Chapter 35: On a Single Log Bridge
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 35: On a Single Log Bridge
Is talking to lizards some kind of culture?
First Baek Yeon-yeong, and now this person.
I can let Baek Yeon-yeong slide. She's overwhelmingly stronger than me, so I can see it as a form of amusement for her.
But what's with this woman?
If I were a wicked Komodo Dragon instead of a kind-hearted Crocodile Monitor, I would've gobbled her up already.
My wild instincts are telling me that getting involved with her will be a huge pain.
I've treated her, and she seems full of energy now, so I've done my part.
Time to go my own way.
I shouldn't get involved.
“W-wait a minute.”
She suddenly grabbed my tail.
She has 'I'm timid' written all over her face, yet her actions are surprisingly bold.
It's a bit dangerous, since I'm holding a sword with my tail.
“Grrrr...”
I growled low as a warning.
“H-Hic! Th-that is...”
The dumpling-haired girl immediately started fumbling.
How anticlimactic.
Right. It was nice meeting you, and now, goodbye.
“P-please take me with you!”
...
I looked left and right, but there was no one else around.
Does that mean she was talking to me?
There are two major problems here.
First, I'm a lizard.
She's talking to a lizard.
And she seems convinced that I can understand her.
Of course, she's right, but a normal lizard wouldn't.
One weirdo who talks to lizards—my master—is more than enough.
The second problem is that in her imagination, I'm a terribly vicious, man-eating lizard.
Just a moment ago, she was trembling, begging me not to eat her, and she's still shivering now.
And she wants me to take her with me?
Denied. Absolutely denied.
She must be up to something.
She might tie me up while I'm sleeping and turn me into a grilled lizard skewer.
“Grrrrr...”
I rumbled low, a clear rejection.
The brown-haired woman reached into her robes.
She was trying to take something out.
She must have a lot of things in there, as she fumbled around for a while.
I was worried it might be a hidden weapon, but seeing her fluster like that, there's no way.
Keep trying.
I'm leaving.
“I-it's not much of a trade, but... take this!”
She confidently held out a brown object.
It looked like it was sprinkled with a fine white powder.
No, it wasn't sprinkled on.
It was just the sugar from inside that had crystallized on the surface during the drying process.
“This was so hard to get—Kyaaaaah!”
Shweek!
I snatched the dried persimmon from her hand with my tongue.
Munch, munch.
A festival of sweetness exploded in my mouth.
I felt my head spin.
The unique sweetness of dried fruit filled my tongue.
Humans really are great.
They can make and eat things like this.
For someone like me, the best I can do for a gourmet meal is eating raw, sliced meat.
“Grrr-rumble.”
Got any more?
“H-hehe... So it was true that the stronger the spirit beast, the more they like dried persimmons... H-here, you see? I'll give you all of them, so...”
Shweek!
I snatched the additional dried persimmons she took out.
Carrying dried persimmons in her robes... I don't know which family she's from, but she was certainly raised well.
Sweet food is always the right choice. Other than those unidentifiable dango I ate in the Silver Dragon Cave, I don't remember eating anything sweet.
The portion was small, but I loved the calories and the taste.
I licked the bits of persimmon stuck to the corner of my mouth.
The woman who had donated the persimmons to me was looking at me with expectant eyes.
“Y-you liked it, right? Now please take me with you!”
Huh?
Did she say something like that?
“W-wait! Why are you just leaving!”
Lizards can't understand human words.
I just saw a dried persimmon in front of me and ate it.
It's the fault of the person who couldn't look after their things.
Yep, that's right.
“Hey, you shameless lizard!”
Shameless?
What about the tree root I gave you?
I just received fair payment.
“I won't stay for long! J-just until my leg heals...”
I paused for a moment.
Turning my head to look at her slowly, I saw that the swelling hadn't gone down yet. That fo-ti root wasn't a panacea, so I guess that was to be expected.
Hmm.
But it doesn't look like she's completely immobile.
If I scared her a little, she'd probably scurry away in a flash.
“A-and, also...”
Color returned to her face.
Did she take my brief pause as a sign of agreement? I could see her straining to find a way to keep me here.
Sorry, but I have no intention of taking you with me.
“I-I'm Tang Soyeong, from Sichuan!”
Right. An introduction, sure.
I'm the Crocodile Monitor, ruler of the Silver Dragon Cave, master of the swamp, and beloved by the spider.
...Wait, Tang what-her-name from Sichuan?
The Sichuan Tang Clan?
I flicked my tongue, slowly observing this Tang what-her-name.
The Tang Clan is one of the Five Great Families, a renowned clan.
If it were just any of the Five Great Families, my reaction would have been 'So what?'
But this is the Tang Clan.
The equation 'Tang Clan = Poison' is an absolute fact.
And poison happens to be one of the subjects I'm interested in.
“Gekgek.”
Hey, Tang what-her-name.
How about we have a deep and meaningful conversation?
“Grrr...”
I gently flicked my tail, tapping my own back.
“A-are you telling me to get on?”
Even with the invitation, Tang what-her-name hesitated.
After taking the sword in my mouth, I wrapped my tail around her waist.
“Kyaa!”
She's lighter than I thought.
“P-please take c-care of meeee!”
...You need to eat more.
*
When I returned to my nest, Tus and Pus came crawling toward me, rubbing their sleepy eyes.
You two.
You could have just stayed asleep.
“Kieeng...”
Is this the satisfaction of raising children?
Go back to sleep now.
You have to sleep well to grow up big and strong.
