A Snake’s Life Ch 26

Chapter 26

 

Zerpelll wasn’t truly done with work yet. There were still documents left to review. He sat back down and picked up his pen and papers again.

“We could’ve done this in the office.”

“It’s boring when I’m alone.”

How could I not love him when he’s like this? I clung to his neck and brought up something I’d been wanting to ask earlier.

“But what’s this banquet about? The duke said he’d see me then?”

“The banquet? It’s something hosted by people who pointlessly asked to see you. Tsk… You can think of it as a venue to introduce you to the nobles. The date hasn’t been confirmed yet, so it’s still a ways off. Nothing special will happen. Just stay by my side.”

“It’s not like I know anyone there. They’ll all be strangers, right?”

When I brought up the word “banquet,” Zerpell furrowed his brows deeply and spoke in a disgruntled voice. That reaction showed he had no desire to host a banquet. He wanted to keep me hidden, but perhaps the nobles’ demand to see me, since I had caused such a stir in society, couldn’t be ignored. And considering my position as a divine messenger, there might be a need to present me for appearance’s sake. I felt a bit guilty for living so comfortably and carefree.

“Do you really not need my help? I think I’ve finally gotten the hang of manipulating water.”

He always said he didn’t need my help, but I hoped he’d at least rely on me a little. I felt like showing him my power. I plucked a flower from the vase on the table and tried to lift the water. But the water remained still.

Huh? That’s odd. There should definitely be water in the vase… When I shook it, I heard it sloshing. There was definitely water inside.

“Th-this is strange. Hold on a second.”

Zerpell told me it was fine, but I insisted in a pouty voice that I could do it. In the end, I was left struggling with the vase on my own. Then I felt like I’d caught a thread. This is it. The water began to gather and disperse, slowly floating up in the air.

“Master! Look at this!!”

Overjoyed with success, I bounced around too much, and as my tension released, the water poured down over my head. A silence fell over the room. Zerpell quickly grabbed a bedsheet and draped it over my head. Thankfully, it wasn’t much water, so only my hair got wet, and water dripped from my strands. How embarrassing… I protested that I could just shake the water off, but Zerpell didn’t budge at all. Just like that, a bath was decided for me.

After the bath, steam was rising from my body. Zerpell was already waiting with a towel in hand, and at his gesture, I sat between his legs. Feeling embarrassed by my loss of dignity, I sat in gloomy silence. Seeing my expression, Zerpell offered some words of comfort.

“You’re amazing. With a little more practice, you’ll be able to handle it easily.”

“…I don’t need those spoon-fed compliments…”

Embarrassed, I replied curtly. I’ll definitely succeed. In my mind, I could already see myself freely manipulating water while my master clapped enthusiastically. Suddenly, I remembered the nanny who had annoyed me today.

“Hey, Master. Who’s Aiden’s nanny? She was acting like she was the most important person in the world. Even the attendants didn’t dare to mess with her.”

After thinking for a moment, Zerpell twisted his lips into a crooked smile and said,

“Ah, she’s someone close to the Empress.”

“Knew it. No wonder she acted so smug. Even Aiden didn’t say anything and just called her his nanny…”

So that’s why she looked so confident. With the Empress backing her, she probably thought she was untouchable. Zerpell noticed my displeased expression and asked,

“What did she do to you?”

His voice was laced with frost. The chill in his voice froze the air around us. But his anger wasn’t directed at me.

“She kept stopping Aiden from coming to see me… Don’t worry, I gave her a good scare!”

Pleased as I recalled her drenched state, I smiled proudly and told Zerpell. He patted my head as if praising me and gave a crooked smile as he made a biting remark.

“She acts like she’s really Aiden’s mother.”

“…It must be hard to deal with her since she’s from the Empress’s side.”

The Empress probably held the second highest authority after the Emperor. I decided to just avoid her altogether out of disgust. It’s not that I’m scared of shit—it’s just disgusting. I couldn’t help but mutter my honest feelings. My words must’ve rubbed him the wrong way.

“She’s someone I’ve disliked for a while. I’ll take this chance to get rid of her.”

“Huh??”

Zerpell said something scary with a calm face. As if it was nothing to him. I actually tried to stop him.

“Wait… isn’t she one of the Empress’s people?”

“It’s not like we don’t have a case against her. No matter how much a fox pretends to be a tiger, it can never become one. And to treat a divine messenger so rudely… She deserves punishment.”

Zerpell gently brushed his hand against my cheek as he said this. Touched, I quickly buried my face in his neck.

“Seriously. I only held back because of Aiden.”

Since she’d irritated me, I didn’t object to Zerpell getting rid of her. But then a thought came to me. Aiden seemed to depend on his nanny.

“Then what about Aiden?”

When I asked what would happen to Aiden, he fell silent for a moment before answering.

“He can’t stay a bird in a cage forever.”

