Chapter 109: The Lake Illuminated by the Moon
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 109: The Lake Illuminated by the Moon
The feast was over.
Argentavis, disappointed, urged us to stay the night, but we didn't have the time. Sharing drinks and meat to solidify our alliance was the most time we could afford.
Argentavis handed us an item. It was wrapped in a five-colored cloth, similar to the one I had seen in the Silver Dragon Cave.
He said it was the weakness of the Bird King—or to be more precise, something even the Bird King was wary of. It wasn't enough to defeat him on its own, but Argentavis said it was the very thing that had saved his life.
I worried that giving it to us would put him in danger, but Argentavis was confident in his ability to escape. He added that since we'd be launching an all-out war soon, it was better for our side to have it.
No one knew the Bird King better than the King of Birds himself, so his judgment seemed sound.
The sun was setting. After leaving Argentavis's territory, we didn't return to the temple. The Snake Queen had said there was a place she needed to visit.
“Birds can't see well at night. That's why we must move now.”
She had a point.
After all, snakes are nocturnal, while birds are diurnal. No matter how powerful a bird might be, unless it was an owl, flying in this darkness would be difficult. Besides, the Snake Queen was moving in her lamia form, not her true one, making her even harder to spot.
Perhaps this was why we had caused such a commotion during the day. Announce loudly, "We're heading north!" and then, while the enemy let their guard down, head for a different destination.
Slither.
I walked alongside the Snake Queen.
Or maybe 'walked' isn't the right word. She's a snake, after all; she has no legs.
Slither.
“Hiss, hiss.”
Swish-Swish hissed from her perch on my neck. Her gaze had grown stronger since she'd formed a silent alliance with Chirpy, though she was still as round as ever.
Her determined expression lasted only a moment before her head began to droop. Her eyes were still open, so I couldn't be certain, but she seemed sleepy.
It was understandable. It was late, and she'd just had her fill of eggs. She was at an age where she needed plenty of sleep, and she'd also worn herself out bickering with Chirpy.
“Krr...”
A snake was snoring in her sleep.
But it didn't seem strange in the slightest. That's just how used to it I'd become.
The Snake Queen glanced at the snoring Swish-Swish and smiled. I felt like I was seeing her smile more often these days. When we first met, I never would have imagined she could make such an expression.
“She must take after me. She sleeps a lot.”
Does the Snake Queen sleep a lot, too? Was that why she was always cooped up in the temple? To sleep? I followed her, entertaining such trivial thoughts.
After walking for some time, the Snake Queen, who was slithering beside me, came to a halt.
“We're here.”
Reeds as tall as I was blocked the view. As if she'd expected it, the Snake Queen pushed them aside with her hand.
What I saw was a wide, open lake.
The jungle is a dense place, packed with trees, so it's rare to find a place that feels so open. And yet, this lake was vast and clear.
One might think it would look out of place, but it wasn't unnatural in the slightest. The lake blended perfectly with the jungle. Modest trees surrounded a fairly large body of water. And though the night was dark, the bright moonlight shone down, illuminating its surface.
Chirp.
The insects in the grass sang in unison, as if announcing their presence.
In the sky above, countless fireflies danced.
“What do you think?”
Since coming to this world, I had seen countless shocking sights. A Dilophosaurus using the Tang Clan's secret technique, the Sky-Filling Flower Rain. A Cockatrice with the heads of a chicken and a snake. A spider that asked me to spank its rear. Or even a talking snake.
Each one had been a shocking sight, something my common sense could never explain. But if I were asked to name the most beautiful sight of all, I would choose this moment without a second thought.
I don't have an eye for art, but this scene was beautiful enough to transcend any need for one.
“This is my favorite place. The air is clean, the water is clear, and just watching the light from those insects in the sky warms the heart.”
It was indeed a breathtaking view.
But there was one thing I didn't understand.
It was undeniably a beautiful place, and I didn't regret coming here so late at night. However, it seemed completely unrelated to our objective.
Weren't we supposed to be gathering strength to defeat the Bird King? Finding elixirs, securing more allies, or devising a plan to take him down—that was our primary goal.
And yet we'd set all that aside to come here? The Snake Queen I knew wouldn't make such a decision. Her blood was cold. She was dozens of times more level-headed than I was.
There had to be another objective. Perhaps some fortuitous encounter was hidden here.
