A Snake’s Life Ch 32

Chapter 32

 

I didn’t know the exact location, so I followed where Casa led me. But the place he brought me to wasn’t the Lake of the Water God—it was the stables. Ah… right. It’s a bit of a distance. I remember taking a palanquin last time too.

“Do you know how to ride a horse?”

“No.”

The only time I’d ever been on one was when I briefly rode during a trip to Jeju Island. That’s not something I could really claim as ‘knowing how to ride.’ Casa hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“Or would you prefer a carriage? You seemed to suffer from motion sickness last time.”

This guy… I’m touched. He actually remembered what I said? I hadn’t even told him directly, so it hit even harder. I’d mentioned it in a conversation with the Pope last time, that I was prone to motion sickness. Honestly, the carriage… ugh, I don’t want it because of the nausea. But riding a horse… my butt’s going to hurt like hell… Still, since it’s not a carriage, I’ll go with the horse for now.

“Let’s ride.”

“Will you be alright?”

“Well, even if my butt hurts, I’ll just have to endure it.”

As long as someone guided the reins beside me like in Jeju, it wouldn’t be a problem. It was far better to just sit still on a horse than walk a long distance. I hadn’t run when I went for the rain ritual either—just walked at a brisk pace. I assumed Casa would guide the reins by my side.

He seemed to hesitate slightly but then started walking. Since I didn’t know the way, I followed him. We arrived at a stable where various horses were gathered.

“H-How may I help you?”

The stable keeper came running from afar. When he saw me, he seemed startled and even stuttered. He wiped the sweat off his forehead with a handkerchief while gasping for breath. Casa spoke to the stable keeper.

“We’re here to take a horse.”

“Y-Yes. Right this way.”

Inside, there were many horses. Just by looking at them, I could tell they were of fine breed—their coats were sleek and shiny. The stable keeper introduced several gentle-tempered horses. There were various types. Among them, a pure white horse caught my eye. Its bright, clear eyes made me feel fond of it. It looked like the gentlest one.

“Then I’ll take this one.”

“An excellent choice. Strong, obedient, and very gentle.”

“What’s its name?”

“Silvest.”

Even the name sounded elegant. I looked into its eyes and gently stroked its face. Silvest, seemingly not disliking me, nuzzled into my hand. The stable keeper saddled it and handed the reins to Casa.

“Lord Shuiren, this way.”

Casa lifted me up in one swift motion and settled me onto the horse. Then he climbed on behind me. Startled, I turned around and asked,

“W-Wait. You’re riding with me??”

“Yes.”

Thinking about it, it was obvious… In the end, Casa took the reins and guided the horse. With the sound of hoofbeats, we headed toward the lake. With every movement, my butt and lower back ached. Riding a horse was no joke. I let out little grunts and groans. Now I understood why Casa hesitated earlier—one side had motion sickness, the other had back pain. How many times did I silently wish we’d get there soon? Familiar scenery came into view.

Knights were stationed nearby. But their uniforms were quite different from those of Cedric and the others who guarded the office.

“Their uniforms are different?”

“They’re Holy Knights. This place is guarded by them.”

Holy Knights guarded the sanctuary, and priests could disable the barrier, so if the Pope wanted to scheme, it’d be a piece of cake. My suspicion that the ‘wicked one’ the Water God spoke of was the Pope grew stronger. I had no idea how he planned to steal the Water God’s power. During the rain ritual, we’d been too focused on summoning rain to go into the details. If I could just get a lead… My eyes gleamed.

“So there are different types of knights?”

“Of course. Even within the Imperial Palace, there are three knight orders.”

“Three?”

I’d thought the Imperial Knights were just one group, so I couldn’t hide my surprise. Casa calmly explained.

“We’re the Third Order. You can think of us as the direct royal guard of His Highness.”

“Cedric is the commander of the Third Order too?”

“Yes. The knight orders are highly political as well. The First Order serves His Majesty, the Second serves His Highness the Crown Prince, and the Third Order serves Your Highness.”

“Then why are we third? Shouldn’t we be second?”

Isn’t it usually Emperor, Crown Prince, then Prince? Being last kind of rubbed me the wrong way. I felt like I was being discriminated against here. As Casa explained the orders, the Holy Knights guarding the sanctuary noticed our approach. They seemed a bit surprised and quickly came running, probably recognizing me from afar.

“It’s an honor to meet you. May I ask what brings you here…?”

The Holy Knight gave a formal bow and asked the purpose of my visit. I paused for a moment and answered.

“I came to see the Water God.”

That should be a good enough answer, right? It’s not wrong, after all. Casa quickly dismounted and gently helped me down as well. Just as we were about to enter, the Holy Knight looked at me with a troubled expression. I stared at him, puzzled by his attitude.

“At the moment, the priest is away, so we can’t disable the barrier. You’ll have to wait a bit.”

