“Gegegek…”

What was she saying?

She wanted me to leave the jungle?

“The edge of the jungle isn’t far from here. If you wish to leave, you could do so right away.”

This area was open, almost devoid of the massive trees characteristic of the jungle. It was probably an outskirt, a place just a step away from the jungle’s boundary.

The Snake Queen had brought me to a place where I could easily leave the jungle.

“Can you take the princess and leave from here?”

She wanted to send me out of the jungle.

I couldn’t understand why.

With a serious voice, I asked her.

“Gegek…”

She looked directly at me.

“You’re asking why? It’s simple enough. Capturing the Bird King is a foregone conclusion. There’s no reason to rely on outsiders anymore.”

Outsider.

Normally, I’d have laughed it off, thinking, “I’m not an outsider; I’m a lizard.”

But right now, it didn’t seem funny.

Her words sounded reasonable if taken at face value.

It made sense. After all, when had we ever been that close?

But this didn’t feel right.

The Snake Queen was saying something she didn’t truly mean.

I knew the look on her face when she smiled over a single rice ball.

And so, I recognized that her current expression was just an act.

This was the same Snake Queen who’d given me the Blaze Fruit and Ice Ginseng.

After giving me such priceless items, she was now trying to send me away?

That couldn’t be true.

“Gek.”

I met the Snake Queen’s eyes.

“…Hah.”

Her smile was hard to read, caught between laughter and tears.

“I can’t keep anything from you, can I?”

The Snake Queen reached out and pulled me to her.

We were at a shallow part of the water.

It wasn’t difficult to get back onto dry land.

After climbing up to the nest where Shik-Shik was sleeping, I shook the water off myself.

The Snake Queen watched me in silence before speaking.

“This battle will be dangerous. I trust in my victory, but there’s always the possibility…”

At last, she was giving me the real reason.

It was almost laughable.

When was a battle ever not dangerous?

I’d crossed the line between life and death countless times.

The Snake Queen looked long and hard at the peacefully sleeping Shik-Shik.

She wanted to ensure that both Shik-Shik and I would be safe.

Her intention was to send Shik-Shik somewhere safe—an idea I agreed with.

But excluding me from the fight was something I couldn’t accept.

She gently stroked Shik-Shik’s head, then settled herself into the grass.

“…I am a coward.”

A coward.

Not a word I ever expected from her.

“I’m greedy, yet terrified of losing what’s mine… a foolish coward.”

Who could possibly belittle her for being a coward?

She was the Snake Queen, ruler of half the jungle, standing equal to the Bird King.

Her yellow eyes met mine.

They weren’t her usual, expressionless eyes, but the gentle eyes I’d seen once before.

“…I never told you what my relationship with the Bird King was.”

I sat down in front of her, ready to listen.

“When I was still a small snake, Honhui raised me.”

A small snake.

Of course, even the Snake Queen must have had a time when she was small.

Seeing how Compy treated her, it was easy to imagine.

“And I wasn’t the only one he raised.”

Compy lived among numerous small creatures.

She must have been one of them.

“Gechalgoatal. He grew up with me.”

The Bird King had grown up alongside the Snake Queen?

“Yes. You must have realized by now; he was originally a snake.”

The Snake Queen’s face took on a sorrowful expression.

“He was a timid, helpless snake who couldn’t do anything without me.”

Gechalgoatal.

I had noticed his name was similar to Quetzalcoatl.

“We were like siblings. We grew bigger and stronger together, eating whatever Honhui brought us.”

Quetzalcoatl was a feathered snake.

“One day, a human appeared before us.”

A human.

This was probably the person who’d given the Snake Queen her spiritual energy and techniques.

“I used to think humans were weak and cruel creatures. But he was different.”

The fact that she’d describe him this way—it implied he was incredibly powerful.

“Untouched by malice, pure-hearted, yet with a strength beyond measure.”

The Snake Queen closed her eyes as if lost in the memory.

“He told us that even as snakes, with enough training, we could become dragons.”

Both the Snake Queen and the Bird King were obsessed with becoming dragons.

This was likely what drove their growth.

“I trained constantly. My body grew larger, and my strength increased.”

“Gek.”

“I thought that if I kept at it, Gechalgoatal and I could become dragons together.”

But she remained a snake.

Some consider the basilisk a type of dragon, but she saw herself as a snake.

In other words, she hadn’t succeeded in becoming a dragon.

“As time passed, he changed. He began seeking guidance from others, not just So-ryong, and he distanced himself from us. Still, I didn’t worry. Honhui, Gechalgoatal, and I were family.”

“Gegek.”

“But eventually, things went too far. He began tormenting the smaller creatures So-ryong protected.”

The small creatures.

The Snake Queen and the Bird King must have grown up alongside other small animals.

If those creatures were around now, they’d be remarkable beings.

…But when I visited Compy’s domain, I hadn’t seen any creatures of that level.

At most, there were some high-level lizards.

“Things kept getting worse until… an incident happened.”

The Snake Queen hugged herself, her face reflecting sorrow.

“He killed all of Honhui’s disciples.”

Now I understood why there weren’t any strong beings in So-ryong’s domain.

