Chapter 193: Palace of Love
Shikshik.
Stop pulling.
“Bbyaaak…”
Tus, Pus.
Stop biting each other’s tails.
“Kyeng…”
“Kiyooong…”
They were pulling me from both sides as I lay collapsed with a groan.
“Geck geck.”
Did I drink too much?
It feels like I keep falling for the same tactic.
“Geeeck…”
I staggered as I got up from the spot.
Perhaps it was a careless move on my part, but I trust my followers.
Surely, they wouldn’t have done anything terrible to a divine beast just because it was drunk.
I just had some drinks and slept comfortably.
Nothing more, nothing less.
…My body feels a bit stiff, but it’s within the realm of expectation.
It’s strange, but I always feel this way when I sleep at the Snake Queen’s temple.
As I lightly patted Pus’s backside,
“Have you awakened?”
the Snake Queen raised her head with a strangely satisfied expression.
I could feel the smooth sensation of scales on my body—so it was her tail holding me.
And on top of it, Nephila was lying sprawled out.
It looked like a pile of intertwined snakes.
“Geck geck.”
“Hueung.”
Nephila smiled brightly as she massaged my shoulder.
Since my upper body is so thick, I didn’t feel much, but let’s call it a massage for now.
“You were… incredible.”
Tang So-yeong wasn’t tangled in this heap.
Her clothes were slightly disheveled, but that’s probably because she’s clumsy.
“Geck.”
“To take something so big in one bite….”
“Shh. Keep it quiet.”
The Snake Queen playfully put a finger to her lips.
So-yeong.
You saw what they were doing, didn’t you?
Tell me what happened.
“Oh, this is a secret among us. Hehehe… I think we can look forward to the birth of a new species. If it’s Go Dae-hyeop, you could have twenty offspring at once….”
“Geck?”
What the hell did you guys do?
After hearing that, I couldn’t let it go.
I looked around at the faces nearby.
Shikshik and the Snake Queen’s scales seemed shinier.
Nephila’s skin looked plump and firm.
Tus and Pus’s bodies were puffed up.
“Rest assured, we didn’t cross the line.”
Really?
If that’s true, then I’m relieved.
…
But I’m not a lizard who’s that easy to fool.
You did something outrageous, didn’t you?
“Gegegek!”
You got a young one like me drunk!
“Oh, it really wasn’t anything. We just wanted to see if we could swallow Go Dae-hyeop in one bite.”
Is that so?
I almost misunderstood.
“Gegegek!”
That’s not nothing!
You tried to swallow me whole?
Even the Snake Queen’s main body would find that difficult.
What exactly did you try to swallow?
“Are you so curious?”
The Snake Queen grinned mischievously.
“Huhung.”
Nephila hugged my neck tightly.
“…Geck.”
Crisis Detection was screaming at me like crazy.
It was warning me that if I made the wrong choice, I’d end up as dried lizard jerky.
Dragging my tired body, I set off on the road again.
I had a gut feeling that if I stayed any longer, I’d be reduced to nothing but bones.
Before I left, of course, the Snake Queen gave me a kiss on the cheek as if it were a daily ritual now.
Nephila, seeing this, was furious and tried to fight to the death, but I managed to stop them without much trouble.
The right cheek for the Snake Queen.
The left cheek for Nephila.
By sacrificing my body this way, it seemed both of them were somewhat satisfied.
Shikshik, realizing that my visits had become frequent, didn’t even bother with proper greetings anymore.
When I left, she’d just wag her tail lazily as if to say “there he goes again,” and when I returned, she’d chirp happily.
Of course, before I left, she wagged her tail so enthusiastically that it seemed like she was showing off the ring on it.
I gave each of the Tang family’s four sisters a ring to resolve the issue.
Tus and Pus received bracelets on their bodies.
“Kiyooong!”
Nephila wore hers on her left ring finger.
“Huhung.”
Tang So-yeong connected hers to her neck with a strand of spider silk.
“Oh my, I never thought I’d receive a ring—especially from Go Dae-hyeop!”
While the others seemed content with simply receiving a ring, Tang So-yeong appeared to interpret it with a slightly different meaning.
Tus, Pus, and Nephila seemed satisfied with the gift itself, but Tang So-yeong appeared more focused on the value and marketability of the precious metal she had received.
“If it’s a ring blessed by a divine beast… its market price must be…”
…Is she short on money?
I don’t know all the details of the Tang family’s situation, but judging by her behavior, she does seem to be struggling a bit.
She covets my scales and keeps trying to collect my venom.
Since human currency has little use for me, I might as well throw some treasures her way as a form of a salary.
Although it’s unlikely she’ll find much use for them outside, she’ll probably accept them happily for now.
Tap tap.
Everyone clung to my back as I dashed on all fours, leaping as if flying through the sky.
Though my body felt unusually weak, I still had enough strength to carry them and move.
Whoosh!
If I went too fast, these lightweight creatures might get thrown off, so this seemed like the best pace.
“But Go Dae-hyeop, doesn’t it feel like it’s getting colder?”
Even with the slower pace, Tang So-yeong complained about the chill.
It made sense; with little body fat, she’d naturally feel the cold more.
“Kiyong.”
I was about to retort, but her spiders chirped as if agreeing with her for the first time in a while.
So, it really was getting colder.
Tang So-yeong pressed herself tightly against my fur.
Even with her clinging so closely, I felt nothing, realizing again how frail she was.
“It feels like autumn should be here, but instead, winter’s arrived all of a sudden. I know the climate here defies logic, but… something feels off.”
As we neared our destination, the temperature seemed to drop further.
Just as the volcanic heat had overwhelmed me when I first climbed here, the weather now also felt abnormal.
Though it wasn’t life-threatening like before, the cold air blowing from afar was undeniable.
