The Little Baby Snake of the Vermilion Bird Family - Chapter 84

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

“This won’t do, we must throw a celebratory banquet! A grand one, to celebrate the fact that Yeon has sprouted horns!”
“Right, let’s invite those friends from last time too.”
“What do you mean, just friends? We should invite all the Namto Beast-folk, just like during the Divine Beast Festival!”
Hwanya and Hwaryeong exchanged excited words as they drew up plans for the banquet.
Meanwhile, Siyeom, who had been examining the spell formation beside them, wore a puzzled expression.
“How strange…”
“What is it? Is there a problem?”
Ju Jeokseo asked.
Siyeom nodded.
“Since the Ghost Dragon Fragments have all vanished, the spell formation should have disappeared along with them. Yet, it has only stabilized and won’t fade away…”
she muttered.
“It feels as though there’s still a fragment left that hasn’t been absorbed…”
“A fragment that hasn’t been absorbed?”
“Should we look around the village once more? Hey, what’s the situation outside?”
Just as she was asking the soldiers about the state of things outside, they came rushing in, their faces flush with excitement.
“Family Head! The thread lines on everyone else’s bodies are vanishing!”
“Those who were running wild have calmed down too; they fell asleep just a moment ago!”
The impact of the Ghost Dragon Fragment’s disappearance was manifesting across all of Namto.
Siyeom tilted her head in confusion.
“Really? Then why is my spell formation…”
“Didn’t you just make a mistake building it?”
Doeui asked bluntly.
Siyeom scowled deeply.
“How could that be? I am one of the top three sorcerers even within the Black Tortoise Family. I do not make mistakes on things like this.”
“Um, then…”
Right then, a thought flashed through Baeksa’s mind.
‘The energy I saw when I used my supernatural ability earlier.’
When she had viewed the world through her Dragon Eyes, she had definitely seen a black energy.
It bore a striking resemblance to the energy she had separated and absorbed inside that warehouse.
‘Let’s try using it again.’
She slowly gathered her thoughts, gently closing and then opening her eyes.
Through her eyes, now washed clean and bright by her supernatural ability, she could see a chaotic tangle of multi-colored energies, just as she expected.
And amidst them, she spotted a very faint, thin black thread line.
“I think there’s still a fragment left.”
Though faint, it was undoubtedly still lingering somewhere.
“I think I know where it is!”
The little snake suppressed her drowsiness, narrowing her eyes as she tracked the traces of the energy.
Ju Jeokseo, Siyeom, Doeui, Hwaryeong, Hwanya, and the soldiers of the Vermilion Bird Family immediately followed right behind her.
***
Following the trail, the place they arrived at was the Ha Clan Estate.
Baeksa let out a small, soft gasp.
‘I had a feeling it would be here.’
For some reason, she had kept thinking about Ahee even while inside the warehouse.
Wondering if she was alright, and whether all the fragments she had seen had truly been absorbed.
But seeing how this energy still remained, it seemed the fragment planted inside Ahee had not been absorbed after all.
The misfortune and misery of the Ha Clan still lingered here in Namto.
Ju Jeokseo gently took the child’s small hand and asked,
“Is it here?”
“Yes, I can see it from here.”
Baeksa replied with a nod, her voice filled with certainty.
Surprised by the sudden visit, Ha Seolyeong hurried out to greet them.
“My, what brings the Divine Lord here…”
“I have come regarding your daughter. I believe Hwanya explained the situation to you before.”
She said, her expression brightening with relief,
“Yes. Thanks to Master Hwanya sending a sorcerer from the Black Tortoise Family, I was able to breathe a sigh of relief. Did everything go well on your end?”
At her reply, Siyeom’s face contorted with sudden fury.
“A sorcerer from the Black Tortoise Family?”
“Pardon? Yes. I was told that you sent him, Lady Siyeom…”
A sudden silence fell over the group.
Sensing the chilling atmosphere, Ha Seolyeong instinctively realized something was terribly wrong.
“…Did you not send him, Lady Siyeom?”
“Did that man introduce himself as Mo Hyun?”
“Yes, that’s right… But why…”
Ha Seolyeong asked hesitantly, her intuition screaming that something was amiss. Siyeom’s eyes narrowed sharply.
