Chapter 79: Marriage Registration
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 79: Marriage Registration
“And in the mortal world, they call me Tusulisu.”
Tusulisu!
It sounds like a name that should have some goofy, water-themed city music playing in the background, the kind you'd dance to with a blank look on your face.
I just stared at the Snake Queen.
“…Why are you looking at me like that?”
Are these spirit beasts playing some kind of massive prank on me?
I mean, how can all their names be like this?
First Dalopho, then Angillo.
And look at Gogadurisu.
They must have all gotten together and made up these names behind my back.
And now Tusulisu? What’s next?
At this rate, some master from Mount Hua named Liza Whatchamacallit is going to show up.
…That’s not actually going to happen, right?
“Gekek.”
I glared at the Snake Queen with my sharp lizard eyes.
But the Snake Queen was the Snake Queen, after all.
She didn't flinch under my intense gaze.
Instead, she employed the cunning tactic of emphasizing her internal energy pouches.
…I’ll let it slide this time, too.
“Hmm… It’s not my place to say, but I don’t understand why you like these lumps of fat so much when you clearly don’t drink milk.”
“Kkekk!”
It’s a man’s instinct. Can’t be helped.
Baek Yeon-yeong is scary, and Tang Soyeong is… lacking.
The Snake Queen is just right.
Just as I was subtly pretending not to look while admiring the Snake Queen’s profound internal energy…
“Ppiyaak!”
Swish-Swish coiled herself tightly around my foreleg.
She was trying her best to gnaw on my foot, which was strangely cute.
What did she think she could do with those adorable little fangs? My Dragon Scales had gotten even thicker; did she really think her tiny teeth could pierce them?
She'd be in big trouble if she lost a tooth doing that.
With that thought, I tried to gently pry her off.
Crack.
Crack?
Hearing that sound, I lifted my foreleg.
There was Swish-Swish, dangling with wide, surprised eyes.
And on the ground, one of my scales.
My Dragon Scale broke?
“Gegegek?”
My Dragon Scales are currently level 10.
Even before I evolved, they were hard enough to easily block Baek Woon’s sword.
And now they were even tougher.
But they broke from those tiny little fangs?
“Hieeeek…”
Swish-Swish seemed surprised by her own achievement, her tail curling in shock.
If she had a status window, she probably would've gotten an achievement for that.
Something like, ‘Snake Who Broke a Dragon’s Scale’.
Not all my Dragon Scales have the same durability; the ones on my leg were definitely weaker than the ones protecting my neck.
Still, they shouldn't have been weak enough for Swish-Swish to break.
Did she get stronger somehow?
“Hoh… Is it because you have so few followers? The effect itself seems a step above my own faith.”
The Snake Queen slithered over to me and picked up the broken piece of scale.
That was it.
My faith.
The effect of the Gaegaek Faith, which had now become a full-blown religion.
One of its effects was to amplify the abilities of its members.
And that amplification was probably proportional to my own power.
In other words, as I evolved and grew stronger, so did Swish-Swish.
“Gekek!”
A cool and generous lizard would have congratulated her, but for some reason, I found myself glaring venomously.
I had to go through so much to get this strong!
If I'd known, I would've just believed in the Gaegaek Faith instead of training so hard.
“Hieeek…”
Swish-Swish looked up at me, her eyes full of hurt.
She smacked my leg with her tail.
And then a Destruction Ray…
Wait a minute, Swish-Swish.
That looks like it would hurt. A lot.
“Hiek!”
Thankfully, Swish-Swish didn't go as far as firing a Destruction Ray.
I should be grateful for her generosity.
“Hieeek…”
Her round little face seemed to have become slightly triangular.
…Is she sulking?
Then again, thanks to Swish-Swish, I did get to eat the Ten-Thousand-Year Golden Spirit Fruit, drink the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng Wine and the Thousand-Year Hwari, and even ate an inner core.
….
“Gek…”
Come to think of it, my evolution was all thanks to Swish-Swish.
She really is number three in the Gaegaek Cult hierarchy.
Officially, she's the fourth follower, but I'll use my power as the Divine Beast to call her number three.
“Gekek!”
As an apology, I gently stroked Swish-Swish’s tail.
“Purrrr…”
She started purring, seeming to have cheered up.
Her face went back to being round, too.
Just as I was diligently stroking Swish-Swish…
Grab.
The Snake Queen’s white hand grabbed my other arm.
“I must admit, I’m starting to covet it.”
The Snake Queen seemed to know that my faith was special.
Since she knew her daughter’s strength better than anyone, she must have figured out the extent of my faith’s effects.
“Shall we continue our conversation? What you need right now is miniaturization. Correct?”
“Gek!”
“And there is a being named Honhwi who can teach you this miniaturization technique.”
“Gek!”
“And I know where Honhwi resides.”
“Gek!”
The Snake Queen was very easy to talk to.
My first priority right now was to find Honhwi.
If I learned miniaturization, I could put it to good use in all sorts of situations.
When I meet Baek Yeon-yeong again, I could fit right in her hand and live out the rest of my days in comfort.
I could also spend some happy times with the spiders.
…I mean, time spent playing around and teasing each other.
Not the weird ideas the spiders have.
“But what to do? I’ve suddenly lost the desire to tell you for free.”
“Gek?”
Things were going so well. Why the sudden change?
“Originally, I was just going to tell you. He owes me a debt, so if I just told you his location, things would have been resolved easily.”
That must mean she’s not going to just tell me now.
The Snake Queen stared at me as if she wanted something.
I don’t have much to give her…
It seems some negotiation is in order.
What, should I go hunt something for her?
At my current level, I could probably get a mid-grade inner core without much trouble.
Slither.
The Snake Queen moved a little closer to me.
