Seeing her open her mouth as if to say something more and then close it again, Imugi couldn't help but sigh.
"Ha. This is driving me crazy."
For some reason, Baegmi giggled.
"At least I'm glad you came. I thought you wouldn't even notice me, always busy working on the island."
"It's not like I care. I just came because it's my job. Driving away evil spirits during the Ghost Festival is quite rewarding."
Baegmi playfully slapped Imugi's shoulder.
"Really, you haven't changed a bit, have you?"
Imugi grumbled in response.
"Sometimes I do come, since there are benefits."
"Ah, really? You haven't changed at all, huh?"
Her innocent and carefree laugh was just like the old Baegmi.
Imugi secretly felt a bit relieved.
"Anyway, be honest. As the father of the child, you should know these things."
As he said this, Imugi took something out from his sleeve and handed it to her.
"Here. I didn't buy this just for you, so don't feel obligated."
It was the valuable jewels, ornaments, and treasures that had flowed in on the boats to the sacrificial island, items Baegmi had always shown interest in as a fox spirit. Imugi thought it better to give them to someone who would use them properly, rather than keep them unused.
'I had a gold ring too. It should be a good gift for the child.'
She must have found it very confining to live such a restricted life, even though she was a free-spirited fox spirit who usually roamed freely.
"I brought these because I thought they'd be useless to me anyway, since I'm going to ascend."
"Don't say I gave it to you. Just say you had it all along. Sell a few pieces of jewelry to buy clothes for the child."
Despite his gruff tone, Baegmi, who was always so open-hearted, smiled brightly.
In front of the surprised Imugi, Baegmi burst into even louder tears.
"Hey, hey. What are you crying for?"
Flustered and unsure of what to do, he finally patted her shoulder lightly.
'You couldn't even show your happiness at having a child.'
Even he, who was usually so insensitive, felt a pang of sympathy.
Baegmi, clutching the gift bag tightly in both hands, finally stopped crying and nodded.
"Good. You made the right decision."
Sniffing, Baegmi clutched the bag to her chest, not wanting to let it go.
She wiped her eyes with the edge of her sleeve and looked at him with clear eyes.
"I have a favor to ask, Imugi."
"Please take care of our child if anything happens to me later."
"What nonsense are you talking?"
His cold response made Baegmi hiccup.
"That's your child. Raise them by your side until the end. Show them a happy life. And when your partner's lifespan ends, live together and support each other."
Tears welled up in Baegmi's eyes again.
They swelled up in her eyes and then burst, streaming down her cheeks.
Imugi, who was concerned about her crying, finally materialized part of his arm.
He detached a few of his scales, cast a simple spell on them, and handed them to her.
"If you chant the incantation, these scales will find me wherever I am. Call me if you're in trouble."
Even after ascending, these scales would still be able to find him.
It was a taboo for divine spirits to deeply involve themselves with humans, but he couldn't help feeling concerned.
'Since she's carrying a child that isn't human.'
He tried to rationalize it and straightened his robe.
"Don't stay out in the cold. Go inside. I have to go to work."
"Hii. Stay a bit longer."
"Your mother-in-law is here, and you have a husband."
Despite his concern, he didn't want to attract unnecessary attention from others.
Chapter 33: Nightmare (2)
"In just seven more months, we'll meet our baby. I've already chosen a name: 'Heumi'."
"Even the name sounds like your child."
Baegmi, giggling, spoke in a much brighter voice than before.
"Come see our Heumi! You're not the ominous black Imugi, but a divine spirit that brings blessings and good fortune!"
"What are you talking about? Just take care of yourself."
At that moment, another gaze fell upon him as he turned to leave.
The person watching Imugi move away and Baegmi, who was entering the room with a more relaxed expression after tidying her eyes, was none other than Rune Eclipse.
The scene suddenly changed.
Baegmi stood a few steps behind, and a man, now a cripple, knelt in front of a grave.
Wearing a hemp garment, the man called out to his deceased mother, tears streaming down his face.
His sobs subsided, and an eerie silence fell.
When Baegmi, carrying a swollen belly, approached him with concern, he spoke.
"Why didn't you use the fox pearl to save my mother?"
Baegmi, with a pained expression, tried to speak.
But her husband was faster.
"You can always have another child. Why didn't you try to save my mother, who will never come back?"
"I told you, the fox pearl doesn't have that power."
Baegmi, with a tear-streaked face, shook her head.
"Besides, the pearl is in our child. Your child. How could you even think of sacrificing this child!"
Her voice broke with a mix of injustice and sorrow.
But her words didn't reach her husband's ears.
"Lie! You just didn't want to use the pearl! I was foolish to marry you, deceived by your beautiful and charming appearance."
His eyes were wild and bloodshot.
The husband, visibly on the verge of losing control, spat out harsh words.
"Did you also kill my father in the mountains?"
"How can you say such things!"
"I met you when I went to see where my father had passed away. I thought you were a match sent by my father and was pleased!"
Horrifying words continued to pour out of his mouth.
"You were just a cunning demon, trying to seduce me with all sorts of trinkets and claiming you loved me!"
Baegmi, gasping for breath, covered her mouth and then her ears.
Flashes of memories flickered in her mind.
Her husband, kneeling and begging her to use the fox pearl to save his mother.
She, shocked, telling him not to say such things and getting angry for the first time.
Her husband, furious, scolding her for being a disobedient daughter-in-law.
He ignored her tears and turned away.
The images seemed to be struggling in the mud, gradually sinking into a quagmire.
Rune, who already knew the end, muttered involuntarily.
Finally, the husband, looking at Baegmi coldly, unleashed his fury.
"You were just a demon who came to eat my parents, one after the other!"
Baegmi wailed in despair.
She was no longer a happy fox spirit or a beloved human wife.
"You murderer of my parents!"
A slap landed on her face.
She collapsed on the spot, then, startled by the cold floor, half-rose, thinking of her child.
Her husband, tripping, stumbled and fell, landing in the direction she had been pushed.
A dull and ominous sound.
Blood trickled from her temple, where her head had hit the edge of the tombstone.
The husband, shocked, stood frozen, staring down at her.
Baegmi's limp hand twitched and then stopped.
Blood from her head stained the grave red.
Everything ended in an instant.
"I, I didn't mean to kill her. I didn't want to kill her!"
The trembling man fled the scene.
At that moment, Baegmi's lips moved slightly.
The scale hidden deep in her embrace floated into the air.
The star-like gleam from the black scale momentarily held her fading gaze.
The black scale shot off in a specific direction.
Baegmi's transparent tears gathered and then streamed down her cheeks, mingling with the red blood.
The child she always called in her heart but would never hold in her arms.
In her dying eyes, a black dot could be seen flying from the distant sky.
Imugi, upon seeing her gaze, knew she had already passed away.
There was no time to be angry.
He wrapped Baegmi's body in his robe and cast a spell to preserve it from decay.
The husband, who had fled after killing Baegmi, had returned, unnoticed in the chaos.
To a mere human, Imugi's appearance was that of a grim reaper.
"You are Baegmi's husband."
The ominous black figure of Imugi loomed behind him like a shadow.
"I, I, I made a mistake..."
A human couldn't withstand the divine spirit's killing intent.
The man, kicked in the stomach by Imugi, rolled on the ground and wet himself, collapsing in a heap.
"Shameless, despicable scum."
The merciless beating left the husband gasping for breath, his eyes rolling back.
Feeling like he was facing a grim reaper, the man flailed his hands and then clasped them together, begging.
The man, whose teeth were knocked out, could barely speak.
A chilling aura enveloped the husband's body.
"You killed your wife and now you're begging for your life?"