When I glanced up at him, his gaze was as calm as the lake I’d seen earlier today. Had he seen through me? He gave a serene smile.

It felt like he was telling his own story. Come to think of it, I didn’t know anything concrete about him. Why he opposed the Emperor, why he wasn’t on good terms with the Empress, why he went to war.

I didn’t know how long this life would last either. The banquet was the perfect example. There would be no shortage of people trying to exploit the divine messenger’s status. There was no guarantee that others wouldn’t treat me lightly like that nanny had. Sitting back and taking it wasn’t in my nature. I planned to make full use of my title and power to show them clearly. If they dared treat me carelessly, they’d pay dearly. First, I needed to master my abilities… Just as Zerpell had supported me, I’d help him as much as I could.

I hugged him tightly with strength. He didn’t ask why and just held me for a long time. Pressed against his neck, I hoped from the bottom of my heart that no one would get hurt.

My daily routine was eating, seeing my master off, and practicing water manipulation at the lake. After several days of practice, I was starting to get the hang of it. When I focused, there was this blue shimmering light—should I call it that? When the light grew stronger, I could manipulate the water. A little. It made me doubt whether I’d really made it rain before. The clear blue sky felt so unfair.

“If not me, then who could even make it rain…”

After that incident, there wasn’t a single sign of rain. This wasn’t the time to lament alone. I had to work hard, at least for my master’s sake. I couldn’t remain a burden to him forever! Zerpell had a tendency to be overly protective and never told me, but he was surely being hounded by nobles who wanted to meet me. I could roughly sense it just by being near him. Alright! Let’s keep pushing forward!

The moment I jumped to my feet, water surged up from the lake and then fell back down. I was dumbfounded. The lake returned to its calm state as if nothing had happened.

“Hey! Did you see that just now??”

“Yes. Very impressive.”

I looked back at Casa, my eyes shining, but he was standing under the shade of a tree, seemingly not liking the blazing sun, and clapped with a halfhearted expression. My hand trembled at Casa’s insincere response.

That bastard… He has no respect at all for the divine messenger!

Honestly, I’d once begged my master to please get rid of that guy, but he insisted on keeping him, saying he was competent and useful. Competent how?

Today, feeling accomplished, I was walking with light steps toward Zerpell’s palace. After much effort, I had finally learned to control water. Today was the day to show results! Suddenly, I recalled a conversation I had with Zerpell. I had asked him to show me his swordsmanship, but he had awkwardly changed the subject. It was the same whenever the topic of war came up—he would always dodge the subject.

I glanced at Casa, who walked behind me without making a sound, as if he wasn’t even there. If my master acknowledged his skills, then they must have spent a significant amount of time together. Since he was also entrusted with my protection, he must be someone the master trusted. I grew curious about what kind of person Casa saw my master as.

I slowed my pace and slipped closer to Casa.

“When did you start serving under the master?”

Casa glanced at me calmly as I came up beside him. I listened carefully to his reply.

“Three years ago.”

“How did you two meet?”

“…On the battlefield. I was just a subordinate of His Highness. He noticed my swordsmanship and agility and said I had talent. That’s when I came under His Highness. He acknowledged my abilities—there was no reason not to follow him.”

“Then… what was the master like back then?”

Casa noticed my troubled expression and slowed steps. His sidelong glance made me avert my gaze with a prickle of guilt. His fixed stare and slightly parted then closed lips revealed his hesitation.

As if choosing the right words.

“He was focused on survival. Not just His Highness, but everyone. If you’re curious, you should ask His Highness yourself. I’m sure he will tell you everything.”

“I just worry it might trouble the master…”

“Asking me like this is actually more troubling.”

He firmly cut off the conversation, drawing a clear line that he had nothing more to say. Fine, I’ll go ask him directly. It’s better to hear it from him than from someone else.

Now that I’d decided, I had to ask him today.

I walked on, forming a list of questions in my head. But suddenly, Casa, who had been behind me, blocked my path. Lost in thought, I hadn’t noticed his movement and bumped my forehead into his back. Rubbing my forehead and asking what he was doing, Casa issued a sharp warning to the person ahead.

“What brings you here?”

“I happened to be passing by and thought I’d greet you. As a servant of God, I thought it would be impolite to pass by without paying respects to the divine messenger.”

A threatening atmosphere emanated from behind Casa, and I grew curious about who it was. I couldn’t see the person hidden by Casa’s back, so I peeked around him to check. There stood several people dressed in pure white robes. The face of the one at the front looked familiar.

It was someone I had briefly encountered during the rain ritual. I think he was called the Pope. Our eyes met. The Pope made an exaggerated gesture as he greeted me.

“I am Yulian, a servant of God. I may be inexperienced, but I currently hold the position of Pope. It is an honor to meet you like this, divine messenger. I sincerely apologize for the late greeting due to unavoidable circumstances.”