Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

Light burst outward as sister’s wings spread wide, then slowly folded in and wrapped around her body.

Her body was enclosed within them, turning into something like a cocoon.

A red, glittering cocoon.

It was the same red as her body, yet like the dust she left behind that shifted through countless hues, the cocoon shimmered as it changed through a myriad of colors.

Then Jeokwol—sister—began to float gently into the air.

Once her body rose and steadied at about eye level, I cautiously reached out and touched it, worried.

I could feel movement inside.

Her body was slowly melting from within.

It looked similar to when Hwa-eun advanced her realm.

When Hwa-eun gained the traits of a mantis from being human, her body had melted like that as well.

Now sister’s body was melting inside the cocoon and being remade anew.

I had been fretting, afraid she might turn into some kind of dragon, but fortunately, that didn’t seem to be the case.

It felt more like her body was being reconstructed, like a larva undergoing metamorphosis—her wings had simply become the cocoon.

That kind of reconstruction was proof of complete metamorphosis, a trait insects showed when they changed their bodies.

Judging from the flow of energy, it seemed she might rise to around the Primordial Infant Stage.

‘Whew... that took years off my life.’

As I sighed in relief, I suddenly felt something damp along my back.

When I checked, it was because I’d been imagining that my precious SSS-grade venom creature—sister—might turn into some throwaway dragon, and my back had gotten soaked with sweat.

I let out a breath and used my energy to dry my clothes.

That was when Hwa-eun’s voice came through the group chat.

『“So-ryong, could you come over here for a moment? Something’s come up.”

“What? Where are you?”

“At the inn. I was talking with a guest, but I think you should come.”』

My wives had gone to meet Sua, the ruler of the Jet-Black Sea.

At first, I didn’t think much of it, but the moment I heard “inn,” a chill ran down my spine.

A thought struck me belatedly—

What if Sua had said something like she wanted to become one of my wives?

Hadn’t she shown interest in me?

She’d been quiet earlier, but from what I’d heard about dragons, it wouldn’t be strange if she’d pulled something like telling my wives to give me up.

Dragons, after all, were a notoriously arrogant species that only cared about themselves.

They ignored others’ opinions completely.

Wasn’t that the case?

Even in the martial world, families like the Peng Clan or the Hwangbo Clan were said to look down on the weak—but for dragons, that attitude was practically a passive trait.

So it wouldn’t be surprising if she’d revealed what happened in the Jet-Black Sea—something I had kept from my wives.

Otherwise, Hwa-eun wouldn’t sound this stiff while asking me to come.

‘N-no way!?’

I asked in a tense voice.

『“I-is it something good? Or something bad?”』

Shouldn’t I at least prepare myself mentally?

But there was no reply.

‘Ah... why are bad premonitions never wrong? Damn it.’

Just as I was lamenting that, Hwa-eun’s voice came again.

『“Th-the guest is kneeling and begging for her life.”

“...What?”

“What do you mean by that...?”』

I called Cheong-yu Sojeo up from the underground of Blood Market Tower and immediately flew toward the inn.

With Soto.

“Soto, come with me.”

“Understood, So-ryong.”

When something confusing happens, Soto is the best.

***

After entrusting sister Jeokwol, I flew toward the sky above the residence prepared for us at one side of the inn.

As I flew, one thought filled my mind.

Why in the world was that supposedly arrogant dragon acting like a lunatic?

‘What the hell is going on?’

When I landed in front of the building, I could hear my wives and Sua inside.

“Guest? Please, you can get up now.”

“Guest, I think there’s been a serious misunderstanding...”

“P-please! I’m begging you like this—have mercy! I was wrong!”

Thinking the conversation made no sense, I extended my energy and flung the door open.

What greeted me was an utterly incomprehensible scene.

Sua was prostrating herself on the floor beside the table, bowing her head, while my wives stood there, flustered.

As the door opened, my wives looked at me.

When I silently asked what the hell was going on, they all raised both hands.

They had no idea either.

Walking toward them, I called out to Sua.

“Sua?”

At the sound of her name, she trembled as if struck by lightning and shouted,

“I—I only did it because I was ordered to! Th-that’s the truth! Someone above told me to deliver that to you, so I couldn’t refuse!”

‘Someone above told her to deliver it?’

The first thing that came to mind was the true blood sister had just drunk.

I asked my wives what had happened.

『“What happened here? Not the reason—what was going on before she ended up like this?”』

They all began explaining at once.

『“W-we were just talking, and then she suddenly did that.”

“Ah, junior brother—now that I think about it, when that energy spread out from your office earlier, she suddenly started acting like this.”

“Ah, that’s right...”』

If it was when energy burst out from my office, then that was right after sister had downed the true blood in one shot.

Then it was definitely connected to the true blood.

