Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

Blood-Blossom Dream Illusion Butterfly.

In Korean, would that be the ”blood flower’s dream illusion butterfly”?

It was the name of a massive red venomous butterfly, listed as one of the Ten Great Venomous Creatures in the Tang Clan’s Secret Compendium of Venomous Creatures.

Blood-red wings gliding through the sky under the moonlight.

When the creature overlapped with the full moon, as if posing in front of it, the soft moonlight half-penetrated its body, shining through like stained glass—red and transparent.

Most people don’t know this, but some butterflies’ wings are actually transparent, like dragonflies.

That powder—called “linbun,” with the unpleasant connotation of human waste—is actually fine scales that cover the wings.

Well, more precisely, they’re not covered by powder, but by microscopic scales aligned like tiles along the wings, only visible under a microscope.

If those are scraped away, you’ll find that the butterfly’s wings are indeed transparent.

So when it overlapped with the moon, the light partially passed through its body like stained glass.

As I stared blankly at the thing, its softly fluttering wings gently stirred the air, and with each flap, blood-red powder scattered through the sky like flower petals, just like its name.

I’d read in the Secret Compendium of Venomous Creatures that it was called the Blood-Blossom Dream Illusion Butterfly because it scattered blood-colored pollen that, when it landed on someone, made them fall into dreams or illusions.

And now, it was flying right before my eyes.

‘We were chasing Blood Cult bastards, and suddenly? Why is he showing up here?’

No matter how I looked at it, I couldn’t shake the thought that the gods, feeling sorry for my death in a previous life, had granted me maxed-out luck stats.

These days, even when I was just standing still, venomous creatures would show up and act like they were saying:

‘Sir So-ryong, please take me with you. I’m cute.’

‘Sir So-ryong, I’m over here too. My venom is very potent.’

‘Sir So-ryong, I’m really adorable. Please take me in and raise me.’

‘Hey! I was first.’

‘No, I was first!’

‘Nope! I’m the one getting raised!’

‘You brats, what did you say? Fine, don’t fight. All of you, come along. I’ll take you and absolutely shower you with affection.’

Well, it was just voices I heard in my own mind, but still.

I offered my thanks to the celestial deities and the Eight Immortals of the Central Plains for allowing me to gather so many venomous creatures.

‘Thank you, thank you, overwhelming gratitude!’

After giving my thanks, I realized what was outside—a butterfly from the Ten Great Venomous Creatures—and couldn’t suppress the scream, or rather, the involuntary shout of joy in my heart.

『“GYAAAAAA! GYAAAA! GYAAAAAAAA!”』

There were venomous butterflies in my past life too.

People usually think of the monarch butterfly when they hear the term ”venomous butterfly.”

It’s a species not found in Asia, but native to the American continent, and it’s commonly cited when discussing venomous butterflies. But there are many others.

Queens, viceroys, soldier butterflies—all of them have some degree of toxicity. Then there’s the Hebomoia glaucippe, the crimson-tip butterfly, and many other venomous species.

These butterflies don’t produce their own toxins, though—they absorb the toxins of the poisonous plants they eat as caterpillars and store them in their bodies for protection.

So they’re not technically “venomous creatures” in the full sense, but because of their beauty, I’d always wanted to raise one. Unfortunately, in my previous life, I never could.

To raise butterflies, you need a large facility where you can also grow the plants they feed on.

I didn’t have that kind of space.

And in our country, the four seasons make it very hard to raise butterflies.

‘S-So-ryong!? What’s going on?’

– Siaa!? (So-ryong, what is going on!? So-ryong!?)

I’d spammed the group chat with my trademark So-ryong-style screaming without realizing it, and Hwa-eun and Cheong-yu, startled, asked what was wrong.

I flinched and answered.

『“Ah, no—it’s just… the butterfly is pretty…”』

“…”

“…”

Suddenly, the group chat went dead silent.

Awkward, I tapped the side of my head and said:

『“Ahaha… feels like the sound cut out or something? What is this? Can’t hear well?”』

When the signal’s bad, tapping is best.

I mixed in a comment like maybe there was a reception problem, but the group chat remained utterly silent.

‘Guess the humor didn’t land.’

As I glanced back at the butterfly outside the window, trying to read the room, Cheong-yu finally spoke again in an awkward tone.

『– Sia. (I-Is… is that really the Blood-Blossom Dream Illusion Butterfly outside?)』

“Yes, Cheong-yu Sojeo. I’m certain. Probably.”

Thankfully, Cheong-yu Sojeo eventually replied, and I was able to barely save face from the embarrassment.

Still—if that wasn’t the Blood-Blossom Dream Illusion Butterfly, what else could it be?

When I answered quickly, Cheong-yu Sojeo offered her advice.

『– Sia, Siia. (You’re probably standing in a place where it’s already scattered its venomous dust, so be careful, So-ryong. Don’t believe everything you see. The Blood-Blossom Dream Illusion Butterfly is said to always show hallucinations to those affected by its venom. The poison itself isn’t very strong, but…)』

“Understood. I’ll keep that in mind, Cheong-yu Sojeo.”

As I stored her warning in the back of my mind, a sigh of resignation and worry welled up from Hwa-eun.

『“Hoo… Why does a new venomous creature have to appear right when I’m not there…? There’s no point in trying to stop you, is there?

So-ryong, it only causes illusions and sleep, so your life might not be in danger—but you still need to be careful. Okay? Don’t do anything reckless.”』

Hwa-eun must’ve realized that I wouldn’t be able to resist and would try to capture it immediately.

She was starting to get used to the kind of person I was.

But there was still someone who hadn’t adjusted—not a person, but a half-human half-snake.

As soon as Hwa-eun finished speaking, Cheong-yu Sojeo’s panicked voice burst in.

