Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

”Companion Venomous Creature?”

The mood in the Beast Palace had taken a sharp turn for the better.

But the moment I uttered those words, it felt like I had dropped a stone into a still pond, sending ripples of shock through the entire palace.

The Beast Palace Lord and the elders exchanged expressions of astonishment and admiration, their heads nodding as they spoke.

”A venomous creature that stays with you for life? Even here in the Beast Palace, where we cherish our beasts, no one has ever used the word ’companion’... And yet, a Central Plains man—”

”Such an incredible mindset, isn’t it? I’d like our disciples to learn from this. Lately, some of them have been treating beasts as mere servants, which has been troubling. How did someone like him end up with the Tang Clan...?”

”They say he’s a son-in-law of the Tang Clan. A real shame—he’d fit in perfectly here in the Beast Palace.”

”They said Black Wolf had been collared by a woman, and I thought it was some bizarre act, but if the collar was held by both a master and a companion, does that mean they’re both each other’s master? Such a deep meaning!”

’No, sir, that last one is a misunderstanding.’

There seemed to be a few misinterpretations floating around, but in the end, the outcome was favorable.

By proving my deep appreciation for venomous creatures, I had won the hearts of these beast enthusiasts—they now saw me as one of their own.

Reptiles and insects were my specialty, but since they fell under the larger category of animals, it made sense.

’Oh? You’re in the venomous creature fandom too, brother? If you’re in, you’re in. Same category, after all.’

It was almost as if I could hear their inner thoughts.

And perhaps because I had proven myself to be one of their kind, the palace lord made a decision quicker than I expected.

He must have realized that my suggestion—to avoid unnecessary conflict by temporarily retreating—was the most rational course of action. There was no need for them to die or be injured for nothing.

”If a young hero who refers to his creatures as companions speaks, then one can only imagine the depth of his care for them. And if his advice stems from that care, then it’s clear he has considered what is best for us. I have made my decision.

Did you say the demon beasts would move at dawn? Even if we could wipe them out, it would still be unnecessary damage.

Buildings can be rebuilt, but neither people nor beasts can be replaced.

Summon everyone in the palace to gather in front of the Beast Palace Lord’s Hall! We will prepare for evacuation!”

Even the elders who had initially voiced opposition nodded in agreement.

The woman who had been the most vocal critic even sent me a telepathic message.

[Young hero, I apologize. I didn’t realize how sincere you were. I take back my words and ask for your forgiveness.]

Her eyes even held a trace of respect.

Then came the elders’ loud response.

”We obey, Palace Lord!”

”Yes, Palace Lord!”

As soon as the command was given, the massive entrance to the Beast Palace Lord’s Hall swung open. One of the elders grabbed the ceremonial ram’s horn hanging on the wall and sprinted outside.

A deep, resonant sound echoed throughout the Beast Palace.

-Bwooooong—

The entire valley trembled with the powerful call of the ram’s horn.

As the sound spilled through the valley, the night seemed to brighten, as if countless torches had been lit at once.

Soon, a dense crowd of people and beasts gathered at the entrance of the hall, each holding a lantern.

From leopards to eagles, owls, bears, wolves, monkeys, boars, deer, and roe deer—an incredible variety of animals stood among the people.

With everyone gathered at the entrance, the Beast Palace Lord stepped forward, his voice amplified by inner strength as he addressed the crowd.

”All members of the Beast Palace, prepare for evacuation! This is only temporary until the demon beasts retreat, so gather provisions and simple clothing and return here in one watch!”

A concise and clear order.

In response, the gathered people shouted in unison.

”Understood, Palace Lord!”

Without hesitation, they dispersed to prepare for the evacuation.

As preparations for their departure began, the palace lord turned back and reentered the Beast Palace Lord’s Hall.

Immediately, the questions poured in.

”O-gong, Seokcheok, and Ji-ju—so, how did you raise these venomous creatures?”

”Insects are different from beasts; they aren’t supposed to understand human speech. How do yours obey your commands?”

