Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 337

Chapter 337
It was impossible to distinguish between Moji and Soji, but as one of them crept from its silken shell and fastened itself to the edge of the box—

—Bang.

The door to the cabin was thrown open violently.

“What in the world—!?”

It was Sister Seol, her voice full of surprise.
Perhaps drawn by the strange light pouring from the room, or by the sound of our raised voices, Sister Seol, who had been waiting outside for me to finish changing, hurried inside.

“Incredible!”

Her initial shock was immediately replaced by a tone of pure wonder.
The shimmering silver radiance filling the space had clearly taken her by surprise, forcing the awestruck exclamation from her lips.

Sensing the commotion, the other members of the Dragon Fangs—everyone except for my senior and his wife, who were still away—all crowded into my cabin.

“What’s all this!?”
“What is going on!?”

They halted just inside the doorway, their eyes fixed on the silver silkworm moth in a daze.

“What is this…!?”
“That light… it’s so beautiful…”

Though not as intense as before, the newly hatched silver silkworm moth still glowed with a soft luminescence that illuminated the entire cabin like a lantern.
Its gem-like form glittered in a way that was inherently appealing, and as expected, a chorus of admiring gasps filled the air.

“So they’ve finally hatched?”
“They look a bit wet, don’t they?”
“Look! Their wings are opening up!”

Just as someone noted, beads of moisture dripped from the moth’s body onto the floorboards, and under everyone’s watchful gaze, it gradually began to unfurl its wings.
Much like other butterflies or moths, having just emerged, it was now working to dry its body and wings.

“Oh! The wings are getting bigger!”

What they mistook for the wings growing was merely hemolymph flowing into the veins, expanding them from their tightly folded state within the cocoon. To the uninitiated, however, it appeared as if the wings were physically enlarging before their eyes.

In the time it might take to drink a cup of tea, the fur on its head and body dried into a downy, soft coat.
As the drying process completed, the women’s voices rose again in excited chatter.

“Goodness… they are far too adorable.”
“You’re right, So-ryong, they’re unbelievably cute. I had no idea a moth could be this charming?”
“I agree, unni. It’s true. They’re like little fluffy pups! I desperately want to hold one.”
“Is it… is it alright to touch them? I’ve never seen anything so precious in all my life…”

Now fully dry, the silver silkworm moth was indeed extremely endearing.
That plush fur, those delicate little features—it was completely understandable why anyone would want to reach out.
Even I felt a powerful urge to cuddle and squeeze them.

‘I want to hug them tight and tumble around like an idiot!’

However, I shook my head firmly at their request.
The question of poison was irrelevant—making contact at this moment was completely forbidden.

“Their wings aren’t completely dry yet. If you touch them now, you could leave them ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) permanently disabled.”

“D-disabled? Truly?”
—Trss? 『Disabled? What does “disabled” mean?』
—Shia!? 『Disabled!? Seriously!?』

The women who had been stretching out their hands froze, then yanked them back with looks of horror.
The children, who had been observing the transformation from the closest vantage point, also appeared stunned by the idea of injuring their younger siblings.
They seemed utterly aghast at the notion that they had almost damaged something so innocent and cute.

“But… why would that disable them, So-ryong?”
Sister Seol asked, tilting her head as she watched the moth continue to dry its wings.

I waggled a finger and made the decision to explain precisely why this was prohibited.
This was, after all, my vessel, and we maintained certain standards here.
How could anyone serve on the ship of the Papa of Ten Venomous Creatures and be ignorant of such a fundamental rule?

‘I’ll have to test them on this later.’

“For insects that metamorphose, the most critical and fragile time is immediately after they leave the cocoon and start to dry.
You see, as larvae or inside the pupa, they possess defenses. But right now, their bodies are tender and vulnerable—almost like a soft jelly.
The slightest contact at this stage could cause a deformity that lasts their entire life.”

“Wait… is that true?”
“Yes. Right now, their bodies are likely softer than human skin.”
“That’s… quite serious.”
“We must be incredibly careful, then…”

Similar to crabs that are molting or other insects, creatures fresh from the cocoon are at their most delicate.
Their forms are still saturated with hemolymph, giving them a gelatinous consistency.
This is when they are most exposed to predators, and even a small impact or a bit of pressure can misshape their bodies forever.
And once that occurs? It’s more than a disability. In nature, it signifies a death sentence.
Any physical imperfection is a direct danger to their existence.
Therefore, touching a creature in this state is absolutely forbidden.

—Trss!
—Kyuut!
—Shiaaa!

The moment I finished speaking, the children let out urgent cries, adding emphasis to my warning.

“O-oh! Alright! I’ll move back!”
“Y-yes, we’ll be more cautious!”

The women who had pressed forward, with the exception of Hwa-eun and Sister Seol, all hastily retreated, urged back by the children.
Those who had been closest to the metamorphosis evidently decided it was their duty to guard their younger siblings and began shepherding the others away.

—Trss. 『We should give them space. We might accidentally cause harm.』
—Kkukgu. 『I believe that is wise.』
—Shia. 『Everyone, let’s move further back.』

They all cautioned one another and withdrew together.
I couldn’t help but smile.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
Our children may hail from different species, but their instinct to protect their younger brothers and sisters? That goes beyond species.
That is our family, through and through.

A short time later, a silvery light glimmered from the second cocoon as the other silver silkworm moth started its own transformation.
This time, the atmosphere was more subdued, and everyone watched the event in respectful silence.

