Chapter 104: The Unicorn’s Tears
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 104: The Unicorn’s Tears
Swish-Swish's tail wagged rapidly.
She probably thought this was a fun family outing.
Does Swish-Swish think of me as her dad?
"Chirp!"
…On paper, I guess I am her dad, but considering her personality, she probably doesn't see me as a father.
Maybe she thinks of me as something like a husband.
And that her own mother stole him away.
Thinking about it this way, it's a really messed-up relationship, but from a reptile's perspective, it's probably fine.
…It is fine, right?
As if she wasn't thinking about such complicated matters, Swish-Swish just seemed excited about going out.
It was only natural.
She usually spent all her time inside that temple.
According to the Snake Queen, the last time she got lost and ran into me, it was because she felt cooped up in the temple and escaped.
For such a timid little thing, I wonder how frustrated she must have been to do that.
My kid needs to be raised free-range.
I'll have to have a word with the Snake Queen.
With that thought, I glanced at the Snake Queen, then quickly looked away.
"Saaaaaah!"
Because the Snake Queen was currently in her basilisk form.
It seemed like she was just roaring without much thought, but it was pretty damn scary.
Look at them. The other beasts were trembling.
Crack.
Sizzzzle…
A few drops of her saliva fell to the ground, causing it to cave in.
She would just plow right through perfectly healthy trees with her body.
Seeing how she was a bit rougher than when she was human, it seemed the mind tends to follow the body.
Well, even if she could take a human form, her true nature wasn't human, so it couldn't be helped.
Unless you're a special lizard like me, everyone would be like that.
Look at me.
I have the body of a lizard, but I've perfectly maintained my human mind, haven't I?
"Piek!"
Oh, my Swish-Swish.
It's so cute how she's stuck jewel-like stones in her scales.
Trying to emphasize her already chubby tail.
I'm worried she'll grow up to be a little seductress.
Tus, Pus, and now Swish-Swish.
I just hope they all grow up in the right direction.
I've already seen a glimpse of Nephila's evolution, so I'd be satisfied if they just turn out like her.
Pus is big, so she should be… well-endowed.
And since Tus is a bit smaller, she should be slender like Nephila.
"…Gek!"
I have perfectly maintained my mind, right?
It feels like I'm gradually starting to think more like a lizard.
"Chirp!"
Whether she knew of my worries or not, Swish-Swish hopped.
Let's not question how a snake can hop anymore.
Swish-Swish's chubby tail muscles made leaping possible.
It seemed like she wanted to climb onto my body, so I lowered myself for a moment.
"Hieeek!"
Satisfied, Swish-Swish settled herself around my neck.
Since I had deactivated my miniaturization, she could cling to my body and travel very comfortably.
To be honest, I didn't want to deactivate my miniaturization.
I desperately wanted to hold Swish-Swish's tail and ride on top of the Snake Queen for an easy journey.
It would have been more comfortable, and besides, there's a certain romance to it, isn't there?
A giant snake.
The chance to ride a basilisk, a creature straight out of mythology.
But the Snake Queen didn't grant my request.
To be precise, she wanted me to deactivate my miniaturization and walk side-by-side with her.
Honestly, it was a request I didn't quite understand.
No, I couldn't even understand why the Snake Queen deactivated her human form in the first place.
The reason was the King of Birds.
The King of Birds and the Snake Queen were in a cold war.
They hadn't officially declared war on each other, but the Snake Queen had already decided to strike him.
The King of Birds had messed with me, the one she declared as her companion.
It was a situation where a clash between them could happen at any moment.
If it were me, I would have traveled while small.
Traveling in her true form, the Snake Queen was bound to be spotted by the Human-faced Birds.
And that would mean handing over the information that she was going to see the former King of Birds to oppose him.
But the one who knew the King of Birds better was the Snake Queen.
Maybe it was to apply pressure.
Or she could be aiming to provoke a mistake from Gaechalgoatal if he tried to recklessly stop her.
If he barged in, Argentavis, the Snake Queen, and I could join forces and attack him in an instant.
If he sent minions other than the Human-faced Birds, it would just be a senseless death for them.
Thinking about it this way, I guess I can't say I don't understand at all.
Whatever it was, she must have a plan.
"Saaaaaaaak!"
…She does have a plan, right?
I cautiously watched the Snake Queen and matched her pace.
"Purrrrr…"
As we walked, Swish-Swish was snoring in her sleep.
Looking at us like this, I thought we really seemed like a family.
An outing after a long time.
A furious, snake-like wife.
A snake-like child who gets the most excited but is the first to pass out.
And a husband who lives under his wife's thumb.
Something like this wasn't so bad once in a while.
Countless beasts were watching our outing.
The beasts of the jungle would surely see this peaceful scene and heal their wounded bodies and minds.
Hey, am I gaining divinity again?
*
Kuuung.
