A Snake’s Life Ch 88

Chapter 88

 

“Shuiren-nim!! Are you alright??”

“Shuiren-nim!”

The voices echoing in my head and the ones ringing in my ears made me dizzy. This… feels strange. The situation had ended, and my rage had subsided, but the voice in my head kept fueling my anger. As if it wanted me to give in to that fury and destroy everything. Then, a very familiar voice reached me.

[Calm yourself……]

The voice of the Guardian Deity?? It was the voice that once said he would sleep. Whether it was the power of the Guardian Deity or not, a serene energy suddenly flowed into my head.

“……Are you feeling better now?”

“Shuiren-nim?”

As I sat there in a daze, head bowed, Wol noticed something was off and lightly shook my shoulder. I turned my head sharply and glared at them.

“You’re only showing up now? I cleaned up everything already!”

At my outburst, the knights flinched. The commotion began to stir among the people who had been crying and the nobles who had collapsed. Ignoring their unrest, I pointed with my finger and issued orders.

“Send these people home, and arrest every single noble here! Oh, and especially, don’t let that merchant escape!”

“Yes, sir!!”

With a resounding shout, the knights sprang into motion with perfect coordination. Anyway… I took a step forward, but the world suddenly spun around me. I tried to calm my churning stomach and aching head.

Was the Guardian Deity’s power not enough to stop this?

[Is this all you’re going to do?]

An unfamiliar voice began speaking again. But unlike before, I didn’t feel myself being swept away by it.

Get a grip. For now, just ignore that voice and focus on what I have to do.

Following my orders, the knights moved quickly. They helped those who had nearly been sold into slavery to safety and overpowered the rebellious nobles and their hired men. Even the merchant was captured and unable to resist. I stopped them before they took him away.

“Wait. Bring him to me.”

At the flick of my hand, a knight promptly dragged the merchant before me. As I glared at him, he averted his gaze.

“Who are you?”

“P-Pardon?”

“There must be someone behind this, right? Someone who organized a secret auction in the heart of the capital, inviting nobles no less—must be quite the figure. And where are the documents for the slaves sold?”

I had to rescue the other slaves who’d already been sold.

The merchant pressed his lips tightly together, clearly unwilling to give anything away. His futile resistance made me scowl.

“Hey. Don’t you get the situation? You’re basically a dead man walking. Don’t push your luck and speak while I’m still offering you a chance. Honestly, I could just tear the place apart and find everything myself. You really want to die alone? Wouldn’t it be less unfair to drag others down with you?”

Whether it was my threat that got through or not, the merchant’s lips opened and closed repeatedly. After a moment, he squeezed his eyes shut and began to speak. But though his mouth moved, no sound came out.

I initially thought he was just trying to trick me, but the merchant also seemed bewildered by his lack of voice, clutching his throat as he continued to mouth words.

“……What’s wrong with him?”

I turned to the knight standing behind me, but he just shook his head, equally confused. Letting out a deep sigh, I decided I didn’t have time to wrestle with the merchant any longer. I could question him later—there’d be plenty of time.

In the end, scratching my head, I waved my hand for them to drag him away. Even as he was pulled along, the merchant kept trying to speak, but no sound came from his throat. I rubbed my forehead and shook my head. The chaos was slowly being brought under control.

“……Did you report this to the master?”

“The squad leader went to inform His Majesty.”

“Cedric? To the master??”

“Yes.”

“Ah, damn……”

I’d hoped to slip away quietly and act as if nothing had happened, but this disaster had already unfolded. Getting scolded was now 100% guaranteed. What was done couldn’t be undone. In the end, I took Wol with me and began searching the suspicious areas. I even mobilized the idle knights to scour the building inch by inch.

“We found something strange over here!!”

At a knight’s shout, I hurried over and found a large painting. When it was removed, a hidden passage was revealed. I squeezed my body into the dark corridor and walked forward. We arrived in a secret room. As soon as I stepped in, I saw stacks upon stacks of papers piled high.

“Make sure none of the evidence is damaged when you move it.”

“Yes!”

At my command, they began transporting every last document without missing a single sheet. The knights divided the work and moved swiftly. Of course, they didn’t forget to carefully collect the auctioned items as well. Feeling as refreshed as if I had just smacked a buzzing mosquito, I turned to head toward the door—only to hear a commotion.

“What’s going on?”

The knights behind me were still gathering evidence, so they had no idea. The noise turned out to be the nobles who had regained consciousness resisting.

