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“Kogadurisoo (苦假頭利獸). It's the name of the traitor who betrayed the snake.”
I had a feeling it would be something like that.
Kogadurisoo must refer to the Cockatrice.
A monster with the head of a chicken and the tail of a snake.
It's a reptile that wields petrification powers, sometimes equated with the Basilisk.
Since it possesses both avian and reptilian traits, perhaps it betrayed the Snake Queen and allied with the Bird King.
“My request for you is simple: eliminate Kogadurisoo.”
Of course.
This cockatrice that disrupted the balance.
Even a skilled fighter like Gomo would be needed to defeat such a monster.
“…I wanted to ask you to do it, but I can't send my son-in-law into such danger after all.”
Thank you for your consideration.
…Should I be grateful?
It almost feels like they're assuming I won't be able to defeat the cockatrice.
“Gegek.”
The creature let out a menacing growl.
I suppose I've proven my courage by now.
“Oh-ho-ho. The more I see, the more amusing you become. If only you weren't tied to my daughter….”
Why is it wrapping itself around me again?
Ssssk-skkk.
Get up.
Your mother is starting to give me the creeps.
“Kogadurisoo is a dangerous foe. Of course, compared to me, it's pathetic, but its petrifying ability is on par with mine. That's why even stronger beings hesitate to fight it.”
So, what the Snake Queen is saying is that even if I could defeat the cockatrice, its petrifying ability could still end my life.
But I’ve already withstood the Snake Queen’s petrification.
A lesser serpent specializing in petrification? It would be as easy as letting Pus spin her webs.
“Of course, I’m aware that you have some resistance to petrification. It’s probably thanks to the dragon scales that protect you. If not that, there might be another reason.”
Well, you're not wrong.
If I withstood the Snake Queen’s petrification, why wouldn’t I be able to handle the cockatrice’s weaker version?
“However, you're resistant to petrification, not immune. Unlike my daughter and me, you could still be affected if you're careless.”
Sssssk.
The Snake Queen’s tail lightly brushed against my shoulder.
Her gaze fell on my shoulder.
Crunch.
Slowly, my shoulder started turning to stone.
The petrification lifted the moment the basilisk closed its eyes, but now I knew.
My resistance to petrification wasn’t perfect.
It turns out the Snake Queen had held back her full power during our first encounter.
“Of course, the cockatrice would hesitate to use enough force to affect you. If it used that much power, it wouldn’t be able to use petrification for a while. Unlike me, it relies solely on that ability, so it would try to conserve its strength.”
That made perfect sense.
Wild beasts fear being wounded.
If they lose their strength, they immediately fall prey to other competitors.
For a cockatrice that depends entirely on petrification, revealing its limitations would be even more dangerous than a severe injury.
“But if its life is on the line, the situation changes. It will unleash its full power to turn any intruder to stone.”
Finally, I understood the Snake Queen’s logic.
While I have some resistance to the cockatrice’s petrification, if it were a fight for survival, it could still overwhelm me with its power.
That’s why she didn’t ask me to defeat the cockatrice outright.
“What I want is its whereabouts.”
The Snake Queen wasn’t asking for the cockatrice’s head, just its location.
“If I waste time searching for it myself, the Bird King might start playing tricks. But if a third party—a legged snake—discovers Kogadurisoo’s location, it would catch that wretched bird off guard.”
This seemed like a reasonable mission.
The reasoning made sense, and the difficulty seemed manageable.
However, there was one thing missing.
“Heh, what's with that uneasy expression?”
Well, it is a life-threatening mission.
Isn’t there anything else?
“Gegek.”
I gave her my most pleading lizard face.
“…Forgiving you for stealing and eating the ten-thousand-year-old spiritual herb isn’t enough?”
Of course, if she had offered that herb as a reward for this mission, I would’ve gladly accepted.
But I already ate it.
I want more.
“Gegek.”
“Sigh… You are quite the greedy one.”
The Snake Queen narrowed her eyes.
“But I don't dislike someone with ambition.”
She licked her lips with her long tongue.
…It’s probably just a snake habit, right?
There’s no deeper meaning here, is there?
“Fine. If you fulfill my request, I will grant you access to the divine artifact stored within this temple.”
A divine artifact?
“There are not only miraculous herbs here, but also objects worthy of being called divine artifacts. Most are either broken or their use has been forgotten, but some are still functional.”
That was the sound of my mouth watering.
