Chapter 37

 

The child opened his eyes wide.

 

“… Is there anything you’re scared of?”

 

“I’m afraid I won’t be able to see you. I’m the most afraid of that in the world.”

 

“…….”

 

“Your father was just scared, not angry. Why would I be angry when my daughter dealt with the situation wiser than anyone else? I’m proud of you.”

 

The child’s cheeks turned red at the Cheonma’s gentle words.

 

Cheonma carefully brushed the child’s cheek, which had a wound left.

 

“Does it hurt?”

 

“It just looks like this. It doesn’t hurt at all”.

 

“This hurts me though.”

 

The child slowly shut his mouth.

 

Tears quickly filled her eyes.

 

“I’m sorry…I won’t do that again. I don’t like my dad getting hurt. Don’t get hurt.”

 

The child sniffled and hung onto Cheonma’s neck. She whispered for him to not get hurt, begging for forgiveness for a mistake she didn’t commit.

 

Unable to win against that, Cheonma wiped away the tears of the child that were rolling down her face.

 

It was only his fingertips that had her tears on it, but why did his own heart feel so heavy?

 

It was the first time in my life that he was told not to get hurt.

 

It felt very strange to hear words that I had never heard from anyone from his child’s mouth.

 

Cheonma patted the child’s back.

 

“You’re the only one who can cause me pain.”

 

“So, Lihua, don’t get sick.”

 

The child nodded with her lips tightly shut.

 

Immoogi quietly watched the father and daughter.

 

***

 

As soon as I came out of the tent, Immoogi suddenly asked.

 

“Is Master the Master of Cheonma?””

 

“What are you talking about? I said he was my dad.”

 

“Why are you close to your dad?””

 

I think I know what he’s talking about. Male snakes leave after mating with females.

 

“In general, human parents stay by their children’s side until they are fully grown up.”

 

There are a lot of people who don’t.

 

I stroked Immoogi’s head while recalling the memories of my previous life.

 

“You just don’t remember because he left before you were born. But you also had a father. Although he was forced to leave you, he must still be missing you somewhere.”

 

“In my mom’s stomach?”

 

“Your mom ate your… dad?”

 

“Yes.”

 

After mating, there are species that eat males to accumulate nutrients. I didn’t know snakes would do that either.

 

It would be weird to offer my congratulations and ask them if they enjoyed it.

 

I had nothing to say, so I shut up.

 

Immoogi continued with a relieved look.

“Your dad, no, Cheonma is strong. He’s stronger than the old humans I saw earlier. He’s the strongest human I’ve ever seen.”

 

“But?”

 

“But he couldn’t say anything to Master, I thought Master made him your subordinate.”

 

“No, it’s not because he’s a subordinate, but because he loves me.”

 

“What’s love?”

 

“It’s when you cherish a person. Rather than seeing the other person hurt, you would rather want to be hurt in their place. If there’s something delicious, they want to give it to you. And when they see you eating, they feel full.”

 

“Is that a sickness?”

 

Immoogi distorted his forehead as if those thoughts were terrible.

 

For him, it wasn’t even enough food to eat by himself but to actually give away one’s food. It would be impossible for him unless he was crazy.

 

It was strange to teach human emotions to an old snake, so I just laughed.

 

“Anyway, as long as he’s not your subordinate. I don’t want to compete with other guys.”

 

“……?”

 

I was confused by his words but I tilted my head and said,

 

“By the way, you can go now.”

 

“Where?”

 

“Anywhere you want”

 

“Are you coming with me?””

 

“Why should I go with you? I’m saying I’ll let you go.”

 

Thanks to him, I escaped easily and wasn’t scolded as much. However, raising him was a big problem.

 

I don’t know what’s going to happen to me so how can I take responsibility for other lives?

“Live freely. It’s really easy for you to be scammed, so go to places where there’s no humans”

 

I thought he would like it, but Immoogi’s face hardened.

 

“You lured me and now you want me to leave?””

 

“What? When did I lure you?”

 

“You first gave me something to eat and then touched me!””

 

A servant in front of Cheonma’s bedroom suddenly lowered his head.

