The Beloved Baby Priestess of the Twelve Zodiac Gods - Chapter 40

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

Chapter 40
Munje’s eyes widened at the words “make me a Spiritual Being.”
It was only natural—he wanted to hide his true identity at all costs.
Arin, unaware of any of this, mumbled through sleepy eyes.
“Then we can stay together forever. I’ll take responsibility and raise you.”
With her eyes already shut, Arin drifted into sleep looking remarkably peaceful.
But her bombshell announcement had jolted Munje awake, his eyes trembling faintly in the darkness.
‘Stay together,’ she’d said.
Hearing those words, he finally understood why Yeoryeong had allowed this strange arrangement in the first place.
That night, Munje had no choice but to keep watch until dawn, eyes open but mind racing.
* * *
The next morning, Arin set out directly for Twelve Earthly Branches Village.
Dogyeong watched with narrowed eyes as Munje clung to Arin like glue, refusing to leave her side.
‘So today’s the day it ends.’
A week of that creature stuck to Arin like adhesive—he’d been on edge the entire time.
At least toward the end they’d kept some distance, so the boy had some sense after all.
Dogyeong headed toward the temple, blissfully unaware of what awaited him.
“Welcome.”
When Yeoryeong greeted them, Arin spoke with grim determination.
“There’s something I’d like to tell you, Priestess.”
“Hmm?”
Yeoryeong blinked, wondering what this could be about.
Meanwhile, Munje wore the expression of someone who’d been expecting the axe to fall.
Oblivious to each other’s thoughts, Arin dropped her bombshell.
“I want to make Seol into my Spiritual Being!”
“Absolutely not!”
Dogyeong cried out in alarm, and Yeoryeong let out a laugh.
It was clear she could hardly bear to have the boy around.
Yet no matter how one tried to sever it, some threads of fate refused to break.
Arin’s idea was clever enough, but it was impossible—Seol wasn’t an animal.
Though Dogyeong knew this perfectly well, his reflexive outburst was so ridiculous he couldn’t help but find it amusing.
“That won’t be possible, I’m afraid. Seol belongs to the Baekryong Clan.”
“……!!!”
Munje’s tail shot up rigid—he thought his identity was about to be revealed.
But the words that followed left him paralyzed, unsure how to react.
“The Baekryong Clan?”
“Indeed. He’s a child being raised by that household’s young master.”
A fact the young master himself knew nothing about.
Dogyeong was the one truly flabbergasted.
– What on earth are you thinking?!
As Dogyeong transmitted his thoughts silently, Yeoryeong smiled.
– I made a wager with Master Munje. If he wins, I promised he could freely come and go from Twelve Earthly Branches Village.
– Is such a thing even possible?
– If I said it was possible, then it is.
Dogyeong’s expression turned bewildered at her almost carelessly light reply.
He knew well that Yeoryeong’s Divine Power had weakened to the point where merely concealing Munje’s presence already strained her.
And if such a method had existed from the start, there would have been no reason to hide the boy here in the first place.
Which meant only one possibility remained.
Dogyeong’s voice turned sharp.
– Does this have something to do with Arin?
– You always were perceptive.
– Priestess.
– This isn’t merely about using Arin to solve Munje’s problem. That child will need Munje too.
– What do you mean? You’ll have to explain so I can understand.
As Dogyeong turned to take Arin away at once, Yeoryeong sighed.
– I’ll explain in time, so stop rushing me. You’re always so impatient—it frightens me to even open my mouth.
When Yeoryeong cut the matter short, Dogyeong sat down cross-legged in the middle of the veranda, his mouth firmly closed.
His expression was stubbornly resolute—he would not move one step until he had his answer.
“Father, aren’t we going?”
“No. Your father has plenty of time today.”
Dogyeong grinned, and Arin looked taken aback while Yeoryeong clicked her tongue.
Meanwhile, Munje spoke up.
“I’ve brought the answer to our wager.”
“So it seems. Let me hear it.”
“I saw Arin use her power in the Slums, and it looked remarkably similar to how you use your Divine Power.”
“You went to the Slums?”
