A Snake’s Life Ch 40

Chapter 40

 

A dark night. Even when Zerpell had fallen asleep, there were still those who couldn’t.

The empress paced anxiously around the room, waiting for someone who had yet to arrive.

“Why are they so late??”

“I-I’m sorry. I don’t know either.”

At the empress’s cold words, only the maid suffered.

“Are you sure everything went according to plan?”

“Of course!”

The maid jumped at the empress’s suspicious glare.

“Then why is there no word!”

The empress was frustrated. She had contacted her family and enlisted a mage to cast a spell over all of Zerpell’s palace. A sleep spell would activate as soon as Zerpell arrived at the palace. She had even hired the most renowned assassin guild—despite their policy of not taking royal contracts—by offering an extravagant sum. If only Zerpell and Shuiren were eliminated, nothing would stand in her way. So she spared no expense. It was supposed to be simple.

Her mistake was not properly investigating them. She assumed they would surely die at this level—but that was arrogance. They didn’t die.

Ian, who appeared to be merely an aide, actually possessed magical aptitude. Due to Zerpell’s vigilance, not even a moment’s carelessness was allowed, and he had inscribed simple spells into their knight uniforms. The same was true for their rooms. The empress, unaware of this, was convinced that her plan could not have failed.

“…How is the palace?”

“I checked in a hurry, but it was quiet.”

The empress’s palace was quite far from Zerpell’s. Even accounting for the distance, it made no sense that there was still no news. The maid, careful not to provoke the empress, spoke in a flat tone.

“Sir Cedric was standing guard.”

“And the spell?”

It wasn’t a spell that could be broken easily. The maid’s words essentially meant the spell hadn’t worked. She shook her head.

“The guards were strict, so I couldn’t get close, but there was no sign of injury either.”

“…So much for the best in the field.”

The empress eventually sank to the floor. The spell hadn’t worked, and it seemed the assassins had been defeated instead.

“Your Majesty!”

“…He really does have nine lives…”

There was no evidence to prove she was behind the assassination, but she found it unbearable that Zerpell had slipped through yet again. It was a complete and utter failure with nothing to show for it. Gripping her aching head in frustration, the empress waited until morning, clinging to hope—but no word of success arrived. Instead, an unwanted letter came.

It was a warning from the pope, urgently informing her that Zerpell seemed to have found out about the snake incident. Upon reading it, the empress could only let out a crazed, hollow laugh.

“Do you really think I’ll back down now?”

Aiden had recovered his health anyway, so being caught would be troublesome, but as long as there was no evidence, she would be fine. The empress bit her nail and muttered threats under her breath.

Cedric walked down a long, dark corridor, bristling with tension. Just thinking about what had happened that night sent a chill down his spine. It made him reflect. He had grown complacent in peace. He should have prepared for danger in advance, if only to lessen the prince’s burdens. The thought that innocent knights may have died due to his negligence left his chest heavy. Cedric patrolled the palace all night, tightening security. This incident had to pass quietly. He strictly enforced secrecy and reinforced the guards.

‘To think I made His Highness wear that expression again… This is my fault…’

Cedric closed his eyes, recalling the first time he met Zerpell.

He had been pushed into the war by his family. As the second son, he wouldn’t inherit the title. Instead, he wanted to become a knight and protect the people of their domain. Perhaps they thought he was aiming for a title, as they sent him off to war. Swallowing his sense of betrayal, he participated in the war as a knight.

That’s when he saw the boy. A child too young to leave his mother’s side, yet standing tall as a soldier. Golden eyes and black hair—he immediately knew who he was. Rumors had spread that the crown prince would be participating. Though those golden eyes trembled slightly with tears, his head remained high, and he met everyone’s gaze head-on.

‘So the rumors were true.’

At the time, Cedric thought little of it. Though he was a noble himself, he came from a remote province with no ties to the royal family. He figured the boy was pitiful, but he had to prioritize his own survival. As the grueling days of battle went on, the child was forgotten.

Until something made Cedric take notice of Zerpell again.

“Still alive today, I see…”

Cedric muttered as he wiped the blood from his sword.

“To think the commander fled first… At this rate, we’re all going to die…”

The war had dragged on for three years, with victories and defeats repeating endlessly. There was no sign of it ending. Incompetent commanders, officers who failed to relay strategies, and supplies that never arrived.

Today they had been ambushed. The number of soldiers killed was uncountable. The commander, who had been in the rear, was the first to be attacked in the ambush. In a panic, he gave an unbelievable order.

“You, you all buy me time to escape! Anyone who retreats will not be forgiven!!!”

The commander fled the battlefield on horseback with a few knights, leaving only the soldiers to die. When the survivors returned, he yelled at them for losing the battle.

Cedric could only let out a deep sigh.

“What is this war even for…”

Then he heard something strange. It was the dead of night, so the sound carried clearly—thudding noises, the sound of someone being beaten. Sword in hand, he rushed toward the noise. There, he found a fight. More precisely, it was a beating disguised as training. One against many. But the lone figure wasn’t losing.

“Step on him!”

“Ugh…”

The shouting voice was unfamiliar. The battle had just ended, and most soldiers were resting, so anyone still fighting must’ve come from elsewhere. Cedric hadn’t seen them before. It seemed they were reinforcements due to the losses.

