I spent the night next to Shweshwe.

He burrowed into my embrace, making soft purring sounds.

It tugged at my heart to leave him behind, even if just for a little while.

Once I finish off the King of Birds, I’ll bring him back right away.

So, it’s like leaving my daughter with my father-in-law for a trip with my wife.

…It might seem a bit irresponsible, but my father-in-law needs to spend time with his granddaughter too.

I gently patted Shweshwe's head.

Daylight broke.

Shweshwe wagged his tail, welcoming me.

He seemed to be thinking about what fun we would have today.

However, I couldn’t play with him.

It was time for me to go.

Sorry, Shweshwe.

“…Peep.”

I expected him to throw a fit, but he was surprisingly composed.

It seemed Shweshwe understood that I was going to engage in a major battle with the Snake Queen.

And he probably realized he wouldn’t be much help in this fight.

Even on the way here, he had been his usual innocent self, so I thought he didn’t understand the gravity of the situation.

But he knew and just chose not to show it.

That was his way of making our time together more meaningful, without needing tears.

Pretending as if nothing was wrong.

Acting the same as always.

Just in case I might worry.

“Peep….”

Though he tried to act mature, his eyes became misty.

“Peep!”

Finally unable to hold back, Shweshwe lunged at me.

He wrapped his body around me, whining softly.

Old Kompi tried to make silly sounds beside us, but there was no way he could win Shweshwe’s heart.

“Peep….”

Shweshwe looked at me with a worried expression.

For me to leave meant I would soon be fighting the King of Birds.

He squirmed and suddenly shot a beam from his mouth.

*Pshh!*

It was a very thin ray.

And the target of that ray was the ornament hanging from my neck.

On the web was a drawing of a plump snake atop a lizard.

“Peep.”

Finally calming down, Shweshwe stopped crying.

He bit my foreleg gently.

I didn’t know what it meant, but it was likely telling me to be careful while I was gone.

“Gak-gak.”

Stay safe, Shweshwe.

I’ll make sure to feed you plenty of fresh meat soon.

“Kek-kek.”

Old man.

Please take good care of Shweshwe.

“Gak-gak.”

And don’t worry too much.

I’ll protect the Snake Queen.

*

It would be best to maintain my smaller size.

The moment I release my shrink ability, I would rebound to my larger size.

But I couldn’t keep walking around in such a tiny form all the time.

I could fight even in this smaller body, but it would be less efficient.

Thus, the best choice would be to maintain a size similar to that of a Komodo, not Komodo-Rania.

While it wouldn’t have the full effect of becoming enormous, it would still be sufficient.

And if I grew too large to adapt, that would be troublesome in itself.

*Roar…*

The familiar sight of the sword dragons.

They were sparring, swinging their tails at each other.

I remembered the time I saw the One-Horned Dragon.

Though I’m not well-versed in swordplay, I could tell there was some technique blended into their tail swings.

They showed trajectories that wouldn’t come from regular tail swings, just like the similar ankylosaurus.

Since there were as many as ten sword dragons, we’d have the upper hand in ground combat.

No way would a bird of fear stop the sword dragons.

After briefly enjoying the sight of the sword dragons training, I entered the temple of the Snake Queen.

I wondered if the queen was inside.

As I flicked my tongue to smell, I caught the scent of the Snake Queen.

Even though she’s a reptile, there was a faint smell of milk.

It was a scent I couldn’t help but remember, even if I didn’t want to.

…And personally, it wasn’t something I wanted to forget.

“Hhh…”

I could hear the Snake Queen’s breathing.

This time, it seemed she was in human form.

*Hoo…*

However, her breath sounded a bit odd.

It seemed as though she was in pain.

I was surprised by that strange sound, which was uncharacteristic of the Snake Queen, but I maintained my composure as I approached her.

It seemed she hadn’t noticed I was there.

Her complexion didn’t look good either.

Her already pale face appeared even more so.

Had something happened?

She stared blankly into space with a haggard expression.

Then she twisted her body.

The Snake Queen staggered as if she were about to collapse.

“Gak!”

I quickly rushed to her and caught her with my body.

“…You returned earlier than I expected.”

The Snake Queen spoke weakly.

“Sorry. I’ve shown you a rather pathetic side.”

Sweat was dripping down her forehead.

Had she ever shown me such a state before?

I still remembered her ruthlessly firing destructive beams.

To see such a person like this was shocking.

What on earth had happened?

“…I finished refining the elixir. I think I overexerted myself due to the tight schedule.”

The small sphere she held out to me was the elixir of the phoenix.

And the reason she was exhausted was likely due to this elixir.

It seemed that refining it was much harder than I had anticipated.

“Why do you have that expression? I merely exerted myself a bit after using my powers for the first time in a while; I’m fine.”

She didn’t look fine at all.

She had almost collapsed, after all.

She was clearly overexerted.

Not just a little, but quite a lot.

