The Little Baby Snake of the Vermilion Bird Family - Chapter 58

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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 58
“You’re safe. Thank goodness, you’re safe.”
He pulled Baeksa into his arms, his voice tight and strained.
Ju Jeokseo’s voice trembled.
“I thought something had happened to you, and I couldn’t—”
“U-uncle.”
Only then, as the tension drained from her, did Baeksa throw her arms around Ju Jeokseo’s neck and burst into tears.
Round droplets fell in succession, soaking his shoulder. The girl’s small hands gripped him with all her strength.
Meanwhile, the Ghost Dragon lost its grip on reality, staggered, and vanished in a blur.
The soldiers of the Vermilion Bird Family immediately pursued it skyward.
But there was no time to worry about the Ghost Dragon now. Released from tension, Baeksa buried her face in her uncle’s shoulder and wept freely.
“U-uncle, I was so scared, so scared…… I thought I’d never see you again…….”
She truly had thought she would never see him again.
She could not fathom how terrified she had been.
The tears she had held back under tension all this time spilled out the moment she found herself in Ju Jeokseo’s embrace.
“I felt the same way. You have no idea how shocked I was when I heard.”
Ju Jeokseo held Baeksa close and spoke hesitantly, his words tumbling out.
His voice still shook with anxiety.
“Thank goodness. Thank goodness you’re safe.”
Meanwhile, Hwanya, who had already begun to collect himself, stumbled toward them.
Baeksa looked up at Hwanya with a tear-stained face. Both her cheeks were soaked wet.
“Brother…… !”
“…… Baeksa.”
At the sound of Hwanya’s voice, fresh tears came pouring down. Round droplets welled up and streamed down her cheeks.
Hwanya, stumbling forward, wiped away Baeksa’s tears with the back of his hand.
“Stop. Your face will get raw. If it does, it’ll hurt later…… ”
“B-but brother, you look like you’re in much more pain……!”
And it was true. Baeksa had been fortunate enough to escape without a single injury.
But Hwanya was battered all over.
His clothes were nearly torn to shreds, and there was hardly an unmarked spot on his visible skin.
It was just as the small snake girl carefully reached out to examine Hwanya’s wounds.
Splash.
“…… Eh?”
Something poured down, and Baeksa’s belly grew wet.
The child carefully lowered her head to look at her stomach.
It was completely drenched in red blood. But it was not her own.
Which meant……
“Ah, that stings…… ”
Ju Jeokseo deliberately exaggerated a grimace and handed the child to Hwanya.
Hwanya received the small snake girl and cradled her as if he had been waiting for this moment.
Baeksa’s eyes widened, and she reached toward Ju Jeokseo again. Her small hand flailed helplessly in the air.
“U-uncle, are you all right? T-there’s blood……!”
“I’m fine. We can treat it when we get back. Don’t worry about it.”
“How could I not worry……”
Splash.
Fresh tears welled from Baeksa’s eyes. This was already the third time. They flowed without pause, without a moment to dry.
‘Is it because of me?’
If I had been more careful, would I have never been taken by that monster?
Then brother and uncle wouldn’t have been hurt.
Baeksa bit her lower lip. Her small shoulders shook.
Watching her, Hwanya lifted her up suddenly to meet her eyes, and gently pressed her lower lip with his index finger.
“Don’t bite. It hurts.”
“O-okay……”
“Just so you know, none of this is your fault.”
Hwanya spoke in a steady, unwavering voice.
“Bad men tried to abduct you, and you were caught up in it. Don’t blame yourself because Father and I are wounded.”
Baeksa’s eyes widened, and she looked at Hwanya carefully, as if asking a timid question.
“H-how did you know……?”
“What, you’re thinking useless thoughts?”
Hwanya pulled Baeksa’s damp cheeks and asked. Baeksa nodded with a sniffle.
“Y-yes……”
“It was obvious. You had that pointless, troubled look on your face. While crying, no less.”
Hwanya repositioned Baeksa in his arms. Just as she had clung to Ju Jeokseo moments before, she now wrapped her arms tightly around Hwanya’s neck.
