The Little Baby Snake of the Vermilion Bird Family - Chapter 22

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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 22
“Master Doeui!”
Baeksa jumped to her feet at the sudden appearance of her visitor.
With a look of bewilderment, she scurried over to stand before him.
“What do you mean, a favor?”
Doeui hesitated, seemingly torn by his thoughts, before finally speaking in a hushed tone.
“……I just want to hold your hand once.”
Baeksa blinked.
“My hand……?”
“There’s something I need to confirm. It’s nothing bad, I’ll just check right away and let go,” Doeui added.
He seemed to realize his previous words could easily be misunderstood.
Yet Baeksa was simply curious.
‘Why does he want to hold my hand?’
No one had ever made such a request of her before.
It was merely unfamiliar to her, not a difficult favor to grant.
Thus, she offered her hand without a shred of reluctance.
“Here you go, Master Doeui.”
Baeksa carefully extended her small hand.
As the tiny hand was gently proffered, Doeui hesitated for a brief moment before grasping it.
Then, after a beat.
“……It really works.”
The boy muttered, his face a mask of disbelief.
“I really can’t hear them.”
“Can’t hear what?”
What was it that he couldn’t hear?
The young girl tilted her head, gazing up at Doeui.
Doeui’s grip on Baeksa’s small hand seemed somewhat desperate.
It was as though releasing this hand would plunge him into a truly horrific abyss.
She had never seen him like this, so Baeksa waited patiently for him to speak next.
After a short silence, Doeui opened his mouth again.
“The voices of ghosts.”
The boy murmured.
“I can’t hear the ghosts’ voices.”
Then he muttered blankly.
“Just what on earth are you?”
***
Doeui could see ghosts.
It was because he carried the blood of the Black Tortoise Family.
This wasn’t exactly a secret.
Only the successors of the Black Tortoise on this land could possess a Supernatural Ability related to ghosts.
Whether direct descendants or from collateral branches, anyone who could see ghosts and make shamanism their calling possessed at least a faint trace of the Black Tortoise bloodline.
Therefore, anyone who knew of Doeui’s Supernatural Ability could easily guess his lineage.
The only problem was that everyone in the Black Tortoise Family suffered from lifelong headaches because of this cursed Supernatural Ability.
Being able to see ghosts meant one could also hear their voices.
And ghosts were not quiet creatures. They prattled and tempted without a moment’s rest.
To overcome all of that and live a normal life required a mental fortitude vastly superior to ordinary people.
The stronger the Supernatural Ability, the more vividly one saw and heard the ghosts, which meant the headaches were equally severe.
Since Doeui’s Supernatural Ability was far from weak, the boy had suffered from agonizing headaches since childhood.
For this reason, the Black Tortoise Family utilized a special Sacred Artifact that lessened the Ghostly Wailing.
However, there was no way such an item would exist here in the Vermilion Bird Family, nor would the Black Tortoise Family ever share one for Doeui’s sake, so he had no choice but to endure it all in silence.
Until now, that is.
The boy’s eyes wavered.
‘What is she?’
Doeui stared down at Baeksa.
This tiny little snake who had suddenly appeared kept demonstrating astonishing Supernatural Abilities he had never witnessed before.
Not only did she absorb the Contamination of this land…….
‘She can even shut out the voices of ghosts?’
Could this be why the ghost had targeted her before?
It was unbelievable.
Doeui actually regretted coming here.
The tranquility and peace he felt during the brief moment he held Baeksa’s hand.
That sensation where only the chirping of insects and the gentle rippling of the Pond water could be heard.
It was because that feeling was so unforgettable, so wonderful.
‘I shouldn’t have checked.’
Then he could have gone on living without ever knowing.
Because of the peace he had tasted for just a second, it felt like it would be even harder to endure the ghosts’ voices he had lived with his entire life.
He couldn’t exactly hold Baeksa’s hand forever, so why did he have to find out about this now?
If only he had remained ignorant.
If only he had spent his whole life never knowing such a peaceful world existed.
Doeui’s face contorted.
Baeksa watched him with a flustered expression, her hands clasped tightly together.
“Master Doeui, are you alright……?”
“Is this also your Supernatural Ability? When I hold your hand, I can’t hear the ghosts.”
“The ghosts’ voices?”
“Yes. Because of my Supernatural Ability, I hear them every waking moment, and I suffer from terrible headaches.”
