It felt like the weather had gotten hotter, but the journey back wasn’t difficult at all.

After all, I was returning after successfully completing a mission and receiving a reward. Naturally, my steps were light as I headed toward the temple.

I could see the familiar structure of the temple in the distance.

The black dragons prowling around it looked at me.

They were certainly intimidating creatures.

I felt like I could win in a one-on-one fight, but somehow, I had the feeling that these guys would stand on two legs and fight just like me.

And then they’d probably swing their tails like swords.

…Maybe I was imagining things.

“Kwooor.”

One of the black dragons tilted its head.

It didn’t seem particularly happy to see me, but at least it wasn’t attacking.

After all, I was a lizard under the protection of the Queen of Serpents.

“Geggegek!”
“Kwoooor…”

The black dragon swung its sharp tail and pointed toward the temple.

It probably meant I could go straight in without stopping anywhere else.

Right, you take care as well.

“Geggek.”

With a light trot, I entered the temple.

The traps had been disabled long ago, so there was no problem just walking in.

Not that the traps would have harmed me anyway, even if they were still working.

…But why did it feel so narrow?

Was it because I leveled up so much? It felt like I had grown a lot bigger.

The corridor I used to pass through with ease now felt cramped.

At this rate, if I evolve, will I even be able to get out of here?

The Queen of Serpents will handle it somehow.

There are a few holes in the ceiling, so she could always just throw me up if I needed to get out.

After making my way through the cramped corridor, I arrived at the garden.

Kwaaaaang!

Suddenly, a massive beam of light appeared.

No, it wasn’t just a beam of light.

It was a destructive ray.

A powerful destructive ray shot toward the open ceiling.

Kuwaaang!

The source of the beam calmly looked at me and spoke.

“You’ve returned safely.”

Yes, I did return safely.

That is, aside from almost getting swept up by the destructive ray the Queen of Serpents shot as a celebratory display.

“Biyaaaak!”

Shik Shik was also enthusiastically firing beams into the sky.

Does she even know what she’s doing?

Kuwaaang!

…Wait, why is that beam so strong?

The first time I saw it, it was a tiny little beam.

But now, it had grown strong enough that it could pierce even my dragon scales.

Is this the difference in talent?

She certainly has the potential to be the next queen.

“A religion, huh. You’ve grown quite a bit in such a short time. Thanks to that, my daughter has become much stronger as well.”

Ah, that’s right.

Thanks to the Gaeque Faith, Shik Shik had become more powerful.

My level had skyrocketed, and with the establishment of the religion, it was no surprise that she’d experience such rapid growth.

“Biyaaaak!”

After firing off the celebratory beam, Shik Shik wriggled her way toward me.

Well, since she didn’t have legs, she wasn’t exactly running, more like slithering.

“Byak!”

Shik Shik rubbed her head against me.

…You’ve grown a lot, haven’t you?

You’ve become more plump and longer as well.

Your growth is impressive.

“Hoohoo. Do you like it that much, Princess?”

Ssslither.

The Queen of Serpents approached me as well, sliding gracefully.

“You’ve worked hard. You’ve accomplished even more difficult tasks than I entrusted you with.”

The Queen of Serpents reached out her hand toward me.

I knew what that gesture meant.

I lowered my head so she could pet me properly.

“Hieeek!”

Bite!

At that moment, Shik Shik bit my leg.

“Hoohoo.”

The Queen of Serpents laughed as she patted my head.

And so, I was petted by both of them.

“By the way, did you bring the essence?”

Of course, I brought it.

I handed the Supreme Essence I had tucked between my scales to the Queen of Serpents.

Every time I looked at it, it made my mouth water.

If I weren’t such a good and well-behaved lizard, I might have gobbled it up and run away.

“It’s indeed the essence of the Kgaekdris.”

The Queen of Serpents looked at the essence with a somewhat sad expression.

Come to think of it, she had said it was once one of her subordinates.

There must have been a story behind it, even if I didn’t know the details.

One of the Manticore’s abilities was mind control.

It was a powerful ability that nearly overwhelmed even me several times.

Perhaps the cockatrice had fallen under that same control.

The Queen of Serpents likely had to put it down, even though it had once been her subordinate.

“That wretched fool. It wasn’t even mind-controlled, yet it sided with that thing. How pathetic.”

Oh, so that wasn’t the case.

“In any case, I have no need for this essence. The princess might need it, but the power within it is too strong for her to handle right now.”

Good to know.

I had always trusted the Queen of Serpents.

“…So, release your grip.”
“Gek…”

Feeling the situation, I let go of the essence carefully.

Was I still feeling the aftereffects of the mind control?

I wasn’t usually such a cautious lizard.

“This essence still holds the poison and petrifying power of the Kgaekdris. While there wouldn’t be any immediate issue if you ate it, it would be difficult to fully absorb its power.”

The Queen of Serpents took the essence from my hands.

“I’ll remove what needs to be removed and add what should be added. I’ll make it into the perfect essence for you.”

She’s reliable.

I had already received the Ten Thousand Year Spirit Elixir, and now she’s offering to do me another favor?

“…Your expression looks strange. Why are you grinning and drooling?”
“Gek!”

The Supreme Essence of the cockatrice was handed over to the Queen of Serpents, who placed it into a vessel she called Yangdong.

I thought it was just a tool for drawing water, but it was actually some kind of divine artifact.

“For now, let’s set the essence aside. I should give you the reward I promised.”
“Biyak!”

Finally, the moment I’d been waiting for had arrived.

