The Queen of Serpents' words, unexpected by anyone, silenced the room.

Though to be fair, the room only contained the king of birds and me.

“What, what did you say?”
The grotesque lips of the Manticore trembled.
It was a reaction as if it had heard something unbelievable.
In contrast, the Queen of Serpents answered with an expression of indifference.
“I said it is mine.”

As she spoke, she embraced me once again, giving me a subtle glance.
Even a fool could understand.
The current Queen of Serpents was acting.
For reasons unknown, it seemed she was provoking the king of birds.
That look meant she wanted me to follow her words.

“Geeeek….”
I put on my best performance.
I let out a whiny cry like a child whining to its parents.
Mom, that one hit me.
In truth, the emotional weight behind my actions made it hard to call it acting.

“Geggegek…”
I acted as pitiful as possible, feeling somewhat annoying while experiencing the Queen’s touch.
Since it was a spirit, there was no direct contact.
If observed closely, it would look like I was just rubbing my body against thin air.
However, this behavior was enough to achieve the Queen’s purpose.

“How dare you… how dare you!”
The Manticore could not contain its anger.
It seemed excessive to get this angry, but I was relieved that the Queen’s scheme was working.
“You dare to—! And you dare—!”
Its reaction was somewhat strange.
Ever since the Queen referred to me as hers, all the intimidating presence it had shown dissipated.
Could it be that the Manticore had harbored feelings for the Queen of Serpents?
Perhaps the Queen didn’t like the king of birds, leading to continuous fights.
Nah, that couldn’t be it.
Though I had a slight suspicion, there must be some other reason I didn’t know about.

“I cannot forgive you… How dare you belittle me?”
When I first saw its face, I felt an indescribable fear.
It was too alien and grotesque to be called human.
A mythological monster I couldn’t possibly contend against.
That had been my first impression.
But what about now?
Its face was even more grotesque than when I first saw it.
Only the face of the Manticore popped out from the corpse of the cockatrice, making this side seem even more disgusting.
But I wasn’t afraid.
It was just a being expressing ordinary anger and jealousy.
It was weaker than I had thought.

“Why are you angry, king of birds?”
Clenching.
The Queen of Serpents’ aura squeezed my head.
Although it was an incorporeal spirit, I could feel the richness of its power.
“I actually want to hold you responsible for touching my companion.”
The Queen of Serpents struck home.
A companion, huh.
The moment she spoke those words, her face twisted oddly, as if her main body were being attacked mercilessly by Shik Shik.

“Companion?”
The king of birds asked in shock.
“Yes… yes, you….”
The Manticore now stammered to a point it seemed pathetic.
“You’ve truly gone mad… such a young novice…”
“What does age matter?”
“With that disgusting face… with your false appearance…”
The king of birds mumbled.
It was trying to convey something while cursing the Queen of Serpents.
It was probably something about age and polymorph.
As if I would fall for that.
“Geggegek.”
Long live the Queen of Serpents.
I took the posture of diving into her aura pocket.
“Is this really that good?”
…No, you said to act.
This was acting, acting.
“…Queen of Serpents. The appearance I once knew has vanished completely… You’ve changed a lot…”
The king of birds glared at the Queen of Serpents with a venomous look.
“You haven’t changed at all.”
The Queen of Serpents glanced at me and smiled gently.
“Kheh heh…”

At that moment, the Manticore let out a sneer.
Pish!
Sharp feathers shot from the corpse of the cockatrice like darts.
The target was, of course, my head.
Right now, I was in no position to move.
Yet I wasn’t worried at all.
“Disgusting.”
Jjeong!
The moment the Queen of Serpents concentrated her gaze, the feather that had been flying toward me turned to stone and fell to the ground.
“Kechtlcoatl (愾拶古鴉奪). That must be your limit.”
Kechtlcoatl?
Kechtlco…
…Was the Manticore’s identity Kechtlcoatl?
Well, it was hard to understand how a mere Manticore could be on par with our Queen.

“Do not concern yourself with my companion; it’s time for you to leave.”
“This is my territory… it’s you who will leave… If you leave, that one…”
The Queen of Serpents snorted.
“If my main body could move, it would have done so long ago. Do you think I wouldn’t know you?”
The Queen of Serpents took care of the last source of anxiety.
I wondered if the master of the Gaeque faith could act this way, but I began to develop a keen interest in the Queen of Serpents’ faith.

