The Beloved Baby Priestess of the Twelve Zodiac Gods - Chapter 56

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 56
“I’ve slipped in for private reasons, so don’t act as though you’ve noticed. And don’t call me Your Highness—just call me Mu Je.”
“How could I dare speak Your Highness’s name aloud?”
“That’s an order.”
“Then obedience is the duty of a servant. Mu Je.”
“I didn’t ask you to speak informally.”
“This way, Mu Je. The side gate is just here.”
Je Ya gestured toward the gate with measured courtesy.
Tired of the man’s endless chatter, Mu Je entered first and extended his hand to Arin.
“Mind the threshold.”
“Thank you.”
Watching that tender exchange, Je Ya’s expression shifted to something sinister.
“Tell me, this lovely young lady—she’s a friend of yours, Mu Je? Might I inquire which family she hails from?”
“That’s a secret. But her name is Arin.”
Arin spoke with spirited confidence, and Je Ya’s laughter rippled out.
“Ah, I see. I’m quite fond of riddles. The aura she carries—it feels as though she comes from a Zodiac family, does it not?”
“That’s a secret too!”
Arin’s bright smile made Je Ya clutch at his chest.
“Oh, how charming.”
Mu Je, watching with clear displeasure, drew Arin closer and spoke softly.
“Drop that look.”
The killing intent he let slip—subtle enough that Arin didn’t notice—made Je Ya flinch, his hands shooting up in mock surrender.
And so they bickered their way into the Academy, slipping deeper inside.
A loud voice erupted from somewhere ahead.
“Found him! He’s here!”
Someone had discovered Woo Hyeon first.
“This way, it seems,” Arin urged.
They all turned toward the sound—when a tremendous crash split the air.
Bang!
The deafening boom was followed immediately by screams.
Alarmed, Arin rushed around the corner of the Alley, calling out.
“Woo Hyeon!”
But what waited there was not Woo Hyeon—it was a Black Horse, radiating a damp, suffocating darkness.
* * *
Woo Hyeon had nearly made it to the Courtyard and was about to slip free of the Academy.
If only he hadn’t stumbled into the trap set to keep outsiders at bay.
A strangled sound tore from his throat.
His entire body writhed as barbed vines coiled around him.
The more he twisted, the tighter the snare constricted, shredding his skin.
This was no ordinary trap.
It had been woven to prevent demons and spiritual creatures that coveted Zodiac Animal Power from breaching the Academy.
Another student, witnessing the struggle, called for reinforcements.
“Found him! He’s here!”
Hearing those words, Woo Hyeon’s desperation spiked, and he gathered his strength.
‘If I force it, I’ll suffer severe internal injury.’
Yeo Ryeong’s warning flickered through his mind, but right now, escaping this cursed trap took priority.
For someone whose life was built on fleeing, the response came as natural as breathing.
It was then that Woo Hyeon attempted the Beast Transformation.
Thump!
His heart lurched violently, and blood surged up from deep within.
He gagged.
“No, no, wait—stay still! The more you move, the tighter it gets!”
Before the panicked student could finish, Woo Hyeon’s transformation succeeded, and with brutal force, he tore the snare apart.
The blood loss left him dizzy and disoriented.
The student watching him turned ashen.
Between the jet-black mane flashed eyes of burnished gold.
The heavy, rasping breath and the way he scraped his forehooves against the ground was unmistakably menacing.
One misstep near those iron-hard hooves meant death.
“Ahhh—it’s a—a Black Horse!”
Recognizing what stood before him, the student stumbled backward, terror etched across his face.
The students had been terrified when the infamous Black Horse Clan finally appeared.
But Woo Hyeon’s mind was consumed entirely by a strange voice echoing from within.
‘Kill them. Slaughter every last one of these wretches!’
The urge was overwhelming—as if he had to obey that voice at any moment.
He was barely managing to hold himself back.
Then a student hurled a stone, and in his agitation, Woo Hyeon’s gaze turned toward him with deadly intent.
The black horse’s sclera had turned dark—he looked like a demon risen from hell itself.
“Ahhhhhhh!”
The terrified student shrieked, clutching his head in fear.