The Bird King had killed them all.

“With a sickening pride, he wore his new wings, drenched in their blood.”

The Snake Queen clenched her teeth.

“With that detestable expression…”

Kugooo…

The overwhelming energy she exuded was similar to what I’d felt when she’d faced off against Argentavis.

It must have been a traumatic memory, painful enough to recall.

“Gegek.”

I pressed my head gently against what I assumed was her knee.

“…What are you doing? Are you suggesting I rub my scales to feel better?”

“Gekgekgek.”

“Only you would do something like this.”

The energy she’d been releasing subsided.

I couldn’t tell if her mood had lifted, but she seemed to have calmed herself.

“…That’s what Gechalgoatal is. He’ll do anything to get what he wants.”

She continued, softly stroking my head with one hand.

“I’ve already received more help than I deserve. This dreadful feud must be ended by me.”

The time to confront the Bird King was almost upon us.

She wasn’t planning to lose.

But the Bird King was twisted. Even if she won, damage was inevitable.

And, officially, I was the Snake Queen’s consort, making me a likely target.

“Once more, I ask you. Will you take my daughter and leave this jungle?”

That’s why she was trying to distance me from this.

But I had only one answer.

“Gegek.”

This was a lizard’s body.

All I could do was let out a lizard’s cry.

So, this was the only way I could talk with her.

The Snake Queen spoke, and I responded.

But that response barely counted as a conversation.

She might understand my intent.

But that was the limit of what I could convey.

For the first time, I cursed this body, only able to let out a gegek.

“Gegegek.”

There’s no way…

Was she planning to keep Gechalgoatal’s core all to herself?

That wouldn’t do.

“Gekgek!”

As I cried out, the Snake Queen looked at me in surprise for ten seconds.

Then, she tilted her head, trying to understand, for five more seconds.

“Ufufu…”

After about three seconds, she seemed to understand and gave a small laugh.

“Honestly, I can’t win with you.”

“Gekgek!”

No need for complex plans.

We’d find a safe place for Shik-Shik and launch a full assault.

And if necessary, I’d keep her safely in my mouth.

“My partner.”

“Gek?”

“…You’ve brought this upon yourself.”

Srrrk.

The Snake Queen coiled her tail around me.

Wait, what?

“Gegegek!”

“I gave you a chance.”

What was she saying?

“If you’re staying, you should be prepared.”

“Gegegegek!”

I didn’t agree to this!

Shik-Shik, wake up! I’m in trouble!

The Snake Queen’s grip tightened.

Was she really going to eat me?

I closed my eyes.

Someone, please save me.

“Uh, excuse me!”

A human voice suddenly rang out.

Both the Snake Queen and I froze.

“…Did you hear that?”

“Gekgek.”

The Snake Queen released her hold, and I nodded quickly.

Whoever it was had just saved my life.

“This is strange. Why would a human be here? And who would talk to you so casually?”

It was unlikely they were an ordinary human.

No regular person would approach a giant lizard about to be devoured by a woman with the lower half of a snake.

“But it was definitely a human voice… Hm… We should check.”

It sounded more like she intended to punish whoever dared to interrupt.

Whoever it was, I wished

 them peace.

“P-Please help…”

Staying alert, I approached the voice with the Snake Queen, making sure to bring Shik-Shik along.

The voice belonged to a black-haired woman.

She was bleeding and covered in cuts. They didn’t look fatal, but she was limping, clearly struggling.

“Huff… Big Lizard… Please… help…”

I turned to the Snake Queen.

I was leaving the decision to her.

“This can’t be…”

The Snake Queen stammered, reacting unusually.

“You… you can’t be…”

She trembled, while the woman stared at her with concern.

What was going on?

This wasn’t normal.

Why was the Snake Queen reacting so strongly?

Could it be that she knew this face?

I quickly pieced it together.

What were the odds that someone the Snake Queen recognized would show up here, right now?

If the Snake Queen knew her, that meant this person had survived an encounter with her.

That would imply a certain level of power.

But then why was she here, bleeding, asking us for help?

And how did a human just show up in this place out of nowhere?

My instincts screamed at me.

I’d felt this sensation once before.

“Could you come a little closer?”

The woman was still sniffling, but she wore a faint smile.

I focused my gaze.

【Rakshasa Bird Lv70】

Of course.

Rakshasa Birds could disguise themselves as humans.

The Snake Queen’s strong reaction was because she was seeing someone meaningful to her.

If not for that, she’d have seen through this trick in an instant.

The enemy’s strategy was good—taking advantage of her weakened heart.

But they’d made two mistakes.

[Activating 「Reverse Scale Lv1」.]

The first was underestimating the instincts of the Snake Queen’s partner, who had the Wild Eyes skill.

[「Gekek Death Beam Lv1」 temporarily acquired.]

The second was that her partner, if confused, could unleash a Gekek Death Beam without hesitation.

“Wait, what are you…?”

*ZZZZZZAAAANG!*

The other mistake was underestimating a partner who didn’t hesitate to fire off a Gekek Death Beam in unclear situations.

 

TL NOTE: Please don't skimp on the stars for the translation - it inspires me and gives me the strength to write more. Thank you~!

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