Chapter 109: Running Away (2)
Translator: bjgoofy
While contemplating how to soothe Hyang and Bin’s hearts, I decided to wait until Cho’s molting was finished.
Since arthropods like centipedes and spiders are most vulnerable during the molting process, it was essential to guard them.
Their new exoskeletons are incredibly soft before the bodily fluids refill and the outer layer dries and hardens. If pressed, bent, or shocked during this time, they solidify in that deformed state.
Then they have to endure that deformed shape until the next molt.
Even if they recover in the next molt, there’s a high chance of complications occurring again.
The parts that are bent or crushed abnormally don’t shed properly from the shell, leading to a high probability of “molting failure”.
The bodies of arthropods are structured like cans, making it difficult for the contents inside to come out once they’re crushed.
If they can’t fully shed their exoskeleton, the shell piles up on the body’s surface, slowing fluid circulation and leading to decay. They could end up in a state similar to Snow, who almost died once from molting failure. That’s why I had to protect Cho without fail.
Moreover, the larger the body, the higher the chance of molting failure.
-Jrrr.
Though I was slightly worried because two legs had fallen off, Cho successfully emerged completely from her shell.
The legs that emerged from the transparent shell had already regenerated.
Her body had clearly grown bigger.
With each breath, her chest swelled like a heartbeat, her body puffing up steadily.
When I lightly stroked her, the sensation was not like a firm, elastic centipede shell, but instead very soft and moist.
Now, all that was left was for her body to dry.
Since I needed to step away for a moment, I decided to leave Yohwa to watch over her.
For regular centipedes that have shed their juvenile form, it takes about a day to finish drying their body after molting. But since Cho is a spiritual creature, it might take longer. I intended to prepare to spend the night here just in case.
As I silently watched Cho lying on the grass and starting to dry her body, I made a request to Yohwa.
“Yohwa, Oppa will go prepare to stay the night here, so please keep an eye on Cho for me.”
-Kishishi!
Then I immediately headed to the residence where Seol noona and Hwa-eun were resting.
I needed to let them know I’d be spending the night here and also check in on them briefly.
And at the same time, I could inform them of Hyang and Bin’s whereabouts.
Since I had slept with Hyang and Bin last night and they suddenly disappeared, someone had been sent in the morning to ask if they were with Hwa-eun.
And if possible, I wanted to discuss how to cheer up the sulking girls.
After all, who understands a woman’s heart better than another woman?
‘I don’t know much else, but I seriously have no clue how to make someone feel better when they’re sulking.’
“Seol noona, Hwa-eun, I’m coming in.”
When I arrived at Seol noona’s residence and called out, I heard their welcoming voices.
“Mm, come in, Ryong.”
“Please come in, Soryong.”
Entering Seol noona’s residence, I found her and Hwa-eun sitting at the table in comfortable clothes, having tea.
I thought they’d still be bedridden for a few more days, but it seemed they weren’t that bad off.
-Kkukku!
-Kkuuu!
As I approached the table to greet them, Ice and Snow, who had been curled up with the Ice Jade on the table, leapt into my arms.
“Ah, yeah, you little ones. Have you been well? You didn't bothered Mom while she was sick, right?”
-Kkuukkuu!
Their chubby tails wagged like puppies.
Snow’s tail had only recovered to about half of its former size, but it was only a matter of time before she returned to her previous form.
As I scratched the chins of the little ones clinging to my chest, I asked the two women,
“Are you both alright? You’re already up and about?”
“Mm, well, it’s internal injuries. I still hear a buzzing sound in my ears, though.”
“I’m okay too. It’s not a serious internal injury, and the bruises are just a bit big.”
It didn’t seem like either of them had any major issues in daily life.
Feeling relieved, I sat down in an empty seat and informed Hwa-eun that Cho had recovered.
Since Hwa-eun had also been worried about Cho, she would surely be happy to hear of her recovery.
