A Snake’s Life Ch 19

Chapter 19

 

Became a human.

Zerpell, who had been calming me down for quite a while, was eventually begged by Ian and went off to handle his official duties. I also needed some time to process everything on my own. I gave Zerpell, who refused to leave my side, a push on the back. As soon as he left, I plopped down on the bed and clutched my head.

“Do I look like I can sit still right now? Damn it…”

Anyone hearing this might say it’s a good thing I turned from a snake into a human, but for me, it was anything but. I had already gotten used to being a snake, and I had felt in every part of my being that the life of a snake was the best. And now, suddenly, I was a human… And not just any human, but a divine messenger.

What is a divine messenger? It’s a person in a rather high position. Someone who offers prayers to the gods and listens to people’s prayers. Already I could hear voices echoing in my ears: “Messenger, please bring rain. Messenger, please hear my prayer. Messenger, messenger…” My future felt pitch dark. I had eaten, slept, pooped, and grown well, and now it was as if the gods were telling me to start earning my keep.

Now that I’d become disgustingly human, chances were I wasn’t even cute anymore. A snake suddenly becoming a person? If it were me, I’d be creeped out…

“I’m not going to get kicked out, am I? Is it okay because I’m a divine messenger?”

Thankfully, the master’s attitude hadn’t changed, and that gave me some comfort.

Like my jumbled thoughts, I wandered aimlessly around the room, trying to sort out the situation. At some point, I caught sight of a mirror and stood in front of it, looking at my worn-out self. My dizzy thoughts were filled by the image reflected in the mirror. There stood a beautiful boy.

“Wow… Holy crap…”

Contrary to my worries that I’d look creepy, there was a boy with lustrous, silver hair cascading down to his waist and bright red eyes. His snow-white skin and attractive lips gave off a divine aura. Dressed all in white, it wasn’t strange that I thought so. I stood before the mirror and tried various expressions. When I smiled prettily, it was like the world lit up—it was dazzling.

“I can’t believe my own face is dazzling to me… My appearance has definitely been upgraded.”

It was more than enough to earn people’s affection. I spun around once in front of the mirror and, staring at my reflection, began to think about what to do next.

“Should I just keep acting cute to my master? My dream in high school was to be unemployed anyway…”

Looking at my face made my confidence swell.

With looks like this, it seemed more than possible to win someone over. Alright. I’ll capture him this time too!!

As I was proudly admiring my perfect plan, the door opened and Casa walked in. Just as I thought I smelled something delicious, he had brought food. My stomach growled in response. When the lid was lifted, there was only a single plate. Contrary to the delicious smell, it was just soup. Where was my meat? It wasn’t like he didn’t know my eating habits, so I widened my eyes and looked up at him. Casa stared at me like, “Why aren’t you taking it?” and I instinctively accepted the plate. Then he left.

“Meat?”

My muttering echoed in the room. Left alone, I sadly began to eat the soup with effort. Who’s supposed to be satisfied with soup?! It didn’t even touch my liver. Thinking that I wanted to eat meat and that I might as well go see my master, I cautiously opened the door. Good. No one’s around? Fortunately, the hallway was empty. Just as I was about to sneak out, a voice stopped me in my tracks.

“Where are you going?”

It was Casa. Apparently, he had been waiting outside the whole time, because he immediately blocked my path when I emerged. Flustered, I scratched my head and said,

“Uh… the plate, first.”

When I handed over the empty plate, Casa took it and handed it to a passing maid. When he told me to go back inside, I hesitated and asked,

“Uh… meat? I’m hungry…”

“No.”

I looked at him with a face like the world had collapsed. But he didn’t even bat an eye and said,

“It won’t digest. You’ll have to endure with soup for a while.”

“…Then let me see the master!”

My plan was to beg the master for some meat.

“No.”

“Why not?!”

Everything I said was met with a “No.” Are you some kind of robot? Casa responded with a calm face.

“His Highness ordered it.”

“To keep me in the room and feed me only soup?”

“Yes.”

My mind went blank. It was like being betrayed by a trusted axe. In the end, I quickly returned to my room, and the sound of the door closing rang loudly. I dived onto the bed and hugged the pillow, rolling around.

