I felt an emptiness inside.

Something I took for granted was now gone, leaving a void so vast it was almost unbearable.

It was as if there was a large hole drilled right through my head.

When was the last time I felt such a sense of loss?

"Kreekk…"

I let out a sorrowful lizard cry.

Smooth… very smooth.

"Kreeeekk…"

Glossy and shiny.

It was time to let go of the name Komodo.

I was no longer Komodo, but Moomodo—*the Bald Death*.

Of course, a lizard doesn't have hair to begin with.

What I lost was my precious black scales.

The ones on the top of my head, to be exact, all plucked out.

"Kek…"

Perhaps this is the price for learning the Dragon Claw Hand technique from Shaolin. Now I had become a head-butting lizard.

The Snake Queen, meanwhile, seemed delighted, admiring the scales she’d pulled from my head.

"Ufufu. These will be very useful."

It was strange. She had pulled out so many scales, and yet not a single drop of blood fell.

If there had been blood, I would have rolled on the ground, trying to earn her sympathy.

…But then again, sympathy from the vicious Snake Queen who took my scales and was laughing about it? It was never going to work.

"Keeek-kek!"

I let out an angry *keek* sound.

If she needed scales, she could have plucked them from somewhere else!

The ones on my tail would have grown back anyway; she could have just cut those.

Granted, the tail scales are a bit weaker than others and are structured thinner at the end since they need to be detachable, but still… Only taking the scales from my head felt unjust.

She could've pulled a few from my chest, at least.

"I’ll treasure this gift from my partner for a lifetime."

There was no wind in the temple, yet my head felt cold and exposed.

"Kek…"

With a triangular look of discontent, I turned my back to the Snake Queen.

I went to a corner of the nest, curled up, and covered the top of my head with my tail.

“Shhh-shhh.”

I heard a soft, slithering sound.

Shixix was crawling toward me, making her usual soft hissing sounds.

Normally, she would chirp fiercely to scold the Snake Queen for tormenting me. But today, she had remained silent.

"Shix…"

Creeping closer, I noticed a familiar black scale wedged between Shixix’s own scales.

One of the small scales from my head.

"…Shix."

I see.

She had taken a bribe from the Snake Queen to keep quiet.

“Kekek.”

How could you do this, Shixix?

Shixix seemed to know she’d done something wrong, glancing nervously at me.

But I didn’t have the energy to scold her.

She crept up to me, climbed my leg, and nestled around my neck.

“Peep?”

She chirped in confusion, curious about something.

Though I couldn’t see her from my neck, I could feel her plump body stretching out.

Like how cobras do.

“Hiek!”

Shixix let out a horrified shriek.

At last, she had seen the truth of my dreadful state.

Yes, Shixix.

The Komodo you once knew is gone.

Call me *the Head-Butting Lizard* now.

After a long moment of stunned silence, Shixix crawled to the top of my head.

"Hieeek…"

She let out a distressed noise, unable to believe what she saw.

Now you realize your mistake, don’t you?

This is the price you pay for being blinded by greed for a dragon scale, failing to stop the Snake Queen.

The cool, fierce Komodo you admired no longer exists.

Just Moomo, the bald lizard.

…Though, in time, the scales will regrow.

Just leveling up should bring them back.

But until then, I’ll have to walk around as a bald lizard.

"Hiek…"

Perched on my smooth, shiny head, Shixix coiled herself up.

Was she trying to play the role of my missing scales?

How kind of her.

You’re forgiven, Shixix.

*Lick.*

A moist feeling brushed over my head.

*Lick.*

What are you doing?

*Lick.*

She was licking my bare head with her long tongue.

Shixix licking me was nothing new, but it was the first time I’d felt her tongue on my bare, scale-less head.

*Liiiick.*

The slow, deliberate pace was oddly distracting.

Why was she licking my head as if something would come out of it?

"Peep…"

Shixix glanced at me, gauging my reaction.

…Come to think of it, Shixix’s saliva has healing properties.

When we first met, she bit me, which restored a bit of my HP.

In other words, the reason she was licking my head was probably to help the lost scales grow back.

*Lick.*

Yes, keep going.

“My partner, your expression doesn’t look pleased.”

At some point, the Snake Queen had come to my side.

Why would I look pleased?

She pulled out my scales without a second thought.

“Do you know why I took your scales?”

Good question.

I’m curious myself.

While my scales are tough, they’re nothing compared to the Snake Queen’s.

The feather attack from the Nagal Tzo…

It was sharp and powerful enough to pierce through my scales.

But the Snake Queen blocked that attack without a scratch.

Granted, her large size also played a role, but her scales’ fundamental durability was far superior.

