Chapter 39 : IF-108 ‘Nessho’ Part 5

I pouted my lips in disappointment. 

The tail wrapped around Kang Hana’s waist tensed up on its own.

“Ugh, hngh.”

Every time that happened, Kang Hana let out increasingly strange noises, but that wasn’t my concern. 

I told her to just keep sleeping.

No.

I was sure I had waited quite a while.

‘How could it be that, after the first one, not a single human had shown up?’

“Ugh, why isn’t this moving? … 

“Nooo!” 

”It’s stuck again!”

”You damn pig-snake, I won’t let this slide…!!”

— Slap, slap.

“Bead.” 

”Calm down.” 

”Method.” 

”Unknown!” 

”Attack.” 

”Stop!” 

”Stop!”

Of course, I excluded those two self-proclaimed descendants who were playing well together in the cramped space, since they weren’t human.

But still. 

Even if I included them, that only made three people.

‘Isn’t that way too few?’

There are so many people here, I thought at least a few dozen would come.

And even that one person who did come is suspicious in many ways.

“Gyao.”

“….”

“Hrk.”

They flinch just from making eye contact.

It’s not like my facial features are that wild and terrifying.

No matter how I look at it, they don’t seem like someone with devout faith.

Look at that.

Seeing those tired-looking eyes tremble like mine, I began to have doubts.

‘Maybe this person came here for a different reason but happened to get caught up in all of this?’

‘Or maybe it’s just something like that.’

‘Wait.’

The more I think about it, the more it seems like a reasonable assumption…

“Gyaooo….”

…Well, whatever.

A god shouldn’t nitpick every little thing. 

That would be undignified.

A god should see the forest, not just the trees. 

That’s what Mna always said.

Even if it is a little annoying…

Since that one has been decided not to be excommunicated, I’ll be seeing them again. 

‘If I still hold a grudge by then, I can settle it later.’

“Let’s wait and see. Hehe.”

“Ugh, suddenly I feel a chill….”

***

I turned my gaze away from the impudent candidate who was pulling their collar tighter.

Next, my eyes landed on the black-vested humans surrounding me.

I found it quite admirable.

Despite this building being one of the worst shelters in human history, the reason I haven’t outright decided to excommunicate everyone is because…

Yeah.

This is what devotion should look like.

They are people who wouldn’t even stand a chance against a single one of my feathers, and yet, even though I never called them.

They gathered around on their own, standing guard to protect me while I rested.

‘How adorable.’

‘This is why I hesitate.’

I half-opened my eyes lazily.

I know that my treatment here has been consistently bad.

I can see anything I want to see, hear anything I want to hear—’if I didn’t realize that, I’d be as dumb as Kang Hana.’

‘If everyone had acted like those white-coat people, I would have long decided that they were just a bunch of weird heretics and punished them mercilessly.’

‘But… it’s not always like that.’

Like that Elena person I saw recently.

Whenever I start to feel suspicious, the black vests always act consistently like true believers.

They must be from the same group, and yet their conflicting behaviors made my head spin.

Then, a memory from my human days brought up some theory about carrots and sticks, but even at a glance, it seemed completely wrong, so I ignored it.

And it’s not like all the white coats look like heretics.

Not really.

Communication with them is frustrating, but white-coated Kang Hana can even manipulate ‘Intent’ quite well.

‘So, what was that suspicious gray-coat person all about?’

They left no trace, like they had completely left the building.

‘Ugh.’ 

‘I don’t know.’

Everything’s just vague.

I’ve watched over human civilization since its birth.

And I swear, never before have I encountered a group so messed up and incomprehensible.

‘Ah. ‘

My head hurts.

So tired.

I let out a sigh and rested my head against Kang Hana’s chest.

— Thump, thump.

Even though she was asleep, Kang Hana naturally pulled me into an embrace.

“Hehe, I love you toooo….”

“No, I don’t love you.”

“So just go back to sleep and don’t move your hands.”

“Gyaaah!”

As Kang Hana’s hand reached for my wings, I skillfully dodged her touch and rolled my eyes.

I wish someone could just give me a simple explanation.

