A Snake’s Life Ch 45

Chapter 45

 

He watched Shuiren’s retreating figure to the end, his eyes crinkling with a soft smile. It was because Shuiren’s embarrassed expression had been so endearing. Though the moment was brief, obscured by Kir stepping in the way, he’d caught a glimpse of Shuiren’s wide, startled eyes. Zerpell closed the door and returned to his seat.

“What’s going on?”

Ian’s eyes, clouded with fatigue, looked at Zerpell as lifelessly as a dead fish. Catching the subtle shift in Zerpell’s demeanor, Ian let out a dry laugh, as if in disbelief.

“Did you confess or something?”

“Does it seem that way?”

“Yes.”

Ian replied firmly.

“Well, I’ll leave it to your imagination. I haven’t gotten permission yet, after all. Sit down. I’ve got something to tell you.”

“Your Highness… You were supposed to be resting…”

“It won’t take long. It’s about what happened yesterday.”

Though Ian looked displeased, he reluctantly sat on the sofa at Zerpell’s urging.

“What do you think of the incident?”

“You mean… the magic?”

“Yes. Most were asleep when we entered the palace. If you felt it, then it’s definitely magic.”

Ian’s expression grew serious. He focused intently on Zerpell’s words.

“This morning, I heard from Casa. It may be a coincidence, but apparently someone infiltrated the sanctuary and was killing snakes. However, they claimed they didn’t know where they were or how they got there—they simply closed their eyes and opened them to find themselves there. According to him, the Holy Knight was flustered when Shuiren and Casa entered.”

“In the sanctuary?!”

Ian pressed his fingers to his forehead, as if nursing a headache.

“Teleportation doesn’t make much sense in reality. I believe it’s magic. What do you think?”

“From the situation, it definitely seems so. The same thing happened yesterday and again in the sanctuary. It seems clear they’ve allied with the Magic Tower. I suspected the temple, but to think even the Magic Tower…”

“The Magic Tower, huh…”

Zerpell let out a small sigh. He began to suspect where the money earned through Kizno and the slave trade had ended up.

“If it’s magic on the level of sleep spells, then magical artifacts would suffice. They’re just difficult to obtain. They definitely said they opened their eyes and found themselves in a different location? That’s certain?”

“Yes.”

“Then it’s teleportation. That’s an extremely high-level spell. Very few are capable of performing it. Crossing space isn’t something just anyone can do.”

Zerpell’s eyes narrowed. The Magic Tower neither communicates with the world nor tolerates disturbances. Yet here they were, interfering in the imperial succession.

“The most plausible reason would be money. The temple receives enormous donations from nobles and indulges in excessive luxury. I imagine the Magic Tower is no different. The source of the Marquis of Francia’s amassed wealth is still a mystery. The Empress and the Pope’s connection has already been proven through the rain ritual. Whether the mastermind is the Empress or the Pope, now that magic is confirmed to be involved, we can’t treat the two separately. It’s entirely possible the Empress asked her father, the Marquis, to support the Pope.”

Ian mulled over Zerpell’s words, pondering why the Magic Tower would cooperate with the Marquis. Reaching a conclusion, he clapped his hands and spoke with an animated voice.

“It’s likely to fund their research. The Magic Tower is very pragmatic.  The only reason they’d act is for research. They’re filled with people who would burn themselves to ashes for the sake of research. And research requires a great deal of funding. Their hunger for knowledge is endless—just like the nobles’ desire for luxury. If they can get money in exchange for casting spells, it’s an excellent deal.”

“But the money’s far from clean. So, the question is whether their collaborator is the Magic Tower itself or just an individual mage.”

Ian picked up a paper from beside him and began to write in symbols that ordinary people wouldn’t understand. It was his habit to record sensitive information using magical script, just in case. Spinning the quill once, he scratched his head with its tip.

“And…”

“The reason they infiltrated the sanctuary.”

“Exactly. It was already clear from the beginning that the temple was involved with the royal family. But if they committed murder in the sanctuary, it would be a major blow to the Pope. Killing snakes… it’s hard to believe it was just for donation money…”

“There must be another condition involved.”

Ian rubbed his chin, lost in thought.

“The Pope was confident I would never succeed in the rain ritual. From what Shuiren said, it seems safe to assume the Pope is stealing the power of the Water Deity.”

Zerpell had already shared what he heard from Shuiren with Ian. The Pope and the imperialist nobles often said if the rain ritual succeeded and brought rain, it would be the end for the crown prince’s faction. They even remarked that good times are fleeting after purging the nobles.

“Sounds about right.”

“We’ll need to send knights to protect the sanctuary.”

“I’ll speak to Lord Cedric. We need to thoroughly investigate what’s going on in the sanctuary.”

Ian’s mind began racing. Though Zerpell had told him to rest after the repairs were done, he had no choice but to start reviewing the information in the room.

