Chapter 105
Chapter 105 Unicorn’s Tears
Shikshik’s tail swayed rapidly.
She was probably thinking that this was a fun family outing.
Did Shikshik think of me as her dad?
“Piyak!”
…Well, on paper, I might be her dad, but considering her personality, she probably didn’t think of me as her father.
Maybe she saw me as a husband-like figure.
And then, she believed her mom stole me from her.
When I thought about it like that, it felt like a really messed-up relationship, but from a reptile’s perspective, it might be okay.
…It’s okay, right?
Shikshik seemed to be excited about going out, not thinking about complicated matters.
Of course, she was.
She usually stayed inside that temple.
From what the Snake Queen said, the last time Shikshik got lost and met me was because she felt suffocated inside the temple and tried to escape.
How frustrated must this timid creature have been to do that?
I decided I’d have to raise our child in a free-range style.
I should mention this to the Snake Queen.
I glanced at the Snake Queen, then looked away.
“Saaaak!”
That was because the Snake Queen was currently in her Basilisk form.
She seemed to be roaring thoughtlessly, but it was quite terrifying.
Look at that—the other animals were trembling.
Crack.
Ssssss….
Even a few drops of her saliva falling to the ground created deep dents.
She casually smashed through a sturdy tree with her body.
It seemed that her mind became a bit wilder compared to when she was in her human form, suggesting that the mind tends to follow the body.
Well, even if she could take on a human form, her true form wasn’t human, so it couldn’t be helped.
Unless you’re a special lizard like me, everyone would be like that.
Look at me.
I had the body of a lizard, but I perfectly maintained a human mind.
“Piyak!”
Oh, my Shikshik.
The way you placed jewel-like stones in your scales is adorable.
You’re trying to emphasize your already plump tail even more.
I worried that she might become a femme fatale when she grows up.
Tuss and Puss, and now Shikshik.
All I wished for was that they would grow up in the right direction.
Nephila had already shown a glimpse of that evolution, so if she turned out that well, I’d be satisfied.
Puss should be big and strong.
And Tuss, being a bit smaller, should be slender like Nephila.
“…Gek!”
I hoped I was indeed maintaining my mind perfectly.
It felt like I was slowly starting to think more like a lizard.
“Piyak!”
Whether she knew about my concerns or not, Shikshik hopped around.
I decided not to question why a snake was hopping anymore.
Shikshik’s plump tail muscles made jumping possible.
She seemed to want to climb onto my body, so I lowered myself a bit.
“Hieek!”
Shikshik, satisfied, settled near my neck.
Since I had deactivated my miniaturization, she clung tightly to my body, making it easy for her to move around.
To be honest, I didn’t want to deactivate my miniaturization.
I really wanted to grab onto Shikshik’s tail and ride on top of the Snake Queen, moving around comfortably.
It was convenient, and it was kind of a dream, right?
A giant snake.
The fact that I could ride on a Basilisk, a creature that only existed in myths.
But the Snake Queen didn’t grant my request.
To be precise, after deactivating my miniaturization, she wanted me to walk alongside her.
Honestly, I didn’t quite understand the request.
No, I didn’t even understand why the Snake Queen undid her humanization.
The reason was because of the King of Birds.
The Snake Queen and the King of Birds were in a cold war.
Though no official declarations of war had been made, the Snake Queen had already made up her mind to attack him.
The King of Birds had targeted me, whom the Snake Queen had declared as her mate.
It wouldn’t have been surprising if a clash occurred at any moment.
If it were me, I would have reduced my size and traveled that way.
If she moved in her true form, it would inevitably catch the attention of the Imoogi Bird.
And she would inadvertently convey the information that she was going to see the former King of Birds to rally support against him.
But the one who knew the King of Birds better was the Snake Queen.
It could be to exert pressure.
Or maybe she was waiting for a mistake from Gaechar-goa-dal, who might try to stop her.
If he intervened, we could attack together—Argentavis, the Snake Queen, and me.
If he sent his subordinates instead of coming himself, it would just be a pointless death for them.
Thinking about it that way, I could understand it somewhat.
She must have her reasons.
“Saaaaak!”
…You do have a plan, right?
I watched the Snake Queen’s movements carefully and matched her pace.
“Gororong….”
As we walked, Shikshik began snoring, sound asleep.
Looking at her like this, I really felt like we were a family.
It had been a while since we went on an outing.
A snake-like wife who was really angry.
A snake-like child who was the most excited but the first to fall asleep.
And a husband who was under his wife’s thumb.
Sometimes, this wasn’t so bad.
Many animals were watching our outing.
The beasts of the jungle, seeing this peaceful scene, would surely heal their wounded bodies and hearts.
This might be another way to accumulate divinity, right?
