The Little Baby Snake of the Vermilion Bird Family - Chapter 93

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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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The items filling the inside of the warehouse were nothing grand.
Rice, medicinal herbs, neatly folded cotton cloth, and handcrafted ornaments.
At a single glance, none of them looked like things used by noble families.
Baeksa stepped forward cautiously and examined them.
As if every single item had been left by a different person, a note with the giver’s name was attached to each gift.
Baeksa had not yet learned all her letters, but she could still read a few characters in some of the names.
Realizing who had given her these gifts, Baeksa asked in a dazed voice.
“Are these gifts for me…? Why would they give me so much…”
“Because you healed them.”
Ju Jeokseo, who had approached Baeksa’s side before she knew it, picked up a piece of cotton cloth and placed it in the child’s arms.
Compared to the countless silk garments, silk blankets, and silk pillows he usually gave her, it was rough enough to be considered shoddy.
However, it was clear that it had been woven by hand, stitch by stitch, and it carried a fresh scent as if it had been washed clean before being brought here.
Just seeing how it had been tied together with neatly arranged twine showed how much care the person had put into the recipient.
“Is it really okay for me to take this?”
“They gave it to you, so who else would take it? I purposely gathered them all so I could show you every single one without exception once you woke up.”
He smiled faintly.
“In Namto, when people are grateful, they gather their hearts like this to deliver a message. Even if it is nothing particularly rare or expensive, they each bring an item they treasure. These things might look worthless, but in truth, they are not at all.”
“They’re not worthless!”
Baeksa blurted out in a rush, her face slightly flushed as she tightly hugged the cotton cloth.
“I am so incredibly grateful for all of it. It’s just that, I’ve never received so many gifts before…”
Tears welled up slightly in her round eyes.
“I just wondered if it’s really okay for me to receive something so precious…”
Baeksa’s voice grew a little softer.
The child hugged the cotton cloth even tighter.
The texture was rough, but she did not feel it at all.
It felt far more precious than the old blankets she used to use in the Imperial Palace, and far more valuable than the clothes she had scavenged after Yeoryun threw them away.
The first time Baeksa had ever received a gift was also after coming to Namto.
Even then, she had thought such things were far too good for her.
And yet.
‘I think these gifts are even more undeserved.’
To receive the warm hearts of so many beast-kin? No matter how much she had saved them, it could not have been easy.
How could they forget that Baeksa’s father was the Emperor who had turned them into monsters, and that the girl carried the blood of Imperial Royalty anyway?
But this time, that very bloodline—the girl who received the dragon’s blood—had saved them.
Just accepting that fact might have been difficult and painful.
Yet seeing these piled-up gifts made her feel as though she had truly become a part of Namto.
Because she felt recognized by them, Baeksa was truly happy.
Watching her quietly, Ju Jeokseo poked the child’s soft cheek.
“Never forget this sentiment, the hearts of those who repaid you. Things like this will gather one by one to become the pillars that support your days ahead.”
“Yes, of course! I will absolutely never forget.”
“But at the same time, there is something you must keep in mind.”
“What is it?”
“Just because you are grateful for these gathered hearts, you do not always have to sacrifice yourself. If you become too obsessed with such things, it will become a small spark that slowly consumes your body.”
Ah, Baeksa opened her small mouth and nodded.
“Our Yeon always says she will do her best. But doing your best is quite enough if it is only to the extent that it does not harm your own body.”
He added.
“I do not want the sacrifice of your young self to be taken for granted. Until you are fully grown, this uncle is your guardian, so surely I can say this much?”
“Yes, Uncle, I’ll be careful. Please don’t worry too much.”
Baeksa carefully set down the cotton cloth and threw her arms around Ju Jeokseo.
“I will only do it to the point where I don’t push myself. Only until the Bead says ‘you can eat more’!”
“Right, right. You must only consume enough so that you don’t collapse into sleep again.”