Hmm.

‘They should have arrived a long time ago, but they’re so slow! Waaah, I really wanted to see my ancestor sooner…’

That one coming now also seems to have a mental age that doesn’t exceed their teenage years.

Still, at least…

‘Method.’ 

‘Unknown.’ 

‘Truth.’ 

‘Apology…’

Compared to that chubby snake whose vocabulary is on par with an infant’s, they at least seem to have a much better grasp of words.

‘Maybe this time, I can actually expect a proper explanation?’

It would be nice if they arrived quickly.

If they had come just a little earlier, I wouldn’t have had to go through this hassle of deciding whether or not to excommunicate people for not gathering within a day.

For now, I lean slightly more towards the idea that these humans aren’t true believers.

But I should wait a little longer.

It hasn’t been a full day yet.

“Gyao.”

Time isn’t moving.

‘Maybe I should have just set it to half a day from the start?’

As I listened to the rhythmic thumping of Kang Hana’s heartbeat, I let time pass in a daze.

Well.

It’s comfortable and nice.

Soft, warm, and quiet.

Ever since I absorbed the Heavenly Fire, Kang Hana’s embrace has felt even warmer.

‘…If only it were a lake.’

‘If it were my lake, it would be so much more comfortable and even better.’

My memories from my human days told me so.

‘If I returned to the lake with Kang Hana, it would feel like turning on a fan while wrapped in a blanket—an unbelievably cozy sensation.’

Well.

Back when I first woke up here, even lifting my body made me feel irritated. 

But now, it’s not that bad.

Yeah.

It’s about time I returned to the lake.

With Kang Hana and the chubby snake. 

I’ll take good care of them.

Even if they resist, this decision has already been made.

After all, Mna is gone now.

A replacement will be necessary.

***

Sniff. 

Mna…

As I swallowed my sorrow, something crossed my mind.

Wait a second.

‘Is it really enough to just take those two?’

There are three self-proclaimed descendants calling me their ancestor.

I didn’t even need to turn my head.

With my face still buried in Kang Hana’s chest, I shifted my gaze slightly.

Kwangcheol came into view.

The fact that I didn’t need to turn my head—just rolling my eyes was enough—was a relief.

Good job, past me.

Kwangcheol, still engulfed in flames, was burning just as I last saw him.

I sent him a thread of Intent.

‘Hmm.’ 

Kwangcheol.

“Kwangcheol, can you hear me?”

But despite my ‘Intent’, Kwangcheol did not respond.

He seemed to be listening.

From what I could sense, he was perfectly fine—his life wasn’t in danger.

‘Then why wasn’t he answering?’ 

‘Why was he just standing there, burning in silence?’

That massive body of his didn’t even twitch.

Strange.

It felt like I had forgotten something again.

‘What now?’

I stared down at Kwangcheol, deep underground, along with the black-vested humans near him.

It didn’t take me long to realize my mistake this time.

A hole at least two, three times deeper than Kwangcheol’s own body.

And down below, Kwangcheol and the black-vested humans.

‘…Can they even climb up?’

‘Ah.’

Even if they start now, they won’t reach me by the end of the day…!

I had sent out an ‘Intent’ assuming that everyone could reach me within a day, based purely on straight-line distance.

It was a completely unfair order.

Leaping over a hole of this depth in a single bound was easy for me.

‘But Kwangcheol, who has no limbs, and those humans? ‘

It would take them much longer.

I hadn’t thought about that.

‘What should I do?’

‘If it were the white coats, I’d just ignore it.’

But the black vests weren’t nearly that insolent.

This was an important issue—excommunication-level important.

But it would be embarrassing to retract an Intent I had already sent.

Sigh… 

‘Why does nothing ever go smoothly?’

I let out a deep sigh.

“Hik.”

The heat of my breath made Kang Hana tremble twice, but she didn’t wake up in the end.

“Alright.”

“No need to make things complicated.”

“You just have to lift your heads, and I don’t even need to lift mine.”

“Let’s go with that.”

“Alright, Kwangcheol and all black-vested personnel down there—listen up.”

“If you just look in this direction, I’ll make an exception and cancel your excommunication.”