—
* * *
—
Thud.
The ground shook.
Massive trees were helplessly falling.
The sudden natural disaster caused the animals to panic and scatter in all directions.
“Saaak!”
Every beast in the jungle had no choice but to revere the being they saw.
Even those uninterested in the power struggle, and those living in Gaechar-goa-dal’s territory.
They had no choice but to respect, if not revere, the being before them.
The one who transcended the limitations of being a snake.
The mythical creature, the Basilisk.
The ruler of the western jungle, also known as the Snake Queen, had appeared.
Her size was overwhelming.
Yet, the beings of the jungle rarely saw her.
She remained secluded in her domain.
To be precise, the jungle’s beasts assumed as much.
They believed she was preparing for war with the King of Birds.
That she was hiding to avoid him.
Or perhaps she was secluded in her temple, raising a successor.
There were only rumors.
“Kaak! It’s the Queen! The Snake Queen has appeared!”
Parrots flying in the sky quickly spread the news.
The Snake Queen had shown herself.
In a way, this might not be that shocking.
It was surprising that someone who hadn’t been active for a long time had moved, but it was something that could happen.
No, it would have been stranger if she hadn’t moved by now.
“Kaak! The S-Snake Queeeen!”
The parrots kept shouting in circles, echoing the shocking sight they had seen.
The Snake Queen was a noble being.
She rejected Gaechar-goa-dal’s proposal and built her own power base.
If she had accepted his offer, this jungle would have been ruled by a single force.
The Snake Queen, who refused the Imoogi Bird’s proposal.
There was someone else standing beside her.
A four-legged snake.
Sogung, Stone Ape, Quadrupedal Snake.
In other words, a lizard.
But it was difficult to dismiss it as just a lizard.
It was far too large to be just a lizard.
Though smaller than the Snake Queen, that didn’t diminish its presence.
Moreover, its entire body was covered in black scales.
Beautiful scales that reminded one of the mythical dragon, without a single impurity.
It was beautiful, despite being a lizard.
It was sacred, despite being a lizard.
It was a being that could no longer be called a mere lizard.
“Grrr….”
From the black lizard’s mouth, both heat and cold flowed.
The beautiful black scales, reminiscent of a dragon.
Large teeth, with heat and cold flowing between them.
To the jungle’s beasts, it resembled a dragon more than anything else they had seen.
It was already surprising enough that such a being had entered the jungle, but there was something even more surprising.
The accessory hanging around the black lizard’s neck.
It was clearly a symbol of the Snake Queen.
There was no way that noble snake would give her symbol to another creature.
She hadn’t even given it to the King of Birds.
If she ever gave it to someone, it would only be after they defeated her and took it by force.
But it was impossible to think that lizard had defeated the Snake Queen.
Moreover, if they had fought, they wouldn’t be traveling together like this.
So, what did this strange behavior mean?
The Basilisk’s tail gently stroked the black lizard’s tail.
“Kaaak!”
The parrots watching the situation were startled.
They couldn’t help it.
They had just realized why that lizard had the Snake Queen’s symbol.
The Snake Queen’s mate.
That was the only explanation for such an affectionate tail stroke.
Moreover, looking closely, there was a tiny snake riding on the black lizard’s neck.
The snake seemed to have just woken up, glaring at the Snake Queen with a pouty expression.
It must have been the Snake Queen’s successor.
The Snake Princess also stroked
the black lizard affectionately with her tail.
The atmosphere was strange.
“Kaaak!”
Parrots are known for their noisy behavior, but in this situation, no one would blame them.
“Gigooong!”
The worst lizard in history, who had seduced both the Snake Queen and the Snake Princess, was born.
“Kaaak!”
The parrot’s words were carried by the wind throughout the jungle.
Whether in the King of Birds’ territory, the Snake Queen’s domain, or even in the Soaring Dragon’s domain.
The Snake Queen’s mate had appeared.
Every being in the jungle came to know this fact.
And that this mate had also seduced the Snake Princess.
This news also spread throughout the jungle, but few believed it.
At least until they saw the shocking scene with their own eyes.
“This… this libertine….”
From a distance, the hornless unicorn wiped away its tears.
That wretched lizard had finally done it.
He had stolen the hearts of two pure maidens.
The unicorn regretted not having dealt with that vile lizard, but it was already too late.
Moreover, for some reason, its horn had ended up in the possession of that lizard.
The horn, a gift to a pure maiden, had been taken away.
In that short time, he had laid hands on her as well.
“Monogamyyyy….”
Tears, as large as chicken droppings, streamed from the unicorn’s eyes.
It cursed the lizard.
It sent out a wave of intense hatred, but the black lizard merely scratched its head absentmindedly, letting out a series of careless sounds.
“Gegegegek!”