“Oh…….”
Baeksa’s mouth parted slightly.
Doeui continued.
“But when I hold your hand…… I don’t hear a single bit of it. It makes me think the ghost targeting you might be related to this.”
“Then, can you hear them right now?” Baeksa asked tentatively.
Doeui closed his eyes tightly before opening them again.
The horrific wailing of ghosts, no different from usual, pierced sharply into his ears.
The boy nodded.
“Yes.”
“And when you hold my hand…… you’re okay?”
He nodded once more.
Baeksa’s eyes widened roundly as she looked at Doeui.
Confounded, Doeui questioned her.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Oh, no! It’s just that you always suffer from headaches, but you say you feel better when you hold my hand…….”
Baeksa’s round eyes sparkled brightly.
“I’m just so relieved!”
“…….”
“I’ll…… I’ll hold your hand often. Oh, or else!”
As if a sudden idea had struck her, the young girl dashed over and slipped her hand under her pillow.
Then, her face flushing crimson with shyness, she returned with her hands clasped together.
“Um, here.”
Baeksa carefully opened her small palms.
“Master Doeui, would you like to hold this?”
It was a small Scale.
The same kind of Scale Baeksa had dropped into the Pond a while ago.
It was slightly smaller than that one and less lustrous, but it was unmistakably recognizable as a Sacred Artifact.
“I-I failed while making it, but…… since it’s a Sacred Artifact, it contains a small amount of the Supernatural Ability’s power.”
While Baeksa rambled on with her excuses, Doeui gingerly picked up the Scale.
And at that exact moment.
Whoosh—
The surroundings suddenly fell still, and the clamor of the ghosts that had been prattling so loudly just moments ago subsided.
He could still sense them chattering somewhere, but it was so quiet that he couldn’t hear it unless he strained his ears.
Baeksa swallowed hard, gauging his reaction.
“H-How is it? My Supernatural Ability is to devour anything, so it might have eaten up your ghosts’ voices, Master Doeui…….”
That probably wasn’t it.
Doeui knew.
The voices of ghosts were not something that could be devoured by someone.
However, it was certain that this little snake’s Supernatural Ability was keeping him from hearing them.
It was as if…….
‘It’s shielding me.’
Preventing him from hearing those foul sounds.
Standing in a daze with a look of pure shock, the boy turned back to Baeksa.
“It sounds very faint.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really. This is the first time it’s ever been like this,” Doeui murmured in sheer disbelief.
In the meantime, Baeksa, who had tightly grabbed a fistful of Doeui’s sleeve, beamed brightly.
“I’m so glad! Then, it’s n-not much, but I’ll give this Scale to you as a gift, Master Doeui.”
And she hastily appended.
“I-I’ll make you a much better one soon. Just a moment…….”
“This is your Sacred Artifact, is it really alright to give it to me?”
“Of course, naturally…… I want to give it to anyone who needs it.”
Baeksa gave a gentle nod.
“I’m truly happy to be of help.”
The little snake’s eyes curved into crescent moons.
Gazing blankly at her, Doeui looked down at the tiny Scale resting in his palm.
A Sacred Artifact was a precious thing.
Giving a Sacred Artifact to someone else was no different from granting them a piece of one’s own Supernatural Ability.
Yet the little snake had placed the tiny Scale into his hand without a single moment of hesitation.
Something she had hidden so securely under her pillow because it was precious to her, too.
How could anyone be like this?
Who else in this world could look upon another person with such a pure, benevolent heart?
If he followed his conscience, he wouldn’t want to accept the Sacred Artifact either.
That was how valuable a Sacred Artifact truly was.
But.
‘I…… need this.’
He already knew.
The fact that as long as he had Baeksa’s Supernatural Ability, he would no longer have to suffer from headaches or listen to the ghosts.
That such a sweet world actually existed.
Clutching the Scale tightly, Doeui slipped it into his inner pocket, closest to his heart.
Then he looked at Baeksa.
“I won’t forget this debt, little snake.”
The night wind blew past, gently fluttering Baeksa’s white hair.
Staring blankly at her hair as it drifted like snowflakes, Doeui spoke once more.
“I will definitely repay this favor to you.”
With that, he abruptly leapt away from the spot.
Left all alone, the little snake watched Doeui’s receding figure fade into the distance.

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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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