“Cho just regenerated her missing legs. I came straight from helping her.”
“She regenerated them?”
“Yes, it seems the Flying Celestial Serpent left behind a bit of her inner core. I used that to induce a molt. Legs regenerate during molting.”
“That’s a relief. I was so worried about the legs falling off. When I saw them, I felt so upset and heartbroken. I didn’t even feel any pain from my own injuries. I guess this is what it feels like for a mother when her child comes home hurt.
From now on, I need to be stronger as a mother. If I can’t protect the children, I’m unfit to be a mother.”
After briefly expressing joy at Cho’s recovery, Hwa-eun poured out her sorrow and ended with a firm resolution to grow stronger.
It seemed she believed that, as a mother, she had to protect everyone.
“U-Unfit is a bit much…”
“No. A mother must be strong!”
‘Is she getting a little too into this roleplay?’
I was slightly worried that Hwa-eun might be too absorbed in playing mom and dad. But after hearing what she said next, I started to think maybe getting immersed in this roleplay wasn’t such a bad thing.
No, maybe it was best to let her dive in completely.
“You must grow stronger too, Husband. Because you’re the father. Next time, let’s protect the children together.”
‘Wait, this… might not be so bad?’
She was so deep in the role that she didn’t even realize she just called me “Husband”.
The word “Husband” in this context was akin to saying “dear” plus “sir”.
Dear husband!
It’s an honorific for one’s spouse, and hearing Hwa-eun, such a beautiful woman, say “dear” made me go blank for a moment.
It felt like my genes were pre-programmed to respond reflexively when a woman like Hwa-eun called me that, even though she wasn’t actually my wife yet.
"I understand. M-my wife."
Next to me, Seol noona gave me a bewildered expression.
“…Huh?”
***
Realizing what she and I had just said after seeing Seol noona’s dumbfounded reaction, Hwa-eun’s face turned bright red.
With a flushed face that hadn’t quite returned to normal, Hwa-eun asked about Hyang and Bin’s whereabouts.
Since they had suddenly vanished that morning, she must be asking whether I’d found them.
“By the way, what happened to Hyang and Bin, Soryong? Since they’re not with you, does that mean you couldn’t find them?”
“I did find them. They’re with Grandfather.”
“With Grandfather? Hyang and Bin are?”
She asked why they were with Grandfather.
Scratching my head, I replied.
“Yes, it seems they’re upset with us. I think they found out that the killing intent was a lie.”
“R-Really!?”
Hwa-eun widened her eyes in shock upon hearing that Hyang and Bin had discovered the truth.
It felt like seeing a mother’s reaction when her kids find out Santa doesn’t exist.
“Yes. While wandering around last night, they released killing intent at the beasts of the Beast Palace, but nothing happened. I guess they realized we were lying.”
“T-That’s terrible. The kids must be heartbroken.”
Hearing that the children had learned the killing intent was fake, both Hwa-eun and Seol noona looked flustered. I asked them,
“Isn’t there any good way to soothe the children’s hearts? Last time, we barely managed by promising to find an inner core, but this time I have no idea what to do.”
“Hmmm…”
At my question, Hwa-eun rested her chin on her hand and fell into thought.
“Won’t they get over it if we just give it time?”
“What if they don’t? Seol noona.”
“Come on, would they really stay upset forever? They’re just sulking a little right now.”
“You think so?”
“I’m sure.”
Though Seol noona said casually that it would resolve itself with time, the hearts of a mom and dad weren’t so carefree.
I asked again.
“When Seol noona gets upset, how do you usually resolve it? No, wait, what did your father do when you were upset?”
“Huh? Me? W-Well? I guess it’s different for me. Those two are Flying Celestial Centipedes… I usually felt better after eating some tasty meat…”
“Meat? So, food…”
While we were having that conversation.
We heard a servant’s voice from outside.
“Young Miss, a guest has arrived.”
“A guest?”
Seol noona asked toward the outside, wondering what guest it was.
