Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

-Miyang!? 『You’re going to report me!?』

When we told the dumbstruck Myoran who the spirit creature we were going to report was, Myoran raised the fur like a startled cat and arched the back like a mountain peak.

It looked completely shocked.

Mongyeong nodded along and explained.

-Shiik. 『Yeah. We’re planning to report you to one of the Inspection Unit leaders, Elder Dokyeong—no, to that thing.』

-Miyaang! 『D-Dokyeong!?』

The moment Mongyeong said those two syllables, Myoran’s whole body shuddered.

It was so visible that the tremor ran all the way to the tip of the tail.

Reacting this hard just to the name Dokyeong.

That meant the reputation was pretty vicious.

Well, an Inspection Unit was that kind of place, so the reaction was only natural.

Wasn’t the Inspection Unit the bunch that combed through the inside, watched everything, and if you violated discipline even a little, they didn’t let it go?

So normally, getting chills just from hearing the name was the correct response.

Then the sharp shout came again.

-Miyangong! 『That vicious bitch, you’re reporting m-me to her!?』

-Shiiik. 『No, don’t just freak out—listen to the whole thing. It’s not bad news for Lord Myoran either.』

-Miyang! 『I’m getting reported and you’re saying it’s not bad news?』

-Shii. 『If it goes well, you can drink spirit liquor for free, so it’s not bad news.』

In this cultivation world, aside from spirit stones and spirit pills, there were also liquid spirit medicines like spirit liquor or spirit water.

They said if you drank spirit liquor, you could even get drunk like it was alcohol.

Because the concentration of spiritual energy was so high.

If things went well, Myoran could drink that as payment for this job.

But not a whole bottle.

Even cold water has an above and below, and it would be a problem if Myoran alone gulped all that down.

I quickly corrected it.

”One cup.”

-Shiiiiiik. 『Ah, right. One cup.』

At our words, Myoran made a face like ‘what are you even talking about?’

-Nyaong. 『I seriously have no idea what you mean...』

-Shiik. 『Listen carefully. So, what I’m saying is...』

***

Dokyeong, leader of the First Group of the Black Night Palace Inspection Unit.

Today as well, she was in the middle of checking the reports that came up from the Inspection Unit spies planted in each group.

Letters floated in the air above the desk, emitting a faint blue glow, and Dokyeong’s sharp eyes scanned down each line of text.

Every group active inside Black Night Palace had one Inspection Unit spy hidden inside, and since checking the letters they sent and monitoring the Black Night Palace members was her job.

The spirit creatures belonging to Black Night Palace were incredibly diverse, and their personalities and behavior were all over the place, so if you didn’t keep discipline tight, it would be a mess.

If you left them alone for even a moment, the place would fill up with idiots doing whatever they wanted.

Spirit creatures were the kind of things that caused accidents if you loosened the leash even a little.

-Tsii. 『Hm...』

I was watching her float the letters in the air and check them when—

A knock came from outside.

-Knock knock.

-Tsiii. 『What is it?』

When she asked while looking at the door, an answer came from outside.

“Elder Dokyeong, a spirit creature from the Black Cat Group has come. It says it has something urgent to tell you.”

-Tsiiik? 『The Black Cat Group?』

Black Cat Group.

That was a group Dokyeong knew well.

Wasn’t that the group of that scatterbrained cat, Myoran?

A group that didn’t quite cross the line, but kept messing with Dokyeong’s mood, so she’d been thinking of giving it a proper beating at least once.

Hearing the name of a group she’d been keeping a special eye on, a faint expectation seeped into Dokyeong’s voice.

-Tsiiik. 『Don’t tell me it’s Myoran who came?』

“No, Elder.”

At the words that it wasn’t Myoran, her anticipation swelled even more.

If one of the members came in person?

That had a very high chance of being a report about a superior.

The corners of Dokyeong’s mouth lifted slightly.

Joy colored her voice.

-Tsiii. 『Tell it to come in. Now.』

“Yes, Elder.”

-Kreeeak.

As Dokyeong looked toward the door, thinking, please let it be a report about that Myoran thing, the door slowly opened, and a huge rat snake slid into the room.

The moment she saw it, Dokyeong recognized who it was.

Mongyeong, deputy of the Black Cat Group.

