Chapter 64 Your Daughter, Your Mother-in-law To Me….
“It may be weak, but I can sense the spirit within you. It will be easier to communicate using human language.”
I closed my eyes momentarily at the shocking appearance of the Snake Queen.
She looked like a Lamia from mythology.
Her lower body was that of a snake, but her upper body was that of a beautiful woman, and she could speak human language.
Other things aside, that upper body was making me dizzy.
I didn’t know where to look.
It’s true that snakes don’t wear clothes.
Aside from the scales that barely covered the minimum parts, the Basilisk wore nothing.
An overwhelming internal energy pouch.
Honestly, it was a breathtaking sight that was more than enough to make me drool.
But there was one thing that bothered me.
The Basilisk’s face resembled Baek Yeonyeong.
It wasn’t exactly the same, but somehow, it felt similar.
Seeing my master’s face in such attire was naturally unsettling.
“Heek!”
Realizing that I was staring blankly at the Basilisk, Python bit me.
It didn’t hurt much….
Wait, did it hurt a bit?
“Gegegek!”
Startled, I made a gurgling sound.
Why did Python’s teeth hurt?
Was this how Tang So-yeong felt when she complained about Tus and Pus’ body slams hurting?
[【Ball Python LV14】 says to get a grip.]
Right.
Thanks, my precious.
Given that I was dazed, that Basilisk must have tried to trick me.
She seemed to be trying to mesmerize me with that internal energy pouch, but it wouldn’t work.
“She’s not my biological daughter, but I consider her as one. She keeps showing me sides of herself that I’ve never seen before, and I don’t know what to say. Yeah, I guess you could say it’s unsettling.”
The Snake Queen looked at Python and me thoughtfully.
So, she wasn’t her real daughter?
Well, it makes sense that such a cute Ball Python couldn’t be the offspring of a Basilisk.
“Legged snake.”
The Snake Queen asked me a question.
“Do you consider dragons to be snakes or birds?”
It was the same question the Bird King had asked.
The answer was too easy.
“Gegegek!”
Of course, dinosaurs are reptiles.
But the Snake Queen wouldn’t understand my words.
I moved my body diligently, imitating snake-like movements.
“…You don’t need to go that far.”
Did she understand my intention?
I stopped wriggling my body.
“Hmm. I see. I can vaguely sense the aura of a bird. So, you met that guy and escaped.”
“Gegegek!”
I nodded enthusiastically.
I was a fervent supporter of the dinosaur-reptile theory.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve met someone with a firm conviction.”
The flow of the conversation was good.
At this rate, I might be able to leave here without any problems.
“But I can’t let you go just for that.”
The Snake Queen suddenly doused me with cold water.
“Those who enter the Snake Queen’s temple without permission are killed, regardless of the reason.”
I hugged Python tightly.
Hey, dear.
Fire the destruction beam one more time.
“But my daughter seems to like you very much, so I can’t kill you.”
Right.
If you kill me, Python will resent you.
“I can overlook your intrusion into the temple. But your crime is greater than that.”
My crime?
If seducing Python was a crime, I’d gladly accept it.
But that’s not a capital crime.
“I can’t forgive you for eating the Myriad-Year Golden Spirit Fruit.”
Right.
The elixir I stole and ate here.
The Myriad-Year Golden Spirit Fruit.
Since Python knew about this elixir, it was clearly the Snake Queen’s.
I had ended up eating it.
Stealing an elixir comparable to the Azure Sky Immortal Dew meant my crime was significant.
…but I had already eaten it.
It might sound a bit shameless, but to a spirit beast of that level, an elixir or two wouldn’t matter. Eating it wouldn’t have much effect.
Compared to that, isn’t it more beneficial for this young lizard with a bright future to consume it?
“If it were an elixir for me, I would have let you go with just a bit of regret. But that elixir was meant for my daughter when she grew up.”
Wait.
The Myriad-Year Golden Spirit Fruit was originally meant for dear Python?
“Peep!”
Python rubbed her head against me.
So this little snake had brought me what she was supposed to eat?
“To become the next queen, it’s essential to enhance her potential with the elixir.”
That makes sense.
The identity of Ball Python is the snake princess.
It doesn’t seem like the current Python could become the queen.
She would need to accumulate much more power to ascend to the queen’s position.
“The original solution was simple. Remove the thief who ate the Myriad-Year Golden Spirit Fruit and extract the core to feed the princess.”
“Saack!”
Python glared at the Queen with a terrifying expression.
The Queen flinched for a moment at her gaze but continued speaking.
“But… I saw another way.”
Another way?
“The princess’s power suddenly grew stronger. Even though she didn’t consume the Myriad-Year Golden Spirit Fruit.”
That’s right.
The laser beams shot from Python’s mouth were much stronger than before.
Somehow, her small bites with those tiny teeth also hurt more.
Though she hadn’t eaten the elixir, how did this happen…
Wait a minute.
Python had eaten something else.
My tail.
“I can feel your energy strongly from the princess. Though it’s a meager faith, it’s undeniable that it contributed to my daughter’s growth.”
For some reason, my tail seemed to act like an elixir.
