Chapter 66: Mother-in-law, You Can't Do This
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 66: Mother-in-law, You Can't Do This
No way, is a divine artifact supposed to break this easily?
“…I can’t believe it.”
I can’t believe it either.
It wasn’t my intention.
I don’t want to become a statue.
I made the most pitiful lizard face I could.
The Snake Queen’s vertical pupils stared down at me.
Her expression was as dry and emotionless as Baek Yeon-yeong’s.
It was a look that made it impossible to guess what she was thinking.
Gulp.
I swallowed hard.
Is she going to get angry?
She will, right?
I mean, I broke her divine artifact.
“Come closer.”
Right.
It’s better to get the beating over with.
Even though I broke the artifact, she probably wouldn’t turn me into a statue.
Since it was already broken, she’d probably just tell me to pay for it somehow.
She might even say something like, “Pay for it with your body!”
Of course, she’d probably mean she’d peel off every single one of my scales.
“Gekek…”
I let out a cautious ‘gek’ and crept forward slowly.
I felt a little resentful of Swish-Swish, who was still fast asleep.
The Snake Queen gently grabbed my snout and pried it open.
“Geeeeeeek?”
Hey, this is something Baek Yeon-yeong would do!
I thought they just looked alike, but they act similarly too.
The Snake Queen slowly examined the inside of my mouth.
It seemed like she was checking its structure, like the uvula and salivary glands.
“You’ve brought something quite precious.”
Thump.
The hand holding my snout was released.
“Legged snake, are you perhaps hungry?”
What was with the random question?
Judging by the atmosphere, I thought she was going to rip my snout right off.
…I did eat some meat, but I am a little peckish.
“Geegek.”
I let out a weak, affirmative ‘gek’.
“I thought so. I will be back shortly, so wait here for a moment.”
With those words, the Snake Queen slithered toward the entrance passage.
Why did the story of a death row inmate’s last meal come to mind?
That custom of letting them eat their fill of whatever they want before they die.
The moment I fill my stomach with meat, will I be next?
This is my chance.
I’ll sneak away while the Snake Queen is gone.
“Do not run away. Stay here.”
“Gek.”
Yes, ma’am.
…There was no way I could escape.
Even if I did, if I couldn’t get out of the jungle, I’d be caught immediately.
As I waited, nervously chewing on my claws, a tremendous roar began to sound from outside.
Kukwaaaaaang!
Hmm, what’s that sound?
It sounds like the heavens and earth are splitting apart.
I shivered, hearing a noise that seemed very much related to the Snake Queen having gone outside.
Is she that angry?
Right. I should at least try to piece the mirror back together.
While I was trying my best to assemble the broken mirror, the Snake Queen came back into the temple.
She was dragging a huge, unidentifiable chunk of meat behind her.
“Filling your hungry stomach should be the priority.”
I drooled at the sight of the meat, which looked delicious at a glance.
“Gekek…”
Is that for me?
I glanced cautiously at her, holding the piece of broken glass in my hand.
“It was an old piece of junk anyway. As long as I was able to see my daughter’s face, that’s all that matters. Do not worry.”
“Gegegek!”
The Snake Queen is the best!
How should I put it? Should I say I felt a warm affection from her?
She was definitely a reptile, but I felt the warmth of a mammal.
I could also feel the warmth from the perfectly cooked meat.
“Yes. Hurry up and eat.”
Waaang.
Chomp.
It was more delicious than any meat I had ever eaten.
Given the situation, I thought I wouldn’t be able to taste it much, but the meat was so overwhelmingly delicious it defied all that.
The exquisite texture of this meat, which seemed to have been grilled by the Queen’s destruction ray, was exactly to my liking.
“So, is it delicious?”
I nodded my head furiously.
With this much flavor and quantity, I might even be able to level up if I ate it all.
Tsk, it’s a waste to eat this alone.
I was just about to wake Swish-Swish up to eat with her.