He turned to face Ju Jeokseo and spoke.
“Father, we should head back. We can’t fly—my wounds are too deep. We need to see a physician as soon as possible.”
“You’re right…… We’ll have to find a carriage nearby. Flying is out of the question.”
Just then, someone burst through the tall grass.
“…… Family Head!”
It was Doeui, who had arrived late while pursuing traces of the Ghost Dragon.
Behind Doeui, a line of wraiths each held an unidentifiable fragment. Ju Jeokseo’s eyes narrowed.
“Doeui. What are those you’re carrying?”
“Ah, when you two were fighting, pieces kept falling from the monster’s body…… so I delayed joining and collected them all. I thought they might be useful later.”
At Doeui’s nod, the wraiths dumped what they had been holding.
They were fragments of the Ghost Dragon.
They appeared to have scattered across the battlefield. Ju Jeokseo frowned in puzzlement.
“The Ghost Dragon normally leaves no fragments because it has no form. What are these?”
“I’m not sure, but I brought them all just in case…… Are you all right, Family Head?”
Only then did Doeui notice Ju Jeokseo’s wounds, and his face filled with alarm.
Ju Jeokseo’s chest was soaked with blood. It seemed worse than what a blade alone could inflict.
He frowned and answered tersely.
“I’m fine. But answering is difficult right now, so don’t ask any more questions. Let’s just go home.”
At Ju Jeokseo’s command, the soldiers who had pursued the Ghost Dragon returned.
They reported that they had confirmed the Ghost Dragon crossing the boundary of Namto and fleeing, then immediately turned back.
Upon discovering the wounded Ju Jeokseo, they quickly found a carriage nearby and loaded everyone inside.
Ju Jeokseo climbed into the carriage, clutching his wounded chest and breathing heavily.
Baeksa, pale and uncertain, hovered near her uncle before gently grasping his hand.
Because of the blood loss, his hand was cold—unlike his usual warmth. Holding that cold hand, she felt tears well up again.
“Uncle, thank you for saving me……”
“As long as you’re safe, that’s all that matters. This wound is nothing.”
He leaned against the carriage wall and smiled weakly at Baeksa. Then his expression tightened in pain for a moment before he continued.
“How scared you must have been all alone. But you didn’t cry and stayed so brave.”
“I-I wasn’t alone……”
“No?”
Baeksa withdrew the Guiding Feather from her pocket.
Despite having been used once, it still shimmered and glowed with a brilliant light, exactly as before.
She handed the Guiding Feather to Hwanya and spoke.
“Mother’s power was with me. A small bird-shaped light came out and kept protecting me. When I held the Guiding Feather and thought about wanting to escape, that power entered it and pulled me out.”
Hwanya carefully accepted the feather. He frowned as he spoke.
“You used it once, and it still looks this new?”
“Yes.”
“Ju Myeongyeong’s power must be the reason.”
Ju Jeokseo spoke.
“The infused power is keeping it from fading. Where did you get the Guiding Feather?”
“Brother gave it to me.”
“Well done. Thanks to you, Baeksa was able to escape.”
Ju Jeokseo praised his son plainly. Hwanya shook his head.
“Aunt gave me that feather, so it was always meant to be Baeksa’s. Perhaps I’ve been carrying it this whole time so it could be used today.”
Hwanya handed the feather back to Baeksa and spoke.
“You keep it. It’s yours now. You said Aunt’s power dwells within it, didn’t you? Then it’s right that you hold it.”
“But this is what brother received……”
“To me, it’s merely a gift, but to you, it’s Mother’s Sacred Object. Keep it safe. Then, should something like this happen again, this feather will save your life.”
At Hwanya’s words, Ju Jeokseo shook his head.
“There shouldn’t be a next time.”
“Of course there shouldn’t. But the world doesn’t always work as we wish.”
Hwanya gave a slight shrug.
“So it’s better to be prepared. Baeksa, keep it safe.”
“Yes!”
Baeksa nodded, then carefully placed the feather in a silk pouch.

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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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