It seemed there should be no reason for anyone to visit her while she was resting due to her injuries.
Then an unexpected name was heard from outside.
“Spear Dragon has come to visit.”
“Spear Dragon?”
Seol noona and Hwa-eun looked at each other, and Seol noona slightly furrowed her brows as she spoke.
“Tell him it’s rude to come to a lady’s quarters uninvited.”
She wasn’t particularly close to Spear Dragon, and allowing him into her chambers would go against decorum.
Also, since Sword Phoenix had thrown herself into danger trying to save Spear Dragon, it seemed Seol noona was rejecting him, suspecting he might still be harboring feelings for her.
‘Wait, has that dense idiot still not figured it out?’
It seemed he had come to visit despite his injuries, and I was starting to wonder if that thickheaded guy still hadn’t noticed Sword Phoenix’s feelings for him, when suddenly, Spear Dragon’s voice came from outside.
“Y-Young Hero Soryong, please help me! They said you were here, so I came!”
Hwa-eun and Seol noona turned their gazes toward me, and I blinked at the sudden plea for help.
His voice sounded panicked, urgent.
It felt like I definitely needed to step out and see what was going on.
When I opened the door and stepped outside, I found Spear Dragon waiting for me, his face completely pale.
He grabbed onto my pants leg with desperation in his voice.
“P-Please help me, Soryong!”
His neck was stiff, wrapped in Yohwa’s spider silk since he had a hairline fracture in his cervical vertebra. Because of that, he clung to my pant leg in an awkward, rigid posture.
“Calm down, Spear Dragon. I can’t help you unless I know what’s going on-”
When I asked what the reason was, Spear Dragon answered with a look of disbelief.
“S-Sword Phoenix, Sword Phoenix!”
“Is something seriously wrong with Young Miss Sword Phoenix!?”
I had heard her internal organs were affected, so I assumed her injuries were quite severe, possibly even life-threatening.
Wondering if she was on the brink of death, I helped Spear Dragon up and said,
“If it’s that urgent, you should call Grandfather the Man of Ten Thousand Poisons and the Beast Palace’s physicians-”
Then came the completely absurd answer.
“Sword Phoenix... she s-said she likes me!”
“?”
“S-She said she likes me and... I-I don’t know what to do! Young Hero Soryong, you may be younger than me, but you’re experienced, r-right? Please, help me!”
I thought it was some critical emergency involving Sword Phoenix’s life, but it turned out to be a ridiculous request for romantic advice.
I had to press down on my thigh to stop the reflexive soccer kick that nearly flew out on its own.
‘What the hell am I supposed to do with this guy?’
But while I was at a loss as to what to say to him, the door suddenly burst open and Seol noona walked out with a gleeful expression.
“You came to the right place. Of course we’ll help you.”
“Uh, but I was asking Young Hero Soryong…”
Before he could finish, she grabbed the flustered Spear Dragon and dragged him inside.
It seemed her curiosity had been piqued by someone else’s love story.
***
“S-So. I heard Sword Phoenix had awakened, so I went to check on her condition. I couldn’t help but ask her why she had taken the spear for me.
But then, she just looked at me like I was completely pathetic and sighed.”
I had expected a cute and funny romantic tale, but from the very start it felt like I was eating mashed sweet potatoes, thick, choking, and frustrating.
Though my chest was tightening with frustration, I held it in and asked again,
“So, what did she say? Sword Phoenix.”
“After sighing, she asked me back instead.”
『“Spear Dragon, why do you think I did it?”
“As a friend? Or maybe as a comrade on a secret mission?”
-Thwack!
“Guh! Why throw a wooden pillow at me!?”』
All he did was say what he was thinking, and he got a wooden pillow thrown at him.
As Spear Dragon rubbed his forehead where the pillow had hit him, he protested, and Sword Phoenix answered in embarrassment.
