Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

I couldn’t tell whether it was Moji or Soji, but just as one of them crawled out of their cocoon and clung to the corner of the box—

—Crash.

The cabin door suddenly slammed open.

“What—what the heck!?”

It was Sister Seol’s startled voice.

Maybe it was the light spilling out, or perhaps our shouting, but Sister Seol, who had been waiting outside for me to change, came rushing into the cabin.

“W-wow!”

She seemed startled at first, but her voice quickly shifted to awe.

The silver light shimmering through the room must have caught her off guard, and the exclamation slipped out without her realizing.

Sensing something was going on, the rest of the Dragon Fangs—all except for my senior and his wife, who were still out—came piling into my cabin.

“What’s going on!?”

“What’s happening!?”

They froze in place at the doorway, staring blankly at the silver silkworm moth.

“This is...!?”

“What... what a beautiful light...”

It wasn’t as blinding as before, but the newly emerged silver silkworm moth still shimmered with enough brilliance to light the entire room like a fluorescent lamp.

Its jewel-like body gleamed in a way that women would naturally adore—and sure enough, gasps followed.

“It finally hatched, didn’t it?”

“It looks kind of damp?”

“Oh! Its wings are spreading!”

Just like someone had said, drops of moisture fell from the moth’s body onto the floor, and with all eyes on it, the moth slowly began to spread its wings.

Like most butterflies or moths, it had emerged from the cocoon and was likely trying to dry out its body and wings.

“Oh! The wings are growing!”

What they thought was the wings “growing” was actually just the hemolymph flowing into them, unfurling them from their curled state inside the cocoon. But to an untrained eye, it looked like the wings were sprouting in real time.

By the time you could’ve finished a cup of tea, the fur on its head and torso had dried into a soft, fluffy texture.

And as everything finished drying, the women’s excited voices picked up again.

“Oh my... this is way too cute.”

“Wow, So-ryong, it’s seriously adorable. I didn’t know moths (ah) could be this cute?”

“I agree, unni. It’s really cute. Like a fuzzy little puppy! I want to hug it so bad.”

“C-could I touch it, maybe? I’ve never seen anything so cute in my life...”

Now that its body and antennae were dry, the silver silkworm moth truly was adorable.

That soft fur, the tiny delicate features—honestly, it was no wonder someone wanted to touch it.

Even I wanted to squish it in a cuddle.

‘I just want to hug it and roll around like a fool!’

But I firmly shook my head at their request.

Whether it had poison or not didn’t even matter—touching it now was absolutely off limits.

“Its wings haven’t fully dried yet. If you touch it now, it could end up crippled for life.”

“C-crippled? R-really?”

—Trss? 『Crippled? Wait, what does “crippled” mean?』

—Shia!? 『Crippled? Really!?』

The women who had been reaching out froze mid-motion, then quickly pulled their hands back with stunned expressions.

The children, who had been watching the metamorphosis closest of all, also looked shocked at the idea of crippling their younger siblings.

They looked absolutely horrified at the thought they’d nearly harmed something so cute.

“But... why would it become crippled, So-ryong?”

Sister Seol, watching the moth dry its wings, tilted her head and asked.

I wagged a finger and decided to educate them on why this was something they absolutely must not do.

After all, this was my ship—and we had standards on my ship.

How could you be on the deck of the Papa of Ten Venomous Creatures and not know something this basic?

‘I’ll have to quiz them later.’

“Insects that undergo metamorphosis are at their most vulnerable when they emerge from the cocoon and begin drying their bodies.

You see, when they’re larvae or inside the cocoon, they have ways to protect themselves. But in this moment, they’re soft and squishy—practically jelly.

If you touch them even slightly now, they could end up permanently deformed.”

“Wait—seriously?”

“Yes. Their bodies are probably softer than human skin right now.”

“Th-that’s intense...”

“We’ll have to be extra careful, then...”

Just like with molting crabs or insects, creatures that emerge from cocoons are at their softest right after breaking free.

Their bodies are still soaked in hemolymph, like jelly.

That’s why they’re most vulnerable to predators, and why even a fall or pressure can cause their bodies to deform permanently.

And once that happens? It’s not just being crippled. In the wild, it means death.

Any physical defect is a direct threat to survival.

So touching a creature in this state is strictly forbidden.

—Trss!

—Kyuut!

—Shiaaa!

As soon as I finished my explanation, the kids let out sharp cries, reinforcing my warning.

“U-uh... okay! I-I’ll step back!”

“Y-yeah, I’ll be careful!”

The women who had crowded forward, except for Hwa-eun and Sister Seol, all retreated in a fluster, pushed back by the kids.

The ones who had been watching the metamorphosis up close clearly decided they needed to protect their younger siblings and moved everyone away.

—Trss. 『Let’s step back. We’ll hurt them if we’re not careful.』

—Kkukgu. 『Yes, I think that’s best.』

—Shia. 『Let’s move back, everyone.』

They all warned each other and backed away together.

That made {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} me smile.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Our kids may have come from different species, but the way they protected their younger siblings? That transcended species.

That’s our family, alright.

A moment later, silken light shimmered from the other cocoon as the second silver silkworm moth began its metamorphosis.

This time, the mood was calmer, and everyone silently observed the moment.

“Wow... another one!”

“They look exactly alike.”

