Chapter 118: A Gift
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 118: A Gift
Shwoop.
Pop.
With a cute little sound, I popped out of the gourd bottle.
I’d wondered if I’d have to walk back myself, but it seems they had the sense to return me to my original location.
Still, I couldn't let my guard down.
There was no way the Snake Queen would lose, but it was possible they could have grabbed the gourd and run. I had to be ready for a fight the moment I was out.
“Gek!”
A mountain of immense size was blocking my view.
“…Incredible.”
It was the Snake Queen, flaunting her ever-majestic internal energy pouches.
And I had somehow ended up in her embrace.
“Gek-gek-gek.”
This is a misunderstanding.
I immediately rolled my body to escape.
After getting up naturally, I surveyed the situation.
Seeing her in human form meant she must have taken care of Bifang and the Rakshasa Bird.
There were no bodies around, so I guess they must have fled.
…Although, seeing a chunk of rock shaped like a bird’s wing lying on the ground, I doubt they got away unscathed.
They might even be in the Snake Queen’s stomach.
She stared at me intently.
“Did you defeat the Jian Bird?”
“Gek gek.”
When I gave a slight nod, the Snake Queen’s expression changed.
I suppose it was only natural for her to be surprised. A lizard that had been suddenly abducted had returned after defeating the infamous Jian Bird.
On top of that, thanks to the perks of leveling up, my body was fully healed. It looked as if I’d subdued my foe without a single scratch.
“You’ve been through a lot.”
The Snake Queen closed her eyes.
Then, as if her head was hurting, she gently pressed her temples.
“Gek!”
Could she be injured?
Worried, I tried to support her with my tail.
The Snake Queen politely refused my tail and spoke with a gentle expression.
“I am fine. This is not because of the battle.”
Is she anemic?
“It seems I used up quite a bit of divinity.”
The Snake Queen glanced at my belly, which had gotten plump. No, my entire physique had grown.
No matter how outstanding the Gaegaek Faith was as a religion, it didn't have that many followers.
It seemed there was still a long way to go before I could replicate the abilities Nephila had shown.
The reason I could display such power was likely due to the Snake Queen’s help.
“Gek gek.”
I bowed my head in thanks, and the Snake Queen’s eyebrow rose.
Just like Nephila Jurassica’s.
“What is that you have hanging around your neck?”
What do you think it is?
It’s the token you gave me…
“Gek…”
I glanced at the Snake Queen.
Isn’t this like putting another ring on top of an engagement ring?
“What an interesting picture. I shall have to meet her in person one day.”
As expected of the Snake Queen, whose generosity is as vast as her internal energy pouches.
She didn't seem to mind much.
“It’s better if you wear it like this.”
Saying so, the Snake Queen slyly flipped the necklace over, hiding the lizard drawing.
…Aren’t you minding it?
“You have achieved an unexpected result. The minions of Gaechalgoatal attacked all at once, yet you accomplished the feat of subduing the Jian Bird. Just like with Gogaduris, I feel as though I am always the one receiving help.”
Come on, what do you mean you’re always the one receiving help?
“Gek gek.”
We’re helping each other out.
It wasn’t a bad experience for me, either.
It’s not every day you get to fight a Dimetrodon that flies around by flapping its sail while locked in an embrace with its partner.
“…That was me speaking as the Snake Queen.”
“Gek?”
Thump.
The Snake Queen’s hand grabbed the scruff of my neck.
I had definitely gotten bigger after leveling up, yet my strength strangely drained away.
“Geeeeek…”
Why is she suddenly doing this?
A woman’s heart is a mystery.
I watched the Snake Queen’s expression.
“And now, I am not speaking as the Snake Queen, but from a different position.”
Her tone sounded somewhat angry.
I couldn't understand it at all.
Hadn’t we just repelled an attack from Gaechalgoatal?
We’d even achieved the incredible feat of hunting the Jian Bird.
I hate to brag, but shouldn’t she be happy about this?
I should let out a displeased ‘gek-gek’.
“Did you have so little faith in me?”