“Even if you’re knights under His Majesty’s direct command, there are procedures to follow. You can’t just arrest nobles on a whim.”

“You sure talk big. Acting bold just because you think the crown’s backing you. Do you even know who I am?!”

“Let us go this instant!!”

They not only hurled insults with smug smiles, but also flaunted their status in attempts to intimidate. Strangely dressed men I didn’t recognize were also standing in the knights’ way. Judging by the swords at their hips, they seemed to be knights as well…

“What a mess. But seriously, who the hell are those guys?”

“They’re the Capital Security Force.”

“The security force? Then why are they doing this? Unless my eyes deceive me, they’re siding with the nobles.”

“……Most of those stationed in the capital are corrupt, accepting bribes from nobles in exchange for favors. The security force is especially notorious. Just being assigned to the capital implies they have connections. They often turn a blind eye to the wrongdoings of their noble acquaintances. That’s why public safety here is poor.”

It was outrageous. They didn’t do their jobs properly and even had the gall to show up late and get in the way. Although the Knights of Jerfel were responding firmly, the capital’s security force was completely uncooperative. And since many knights had already been dispatched to escort the arrested nobles and civilians or collect evidence, we had fewer men on site compared to the security force.

“Showing off just because they’ve got numbers? What’s their deal?”

Or maybe they just thought status mattered more? The nobles and the security force were acting like old friends, perfectly in sync. Now that they found someone who listened to them, the nobles started talking more, and the security force was showering them with polite flattery. They didn’t even seem to notice the disapproving stares of the people around them. Did they think I was gone? Even though I was glaring at them with eyes wide open, they didn’t seem to realize it.

I’ll just handle this myself. After all, I’m the highest-ranking one here, right?

I walked up behind the noble who was making threats and poked his shoulder with my finger. The knight who met my eyes quickly bowed. The security guard next to him looked shocked when he saw me. The noble, unaware of my presence, mistook the knight’s bow as a sign of submission and grew even more arrogant, scoffing.

“Who dares to touch me?!”

When I continued poking him repeatedly, the noble finally noticed and slapped my hand away as he turned around.

“It’s me. So what?”

The noble’s face turned pale as soon as he saw mine.

“What the hell are you doing to my people? If you committed a crime, you should go to prison. Do you want me to drown you again? And what about you? You call yourself a security officer, yet you side with nobles instead of protecting the people? Aren’t you ashamed? If so, quit being a guard.”

“……”

“……”

They fell silent at my words. But the twitching in their faces showed just how displeased they were.

“Got something to say?”

“I did nothing wrong.”

“Who said you did? The problem is you being here in the first place. Weren’t you here to join the auction?”

“……”

“Yeah. You’re an accomplice. And turning a blind eye is a crime too, you know? So just quietly follow the knights.”

The noble’s eyes sharpened, but I stared him down without backing off. If any of the surrounding knights or Paul and Wol noticed something suspicious, they’d take him down immediately. I had nothing to fear. I raised my chin and looked at him as if to ask, “So what are you going to do?” Then I turned my head sharply and faced the security force.

“If you’re only here to get in the way, then get lost. Where were you when all this was happening? Now you show up, and instead of helping, you obstruct us? Should I arrest you for interfering with official duties?”

My threat made them falter, and they began glancing around. Hearing the commotion, more knights had come out and surrounded the security force. The one who appeared to be leading them opened and closed his mouth several times, struggling to find the words. I folded my arms and stared at him, curious to hear what he would say.

“Arresting nobles without proper cause is against the law……”

“The law? Yeah. I take the law very seriously. It must be upheld, right?”

When I prompted him, he furrowed his brows and answered.

“……That’s right.”

“Then let’s go by the book. Slavery—what do you think about that?”

Only then did he seem to grasp the situation. He looked around with his mouth agape. So he had sided with the nobles without even knowing what was going on? It was so ridiculous I couldn’t even laugh. I shot back with a scowl.

“You see those people over there? If not for me, they would’ve been sold into slavery by these nobles. Believe it or not, I almost became one of them myself. Do you think I’d be angry or not? Do you understand the gravity of this? Do you know what your job is? If not, then get lost immediately.”

Everyone around us gasped. The nobles scrambled to cover their faces, and the citizens watching looked outraged and began hurling things at the security force. It was a reflection of their usual behavior. Just as I opened my mouth to deliver another biting remark, I heard someone calling my name from a distance.