And as the women continued marveling in unison—

—I found myself deeply curious.

Not just about how cute they looked.

But how Moji and Soji’s abilities had evolved.

‘They’re adorable, sure... but when it comes to venomous creatures, true beauty lies in their poison.’

***

The Next Morning

After the kids had completely dried off by morning, Hwa-eun took a sample of their frass powder, mixed it with several reagents, and nodded.

“It doesn’t seem to have any toxins. Kind of like Jeokwol. I think it’s okay to touch them now...”

“Huh? Oh—yes, of course.”

“So-ryong... I told you to wait just a little bit. Sigh...”

I snapped to attention and answered, but Hwa-eun let out a sigh while staring at me.

Naturally so—because I was already rubbing my cheek against the kids.

Why are they so soft?

She’d just told me to wait, but I couldn’t hold back once they’d finished drying.

“No, I mean—Moji and Soji just...”

I felt wrongfully accused.

They’d fluttered over to me first as soon as they were dry. And they were the ones rubbing their cheeks against mine.

Sure, I could have dodged them. But really—how could I resist these plump, puffy moth babies?

And it wasn’t just that. Even as larvae, these two had never carried dangerous venom. I was confident they wouldn’t harm me.

But mostly... I just couldn’t resist.

Shaking her head in exasperation, Hwa-eun finished putting away her reagents on the table, then walked over and scratched under their fuzzy chins.

“So which one’s Moji and which one’s Soji?”

She looked slightly flustered—and no wonder.

After drying off post-metamorphosis, Moji and Soji looked exactly the same. Like they’d come out of a mold.

Even among insects, there’s usually variation in fur texture, antenna length, or body size. But these two? Completely identical.

Hwa-eun probably assumed I’d be able to tell, but even I couldn’t at a glance.

Thankfully, there was one way.

Their cries.

—Myuu!

“This one’s Moji.”

—Myumyu!

“And this one’s Soji.”

If it cried myuu, it was Moji. If it cried myumyu, it was Soji.

I’d wondered if they’d be totally silent and get bored, but as expected of mystical beasts—they could vocalize just fine.

“Ugh... guys... So-ryong...”

That’s when it happened.

Hwa-eun bent her knees slightly, as if under strain, and called for help.

Turns out, Hwayang had crawled up onto her back, while Cho and Bini and even Hyang were perched across her shoulders.

Their antennae wiggled with curiosity, and I heard their voices clearly:

—Trss. 『We want to see Moji and Soji too.』

—Trss! 『Show us the babies!』

—Piiiii! 『Food!』

Now that the toxins had been ruled out and the wings were dry, they were clearly eager to meet the new additions.

They’d held back during the drying period, and we hadn’t let them close during the testing phase.

“Hwa-eun, come out of there. Alright, alright. I’ll show you. Just hold on.”

Now that I thought about it, this must’ve felt like when a mom returns home from the hospital with a newborn baby.

I remembered seeing videos like that on NetTube in my past life—heartwarming, emotional moments.

It felt right to introduce the new kids properly.

Some of our current companions had joined the family after the cocoons had already been sealed.

Yeah, formal introductions are a must.

I helped Hwa-eun slip out from beneath the group and set Moji and Soji gently atop the table.

“You older sisters stayed up all night watching over them, right? So Moji and Soji, say thank you. There are new sisters here too, so greet them properly, okay?”

—Myumyu.

—Myuu.

The kids’ eyes sparkled with recognition as I introduced them.

Then the greetings began on both sides.

—Trss.

—Pii.

—Kkukkuuu!

They crossed antennae, chirping in delight, clearly excited to meet one another.

The older kids, afraid of hurting their new siblings, were being very gentle—only their antennae touched.

Just as they were exchanging antennae in greeting...

Moji and Soji’s bodies began to glow.

Just like when they were larvae and emitted a shimmer of pure energy, they now sparkled once again.

And from their glowing bodies came a familiar energy—fragrant, clean... and unmistakably restorative.

“What’s this?”

“This is... unusual?”

The essence was similar to what they’d emitted as larvae—and like Jeokwol, it seemed based on their frass. But there was a major difference.

Jeokwol’s powder drifted downward or moved according to her will, but Moji and Soji’s powder radiated outward like beams of light, dispersing into nothing.

The room quickly filled with this pure energy.

And as everyone began to feel it, Hwa-eun looked down at her palm with wide eyes.

“This energy... is it healing!?”

“What!?”

I looked at the faint scratch on her palm and gave her a questioning glance.

Reading my expression, Hwa-eun quietly spoke to me telepathically.

A few days ago... when I tried to stop them from bursting out of the door, I scraped it a little.

She didn’t want the kids to know they’d hurt her—it would’ve broken their hearts. So she kept it between us.

As I held her hand and watched, the glow from Moji and Soji’s powder gently erased the scratch.

“This is...”

I already knew they could emit energy that helped restore internal qi—or could muddle it, depending on the state.

But this... was actual healing. Physical, tangible regeneration.

They used to have abilities that revolved around internal energy recovery and minor debuffs.

But now that they’d become adults—they’d clearly evolved into healers.

‘Gyaaaaa! This is freaking amazing!’

My thoughts exploded in excitement.

They’d become full-blown support-type healers!

...Maybe now I could get away with a little more trouble?

Not that I planned on it—just saying.