“I’ve been holding back, telling myself to be patient.”
In this form, I was bigger than her, but the pressure she exuded was stronger.
“But I can’t hold back any longer.”
The Snake Queen’s words sent a chill down my spine.
I may have gotten bigger, but I was still a little scared of the Snake Queen.
Was it a similar feeling to how I was a little scared of Baek Yeon-yeong, even though I knew she was harmless to me?
I grabbed Swish-Swish’s tail and trembled.
Swish-Swish.
Do something.
“Hiyaaaak…”
Swish-Swish was still purring, thinking I was stroking her tail.
Snap out of it!
“Gekek!”
“The Ten-Thousand-Year Golden Spirit Fruit, the Thousand-Year Hwari, and the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng Wine. Even for me, giving those away was not an easy decision.”
That’s probably true.
The elixirs I consumed were more than I deserved.
I’m very grateful for them.
My evolution into a Gomodo-Lania was also thanks to those elixirs.
“I must receive fair compensation for them.”
I already paid!
I caught the Cockatrice for you!
“Gekek…”
I cautiously observed her.
The Snake Queen must be joking.
She’ll probably give me a few chores and then laugh it off.
Yeah, that’s gotta be it.
Thinking that made me feel much more at ease.
I shouldn't fall for her way of speaking.
I've been around the Snake Queen long enough to have a pretty good idea of what she's thinking.
Don’t be fooled.
What she really means is that she has a job for me.
That’s what I thought.
Until the Snake Queen licked the corner of her mouth with her long tongue.
Slurp.
A long tongue, one that couldn’t possibly belong to a human and was perhaps even a little frightening, licked her lips.
Then she stared intently at me.
“I… must eat you.”
…Please make it painless.
*
“Gegegegegek!”
Tonight’s late-night snack was steamed Gomodo-Lania tail.
Actually, it wasn’t even steamed.
My precious tail, dripping with blood, lay docilely before the Snake Queen and the Snake Princess.
I had a strange, hard-to-describe feeling, as if I were selling my body to the mother-daughter duo.
I mean, I was selling my body…
But this was in a different sense.
The idea of them eating my tail was bizarre, but what could I do?
It regenerates anyway, so I might as well put it to use like this.
My tail had apparently become something close to an elixir.
Having been raised on nothing but elixirs, perhaps this was a natural outcome.
Swish-Swish took a big bite and eagerly stuffed my tail into her mouth.
She eats so cutely.
“Indeed… a taste unrivaled under the heavens.”
The Snake Queen gave an exaggerated compliment.
Should I be happy about that?
Is telling an ingredient that it’s delicious really a compliment?
I pondered this philosophical question for a moment.
“It’s quite muscular, but not overly tough. In fact, the cold and fire energies are in perfect harmony, creating a mysterious flavor that can’t be found in ordinary meat.”
…You don’t have to give me such a detailed description.
“Ppiyak!”
Swish-Swish also seemed satisfied, patting her belly with her tail.
Right.
As long as they both enjoyed it, that’s all that matters.
When I think about it, it’s not such a bad thing.
First of all, there’s practically no penalty for having my tail detached.
If it were during a battle, losing my tail even for a moment would be a huge liability.
But this wasn’t a battle. Even if we were attacked, any enemy would surely flee the moment they made eye contact with the Snake Queen.
All I had to do was laze around and wait for my tail to grow back.
There’s no loss for me, and there are even benefits.
First, by eating my tail, Swish-Swish can become stronger.
And second, the Snake Queen herself is eating my tail.
If the already powerful Snake Queen becomes even stronger, then I’ll have nothing to fear.
The Snake Queen and I had something like an alliance, after all.
…Of course, if you look closely, my position is more like a subcontractor.
“Kkekk…”
I looked at the Snake Queen, who had finished eating my tail.
So?
Do you feel any different?
“Unfortunately, aside from it being delicious, I can’t really tell.”
Huh?
That can’t be right.
I saw Swish-Swish get stronger.
“It seems that only those who share your faith can grow stronger by eating your tail.”
Is that how it works?
Right, just because I ate elixirs doesn’t mean my tail becomes an elixir itself.
It’s probably only perceived as something like a holy relic by those who worship me.
“…If I could follow my heart, I’d throw everything away and convert to your side.”
The Snake Queen was a being who had her own faith.
So it might be natural that her power didn’t increase from eating my tail.
Then did she eat my tail for no reason?
Could the Snake Queen really have not known that?
No, I don’t think so.
Look at her.
The corners of the Snake Queen’s mouth are turned up slightly, aren’t they?
“But since I cannot do that… yes, this must be the next best thing.”
[The 【Snake Queen's Faith】 is influenced by the 【Gaegaek Faith】.]
What?
[【Gomodo-Lania】 has become the companion of the 【Snake Queen's Faith】.]
Wait.
Can she just do something like that on her own?
Doesn’t she need my consent, at least?
…No, wait.
The Gaegaek Faith isn’t what changed.
Only the Snake Queen’s Faith changed.
If there were any related scriptures, it would be like adding a new line to her doctrine.
That this lizard is the Snake Queen’s companion.
Of course, it probably doesn’t mean a real companion.
If I had to put it in words, maybe something like a husband on paper?
But why on earth would she do that?
Since it doesn’t affect the Gaegaek Faith, I guess I can’t really complain.
But a lizard has feelings, you know.
Isn’t this basically like selling my name?
I have to protest this properly.
“Gekek…”
[You will now share a portion of the experience points gained by the followers of the 【Snake Queen's Faith】.]
[You will now share a portion of the divinity sent by the followers of the 【Snake Queen's Faith】.]
Mother-in-law. No, my wife. I failed to recognize your grand design.
“Ppiyaaaaaaaaaaak!”