To her, my scales were probably no more than ornaments.

I couldn’t understand her reason for taking so many of them.

Was she planning to make armor for Shixix?

That wouldn’t help her much, but it could be quite beneficial for Shixix.

The scales were *dragon scales*, after all, so carrying them around might have a positive impact on Shixix.

Like how a seahorse that clings to a dragon scale undergoes transformative evolution.

I’d be fine with my scales going to Shixix.

But the Snake Queen had clearly said they were a gift for her.

One of the Biyi Bird’s inner cores was for Shixix.

And my scales were for the Snake Queen.

Which meant they weren’t for Shixix, but for another purpose.

"To be honest, I was originally planning to take one of your tails as a farewell gift.”

“Keek!”

“I needed your scales. But since you said you wouldn’t leave, I chose other scales instead of your tail.”

You could have just taken my tail, though.

Isn’t it too late to replant those scales now?

“I wanted your scales to catch Ketsalgahautl.”

Using my scales to catch the King of Birds?

Does Komodo-Rania, the one who slaughtered countless birds, possess a power so formidable that it would even make the Bird King wary?

I almost scared myself.

"Hm… I don’t quite know what you’re imagining, but perhaps I should show you directly."

The Snake Queen took out the item she had received from Argentavis.

I hadn’t had the chance to examine it closely, as it was covered in cloth.

Inside was a massive feather.

It was rolled up tightly, so I’d assumed it was one of Argentavis’ feathers, but as she unfurled it, I realized it was no ordinary size.

Its length couldn’t be measured with just one or two Shixixes.

“Do you know what this is?”

Of course, I didn’t.

The feather, if anything, was nearly as long as my own body.

“This is a feather from a Golden Roc.”

The Golden Roc.

I’d heard of it before.

“I’ve never seen one myself. Among divine beasts, it’s spoken of only in legends.”

The Golden Roc’s other name is Garuda.

In certain traditions, it’s even worshiped as a god.

“We can’t even be certain it exists. This feather might not even be from a Golden Roc.”

Whether it was or not didn’t seem to matter.

Having a feather of this size meant it came from something immensely powerful.

But no matter how powerful the Golden Roc was, what could we possibly do with a single feather?

“I’m going to forge it into a weapon.”

Her answer was unexpected.

Forging a weapon from that enormous feather?

If the main ingredient was the Golden Roc’s feather, the secondary material was my scales.

…Is that really okay?

Am I really worthy to be part of this?

Sure, I’m a divine beast, but am I on par with a legendary bird?

"Kek-kek."

I don’t know.

The Snake Queen must have had a reason for choosing my scales.

Surely, she didn’t pluck my head just for the sake of it.

But a weapon?

Maybe it’s symbolic.

It’s unlikely she’ll wield it herself.

“The weapon I’m making is a sword. A colossal sword, one that I can wield.”

“Keek?”

What was she talking about?

Was she saying she’d personally wield this sword?

“Oh, did I forget to mention?”

The Snake Queen picked up the massive feather from the ground.

“I was once a swordsman.”

A swordsman?

Did she really wield a sword with that body?

Firing destructive beams from her mouth, poisoning and petrifying with her eyes, and swinging a sword on top of all that?

It didn’t make sense.

Besides, the feather was too large to be wielded as a sword.

The Snake Queen picked it up effortlessly, but swinging it was an entirely different matter

.

Unless she planned to reduce its size during the forging process, which would make more sense.

“Hm… The size is a bit lacking, but this will have to do.”

What was that supposed to mean?

Did she intend to wield something even larger?

No human form could manage a weapon of that size.

While her power was overwhelming, the structure was impractical.

Even if she could swing it, the efficiency would be poor.

Unless it’s her true form, wielding that size….

…Wait a minute.

Could it be?

The Snake Queen lifted the feather slightly, then gripped its end with her tail.

“Well, it’ll do as a dagger.”

Then I realized what she meant by *swordsman*.

She wasn’t a *swordsman* in the human sense but a *sword-snake*.

Our Snake Queen would unleash destructive beams from her mouth, spread poison and petrification from her eyes, crush enemies with her body, and wield a sword with her tail.

…

I’m lucky she’s on my side. If she were my enemy, I’d have flipped belly-up in submission right away.

“Kekek.”

“What’s with that cute sound?”

I opened my eyes as wide as possible.

“Why are you suddenly giving me those innocent eyes?”

Quietly, she pulled out a few remaining dragon scales.

“Hiek…”

The sound that came out wasn’t from Shixix but from me, Komodo-Rania, the Snake Queen’s mighty sword.

 

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~!

If you want to buy me a coffee ko-fi.com/kimsu