 

I was surprised and covered Immoogi’s mouth.

 

“Hey hey hey if anyone hears that, they’ll misunderstand. I gave it to you because I thought you would be hungry. I didn’t give it to you to touch you!”

 

Immoogi shook off my hand and screamed.

 

“Lies! There is no creature in the world that would feed someone without reason”.

 

If I didn’t feed you, I would have been the one who went into your mouth, not dried persimmons!

 

But I shut my mouth. If I say that, Cheonma would hear me.

 

I pulled on Immoogi’s hand and moved far away from Cheonma’s quarters.

 

“It’s an order. Leave.”

 

“I don’t want to.”

 

“… Are you violating your master’s order?””

 

“Yeah, I don’t think I need to listen to that.”

 

“How can a subordinate pick a command to listen to?”

 

“If you abandon me, you’re not my Master. Then I don’t have to listen to you.”

 

It was strangely logical. I tried to nod without realizing it.

 

“I’m not kidding. If you’re next to me, you’ll only suffer. Do you still want to stay? You might die or get hurt later.”

 

“Will you give me dried persimmons?””

 

“… Do you like them that much?””

 

“Will you pat me if I get hurt?””

 

“If you get hurt, I will…that’s not what’s important!”

 

“That’s all that matters.”

 

What do you mean that’s all that matters?

 

I stared at Immoogi and changed my approach.

 

Something seems wrong with the medicine given by the Poison grandpa.

 

Why does it work intermittently?

 

‘I should get an antidote and feed it to him.’

 

Until then, I should give him a name as Cheonma said. I can’t call him a snake.

 

What would be good?

 

“Then promise not to eat people without my permission. Then I’ll think about it.”

 

“Okay.”

 

“Let’s go out now. My dad has a good ear, so he hears everything from afar. If we stay here, he might…he might hear that you were going to eat me.”

.

“What? I said that I wouldn’t eat you.”

 

“No matter how much you’re my subordinate, he won’t forgive you for that. They love me so much that he would get rid of anything that threatens me.”

 

“Even though I didn’t even hurt you?”

 

“Yes, even if you didn’t hurt me.”

 

“He must be really sick in the head. Okay I got it.”

 

When I left Cheonma’s Palace while soothing Immoogi, a thunderous roar erupted.

The elders, including disciples of the elders, flocked to us without a moment.

“My lady defeated Immoogi!”

 

“She is the only one who could subdue such a monster”.

 

Before I knew it, I became a six-year-old child who had subdued Immoogi.

 

“Who said this ridiculous rumor?”’

 

I stood from afar and glared at the elders who were happily watching. The elders, who seemed to avoid my gaze, showed off their proud faces. Like they were the ones who did it.

 

‘Oh my! Grandfathers!’

 

Immoogi, which had only been watching, jumped up and turned into its true appearance. Then he snatched me and threw me on top of him.

 

The masters who saw this scene cheered and went wild.

 

“Hooray for the sect! Hooray for the Sect Master! Hooray for Young Miss! Hooray for Immoogi!”

 

“Oooowahwah!”

 

The elders raised their thumbs up at me from afar. It seems that they thought I intentionally did this.

 

I heard a different sound as if air was directly shaking in my ears.

 

– Can I eat those humans?

 

“What? You promised not to eat humans!””

 

Those humans attacked Master.

 

“They didn’t attack me! It’s a way to show that they like me!”

 

– I thought Master was in danger and so saved you.… Then you won’t give me dried persimmons?

 

“You ate a lot!””

 

-But… You said you’d give me dried persimmons if I act nice.

 

…… Was he a reincarnated soul who died while eating dried persimmons in his previous life?

“Did you do that because you really thought I was in danger? Is it because you want to eat dried persimmons?”

 

– Yeah.

 

He was just like Baekha.

 

Just as Baekha sees me as her own energy bank, he sees me as a dried persimmon warehouse.

 

You said I was your Master before!

 

I replied with my jaw clenched.

 

“I’ll name you Heukha.”

 

Chelele!

 

The black baby flicked his tongue and laughed.