“Do not wake her.”
“Gek.”
Got to listen to Mother.
“She has suddenly gained a great deal of power, so it is natural for her to be sleepy. It is as if she has consumed a type of elixir.”
Is that so?
Well, she did eat something on the level of Gomodo Oxtail Soup, so that could be it.
She was probably full, too, so it was better to let her keep sleeping.
She didn’t even wake up from that tremendous roar, so she must have really needed the sleep.
So I went back to devouring the meat in front of me.
The Snake Queen stared intently at me.
“She may be my daughter, but she is a child without any sharp edges.”
The praise for Swish-Swish began abruptly.
“Look at her sleeping form. Is she not truly adorable?”
I agree.
For a snake, she has a puppy-like face, and her body is plump.
I’m definitely not praising her because of the form I saw in the Mirror of Possibilities.
“It is still early, but when she comes of age, she will make a fine partner.”
Right. A fine partner.
…Mother-in-law?
I think there’s been some kind of misunderstanding.
“What is that look on your face? Are you saying you do not find my daughter to your liking?”
The Snake Queen’s eyes narrowed.
“Gegegek!”
I let out a ‘gek’ of vehement denial and shook my head.
That’s not what I meant.
The Snake Queen’s expression turned grim.
“Don’t tell me my daughter was not your first woman?”
No.
It’s not that I have another woman.
“Or perhaps you are thinking of another woman?”
[First Follower, 【Attercopus LV9】 listens intently.]
[Second Follower, 【Anthracomartus LV8】 watches with anticipation.]
[??, 【Nephila Jurassica LV30】 scoffs.]
What are you guys doing?
Go away, shoo.
“Gegegegek!”
Right. It’s probably better to say I’m thinking of another woman.
It’s not like I’m in love with someone, just thinking about them.
Well, contemplating the Nine Yin White Bone Claw that my master, Baek Yeon-yeong, taught me also counts as thinking about another woman.
At this rate, can’t we just remain on good terms?
I gave her my tail, and I’m willing to grant the Snake Queen’s request.
We’ll stay on friendly terms.
“…How dare you play with my daughter’s heart?”
What?
No, how did you reach that conclusion?
We may have slept together and I even gave her my tail, but we’re not in any kind of relationship yet!
“You took my daughter, yet you harbor another woman in your heart?”
“Gegegegegegekgek!”
I let out a ‘gek’ of fervent denial.
“Just who, who is this woman…”
The Snake Queen’s voice trailed off.
Fearing a destruction ray might fly my way, I cautiously lifted my head to look at her face.
What is happening?
The Snake Queen’s face had turned slightly red.
“Could it be…”
She coiled her tail slightly, avoiding my gaze as if embarrassed.
[The Snake Queen falls into deep contemplation.]
“Are you saying… that woman is me…?”
This is driving me crazy.
*
The jungle was home to a wide variety of creatures.
From the small dinosaurs that could be seen anywhere in the 100,000 Great Mountains to the colossal sauropods whose size alone was overwhelming.
A few spirit beasts also lived naturally within the jungle. It was a place where beasts like basilisks and human-faced birds could roam without drawing notice, so uninvited guests could also hide within its depths.
“I’m telling you, the spirit beasts really existed!”
Jang Bong was speaking passionately.
He had not lost his life in the Dilophosaurus attack.
He had survived because he had fled faster than anyone after shouting at the Bloody Lion.
But even if he survived that, with his level of skill, it would have been normal for him to die before long. Especially in this jungle, which was teeming with creatures stronger than those in the swamp.
Nevertheless, the reason he was still alive was that he had coincidentally met someone else.
It was Baek Woon, a swordsman who was once a promising talent of the Mount Zhongnan Sect.
“A Ten-Thousand-Year Hwari, a Golden Frog, and a Golden Turtle. If it’s true, it’s certainly tempting… but I’d have to be able to believe your words.”
“It’s true! I saw them with my own two eyes.”
