Chapter 124 From Mouth to Mouth
I spent the night beside Shikshik.
Shikshik purred as she burrowed into my arms.
I felt a little uneasy about leaving her behind for a while, but it was only temporary.
Once I finished off the Bird King, I’d bring her back right away.
It was like leaving a daughter with her grandfather while going on a trip with the wife, or something like that.
…It might seem a bit irresponsible, but the grandfather should spend some time with his granddaughter too.
I gently petted Shikshik’s head.
Morning came.
Shikshik wagged her tail, greeting me.
She seemed to be thinking about what fun things we could do today.
But I couldn’t play with Shikshik.
It was time for me to go.
Sorry, Shikshik.
“…Cheep.”
I had expected her to throw a fit, but she was more composed than I thought.
It seemed like Shikshik knew that the Snake Queen and I were about to face a big battle.
And she probably knew that she wouldn’t be much help in this fight.
Until we got here, she had been as carefree and playful as ever, so I hadn’t thought she was aware.
But she knew. She just didn’t show it.
It was probably her own way of handling things.
Tears weren’t necessary to make the time we spent together more meaningful.
She pretended not to know.
Acted like everything was normal.
Maybe because she didn’t want me to worry.
“Cheep…”
Shikshik tried to act brave, but her eyes were still welling up.
“Cheeeeep!”
In the end, she couldn’t hold back and lunged at me.
Whining, she wrapped herself around my body.
Old Kompi, nearby, made cooing sounds repeatedly, but it didn’t seem to soothe Shikshik’s feelings.
“Cheep…”
Shikshik looked at me with a worried expression.
My leaving this place meant I was going to fight the Bird King soon.
She squirmed and then, suddenly, shot a beam of light from her mouth.
Pshooo.
It was a very thin beam.
And its target was the pendant around my neck.
It was the one with the lizard tied in a web, and a plump snake drawn over it.
“Cheep.”
Shikshik, finally calming down, stopped crying.
She lightly bit my front paw.
I wasn’t sure what it meant, but I guessed she was telling me to be careful and come back soon.
“Gekek.”
Take care of yourself, Shikshik.
I’ll bring you back some bird meat soon enough.
“Kekek.”
Old man.
Please take good care of Shikshik.
“Gekekek.”
And don’t worry too much.
I’ll protect the Snake Queen.
*
It would be best to stay small for now.
If I dispelled the miniaturization, the enlargement would take effect due to the rebound.
But I couldn’t stay small forever either.
While I could fight in this small body, the efficiency was low.
So, the best choice was to maintain a size between that of a Komodo dragon and a smaller Komodo-Lania.
It wouldn’t have the full benefits of enlargement, but it would be enough.
If I grew too big to adjust to, it would be problematic in its own way.
“Krung…”
The black dragons had become very familiar by now.
They were sparring with each other, swinging their tails.
It reminded me of the time I saw the unicorn.
Even though I wasn’t well-versed in swordsmanship, I could tell that there was some sword technique mixed into those tail swings.
Just like with the pseudo-Ankylosaurus, they showed trajectories that couldn’t come from regular tail movements.
With a whole ten black dragons on our side, we had the upper hand in ground combat.
Terror birds wouldn’t stand a chance against these black dragons.
After briefly watching the reassuring sight of the black dragons dueling, I entered the Snake Queen’s temple.
I wondered if she was inside.
I flicked my tongue, sniffing the air, and caught the scent of the Snake Queen.
Though she was a reptile, there was a faint smell of milk.
It was a scent that was hard to forget, no matter how much I wanted to.
…Not that I particularly disliked remembering it.
“Huuuup…”
I could hear the Snake Queen breathing.
It seemed she was in her human form this time.
“Huuuu…”
But her breathing sounded a bit strange.
It was as if she was enduring pain.
I was a little surprised by the sound, which didn’t match the Snake Queen at all, but I kept my composure and approached her.
It seemed the Snake Queen hadn’t noticed my presence yet.
She didn’t look well.
Her already pale face looked even more ashen.
Could something have happened?
With a haggard face, she stared blankly into space.
Then, she twisted her body.
The Snake Queen staggered as if she was about to collapse to the floor.
“Gekek!”
I quickly rushed to her and supported her with my body.
“…You came back sooner than I thought.”
The Snake Queen spoke weakly.
“Sorry. I’ve shown you a rather unsightly side of me.”
Sweat was pouring down her forehead.
Had she ever shown herself like this before?
I still remembered the Snake Queen unleashing her destructive beams without mercy.
How could someone of her caliber be so worn out?
What on earth had happened?
“…I’ve finished refining the core. I might have overexerted myself because of the tight schedule.”
The Snake Queen handed me a small orb.
It was the core of the Beihj Bird.
And the reason she was so exhausted was because of that very core.
It seemed that refining the core had been much more grueling than I had imagined.
“Why are you making that face? I’m just a little tired from using my strength for the first time in a while. I’m fine.”