“I wanted to show it to you.”
Her words were not what I had expected.
She brought me here just to show me this place? That couldn't be it.
Perhaps this lake was the source of the Hwari? Or maybe a powerful spirit beast lived at the bottom. Yes, that would make sense.
The Snake Queen smiled again.
“The princess seems to be sleeping soundly. Put her down over there for a moment, along with the item we received from the former Bird King.”
Where she pointed, I saw a nest-like structure made of reeds. It looked just the right size for Swish-Swish. She must have brought her here before.
“Gekek.”
I placed Swish-Swish in the nest without complaint.
“All set?”
“Gek.”
The Snake Queen's tail coiled around my body.
“Gekek?”
The Snake Queen gave a playful laugh.
“Relax. You don't want to get hurt.”
She grabbed the scruff of my neck with a firm grip. Then, she leaped from the low hill, and I had no choice but to fall with her.
Splash!
Even though it wasn't a high drop, my weight sent up a huge spray of water. So this was why she'd told me to put Swish-Swish down. She wanted to toss me in the water.
I didn't know her exact objective, but she'd picked the wrong opponent. When it came to water, I was a formidable foe myself. After all, I was a master of the Little Dragon's Sky-Ascending Steps.
I quickly paddled my arms and broke the surface, ready to launch a counterattack against the Snake Queen who had thrown me in.
“Heehee, surprised?”
That was cheating.
How was I supposed to counterattack when she was smiling like that?
“You must be wondering why we came here,” she said, as if she'd read my mind. “With so much to do, you're probably thinking I didn't bring you all this way just to show you the view.”
“Gekek.”
I gave a slight nod.
“I came here to thank you.”
The Snake Queen lowered her head.
“Gekek!”
I was a bit flustered. Why was she suddenly thanking me?
“Thanks to you, I was able to form an alliance with the former Bird King.”
I waved my hands dismissively. What had I done? All I did was gekek around. And technically, the unicorn horn was stolen.
“I've done nothing for you, yet you've helped me so much.”
She was saying the words I should have been saying. What I'd received from her and Swish-Swish was still far greater.
I'd received Hwari and Snow Ginseng, and even the Ten-Thousand-Year Golden Spirit Fruit—precious elixirs I might never have obtained in my entire lifetime. After receiving so much, this was the least I could do.
“To be honest, the war was not going in our favor before you arrived. It was a huge blow when the Cockatrice joined his side. By using its power, they could build a resistance to my abilities.”
Indeed, most of the creatures who followed the Bird King had resistance to petrification and poison. They must have been using the Cockatrice's power to counter the Snake Queen.
“As time passed, our position only grew worse. We had no variables on our side, so the Bird King, who was constantly expanding his forces, inevitably gained the upper hand.”
The Snake Queen and the Bird King were in a stalemate, which was why the capabilities of their subordinates, who could move freely, were so crucial. And the Snake Queen had lost her strongest one.
“Do you realize,” she continued, “that you single-handedly shattered the plan the Bird King spent decades building?”
All this praise was making me a little embarrassed.
Normally, I would have been gekek-ing and giving her the greedy lizard stare that begged for elixirs. But I wasn't in the mood for that now.
Was it because of the beautiful scenery? Or was it the anxiety lingering in a corner of my heart?
“Now, we are his equals. Me, the former Bird King, Argentavis's forces, and the Sword Dragons allied with me. If that old geezer joins the fight, our military strength will be on par with his.”
Just hearing the list was reassuring. The Snake Queen and old Compy were powerhouses whose levels I couldn't even see. Once Argentavis recovered, he would be just as strong.
In a ground battle, the Snake Queen's Sword Dragons would take the lead. A single Stegosaurus could easily handle five Terror Birds. In the air, Argentavis's pterosaurs would dominate.
And above all, we had that rumored secret weapon. If Gomodo-Lania joined the fight, we would surely have the upper hand.
“With this much, we can win.”
It was almost time. The day we would defeat the Bird King was not far off.
“So, my companion...”
She would say something like, Keep fighting until the very end. She had brought me here, to this place she cherished most, to boost the morale of her most loyal subordinate—her ally.
She paused for a moment.
Then, her lips slowly parted.
“Before the battle begins... will you leave this jungle?”
Her words were completely different from what I had expected.