Chapter 66 Mirror of Possibility
“A Kogadori Beast. The name of a traitor who betrayed the snake.”
I knew it.
Kogadori Beast probably referred to a Cockatrice.
A monster with the head of a chicken and the tail of a snake.
A reptile wielding the power of petrification, often equated with the Basilisk.
Since it had both the features of a chicken and a snake, maybe it betrayed the Snake Queen and sided with the King of Birds.
“My request to you is to eliminate Kogadori Beast.”
Alright.
This Cockatrice that disrupted the balance.
Only a high-ranking being like me could defeat such a monster.
“…was what I wanted to ask, but I can’t send my son-in-law into a perilous situation to use him just once and discard him.”
Thank you for your consideration.
Should I think of this positively?
It sounded as if she expected I wouldn’t be able to defeat the Cockatrice.
“Ge-ge-geck.”
A very ferocious cry.
This should prove my bravery.
“Uhuhu. The more I see you, the more amusing you are. If not for my daughter, I’d just….”
Why was she subtly wrapping around my body again?
Shikshik-ah.
Get up.
Your mother’s gaze had become terrifying.
“Kogadori Beast is a very dangerous being. Of course, compared to me, it’s insignificant, but its petrification ability is comparable to mine. That’s why even beings stronger than Kogadori Beast are reluctant to fight it.”
So, what the Snake Queen meant was that even if I could defeat the Cockatrice, I could lose my life due to its petrification.
But I already withstood the Snake Queen’s petrification.
A large snake specializing in petrification was nothing; I could handle it like extracting Pus’ spiderwebs while lying down.
“Of course, I know you have a resistance to petrification. It’s probably thanks to the dragon scales covering your body. If not, there might be another reason.”
You know well.
I already withstood the Snake Queen’s petrification; why wouldn’t I be able to withstand a lower version?
“But resistance to petrification is all you have. Unlike my daughter and me, you are not immune. What this means is that if you are careless, you could still fall victim to its petrification.”
Sss-ssssk.
The snake’s tail tickled my shoulder.
The Snake Queen’s eyes fixed on my shoulder.
Ch-j-j-j.
My shoulder slowly turned to stone.
When the Basilisk closed its eyes, the petrification was released, but from this, I could tell.
My resistance to petrification wasn’t perfect.
The ability used the first time we met was adjusted in output.
“Of course, it would greatly hesitate to use an output that could affect you. If it did, it wouldn’t be able to use petrification for a while. Unlike me, it relies solely on petrification, so it will try to conserve its power by any means.”
That made sense.
Wild beasts are extremely afraid of getting injured.
If their strength diminishes, they are immediately pushed out by other competitors.
For a Cockatrice relying solely on petrification, exposing its weakness would be more fatal than any injury.
“But if it’s a fight for its life, the story changes. To survive, it would unleash all its power to turn the intruder into stone.”
Now, I understood the Snake Queen’s reasoning.
I had a certain degree of freedom from the Cockatrice’s ability due to my resistance to petrification.
However, if it were a life-and-death struggle, there was a high possibility I would fall to the full power of the Cockatrice, which wouldn’t hold back.
That’s why she didn’t ask me to kill the Cockatrice.
“I want you to bring back a clue about it.”
What the Snake Queen wanted was information on the Cockatrice.
“If I spend my time searching for it, the King of Birds would make a move. If a third party, a legged snake, discovers the whereabouts of Kogadori Beast, it would catch the wretched bird off guard.”
This was a reasonable task.
The reasoning was understandable, and the difficulty seemed manageable.
But one important thing was missing.
“Huh, what is it? That unsettling expression?”
Well, it’s a life-threatening task after all.
Isn’t there something?
“Geck-geck.”
I put on the face of a conscientious lizard.
“…Isn’t it a generous condition to forgive you for stealing and eating the Myriad-Year Golden Spirit Fruit?”
Of course, if the reward for this task were the Myriad-Year Golden Spirit Fruit, I’d welcome it with open arms.
But I’d already eaten it.
Give me more.
“Ge-ge-geck.”
“Haa… Truly, you are greedy.”
The Snake Queen narrowed her eyes.
“But I don’t dislike those with ambition.”
The Snake Queen licked the corner of her mouth with her long tongue.
…Was it just a habit because she was a snake?
It didn’t have any other meaning, right?
“Fine. If you fulfill my request, I’ll let you use the divine relics in this temple.”
A divine relic?
“There are items here not only called elixirs but also divine relics. Most of them are broken or their use is unknown, but a few are still functional.”
That sounded appetizing.
“Yes. To give you some motivation, and since my daughter is back, it wouldn’t hurt to show you one.”
The Snake Queen stood up.
