Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

The moment the old woman showed me the cloth embroidered with the image of the creature she believed to be the Ho-ye, the memory of General Maeng, commander of the Iron Cavalry, popped into my head—how he had been served a drink called Royal Jelly Liquor of the Queen Wasp and had given me a gift afterward.

—“It’s something you might only see once in a lifetime, but they say there’s a creature called Ho-ye with venom in its glands.”

“You mean the Ho-ye?”

—“Yes, the Ho-ye. It has patterns like a bee, and they say anyone who gets too close or touches it will lose their life. What’s strange is, there are never any wounds or symptoms of poisoning on the bodies. That’s what I heard.”

Right, I remember. Even then, the general had said the victims died without wounds or signs of poisoning. Thinking back, his words perfectly matched the condition of the bodies found today. There weren’t any injuries or traces of poisoning.

Damn. I didn’t think of it. But hey, dreams or not, even a fool can get lucky sometimes.

I just happened to stop by to resupply, and the Ho-ye showed up?

If there’s anyone in this unit with dumb luck, it’s gotta be me. I quickly turned to the old woman. This was too much of a coincidence to ignore.

“Could this be the Ho-ye? That’s what people in the Central Plains call it. Have you ever heard of it?”

Her face stiffened slightly, even though she was clearly one of the Black-Clad Tribe. It felt like something in my question might have undermined her trust in me—though not enough to turn her completely against me. The shaman elder looked at me with concern and cautiously asked,

“Where did you hear the name Ho-ye?”

“Why do you ask?”

She glanced once toward the entrance of her shop, then answered quietly.

She began to explain why she looked so worried, and why the Black-Clad Tribe revered the Ho-ye as a spirit.

“The Black-Clad Tribe has different spirit guardians depending on the clan.

Some worship the Rain Dragon, others the Rain itself, or the Flower Dragon.

But our Black-Clad people—our tribe worships the Spirit of the Lake.

Long ago, when our ancestors were on the brink of being destroyed by foreign invaders,

the Spirit appeared and drove them all away.

That’s why we worship it.”

Ah, I see. That explains it.

Of course, if something showed up out of nowhere and saved you from death, ancient people would’ve seen it as a divine savior from the heavens. It was the same reason people in other cultures ended up worshipping animals.

In Southeast Asia, for instance, there are tribes who revere bears or elephants because one had suddenly appeared and saved someone’s life.

I nodded as she continued.

“And so, our Black-Clad Tribe has worshipped the Spirit ever since...”

She explained that for this reason, the tribe had followed the Ho-ye for generations, migrating wherever it went.

The Ho-ye, which had once lived along a tributary of the Yangtze, eventually settled near this lake—in Seochang. And when it did, the Black-Clad Tribe decided to stay here permanently.

That had been centuries ago. Since then, most of the residents near this lake in Seochang had been from the Black-Clad Tribe. The area even seemed to function as a kind of autonomous tribal zone.

But recently, as more of the local population had started growing, the Ho-ye had become harder to find. The tribe was trying hard to keep things quiet to prevent rumors from spreading.

Most of the lakeside residents were still Black-Clad, but with more outsiders moving in, word was getting harder to contain.

She spoke with a tone full of worry, clearly afraid that rumors about the Ho-ye might spread, causing curious people to flood in thinking it was safe.

“And now, could you answer the question I asked earlier?”

I nodded and replied.

If that’s what this was about, then of course Spicy Fabre would cooperate.

These people—protectors of the habitat and the endangered species—were just my kind of folks.

“There’s a man named General Maeng from the Iron Cavalry.

I heard he enjoys consuming exotic delicacies, so he often visits a certain vendor.

That vendor told him stories about this creature—how it’s nearly impossible to encounter in one’s lifetime, and that if you do and aren’t careful, it could mean your death.”

“Hmm... that sounds reasonable.”

The old woman seemed a bit more at ease after my explanation.

But as I reflected on what she’d told me, I became more and more certain:

the Ho-ye was clearly a protected creature under the care of the Black-Clad Tribe.