She didn’t look fine at all.
For the mighty Snake Queen to be swaying on her feet like this…
She had definitely pushed herself too hard.
Not just a little, but quite a lot.
Did she send me to Soaring Dragon’s territory because she didn’t want me to see her struggling?
“Don’t worry too much. I’ll feel better after a little rest.”
Tap.
The Snake Queen’s hand touched me.
It was as if she was telling me to swallow the core already.
“Gekgek.”
How could I possibly eat this?
I immediately closed my mouth and pushed the Snake Queen’s hand away.
“…Are you trying to give this to me instead?”
The core wasn’t something I particularly needed.
Although the Snake Queen had exhausted herself, eating this core would allow her to recover.
No, she could gain even more power from it.
“You’re being foolish. It won’t have much effect on me. Besides, I’ve already modified it to suit you, and you expect me to swallow it now? Don’t let my efforts go to waste.”
She was right.
Swallowing it myself was the right choice.
And the Snake Queen wanted me to.
But, I didn’t want to.
“Gekgekgek.”
Couldn’t we just split it in half?
That way, I’d gain strength, and the Snake Queen would recover her vitality.
“Enough talking, just swallow it already.”
“Gek!”
The Snake Queen stuffed the core into my mouth.
“You’re the first one I’ve ever seen refuse a core, even when it’s offered.”
The Snake Queen finally had a satisfied expression.
“How could you even think of giving me a core that you worked so hard to obtain? It was more than enough to give one to the princess. Besides, I’ve already received a gift from you.”
I swallowed the core she gave me.
Exactly half of it.
“It’s no ordinary core, so you might not be able to—”
Swallowing half meant the other half remained.
“Uh, uhh!”
And that remaining half ended up in the Snake Queen’s mouth.
The Snake Queen looked startled, clearly not expecting me to give her the core like this.
She didn’t expect me to pass it over mouth to mouth.
Hearing it like that might sound romantic.
It could give the feeling of a sweet moment between young lovers.
But in reality, it was a bit different.
I did pass it mouth to mouth.
But from a bit of a distance.
I spat the half core with a *ptooey* like spitting out watermelon seeds.
And that half shot straight into the Snake Queen’s mouth.
“Keheh…”
Cleanliness or sharing something from my mouth—none of that bothered me.
After all, the Snake Queen and I had already seen each other in much more intimate ways.
…Considering how she once sucked me into her mouth and played with me, this much was the least I could do.
“You foolish…”
The Snake Queen gulped down the half core I’d launched at her.
Though she said that, her expression didn’t seem displeased.
At least her complexion had returned to what I knew it to be.
If she had expended a level 3 power refining the core, swallowing half of it had restored her to a level 5 power.
Likewise, swallowing my half gave me a power boost of 5.
“Do you even realize what you just did?”
“Gekgek.”
A world where no one gets hurt, complete.
“What should I do with this troublemaker…”
“Gek?”
“…To be honest, I collapsed because of the Honey of Okbong I secretly ate while you were gone.”
Huh?
“I kept debating whether to eat more, and that made me feel dizzy. That’s when you showed up.”
Does she think I’ll believe that?
She’s just trying to stop me from worrying.
…Then again, if it’s the Snake Queen, that might actually be true.
“If it had been a regular core, I could have let it go. In any case, you ate half, and I ate the other half, so neither of us loses much.”
“Geggek.”
That’s what I was saying.
“But this isn’t a regular core. Without swallowing the whole thing, side effects are inevitable.”
“Geheek!”
What did she just say?
“Come here.”
The Snake Queen’s tail pulled me toward her.
It seemed she was feeling more energetic now that she’d eaten the core.
“Do you know what those side effects are?”
Thud.
My heart pounded suddenly.
I had only swallowed half the core, but the power coursing through me was intense.
Even after consuming countless elixirs, I had never felt this kind of sensation before.
“First, focus on your breathing to control the power of the core.”
The energy of the core surged wildly within me.
I immediately sat down in a meditation posture.
“Don’t worry. Even if I intervene, you won’t fall into a qi deviation.”
The Snake Queen coiled around me.
Though she said that, I couldn’t focus on my breathing right away.
With our bodies in such close contact, even a small mistake could lead to a big accident.
“Don’t worry. The side effect is that we will experience each other’s inner demons.”
The Snake Queen gently stroked my back.
“You will face my inner demon, and I will face yours.”
Her inner energy slowly flowed into my body.
Only then did I feel at ease and start to focus on my breathing.
It seemed the side effect could only be overcome by physical contact.
“Have you closed your eyes? Concentrate. Soon, your inner demon will emerge.”
The side effect didn’t seem too severe.
Since we weren’t dealing with a shattered core, we could handle it immediately.
And instead of overcoming the inner demon, we were just going to experience it.
…Wait a minute.
She’s going to see my inner demon?
The Snake Queen… is going to see the Spinosaurus in a maid outfit?