The Beloved Baby Deer of the Hwangryong Family - Chapter 99

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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‘Dragon Spirit, hiding? Who?’

 

[I can’t say. If it disappears this time, I don’t know how long it will be before it returns.]

 

When she asked back in surprise, Seollin flapped her wings listlessly and spoke.

 

[…I can’t go into detail, but the Dragon Spirit is right. If there’s nothing left in the books, it’s probably because all the old records have been erased.]

 

‘Why would they do such a thing? You said that four spirits need to gather to defeat the evil calamity. If everyone knew about the medicinal herbs with spirits, we could collect them faster!’

 

[Because not everyone wishes for peace.]

 

‘But Dragon Spirit, if it’s peaceful, everyone lives better.’

 

[Little one, in this world, there have always been humans who want to live exceptionally better than others. For them, everyone living well together isn’t important. Only their own well-being matters.]

 

But if everyone lived well, they would all laugh more and be much, much happier.

 

Having learned how joyful it was to laugh together while staying with the Golden Dragon Family, Seo-yu couldn’t understand the Dragon Spirit’s words well.

 

However, the two spirits maintaining silence with heavy faces seemed to have already seen such people.

 

‘That’s why they’re both upset.’

 

Seo-yu wanted to find the Thousand Year Spirit Herb as soon as possible, if only for the sake of the two spirits.

 

‘But how exactly can I find the Thousand Year Spirit Herb? Seollin and the Dragon Spirit can’t answer, so I can’t ask them more, and there’s nothing in the books either…’

 

She planned to visit the West Hall every day since she couldn’t give up just because it wasn’t visible, but if she continued searching and found no information at all, it would feel very hopeless.

 

‘It would be nice if there was someone I could ask.’

 

While pondering, Seo-yu recalled an old man she had met recently.

 

‘Ah, there’s Qilin Grandfather!’

 

He was such a remarkable person that Master would visit him, and being from the Qilin Family no less, he surely knew many things.

 

Since it was a secret, she couldn’t directly ask about medicinal herbs with spirits, but she might be able to find out about herbs with similar characteristics.

 

‘He told me to come play with Bi-neung, so I should ask him when I go this time.’

 

Having made up her mind, Seo-yu’s steps became much lighter.

 

It was just as Seo-yu was turning around the corner of the pavilion to go to the Academic Hall.

 

Thud!

 

She collided head-on with a student who had been running hurriedly.

 

“Ah!”

 

Seo-yu’s small body swayed. She had collided so hard that she almost dropped her book wrapper.

 

“Watch where you’re going!”

 

Just as she was regaining her balance, the student spat out in an irritated voice.

 

“Ah, I…”

 

Seo-yu froze in place, flustered and startled. She barely opened her mouth, but the student disappeared without looking back.

 

‘It wasn’t me who bumped into them…’

 

By the time she looked around bewildered, they were already far away.

 

Seo-yu stood there dazed and slowly lowered her head. Even though it wasn’t her fault, she somehow felt sorry.

 

‘What urgent matter could have made them run like that?’

 

Still, it was fortunate that she didn’t fall. If that had happened, they both would have been hurt.

 

She let out a sigh and was about to walk again when someone approached through the rustling grass.

 

Scurry scurry.

 

“Blackie!”

 

Color returned to Seo-yu’s face. Seo-yu quickly lowered her posture to greet Blackie.

 

“So you were here. Where did you go last night? I went to West Hall but didn’t see you, so I was worried.”

 

Usually in the evening when she went to West Hall, Blackie would be sitting on a tree and welcome Seo-yu. But yesterday, strangely, he was nowhere to be seen.

 

She had worried all night wondering if he was sick somewhere or if something had happened, but seeing him look healthy today was a relief.

 

“Kyurung.”

 

Blackie made a sound as if answering. Then he jumped up and climbed onto Seo-yu’s book wrapper.

 

“Hm? Does Blackie want to go to the Academic Hall together too?”

 

The sight of him sitting obediently on the book wrapper without getting down was so cute that Seo-yu chuckled.

 

“You’re just like Bi-neung. Oh, Bi-neung is my friend. She’s a sloth beastkin, and I carry her when we attend classes together.”

 

Blackie probably couldn’t understand, but Seo-yu kindly explained anyway. While doing so, she gently stroked Blackie’s soft fur.

 

Touching the fluffy fur made all the startled feelings from bumping into someone earlier disappear.

 

Seo-yu, feeling much better, was grinning at Blackie when she suddenly got startled.

 

“Oh no, I’ll be late. Let’s hurry!”

 

* * *

 

Fortunately, she arrived without being late, and Ryeong-ah, the rabbit beastkin, welcomed her.

 

“Seo-yu, you’re here?”

 

“Ryeong-ah, hello! Good morning…”

 

Seo-yu, who was greeting with a smile, hesitated as she was about to sit down. There was water on the chair.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“It’s nothing! There’s water on the chair. I’ll go get something to wipe it with.”