“Seriously… Not even feeding me properly? Did he stop liking me because I turned into a human??? There’s no way my master would do that…”

I became a little depressed. Suddenly, a sense of déjà vu struck me. It felt like this had happened before. Being alone in a room, with no one watching… I shot up and flung open the window. Unfortunately, the room had quite the view—it was very high up and the wind was fierce. I quickly assessed the situation, but no matter how I looked at it, escape was impossible. Then the door suddenly burst open behind me, and I turned my head. Casa stood there, his face stern.

“Please stay put.”

His gaze demanded a response, and I eventually gave one. In the end, I sat on the bed, staring at the door until the golden light of sunset came through the window. As soon as I heard the click of the door, I shot up. Then I ran toward the figure with black hair visible through the crack.

“Master!!”

“Shuiren.”

“No, listen to me! That guy wouldn’t let me leave the room!”

“I see. Casa, you may go now. Thank you for your efforts.”

As I ran to him, he gently patted my head, but he also thanked Casa, who had been guarding the door. He praised the one who had stopped me from leaving. So Casa had been telling the truth. It was true that the master had ordered it?? His response was completely different from how he listened to me. I was honestly a bit shocked. Seeing my expression, Zerpell led me to sit on the bed and said,

“Shuiren. You’ll have to stay in this room for a while.”

“What? Why???”

“Well… There are people who think ill of me, and they’re targeting you. I’m sorry.”

Zerpell spoke to me gently, a smile tugging at his lips. His expression left me speechless, and I grumbled.

“Who thinks badly of our master? You’re so nice. Who is it? Should I help?”

At my bold words, Zerpell’s eyes widened slightly, then his eyes curled gently in amusement.

“I appreciate the thought. But you just stay here. It’d be terrible if you got hurt.”

Though he smiled kindly, his refusal was sharp and final, leaving me dazed. But seeing that he was worried about me, I couldn’t help but agree.

“Well, I guess there’s no choice… But who is it?”

“Just people who don’t like that I’m here.”

Zerpell didn’t go into detail and changed the subject.

“More importantly, how are you feeling, being human?”

“Huh? Not really? I mean, I…”

I hesitated, wondering if I should say more. The master had thought I was a cute little snake all this time. But if I said I was actually a 28-year-old man inside… From his perspective, it’d be like some grown man had been clinging to him, acting all cutesy. If it were me, I’d have told myself to get lost. Thinking of Zerpell frowning made me tremble. Better to be cautious! I did some mental calculations and smiled brightly.

“It’s fine! In fact, I’m glad I can talk to you now. When I was a snake, I couldn’t even speak… But now, being able to talk with you and having legs to walk to you easily—it’s great, right?”

I kept pouring flattery onto Zerpell. He seemed pleased, his gaze softening. Flattery was essential if I didn’t want to be abandoned! Judging by Zerpell’s satisfied expression, my plan seemed to be going well. It looked like life as a human would go pretty smoothly.

Alright! As I struck a victory pose, I completely missed the look in Zerpell’s eyes. If I had lifted my head and seen the loving way he was looking at me, I would have realized much sooner that he had already fallen for me.

He answered every one of my questions and stroked my hair. The rain had fallen for three days straight, and the rain ritual was said to be a great success. What I had seen during the procession that looked like a white orb was actually a projection orb, and both the citizens and nobles had watched the procession clearly. Including the moment I transformed.

“I want to see too!”

Since I had passed out from the power, I was curious what I had looked like. My eyes sparkled with anticipation. Zerpell turned his gaze and his smile faded slightly.

“You don’t have it?”

“I do… wait here. I’ll bring it.”

Zerpell stood up and walked toward the drawer. When it opened, he took out a small bead-like orb. It was much smaller than the white orb I had seen. Strangely, Zerpell looked dispirited. He stared at the orb like it was his mortal enemy. Then he showed me the video. At first, it was fascinating, but then…

“Ah…”

A short, involuntary groan escaped me. The me in the video was completely naked, not a thread on my body.

“Th-this is… nationwide??”

“Yes. Everyone is quite interested in you. It’s rare for a god to send down a divine messenger, so it’s apparently selling very well…”

He clicked his tongue in disapproval as he spoke. I was a fool for expecting some kind of transformation correction. Fuck. What a national disgrace. I should just go die… If I hadn’t known, I wouldn’t even be embarrassed—are they trying to kill me out of shame?

