The Serpent's New Vessel
“If you would do that, I would be most grateful. However……”
“However?”
“My abilities are still so meager that I dare not accept such a grand reward, Your Highness.”
Iel’s mouth fell open as he stared at me in disbelief. I, who was normally the very picture of unfounded confidence, was suddenly acting humble.
“Ho. How admirable. Then what can I give you? Speak.”
“……I am lonely.”
“Lonely?”
The King, the headmaster, and even Iel all looked equally puzzled.
I fiddled with the brooch, carefully painting the picture I wanted. Something plausible, something that proved I was special, yet not too greedy.
“I am the only student in the Spirit Studies Department, so I am always alone. If you would allow it, I would like to keep a pet of my own.”
Would they actually permit it?
I clasped my hands together, eyes sparkling with the innocent wish of a young girl, but I had no real confidence they would agree.
“Ryle. Is it forbidden to keep animals at the Academy?”
“Of course it is.”
“Then this shall be a special exception. Permission granted solely for Jeanie Crowell.”
Hooray! It might end up being a rat, but I had to secure permission first. This was a huge win—the dormitory strictly prohibited bringing in any animals.
Ah, Rai really ought to appreciate all my hard work.
With the King’s special permission secured, the only thing left was finding a corpse. What kind of animal would be easy to carry around? A rat was small, but people might find it disgusting……
While I was lost in thought, a sudden scream erupted from where the maids were gathered.
“Kyaaah!”
“Aah!”
The knights rushed over immediately. The maids scattered in panic, and one particularly faint-hearted maid collapsed, foaming at the mouth.
“What is the meaning of this commotion?”
Upon closer inspection, a small snake was slithering out from the rose vines. Its movement across the green grass made it quite conspicuous.
“It appears a snake has appeared. I shall deal with it.”
“Royal Guard!”
One of the knights strode toward the snake. Sensing danger, the snake lunged and bit his foot, but its fangs were useless against the knight’s sturdy armor.
In the end, the snake was struck down by the knight’s scabbard for the crime of disturbing the tea party.
The execution was swift and clean.
Of course, cutting off its head with a sword would have been easier than beating it to death, but who would dare draw a blade in front of the King?
I felt a strange sensation as I looked at the snake’s limp body, which had died in the exact same posture as when it was alive.
Pity? No. This was—
“Ah! Wait a moment! Sir Knight, just a second!”
I called out desperately to the knight who was about to take the snake’s corpse away.
With some effort, I climbed down from the high chair and hurried over to him.
In an instant, every gaze in the vicinity focused on me.
“Is something the matter, my lady?”
“Could you perhaps give that snake to me?”
“……Pardon?”
The knight frowned in confusion.
Iel, who had followed me, tried to turn me back toward my seat, but I needed that snake.
Among the 124 things one must never do in front of the King, leaving one’s seat without permission was probably on the list. How ridiculously strict.
“Your Highness! The snake is so pitiful.”
Regardless of how I truly felt, I looked up at the King with tears welling in my eyes.
“It committed the sin of disturbing Your Highness’s surroundings, but what could a mere snake have known? Please allow me to take it and bury it in a sunny spot.”
Crying was easy. All I had to do was recall the moment I died missing my mom and dad. The King seemed quite moved by my tearful plea.
“What a kind heart you have, to even pity a snake.”
“Spirit Masters are beings who love all of nature.”
Even as I said it, I thought, Wow, I’m really good at spouting nonsense.
Iel gave me a strange look, as if he had seen something he shouldn’t have, but I ignored it. He knew the real me, so this version of me must have been hard to accept.
With a light wave of his hand, the King signaled for the knight to hand the snake over to me.
“Here.”
The snake looked much larger up close. It was about as thick as three fingers and had that dull, dark color common to ordinary snakes.
They say triangular heads often mean venomous snakes—this one had a distinctly menacing triangular shape.
The knight gave me a look that said “take it already,” so I shot him a pitiful expression. You don’t get it. No sense at all, no sense!
“Wrap it up for me, please.”
There was no way I was touching it with my bare hands.
I guess I really was a lady after all. The knight looked flustered for a moment before pulling out a handkerchief and wrapping the snake in it.
[Master? Master, that…… Don’t tell me.]
[Don’t tell me nothing. A spirit doesn’t get to complain.]