The one that was basically the right-hand man of that scatterbrained cat.

Her anticipation grew even more.

If the deputy came personally?

That meant the report would carry far more weight than a regular member’s.

-Shiik. 『Hello, Elder Dokyeong.』

The snake slid quickly into the room and greeted her politely.

Dokyeong smiled softly and asked.

-Tsii. 『So, your name is Mongyeong, yes?』

-Shiiiii. 『For you to know this lowly one’s name, I don’t know where to put myself.』

-Tsiiik. 『Lowly? Hardly. I know that the Black Cat Group runs properly thanks to you.』

-Shii. 『Th-thank you!』

Having his name and efforts acknowledged, the snake’s eyes grew moist.

The emotion was obvious.

Dokyeong looked at that sight with satisfaction, then brought up the main point in a subtle voice.

-Tsiii. 『So, for busy Mongyeong of the Black Cat Group to come here, what brings you?』

At Dokyeong’s question, the snake glanced toward the door.

It seemed like this was a topic no one else should walk in on.

-Poof.

Soon, a talisman popped out of Mongyeong’s storage space and flared in the air.

A pale blue-white flame died down, and a faint energy wrapped around the room.

-Tsiii. 『I’ve made it so sound can’t leak out. Speak comfortably.』

Even after she said she’d put up a barrier so the conversation couldn’t leak out, the snake still kept darting its eyes around, reading the room.

What was so sensitive that it had to check that thoroughly?

After confirming, the snake came closer and spoke in a low voice.

-Shiik. 『My-Myoran—no, that Myoran thing—is colluding with the Flying Wing Gate!』

The volume was low, but the content was explosive.

In an instant, the air in the room froze.

Dokyeong’s eyes widened, then sank coldly.

-Tsiiik? 『Myoran is colluding with the Flying Wing Gate?』

-Shik. 『Yes, Elder!』

With a look like she couldn’t believe it, Dokyeong stared at the snake and pressed hard.

-Tsiiik! 『Do you understand how big this is!? If this is false, your life will not be spared.』

-Shiik! 『H-how could it be!? N-never! That Myoran thing called me and said it started working for Black Night Palace, and told me to join too!

I was afraid that if I refused, I might die on the spot, so I said yes, and the moment it was time for the regular report, I ran here!』

Mongyeong’s trembling voice and desperate eyes.

It had too much sincerity to be a lie.

Dokyeong ground her teeth and contorted her expression.

-Tsii. 『Which bastard of the Flying Wing Gate did it say it was going to work under?』

-Shik. 『O-a. A crow. It said it decided to work under O-a.』

-Crunch.

When Dokyeong clenched her teeth, the snake flinched.

After flinching, it started babbling.

-Shiiik. 『Elder, the reason I didn’t go anywhere else and ran here is because I’ve always admired you, Elder Dokyeong. So...』

But Dokyeong had no intention of listening to a long story.

This was urgent.

-Tsiiii. 『You. Who have you told this to?』

-Shiik! 『No one else.』

-Tsii. 『Do you know how many others Myoran has pulled into this besides you?』

-Shik! 『I heard I’m the only one. It said the others can’t be trusted.』

-Tsiii. 『Then good. Listen carefully from here on. I have a plan.』

She had to move fast.

So she was about to tell the snake the plan when the snake said something ridiculous.

That it had a plan.

-Shi? 『Huh? No, I have a plan—』

-Tsiiik? 『Don’t talk nonsense. Do what I tell you. I have no intention of hearing your half-baked plan.』

-Shi. 『...』

After scolding the snake with a face that said what kind of nonsense is that, Dokyeong asked.

-Tsiii. 『How many are in the hideout right now?』

-Shik. 『Everyone’s out, and only that Myoran thing is there. For a while, it’ll be alone.』

-Tsiii. 『You said you stopped by because of the regular report, right?』

-Shiiiii. 『Yes. I came to receive necessary talismans and spirit stones and such.』

Thinking this was perfect, Dokyeong pulled out a bottle from her storage space.

-Tsiii. 『Take this back right now, liven up the mood, and make that thing drink it.』

-Shiik. 『This is...?』

-Tsiii. 『Spirit liquor.』

-Shik. 『Spirit liquor?』

-Tsiiik. 『Once it drinks and gets drunk, use a binding talisman and a speech-sealing talisman to subdue it, then call me immediately. This has to be handled quietly.