Yeoryeong’s eyes narrowed at this unexpected revelation.
What Arin and Dohun had tried to hide was not something that needed concealing from Munje as well.
“Yes. I used my power there to search for someone, and I discovered one of the Twelve Earthly Branches and even treated them.”
Still, to be safe, he left out Dohun’s story entirely.
Arin seemed eager to protect his secret.
What Munje wanted to convey was the suspicious Spiritual Being he’d encountered there.
“That Spiritual Being had jet-black hair and kept their eyes hidden. But the Spiritual Aura they emanated was so foul that I didn’t even want to be near them.”
“Black hair, you say.”
Jet-black hair was virtually the trademark of the Heukmaga Clan.
Given the assassination attempt before and recent news of the Heukmaga Clan stirring again, this wasn’t something to dismiss lightly.
While Yeoryeong fell into thought, Munje ventured a question.
“Is Arin your successor?”
“Indeed. I knew you’d see through it.”
After all, this wager had been meant for Munje to discover this fact.
Though she couldn’t directly perceive Spiritual Aura the way the Priestess could, her sensitivity was unmatched among the Twelve Earthly Branches.
“Then is your promise to free me from Twelve Earthly Branches Village also connected to her?”
“I was hoping to discuss that with you from now on.”
Yeoryeong glanced at Dogyeong.
“I should probably persuade him first, so would you mind waiting a moment?”
Munje lay back quietly as if in agreement.
Meanwhile, Arin had fallen into thought upon learning that Munje was a child of the Baekryong Clan.
‘I don’t want to be apart from him.’
Of course, she could see him if she visited Twelve Earthly Branches Village, but that wasn’t enough.
‘It must be terribly difficult to meet him if he goes to Baekryong Palace.’
She’d heard that Baekryong Palace and Geumho Village were quite far apart.
‘Should I send him a letter first?’
There was some awkwardness given their past engagement.
But now she and Hong Sa had nothing to do with each other.
Besides, once the Baekryong Clan learned she was a Spiritual Being who couldn’t perform Contract Dissolution, they’d likely move to annul the engagement anyway.
“Wait a moment. I need to speak with Dogyeong about something.”
Once Yeoryeong and Dogyeong disappeared, only Munje and Geumgeum remained in the main hall.
Geumgeum chirped excitedly at meeting Arin again after so long.
“Chirp-chirp-chirp. Chirp-chirp? (You look so well these days! Is Geumho Village treating you nicely?)”
“Hello, Geumgeum. You’re bursting with energy today, aren’t you?”
Arin pulled out a yakgwa from her pocket as if she’d been waiting for this moment.
Excited, Geumgeum began eating the treat, and Arin gestured for Munje to join them.
“Come here and have some too.”
At those words, Munje shuffled over and began eating the yakgwa.
Geumgeum was startled at the sight.
‘That stubborn young master is actually obeying without complaint?!’
For Geumgeum, who had been constantly ignored by Munje, it was a mix of betrayal and shock.
“Chirp, chirp-chirp-chirp. Chirp-chirp! (Child, that young gentleman is putting on an act. Don’t fall for it!)”
No matter how much Geumgeum tattled, Arin couldn’t possibly hear.
Once Arin became more accustomed to her Divine Power, she’d be able to converse with Geumgeum, but that would come later.
Eventually, exhausted from futility, Geumgeum focused on the yakgwa instead.
And so, after passing time pleasantly enough with the animals,
Dogyeong emerged from the room with a deliberately gloomy expression.
In contrast, Yeoryeong’s face bore a satisfied smile, making it immediately clear who had won.
“Arin.”
“Yes, Priestess?”
“Munje must return to the Baekryong Clan soon. If you truly wish to see him often, why not befriend their young master and make your request directly?”
One cannot force one’s will upon a child who already has a master.
If she befriended their young master as Yeoryeong suggested, she would be able to see Munje often.
“Yes, I was thinking of writing a letter anyway. Could you possibly send it for me?”
“Very well. As it happens, that child has business in Twelve Earthly Branches Village anyway, so you can invite her directly.”

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