[Please, anything but that!]
[Kekeke.]
[I’d rather you make it a rat! Master! A rat!]
Rai wailed as if he had sensed his fate, but I had already decided on the snake. No shedding fur, and it had personality.
Looking at it more closely, it was actually kind of cute.
I suddenly wondered if my tastes were a bit unusual.
***
Even I had to admit I did things other people didn’t do very often.
A normal female student wouldn’t barge into the alchemy classroom, kick out the owner of a seat, and do something like this.
I stared intently at the cauldron bubbling over the furnace. Inside, a black liquid was boiling and frothing.
It was a concentrated mixture of copper, bronze, silver, gold, and iron that I had “borrowed” from the alchemy classroom, along with a few gemstones I had on hand.
It would have been nice if it had turned a pretty color, but even with the gemstones I added, it remained a dull, murky shade.
“Jeanie…… Is it done yet? The teacher might come.”
“Who doesn’t know that? That’s why I told you to keep watch!”
“S-sorry!”
I barked at the seat’s original owner, who had been sneaking glances at my suspicious activities, and chased him away.
The reason I was doing this bizarre thing was none other than Rai’s persistent requests.
“How about now? Can I put it in? I think this is enough.”
[Not yet. If you boil it a little longer, it will reach the optimal temperature. That timing is crucial, Master.]
“Damn it, it’s so hot I’m dying.”
According to Rai, if you melted more than ten different metals and then dropped the snake in, the snake’s body would melt and merge with the liquid metal to become its new “body.”
Something about the metal needing to remember the snake’s shape? That a metal that remembered the shape was suitable to become a “body” or whatever.
It didn’t sound scientific at all, but this world wasn’t one where such things mattered.
I thought it sounded like quackery, but I was going along with what Rai wanted for now.
[By the way, Master?]
[What?]
[Does it really have to be this snake?]
This was already the thirteenth time he had asked the same question. And my answer was always the same.
[Who’s the master here?]
[……Lady Jeanie Crowell.]
[And you?]
[Just a lowly spirit……]
[And this body?]
[The master……]
[Exactly.]
[Sob sob.]
Rai had a habit of acting cheeky, so I needed to properly discipline him.
The way he had laughed so shamelessly at the tea party was another reason—I had to reassert my authority as his master.
[Ah! Master, now’s the time!]
Squatting in front of the boiling cauldron was reaching its limit anyway.
I shook the contents of the white pouch I was holding into the cauldron. It was the snake I had obtained earlier.
Watching the snake’s corpse slowly melt into the liquid metal made me feel like I had become a witch.
[The snake seems a little pitiful too……]
[Hah! So Master actually has a heart?]
[What would happen if I threw a rat in too?]
[I’ll shut up now.]
Tsk, this dull spirit couldn’t possibly understand his master’s delicate feelings. Then again, he was made of metal. What could I expect from a brooch?
[Is it done now?]
[Here I go!]
Before I could even question what he meant, the contents of the cauldron suddenly hardened and then rapidly began to shrink as if evaporating.
My mana was being drained as well.
“Oh?”
Where had all that black liquid gone?
I peered into the now-empty cauldron. Inside, a familiar snake was coiled up.
[Master! It’s a success.]
The snake suddenly lifted its head and began shaking it vigorously, as if proudly declaring that it was alive.
[So it actually worked……]
[You didn’t believe me?]
[Well, there are plenty of things in this world that don’t make sense.]
The pitch-black snake crawled out of the cauldron with slightly clumsy movements. Then it raised its head high toward me.
Thinking it wanted to be picked up, I reached out my hand, but after lifting it for a moment I yelped and dropped it.
[You—crawl on the ground like a normal snake, for goodness’ sake.]
My wrist had nearly given out. It was much heavier than it looked.
The metal hadn’t disappeared—it had simply been compressed. After all, I had boiled an entire cauldron’s worth; of course it would be heavy.
[Shall I reduce the weight, Master?]
[You can do that too?]
[Of course. I can freely change not only the weight but also the hardness of any metal according to my will. I can even alter their properties.]
[Really? Then can you make a diamond?]
[Yes!]
[You’re surprisingly useful! Do it right now!]
[If I absorb a diamond.]
Damn it, of course there was a catch!