human species to these spirits, and they have a close relationship with the animal they are based on. For example, when a suin is born, an animal is born, and when an animal is born, a suin is born.”

“Kkang kkang.”

“Spirits and suins born simultaneously like this are generally close, but their behavior differs depending on the species. Some species live together with their spirits, while others live separately without ever meeting their spirits.”

So, are arctic fox suins the type that live together with their spirits, the arctic foxes? Seol-yeon organized her thoughts as she read the book.

“However, humans, unlike suins, do not have spirits, making them different from inferior animals… No need to read this part.”

Perhaps because it’s an old book, the writing is a bit biased. Seol-yeon filtered the content appropriately as she read.

“Spirits can exert their strongest power only when they correctly define themselves. For example, if a spirit is raised among a group of other animals and mistakes its species, that spirit cannot use its power… Hmm.”

Come to think of it, Seol-ah’s magic became particularly strong when she said she was a fox, not a wolf. Perhaps this is related to that.

Seol-ah was raised among wolves, but she was a fox.

No matter how much she thought she was a wolf, Seol-ah… was a fox.

“Is this it?”

“Kkang kkang.”

“Thanks for bringing the book, anyway. I learned a lot.”

Seol-yeon stroked Seol-gu’s head. Seol-gu took the book and quietly left the room, and soon only silence remained in Seol-yeon’s room.

“….”

For Seol-ah to become stronger, to use her full strength, to protect herself from the dangers she will face, she must realize her true identity.

But if she did, Seol-ah would get hurt.

But as she is now, Seol-ah will surely hit the limit of her strength. It will surely be dangerous.

But if that happens, Seol-ah-

But….

But…….

——

“Goodbye!”

“Yes, go well.”

In the end, Seol-yeon greeted the next morning without reaching a conclusion. Seeing Seol-yeon’s face, which clearly showed the fatigue of staying up all night, Seol-ah asked.

“Sister, why is your face like that? You look so tired.”

“It’s nothing. Just a bit….”

Seeing Seol-yeon stammering, Seol-ah thought deeply. She figured her sister couldn’t sleep because she was excited about taking the train.

Then, she inwardly chuckled, thinking that her sister also had a childish side.

At her sister’s subtly displeasing expression, Seol-yeon narrowed her eyes and flicked Seol-ah’s forehead lightly.

Amidst the sound of “Kkang” echoing throughout the house.

Seol-yeon, quickly healing her forehead with magic, thanked Lucy’s grandmother.

“Thank you for letting us stay. It was a great help.”

“Not at all. Thanks to you, I’m feeling better… If you ever have a reason to come to the village again, don’t hesitate to visit. We’ll always have a place for you.”

“Yes. Goodbye.”

Turning around, Seol-ah, who had been in pain, was now saying goodbye to Lucy as if nothing had happened. Seol-yeon quietly stood next to her father and waited for Seol-ah.

“Lucy, it was fun!”

“Yeah! Um… are you coming again later?”

“Of course! Let’s play again next time!”

“Yeah!”

Lucy and Seol-ah hugged each other tightly. At that moment, Seol-ah seemed to remember something, and quickly took out a transparent stone from her tail.

Then, Seol-ah quietly whispered something to the stone. As the stone emitted a beam of light, a beautiful, large, fist-sized soap bubble, shimmering with iridescent colors, landed in Seol-ah’s hand.

Seol-ah held out the soap bubble to Lucy and shouted.

“Here, a gift!”

“Wow! This is….”

“It’s a super-strong soap bubble that won’t pop no matter how much you touch it! Look!”

Seol-ah clapped her hands around the soap bubble. However, even then, the soap bubble didn’t pop; it flattened for a moment and then sprang back to its original round shape resiliently.

Lucy let out an even louder exclamation than before.

“Wow!!”

“And it has a special function too? Here, if you do this to it….”

Seol-ah barked “Kkang” at the soap bubble. Then, the soap bubble shimmered and transformed into the shape of a wolf.

A wolf-shaped soap bubble, about the size of a palm.

Judging by its shape, it was a noble wolf figure, but the fact that it was made of soap bubble material removed the majestic feel, leaving only cuteness.

Seol-ah barked “Kkang” again. Then, the soap bubble returned to its original form.

“See, it goes back to its original form like this. Isn’t it cool!”

“Yeah!!”

Lucy accepted the soap bubble, her eyes sparkling.

It was truly the best gift.

“Goodbye! Seol-ah!”

“Yeah! Goodbye, Lucy! And Grandmother too!”

“Yes, go well.”

After exchanging farewells until the very end, Seol-ah and her group finally left Lucy’s house and headed for the train station.

“Ah, here it comes!”

Just then, the train was arriving.