 

Seo-yu looked around and spotted a cleaning cloth placed by the window.

 

‘Oh, there it is!’

 

Seo-yu placed her book wrapper on the desk, quickly brought the cleaning cloth, wiped the chair clean, and sat down.

 

“Oh right, Ryeong-ah. Want to see my friend?”

 

“Friend? Who?”

 

Ryeong-ah asked with a face full of curiosity.

 

“Here… Huh? Where did he go?”

 

Seo-yu’s head tilted in confusion as she looked at her book wrapper.

 

She had wanted to show Blackie, but he wasn’t on the book wrapper or anywhere around.

 

“I have a squirrel friend, but he must have left. He was here just a moment ago.”

 

“He must be very shy.”

 

Ryeong-ah said with a soft laugh.

 

‘I wanted to introduce him…’

 

It was disappointing, but there was nothing she could do. Seo-yu was about to prepare for class.

 

“Kyaak!”

 

At the sudden scream that burst out, all eyes in the Academic Hall turned to one place at once.

 

It was Su-jeong.

 

In the Academic Hall, Su-jeong, who always acted like an elegant young lady, was frantically searching around her seat with a pale face.

 

“Su-jeong, what’s wrong?”

 

“Is something the matter?”

 

The children, equally startled, approached Su-jeong and asked. Su-jeong’s face turned white as she shouted in a trembling voice.

 

“My necklace, my glass bead necklace is missing!”

 

“What? You mean the necklace that the Qilin Family Head gave you as a gift?”

 

“That’s right! I was invited to the Qilin Family this evening, so I brought it to wear after classes ended…!”

 

As Su-jeong began to sob, murmuring sounds filled the classroom.

 

“You didn’t leave it at your quarters, did you?”

 

“That can’t be. I checked several times. I definitely brought it with me.”

 

“When did you last see it?”

 

“Oh, come to think of it, I took it out briefly earlier. It was definitely there until then.”

 

“I saw it! Su-jeong showed it to me. It was really pretty.”

 

As the children each added their comments, someone from a corner cautiously spoke up.

 

“Then perhaps… someone took it?”

 

The Academic Hall fell silent in an instant.

 

The children looked at each other cautiously. Everyone was thinking the same thing, though they couldn’t voice it aloud.

 

Su-jeong shook her head with a flushed face.

 

“Surely not. I don’t want to suspect fellow students. Everyone here is good people, so that can’t be it.”

 

Then she glanced, very subtly, toward where Seo-yu was.

 

“Besides, only a few people passed by this area.”

 

Seo-yu blinked at the gazes suddenly focused on her.

 

Su-jeong’s seat was in the back row by the window side. Seo-yu had gone to the window side to get a cleaning cloth.

 

However, she hadn’t even known that Su-jeong had brought a glass necklace, and though she’d been near the window, she hadn’t gone anywhere close to Su-jeong’s seat.

 

‘Are they suspecting me…?’

 

Seo-yu’s heart sank.

 

“Then how about we check the book wrappers?”

 

One student suggested.

 

“That’s a good idea. Since there aren’t many people, we can check quickly.”

 

“No. How could we rummage through other people’s book wrappers so carelessly?”

 

Su-jeong said with a troubled expression.

 

“That would be unpleasant. They surely wouldn’t give permission.”

 

But the other children seemed to have already made up their minds.

 

“If you’re innocent, there shouldn’t be any problem, right?”

 

“If it were me, I would have shown it first. Being suspected is worse.”

 

Then Su-jeong, as if giving in reluctantly, asked Seo-yu with a reluctant expression.

 

“Then Seo-yu, I’m really sorry but… could you perhaps show us your book wrapper? It’s not meant in any other way, just for confirmation.”

 

Since she was specifically called by name, there was no way to avoid it.

 

Though flustered, Seo-yu nodded. She had done nothing wrong.

 

“Yes, that’s fine.”

 

She reached for the book wrapper strings to untie them, but for some reason, the knot was slightly loose.

 

‘That’s strange….’

 

She had definitely tied it tightly when leaving the household this morning, but it was undone as if someone had pulled at it.

 

“What’s wrong? Is there something you can’t show us?”

 

Someone asked sharply, seeing Seo-yu hesitate.

 

“N-no, it’s not that….”

 

Seo-yu quickly shook her head.

 

She had an ominous feeling, but she couldn’t stop now.

 

Seo-yu opened the book wrapper with trembling hands.

 

Soon, the contents inside were completely revealed.

 

“Hm? It’s not there.”

 

A puzzled voice followed.

 

Inside the book wrapper were only the few books Seo-yu had brought and her ink and brush set, but the glass necklace was nowhere to be seen.

 

“It’s not there?”

 

Su-jeong shot up with an expression of disbelief.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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