”We’ve tried raising Seokcheok here before, but we always failed. This is truly remarkable!”

They were all deeply invested in animals, so it was no surprise that they were eager to learn about creatures they had never seen before.

But before I could respond, the palace lord intervened to calm the growing excitement.

”We are in a hurry. Help with the evacuation first, then we will speak with the young hero later.”

”Ahem... Understood, Palace Lord.”

”Yes, understood.”

The elders, though visibly reluctant, nodded and left to assist with the evacuation.

***

Since we had warned the Beast Palace of the incoming threat, they decided to send a gift to express their gratitude.

However, given the chaotic evacuation, they promised to send an envoy to the Tang Clan later.

”We should be rewarding you with a grand banquet and an even grander reward, but given the circumstances, I will send people to the Tang Clan later to properly express our gratitude. I truly regret this.”

”I only did what anyone should do...”

”Bah! Even beasts repay their debts, yet you’d make us out to be less than beasts!?”

’That was just a polite refusal, sir.’

”In that case, I’ll accept your thanks.”

”That’s the right attitude.”

If they wanted to give me a reward, I wasn’t going to refuse.

Pretending to reluctantly accept, I nodded and headed toward the valley’s entrance.

It was time for us to make our own quiet exit.

”We will take our leave now.”

”We will escort you to the valley’s entrance.”

Despite being occupied with the evacuation, the Beast Palace Lord and several elders insisted on escorting us.

As we walked, the woman who had been the most hostile earlier trailed beside us, asking numerous questions.

”So this is the Blue-Spotted Centipede?”

”Yes. As for Seokcheok, it doesn’t have a common name in the Central Plains, so I named it Seolbing Seokcheok because it emits cold air.”

”A creature that exudes cold? That makes it a spirit beast! I envy you. Its name is so close to mine—I want one so badly.”

The woman, now entirely on my side, was apparently an elder and the palace lord’s daughter—Snow Leopard.

Her name meant exactly that, but with her tanned skin, Black Panther would have suited her better.

The reason for her different surname? They didn’t use them here—everyone went by animal nicknames.

Truly, these people were dedicated to animals.

But I could understand. After all, in my past life, I had given myself the nickname Spicy Fabre.

”And Ji-ju is an Inmyeon Ji-ju. It takes on the form of the person whose yang energy it has absorbed the most, appearing in the most beautiful form it can perceive.”

”Oh my! Then...? Lady Hwa-eun must be very pleased!”

”Well, um...”

My senior sister, Tang Hwa-eun, turned red at Snow Leopard’s envious gaze.

Her reaction was understandable.

Since Yo-hwa absorbed my yang energy, it essentially meant that I subconsciously considered my senior sister the most beautiful person in the world.

In other words, every time Yo-hwa drained my energy, it was like I was indirectly confessing my feelings to her.

As we neared the valley’s entrance, preparing to part ways, a sudden, deep roar echoed through the night.

-Pwooooh! Pwooooh!

”You—young hero, if your creature has offspring, could I—wait, is that... an elephant!?”

An elephant?

Was there a king of elephants here too?

Before I could react, Snow Leopard bolted forward.

But after just a few steps, she froze.

Staring ahead in stunned silence, her eyes were fixed on the hill.

Moments later, two massive elephants stepped forward, their heads rising over the ridge.

-Thud. Thud. Thud.

Under the moonlight, two enormous elephants emerged.

The sheer presence of these kings of the animal kingdom—God Elephants—was overwhelming.

However, something was wrong.

As I looked closer, I noticed that their backs and hindquarters were completely covered in bright red ants.

-Ssssshhhh!

”T-The elephants!”

A swarm of ants had already sunk their mandibles into their thick hides, clinging to them in writhing masses.

More ants swarmed behind them, a wriggling tide following in their wake.

Snow Leopard, who had earlier rushed forward in excitement, recoiled in horror, all her earlier bravado vanishing.

The elephants bellowed in desperation, their cries ringing through the valley as they charged toward us for help—only to collapse at the entrance of the Beast Valley.