Hwaryeong, who had slipped into the warehouse, grinned broadly.
Then he wrapped Baeksa in a sudden embrace.
“Only enough so you don’t make your brother and Father worry! Understand?”
“Yes!”
Clenching her two small fists, the baby dragon smiled brightly and nodded.
Just then, Doeui entered the warehouse and asked, spotting a massive pile in the corner.
“What is that over there?”
“Those are gifts from the nobles. Those belong to Yeon, too.”
“There are so many precious things. Why did you pile them up here?”
“If they were mixed together, they might be compared. It would be rude to those who brought them if their hard work suffered by comparison.”
He replied nonchalantly.
“Yeon, those are your gifts as well. You may look through them. I will have clothes made from all the fabrics that came in today. Since a generous amount of cloth arrived, there will be more than enough to make ten outfits.”
“Wait, just for me?”
“Hmm?”
“If there is plenty of fabric, then for Hwanya, Hwaryeong, Doeui, and Uncle too…”
By the time the child finished speaking, the tips of her ears were slightly red with shyness.
“…Would that be alright?”
“Hahaha! Our Yeon wants us all to get matching clothes?”
He chuckled.
“Wonderful, let’s each have an outfit made. You are gifting us these clothes, Yeon.”
“Hehe, yes! I love that!”
Utterly thrilled, Baeksa bounced up and down on the spot.
A blooming smile spread across the faces of those watching her.
***
After the news spread that the baby dragon had awakened, the first to visit was, naturally, the Ha Clan Head.
She arrived with her husband and daughter, offering a polite greeting.
“Ha Seolyeong of the Ha clan greets the Divine Lord.”
Ha Seolyeong’s two daughters had been left outside with the servant girls. Her husband followed his wife’s lead, bowing gracefully.
“Greetings, Divine Lord.”
Ju Jeokseo nodded.
“It has been a while. Have the children fared well in the meantime?”
“To say ‘in the meantime’ is an understatement; immediately after you departed, both of them became perfectly fine. I do not know how we can ever repay this grace.”
She smiled warmly.
“You saved my daughters, who are more precious to me than life itself, so even if this body dies, there is no way to fully repay the debt. However, I have come to offer at least a fraction of it during my lifetime.”
“Just saying you wish to repay the favor is enough. Is talking of life and death not far too ominous? Furthermore, your daughters are still small and you are still young.”
He countered with a much more relaxed demeanor than before. Ha Seolyeong also eased her tension, her smile softening.
“Yes, thank you, Divine Lord. At any rate… if the Divine Lord permits, we would like to present a treasure handed down through generations of our family to Lady Baeksa.”
“A treasure handed down through the Ha family…”
“Yes.”
As Seolyeong signaled with her eyes while remaining on her knees, her husband unfastened the silk wrapping he held.
Then he carefully placed it down before his knees.
It was an incredibly thin silk.
It was so thin that whatever lay beyond the fabric showed through transparently. Its weight was as light as a thread, looking as though it might blow away at any moment if a breeze stirred.
Yet it was clearly no ordinary silk, for it did not budge even when the wind blew, and it sparkled like a gemstone when the sunlight hit it.
Moreover, it was fitted with straps so that it could be draped or worn.
Recognizing the object, Ju Jeokseo murmured.
“Is this not the Phoenix Armor?”
The legendary armor known to have been woven by the Phoenix, a bird of myth, using its own feathers when it descended to the earth.
It was a sacred armor that protected its master by deflecting swords and spears.
That the Ha family had been able to maintain its renown as a prestigious family until now was largely thanks to this armor.
As long as they possessed a Sacred Artifact of legend like the Phoenix Armor, no one could easily look down upon the Ha family.
Yet to offer it up like this?
“I appreciate the sentiment. However, this seems far too precious a gift.”
Ha Seolyeong shook her head, smiling gently.
“You saved my two daughters, who are more precious than life itself. Why would I begrudge a single Sacred Object like this?”

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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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