A Snake’s Life Ch 98

Chapter 98

The Marquisate wasn’t that far away. From the moment they attempted to enter the territory to the path leading to the mansion, Imperial Knights were stationed all throughout. The security was so tight that not even a rat could get in or escape.

Only upon arriving at the mansion’s entrance did Cedric, who was commanding the knights, come into view. Perhaps he hadn’t seen Zerpell while investigating the Marquis, because he came running with an animated voice. Like a dog reunited with its master—his loyalty really ran deep…

When Zerpell appeared with Ian, the Duke, and a new individual beside him, Cedric asked, just to be sure, and his suspicion was correct.

“Yes, this is the mage Ian brought. Treat him with respect and ensure he’s not inconvenienced.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Cedric, you’ve done well.”

“Not at all! If anything, I only feel regret that I still haven’t uncovered any leads.”

“Let’s save the greetings for later and head inside the mansion.”

As Zerpell dismounted, everyone followed suit and stepped into the mansion. The interior was in a terrible state. The marble floor, which should have been pristine, was now dirty and covered in soil—perhaps because knights had walked through with muddy boots.

The inside was desolate. It looked as though all the furniture had been taken away—making the place resemble a ruin more than a residence. Only the shell remained impressive.

Well… given what he did, his assets must’ve been seized. Following their guide, they walked down a long corridor until Duke Berthe came to a stop before a grand door and opened it. This was the room where Marquis Franchia had last been seen.

“This was the last place the Marquis was found, so we preserved it without disturbance. According to a maid, no one saw him after he entered this room. It’s presumed that he was aided by a mage.”

“What do you think? Can you detect anything?”

“My, you’re impatient. Give me a moment.”

As Ian pressed him, Barnes, knowing it was his turn, leisurely strolled into the room like a gentleman on an afternoon outing. He waved his hand in the air and stared intently at certain spots.

“Hmm…?”

The sigh Barnes let out sounded almost mocking. The place he stopped at was the mirror.

“There’s an old saying that mirrors have long served as gateways to other realms.”

Tension rose sharply at his words. That mirror?! Barnes smiled and began chanting an incantation. At the same time, lights of various colors began to converge around him. The dazzling display of multicolored lights gathering in one place was a spectacle.

So this is magic… Watching a spell being cast for the first time, I couldn’t take my eyes off it. Then, blinking slowly in apparent surprise, Barnes spoke.

“This place is…?”

As Barnes spoke in a stunned tone, the light vanished without a trace. Stroking his beard repeatedly, he seemed reluctant to say more—as if he knew who had helped the Marquis. After a long hesitation, he turned to face us.

“He was declared a criminal in the capital for gambling and slave trading, wasn’t he?”

“That’s right.”

“Haha…”

As we wondered about Barnes’s subtle smile, Ian stepped forward.

“Master, have you finished tracking? And… is the mage someone you know?”

Judging from Barnes’s odd attitude, Ian seemed to have guessed and added that final question.

“Well, I know him, yes…”

The way he spoke made it sound like they were at least somewhat acquainted. At Barnes’s confirmation, Zerpell asked where the trail led.

“The capital.”

“The capital, huh.”

Wow… right under our noses. Who would’ve guessed he was just sitting there in the capital? Zerpell let out a hollow laugh in disbelief. All that trouble for nothing. He really dared to stay shamelessly in the capital…

Cedric and Duke Berthe, also surprised, turned to Zerpell with apologetic expressions.

“Your Highness, it was my error.”

“No, even I didn’t think he’d be in the capital.”

“I’ll immediately mobilize the knights and search the capital thoroughly!”

“It’s hard to believe he’s just hiding there quietly.”

“If it’s just me, I can find him quickly. I only need to cast the spell as soon as we arrive in the capital. It won’t take long.”

Nodding at Barnes’s words, Zerpell turned to the Duke.

“You’ve already collected all the evidence found in the Marquis’s room, right?”

“Of course.”

“Report to the Emperor once you find Marquis Franchia. And we’re proceeding with plans to confine the Empress.”

“Her Majesty, you mean?”

“Yes. The fact that the Pope is staying here continues to be a concern.”

Apparently, this hadn’t been previously discussed, because everyone was shocked by Zerpell’s declaration. Not knowing what was going on, I looked around, bewildered. Because of the Pope?

“O-of course, but…”

Though Ian agreed, he seemed worried about the backlash.

“I won’t accept any objections.”