“Guest, please, just get up—”

“N-no! I’ll stay like this until you promise to spare me! If you’re all in perfect condition like this, doesn’t that mean you could cut my head off at any moment!?”

As my wives and Sua argued back and forth, Soto spoke through the group chat.

『“So-ryong, if the energy burst from your office, that would’ve been when the true blood disappeared. And since she said she was ordered to deliver something, it seems that true blood had some hidden scheme behind it.

There must’ve been a way for them to tell whether it disappeared or not. And since your wives are martial artists, they naturally become cautious when meeting strangers.

She probably misunderstood that tension.”』

“Then...”

Listening to Soto, it all clicked.

Why that dragon was acting like this.

She had tried to plant the true blood—a Trojan horse—with me, but when it disappeared, she must’ve thought she’d been exposed.

On top of that, my wives had arrived looking fully prepared for combat.

No wonder she misunderstood.

In short, a thief’s conscience pricks first.

My wives were originally from the martial world, and even senior sister, having been trained by master, naturally tensed up around new people without realizing it.

Like they could spring into action at any moment.

I explained the situation to them through the group chat.

『“That dragon said she’d stay here for a month and gave me something called the true blood of an azure dragon as payment. I thought it was strange since it was way too valuable for rent.

Then I remembered what Zihwa said.

I had checked on her recently, and even though she hadn’t awakened yet, she warned me to be careful of dragons.

So I called Soto and discussed it—but in the middle of that, sister Jeokwol showed up and drank it.

Now that it’s gone, she probably thinks we figured out her scheme and is begging for her life.”』

“Ah... I think I get it.”

“Yeah, that makes sense.”

After I summarized things—leaving out my embarrassing moment with Sua—my wives nodded.

They seemed to understand.

Soon, they crossed their arms and surrounded Sua.

“Hm. I was about to kill you immediately... but should we give you a chance?”

“You’re crawling on the ground begging like a worm... ah, though worms are earth-dragons, so I suppose you’re the same kind. Hehe. Fine, we’ll give you a chance.”

“Go on. Say it yourself—what exactly did you do wrong?”

My wives had switched into their dangerous mode, releasing waves of pressure.

Under that oppressive aura, Sua stammered,

“I-it started because I wanted So-ryong...”

That was her explanation.

She had been thinking about how to obtain me, and then remembered the dangerous scent she had sensed from me.

“A dangerous scent?”

“Th-that was... something inside the pouch given from above... a scent from... from...”

“What?”

“...from...”

But when we pressed her, she only opened and closed her mouth.

Like someone struck with aphasia.

Watching her, senior sister said,

“It looks like a vow of silence has been placed on her—something like a forbidden speech oath.”

I’d heard of those.

A kind of contract cultivators made with each other or with those above them—if they spoke certain truths, they would die.

In her case, it seemed more like ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) she simply couldn’t speak.

“Can it be broken?”

“Unless you’re a higher existence than the one who placed it... probably not.”

Since we wouldn’t get answers about that, I decided to ask something else.

“Then what was hidden in that true blood?”

“That is a secret of the dragon race. If one accepts the true blood... they must unconditionally... to the dragon race... It is not widely known, but a dragon who receives true blood can never... the dragon who bestowed it...”

Another silence restriction.

We couldn’t have a proper conversation.

When I frowned, she panicked.

“They must unconditionally... to the dragon race! It was a scent from... from... Damn it! When did this restriction—!”

Thinking she’d die if she didn’t answer, she grabbed my ankle and shook her head desperately.

I looked down at her, then asked senior sister,

“If I register her and become her master... would the restriction disappear?”

What I had in mind was taking control of Sua.

Wasn’t the foundation of the Heavenly Venom Manual the registration of spirit creatures?

If I registered her, I might be able to seize control and nullify the contract.

“Hm. No guarantees, but it’s worth trying.”

Without hesitation, I wiped away the tears welling in her eyes and put them into my mouth.

Registration required bodily fluids.

Dragon blood felt dangerous, and aside from my wives, saliva was out of the question.

So I used tears.

As I drew up the energy of the Heavenly Venom Manual—

My vision spun.

I expected to be pulled into Dokmul-hyang or complete the registration instantly.

But instead, I arrived in a different mindscape.

I was inside a massive droplet.

Outside, various fish drifted by.

It felt like the ocean.

Sua’s mindscape.

I wondered if I’d need to find a landmark again, but fortunately, I was already at the center—with Sua.

“W-what is this?”

“Just stay still.”

After stopping her from moving, I leaned down and kissed the back of my hand.

And at that moment—

I thought I’d be pulled out immediately, but suddenly the entire space rumbled, and a faint dragon form appeared in the sky.

[Who dares to break the covenant of a great dragon!]

A furious voice thundered down.

The massive dragon shape radiated overwhelming pressure.

An immense force began crushing me.

It seemed the primary contract holder was very, very angry.