Fabre in Sacheon's Tang-Chapter 187: Maternal Instincts (4)

— Kii-kii.

With the baby Black-Clawed Red Earwig crying desperately for its mother, I raced through the lava cave and entered the passage. But no matter how far we went, its cries didn’t stop.

It kept wriggling in my arms.

If I went straight up to the village like this, it would immediately be surrounded by the others, leaving it no time to grieve. It would be overwhelmed before it could even process what had happened.

So, I leaned against the tunnel wall and spoke to it for a while.

“Hmm... Hello? My name is So-ryong. Why don’t we talk for a bit? But where should I even start...”

I introduced myself first, then tried to explain why its mother had no choice but to make that decision.

Unlike the others, this little one had received the most love from its mother, but the rest of its siblings wouldn’t have survived if she hadn’t made that choice.

I also explained that, as per its mother’s request, I would take care of it until it was grown.

Once I finished, the little one seemed to calm down a bit and looked up at me.

I stroked its head and asked,

“Feeling a little better?”

Its shell had dried since it hatched, but it was still soft.

I looked into its moist, glistening eyes and continued,

“We’ll be living together from now on, so... you’ll need a name. What would be a good one... Hmm...”

When a new family member arrives, the first thing they need is a name.

While comforting the little one, I thought about a name that would suit it.

And then, a rather cute name popped into my mind.

Hongdan.

In my past life, I might have associated it with a red flower tile from a card game, but here in the Central Plains, the meaning was different.

I explained my reasoning to the little one.

“Oh! That’s it! Since you received your mother’s love alone, I’ll use the character Dan (which means ‘alone’), and call you Hongdan. What do you think?”

There was deep meaning behind this name.

The one who received the greatest love from its mother.

The one who awakened its intellect alone.

So, Dan (Alone).

The little one hesitated for a moment, as if considering it, then nodded in agreement.

— Kii.

Perhaps because it had consumed its mother’s Neidan, it seemed remarkably intelligent.

I patted its head again and said,

“When we go up, your sisters will welcome you. Let’s go.”

— Kii?

At the mention of sisters welcoming it, Hongdan tilted its head.

I had called them sisters because Hongdan was female.

If it had been male, it would have had pincers, but instead, its tail had two sharp blades, confirming its sex.

It made me wonder—was it just coincidence, or was it because the Tang Clan, with all its poisons and assassination techniques, had such strong yin energy that even the venomous creatures under my care kept turning out to be female?

‘Come to think of it, Bing is the only male.’

Of course, it was all just coincidence.

Moji and Soji were still unknown, so they didn’t count, but Cho, Hyang, and Bini had simply happened to be the three surviving eggs, all female. Yo-hwa had just been randomly assigned to me.

Even Yeondu and Hyang had turned out to be female.

And this time, it had been entirely the Black-Clawed Red Earwig mother’s decision.

For her, giving her Neidan to a female rather than a male was the more beneficial choice for continuing the bloodline.

After all, a species’ survival was more secure if an egg-laying female could grow strong and mature quickly.

To climb up the well, I tucked the startled little one into my robes.

It peeked its head out from between the folds of fabric.

“Well then, shall we go?”

Grabbing onto the vines hanging from above, I climbed up the well and emerged outside, where people were waiting for me.

As expected, Hwa-eun and Sister Seol were the first to reach out and help me up.

“So-ryong, are you alright?”

“Ryong, what happened?”

They must have seen Hongdan peeking out from my robes, but they kept questioning me.

When I looked down, Hongdan had withdrawn back into my robes, leaving only its antennae sticking out, as if frightened.

I pointed at my chest and whispered to the two of them.

[Let’s talk later. We have a new family member.]

I couldn’t talk about the mother’s death or how Hongdan’s siblings had eaten her—not in front of Hongdan.

First, introductions.

As I revealed Hongdan from my arms, both Hwa-eun and Sister Seol widened their eyes.

After all, Hongdan’s large eyes, filled with wonder, made it look unbelievably cute.

“Oh my!”

“And this is?”

“This little one is named Hongdan.”

“Hongdan?”

“That’s a pretty name. As pretty as it is adorable.”

I loosened my robe slightly, revealing Hongdan’s head.

As its eyes reflected the light and the new faces around it, a sense of fascination took hold.

I introduced them properly.

“Hongdan, you should say hello. This is the one who will be your mother alongside me, and next to her is your aunt. You probably don’t understand titles yet, so just think of them as the people who will be taking care of you with me.”

— Kii.

“Oh my, even its cry is adorable.”

“Seriously, what an endearing little sound.”