The one standing alone was not being overwhelmed. Like a beast hunting in the dark, he struck at vital points and took down his opponents with single blows. With that level of skill, there was no way Cedric wouldn’t have heard of him. His movements were efficient, precise—no wasted energy.

The outcome was swift.

“I struck with the back of the sword. It’ll leave bruises, but that’s it. Idiots like you, rotting with inferiority complexes, are the reason this war will never end.”

“Don’t be ridiculous! This war won’t end because of you! Everyone knows the officers want you dead! Just hurry up and die!”

“…Is that so.”

“If it weren’t for you on that mission… My brother treated you well… You’re practically the reason he died!”

“Hey. Let’s just go… No matter how much you lash out… Your brother won’t come back… It’s annoying how skilled he is though…”

They charged in boldly, but they were no match for the one standing alone. Staggering to their feet, they left while patting the back of the man who had burst into tears. Cedric felt as though he had heard something he shouldn’t have. He felt a tightness in his chest just as he tried to move away.

“Who’s there?”

The person standing stiffly asked Cedric. Cedric turned his head. He had thought he had suppressed all signs of his presence, but he had been noticed. Having no choice, Cedric approached him.

At that moment, the moon, which had been hidden by clouds, peeked out slightly. In the moonlight, he saw that the figure was not a man, but a young man with a boyish face. He was clearly smaller than Cedric, but perhaps because of his imposing presence, he looked almost the same height. His hair was as black as the night and barely distinguishable from the darkness, his skin was pale enough to be cold, and his eyes were golden. A certain child flashed through Cedric’s mind.

‘That time…’

Their assignments had been different, so Cedric hadn’t seen the boy since. The once-moist golden eyes were now deeply sunken and cold, glaring sharply at Cedric. His gaze shifted to Cedric’s hand, which was holding his sword.

“You too?”

The young man, apparently no stranger to provocation, casually took a stance. Cedric, showing no intention of fighting, removed his hand from the sword and walked toward him.

“No. I just came because I heard the sounds of fighting.”

The young man stared at Cedric in silence, then brushed past him. It was only later that Cedric vaguely understood. He didn’t know exactly what had happened over those three years, but he began to understand why he had changed so much. The officers and commanders had blatantly treated Zerpell harshly. His unit was always given the most grueling tasks. They truly wished for Zerpell’s death. Those who didn’t know better would approach him upon hearing he was the crown prince, but upon learning he was a fallen prince, they would turn pale and leave. There were also many who betrayed him after staying by his side. He became increasingly isolated—or perhaps he built walls around himself.

But he survived every mission and achieved results beyond expectations. For some reason, Cedric kept watching him. Cedric approached Zerpell, who was tending to his sword.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

At that title, Zerpell’s eyes immediately sharpened, and he glanced at Cedric before saying,

“That title has long been discarded. Do you need something from me?”

“If you’re without a companion, come with me.”

This time, the mission involved an ambush. For the mission, everyone moved in separate groups, but no one wanted to be assigned with Zerpell. Cedric had chosen to go with Zerpell. Zerpell ignored Cedric and said nothing but didn’t stop him from following.

Silence was essential for an ambush. While they were each lying in wait, a stone suddenly flew toward the spot where Zerpell and Cedric were positioned, as if targeted. They both immediately turned toward the direction it came from, but no one was there. They quickly took cover, but the enemy was extremely sensitive to even the smallest sound.

“Who’s there?!”

In the end, they were discovered and had to flee. Cedric felt himself running out of breath. Surrounded and fighting, Cedric was seriously injured.

“Run… I’m fine.”

But Zerpell never ran. No matter how loudly Cedric shouted, he didn’t retreat and continued to fight. Zerpell said to Cedric,

“Get up. If you’re going to die, do it where I can’t see you. If someone dies in front of me, I can’t sleep—it ruins my rest.”

“…”

“And… choose your own place to die. Don’t think about using me.”

It felt as if his innermost self had been exposed. Betrayed by his older brother, by his family, the war had been grueling. There was no end in sight, and the incompetent commanders caused endless suffering. But he didn’t want a meaningless death. Despite everything, he still wanted to die honorably, as a knight. So it was embarrassing to be caught choosing to die at Zerpell’s side.

That was when he made up his mind. If he was already prepared to die, he would stay by Zerpell’s side until the end.

Cedric passed on all the knowledge he had to him. As time went on and Zerpell matured and revealed his true worth, more and more people began to follow him. Zerpell came to lead a large unit. Finally, the war ended. Cedric had no intention of returning to his family. He abandoned his castle and stood by his side. He had no regrets. Though the war had ended, perhaps Zerpell’s war had not.

Before he knew it, Cedric had arrived in front of Zerpell’s room. He hadn’t seen Zerpell on the way.

“Why haven’t I seen His Highness? Don’t tell me he left already?”

Thinking about Zerpell’s habits, it was possible he had gone out early for training. But Cedric had come out much earlier than usual and didn’t think it was time for that yet. Cedric decided to wait outside for Zerpell to come out. By now, he should have emerged, but there was no sign of it. Finally, he knocked softly.

“…Your Highness?”