“Still… it’s hard to see clearly because of the heavy rain…”

A pitiful attempt at self-consolation. Maybe Zerpell knew that, because although I had clearly seen the footage, he reminded me:

“You were wrapped in a cloak, so no one would have seen your naked body.”

His reassurance calmed me for only a moment—I couldn’t hold back the tears welling up inside. With a teary expression, I gave a hollow laugh and admitted that it had all been visible. I held back the urge to pull the covers over my head and kick in embarrassment. But apparently, my body was too honest—my teeth were already biting into the blanket.

“Shhh. You’ll hurt your teeth. Hm… Don’t be too upset. There was nothing that could be done this time, but if anyone did see it, let me know. I’ll make sure they can never see again.”

Startled by Zerpell’s words, I looked at him. The meaning behind those words was chilling. It was so extreme, I wondered if I had heard him wrong. His ominous tone only added to it. What does he mean by make sure? My eyes trembled uncontrollably. I couldn’t even be more upset at his energy. No… it felt like he really meant it… His eyes were serious.

While I was dumbfounded and watching him warily, I noticed a blood vessel had burst in Zerpell’s eye. Alarmed, I grabbed his face. It was subtle, but his eyes were bloodshot. His perfect face! I stiffened and asked him,

“What the hell? What’s wrong with your eye?”

“Ah… I guess it’s because I haven’t slept for a while.”

When I asked in a worried tone, he gave me a faint smile. He looked satisfied, but it also seemed like a smile to brush off the concern.

“Why haven’t you been sleeping?”

“I didn’t know when you would wake up.”

I was at a loss for words and couldn’t say anything. So, for seven days? I kept my mouth shut and silently laid him down on the bed. Then I pulled the blanket up to his chest and gently patted it. I nagged him to sleep.

“Your eye’s got a burst vessel. You have to sleep!”

I grumbled and began crawling into the blanket myself. Then I froze. Holding the blanket slightly up, my body stiffened. Was I being too casual, just sleeping next to him like this? When he was a snake, I hadn’t thought about it, but now that he was human, it felt kind of embarrassing. I looked over and saw Zerpell fiddling awkwardly with the blanket, wearing a strange expression. He looked uncomfortable with someone else’s kindness. As embarrassment crept up on me and our eyes met, I quickly shut mine.

We slept together even when he was a snake, so what. We’re both guys—why be so formal?

That’s what I thought to myself, but I still turned my back to Zerpell as I fell asleep. For some reason, I was very aware of his presence beside me. I tossed and turned, feeling uneasy. After a long time of trying to fall asleep with my eyes closed, my consciousness slowly faded.

Zerpell was watching Shuiren sleep, his back turned, breathing softly.

“Honestly… Shuiren, you…”

He had worried that Shuiren might leave him once he became human. Now that he had legs… there were so many fascinating things in the world. He might want to go out and explore. Or he might say he wanted to return to the lake, as a divine messenger of the water god. Or perhaps he’d claim to have been summoned by the gods and head to the temple. Those were the thoughts that filled him with anxiety. But contrary to all those worries, Shuiren had faced him head-on, called him “Master,” and embraced him—and even worried for him.

He had been so happy. Even as a human, Shuiren had looked straight at him without wavering. His eyes were filled with affection for him. His smiles, his playful expressions—they were all only for him.

He regretted not performing the rain ritual sooner. He gathered the hair strewn across the bed and lightly pressed a kiss to the ends. So many people were annoyingly asking for an audience with Shuiren. But he wouldn’t give him to anyone. Not to the pope, not to the emperor. From the beginning, this child had come to him.

Even now, look.

“Mm… Master…”

He came curling into him, seeking warmth.

As if his habits from when he was a snake still lingered, Shuiren sought out Zerpell’s embrace. He had liked napping around Zerpell’s neck, and during sleep, he would nuzzle in search of warmth—this wasn’t unusual. Zerpell accepted him without resistance and held him close.

Who wouldn’t desire a child like this? A child who had even stolen his heart. A child who had become his and his alone. His sanctuary. He would never let anyone take that away.

Thoroughly, without him even realizing, he would create a comfortable fortress. One where Shuiren could have anything he wanted. So that he would never be able to escape. So he could find peace at his side. So he would become his.

Sleep would escape him again tonight.

But despite that thought, the posture in which they leaned on each other as they slept was peaceful.