With Hwa-eun and Sister Seol delighted, we headed toward our lodging.

Inside, I saw:

Cho, floating near the ceiling, asleep.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Bini, raising its head from the floor when we entered.

Seol, Bing, and Dong, eating from the ice crystal on the table.

Yeondu, curled around a pillar.

Moji and Soji, standing still near the ice crystal.

Hyang, sitting absentmindedly under the bed.

And finally, following behind us, Yo-hwa entered, completing the family gathering.

I called the children to the center of the room and placed Hongdan on the floor.

“Alright, everyone. This is our new family member, Hongdan. She’s the youngest, so you all need to take good care of her.”

For now, Hongdan was only the size of a small puppy.

Not exactly big—just about the size of two fists pressed together.

As I placed her down among the others, various reactions followed.

— Tsrrt?

— Gukku?

— Kisit?

They were all looking at her with curiosity, as if wondering, What is this?

But as expected, the eldest daughter was the first to step forward.

Cho flew over, its antennae lightly touching Hongdan, making her flinch.

Then, one by one, the others greeted her in their own ways.

Cho and Bini used their antennae to make contact.

Seol, Bing, and Dong responded with chirping sounds.

Yo-hwa, in her Hwa-eun form, waved her pedipalps.

Yeondu gave a slight nod.

Hyang... just stared blankly.

Just as the greetings seemed to be wrapping up, Hwa-eun suddenly clapped her hands.

— Clap!

“Oh, we forgot about Hyang!”

Hwa-eun checked the hem of her skirt, looking around carefully, before finally grabbing a fold and pulling out Hyang, who had been sleeping. She placed her down in front of Hongdan.

Earlier, when I had rushed into the cave, I had accidentally left Hyang behind. It seemed she had been sleeping inside Hwa-eun’s skirt folds the entire time.

“Hyang, you should say hello. This is your younger sister.”

Hyang, still half-asleep, blinked blankly for a moment. Then, upon seeing Hongdan, she flinched and turned her head in surprise.

— Tsrrt?

“This is your new little sister.”

— Tsrrt!?

Hyang seemed startled at the word sister, but after inspecting Hongdan, she appeared to puff up a bit, perhaps feeling superior due to Hongdan being smaller than her.

With a slightly smug look, Hyang circled around Hongdan once before stepping forward with a pleased bounce. Then, as if marking her territory, she tapped Hongdan’s forehead lightly and let out a small cry.

— Tsrrr.

‘Is she trying to say, I’ll take care of you, just trust me?’

It seemed that Hyang was very pleased with herself now that there was finally someone smaller than her.

***

Three Days Later

After a few days, I returned to the cave.

There were still things I needed to do.

I had to properly bury Hongdan’s mother’s remains, retrieve the Fire Crystal, and check on what had happened to Hongdan’s siblings.

I planned to take care of all of this today and then seal the tunnel that led to the well, as I had promised the village chief.

— Tsrrr.

Leading the way with Bini, I arrived at the spot where the Black-Clawed Red Earwig had been.

Hongdan’s siblings were nowhere to be found.

Either they had scattered or crawled out in search of light—there wasn’t a single one left in sight.

Then, my eyes landed on what remained of Hongdan’s nest.

In the darkness, the lifeless remains of Hongdan’s mother lay scattered.

All the soft parts of her body had been consumed, leaving only the hardened shell covering her wings and the pincers on her tail.

‘As expected, only these parts remain.’

When an earwig mother offers herself to her offspring, only these final remnants are left behind.

I had brought Hongdan here so she could say a last farewell, and upon seeing the remains, she let out a sorrowful cry.

— Kiii...

Her soft wail echoed low in the cave.

“Just wait a moment.”

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I set her down gently and began gathering the scattered remains, moving them beneath the area where the Fire Crystal was buried.

I planned to cover them with the soil that would fall when I retrieved the crystal.

After carefully gathering everything together against the wall, I called for Bini.

“Bini, bring it out.”

— Tsrrt!

At my request, Bini climbed up the wall and bit into the Fire Crystal, pulling it free.

The moment the crystal came loose, the surrounding wall collapsed with a deep rumble.

— Rumble!

I quickly stepped back, shielding Hongdan from the falling dust.

Then, Bini emerged, crawling down the wall with a massive crystal clutched in her mandibles—larger than a human head.

— Tsrrrt.

‘Wait... That’s not all of it!?’

The last time I had checked, it had only appeared to be about the size of a fist. But apparently, what I had seen before was just the tip of the crystal!

I was thrilled, but I decided to save that excitement for later.

