The Little Baby Snake of the Vermilion Bird Family - Chapter 53

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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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Chapter 53
“Look, doesn’t this suit Yeoni perfectly?”
Hwaryeong held the Hair Ornament up to Baeksa’s head, speaking with delight.
“Your hair is so pale that any color looks beautiful on you and suits you well.”
“Still, the pink suits you better than the sky blue. Let’s go with that.”
“Just buy both of them!”
“Oh, one is really enough for me……!”
“Why? I’ll buy you one, and my brother will buy you another. They both look amazing on you.”
When Hwaryeong insisted, Hwanya nodded in agreement.
“Then we’ll get both.”
“Yes! Shopkeeper! Give us both of these!”
“An excellent choice, young master! Both of these were made by my wife—she put special care into crafting them, more so than our usual work. They suit the young lady beautifully.”
“Your wife must be quite skilled!”
“Indeed! That’s how we make our living.”
The merchant grinned smoothly and wrapped both Hair Ornaments carefully before handing them over. Baeksa accepted them with both hands.
“Thank you so much. I hope your business thrives.”
She hugged the wrapped ornaments tightly to her chest. In this moment, Baeksa felt as though she might float away.
‘It’s like I’m drifting on clouds.’
Just as Sirang had said, the Marketplace was a wonder and a joy—full of delicious things and endless sights to see.
Her eyes spun with the thrill of witnessing a world she’d never known before.
And on top of everything, she’d been given gifts. The girl clutched the Hair Ornaments and spoke.
“Thank you so much for the present. I’ll treasure it forever.”
“There’s no need for that! Wear them every day. If they break, I’ll buy you new ones. All right?”
Hwaryeong laughed brightly.
In the moment Baeksa laughed along with him.
‘All right?’
The girl’s gaze dropped to her waist. The Silk Pouch hanging there, weighted with a stone, was beginning to float.
“The Bead……!”
The Bead inside the pouch was rising into the air. Baeksa jolted in alarm and carefully loosened the pouch’s drawstring.
Pop!
The Black Bead sprang out. It hovered in midair, gleaming differently than usual.
“Yeoni, what’s wrong?”
Hwanya asked, but Baeksa couldn’t answer.
She didn’t understand why the Bead had suddenly begun to rise.
‘I’m not even using my Abnormal Ability right now.’
Her Bead typically reacted when she used her Ability—it would glow when she consumed something.
But now there was nothing to consume, and she hadn’t even thought of activating her power. So why was it doing this?
Confusion gave way to a creeping unease.
‘Could my Ability be activating on its own again……?’
Since coming to Namto, there had been no incident like the time she’d accidentally absorbed Songra’s Blessing.
Yet there was no guarantee that an accident that happened once wouldn’t happen again.
Baeksa had grown far more confident in controlling her Ability—but ask her if she could swear nothing like that would happen again, and she couldn’t.
“Not now, Bead…….”
Baeksa cradled the Bead carefully in both small hands, as if soothing it.
But the Black Bead continued to shine with an ominous light in her palms. The girl felt her heart plummet.
‘Why is it acting like this all of a sudden?’
Baeksa quickly traced the source of her dread.
‘It’s the Bead.’
Something uneasy was being transmitted through it.
She couldn’t tell if it stemmed from her own Ability or something else entirely.
“Is it still doing that? Should we head back for today?”
“Ah, yes…… I think that would be best. My Ability feels a bit unstable…….”
Baeksa bowed her head as she spoke.
She wasn’t hungry as she had been before, but her Ability was churning like waves, unstable and wild.
Her power could devour the strength of others if she lost control, so she had to be careful.
“I’m sorry for the trouble I’m causing…….”
“Don’t be! You saw so much today. And we can come again next time—don’t be discouraged.”
Hwaryeong comforted her gently and pulled the girl into a firm embrace. Baeksa held the Bead carefully and nodded.
Her instinct was telling her to go home. Even if it meant disappointing Hwaryeong, Hwanya, and Doeui, heading back seemed prudent.
“Let’s go get the Carriage. We can come back next time. I’ll bring you out again.”
Hwanya took Baeksa’s hand gently and was leading her toward where the Carriage waited when it happened.
Slither……
Something dark moved beneath the children’s feet.
It was long, massive, and writhing.
Doeui, who spotted it first, widened his eyes and shouted.
“Stop!”
But before they could even see what it was.
Thunder and lightning tore through the sky!
The dark form burst from the ground. The children’s eyes went wide with shock.
And at the same moment.
“Found you.”
A chilling, bone-deep voice pierced through their ears.
And the next instant.
The long, dark form coiled in the air, then descended upon Baeksa.
“No!”
Hwaryeong cried out sharply, but it was already too late.
“Yeoni!!”
The peaceful, joyful Marketplace became chaos in an instant.
***
Baeksa’s vision went black.
She could see nothing, feel nothing. The hands of Hwaryeong and Hwanya, which she’d held just moments before, had slipped from her grasp long ago.
‘Where is this place?’
It felt like she was dreaming.
Was this what waking up inside a dream felt like?
‘Or maybe this is a dream too.’
But the moment Baeksa murmured these words, the Bead appeared before her.
In the small, pitch-black Bead, a tiny white light glowed like a speck. It seemed to tell her that this place was no dream.
“Did the uneasy feeling I had earlier come from you?”
Baeksa asked as she cradled the Bead carefully in both hands.
“Were you warning me that something bad was going to happen?”
The white light within the Bead flickered. It seemed to answer yes.
Baeksa held the Bead close and looked around carefully.
But there was nothing to see.
She called out loudly to see if anyone else was here, but no answer came back.
It seemed she was alone in this place.
‘Could I be inside something?’
In that final moment, she remembered the dark form rushing at her with its Maw wide open.
If that was the case, then this must be its belly. It wasn’t damp or hot, but something about it felt that way.
‘What should I do……?’
Hwanya and Hwaryeong and Doeui would all be worried about her.
Being alone in darkness didn’t frighten her much.
Baeksa had spent much of her time alone.
Only since arriving at Namto had kind, warm people taken such good care of her that she’d had little reason to be alone—but by nature, the young serpent was solitary.
During her time in the Imperial Palace, no matter how dark and cold it was, no one had lit a fire for her. She’d often spent entire stretches in pitch-black rooms with not a glimmer of light.
And whenever Yeoryun or Songra locked her in a cramped box, she’d remain trapped there for hours until they let her out.
So being alone in the dark didn’t frighten her so very much.
‘Oh, what do I do.’
But the thought of those who would worry for her haunted her mind. She couldn’t even imagine how shocked Hwanya, Hwaryeong, and Doeui must be.
“I hope they weren’t hurt……?”
Baeksa couldn’t even guess at what had attacked her. It had come too fast and struck too suddenly for her to see it properly.
“Could it be a Wraith……?”
According to Doeui, she was the type who attracted Wraiths easily, so it was possible.
At that thought, Baeksa found herself almost hoping it was a Wraith.
Because if it was, Doeui might be able to do something about it.
But…….
The girl’s hand moved to her chest, to the place where the Talisman Sirang had sewn was kept.
No energy emanated from it. She recalled Doeui’s words.
‘The Talisman not reacting means one of two things: either it’s not a Wraith, or it’s an entity so powerful that the Talismans I make can’t stop it.’
‘Either it’s not a Wraith, or an entity too powerful to stop.’
As she pondered which possibility was worse.
Something like a massive hand suddenly lunged at her from the darkness.

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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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