『– Siiiia. Sia!? (Why do you sound like you’re about to go after it right now!? Y-You’re not actually going to try and catch it right now, are you!? I mean, I only know that much, so maybe take some time to observe it…)』

She suggested I observe it a bit before trying anything, but honestly, isn’t ramming your head into a new boss as soon as it shows up the standard strategy in any game?

Every failure is the mother of success.

Unable to hold back, I declared that I was going to charge in headfirst.

『“Understood. I’ll try to catch it—carefully.”』

– Siaa!? (Really!? You mean right now!?)

If she were beside me, her eyes would’ve been wide with shock.

But what can I say?

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

If there’s a venomous creature there, then the man I am moves.

I replied right away.

『“Yes, well—I say catch, but I just want to greet it tonight. I’m not going to be rough about it.”』

Well, I said I’d catch it, but it’s not like I’m some poacher. These spirit creatures are all highly intelligent, so naturally the proper way to begin is by talking and building rapport.

So I decided to at least say hello first.

“Phew… I’m nervous.”

Ever since I met Cho, Hyang, and Bini, the only times I was ever truly alone were when I was washing or going to the bathroom.

Someone had always been attached to me, so feeling this freedom gave me a strange emptiness too as I grabbed the door handle.

– Thump-thump.

With a trembling heart, I gripped the door handle.

Then slowly walked outside.

The creature was fluttering in the sky, doing who knows what, but I stood in the yard and looked up at it to wait.

I figured maybe if our eyes met, I could wave and say hello or something.

‘Hello? I’m So-ryong. I’m not a bad person.’ Hmm, maybe not that? ‘I’m called So-ryong. Would you be my friend?’ That doesn’t feel right either.

As I kept thinking about how to start the first line of my greeting, the Blood-Blossom Dream Illusion Butterfly suddenly flew toward a house in the distance.

I quickly moved my feet to follow it.

Tiptoeing as quietly as possible, I followed it to an ordinary house.

Getting close enough not to startle it, I peeked over the wall and watched—the creature had landed in the yard and began slowly folding and unfolding its wings like a normal butterfly.

Then, as its antennae twitched, surprisingly, the door opened and a man walked out with a blank stare like a sleepwalker.

– Creeeak.

‘Huh, that man?’

The man’s face, revealed under the moonlight, was someone I recognized well.

He was one of the two men Elder Herbalist had given the Blood Supplement Pill to, since their blood seemed a little lacking.

The man walked out and stood in front of the Blood-Blossom Dream Illusion Butterfly, and the butterfly uncurled its rolled-up proboscis and carefully pierced the man’s leg.

‘Gasp. It’s feeding!’

I had thought it was called ”blood” just because of its red color, but this wasn’t even mentioned in the Secret Compendium of Venomous Creatures, nor had Cheong-yu Sojeo known—it seemed this creature actually drank blood.

But what was surprising was that with just a single gulp, it stopped feeding.

Just one sip. No more, no less. It took exactly one sip and that was it.

‘Ah, so that’s why Elder Herbalist said their blood was low but not to a harmful extent?’

It was at that moment that Elder Herbalist’s words came back to me.

– Plop.

The dirt on top of the clay wall I was leaning on cracked and fell to the ground, making a noise.

It wasn’t loud, but tonight was an incredibly quiet night.

Even insects were affected by the butterfly’s powder—not just people or animals.

That’s why my children were all asleep.

Which meant even the smallest ants or crickets were under the same effect. Because of that, I and the Blood-Blossom Dream Illusion Butterfly were the only two beings awake in the entire village.

A night with no one awake.

Even small sounds pierced through the still air and echoed loudly.

– Flutter.

Now that I was close, the flapping of its wings sounded loud, and as I looked up from checking the fallen dirt, the butterfly was in the sky not far from me, its antennae twitching as if startled.

I had hoped to catch it at the right moment and greet it kindly, but the situation felt a little awkward.

Still, I forced a smile and waved.

“Uh, hello?”

Its antennae stiffened in surprise.

Just like when Cho, Hyang, and Bini get startled, its antennae sprang straight up stiffly.

“I-I’m not a bad person or anything…”

Just as I awkwardly smiled and was trying to introduce myself in the middle of this tense moment—

Something strange started happening.

– Swish.

Its body began to blur, and then it started disappearing.

“Wha—!?”

That wasn’t all.

The red-stained colors of the village began returning to normal.

No—first, the village turned to winter, then to spring, then to autumn, and finally returned to its proper season.

I touched a nearby pile of red powder that hadn’t disappeared yet, and I could definitely feel it on my fingertips—but then it vanished right before my eyes.

“W-What is this!?”

At that moment, I realized what was happening.

The hallucinations shown by the Blood-Blossom Dream Illusion Butterfly weren’t caused by poisoning. They were real.

‘It doesn’t cause hallucinations through toxins—it creates illusions and shows them!?’

Butterflies have many vibrant and colorful wing patterns.

Those colors can be determined by the inherent pigment of the scales, but there’s another cause too.

The multilayered thin-film structure of butterfly wing scales distorts light and creates various colors.

The butterfly’s wing powder reflects, absorbs, and scatters light, and depending on how the scales are structured, it appears in different colors.

An optical phenomenon of butterfly wings.

Usually, butterfly wings have ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) two layers of scales, which form the optimal structure—light enough not to weigh down the wings while reflecting enough light to produce beautiful colors.

Scholars have said that having more layers of scales would enhance light reflection and create even more varied colors, and it seems the Blood-Blossom Dream Illusion Butterfly had pushed this to the extreme—creating actual illusions through its scale dust.

‘GYAAAAAA!’

A butterfly that creates illusions!

I had to have it!