A Snake’s Life Ch 43

Chapter 43

 

“Master, why did you come to the knights’ training grounds?”

“I’ve recruited more bodyguards. We seemed to be short.”

“Huh? Why? Isn’t Casa enough?”

Dealing with Casa alone was troublesome, and the thought of adding more bodyguards was just a hassle. I protested, but Zerpell didn’t budge an inch. That’s when I remembered the necklace I still hadn’t received.

“Or… the magic necklace! There’s that too. Do we really need more guards…?”

I wasn’t thrilled about increasing the number of guards. With sparkling eyes, I stared at him intently. He gently soothed me and spoke.

“What happened yesterday could’ve been serious. And magic isn’t all-powerful.”

Zerpell’s voice was kind. But his face twisted with anguish, as though even thinking about the worst-case scenario pained him. The memory of him from yesterday came back to me. I pouted, but my desire to complain faded. I realized I was acting like a child, so I stayed quiet. Zerpell continued to speak in an attempt to persuade me.

“There are plenty of ways to neutralize magic. And the necklace is designed to activate only when your life is in danger. That means it won’t trigger if there’s no life-threatening threat. For example… it might not activate in a kidnapping. If something like the last incident happens again, it’ll be disastrous.”

“If you put it like that… I guess we don’t have a choice.”

“Good. Thank you for understanding.”

Well, it’s better than dying. Hopefully someone more useful will come this time. They say if you can’t avoid it, enjoy it. Since more guards were inevitable, I just prayed none of them were like Casa. I’d nearly had a heart attack more than once from his sudden appearances. Noticing us standing there, Cedric shouted at the knights who were training hard, swinging their swords.

“Everyone, halt! His Highness and the Envoy are here!”

“Greetings, Your Highness!!”

The loud greetings of the knights, echoing all at once, momentarily deafened me. Zerpell led me to a spot that had been specially prepared. A sunshade had been installed to block the sunlight from my eyes, and there were refreshments and tea set on the table. Thorough preparations indeed… Thirsty from the walk, I took a sip of tea. As expected, the master knew my tastes well. It was a sweet tea, not at all bitter.

Cedric came up to Zerpell and handed him a sword. Zerpell removed his outerwear, loosened his tie slightly, and rolled up his sleeves. I widened my eyes and stared at his actions.

“What are you doing?”

“Just watch from here.”

“Seems like His Highness intends to personally assess the knights’ abilities.”

A voice came from behind me. Startled, I turned around to find Casa. At some point, Zerpell had already taken the sword and was walking toward the training ground. The knights murmured among themselves and gulped nervously. Their stiff posture made it obvious they were tense.

“It’s not every day you get to spar with His Highness. Do your best, all of you!”

“Yes, sir!!!”

A sparring session began, kicking up dust. Zerpell stood alone, while the knights attacked in pairs. I watched, worried, but he handled them effortlessly. Well, I saw yesterday how skilled he was… The knights clenched their swords tightly, ignoring the sweat pouring from their hands. They held on with all their might.

Zerpell seemed to be gauging their swordsmanship, dodging them by a hair’s breadth. His eyes sharply tracked each opponent’s blade. Some were taken out in one move, others managed to hold their own for a while. But those who clashed swords with him ended up grimacing in frustration. Many had their swords flung from their hands due to the difference in strength. There didn’t seem to be any reason to worry about Zerpell.

I glanced back at Casa. He was the one who got hurt protecting me. Cedric had said he didn’t have any serious injuries, but I was still concerned. I looked him up and down. Just as Cedric said, he didn’t have any major wounds.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. It was just poison.”

The problem wasn’t external wounds, but internal ones.

“P–poison?? Are you really okay?”

“Yes. I have some resistance to it.”

I gaped at his calm response. His tone added to the shock, but poison… I suspected as much since he was an assassin… Even if he said he was fine now, I couldn’t help but worry.

“You should rest more. The master’s hiring more guards anyway—take it as a break. If it’s because of him, I’ll talk to him.”

“This much is nothing.”

“Well… if you say so. Just do as you wish.”

Despite my guilty feelings, Casa kept insisting he was fine. In the end, I shrugged. Persisting any further would only be bothersome. If he said he was fine, there was nothing I could do. We continued watching the sparring session. Then, a knight’s sword grazed Zerpell’s hair. I was so startled I shot to my feet.

That bastard! My knee hit the table, but I ignored it. The knight, clearly shocked himself, froze with his sword in hand and stammered, asking if Zerpell was alright. I doubted what I had seen for a second, but unless my eyes deceived me, his sword definitely grazed Zerpell.