“Consider it a one-time privilege.”

“Gyao.”

I sent out an ‘Intent’.

‘It… It worked!’ 

‘My head’s through!’ 

‘Now I just have to squeeze my body through…’ 

‘Hey!’

‘Why is my body so damn chubby!!’

‘Blasphemy!’ 

‘Blasphemy!’ 

‘Denial!’

‘They should at least glance over here before they all get out, right?’

‘If not, well… that’s just unfortunate.’

***

The Betrayer Snake regretted its past.

Beyond the flames, it saw itself—long ago, when it was just like the other priests.

Back before it chose betrayal.

—’I will have revenge.’ 

‘I will have revenge, no matter what… Break the Bead?’ 

‘If I do that… will I be able to take revenge?’

‘No.’

It should never have fallen for the red serpent’s ominous whispers.

— I did it. 

I smashed it to pieces. 

‘Now… can I finally take revenge on the ones who dared to call me a snake?’

No matter how much it cried out.

Its past self stubbornly shattered the Bead, choosing the path of betrayal.

The Betrayer Snake regretted it over and over again.

— Horns have grown. 

They don’t branch, just grow straight and curve slightly at the tip. 

They’re sharp, just like my resentment.

It resented the human it had trusted, who ruined a thousand years of training in an instant.

— Wings have grown. 

No feathers. 

Just cold, smooth scales and membranes. 

Disgusting. 

But now, I can finally burn everything down.

It despised its kin, who refused to help even when they had the power, claiming loyalty to the Dragon God.

— Legs have grown. 

They’re not like my ancestor’s. 

They’re long and straight. 

Ominous… but they’ll be perfect for tearing apart those hateful humans. 

‘But wait… why was I filled with hatred again…?’

And yet.

Even so.

That wasn’t enough to justify betraying its kin.

To betray its ancestor.

— It’s hot, it hurts… 

I want to spit it out, I want to burn it all away… 

‘My name, what was my name again?’ 

‘What should I call them?’ 

‘I hate this, help me…’ 

‘I don’t want to be angry anymore…’

‘The Betrayer Snake endlessly regretted.’

But it was too late.

The end had already come.

The Betrayer Snake was already turning to ash.

And the ancestor, upon meeting the snake again, didn’t even spare it a glance before disappearing above.

To die as nothing more than ash.

A fitting punishment for a fool blinded by resentment, who had turned countless kin into cinders.

It was impossible.

But if, by some miracle, it was given just one more chance—

It would never desire again.

It would never hate again.

The Betrayer Snake prayed.

And then.

An Intent was heard.

The Intent it had longed to hear ever since regaining its senses.

‘If you just look in this direction, I’ll make an exception and cancel your excommunication.’

‘Consider it a one-time privilege.’

There was no way it misheard.

That enormous presence—

It was undoubtedly the Ancestor.

‘Ancestor…’

The Betrayer Snake lifted its head.

As it moved, its body crumbled into black ash, scattering into the air.

But that didn’t matter.

It simply obeyed the words of its ancestor.

It simply remained faithful to the prayers it had whispered.

And then, whoosh—

The Bead, coated in the color of its ancestor, responded.

‘It didn’t spin. It wasn’t hot.’

The Betrayer Snake felt as though it could do something with this Bead.

The murmuring humans.

“What the…? It wasn’t neutralized?”

“Everyone, be on alert!”

The humans it once considered insignificant insects.

But now.

It remembered.

They were the ones who had stopped it from going berserk.

“…Strange. That look in your eyes… it’s not like the lizard brat I know.”

The red-haired human it once hated the most.

The Betrayer Snake sent out Intent.

A request—asking them to look up, for the sake of all of them.

And then.

The Betrayer Snake closed its eyes, relieved.

“Wait, everyone. Focus. Is there something above us?”

“Nothing confirmed. Weilan-nim, why do you ask?”

And then, following the red-haired human—

“Hell if I know. I just… feel like I should look up.”

They all looked up.

‘Ancestor…’ 

‘Did I… do well?’

The Betrayer Snake smiled in satisfaction.