『“Y-You idiot! Isn’t it obvious? I… I couldn’t bear to watch the person I like die…”
“You like me? Who does? Sword Phoenix, you like me?”
』
When he asked again with a bewildered expression, Sword Phoenix exploded in anger and shouted.
『“G-Get out! You idiot! I should’ve just let you die! Ugh…”』
“So you’re saying… you got kicked out?”
“Y-Yes.”
The full story left the atmosphere chilling with awkward silence.
Hwa-eun and Noona hurled insults at Spear Dragon right to his face.
“He’s truly pathetic. How can he be so different from our Soryong? It should’ve been a flying dagger, not a wooden pillow, that ended his life on the spot…”
“Yes, and it should’ve been laced with poison too.”
Seeing Spear Dragon visibly deflate at their words, I calmed down Noona and Hwa-eun first before asking him again.
Though I kind of wanted to throw in a jab of my own too.
“Both of you, let’s calm down first. You can scold him after we hear the whole story. So? What exactly do you want help with? She confessed to you, didn’t she? Seems like there’s nothing left for me to do.”
Then Spear Dragon, fidgeting nervously, replied,
“This is the first time I’ve ever received such a confession from a woman… W-What am I supposed to do!? Please help me, Soryong!”
It seemed he got the confession but had no idea what to do next.
I asked Spear Dragon,
“But… do you actually like Sword Phoenix?”
At my question, he looked flustered, thought for a while, then shook his head and said,
“I-I don’t know.”
He was clearly thrown off by the sudden confession.
I grabbed Spear Dragon and spoke.
We’d crossed the line of death together. I couldn’t just ignore him.
He somehow felt like a clueless younger brother.
“Then let’s figure that out first.”
“F-Figure it out?”
I took Spear Dragon to where Yohwa was watching over Cho as she dried her shed shell.
I carefully asked Yohwa,
“Yohwa, I know you won’t like this, but could you take just a little bit of this guy’s yang energy and show us who he thinks is the most beautiful woman?”
-Kisit!? Kishishishi!
She clearly didn’t like the idea, but after I pleaded a few more times, Yohwa reluctantly licked the back of Spear Dragon’s hand with an obviously displeased expression.
Yohwa, who had been in the form of Hwa-eun, slowly began to change into Sword Phoenix.
Looks like this guy’s beauty standard had already shifted after just one confession, definitely a hopeless romantic.
“T-This is…”
To the stunned Spear Dragon, I explained.
“Yohwa can transform into the image of the woman a man finds most beautiful after tasting his yang energy. Seeing as she turned into Sword Phoenix after tasting yours, it means you probably do like her.”
“I-I can’t believe it! I-I like Sword Phoenix!”
I smacked the back of his head as he spoke like it was someone else’s story.
-Smack!
“Alright, you're a man. You received a confession, go give her your answer already.”
At that, Spear Dragon gave a nod.
As he started walking toward her quarters, I called out to him,
“That’s three times I’ve saved your ass.”
Spear Dragon nodded again and, looking grateful, gave me a respectful martial salute before quickening his pace.
‘Wait, but this isn’t what I should be doing right now…’
As I watched Spear Dragon walk away, my thoughts immediately returned to Hyang and Bin.
I’d completely forgotten about them due to Spear Dragon’s interruption.
“Guess I should go see Grandfather and check on the kids’ mood first?”
I planned to give Yohwa a bit of yang energy again and have her shift back to Hwa-eun’s form, then go visit Grandfather.
-Thud.
Something nudged against my foot.
When I looked down, I saw Cho’s shed molting shell.
And with it, Noona’s earlier words came to mind.
‘I usually felt better after eating some tasty meat…’
Cho’s shed exoskeleton definitely contained the energy of the Flying Celestial Centipede.
Wouldn’t this shell be infused with that energy too? That thought struck me.
And then I began to wonder if eating it might allow someone to absorb that energy.
After all, centipedes often eat their own molted shells.
‘Could this be the key…?’