Tus, who had been stealthily crawling toward my tail, suddenly leaped into the air.
“Kieeek!”
A startled Tus.
Right, I'd forgotten about the person clinging to my back.
“H-hueek...”
Everyone, say hello.
This is Teacher Tang, who will be staying with us from today—no.
Who will be teaching us about poison.
“Gekgek.”
“Kioong...”
For some reason, Tus backed away.
Tang Soyeong, having come to her senses, climbed off my back.
“As expected of Hero Gomodo...! To think you're raising poisonous insects in your nest.”
I'm not a Komodo, and I'm not a hero.
She can't be talking to me.
But Tus, why are you trembling so much?
“Kieeng...”
Is it because this is the first time you've seen a human?
I figured it was just because he's always been a scaredy-cat.
“Kiek?”
Tus retreated, and Pus came forward.
After wiggling its legs a bit, it suddenly took a guarded stance.
“Kiaaaaak!”
“Kyaa! W-why are you doing this...?”
As if emboldened by Pus's reaction, Tus's cry could be heard from the corner.
“Kieeek!”
Well, it's their first time meeting, so I guess this is understandable.
Don't worry.
She seems a little weird in the head, but she's a good person.
“Gegegegek.”
But Tus and Pus didn't calm down, even at my words.
They should know she's safe since I brought her here, so why are they reacting like this?
“H-huh? Wait a minute. These spiders...”
Huh? What's with your reaction?
“Hic! No, it's a misunderstanding. A misunderstanding!”
Wait, have you two met before?
“Kieeeeeek!”
Tang Soyeong waved her hands frantically, talking nonsense.
“It wasn't me! I didn't do it! I was just...”
Tus and Pus charged at her.
“I was the manager of a different section! It wasn't me!”
Despite her explanation, Tus and Pus didn't lower their guard.
The spiders' gazes were fixed on me.
Were they waiting for my command?
Tang Soyeong also glanced at me nervously.
“Grrrk.”
If you have issues to sort out, go ahead and sort them out.
“E-eek! Fine! Hit me until you're not angry anymore!”
Wow.
Shameless.
As a member of the Tang Clan, she's probably immune to spider venom. And how much would it hurt to be physically attacked by those tiny spiders? They're not even 10cm big, at most.
“But in return, we're dropping this matter for good!”
“Kieek!”
Tsk.
But why is this woman talking to spiders so naturally?
Then again, I've had a few conversations with the neighbor's dog, Poppy. I guess it's something similar.
Thwack!
Pus's body slam landed squarely.
“...Ow! That hurts! Why does it hurt?”
Jeez.
Not only is she shameless, she's a crybaby too.
Tus also got excited and started pummeling Tang Soyeong with its short legs.
“Aargh! Wh-what! Why have you changed so much! You're not even Human-faced Spiders yet!”
Thwump!
Pus followed up with a second body slam.
“H-how in the world are you using internal energy!”
Thud!
“Hic! What in the world have you two been eating?!”
Hmm.
I suppose I have been feeding them exceedingly well.
“I-I take it back! S-stop hitting meeeee!”
*
“Sob, sob...”
Tang Soyeong was sobbing in a corner.
...Don't you think you went a little too far?
“Kieng!”
Tus and Pus were still grinding their fangs, as if their anger hadn't subsided.
What on earth happened between them?
Still, let's put it behind us today and try to get along from now on.
Her leg should be healed in about a week.
Just bear with it until then, Tus, Pus.
“Gekgek.”
The spiders must have exhausted themselves from beating up Tang Soyeong so enthusiastically, as they quickly fell asleep.
They were a little scary earlier, but now they were cute, breathing softly in their sleep.
Angels when they sleep, absolute angels.
After covering the spiders with a spiderweb blanket, I headed to my own sleeping spot.
I curled my body into a ball to maintain my body heat.
The weather is getting colder.
“...Excuse me.”
Tang Soyeong spoke cautiously.
“Th-the spiders are all asleep, right?”
Prrrr.
Reassured by the sound of snoring, Tang Soyeong quickly moved over to my side.
I thought you said your leg was hurt.
“Hehe...”
After a quick glance to gauge my mood, Tang Soyeong sat down nearby.
“H-Hero Gomodo.”
I'm a Crocodile Monitor, not a Komodo, but I didn't bother to correct her. Not that I could, anyway.
“I-I know you have trouble regulating your body temperature.”
A chronic problem for reptiles.
“Perhaps...”
Tang Soyeong trailed off. Her cheeks turned pink, as if she were thinking something embarrassing.
Or maybe not. Is that from being hit by the spiders?
“May I help you raise your body temperature?”
Tang Soyeong subtly scooted closer to me.
What could she mean by that?
It's suspiciously suspicious.
“Hero Go, you just have to stay still. If I can get some of the Gomodo's venom, I can make up for... Ah, no. It's nothing.”
Does she need my venom?
I guess I could give her some.
But what on earth does she plan to use it for?
And why does she keep clinging to me?
“B-because your body needs to be warm for the venom to come out well...” Tang Soyeong mumbled, her voice trailing off.
“And I'm a little cold, too...”
In a single motion, Tang Soyeong threw herself forward and pressed her cheek against...
“Heehee... I'll just stay like this for a moment.”
...Pus's spiderweb, who was glaring at Tang Soyeong with venomous eyes.
“Kiaaaaaaaaak!”
“Kyaaaaaaak!”
Pus, looking furious, pulled Tang Soyeong's hair.
Jeez.
They're fighting again.
And again.
...Go, Pus.