This was, after all, a funeral.

Once the dust settled, as I had expected, Hongdan’s mother’s remains were buried beneath the fallen rock and dirt.

I turned to Hongdan.

“Come on, Hongdan. Say your final goodbye.”

— Kiii...

She jumped down from my arms and scurried over to the pile of stones.

Pausing for a moment, she hesitated—perhaps because the grave was too large. Then, spotting the tip of her [N O V E L I G H T] mother’s pincer sticking out from between the rocks, she used her tiny mandibles to push a stone over it, covering it completely.

Then, without looking back, she turned and ran back to me.

A brief but heartfelt farewell.

***

— Biiii!

As I struggled to carry the massive Fire Crystal into our quarters, Hyang suddenly shot into the air.

Literally.

I had no idea how such short legs could generate that kind of power, but she leaped straight at me, crashing into my chest as I held the crystal.

— Thud!

With the impact, I lost my balance and fell backward, landing hard on my rear while still clutching the crystal.

Immediately, the sound of licking filled the air.

— Sluurp. Slurp.

Hyang, clinging to the Fire Crystal like a lizard rather than a toad, began eagerly licking it all over.

Wherever her tongue passed, the glow of the crystal would momentarily fade, only to return just as quickly. It really looked like she was absorbing its energy.

Hwa-eun and Sister Seol, who had been quietly drinking tea inside, looked absolutely dumbfounded.

It was the first time they had ever seen Hyang display so much emotion.

She was wearing the happiest expression I had ever seen on her face.

“Wait... has she always been this expressive?”

“Of course not.”

Both of them shook their heads in disbelief.

Rather than being shocked by the fact that I had brought back such a large crystal, they were far more baffled by Hyang’s behavior.

But in the end, Hyang was happy, I was happy, and no one had really lost anything on this journey.

As I thought about wrapping up our business here and discussing our return trip, I opened my mouth to speak.

“Well then, I suppose it’s about time we return to the Tang Clan—”

Before I could finish, the sound of commotion came from outside.

“Are you from Beast Palace?”

“Yes, we received your request for assistance. What’s the situation?”

From the voices, it seemed the village had indeed sent for reinforcements from Beast Palace, and now, those reinforcements had arrived.

Hearing a familiar voice, Sister Seol abruptly stood up and rushed outside.

“Captain of the Eagle Claw Squad!?”

“Young Lady!? What are you doing here when you should be at the Tang Clan!?”

Hwa-eun and I followed after her, stepping outside to find a larger group of people than expected.

And surprisingly, not all of them seemed to be from Beast Palace.

From the insignias on their chests, I could tell that some of them were from the Martial Alliance.

The moment we appeared, the man referred to as the Captain of the Eagle Claw Squad looked utterly shocked.

“So-ryong! And even Lady Hwa-eun, your betrothed!?”

“Hwa-eun?”

“Hwa-eun... You mean Venomous Moonflower?”

“There are Tang Clan members here!?”

“Master Gu?”

“Huh? Ji-ryong? Even the Five Dragons of Wu Mountain!?”

Amidst the sudden uproar, I stepped closer to Sister Seol, looking over the so-called Captain of the Eagle Claw Squad.

I knew him.

I had met him a few times in Beast Palace and had even worked with him when I went to retrieve Yeondu.

‘But there are way too many people for just handling village matters. Even the Martial Alliance is here?’

As I took a moment to scan the crowd behind him, I heard Sister Seol question him.

“What brings you here? We were just passing through for some personal matters. The issue in the village has already been resolved, so you don’t need to worry about that. But... there are a lot of unfamiliar faces here. Why so many people?”

“Oh... As expected from the Young Lady. That’s a relief. This means we can move quickly. Ah, the reason we brought so many people is because, after handling this situation, we were planning to head to Qinghai.”

“Qinghai?”

That word immediately caught my attention.

Qinghai was one of our upcoming destinations.

I focused on the conversation, and what I heard next was shocking.

“Yes, we recently captured a Blood Cult member who was spying near Beast Palace. While interrogating him, we discovered that both the Blood Cult and the Five Venoms Clan are up to something in Qinghai.”

The Five Venoms Clan.

Something clicked in my mind.

“They’re up to something? What exactly?”

“Well... from what we’ve gathered, it’s something related to a giant venomous creature.”

“A giant venomous creature?”

“Yes.”

“The captured man said it was as big as a house.”

Hearing that, I quickly approached the captain of the Eagle Claw Squad and grabbed his shoulder.

“As someone from Beast Palace, there’s no way I can just ignore that.”