I was at a loss for words.
I knew what she was trying to say.
“Why do you do things you were not asked to do?”
“Gek…”
The trap this time was never aimed at the Snake Queen in the first place.
In other words, the probability of the Snake Queen being harmed by the object the Rakshasa Bird threw was extremely low.
Not knowing that, I had thrown myself in front of her, thinking I was helping, but the reality was the opposite.
“Did you truly think I would be defeated by an attack of that level?”
I didn’t ask for help, so why did you help?
Taken at face value, her words might sound deserving of a smack on the head, but that wasn’t her intention.
“If something had happened to you, have you considered how those left behind would feel?”
Those left behind.
She wasn’t just talking about herself and Swish-Swish.
She was talking about every being I had formed a bond with.
If I were to throw my life away for nothing and die…
“They would be in disbelief, they would shed tears, and then they would grow angry.”
They would feel empty, sad, and furious all at once.
“They would cry like children all day, spending their time in meaningless grief.”
They would lose their purpose and wander aimlessly.
The Snake Queen’s hand trembled.
Do I really mean that much to them?
This is just an overblown sense of self-importance.
But I couldn't just dismiss it like that.
Because if something really did happen to me, they were the type who would do exactly that.
This was what the Snake Queen was saying.
I am the center of the Gaegaek Faith.
If I disappear, those connected to me will be harmed.
She was saying that their very lives might hang on my neck.
In other words, cherish yourself more.
That must be what she meant.
The Snake Queen, who always wore a cold, emotionless face.
But it wasn't that she had no emotions.
I knew that better than anyone.
I had seen her smile faintly at a single dango.
Her words, spoken not as the Snake Queen but as someone else…
They were probably related to her past.
The incident where Gaechalgoatal killed all of Honhwi’s disciples and betrayed them.
The pent-up emotions she felt back then.
She was conveying them to me now.
The trembling in her hand stopped.
“My apologies. I threw a bit of a tantrum.”
The Snake Queen’s voice seemed to be mixed with various emotions.
“It is not something to be so angry about. You must have had your reasons.”
A slight anger toward me for jumping in thoughtlessly.
“And you have also accomplished a feat so great that I cannot thank you enough.”
Gratitude for me returning after dealing with the Jian Bird.
“But next time, please, think of those who would be left behind.”
And the regret she felt as she recalled the past.
“…That is all.”
The storm of her emotions came to an end with those words.
Drip.
Drip.
Hot water fell.
Could the Snake Queen be crying?
I immediately lifted my head to check.
“Pyaaaak…”
A cute little snake with tears welling in her eyes was staring intently at me.
It wasn't the Snake Queen’s tears, but Swish-Swish’s.
“Since you have misbehaved, you must at least calm my daughter.”
The Snake Queen spoke in a slightly playful tone.
As she said, it seemed she was done with the previous situation.
Now, all that was left for me was to soothe this cute, plump little snake.
“Piiik…”
Swish-Swish slithered down from the Snake Queen’s shoulder and clung to me.
She rubbed her face all over me.
“Piiiiik…”
It must have been a huge shock for Swish-Swish.
Being suddenly attacked was scary enough, but then I was sucked into the gourd with a pop.
She might have been thinking that I got captured because the Snake Queen couldn't use her core techniques while protecting her, which prolonged the fight.
“Pyaaaak…”
Wailing, Swish-Swish clung to my foreleg.
…Can snakes even cry?
I put that thought aside for a moment.
Calming Swish-Swish down was the priority.
…How do I do that?
“Pyaaa…”
She’s not a crying child; I’ve never had to soothe a crying snake before.
Should I cut off my tail for her?
No, in her current state, she wouldn't even be able to swallow something as big as my tail.
…Right.
I took out the inner core I had stored in the crook of my left arm.
“Hyek?”
Swish-Swish tilted her head.
With a trembling hand, I held it out to her.
“Gek gek.”
She sniffed it, no, she flicked her tongue out to taste the air.
That’s right, get a good whiff.