I guessed it must be because of the Guardian of the Snowy Mountain.
Is it already starting to move?
I wasn’t fully prepared, but if it moved first, that worked in my favor.
Ten Igaksu cuddling attacks.
The White Wolf’s frost and the Red Dragon’s flames.
The situation would resolve itself before I even stepped in.
“Hmm, by the way, I’m really looking forward to it. They say there’s a new recruit in the Gecko Religion.”
A recruit, huh?
From the perspective of the followers, that’s how they’d see it.
Tang So-yeong, in her way, also holds a founding member’s position.
Though she’s been demoted from divine official to regular member.
“Ahem, as a senior, I should teach them a few things.”
I just hope she doesn’t cling to me, crying about everything.
While the wolves might let it slide, the Red Dragon definitely wouldn’t.
“But it’s probably an animal, right? Could it be a divine beast? Whether it’s an animal or a divine beast doesn’t matter, though….”
Well, divine beasts are rare enough, so it’s not strange for her to think that way.
Tus and Pus aren’t divine beasts, but Nephila might qualify.
Still, the Gecko Religion has plenty of divine beasts and animals alike.
“Geck geck.”
With that, we arrived at the volcano.
“Kiyooong!”
“This place is much better than I expected! It’s nothing like that swamp we stayed in last time!”
Comparing it to that swamp is an insult.
Hmm, should I make time to revisit the swamp later?
If I recall, I left quite a bit behind there.
The Piranhas that create whirlpools, the golden toad, and the shining turtle, for example.
Now that I think about it, weren’t those Hwari, Geumwa, and Geumgu?
They might not be essential for me, but my followers would love them.
Alright.
I’ll make sure to visit later.
As we strolled along leisurely,
“Ilbuwooo?”
a distant Igaksu spotted me and let out a call.
“Geck geck.”
Yeah. Have you been keeping the place safe?
“Ilbudaachoooor!”
You guys haven’t changed one bit.
“Eek! Th-that’s an Igaksu!”
Divine beast fanatic Tang So-yeong couldn’t contain her excitement.
“A divine beast I’ve only read about in books…! Did Go Dae-hyeop take it in?”
Well, that’s one way to put it.
The distant Igaksu noticed Tang So-yeong and made a sly expression.
“Ilbu… daachoooor!”
As if in response, other Igaksus began to cry out their own calls.
“Dachoooooor!”
“Dah-dah-dah-dah-chooor!”
“Monogamy! Polygamy! Somewhat-polygamy!”
“Shis-shis-shis! Shis-shis-shis!”
The Igaksu lizards cheered.
“Wait, is that more than one? I mean, sure, I’ve heard that Igaksu live in groups, but this is my first time seeing it in person!”
Tang So-yeong, being from the Tang clan, seemed knowledgeable about mystical creatures, but even she appeared to have never seen an Igaksu before.
Judging by her reaction, it was similar to when she first mistook me for a Komodo dragon.
It seemed that Igaksu were even rarer spiritual creatures than I had initially thought.
Well, now that I knew how Igaksu were born, I wouldn’t question their rarity anymore.
They were indeed creatures worthy of being rare.
“Kiiiooong!”
“Hiiiooong!”
Tus and Pus climbed onto my horns, flailing their short arms.
“Polygamyyyyy!”
“Shis… shis-shis!”
The more I looked at the Igaksu, the more I liked them.
Despite being weaker than Tus and Pus, they didn’t question the hierarchy or the roles of Left Protector and Right Protector, treating them with respect.
“Kiiiooong!”
“Polygamyyyyy!”
Each time they waved their arms, their cries grew louder.
Good.
It seemed I wouldn’t need to worry about dominance disputes.
“Uh, uh, Go Dae-hyeop.”
“Gek?”
Tang So-yeong stammered, as if she had spotted something strange again.
“Th-that, over there—what is that?”
Had she spotted a Red Dragon?
I followed her gaze.
“Ge-ge-gegek?”
Even I couldn’t help but stammer at the sight.
“There’s a... palace?”
“Ge-geeeek?”
What in the world was that?
I had only told them to build a nest.
“Polygamyyy!”
Wait, did they actually make that?
“Conjugal! Conjugal!”
The Igaksu nodded while exhaling loudly through their noses.
An unbelievable structure stood before me.
To be precise, calling it a palace might not be entirely accurate.
It was a large, extravagant nest.
Sections were divided into different areas, floors were neatly arranged, and some zones even had ceilings.
Spacious enough for large creatures like the Red Dragon to rest comfortably, while also featuring smaller areas for beings like Tus, Pus, or Tang So-yeong to relax with ease.
“Puru-ruk!”
And that wasn’t all.
At the center was a massive room.
Made from what looked like soundproof, extremely thick materials, with floors so soft they appeared cushioned.
Unbelievably, there seemed to be mirrors installed on the ceiling.
…No, seriously, how did they even do this?
“Hu-hu… conjugal… hu-hu….”
The Igaksu laughed slyly, as if it was nothing.
“Ge-ge-geek.”
So you really did this?
“Puru-ruk!”
I appreciated it, but wasn’t this a bit over the top?
“Somewhat-polygamyyyy!”
They let out cries as if to say, "Don’t worry about it."
No.
This wasn’t the kind of outcome I had hoped for.
Sigh….
How should I express my gratitude for this?
Right.
Sorry, One-Horned Igaksu, but if I see you again, I might have to catch you.
Let’s capture it first and toss it over here.
The Igaksu should be able to enjoy it fully before falling into depravity.
“Huk-tae-yaaaaang!”
As if reading my mind, the Igaksu knelt on one knee.
Were they pledging their lifelong loyalty? Or was that just my imagination?
“Hu-hu-hu… submission….”
…Sorry, One-Horned Igaksu.
I have to survive too.