Did she send me to the territory of the young dragon to avoid showing her weakened state?

“Just take a short break, and I’ll be fine again soon, so don’t worry too much.”

*Thump.*

The Snake Queen’s hand touched me.

As if to tell me to swallow the elixir quickly.

“Gak-gak.”

How could I possibly eat this?

I immediately closed my mouth and pushed her hand away.

“…Are you really giving this to me?”

It was an elixir that could be considered optional.

Even though the Snake Queen had exerted her energy, consuming this elixir would help her recover.

No, it would grant her even greater power.

“How foolish. That is something that can’t provide me with such great effects. And I’ve already modified it for you, yet you want me to swallow it? Don’t let my efforts go to waste.”

She had a point.

It would be the right choice for me to consume it.

The Snake Queen wanted that as well.

But I didn’t want to do it.

“Gak-gak-gak.”

What if we just share it?

I would gain strength, and the Snake Queen would recover her energy too.

“Ugh, stop talking and swallow it quickly.”

“Gak!”

The Snake Queen shoved the elixir into my mouth.

“Honestly, I’ve never seen anyone refuse an elixir offered to them.”

Finally, Old Kompi looked relieved.

“That’s more than enough for you to give me what you worked hard to obtain. It’s already too much for me to accept it from the princess. I’ve also received a gift from you.”

I swallowed the elixir the Snake Queen offered.

Exactly half of it.

“This isn’t an ordinary elixir, so you should be able to immediately…”

The fact that I swallowed half meant that half was still remaining.

“Ulp, ugh!”

And that remaining half entered the Snake Queen’s mouth.

Old Kompi was taken aback by the sudden transfer of the elixir.

He probably hadn’t expected me to hand it to her in such a way.

It was an exchange from mouth to mouth.

Just hearing it sounds rather romantic.

It gives off a vibe like that of young lovers.

But the reality was somewhat different.

Yes, it was indeed passed from mouth to mouth.

But there was a bit of distance.

It was as if I spat out half the elixir like a watermelon seed.

And that half went directly into the Snake Queen's mouth.

“Cough…”

It may not be hygienic, but how could I spit something out that was in my mouth?

Those words didn’t apply to me.

After all, the Snake Queen and I were past that point.

…She had put me in her mouth before, so I owed her at least this much.

“What a foolish….”

Old Kompi gulped down the half of the elixir I shot out.

Though he spoke those words, his expression didn’t look that bad.

At least her complexion returned to what I remembered.

If she had used three units of power to refine the elixir, swallowing half would equate to regaining five units of power.

I too had swallowed half the elixir, gaining five units of power.

“Do you know what you just did?”

“Gak-gak.”

In a world where no one gets hurt, it’s completed.

“You foolish child, what am I to do with you…”

“Gak?”

“I’ll be honest. The reason I was staggering was that I secretly consumed some honey from the silk flower while you were away.”

Huh?

“I was dizzy from pondering whether to consume more or not. That was when you arrived.”

Who would have guessed?

He must be saying that so I wouldn’t worry.

…But it does seem like

 something the Snake Queen would genuinely do.

“An ordinary elixir could be passed over easily. After all, you swallowed half, and I consumed the other half, so neither of us would suffer greatly.”

“Gegak.”

That’s what I’m saying.

“But this isn’t an ordinary elixir. Unless you consume a complete elixir, side effects are inevitable.”

“Gaaak!”

What does that even mean?

“Come here.”

The Snake Queen’s tail tugged at me.

Since I had just consumed the elixir, I felt energetic.

“What do you think the side effect will be?”

*Thump.*

In that moment, my heart began to pound wildly.

I had merely swallowed half of the elixir, yet the sensation felt unusual.

How could I experience such feelings after munching on all kinds of elixirs?

“First, you need to practice Qi Gathering to manage the elixir’s power.”

The energy of the elixir was thrashing about.

I immediately assumed the lotus position.

“Rest assured. Even if I touch you, you won’t fall into a trance.”

The Snake Queen coiled around me.

Though she said that, I couldn’t immediately practice Qi Gathering.

If I made a mistake while we were so closely entwined, it could lead to a serious incident.

“Don’t worry. The side effect is merely experiencing each other’s heart.”

The Snake Queen’s hand caressed my back.

“You’ll experience my heart, and I’ll experience yours.”

Her inner energy gradually flowed into my body.

Only then could I finally practice Qi Gathering with peace of mind.

In the first place, being in contact like this was necessary to overcome the side effect.

“Did you close your eyes? Focus your mind. Soon, the heart will arise.”

The side effects didn’t seem to be that severe.

Unless I consumed shattered elixirs, I wouldn’t be able to take immediate action.

Moreover, it wasn’t about overcoming the heart; it was about experiencing it.

…Wait a second.

You’re going to see my heart?

The maid uniformed Spino… the Snake Queen is going to see it?