“Really?”

Well, there was a reason then. I looked toward the forest. For some reason, I didn’t feel like it was rejecting me. On the contrary, it felt like it was calling to me. At first, I planned to wait, but a sudden confidence rose up within me—I felt like I could get through.

“Hmm… I feel like I can go in. I’ll give it a try.”

“Ah. That’s not allowed! What if something happens to you, Lord Lion…”

Though the knight spoke as if he were worried for me, he glanced uneasily toward the forest, and Casa caught on to that subtle cue. Casa spoke firmly to the knights blocking my path.

“Don’t you think it’s extremely disrespectful how you’re treating Lord Lion? Step aside.”

The Holy Knight flinched, and we stepped up to the barrier. A shimmering blue film covered the entire forest. I carefully reached out my hand, and instead of rejecting me, it seemed to draw me inward.

“Looks like I can go in. Casa, let’s go.”

“Um…”

The Holy Knight looked flustered.

‘What’s with this guy?’

Seeing his expression only made me more determined to enter. Ignoring the Holy Knight’s protests, I stepped through the barrier. As if the forest recognized Casa as part of my group, it let him pass effortlessly too.

A refreshing breeze and vast forest greeted us warmly. As always, it welcomed me kindly. I took a deep breath of the clean air. Just what are they hiding in here… I stepped forward, determined to uncover every last secret. And then I heard voices.

[It’s the Child. But he’s with a human.]

[Humans are scary…]

[But he’s with the Child, so he must be a good one!]

[Still…]

I looked around but saw nothing. The strange voices I’d heard during my previous visit to the forest echoed again. They spoke in frightened tones, as if wary of something.

“Lord Shuiren?”

“You don’t hear that?”

Casa called out when I stood still, seemingly not hearing the voices. I brought a finger to my lips to signal him to be quiet. Then I spoke in the direction the voices were coming from.

“Hey, kids.”

[The Child is calling someone!]

[Who are they looking for?]

“I mean you. You guys.”

After a brief silence, the voices burst into a commotion.

[They must’ve been talking to us.]

[They spoke to us!]

They exchanged words excitedly. The once quiet voices had grown louder, babbling in a frenzy. Judging by Casa’s reaction, it really seemed he couldn’t hear them. He looked at me talking to the air with one brow raised, as if I were strange. If that’s the case, maybe I could get some information. With that thought, I spoke to them.

“Come out for a bit, will you? I want to talk.”

[What should we do?]

[But Lord Kir said we absolutely must not go out…]

[Still… it’s the Child calling for us…]

Kir? They mentioned someone and seemed scared to come out. They were busy discussing it among themselves. A moment later, I heard the rustling of grass and a soft “hiss hiss” sound, and small snakes appeared. Casa instinctively reached for his sword at the sound of someone approaching.

The little snakes didn’t come any closer, curling their bodies tightly. Just in case, I signaled Casa, who was behind me. Noticing my look, Casa stepped back further.

Only then did the little snakes slowly slither toward me. I crouched down in front of them. When I only heard the voices without seeing anything, I had my doubts… but I can even talk to snakes. Well, I guess it makes sense. Memories of my past self came flooding back. Two of the snakes had yellow speckled patterns, and one was pitch black. They weren’t large, probably still young.

They had been tense at the sight of Casa, but once he stepped back, they began to relax—though they were still wary of their surroundings, stretching their necks and glancing around. Watching them confirmed it for me.

“Hey guys. Has anyone suspicious been around?”

Startled by even the slightest sound, the snakes flinched and leaned on each other for support. I felt a bit guilty for scaring them.

“Sorry, did I startle you?”

[N-No… It’s okay. Are you all right, Child?]

They asked in a worried tone. It was clear they felt threatened. But… being called “Child” by kids—how ironic. But that wasn’t the issue now.

“I’m fine. What happened?”

My words seemed to trigger something in them, and they clung to me, nearly in tears.

[Child, humans are really scary. You heard about it from the Divine One, right?]

[My sibling got taken too!]

[It’s so scary…]

“Can you take turns talking? I only have one pair of ears.”

They all talked at once, making it hard to understand. I soothed and calmed them down. Piecing their words together, it seemed that suspicious people had been coming in and out frequently, capturing snakes. Only the younger ones like them were left—the adult ones had mostly been taken.

“Since when has this been happening?”

[Lord Kir said it started about a year ago. That’s why small ones like us weren’t allowed to go out at all… We’ll be in big trouble if they find out we came out.]

A year ago? That was quite a while back. They kept mentioning someone named Kir—who in the world is that?

Just as I was about to ask about that name, I heard more rustling from the grass. I thought it was another snake. But Casa, who had been standing back, suddenly stepped forward to shield me, and I realized it wasn’t. His usually languid eyes now gleamed sharply.