“Amazing… there’s another one!”
“They are perfect copies of one another.”

As the women continued to express their unified amazement—
—I felt a deep sense of curiosity growing within me.
It wasn’t just about their adorable appearance.
I was intensely interested in how the abilities of Moji and Soji had developed.

‘They are charming, without a doubt… but for venomous creatures, real beauty is found in their poison.’

***
The Following Morning

Once the children were completely dry by morning, Hwa-eun collected a sample of their frass powder, combined it with various reagents, and gave a nod.

“It appears to be non-toxic. Similar to Jeokwol. I believe it is safe to touch them now…”
“Hm? Oh—yes, certainly.”
“So-ryong… I asked you to wait for a moment. Oh, dear…”

I straightened up and responded, but Hwa-eun released a sigh as she looked at me.
Naturally—because I was already nuzzling my cheek against the children.
How could they be so incredibly soft?
She had only just given the all-clear, but my self-control vanished the instant they were fully dry.

“Well, you see—Moji and Soji simply…”

I felt somewhat unjustly blamed.
They had flown to me first thing once they were dry. They were the ones initiating the cheek rubbing.
Of course, I could have avoided them. But honestly—how could anyone refuse these round, fluffy moth infants?
Furthermore, even in their larval stage, these two had never possessed harmful venom. I was quite sure they posed no threat to me.
But primarily… I simply had no power to resist.

Shaking her head in mild despair, Hwa-eun finished storing her reagents on the table, then approached and gently scratched under their fuzzy chins.
“So which one is Moji, and which is Soji?”
She seemed a little confused—and for good reason.
After completing their metamorphosis and drying off, Moji and Soji were indistinguishable. As if they were made from the same mold.
Even among insects, you typically find differences in fur density, antenna length, or overall size. But these two? Totally identical.
Hwa-eun likely thought I would know, but I couldn’t tell them apart visually either.

Fortunately, there was a method.
Their voices.
—Myuu!
“This one is Moji.”
—Myumyu!
“And this one is Soji.”
A cry of *myuu* meant Moji. A cry of *myumyu* meant Soji.
I had been concerned they might be silent and dull, but true to their nature as mystical beasts, they were quite capable of vocalizing.

“Ah… everyone… So-ryong…”

Just then, it happened.
Hwa-eun’s knees bent slightly, as if under a weight, and she called out for assistance.
It turned out Hwayang had clambered onto her back, while Cho, Bini, and even Hyang had settled on her shoulders.
Their antennae twitched with keen interest, and I could hear their thoughts distinctly:

—Trss. 『We wish to see Moji and Soji as well.』
—Trss! 『Let us see the new babies!』
—Piiiii! 『Food!』

Now that the threat of toxins was gone and their wings were dry, they were obviously very eager to meet the newest members.
They had restrained themselves during the drying time, and we had kept them at a distance during the testing.

“Hwa-eun, step out from there. Okay, okay. I’ll let you see. Just be patient.”
Thinking about it now, this must be what it feels like when a mother brings a new baby home from the hospital.
I recalled watching videos of such scenes on NetTube in my previous life—those tender, emotional moments.
It seemed proper to have a formal introduction.
Some of our current family members had joined us after the cocoons were already sealed.
Yes, official introductions were definitely necessary.

I helped Hwa-eun extricate herself from the group and carefully placed Moji and Soji on the table.
“You older sisters watched over them all night, correct? So Moji and Soji, you should say thank you. There are also new sisters here, so make sure to greet them properly, understand?”
—Myumyu.
—Myuu.
The children’s eyes shone with understanding as I made the introductions.
Then the greetings commenced from both sides.
—Trss.
—Pii.
—Kkukkuuu!
They touched antennae, chirping happily, visibly thrilled to meet each other.
The older children, cautious about harming their new siblings, were exceedingly gentle—making contact only with their antennae.

Just as they were in the midst of this antennae-to-antenna greeting…
Moji and Soji’s bodies began to shine.
Just as they did as larvae when they released a glow of pure energy, they now started to sparkle once more.
And from their luminous bodies came a familiar energy—sweet-smelling, pure… and undeniably restorative.

“What is this?”
“This is… different?”

The energy was similar to what they produced as larvae—and, like Jeokwol’s, it seemed to originate from their frass. But there was a significant difference.
Jeokwol’s powder settled downward or moved as she directed it, but the powder from Moji and Soji shone outward like rays of light, dissolving into the air.
The room was soon saturated with this pure energy.

As everyone began to sense it, Hwa-eun gazed down at her palm, her eyes wide.
“This energy… is it mending!?”
“What!?”
I looked at the faint mark on her palm and shot her a questioning look.
Understanding my expression, Hwa-eun communicated with me silently through thought.
A few days ago… when I attempted to prevent them from crashing through the door, I got a small scrape.
She didn’t want the children to know they had hurt her—it would have saddened them deeply. So it remained our secret.

As I held her hand and watched, the glowing energy from Moji and Soji’s powder gently caused the scrape to vanish.
“This is…”

I was already aware they could produce an energy that aided in restoring internal qi—or could disrupt it, depending on the situation.
But this… was genuine healing. Actual, physical regeneration.
Their previous abilities were focused on internal energy recovery and slight impairments.
But now, as adults—they had unmistakably developed into healers.

‘This is unbelievably fantastic!’

My mind raced with exhilaration.
They had evolved into complete support-type healers!
…Perhaps this meant I could afford to be a bit more reckless occasionally?
Not that I intended to be—it was just a thought.