At first, I thought it was just some superstitious totem they blindly worshipped.

But if they were going as far as controlling rumors, it meant they were practically raising the thing themselves.

My curiosity gave way to a sharp, cold realization.

It was going to be impossible to capture the Ho-ye.

This was a creature the entire tribe worshipped. There was no way I could just take it. And even if I tried, they’d never let me walk out with it.

What kind of lunatic would hand over the thing their whole tribe considered sacred?

No... If I can’t take the protected species with me, I’ll just have to settle for observing it up close.

The moment I decided to build some rapport with the old lady to eventually get a glimpse of Ho-ye, I softened my expression and asked her directly.

”I have so many questions. May I ask them? I really love salamanders...”

I had already proven myself to be a beast handler from the famous Beast Palace, and the fish market owner had vouched for me. That, plus our pleasant chat, seemed to win the old sangmu over. She gave me a gentle smile and nodded.

”Is that so? Well, of course. If you’re from the Beast Palace, I must tell you.”

With her permission, I jumped right into it.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

”So it’s the same species as the salamander, just a different color? They’re already so cute, but a yellow one must be even more adorable.”

”It’s usually called Golden Tangerine-Stripe. And hearing you call them cute... you must really like them, don’t you?”

”Absolutely. I love them!”

It wasn’t just the salamanders—I loved all such creatures, so technically, I wasn’t lying. Hearing my enthusiastic reply, the old woman smiled again.

”Heh heh... similar, but not the same. The color is one thing, but the eyes are much bigger, and that makes them even cuter.”

”Oooh! Big eyes and cute? Ah, I really want to see it.”

”It’s not easy to catch a glimpse. It rarely shows up during the day. Mostly at night, it might peek out for food. Heh heh.”

”Oh, nocturnal and only comes out at night?”

We kept chatting back and forth, and just as I felt we were really connecting—

”I don’t get it. They know I’m from the Beast Palace, yet they still told me to go ask the sangmu myself. They could’ve just said something if they knew. And they didn’t even tell me where the sangmu was!”

”Unni, I bought all kinds of stuff and still didn’t get a single word out of anyone.”

Hwa-eun’s hands were full of fried bugs and other goods—she’d basically been out shopping like a diligent housewife. Fish, veggies, the works.

‘Hmph... I guess that means I win?’

It looked like victory was mine. I could almost taste the reward—my special team dinner menu, which Hwa-eun had been waiting eagerly to try.

But as they entered the shop, they said what they absolutely shouldn’t have.

”Looks like it’ll be hard for So-ryong to get that spirit beast or whatever it is, huh? That old lady wouldn’t tell even if someone found it.”

”Right? He’s probably gonna be disappointed.”

At that, the old woman sitting across from me snapped her eyes open wide and shouted at me, suspicion lacing her voice.

”You—surely you’re not trying to capture the Spirit—”

Ah... and just like that, the rapport I’d worked so hard to build shattered in one blow.

I scrambled to explain, but it was useless.

”N-no, that’s not it, you’ve misunderstood, really—”

”Even when others said so, I didn’t believe it. But to deceive this old woman like this—!”

She was furious, stomping and ranting, and both Hwa-eun and Sister Seol stared in shock as the shopkeeper rushed in to calm her down.

Even when she stopped yelling, the misunderstanding remained.

It was clear: unless I cleared this up, I would never be allowed to see Ho-ye.

”I’m afraid this won’t do. Please, come with me to our ship.”

”And why should I do that?”

”There seems to be a deep misunderstanding. If we go there, I’ll be able to clear it up.”

When you’ve heard someone’s secret, the best way to build trust is to offer one of your own in return.

Somehow I convinced her. The old fishmonger lady kindly escorted her to our boat.

By now, the sun had vanished below the horizon and the lake was cloaked in shadow. Lanterns lit up the ship here and there.

Our crew and guards were eating a late dinner on deck. Because of Cheongwol, we could only use half the space, so everyone was sitting a bit close.