“Yes. To give you some extra motivation, and since my daughter is back, I suppose showing you one wouldn’t hurt.”
The Snake Queen stood up.
She effortlessly hoisted Python onto her back and wrapped her tail around me.
Sssssss.
With a smooth, almost gliding motion, the Snake Queen led the way.
Despite my relatively large size, she moved without any strain, which was rather impressive.
The place she took me to held a large, oval-shaped object covered in cloth.
Though I couldn’t tell for sure with the cloth on, it looked like a mirror.
“This divine artifact is called the Mirror of Possibilities.”
So it is a mirror.
But what does a “Mirror of Possibilities” do?
“To attain faith, one must reshape their body many times over. Some call it a rebirth or an evolution, a transformation of the flesh. The Mirror of Possibilities shows the final destination of such transformations.”
What?
There’s something like that?
I glared at the mirror with suspicion, but no further explanation came.
This snake has no reason to lie to me, so it must be true… but is that really possible?
The Snake Queen smiled and removed the cloth from the mirror.
Reflected in it was the Snake Queen herself.
But there was no change.
“As you can see, my reflection shows no change. This is my final form. Though I dislike the notion that creatures mixing human features with serpents are considered superior, there’s nothing I can do about it.”
She clicked her tongue.
So it takes a basilisk-level creature to finally evolve into a human form.
I guess I’d secretly hoped I could return to human form too, but it seems I’m still far from that goal.
Seeing Nephila Jurashika evolve straight from a spider to an arachne really does seem incredible now.
“When I reflected my daughter in the mirror, it only showed her as a large snake. But now, after consuming your tail, her potential has grown significantly. A change is bound to appear.”
The Snake Queen gently held the sleepy Sssssk.
As she brought Sssssk close to the mirror, something remarkable happened.
Bzzzzt!
A purple ripple spread across the mirror, and a new shape began to emerge.
The plump form of a snake slowly morphed.
It grew into a massive basilisk-like snake, then suddenly began to shrink in size.
Shwshwshwsh!
At last, a single figure emerged in the mirror.
Is… is that Sssssk's future?
…You sure you’re not actually her mother?
I knew Sssssk was cute for a snake, but I didn’t expect this.
I’ll have to take good care of her from now on.
Not that I wasn’t doing that already.
“Of course, this image is not a guaranteed future. It only shows one possible outcome. Now, does it pique your interest? Don’t you want to know your own final destination?”
It would be a lie to say I wasn’t curious.
I immediately wanted to see what my future held.
“If you fulfill my request, I’ll let you use the Mirror of Possibilities as an advance payment.”
“Gegek!”
I eagerly nodded my head.
The Snake Queen’s lips curved into a faint smile.
“I’m curious too, you know. About where my son-in-law’s journey will end.”
Why do you keep calling me your son-in-law?
The Snake Queen stepped back a few paces.
Without hesitation, I stood before the mirror.
After consuming the ten-thousand-year spiritual herb and reaching my full potential, where would my journey end?
Even if I saw my future, it wouldn’t guarantee it. As the Snake Queen said, it was just one possibility.
In other words, I could aim for something even higher than what the mirror showed.
After confirming my final destination, I could determine which direction to take next.
There was no reason not to look.
As I stood in front of the mirror, a powerful light burst forth.
“Oh… this brightness is no joke. It reminds me of my younger days.”
A shape began to emerge in the mirror.
It was something massive.
The light was so intense that I couldn’t make out what it was.
Soon, just like with Sssssk, the light should dim, revealing my form.
I waited with bated breath for the light to fade.
Creeeeak.
But the light showed no signs of fading.
“What in the…!”
I heard the Snake Queen’s shocked voice.
Creeeeak!
A large crack appeared in the mirror.
Wait.
Hold on.
Did I break it?
Why is it cracking?
Something was definitely wrong.
The light wasn’t fading, and I couldn’t even see my reflection.
Just as I realized something was off and stepped away from the mirror—
Crash!
The Mirror of Possibilities split in two.
…This is bad.
I just broke my mother-in-law’s cherished artifact.
I cautiously turned my head to gauge the Snake Queen’s reaction.
She was muttering to herself in disbelief.
Yep, I messed up.
A huge blunder.
This is probably going down in history.
I’ve just achieved the grand slam.
Not a bad life, if I say so myself.
I guess I’ll spend the rest of my days as a stone lizard, guarding this temple.
“…A being too powerful for even a divine artifact to contain?”