Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

After carefully cleaning the newborn and gently placing it beside Seol, she began licking its face despite her exhaustion.

Although I had already wiped the newborn clean, it was only natural for the mother to lick its snout and face to remove any remaining amniotic fluid or birthing membrane. It was an instinctive act, after all.

‘Whoa! She’s taking care of the baby herself!’

That moment made me realize something crucial—unlike most lizards that become independent immediately after birth, Seol and Bini were a species that cared for their offspring. This was similar to Girdle-Tailed Armadillo Lizards, which live in family groups in rock crevices, or Solomon Islands Skinks, which care for their young for six months to a year.

It made sense. The majority of lizards are born fully developed, looking just like their parents and capable of hunting for food right away.

But licking off the birthing membrane and amniotic fluid?

That was a common maternal behavior, yes, but it was a trait more commonly seen in mammals that actively raise their young. This meant the probability of Seol personally nurturing her offspring was high.

—Kkukku.

As if to confirm my suspicions, Seol continued licking the newborn, making sounds that seemed like she was asserting her role as its mother.

Or perhaps she was imprinting her voice onto the baby.

The newborn responded with an adorable cry.

—Kkyuut.

The two exchanged cries as if having an actual conversation.

Watching them with a warm expression, I turned my head and noticed Bini staring at the scene with a blank look on his face.

‘Ah, I need to check the parenting style too.’

Seeing Bini dazed like that reminded me of something important—I had to determine the method of parental care.

It was clear the mother would be involved in raising the baby, but the next most important factor was how they raised their young.

In nature, there are various parenting styles.

Some species are raised solely by the mother, others by the father, some engage in cooperative parenting, and some even practice brood parasitism, leaving their offspring for others to raise.

That’s why I had to confirm this.

From Seol’s actions, it was almost certain she would take care of the baby. But if she was the sole caretaker, Bini might be chased away until the offspring matured.

In other words, Bini might be exiled soon.

‘Sorry, Bini. It’s all part of the process. If not, you’ll just get smacked around by Seol and kicked out. It’s instinct—I can’t interfere with that.’

I gently pushed Bini’s frozen body toward Seol and the baby.

I needed to check their parenting style anyway, and besides, it’s always better to take the hit first and get it over with.

—Kku?

Bini looked at me in confusion, startled by the sudden push.

I pressed his rear closer to the baby, forcing them into proximity.

Thankfully, he quickly caught on and followed Seol’s lead, licking the baby’s other cheek.

Now came the decisive moment for Bini’s fate.

If Seol rejected co-parenting, she would beat him up for touching the baby.

‘Oh? This looks promising.’

I waited, but Seol showed no resistance.

She didn’t push him away or interfere.

This was cooperative parenting.

With that, both Seol and Bini started licking the newborn from both sides.

A parenting system with cooperative care—the best possible outcome.

‘Yes! Cooperative parenting!’

Seol and Bini seemed to possess the most ideal parenting structure. With both of them raising the baby together, I no longer had to worry.

As I watched the three lizards, they truly looked like a happy little family.

Then, after a long session of licking, the baby finally opened its eyes for the first time.

For the first time, Seol and Bini’s offspring gazed upon the world.

Its bright, glossy black eyes reflected Seol, then Bini, then me, and finally Hwa-eun and Seol’s older sister.

The two women, overcome with its sheer cuteness, let out excited cries.

It really was insanely adorable.

”So cute! How can it be this cute? It looks like a miniature version of Seol and Bini!”

”It’s the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen!”

Even as a man, I had to admit—it was unbelievably cute. So for Hwa-eun and Seol’s sister, this must have been a lethal dose of adorableness.

They both reached toward the baby as if hypnotized.

”Be careful, you two.”

I had to warn them.

Newborn lizards were still wild animals.

Even in my past life, captive-bred Leopard Geckos and Crested Geckos were known for their gentle temperament, but right after hatching, they could be quite feisty.

Since this baby was still wild and not yet accustomed to human touch, I had a strong feeling it would react aggressively.

—Kkyuu!

Sure enough, as soon as Seol’s sister reached out, the newborn chomped down on her finger.

Her eyes widened in shock, and she looked at me.

”Are you okay, Seol?”

Seol and Bini had venom, a strange type of ice poison.

It wouldn’t be fatal, but I still worried whether the baby had inherited their venom as well.

To my surprise, Seol’s sister, despite being bitten, responded with a dazed smile.

”It bit me... but... I’m happy.”

Even the baby, seeing her reaction, flinched in confusion.

Its big, round eyes widened even more.

It had bitten her intending to scold her, but instead, she looked delighted.

This must have been utterly nonsensical to a newborn.