“Your Highness, no one can predict how His Majesty will react. He cherishes the Empress deeply…”

But behind the Empress, even if she was just a figurehead, stood the most powerful person in the Empire. Perhaps concerned by this, Berthe brought up the Emperor. But Zerpell showed no sign of backing down.

“I said I won’t accept any objections. And this time, even the Empress won’t be able to escape responsibility. Even if the Emperor rages, he’ll eventually have to step down. The nobility is already gripped with fear.”

With a sarcastic tone, Zerpell outlined the Emperor’s current predicament. And he wasn’t wrong. To become Emperor, one had to meet many conditions. Zerpell, though Crown Prince, was obstructed by the Emperor and Empress, and the nobility sided with them.

In order to win the nobles over, he had essentially taken a long and roundabout path. But with this incident, the influence of the Emperor’s faction and the Emperor himself had waned, rendering his words weightless.

Honestly, Zerpell could probably take the throne by force if he wanted to… But he’d come to hate bloodshed after the trauma of war.

Whether the Empress was confined or the Emperor rebelled, as long as Zerpell wasn’t harmed, it didn’t matter to me. To show my support, I nuzzled my face against his neck. Sensing my thoughts, he murmured, “Thank you.” That made me beam with pride.

Now that we knew where the Marquis was, we had to return to the capital. Why did we even come to the Marquisate in the first place…? Sure, finding his whereabouts was a relief, but still.

The Duke said he had some documents to retrieve and returned to his territory.

I took in the wind as I gazed at the distant capital. But something felt off. The atmosphere… or maybe just my instinct. I stretched my neck toward the sky. My intuition whispered that something was about to happen. A strange chill ran down my spine.

Then, we spotted a horse racing toward us as if charging. It kicked up a huge cloud of dust as it galloped and came to an abrupt halt before us. With a loud whinny, the horse stopped—and the rider was Casa.

“Your Highness. Something terrible has happened.”

Casa was the one assigned to monitor the Pope. I was glad to see him again after so long, but the mood was grim.

“The Pope has made his move.”

Zerpell let out a deep sigh and issued orders to the knights.

“Ian and Barnes, take part of the order and go apprehend the Marquis. Cedric, you go too.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Casa and the rest of the knights will come with me.”

Truly, there wasn’t a single peaceful day. Casa led the way, followed by Zerpell and the knights. The Pope was delivering a speech in front of the temple in the capital.

The people were all intently listening to his words. When they noticed us approaching from afar, he gave a meaningful smile and raised something into the air. It was too far for me to see, but Zerpell seemed to recognize it and muttered, “A jewel…?”

Startled, I opened my eyes wide. Our gazes met, and I nodded vigorously. It was undoubtedly the divine relic the Water God had spoken of.

“Tch. He’s quick. Just as I leave the palace…”

The Pope cupped the relic in both hands and raised it toward the sky. We were closing in fast, and just as Casa shouted for the crowd to clear the way, startled citizens turned to look. And then the Pope made his dramatic announcement.

“Behold, I shall bring down rain.”

What?! My jaw dropped in disbelief. Just as he made his confident declaration, thunder boomed and dark clouds began to gather.

That was indeed the relic said to summon rain, bestowed upon a human by the Water God. I didn’t know how the Pope came to learn of it, but I doubted that such a tainted relic would bring rain.

The relic vibrated and floated into the air, drawing storm clouds to it. The people chanted in unison, hailing the Holy One. At that moment, my heart sank with a heavy thud.

[It’s calling. It’s calling us.]

A violent surge pulsed within me, and I lost the strength to even cling to Zerpell’s neck. I collapsed. Thankfully, Zerpell caught me and held me in his arms, but I trembled violently and coughed up blood. Not a bright crimson, but a murky, blackish-red.

Zerpell cried out my name in alarm, but I couldn’t respond. Agonizing pain twisted through me, and I saw something dark.

Wait… where are you going…?

The curse I had absorbed from Aiden, the grudge of the serpents, began to take form as a black mist and was sucked into the divine relic as if swept up by a typhoon.

I couldn’t help but lament inwardly. Why did the relic have to fall into the Pope’s hands? Why now? The curse being absorbed into it made it even more ominous and black.

Unaware of this, the Pope stood proudly, stirred by the gathering storm clouds.

“It’s rain! The Holy One has brought us rain!”

And with that, as I watched raindrops fall to the ground, I finally lost consciousness.