”This way, please.”

I led her past the sailors and warriors toward a cabin. In a hushed voice, I turned to Yang Seong-hu.

”Whatever you see inside—keep it a secret. Kids, Daddy’s coming in.”

”Daddy?”

”Daddy?”

Of course they were confused. I was way too young to be calling myself ‘Daddy.’

–Creeeak.

As the door opened, darkness greeted us. My creatures didn’t need light, so we kept the cabin dark at night.

I stepped inside and called out,

”Hold on, let me turn on the light. We’ve got a guest.”

–Sssrrrk?

–Sssssk?

–Chiiihih.

–Keh-kehk?

As the word ‘guest’ was mentioned, the creatures looked up, tilting their heads in confusion.

I lit the first lantern. Instantly, from behind, came gasps and stifled shrieks.

”Huuhhh!”

”Eeeeek!”

Well, yeah. It was pitch black, and now in the dim light of a single red lantern, I was surrounded by eerie venomous creatures. Anyone would be terrified.

The red glow made their forms even more haunting.

Imagine a five-meter centipede, a six-meter one, spiders, toads—all staring out from the shadows.

Who wouldn’t wet themselves at the sight?

***

Building trust with the shaman of the Heukyi tribe had been a gamble—I thought I nearly gave her a heart attack. But as always, nothing builds rapport like showing someone your “children.”

Once I showed her the kids and mentioned the Poison Beast Sanctuary, trust shot straight to the roof.

“So you’re saying... you’ve made a place like this, where these spirit beasts can live without being harassed by humans?”

“Yes. We call it the Poison Beast Sanctuary.”

“Poison Beast Sanctuary?”

“Exactly. It means a place where venomous beasts—those who’ve been hunted, driven out, or mistreated—can live in peace. A place where they’re safe and happy.”

“Ah... I see.”

The shopkeeper looked genuinely moved. The old shaman fell into a thoughtful silence. Stroking Cho and Bini beside me, I gently pressed her with my request.

“You saw them for yourself, so you know I’m not here to capture anything. I’m just really curious—may I see Ho-ye, just once?”

The old woman paused a moment longer, then slowly nodded.

“I’ll meet you at the pier at midnight.”

Nice!

Even if I couldn’t bring it back, I’d get to see Ho-ye in the wild, up close. I clenched my fist in triumph, but then—

“Is it safe, though? I heard it’s venomous.”

“Right, So-ryong. You said you wanted to understand the venom first.”

The old woman smiled calmly and replied, “Don’t worry. If you listen to my instructions, you won’t be poisoned.”

As expected—being their sacred spirit beast, the Heukyi tribe must know how to avoid its venom.

***

Creak. Creak.

The full moon cast a pale silver light over the dark surface of the lake. It was so bright—almost like dawn had arrived early. Our small rowboat glided quietly through the still water, ripples spreading gently behind us.

[The Spirit of the Lake is shy. You must not make any loud noises.]

Underneath a steep cliff on the far side of the lake, the old shaman whispered her warnings.

As we drifted closer to the stillest waters, everyone instinctively bowed their heads. Even the sound of the oars fell silent, and the boat slid forward gently on its own momentum.

Just as the boat nearly reached the cliff’s base—

[Do not touch the water under any circumstances.]

– Plop.

Just as the second warning left her lips, we heard a small splash from just behind where we’d passed. Then, something poked its head up from the water.

Round, glistening eyes. A golden-yellow body.

Black stripes.

Our eyes met.

‘H-Holy... it’s so cute!’

Far beyond what I imagined—adorable didn’t even begin to describe it.

I was utterly entranced by the creature’s cuteness when—

– Thud.

The boat gently bumped against the cliff, the sound rippling across the water. Startled, the creature immediately vanished with a splash.

– Plop.

Then, all of a sudden, dozens of dead fish floated to the surface.

[It’s the venom! Be careful!]

The old shaman’s warning rang out—but something clicked in my head at that ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) moment.

‘Wait... this...?’