Of course, his partner had created a perfect opening. Compared to the other knights, his swordsmanship was clearly superior. Zerpell touched the tip of his hair where the sword had grazed and called Cedric over to speak with him. Casa, standing behind me, calmly remarked,

“He’s got talent.”

“Yeah… He looks pretty young, too.”

As long as the master wasn’t hurt, it was fine. I sat back down. That knight was probably going to end up as one of my bodyguards. I watched the rest of the sparring idly. Zerpell, handling the knights with ease, certainly looked impressive.

“He really is handsome…”

No matter how I looked at him, I couldn’t understand why someone as exceptional as him liked me. He was handsome, capable, and probably broke many hearts… What on earth did he see in me…?

[Annoying man, but not bad.]

Just as I quietly muttered my thoughts about Zerpell, a voice came from beside me. Startled, I stuttered.

“W–what is?”

Kir had slipped away from his attendant and was now standing beside me. Was hiding presence a national skill or something?

[He’s skilled.]

“Oh… swordsmanship… Right.”

I answered vaguely, feeling Kir’s gaze fixed on me. I gave an awkward smile and turned my head with a cough. At that moment, Casa spoke up from behind me.

“Lord Shuiren. It’s time to go.”

Looking toward the training ground, the sparring had ended. The knights were slumped on the ground, panting. In contrast, Zerpell looked as composed as ever. I walked up to him. Two knights stood before him, panting under his gaze. They were, as expected, the same ones I had noticed earlier.

“These will be Lord Shuiren’s bodyguards.”

Zerpell’s furrowed brow showed that he wasn’t entirely satisfied. Though he had personally tested and selected the most competent among them, they still seemed to fall short of his standards. I heard him click his tongue softly.

One of the knights looked very young. I had noticed from afar that he seemed youthful. Under Zerpell’s gaze, he stood rigidly at attention, flinching slightly at the sound of Zerpell’s disapproval. The other knight kept a calm expression.

“Your Highness. What do you think?”

“These two will do. Shuiren, come here.”

Zerpell handed his sword back to Cedric. He placed me in front of the knights and spoke. Perhaps Cedric had warned them in advance, as they didn’t seem surprised.

“This is the person you must protect. Even a scratch will not be tolerated.”

His cold tone made the two knights visibly tense. They bowed respectfully.

“My name is Wall.”

“I–I’m Paul.”

Wall, a middle-aged man, smiled gently with eyes that crinkled at the corners, suggesting his age. His manner was confident and appropriate for his years. Paul bit his tongue mid-sentence from nerves. His eyes darted around uncertainly.

Both seemed to be waiting for me to speak. I scratched my cheek lightly. When Casa had become my guard, he had appeared silently at some point. Situations like this just felt awkward. Clearing my throat, I chose my words carefully. A simple greeting should do. These were people who would stay by my side to protect me. I should be friendly…

“Um… I’m Shuiren. Nice to meet you.”

I smiled brightly as I spoke. Paul looked up and met my gaze, and his face instantly turned beet red. Huh? Look at this kid. That innocence was unmistakable. I had once been dazzled by my own smile too.

Paul, seemingly unaccustomed to it, kept blushing more and more. I felt Zerpell’s hand on my shoulder suddenly tighten. A chill ran down my spine. When I turned around, Zerpell was standing there with a stormy expression.

“That one needs to be replaced.”

Cedric’s eyes widened in surprise. It was rare for Zerpell to go back on a decision. Understanding his reaction, I gave a wry smile. But Paul didn’t understand. His face turned pale at the sudden harsh words from Zerpell. Cedric, perhaps thinking Zerpell found Paul unreliable, tried to explain.

“He’s young but very talented. And being close in age to Lord Shuiren, I believe they’ll connect well.”

Honestly, age didn’t matter at all to the master—it was just Paul’s blushing at me that annoyed him… Cedric, standing behind them, hadn’t seen Paul’s expression. He assumed Zerpell’s issue was with Paul’s youth and defended him.

Cedric had completely misread the situation, and his words only made Zerpell’s gaze sharper. Saying we’d have more in common because of similar ages had struck a nerve. In truth, Zerpell and I were closer in age, but I had boldly declared myself as eighteen, and no one knew my real age unless I told them.

Paul, avoiding Zerpell’s gaze entirely, trembled while looking up at the sky. Poor guy… I felt sorry and tried to calm Zerpell. Still, I thought defending Paul directly would be a bad idea, so I changed the subject.

“Are we done here?”

With eyes pleading for rest, I looked at him. Reluctantly, Zerpell stepped back.

“I’ll entrust them with your protection.”

He spoke grudgingly. Perhaps he had no better alternatives, so he backed down. Ignoring Cedric’s confused look, he said to me,

“There’s still something left to do.”

“What is it?”

“We need to go get your necklace.”