The Queen of Serpents’ reward!

And Shik Shik’s!

This was the reason I hadn’t evolved yet and made my way here.

If I received the reward first and then evolved, I might have more options available to me.

“Now, close your eyes for a moment.”

Close my eyes?

What kind of reward is this?

“Geggek…”

I felt a bit uneasy but did as she said.

Kuwaaaang!

Boooooom!

Once again, I heard the earth-shaking roar of destruction.

It seemed the Queen of Serpents and Shik Shik were doing something with their destructive rays.

I had the sense that if I opened my eyes, the trajectory of the beams might change, so I kept them tightly shut.

How much time had passed? Eventually, the Queen of Serpents’ voice reached me.

“You’ve waited long enough. You can open your eyes now.”

What kind of preparation could have caused such sounds?

“Gek?”

What met my eyes was a scene quite different from what I expected.

There was a wooden table in front of me.

And on it lay various types of meat.

Judging by the slightly charred appearance, it looked like they had tried to mimic cooking with their destructive rays.

It looked like a full-course meal, but everything was meat, which was peculiar.

I didn’t know snakes could do things like this.

…But is this all?

No elixir or anything like that?

“This is what the princess and I prepared together. We each have something separate we’ve prepared as well.”

Right. The elixir!

“Now, what do you think? Don’t these fish look delicious?”

The Queen of Serpents brought over a dish with two fish on it.

…Fish?

How did she even get those in the jungle?

This was definitely a reward I hadn’t expected…

But it felt a little underwhelming.

“These fish are as good as an elixir. I prepared the larger one, and my daughter prepared the smaller one.”

Well, that changes things.

“Geggek!”

I immediately started stuffing my mouth with the food they had prepared.

Even though I had expended a lot of energy, I hadn’t been able to fill my stomach after the cockatrice turned to stone.

The meat they prepared was just to my taste.

It was bloody enough and the texture was just right.

“Do you like it?”
“Geggek!”

If this had been the end of it, I would’ve made a disappointed face.

But as the Queen of Serpents said, the main course was still left.

The two fish that were said to be as good as an elixir!

They must be something similar to the Ten Thousand Year Spirit Fish.

…Come to think of it, they look a bit like black piranhas.

After finishing the meat, I was about to reach for the fish.

“Wait.”

It was the Queen of Serpents who stopped me.

She stopped me, then carefully used her clean, white fingers to tear into the larger fish.

“Whether it’s fish or meat, the older it is, the better it tastes, you know that, right?”

Is that so?

“There may be those who prefer young fish. But it can’t compare to the true taste of an aged fish.”
“Biyaaaak!”

Shik Shik seemed upset about something.

The Queen of Serpents held her back with her other hand.

“Say ‘ah.’”

I have hands and feet, you know.

Chomp.

Nom.

“How does it taste?”

…This fish.

It was incredibly delicious.

The texture was firm but not tough.

“It’s a delicate yet firm flesh. A supreme delicacy.”

She was right.

“This fish is the mother of that smaller fish. How does it compare? Isn’t the older fish much better?”

I nodded vigorously.

I’d never had fish this good before.

The Queen of Serpents smiled, satisfied.

“Here, have some more. Keep…”
“Biyaaaak!”

Shik Shik, filled with rage, fired her beam and hit the Queen of Serpents’ fingers.

“…I see. It’s the princess’ turn now.”

The princess’ turn?

Shik Shik quickly slithered over to me.

She grabbed the smaller fish in her mouth and tapped me with her tail.

She seemed to be telling me to try it.

Well, since I ate the larger one, I should try the smaller one too.

Chomp.

Nom.

…This taste.

[Volpython LV18] looks at you expectantly.

It’s delicious.

It’s incredibly delicious.

The tender flesh melted away the moment it touched my tongue.

The sweetness of the young fish blended perfectly, creating a heavenly flavor.

“Geggek!”

I let out a sound of satisfaction.

“Biyak!”

Volpython wiggled her tail happily.

I could eat fish like this all day long.

As I was about to continue devouring the fish…

The Queen of Serpents suddenly gave me a cold stare.

…Why are you looking at me like that?

It’s scary.

“Did you like that so much? More than the larger fish?”
“Geggek…”

No, it’s not like that.

“Is the larger fish to your liking? Or…”
“Biyaaaak!”

[Volpython LV18] asks if you liked the smaller fish better.

What is this?

I felt like I was approaching some kind of crossroads.

My danger sense was sending strong warnings.

Both the Queen of Serpents and Shik Shik were staring at me intently.

Not figuratively. They were really staring daggers into me.

Why are you both doing this?

It felt like I was being forced to choose between the two…

Well, whatever. I’ll just…

Chomp.

Nom.

I ate both fish at the same time.

“Oh?”

Do I really have to choose just one?

No, by eating them together, the problem is solved.

I wanted to congratulate myself on my brilliant decision-making.

I wasn’t sure what had happened, but it seemed like there had been some kind of competition between the Queen and the princess. It was probably a family issue.

They probably wanted me to help settle it, but thanks to my flexible thinking, I managed to get through it.

Family issues should be solved within the family.

Don’t drag outsiders into it.

“Geggegek!”

The Queen of Serpents slithered toward me.

Shik Shik did the same.

[Volpython LV18] feels extremely shy.

Good.

It seemed like they were reflecting on their behavior.

I’ll let this slide since the fish was good.

Talk it out and resolve your issues.

“Greedy, aren’t you? Taking both at the same time…”

…What?

“Geggegeggek!”