The earth trembled.
Giant trees failed their purpose and fell mercilessly.
At the sudden cataclysm, the beasts scattered in terror, running in all directions.
"Saaaaaak!"
Every beast living in the jungle could do nothing but bow before that being.
Even the beasts uninterested in the struggle for supremacy, even those living in Gaechalgoatal's territory.
A being that had to be respected, if not worshipped.
The one who had surpassed the limits of the snake species.
The legendary creature of myth, the Basilisk.
The ruler of the western jungle, also known as the Snake Queen, had revealed herself.
Her size was overwhelming.
Despite this, the jungle's inhabitants rarely saw her.
For she had secluded herself within her territory.
To be precise, that was what the beasts of the jungle speculated.
She was preparing for war with the King of Birds.
She was hiding from him.
If not that, she was holed up in her temple, raising a successor.
Only rumors abounded.
"Kaaaaak! It's the Queen! The Snake Queen has appeared!"
And now, she had revealed herself.
The parrots flying in the sky swiftly spread the news.
The Snake Queen has appeared.
In a way, this fact alone might not have been so shocking.
It was surprising that someone who had been inactive for so long was on the move, but it was certainly possible.
No, if anything, it was stranger that she hadn't moved until now.
"Kaaaak! The Sna-Snake Queeeen!"
The parrots circled in the sky, continuously shouting about the shocking sight they had witnessed.
The Snake Queen was a noble and aloof being.
She had rejected Gaechalgoatal's marriage proposal and built her own faction.
Had she accepted his demand, this jungle would have been ruled by a single power.
The Snake Queen, who had rejected the Human-faced Bird's proposal.
And next to such a being stood someone else.
A four-legged snake.
A Sugung, a Seokcheok, a Sajoksa.
In other words, a lizard.
But it was a being difficult to dismiss as a mere lizard.
It was far too massive to be a lizard.
Although it was small compared to the Snake Queen, that was no reason to look down on it.
Moreover, its entire body was covered in black scales.
The beautiful scales, reminiscent of a dragon from myth, were untainted by a single impurity.
A lizard, yet beautiful.
A lizard, yet divine.
It was a being that could not be called a lizard.
"Krrrr…"
Fire and cold energy billowed from the black lizard's mouth.
Beautiful black scales reminiscent of a dragon.
Large teeth, with fire and cold energy flowing between them.
It was closer to a dragon than any other being the jungle beasts had ever seen.
It was surprising enough that a never-before-seen creature had entered the jungle, but there was something even more astonishing.
The ornament hanging around the black lizard's neck.
It was unmistakably the Snake Queen's token.
There was no way that aloof snake would have given her token to another creature.
She hadn't even given it to the King of Birds.
If anyone were to have it, it could only be by defeating her and taking it by force.
But it was impossible to think that this lizard had defeated the Snake Queen.
Besides, if they had fought, they wouldn't be traveling together like this.
Then what did this bizarre behavior mean?
The basilisk's tail gently caressed the black lizard's tail.
"Kaaaaak!"
The parrots watching the situation were startled.
It was only natural.
Because they had realized why the lizard possessed the Snake Queen's token.
The Snake Queen's companion.
There was no other way to explain that affectionate tail gesture.
Furthermore, upon closer inspection, a small snake was perched on the black lizard's neck.
The snake, looking as if it had just woken up, was glaring at the Snake Queen with a sulky expression.
That had to be the Snake Queen's successor.
The Snake Princess also caressed the black lizard with an affectionate flick of her tail.
The atmosphere was strange.
"Kaaaaak!"
The parrots were known for making a fuss, but seeing this, no one would think they were overreacting.
"Kept maaaaaan!"
The worst lizard in history, who had seduced both the Snake Queen and the Snake Princess at the same time, had been born.
"Kaaaaa!"
The parrots' words rode the wind and spread throughout the jungle.
Whether it was the territory ruled by the King of Birds, the Snake Queen's domain, or the Little Dragon's territory.
The Snake Queen's companion has appeared.
Every being in the jungle learned of this fact.
And that this companion had also seduced the Snake Princess.
That fact also spread throughout the jungle, but not many believed it.
Not until they saw the shocking sight for themselves.
"Mo… monogaaa…"
A unicorn with a missing horn wiped away its tears from afar.
That playboy lizard had finally done it.
To steal the hearts of two pure maidens.
The unicorn regretted not having punished that evil lizard no matter what, but it was already too late.
Moreover, for some reason, its own horn was now in that lizard's possession.
The horn it had gifted to a pure maiden had been passed on.
He must have laid his hands on her too in that short time.
"Monogaaaamyyyy…"
Tears like chicken droppings streamed from the unicorn's eyes.
"I curse you, lizard."
It sent a message filled with such intense hatred, but the black lizard, scratching its head vigorously, just gek'd without a care in the world.
"Gegegegek!"