A Snake’s Life Ch 42

Chapter 42

 

Kir was outside the window with a disgruntled expression, demanding loudly for it to be opened.

“Oh, right…”

[Did you forget about me?]

Kir snapped sharply. Feeling apologetic, I quickly opened the window and let him into the room.

“Sorry, sorry. But when did you leave?”

[Could I have slept in a place soaked in blood and chaos? I slipped out when I saw the chance. But why is your face so red? Are you sick?]

“Huh? My face?”

At Kir’s words, I looked toward the window. Reflected in the glass, my face was flushed with a rosy hue. I stumbled over my words without even realizing it.

“W-Who knows? Why is that?”

[Tch. Foolish. As long as you’re not sick, it’s fine.]

Like someone whose emotions were just exposed, I hurriedly shut the window. Kir made himself comfortable on the bed and tapped the floor with his tail.

[Have a seat.]

Kir raised his head high and hissed in a threatening tone. Though flustered by his demeanor, I sat down on the floor as instructed. Kir cleared his throat and began to scold me—not about being forgotten, as I had assumed, but something entirely different.

[What was that spectacle yesterday? It was fortunate I used my power, or do you not realize you could have been in serious danger!]

His tone reminded me of a grandfather. It made me want to laugh, but I held it in out of respect for his seriousness. So it really had been Kir who saved me when I fell.

“Thank you for what you did back then.”

[That’s what that power was given for!]

Kir snapped loudly. The memory of what happened made a chill run down my spine. Even if I had power, it was useless if I couldn’t wield it when it mattered. But… hold on a second… I narrowed my eyes and looked at Kir. I remembered him vanishing in a flash of light yesterday.

“Kir… didn’t you dive under the bed the moment the window shattered?”

[T-That’s… it was instinct. You can’t fight instinct, you know. I was just really surprised.]

“Isn’t that what you’re feeling right now?”

Kir tried to brush it off, but I didn’t let it slide. The tables had turned in an instant. I crossed my arms and began to interrogate him, and Kir’s body curled up tightly. After coughing awkwardly several times, he suddenly raised his voice.

[S-Still, I came back out to help you, didn’t I? Anyway, it’s become clear that you urgently need to learn how to use your powers. A divine emissary dying at the hands of humans—unthinkable. If you had just turned back into a snake, you could have hidden in the smallest crevice!]

Huh? What? A snake? I furrowed my brows and tilted my head at Kir’s words. I had assumed that, having become human, I couldn’t go back. It was odd how I had arbitrarily decided that I couldn’t turn into a snake again. Thinking about it more carefully, it was like I had gone from snake to human, wasn’t it?

“So… I can really become a snake again?”

[Of course. You were originally a snake. You becoming human… I don’t like it, but the deity of water seems fond of humans. It was merely a way for you to communicate better with them. Did you seriously think you had become fully human?]

Kir’s casual tone left me dumbfounded, but it wasn’t entirely unreasonable for him to view me as a snake. I had reincarnated, and it made no sense to treat this life as just a continuation of my last. I had been human in my previous life, so I’d assumed I had returned to being human—but the reality was that I had been reborn as a snake and only then transformed into a human.

“Since I turned into a human from a snake, it means I can turn back into a snake…”

Still, I didn’t really feel like transforming into a snake. If I had to pick, I preferred the convenience of a human body.

[I can also transform into a human.]

“Really? Show me!”

[No.]

“Why not? Why?”

I jumped in surprise at Kir’s firm refusal and clung to him, pleading to see it. I became more and more curious about what Kir might look like. Would he be an old man to match his personality? Kir seemed annoyed by my persistence and opened his mouth just as the door creaked open. Only one person could open the door without knocking—the master.

Zerpell’s face was contorted with displeasure. He marched forward and seized Kir from where he was sitting in front of me.

“What is this?”

[Urgh…]

Kir twisted in pain. Zerpell gripped him with such force it was as though he intended to kill him. The veins bulged on the back of his hand. Kir writhed in agony. I jumped to my feet and grabbed Zerpell’s arm, urging him to let go.

“Ah! Master. So, this guy’s name is Kir. I met him yesterday at the Lake of the Water Deity. Turns out I can talk to snakes…”

I chattered anxiously at his side. Zerpell’s tension didn’t show any signs of easing. Unfortunately, he had walked in right when Kir was baring his fangs and opening his mouth, so it probably looked like I was in danger. After listening to my explanation, Zerpell finally loosened his grip.