So naturally, she carried the python on her back and wrapped her tail around my body.
Srrr-r-r-r.
The Snake Queen moved swiftly as if gliding.
My bulk wasn’t exactly small, but she moved effortlessly, which was impressive.
The place she led me to had an item covered with a large cloth.
An oval-shaped object.
It was hard to tell exactly under the cloth, but it looked like a mirror.
“This divine relic is called the Mirror of Possibility.”
So it was a mirror.
But, the Mirror of Possibility?
“To gain faith, one would have repeatedly transformed their body. It’s called a rebirth, or evolution, actions that change the body. The Mirror of Possibility shows the endpoint of that.”
What?
Such a thing existed?
I glared with a wild eye, but there was no further explanation.
There was no reason for the Snake Queen to lie to me, so it must be true… but was that even possible?
The Snake Queen smiled and removed the cloth covering the mirror.
The reflection in the mirror was the Snake Queen.
But there was no change.
“As you can see, when I am reflected in this mirror, there is no change. This is my endpoint. Although I don’t like the notion that a mixed body of human and snake is considered superior, there’s nothing I can do about it.”
She smacked her lips.
So it took a creature as powerful as a Basilisk to barely transform into a human.
Somewhere deep inside, I thought I might be able to return to being human, but it seemed I still had a long way to go.
Nephila Jurassica, who evolved directly from a spider to an Arachne, now seemed even more impressive.
“When my daughter looked into the mirror, all it showed was a large snake. But now that she’s eaten your tail, her potential has greatly increased, so there will be a change.”
The Snake Queen gently picked up the sleeping Shikshik.
The moment she brought Shikshik close to the mirror.
Jjong!
A purple light rippled, and a new image began to appear in the mirror.
The image of a plump, dancing snake gradually started to change.
It transformed into a large snake, like a Basilisk, and then suddenly shrank in size.
Cha-a-a-ak!
Finally, a doll-like figure appeared in the mirror.
Was that Shikshik’s future?
…You said she wasn’t your real daughter.
I knew Shikshik was quite pretty for a snake, but I didn’t expect this.
I should treat her well in the future.
Not that I hadn’t been doing so.
“Of course, this image isn’t a guaranteed future. It merely shows a possibility. Now, doesn’t that pique your curiosity? About where your endpoint might be.”
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t intrigued.
I wanted to see my form immediately.
“If you fulfill my request, I’ll let you use the Mirror of Possibility as a down payment.”
“Ge-ge-geck!”
I nodded enthusiastically.
The Snake Queen’s lips curved into a slight smile.
“I’m curious too. Where my son-in-law’s endpoint lies.”
Why do you keep calling me son-in-law from earlier?
The Snake Queen took a few steps back.
I stood in front of the mirror without hesitation.
Now that I had maximized my potential by eating the Myriad-Year Golden Spirit Fruit, where was my endpoint?
Even if I saw my future form, it wouldn’t mean it would come true.
As the Snake Queen said, it was just a possibility.
In other words, it meant I could aim for a higher stage than what was reflected in the mirror.
After confirming my endpoint, I could decide which direction to take.
There was no reason not to look into the mirror.
When I stood in front of the mirror, a stronger light burst out than before.
“Hoo… The intensity of the light is unusual. It reminds me of my past.”
A shape started to form in the mirror.
It was something very large.
The light was so strong that it was hard to make out the shape exactly.
Like Shikshik earlier, the light would dim, and my form would appear.
With a pounding heart, I waited for the light to dim.
Jjeo-jeo-jeo-jeo-jeok.
But the light showed no sign of dimming.
“What is this!”
I heard the Snake Queen’s startled voice.
Jja-jeo-jeo-jeo-jeo-jeok!
A large crack appeared in the mirror I was looking at.
Oh.
Wait.
Did I mess up?
Why was it cracking?
Something was wrong.
The light didn’t show any sign of dimming, and I couldn’t even see my reflection.
Sensing something was off, I tried to move away from the mirror.
Crash!
The Mirror of Possibility split in half.
…I was in big trouble.
I broke something precious to my mother-in-law.
I turned my head slightly to gauge the Snake Queen’s reaction.
She was muttering to herself in disbelief.
Yep, I messed up.
And it was a big one.
I think I achieved something that would surprise even the great Gomodo.
1. Convert a precious believer
2. Sleep with a precious daughter
3. Steal and eat the Myriad-Year Golden Spirit Fruit and other elixirs
4. Break the divine relic, the Mirror of Possibility (NEW!)
I had completed the grand slam.
It wasn’t a bad life, I thought.
I would now become a lizard statue guarding this temple forever.
“…An existence even a divine relic cannot contain?”