Unable to resist the demon’s whisper filling his mind, Woo Hyeon lunged forward.
It was his own body, yet he couldn’t control it.
All he felt was the impulse to trample the student beneath him, to crush his skull with hooves until it shattered.
“Woo Hyeon!”
At the familiar voice, Woo Hyeon stilled.
The voice that had been clawing through his mind vanished without a trace.
Feeling that momentary hesitation, Arin rushed toward him without thinking.
“It’s dangerous, Miss!” Mu Je called out in alarm.
But his warning made no difference.
Arin clung to Woo Hyeon’s hind legs, pleading desperately.
“No, stop it! You’ll die if you keep going like this!”
She ran her hands gently across his muscled body.
“That’s right, isn’t it? Hmm? Please, don’t do this. Please.”
At the same time, drawing on what she’d learned from Yeo Ryeong, she tried to channel her energy to calm Woo Hyeon.
His condition was far worse than usual, and the flow of his Spirit Core was terribly imbalanced.
He whinnied and thrashed in resistance.
Mu Je moved quickly to restrain him alongside Arin.
There was no way to calm a Zodiac Animal on the verge of berserking.
Mu Je had his hand on his sword hilt, ready to cut him down if necessary, when Woo Hyeon’s fury suddenly subsided.
“That’s it. Yes, you were just frightened, weren’t you?”
Arin continued to soothe him, relief flooding through her.
Watching the scene unfold, Geumgeum let out a quiet sigh.
‘She calmed him down in a single moment—before he could fully berserk.’
If she hadn’t come with Arin, the Academy would have been left in ruins.
Moments later, as the Beast Transformation released him, Woo Hyeon lost consciousness.
His face had turned ashen from blood loss.
Arin cradled his fallen form in her arms, tenderly touching his cheek and murmuring urgently.
“We need to get him to a physician right away.”
“He forced power that had been sealed to surge forward—that’s what caused the rampage. A physician won’t help with this,” Geumgeum said flatly.
He lifted Woo Hyeon effortlessly into his arms.
“We won’t be able to hide this from the Priestess. Right now, only she can treat him.”
“Ah…….”
Arin’s eyes grew wet as she looked between Woo Hyeon and Geumgeum.
Then Je Ya spoke softly, his tone turning cold.
“I never knew the friend you were looking for was a black horse.”
His cheerful demeanor had vanished entirely; now he regarded Woo Hyeon with a chilling gaze.
At the look demanding explanation, Mu Je answered calmly.
“He’s a crucial lead in finding the Black Horse Clan. So lower your blade.”
“Is that so?”
Je Ya’s expression returned to its usual harmless mask.
“The King must know of this as well?”
“The Prime Minister already knows. A report will reach the palace soon.”
“Then I shall ask no further questions.”
Je Ya’s gaze drifted for a moment toward Arin.
He had witnessed with his own eyes how she calmed a rampaging black horse.
He’d already suspected she was a Zodiac Animal, but this was power he hadn’t anticipated.
Je Ya’s eyes narrowed as he murmured thoughtfully.
“Now I’m genuinely curious about her name.”
Mu Je didn’t like the attention Je Ya was showing toward Arin.
He would leave the Zodiac Divine Village for the palace soon enough.
Fearing Je Ya might leak information about Arin to the King, Mu Je quietly made his decision.
“Don’t ask what it means just yet. Everyone will know soon enough. For now, I need you to handle the aftermath.”
At Mu Je’s request, Je Ya smiled thinly, glancing at the sprawled students with a tilt of his chin.
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure they stay silent about this.”
“Good.”
Mu Je approached Arin, who remained sitting on the ground.
“Are you all right?”
“My legs have gone weak. I think I used too much power.”
She had barely managed to calm the Zodiac Animal Power before it spiraled into berserk, and there was no way she could be unaffected.
Mu Je, as though he had been waiting for this moment, swept Arin into his arms.
“Oh! —!”
“Forgive my rudeness. We must leave quickly.”
“……I should be the one thanking you.”
Arin leaned against Mu Je, murmuring softly.
When her breath touched his neck, Mu Je’s throat tightened involuntarily.
“Not at all.”
Mu Je replied with deliberate calm and followed after Geumgeum.

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