The Little Baby Snake of the Vermilion Bird Family - Chapter 25

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

Chapter 25
***
“This is the character for fire. It means a blaze.”
“Fire……”
Baeksa bit her lower lip slightly as she diligently copied the strokes.
Looking at the crooked characters she had written, the child flashed a proud, beaming smile.
Ju Jeokseo, who sat opposite her teaching the script, lifted the sheet of paper.
“To master it so quickly after being shown just once, our Baeksa really is a genius.”
“Oh, no. It’s only because you are such a wonderful teacher, Family Head.”
“I only appear to be a good teacher because you learn so well.”
At Ju Jeokseo’s praise, Baeksa stared down at her writing, her cheeks flushing a soft pink.
‘How wondrous.’
Though the ink was not yet dry, Baeksa gently traced the tip of her finger over the character she had formed.
Fire.
It was the very first character she had learned. It was also the one she had asked to learn before any other.
‘Fire is a truly beautiful word.’
Because it was kind and warm. Ever since coming to the Vermilion Bird estate, Baeksa had grown to truly love fire.
For the past few days, the child had spent her time learning to read and practicing her supernatural ability.
Ju Jeokseo had seemed in a somewhat sour mood on the day of the council meeting, but he soon returned to his usual self, his spirits lifting.
Yet he never spoke a single word about what had transpired during the meeting. Because of this, Baeksa could only guess that something unpleasant had occurred.
‘I wish only good things would happen to him.’
As that thought crossed her mind, Baeksa suddenly felt a tight, suffocating sensation in her chest.
‘The Emperor……’
Why would he not bestow his blessing upon the beast-kin of Namto?
If he utilized the almighty supernatural ability of the dragons, he could at least slow down the contamination of Namto, even if he couldn’t purify it completely.
Of course, achieving that required the immense power of the Emperor himself, not just any member of Imperial Royalty.
But the Emperor had utterly abandoned Namto. He behaved as though he couldn’t care less what happened here or what misery the beast-kin endured.
‘If only my lotus had been a bit larger, so it could absorb more.’
Her supernatural ability had its limits anyway. Baeksa knew this well from her previous short life.
So even if she pushed herself to her absolute limit, it would be better if she could absorb just a little more.
When she first arrived at this estate, Baeksa had wanted to live a little longer.
To not use her supernatural ability recklessly like before, to not turn into a black snake, and to survive just a bit further into the future.
But during her time with the Vermilion Bird Family, Baeksa found that her desire to be of help to these people was eclipsing her wish for a long life.
‘Besides, it feels much less burdensome than before.’
Back when she held the hand of that mysterious individual and absorbed that energy, she would be left utterly depleted, lacking even the strength to move after using her ability.
But now that she was capable of creating sacred artifacts, absorbing other things did not exhaust or drain her nearly as much.
‘Therefore, perhaps.’
It was right as Baeksa was steeling her resolve to create even more sacred artifacts.
“My child.”
“Yes, Family Head?”
“As I promised before, I intend to give you a new name very soon.”
Baeksa’s eyes widened at Ju Jeokseo’s words.
He offered her a gentle smile and continued.
“Giving you a name means I intend to protect and raise you until you are fully grown. Would you be comfortable with that?”
Baeksa could hardly credit what she had just heard.
‘He said he would foster me.’
And until she was fully grown……
Those were the exact words the little snake had yearned to hear her entire life.
Yet throughout both her past life and this current one, no one had ever said them to her.
“I, I……”
Baeksa hesitantly opened her mouth.
“I would love that so much. Thank you, Family Head……”
Tears welled up slightly in Baeksa’s large eyes.
She was overcome with joy.
But at the same time, a sliver of fear crept in.
‘Is this truly alright?’
Was she allowed to accept such benevolence?
How could the Vermilion Bird Family Head be so incredibly kind to her?
Even the father who had sired and raised her had never once looked back at her.
She had barely managed to receive the name Baeksa only when the time came for her to be cast out.
It was just as Baeksa squeezed her tiny fists tightly against the rising swell of emotion.
Clatter.
From inside the silk pouch she had set down beside her, a small bead came rolling out.