“This is the snake Casa mentioned.”

Thankfully, Casa had given him a rough explanation, so he seemed to catch on quickly. Zerpell let go of Kir with a light flick. Kir gasped for air and coughed, and I gently patted his back. Trying to mediate, I spoke on Zerpell’s behalf.

“Um… he’s not a bad person. He just thought I was in danger…”

[Th-That’s why I hate humans!!]

Kir didn’t seem to hear a word I said. Somehow, I had only succeeded in deepening his distrust of humans. Zerpell watched for a moment before speaking.

“My apologies.”

But there wasn’t a trace of emotion in his voice. Kir seemed to notice that too and threw a fit. I stood between the two of them, smiling awkwardly.

[Child! That’s your master? I thought he was decent since he protected you, but clearly, I was mistaken!]

Kir tried to pounce at Zerpell, and I threw myself in the way to stop him. Zerpell, seemingly indifferent to the commotion, addressed me.

He helped me up from where I’d been squatting, leaving Kir behind on the floor. His cold demeanor made me laugh nervously. We were going to be living in the same space, and we were already clashing—an ominous sign.

“Shuiren. There’s somewhere we need to go.”

“Huh? Where?”

“You’ll see.”

With that, Zerpell led me out. As we stepped outside, Kir clung to my leg with his tail.

[Take me with you! I can’t leave you alone with that guy. What if you end up in danger again?]

His angry words were touching in a way, making me smile a little. I didn’t mind it, so I picked up Kir and turned to Zerpell.

“Kir says he wants to come along too.”

[Human. You should be grateful that I’m accompanying you.]

Kir straightened up proudly, throwing a haughty glance at Zerpell. Thankfully, the master didn’t hear it… From the very beginning, Kir had taken a hostile stance against Zerpell.

The proper way to hold a snake is by the neck—to avoid getting bitten. I had once been grabbed that way too. I knew firsthand how suffocating that pain was. So I just smiled awkwardly. Zerpell had only grabbed Kir to protect me, but I had a sinking feeling I would be caught between them and suffer for it.

Zerpell looked at Kir and said,

“If you want to bring him, I won’t stop you… but he looks a bit heavy for you.”

He compared the size of my arm to Kir’s body and commented. My arm was thin, certainly not thicker than Kir’s. Zerpell seemed to think Kir was too heavy for me to carry and reached out his hand. Kir, having taken his words to mean he was fat, exploded in outrage.

Displeased with Zerpell’s gaze, Kir quickly slithered up my neck and hissed at him menacingly. He declared he would never go to anyone else and wrapped himself tightly around my neck. Avoiding Zerpell’s hand, he coiled even tighter.

“Old man. I-I can’t breathe.”

His grip was choking me, making it hard to breathe. I patted his body urgently. There was no way Zerpell didn’t hear me.

“Tch.”

Zerpell seemed to have had enough. He grabbed Kir’s head and yanked him off. It happened just as Kir slightly relaxed his grip in response to my words. He was forcefully removed while still wide awake. I could hear Kir’s indignant muttering, but I ignored it. Sorry, old man. Honestly, you were heavy. Zerpell handed Kir over to a waiting attendant.

“Take this.”

“…Yes.”

The attendant was startled by Kir’s size but had no choice under Zerpell’s orders. He held Kir respectfully. That’s when I realized Casa wasn’t around. According to Cedric yesterday, he had returned to his original duties. Still, we’d been sticking together—so I felt a little guilty for having completely forgotten.

“Where’s Casa?”

“He’s where we’re headed.”

Despite expecting a short walk, we traveled a considerable distance. It was a part of the castle I’d never visited before. Following Zerpell, we finally arrived at the training grounds. The knights were vigorously training under Cedric’s command. They were sweating and swinging their swords with precision. Their movements, in sync with the commands, were powerful and disciplined.

Cedric was at the front, shouting instructions. I had never heard him raise his voice before, but here, I finally did. Normally, he embodied the image of a dignified knight. But here, he was relentlessly drilling the knights. His hawk-like eyes bore into them, barking orders if their form wavered—raise your back, grip the sword tighter. He was like a drill sergeant.

It might have been due to yesterday’s events raising awareness, but since I’d never seen Cedric at the training grounds before, I had no point of comparison. The knights wore expressions of despair as they repeatedly swung their swords with fierce shouts.