“When did he visit? Is he still here?”
“He came by last night. He left immediately after.”
“This is enough to drive me absolutely mad…”
She let out a heavy, frustrated sigh.
“Where are the children? I need to look at them. I must see what kind of trick that bastard has pulled.”
“A trick…?”
“I did not send him. We are looking for him as well. There is a high probability that the scoundrel is the mastermind behind this entire affair.”
At Siyeom’s words, Ha Seolyeong’s face drained of color.
She scrambled back into the estate. It was an unprecedented display of panic, far worse than anything they had seen from her before.
“Ahee!”
Ha Seolyeong headed straight for the inner quarters. From the moment she crossed the threshold, she was practically running into the room.
Inside the room, the two sisters, Ahee and Je-ryu, were fast asleep.
Gasping for breath, she lifted Ahee and laid her across her lap, checking to see if her daughter was breathing properly.
Just then, her husband, who was returning with a glass of water, asked in confusion,
“Dear, what is the matter… Hm?”
Spotting Ju Jeokseo, he hastily set the glass down and bowed his head.
“I greet the Divine Lord!”
“At ease, we have more urgent matters at hand.”
Siyeom and Baeksa entered the inner quarters at the same time. The two of them softly sat down beside the sleeping Ahee and Ha Seolyeong, who was clutching her tightly.
Ha Seolyeong spoke, looking as though she might burst into tears at any moment.
“Lady Siyeom, there isn’t an issue with our daughter, is there? She is the eldest daughter of the Ha Clan. If anything happens to this child…”
Baeksa quietly gazed at the sleeping Ahee before shaking her head.
“She’s just sleeping.”
“Lady Baeksa…?”
“Ahee doesn’t have the Ghost Dragon Fragment. I can’t feel the power of the fragment from her.”
As the child raised her head, her eyes sparkled with a clear, gem-like brilliance.
Baeksa slowly turned her gaze to the baby sleeping next to Ahee.
And there, she saw a dark energy pooling inside the tiny infant’s body.
The young girl slowly placed her hand over the baby’s round tummy, and the dark energy began to violently churn.
‘It’s here…’
Why was it felt from this child?
When she had looked before, the fragment had definitely been inside Ahee.
Had the fragment migrated in search of a more suitable vessel?
But this baby was far too small.
‘She’s so tiny and young…’
Why did it enter a body like this?
The girl looked down at the tiny baby with a heavy heart.
Gently lifting the baby’s clothing, she discovered the same red thread lines that had appeared on the others.
Seeing that they had not yet faded, it was certain that a fragment remained inside the infant’s body.
Baeksa raised her head and spoke.
“It’s not Ahee.”
Her eyes, which had been shining with the Dragon Eyes, had already settled back into their original color.
“This child… I think the fragment is left inside this baby’s body.”
The finger she used to gently point at the softly snoring baby trembled slightly.
“What? But last time, you said the fragment was inside Ahee…”
“Is it possible for a Ghost Dragon Fragment to move to someone else?”
When Baeksa looked up at Siyeom, the sorcerer gave a grim nod.
“If it judged this child’s body to be more suitable, then yes, it’s possible. Still, how strange. Why didn’t the fragment inside her come to you during the ritual…?”
Staring quietly at the baby, Baeksa timidly asked Ha Seolyeong,
“Um, may I hold the baby? I’ll be careful not to drop her.”
“Yes! Of course!”
Ha Seolyeong, who had been waiting with an anxious face, handed the baby over to Baeksa as if she had been waiting for the request.
The two-year-old child snored softly, nestled in Baeksa’s arms.
The baby was very small, but for the seven-year-old Baeksa, holding her felt a bit clumsy and heavy.
Watching the scene, Siyeom reached out to support the baby’s back so Baeksa could hold her more comfortably.
“Hello there, I’ll help you in just a moment…”
As Baeksa carefully placed her hand on the baby’s chest, a slightly whitened bead came rolling over and settled right above it.
And in the next moment, the young girl slowly unleashed her supernatural ability.
From her tiny fingertips, the power branched out like roots, gently enveloping the infant’s body.

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