It was the bead the lotus had spat out when Baeksa first unleashed her supernatural ability.
“Ah, the bead……”
The bead rolled across the floor and stopped right in front of Baeksa, emitting a brilliant glow.
Startled, Baeksa scooped it up with both hands.
The moment the child gathered the bead into her small palms, the light flared even brighter, wrapping around her tiny hands.
Flash!
In that instant, the light bursting from the bead enveloped Baeksa’s hands in the shape of a small lotus flower.
Though the radiance quickly receded back into the bead, both Baeksa and Ju Jeokseo had witnessed it clearly.
The way that small light blossomed like a lotus.
Anyone could see that this was no ordinary sight.
An auspicious light that bloomed like an unfolding bud.
It was almost like……
“This is……”
“Fa-Family Head……”
Ju Jeokseo and Baeksa’s eyes locked.
The little snake looked up at him, cradling the bead in her cupped palms.
***
“Can a snake grow up to become a dragon?”
At Ju Jeokseo’s question, Yo Nyeong, a scholar working for the Ju family, shook her head.
“If snakes grew up to become dragons, then every snake in the world would be a baby dragon, wouldn’t they? No such thing occurs.”
“But that bead looks precisely like a Cintamani.”
Ju Jeokseo murmured, turning the image of the bead in Baeksa’s hands over in his mind.
The Dragon Clan was born with a Cintamani from the moment they entered the world.
Through that Cintamani, they wielded the supernatural ability of blessings, commanded rain and wind, and summoned lightning.
Yet Baeksa’s bead was not something she possessed at birth; rather, it was closer to say it had been forged from her supernatural ability after she exerted it.
Furthermore, considering Baeksa’s lineage as a snake beastman rather than a dragon beast-kin, the probability of that bead being a Cintamani was astronomically low, but still.
“That auspicious radiance was definitely no ordinary light.”
“Then could she simply be someone born with a unique talent?”
Yo Nyeong narrowed her eyes.
She, too, had heard the tale of Baeksa’s supernatural ability from Ju Jeokseo.
Ju Jeokseo had strictly implored her not to speak of it to anyone in order to keep the matter a secret, but Yo Nyeong was an exception.
Not only was she a scholar studying the beast-kin of Namto and the Haeseo Kingdom, but she was also the person who understood the supernatural abilities of the beast-kin best.
It was also Yo Nyeong who was currently investigating Baeksa’s supernatural ability.
Thus, it was inevitable that they discuss the true nature of the bead and the lotus.
“To my knowledge, there is no case where a beast-kin grows up to become an entirely different type of beast-kin. The Imperial Court of the Haeseo Kingdom likely abandoned Lady Baeksa for that very reason.”
She cut the matter clean with a decisive tone.
“As for the bead, I will ask Lady Baeksa for her permission and examine it more thoroughly.”
“Very well, do so.”
“By the way, Family Head, I hear you plan to officially register that little snake lady into the clan?”
“I do.”
“Heh, the nobles are going to throw quite a fit.”
“You seem rather pleased by that.”
“Well, I harbor plenty of ill will toward those noble lords, so anything they despise is bound to make me happy.”
Yo Nyeong grinned broadly.
“You made an excellent decision. Protecting a young child with nowhere else to go is exactly what becomes the virtue of a Family Head!”
“I suspect you’re celebrating for entirely different reasons, but thank you anyway. I will be choosing her name soon, so make sure to submit a suggestion yourself.”
“Understood, I shall pick out a splendid name.”
Yo Nyeong nodded.
Among the beast-kin of Namto, there was a special ritual for naming a child after they were born.
Everyone who knew the child would write a carefully thought-out name on a slip of paper, gather them all inside a large jar, and let the child select one directly.
Tradition held that a name chosen in this manner would exert a miraculous power, bringing good fortune for the rest of their life.
“In any case, the little snake lady’s supernatural ability…… is truly a blessing for Namto.”
Yo Nyeong murmured.
“But fortune and misfortune always travel together. It would be wonderful if the little snake lady could keep the fortune, while others share the burden of the misfortune.”
Ju Jeokseo nodded at Yo Nyeong’s quiet remark.
“Yes, that would be ideal.”
Yo Nyeong and Ju Jeokseo’s gazes met.
***
Flap!
A tiny bird hopped onto Baeksa’s shoulder.
“Little bird!”
A bright smile bloomed across Baeksa’s face as she recognized her companion.

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