You know, right? The incident two years ago where an entire Black Night Palace scouting group went over to the Flying Wing Gate. Ever since then, we handle things like this quietly. If it gets out, morale drops.』

-Shiiiii. 『I understand what you mean!』

Two years ago, an entire Black Night Palace scouting group defected to the Flying Wing Gate.

At the mention of that incident, the snake nodded.

With a trembling tail, the snake put the spirit liquor into its storage space.

With a cold smile, Dokyeong whispered low at the end.

-Tsii... 『If you mess up... your neck won’t be safe either. Understood?』

The snake swallowed hard and nodded.

The air in the room sank even heavier.

***

”Did it go well?”

Mongyeong, who’d headed to the main palace of Black Night Palace, came back in about four hours.

But the expression looked a little dazed.

Tilting my head, I asked again.

”What’s with that face? Did you fail?”

-Shiik. 『N-no. It’s not that I failed, it’s just... it was weird.』

”Weird?”

-Shiiik. 『I tried to explain our plan, but she said my plan wasn’t needed. And then that Dokyeong thing laid out a plan, and it was exactly the same as the plan we set.』

”Really?”

Since she was at the level of an Inspection Unit leader, maybe she didn’t feel like listening to Mongyeong’s half-baked plan, but it was funny that the plan she pulled out was identical to ours.

I said like it was nothing.

”That just means that thing was destined to get caught by me.”

Something fitting together this perfectly wasn’t anything else—it was fate, that’s all.

At my words, Mongyeong fell into thought for a moment, but Myoran’s voice snapped us back quickly.

-Nyaong. 『So did you bring the spirit liquor?』

-Shiik. 『Here!』

What Mongyeong pulled out was a small bottle, like a soju bottle in my past life, and it was filled with clear, transparent liquid.

A bottle of soju usually gave you about seven or eight shots.

This would probably be about that much too.

Myoran swallowed.

It brought out a cup it had prepared and urged Mongyeong.

-Nyayang. 『Hurry and pour me a cup.』

They said it wasn’t insanely rare, but it was still rarer than spirit stones or spirit pills, so it wasn’t something you could drink often, and that was probably why.

At Myoran’s urging, Mongyeong looked at me.

I poured a proper amount into two cups and bestowed one cup of spirit liquor each to Mongyeong and Myoran.

And I poured the rest into a bottle I’d prepared ahead of time and sent it into Dokmul-hyang to the wives inside.

”Mongyeong, put yours in your storage space and drink it later.”

-Shiiik. 『Me too?』

”Yeah. You worked hard—of course you should get some. Myoran is only drinking it because it has to pretend it drank, but still.”

-Shiik. 『Th-thank you.』

While Mongyeong put the cup into storage with misty eyes, Myoran took a sip.

Just like when it dealt with Myobakha, it got drunk and went limp.

They said that drunk state lasted about ten minutes, and when Myoran sagged, Mongyeong used something called a binding talisman and a speech-sealing talisman to subdue Myoran.

Talismans that bound the body and prevented the voice from coming out so it couldn’t use spells.

Now the preparations were done.

Mongyeong quickly used a communication talisman and contacted that leader of the Inspection Unit.

-Shiiik. 『Elder, preparations are done...』

-Tsiii. 『Good. I’m going right now.』

I hid inside a large box Myoran had left under the window and erased my presence as much as possible, but a moment later, an unexpected one came in through the window.

-Flap.

The sound of something flying in.

All kinds of thoughts ran through my head.

I’d kept it so that neither Myoran nor Mongyeong could tell me what kind of spirit creature it was, because it would be more fun to check later.

But I’d heard the sound of wings.

‘What is it? Don’t tell me it’s some budget version of Zihwa?’

If it was a venom-bird, it would be a budget version of Zihwa.

I was thinking it was kind of disappointing, when in the moonlight flowing in through the window, I saw its shadow.

A shadow I’d seen plenty of times in movies.

Staring through the keyhole with a face that couldn’t believe it, what came in bathed in moonlight was—

A bat.

And of all things, a furry bat.

A scream nearly burst out.

‘Gyaaaah! No, not this!’

Ever since coming to the land of spirit creatures, nothing had gone smoothly.