“Go on in.”

“Okay.”

I slammed the door behind me and collapsed against it, my legs giving out. I clutched Kir tightly in my arms. His tail tapped me lightly, but I couldn’t pay attention.

“Ugh…”

[You fool! This time I can’t breathe!]

I rushed over and flopped onto the bed, hugging him tight like a pillow and rolling around. What was with Zerpell? He said he’d wait, and now this? His actions and words didn’t match at all. Kir slithered out of my grasp under his own power and asked slyly,

[Is he your mate?]

“Huh?”

I tilted my head slightly, unsure I understood what I just heard.

[Your mate. Is he?]

“M-Mate?? Like… dating?”

[Dating? Is that what humans call it? Don’t you like him?]

“N-No, it’s not like that!”

I turned away from his probing gaze, hiding my blushing face between my knees. After a while, I cautiously asked,

“Hey, old man. You’ve lived a long time, right? Give me some life advice. Do you think I like my master?”

[If you don’t know, who would?]

“I’m asking because I don’t know! And we’re both guys—isn’t that weird?”

[What does gender matter? If you like him, that’s it.]

“…That’s simple.”

[Don’t ask me for love advice.]

“Why not? No experience?”

[None.]

Ah… So he’s been single his whole life? I patted him sympathetically and told him his day would come.

[Forget it. We live on different timelines anyway.]

My hand paused mid-pat. Kir had said he’d lived as the forest’s guardian for a long time. He even said he stopped counting after 500 years. Of course he was different from the other snakes.

“I’m sorry, old man.”

He didn’t seem to care at all, crawling to the corner of the bed as he muttered,

[Sentimental fool… If you’ve got feelings, own up to them. Don’t ask me. And before that, focus on training your power! If you die, who’s going to bring the rain?]

“As if someone would say I’m not the forest’s deputy.”

I muttered with a pout, and Kir scolded me.

[That’s to prevent another disaster like last time!]

“I know. I hated what happened yesterday too.”

I really did. My fists clenched. I refused to be a burden. Just like Kir said, thoughts about my master were shoved far away. There’s a priority to everything.

“Let’s train, Kir.”

[You think you can keep up?]

He noticed I wasn’t acting like my usual self.

“Of course. I survived in a competitive world. I even endured intense studying. This is nothing.”

Kir didn’t understand my cryptic words, but from then on, the intense training began.

My daily life hadn’t changed much. I didn’t go out much to begin with. I just ate with Zerpell, hung out in the office, and when he got busy, I quietly slipped back to my room to train.

It was unexpectedly exhausting. And for some reason, every time I used my power, I’d get overwhelmingly sleepy and often fall asleep without realizing. By the time I snapped awake, at least two hours had passed. According to Kir, the reason I was so sleepy when I first became human was because I was dispersing my power into the air.

Now, I was regulating it properly, using just enough not to strain my body. Kir said it was natural to feel sleepy after using power, especially since I still couldn’t control the strength properly.

Around me, droplets of water floated like soap bubbles. In the beginning, I had practiced with a jug full of water. I couldn’t control even half of it, but over time, the amount I could manage increased, and now I could freely shape it too.

At first, the water droplets would burst often, but that no longer happened.

[Focus!]

He shouted loudly, but I couldn’t hear him. As my skills grew day by day, I began to think again about my relationship with Zerpell, which I had pushed aside.

Zerpell and I… if I had to say, it felt like we were in the “talking stage.” He had always been attentive, but now it had leveled up. His behavior carried a strange energy—his smiling eyes, his light touches. He clearly had intent to seduce.

And thinking back, maybe he’d been appealing to me from the very beginning. I just squashed the idea, thinking, No way, it’s too soon after I became human.

“I was really unsure…”

Noticing my wandering thoughts, Kir began scolding me as if he were determined to devour me whole.

[Not focusing again?]

“Okay, okay! I’m focusing now!”

Kir giving me guidance on handling my power was a great help. But still… could I get a break? I’m delicate, you know! I sighed without realizing it, and perhaps because of that, the energy faltered, and a scolding shout followed immediately.

[What are you doing?! You’re losing focus. Get your head in the game!]

“Aye aye~.”

By now, I felt restless if I didn’t hear his nagging. Once I got the hang of it, manipulating water became easier. There were times I messed up the control and turned the room into a flood zone, but not anymore. I was now skilled at handling water smoothly.

Once I mastered using my power to a certain degree, I became able to create something from nothing. What that meant was: I always used visible water. I thought I could only use power if water was present. But Kir said I was completely mistaken. According to him, the power of the Water Deity itself is the power of water. That’s why I could make it rain. If I got good at controlling it, I could even generate water.

I immediately gave it a try.

Nothing happened.

“It’s not working.”

[Impossible…]