-THUD!

-Pwooooh!

In their final moments, they stretched out their trunks toward us, as if pleading for salvation.

But it was already too late.

Their massive forms were instantly torn apart, their flesh stripped away to the bone in real time.

The godly elephants, kings of the animal world, reduced to nothing but meatballs in seconds.

The Beast Palace members’ eyes widened in sheer disbelief.

”T-The elephants!”

”They were wiped out in an instant?!”

”The young hero... he was telling the truth...”

But there was no time to stand around in shock.

”This isn’t the time to be stunned! We need to move! We don’t know how the demon ants will act next—right now, while we still can—”

The swarm that had pursued the elephants was only a hunting party. There weren’t enough of them yet to completely block the entrance.

Which meant if we hurried, we could still escape before their main force arrived.

But the Beast Palace Lord, his face dark, pointed toward the hill.

”I believe... we’re too late.”

-Sssssshhhh!

I followed his gaze.

At the crest of the hill, a crimson tide of ants poured down, a countless mass of writhing bodies following the hunting party.

They weren’t just coming for the elephants—they were here to devour everything.

***

”This is bad...”

”Do we have no choice but to fight...?”

”But the elephants fell so easily...”

Now that the entrance had been completely sealed off, even the elders who had initially insisted on fighting looked shaken.

Watching the strongest of the animal kingdom—the godly elephants—vanish before their eyes had sparked a deep-seated fear.

In the Beast Palace, martial arts were often intertwined with animalistic movements and techniques.

But now, the very creatures they admired most had been wiped out in mere seconds. Their morale had taken a massive blow.

Beside me, my senior sister, Tang Hwa-eun, turned to me with a grave expression.

”What should we do, So-ryong? The Venom Blood Squad outside—”

”They know the dangers of the demon ants. If they sensed trouble, they would have already crossed the river.”

”They would, wouldn’t they?”

She was worried about the Venom Blood Squad. But Gu Pae and the others had been stationed near the river for precisely this reason. If things got too dangerous, they would have already escaped.

The real problem was us.

”How... do we get out of here...?”

As I was lost in thought, a familiar sound reached my ears.

-Ksss!

Yo-hwa’s call.

I turned my head and saw her scaling the cliff with ease, looking down at us.

’That’s right! We still have Yo-hwa! There’s always a way out!’

If she spun a web for us, or even just carried me on her back, I could escape with my senior sister.

Just as I was about to feel relieved, I noticed Tang Hwa-eun’s hesitant expression.

’What’s wrong?’

We had a way to survive, but my senior sister looked even more troubled than before.

I turned my gaze to follow hers and found the Beast Palace Lord and the elders looking awkward, their eyes avoiding mine.

And then it hit me.

This was a deeply uncomfortable situation.

If Yo-hwa carried me and my senior sister out, we’d be leaving everyone else behind.

Even if we tried to help, how many of the Beast Palace’s people, children, and animals could we really save before the ants started moving again?

Would they really agree to abandon their animals just to save themselves?

’Even if we survived, this is the kind of decision that would haunt me forever.’

At the far end of the tunnel, just beyond where the elephants had been stripped to the bone, the ants continued their feast.

I stood there, staring at them, desperately digging through my past life’s knowledge for an answer.

And then—

For a brief moment, a cloud drifted over the moon, plunging the valley into darkness.

And in that darkness, a fragment of my Fabre Encyclopedia resurfaced in my mind.

’That’s it! There is a way for everyone to survive!’

Turning toward the first real allies I had met in the Central Plains, I spoke.

”Palace Lord.”

He met my gaze and answered calmly.

”Young hero, do not concern yourself with us. You have already done more than enough.”

”Yes, young hero. In the animal world, it is natural to eat or be eaten. We of the Beast Palace are part of this world as well—if we cannot overcome this, then we will simply be consumed.”

’They say that people who love animals can’t be bad people...’

I smiled.

”There’s a way for all of us to survive. Would you like to hear it?”

Because if I was right—

Then I was about to go through hell to make it happen.