“They were probably just similar-looking beasts. However, it is a clear fact that spirit beasts exist in these 100,000 Great Mountains. It might not be a bad idea to visit the swamp when I have time.”
“I’m telling you, it was really a Ten-Thousand-Year Hwari. …Ah, and as I said before, there’s also a dragon there, so you must be fully prepared.”
A dragon, he says.
Baek Woon gave a self-deprecating smile.
“Even if it is a dragon, didn’t you say it was smaller than these birds?”
“W-well, yes. It was about the size of a wolf…”
At Baek Woon’s feet lay the decapitated corpse of a Terror Bird.
To Baek Woon, who had surpassed the First-Rate realm and was approaching the Peak Realm, a Terror Bird was not a particularly strong opponent.
It wasn’t just the Terror Bird.
Beasts like the Deinonychus, which he had initially mistaken for dragons, were also no match for Baek Woon.
He had been flustered by the appearance of beasts he had never seen before, but he had been hopeful about obtaining their inner cores. However, no matter how many Terror Birds and Deinonychus he killed, no inner cores appeared.
What he needed most urgently was the inner core of a spirit beast.
How wonderful it would be if, as Jang Bong said, spirit beasts were gathered in that place called the swamp.
Jang Bong’s words had swayed Baek Woon’s heart, but that was all.
The story was just too fictitious.
There was no way such spirit beasts would be gathered in one place.
Especially if a being called a dragon was there.
“Since coming here, I have cut down several creatures that look similar to dragons. They are not dragons. They are merely giant lizards. I don’t know about the others, but there’s no possibility that thing is a dragon.”
“No. I definitely felt an unusual internal energy from it.”
“Internal energy? What nonsense.”
Baek Woon scoffed.
How could Jang Bong, a mere Third-Rate martial artist, possibly detect a spirit beast’s internal energy?
Spirit beasts, as a rule, conceal their internal energy. There was only one way for an ordinary person, a mere Third-Rate, to feel their energy.
If the beast possessed such immense internal energy that it leaked out despite being concealed.
But that was impossible.
If that were the case, how could Jang Bong have possibly survived?
“Well, I’ll think about it after we escape this place.”
“That is the problem, isn’t it? There are poisonous insects all around, and the tall plants make it hard to see ahead…”
Being trapped in the jungle was a problem, but Jang Bong was relieved.
He knew that Baek Woon, having received the teachings of the Mount Zhongnan Sect, would never abandon him.
Unlike himself, Baek Woon’s martial prowess was at a level that could be called First-Rate, so if he stuck close to him, he wouldn’t be killed by the giant lizards.
Jang Bong began to butcher the carcass of the Terror Bird that Baek Woon had defeated.
They hadn’t agreed on anything, but since Baek Woon had defeated the enemy, he felt it was his duty to at least prepare the food.
Just as he was cutting the Terror Bird’s meat and about to start a campfire…
“Cock-a-doodle-dooooo!”
A strange cry suddenly rang out.
“…Isn’t that the cry of a bird?”
“To be precise, it’s closer to a chicken.”
Could it be a companion of the monstrous bird he was cutting up?
Jang Bong had that thought, but he knew it was a pointless worry.
As long as Baek Woon was here, monstrous birds were no problem at all.
“Jang Bong. Suppress your presence and follow me.”
It was sudden informal speech, but Jang Bong didn’t take issue with it.
More than that, he couldn’t understand the request.
“W-what? Why all of a sudden? The preparations are almost finished.”
“That cry. It must be a creature close to a spirit beast.”
“It certainly sounds different from these monstrous birds, but…”
“If you don’t want to, stay here. I’m going ahead.”
Baek Woon moved swiftly toward the source of the sound.
“Th-this… damn it…”
Jang Bong was reluctant, but he had no choice but to follow.
To be left alone in this jungle meant death.
“S-Sir Baek Woon! Wait for me!”