Honestly, the only other person I knew who would smile after being bitten was me.

I leaned in and whispered a great secret that only people like us would appreciate.

”Seol-nui, you shouldn’t say ‘it bit me.’”

”T-then... what should I say? Is there a way to express this happiness better?”

I pointed at the baby still latched onto her finger and answered in a low, reverent tone.

”People like us call this... being chosen.”

”C-chosen!?”

”Yes. It means the creature has taken special interest in you.”

In the pet-keeping community, when people adopt an animal, they often say they were chosen if the animal approaches them first, acts friendly, or even bites them.

The moment I explained this, Seol’s sister trembled in awe.

”C-chosen... Yes... I was chosen...”

I wasn’t planning on giving her the baby, but still, the mere concept of being chosen shook her to her core.

As expected of an animal lover, her emotions ran deep.

Seeing this, Hwa-eun quickly reached out toward the baby.

”O-oh! Me too! Please choose me!”

‘No, wait—you’ve already been chosen by something much worse...’

Someone who definitely shouldn’t be chosen was begging for it.

***

—Swaaah...

The sound of flowing water echoed through the windows of my personal boat as it drifted down the Yangtze River.

Looking outside, I saw the sky had darkened, the sun long gone. Only the moonlight shimmered on the rippling surface of the water.

It had been two days since the baby was born.

As soon as I confirmed there were no complications, we had set off for Akyang without delay.

After all, lizards are born fully formed, already resembling their adult counterparts.

A boat trip wouldn’t be an issue.

Besides, we had been urgently requested to come, and now that the baby was born, delaying any further was no longer an option.

”How much farther?”

”We’re almost there, Lord So-ryong.”

The sailors provided by the Zhuge family reassured me. It had only been three days by boat, but thanks to our fast vessel and the river current, we were about to arrive at Akyang ahead of schedule.

I decided to head up to the deck.

”I’m going outside. Anyone—no, any venomous creatures—want to come?”

At my words, Hyang immediately crawled up onto my shoulder.

—Tsrut!

Hyang twitched her antennae, clicking as if urging me to lead the way.

Behind us, Cho and Bini reluctantly followed, making small hissing sounds.

—Tsrrr.

—Tsr.

Neither of them seemed eager to go outside, but they weren’t about to let Hyang go alone either.

Meanwhile, Yo-hwa was lazily swaying in a hammock made from her own webbing, apparently enjoying it.

And further inside the cabin, Hwa-eun and Seol-nui were still arguing over the baby’s name.

”Hwa-eun, I’m telling you, Naeng is the best name! It’s pretty! It means ‘cold’.”

”That sounds too much like a girl’s name! The baby is a boy, so Dong is better! ‘Dong’ as in ‘winter’ , because he was born from ice and snow. And he’s going to be the heir—he needs a strong, masculine name!”

Despite the baby not even caring, they were fiercely debating his name.

I turned to Cho and Bini for support.

They both just shook their heads.

Clearly, they knew better than to get involved.

”Let’s go.”

—Tsrut.

—Tsrrr.

—Tst.

The three of us finally stepped onto the deck for the first time in a while.

A cool breeze rushed toward us from the front of the ship.

A thin mist had begun to settle over the river, and in the distance, a commotion was stirring near the bow.

”Why can’t we see it yet? We should be able to by now!”

”It must be the fog. Keep your eyes open and search!”

”Understood!”

The crew sounded worried, struggling to find something in the distance.

Even though there was fog, it wasn’t thick enough to completely obscure visibility yet.

Sensing something was off, I approached the captain, Do Sagong (都沙工).

”What’s the issue?”

”Ah, Lord So-ryong. We should be close to Akyang, but we still don’t see any lights. Even in the dead of night, the city should be illuminated, but... it’s completely dark.”

—Screeeech!

Suddenly, a sharp noise screeched against the side of the boat.

”W-what was that!?”

”T-the dock, Captain!”

”What?! Grab the poles! Quickly!”

The ship had hit the dock!

Because the city lights were out, they hadn’t realized how close we were and accidentally scraped against the pier.

At the same time, my father-in-law, who had been preparing to meet the Imperial Envoys, rushed out in shock.

”What’s going on?!”

”The fog was too thick, and it was too dark to see the dock properly. The ship accidentally grazed against it.”

”Push it back! Quickly!”

”Heave-ho!”

The sailors rushed to push the ship away from the dock, managing to separate it with some effort.

A few of them hurried below deck to check for any leaks.

‘Wait a second. I thought getting into a minor crash after buying a new car was a modern problem?’

Back in my previous life, there was a superstition about getting into a fender bender right after buying a brand-new car.