“This time, I have won. Enough of the small talk; return with that ugly body.”
Flash!
One of the Queen of Serpents’ eyes shone once more.
Zjeon!
Before the king of birds could say anything, the face of the Manticore and the body of the cockatrice turned to stone.
The cockatrice had originally been a monster that used the power of petrification. It was natural for it to resist petrification.
However, it seemed that the Queen of Serpents could petrify with just her spirit’s power without any problems.
I could feel once again that she had let me off easy when I first met her.
Crack.
The corpse of the cockatrice shattered into dust.
The traces of the Manticore also disappeared.
This signified only one thing.

[Your level has increased.]

Finally, I had defeated it.
[Your level has increased.]
[Your level has increased.]
[Your level has increased.]
[Your level has increased.]
….
A tremendous amount of level-up messages arrived.
It was a reward for defeating the cockatrice.
I was worried it would be processed as if the Queen of Serpents had defeated it, but thankfully, it seems I was recognized for the kill.
Dududuck.
The petrified body was revitalized, and both HP and MP were fully restored.
Suuu…
Phew…
I almost died.
Feeling my body restored was what this feeling was like.
My level skyrocketed, and I felt bigger than before, and oddly enough, my mind felt clearer.

“Is your body all healed?”
“Geggegek!”

Thanks to you.
The Queen of Serpents looked at me.
This time, she wore a slightly cold expression, unlike before.
“Geggegek…?”
“Didn’t I tell you to find the traces?”
I instinctively knew.
This is her scolding me now.
“Geeng…”
I watched the Queen of Serpents closely.
“If I hadn’t intervened, what do you think would have happened?”
Well, I guess I would have been killed by the Manticore.
“Geggek.”
“Do you think a fellow like you would act that way?”
I pretended to look as pitiful as possible.
“Do you think your body belongs to you?”
If I showed my injuries, maybe I would evoke some sympathy.
But I had just leveled up and was completely healed.
I squeezed my eyes shut.
The Queen of Serpents’ punishment would be waiting for me.
Still, since I had made a contribution, she shouldn’t be too harsh.
Maybe just a little experience with petrification.

The words that came from the Queen of Serpents were far from what I had expected.
“…Well done.”
She gently lifted the corners of her mouth, praising me.
If the Queen of Serpents had a status window, I’d probably receive a message indicating my faith had greatly increased by now.
“Geggegegek!”
“I’d like to scold you, but since you brought me results beyond expectations, I have nothing to say.”
The Queen of Serpents reached for my head.
Though she was a spirit and couldn’t touch me, we could at least feel the sentiment.
“Geggek.”
“By defeating the Kgaek, I was able to deal damage to the king of birds as well.”
The unstable appearance of the Manticore I had just seen.
Simply eliminating that seemed to strike at its main body.
The Queen of Serpents smiled kindly.
“Did you see that guy’s expression? It felt like a hundred years’ worth of pressure was lifted.”
Isn’t ten years usually the expression used?
How old is the Queen?
No, I shouldn’t have such irreverent thoughts.
I shook my head vigorously to erase the age controversy of the Queen of Serpents.
She stared at me for a moment and then seemed to recall something she had forgotten.
“By the way, there was a promised reward.”
“Gek!”

Elixir!
“Since you’ve made a great contribution, I must give you a reward greater than promised.”
More elixirs!
“Uhuhuh. You can look forward to it.”
…It’s an elixir, right?
“Oh, don’t eat the essence of the Kgaek right away; just bring it.”
I widened my eyes and stared at the spirit of the Queen of Serpents.
Isn’t this mine?
“…What’s with that sullen expression? There’s a specific way to absorb its essence effectively.”
Grin.
I believed you.
“Hmm… It seems it’s about time to return.”
The spirit of the Queen of Serpents began to fade slowly.
“It’s your territory, but I cannot harm you right now.”
The Queen of Serpents was a strong presence even in handling posthumous matters.
“Still, it’s not good to stay too long. All the beings in the jungle have probably recognized you after that battle. Well, I don’t know how many will dare touch one marked by the Queen of Serpents.”
I was a lizard guaranteed by the Queen of Serpents.
If it weren’t for a big guy, no one would attack me.
Who would dare attack me when even the Kgaek, its kin, was dead?
Of course, there could be other kin, so as she said, it wouldn’t be good to stay for too long.

“I will return. I have conversations to share with my daughter and rewards to prepare.”
I wondered how precious an elixir she was going to prepare.
“Oh, the princess is also diligently preparing a gift for you, so you can look forward to that.”
Shik Shik?
Is Shik Shik preparing an elixir for me too?
“Uhuhuh. Then I’ll be heading back first; you should finish your tasks and return.”
With that final word, the spirit of the Queen of Serpents vanished.

Tasks I had to do.
First, it would be a priority to deal with those humans.
“Geggegek…”
With the majestic cry of a Komodo dragon, I slowly walked away.