Maybe because it had grown while eating many precious things?
No, wouldn’t that be too overpowered?
My tail regenerates continuously.
“Despite being hit by the petrifying beam, you’re unharmed, and the princess follows you. Though you stole and ate the Myriad-Year Golden Spirit Fruit, fortunately, the princess has been growing. This means I can postpone your death.”
I almost let out a joyous gegek sound but stopped.
Postpone?
“But you must pay for your crime. If you grant me one request, I will overlook your transgression.”
A request?
Would the Snake Queen, of all beings, have a request for a mere lizard?
“Before I tell you that… I’d like you to return my daughter now.”
“Gegegek!”
No way.
Python was the only means I had to protect myself.
“I’m not claiming ownership of the princess. I just want to identify the unknown energy within her. Very well, I swear on the name of the Snake Queen. At least within this temple, I will not harm you.”
What about outside then?
Suspiciously suspicious pledge, but I had no choice.
“Peep!”
However, Python didn’t want to leave me.
Good job, my dear Shikshik.
“…Princess, come to your mother.”
No matter how much the Snake Queen spoke, Python didn’t intend to go.
It meant she liked me more than the Snake Queen.
I had no choice.
I couldn’t force Python to go if she didn’t want to.
“You come closer.”
Me?
No way.
Who knows what might happen if I go?
I fully support our princess.
“Hurry up and come here.”
Oh, come on.
Did she think I’d fall for such a trick?
“Yes, you’re a good child.”
Huh?
Suddenly, the internal energy pouch was right in front of my eyes.
…What?
Yes, this was an illusion.
Just as there is the power of petrification, there must be powers of allure or illusion.
What a terrifying ability.
For even me to fall for it.
“Peep!”
Python bit me as if to tell me not to spout nonsense.
…It was a misunderstanding.
I was just sacrificing myself for a mother-daughter reunion.
Anyway, there’s no benefit in antagonizing the Snake Queen.
I had to find a compromise.
Understand, Shikshik.
It’s good to get along with your mother.
“Hmm. So, this was inside your body….”
The Snake Queen stared at Python for a long time.
I also had no choice but to stare at the Snake Queen.
…It was just to prepare for any sudden tricks.
Absolutely not because of personal interest.
“You fed my daughter a part of your body, didn’t you?”
“Gegegek.”
I nodded affirmatively.
“To think that such energy could be felt from an endlessly regenerating tail. I thought it was just meager faith, but it’s higher level than I expected. Although there must be many restrictions, this is still quite good.”
Yes.
Now you see my value, right?
There’s no benefit in us fighting.
“You seem quite delicious.”
The vertical pupils characteristic of reptiles glistened.
Her human arms wrapped around my back while her snake body coiled around mine.
Creak, creak.
Though the movement was slow, I couldn’t resist.
“Peep!”
A startled Python fiercely bit the Snake Queen’s body, but it was ineffective.
“If the tail is this good, what about the rest?”
The Snake Queen flicked her long tongue.
Her expression was very strange.
It looked both alluring and as if she anticipated satisfying her appetite.
“Heek!”
The internal energy pouch was right in front of my face.
Ssshhh.
I was losing strength.
The Snake Queen’s touch and the movement of her tail were truly like those of a snake, making me feel light and floaty.
A drowsy feeling, as if my eyes would soon close.
As expected of the Basilisk.
Just a few touches and she penetrated my immunity to all poisons.
I couldn’t let this happen.
Think.
The sensation I felt when I smacked Pus’s butt.
The feeling when Tus bit my tail.
The sensation when Nephila Jurassica hugged me.
The feeling when Tang So-yeong extracted my poison.
The sensation when Baek Yeonyeong plucked my scales.
And the demon I witnessed.
I widened my half-closed eyes.
I met the Snake Queen’s gaze.
“Grrrr….”
The Snake Queen, looking surprised, released her arms and tail from around me.
“Ufufu. Just a joke, a joke.”
The Snake Queen returned to her original posture as if nothing had happened.
“I wouldn’t dare touch something my daughter marked.”
Python licked me all over.
Thank you, Shikshik.
If not for you, I’d have been eaten for sure.
…But could she really eat me in human form?
How would that even work?
The Snake Queen rested her chin on her hand and smiled slightly, seemingly amused by my reaction.
“It seems you’re curious. If you want to satisfy that curiosity, try sneaking over sometime without the princess. I won’t stop you from coming.”
“Peep!”
Shikshik’s death beam fired at point-blank range.
But it didn’t penetrate the Snake Queen’s skin.
The Snake Queen laughed heartily at her daughter’s reaction.
“It’s been a long time since I laughed like this. Yes, it’s good. It’s amusing enough to forget my appetite.”
Whatever it was, it must be good if it made her forget her appetite.
“Princess, be at ease. It was just a joke, a joke.”
“Peep!”
“Of course, if your growth is unsatisfactory, this mother might gobble you up.”
“Heeeek!”
[【Ball Python lv14】 is burning with determination.]
As expected of the Snake Queen.
She did all this to motivate the princess.
…She did it to motivate her, right?
“The playfulness ends here. Legged lizard, let’s talk business now.”