I’m making a huge sacrifice and giving this to you.
Considering all the elixirs I’ve received, I can spare one of the two.
…Besides, this victory was also thanks to my followers leveling up diligently.
It’s a type of investment.
Yes, that’s right.
It’s not a waste at all.
“Hyek? Hyaek?”
Swish-Swish wore an expression that said, Are you really giving this to me?
Her tail wagged furiously.
It wasn't a waste at all, but I clenched my jaw and nodded.
“Pyaaaaak!”
Swish-Swish jumped up and down.
She rubbed her face all over my chest.
Swish-Swish never seemed particularly greedy for things like inner cores or elixirs, but maybe because it was a gift from me, she was incredibly happy.
Chok!
…I was holding it pretty tightly, but seeing how quickly she snatched the inner core, maybe she wasn't entirely without greed.
After taking the inner core, Swish-Swish coiled up and cradled it.
It was a very peculiar sight.
Maybe because she’s a ball python, it looked strangely profound.
I felt an urge to shrink myself down and join her in that coil.
“…Gek!”
I had another weird thought.
Could there be a problem with the mental cultivation method I’d learned?
Otherwise, there’s no explaining these strange thoughts.
I’ll have to dissect the mental cultivation method when I have time.
It can’t be me that’s wrong, so it must be the method.
“Trying to solve things with a gift. And you, Princess, falling for such a thing. I wonder who you take after.”
The Snake Queen stared intently at me.
It seemed like things were wrapping up nicely.
Looking at the results, we defeated the Jian Bird without any major losses.
The Snake Queen gave me a warning of sorts.
That made me more cautious.
Swish-Swish stopped crying and would be able to get stronger.
No one—no, no reptile—lost out.
“To forgive for a single gift from a companion. Hmmm…”
The Snake Queen was muttering something continuously.
“To forgive for a single gift given directly by a companion.”
Well, it is the inner core of a Jian Bird.
And what Swish-Swish wants most is probably to become strong enough not to be a burden.
“To forgive for a single gift given directly by a companion who shamelessly ‘gek-geks’ after leaving another’s mark on the token I gave him.”
…Are you even breathing while you say that?
I looked toward the Snake Queen.
She seemed to have her usual expressionless face, but there was a subtle difference.
If I were to acquire a skill like Dragon Eye, I would probably see the status ‘Expectant’ on the Snake Queen.
“Ge-ek…?”
I’ve given a gift to Swish-Swish.
But I haven’t given one to the Snake Queen.
Is she protesting, asking for one herself right now?
Just in case, I held out the remaining inner core toward the Snake Queen.
She pretended to stare blankly at it, then the corners of her lips lifted slightly.
“Are you giving that to me?”
You’re the one who asked for it.
“Gek.”
“It is fine. The inner core of a Jian Bird is quite a fine item, but it holds little meaning for me now.”
…Huh?
Then what was all that breathless pressure about?
The Snake Queen’s face seemed to have brightened considerably.
…We’ve known each other for quite a while now, but I still have no idea what she’s thinking.
Is it because she’s a spirit beast, or because she’s female?
A woman’s heart is a difficult thing to understand.
“Gek gek.”
I was a little flustered, but now the problem was truly solved.
I kept my inner core, Swish-Swish was calmed, and the Snake Queen seemed satisfied.
Now we could either chase the birds that fled, or return to the temple to rest and regroup.
Seeing as we were just loitering here, it didn't seem like she intended to give chase, so we’d probably head back to the temple.
Once Argentavis fully recovers, the Snake Queen’s side, having hunted the Jian Bird, will have a significant advantage.
So, while he recovers, she can absorb the Jian Bird’s inner core to bolster her strength.
“I shall help you absorb the inner core.”
“Gek gek!”
I can trust the Snake Queen with that.
“In exchange for the inner core, I will accept a different kind of gift.”
The Snake Queen left me with those meaningful words.
WEEEE-OOOOH.
A siren wailed in my head.
My inner core!
Just take my inner core instead!
“GEEEEEEK!”