But scratching my boat on its maiden voyage?

That was a whole new level of bad luck.

While I stood there, dumbfounded, Do Sagong returned with a report.

”It was only a slight scrape. There are no leaks, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

”R-right. That’s a relief.”

Honestly, I’d rather it had broken down completely—at least then I could take it back for repairs.

But now, I just had an ugly scratch.

Just as I was processing this tragedy, a man rushed over from the dock, shouting at us.

”I don’t know where you came from, but put out your lights! Hurry!”

”Lights?”

I suddenly remembered.

This place was infested with those black insects.

That explained why it was so dark.

The locals had turned off all the lights to avoid attracting them.

”Put out the lights!”

We quickly doused all the flames before disembarking.

At the dock, we were greeted by an imperial guard who immediately questioned us.

”Where are you coming from?”

”We’re from Sichuan, sent by the Martial Alliance.”

”The Martial Alliance? Ah! You’re the ones the Princess was waiting for?”

”That’s right. That’s us.”

”Oho! Thank heavens! We’ll take you to the Princess right away!”

His tone brightened immediately.

It was clear they had been waiting anxiously.

”Follow me!”

However, not all of us had disembarked yet.

I hesitated, then spoke carefully.

”There are still more... children aboard. Please wait a moment.”

”More people?”

”Yes. But... don’t be alarmed.”

”Alarmed?”

I turned toward the ship and called out.

”You can come down now!”

Through the mist, bathed in pale °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° moonlight, Cho, Bini, and Yo-hwa gracefully descended onto the dock.

The imperial guard took one look at them and collapsed onto the ground in terror.

”M-monsters... a-and black insects...! Akyang is doomed...!”

...Excuse me?

This guy really just called my daughter and little sister monsters?

‘Should I just leave?’

After arriving at the governor’s palace, we were immediately stopped at the entrance.

The guards refused to let us inside after seeing Cho and Bini.

I had brought them along to make us look more professional, but... maybe they looked too professional.

Just as we were stuck outside, a man and woman emerged from the darkness.

”You were sent by the Martial Alliance?”

”Your Majesty—!”

My father-in-law almost shouted “Long live the Emperor!” before catching himself.

It seemed that when speaking to the Princess, formal language was mandatory—even for her husband.

But she didn’t seem to care much for etiquette.

”I am Tang Cheolsan of the Sichuan Tang Clan, here to meet Princess Gwan-do.”

”Ah, I’ve heard of the Sichuan Tang Clan. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Yu Ji-ryong, and this is my minister, Seo Bin-ak.”

We exchanged introductions, but the Princess kept staring at Cho and Bini.

Her face lit up with relief.

”So they really sent experts in insects... And even the head of the Tang Clan came to help us directly?”

Seeing her hopeful expression, my father-in-law stepped aside.

”Actually, it’s not me who will be helping you.”

”...The child?”

She blinked at me in shock.

I stepped forward.

”Can I see the insects?”

She hesitated, then nodded.

”Understood. Prepare yourselves.”

Princess Gwan-do nodded, looking slightly flustered but still complying with my request.

She signaled to one of the guards, who immediately stepped back and began striking a flint.

—Tak-tak.

A spark ignited, and soon, the torch was set aflame. The guard quickly planted it into the ground before dashing back toward us.

—Swaaah...

Then came the chilling sound.

Something rushed in, drawn to the fire, swarming in droves.

Within seconds, they extinguished the torch completely.

I hurried forward and sifted through the scorched remains, carefully plucking out one of the still-living creatures.

Holding it up to the moonlight, I inspected its appearance.

Jet-black wings.

Jet-black legs.

A vibrant orange back.

And...

Two of them were stuck together.

”Uh...”

I slowly turned to Princess Gwan-do, my face stiff.

”What is it? Do you not recognize them?” she asked.

”Ah, no. I do know what they are, but...”

”You do!?” Her eyes gleamed with hope. ”Then do you know how to deal with these cursed things?”

...Now this was an incredibly awkward situation.

The insects in my hand were something I had seen before.

In my past life, they were called Love Bugs.

One of the infamous swarm insects, they always appeared in massive numbers, covering everything.

And most importantly—

They were always stuck together.

They had earned the nickname ”Love Bugs” because they were constantly mating.

If I wanted to explain their name properly in Middle Plain terminology, I’d have to call them...

Mating Bugs.

I mean, I could call them Love Insects, but that would still require me to explain why they’re always clinging to each other...

At this rate, it seemed like the safest and least awkward option was to just say—

”Mating Bugs.”

...Would I get executed if I told the princess these were literally just horny bugs?

I stood there, deeply contemplating my life choices.