Righteous Discipline
Rania dozed off beside the lord's wife.
It was because she hadn't slept well last night.
Hero Gunter had returned to Grayrim.
And he had brought the entire Iron Lion Knight Order with him.
Rania's excitement had reached its peak.
Just as much as she admired Gunter, she also admired his knight order.
The very figures she looked up to had come to Grayrim.
It was only natural for a young girl to spend the whole night awake, her heart racing.
Wasn't the visit of the Iron Lion Knights a good thing?
But ever since that day, her father and mother seemed strangely anxious.
She asked why, but they wouldn't answer.
As soon as the morning sun rose, news arrived from the soldiers.
Gunter and the Iron Lion Knights had arrived.
Despite the early hour, preparations were made in the lord's castle to receive them.
"Sir Gunter has arrived!"
The doors opened.
Gunter, clad in armor, entered—along with fully armed knights just like him.
Someone let out a sharp scream.
The knights dragged in the corpse of the chimera.
Perhaps because of the heat, it had begun to rot.
Its legs were severed, and dried black blood clung to its entire body.
A foul stench filled the room.
"S-So that's the chimera…"
Even the lord looked frightened.
It was his first time seeing a hunted chimera in person.
"That's correct."
"You've done great work. As expected, the Iron Lion Knights are truly valiant."
"And strict as well. We have discovered the ruins of Reversed Heavens. You knew of its existence and left it unattended, Baron."
"…What do you mean by that?"
Gunter was a hero, and the lord was a noble.
Though Gunter's actual power might be greater, they were supposed to treat each other with respect.
But there was no respect in Gunter's tone now.
"We have already secured witnesses and testimony."
"Testimony? What testimony?"
The lord was flustered.
A chilling tension spread through the hall.
Young Rania didn't notice it.
Perhaps it was because she was sleepy—
or because she spotted a familiar face among the knights.
The Iron Lion Knights stood in full formation, fully armed.
Amid their overwhelming presence, there was someone she recognized.
Zain—the young knight who had always kindly answered her annoying questions.
He stood at the far right.
As Rania stared at him, Zain looked back at her.
But unlike usual, his face was deathly pale.
Rania smiled and waved.
Normally, Zain would have at least given a small nod.
But not this time.
Zain looked as if he were about to cry.
And he quickly averted his gaze.
Just as Rania took a step forward—
The lord's wife hurriedly pulled her into an embrace.
The grip was urgent and tight, startling Rania.
Only then did she realize something was terribly wrong.
Shing!
The knights of Grayrim had drawn their swords.
But Gunter and the Iron Lion Knights had not drawn theirs.
Instead, it was the local knights who looked tense.
The lord, his face flushed red, shouted in anger.
"What nonsense is this! You claim I failed in my duties and violated royal law?!"
His voice echoed loudly through the hall.
Instead of answering, Gunter took something out and threw it onto the floor.
Clank.
A golden insignia.
The royal crest—a three-headed eagle clutching a serpent.
"I, Gunter Frihansen, have been appointed inspector by royal command. Upon inspecting the territory of Grayrim, I have confirmed negligence in monitoring the Demon Realm, as well as a decline in military discipline. Embezzlement and misuse of border defense funds have also been uncovered. Therefore, I summon you, Baron of Grayrim, to the capital."
"…This can't be. Even the royal family can't just—!"
At first, the lord was incredulous.
But now, he understood the situation.
It had been strange from the start—
when Hero Gunter personally came to subjugate the Medusa Serpent.
Had the royal family been working with him from the beginning to bring the lord down?
Why?
For such a small territory…
"If there is any injustice, you may simply cooperate with the investigation."
"The Council of Nobles will not remain silent."
"Is that for you to worry about? You will retain your rightful privileges as a noble. Do not concern yourself. Escort him."
The Iron Lion Knights approached the lord.
The territory knights hesitated, unsure whether to intervene—but the lord raised his hand to stop them.
"Gunter!"
His voice was resolute.
Gunter listened silently.
"If you so much as touch a single hair on my family's heads… I will not forgive you."
"…Hmm."
Gunter nodded.
It was no more than the cry of a defeated man.
The lord knew it too, and was dragged away without resistance.
"Until the Baron returns after the investigation, governance of Grayrim shall be jointly held by me, the royal-appointed inspector, and the lady of the house."
Gunter declared.
A man who rose from commoner to hero.
This was the moment he—and his knight order—began to take control of Grayrim.
***
Wow, this feels refreshing!
The cool wind felt like it was washing away the heaviness in my mind.
Actually, it was beyond refreshing—it was starting to get cold.
I'd been flying for too long.
Freezing to death in this hot Great Forest would be ridiculous.
I greeted the clouds twice in a single day.
I swore I wouldn't fly again—but it's still better than being hunted by those knights.
That was seriously terrifying.
Those guys were definitely not normal humans.
Charging at that speed in heavy plate armor—they were like motorcycles.
The ground was shaking like thud-thud-thud—I thought I was in Mad Max or something.
I only escaped thanks to Pelerian.
As for that old man—he was now inside the ring.
Apparently, he's afraid of heights. Ridiculous.
—You survived thanks to me, insignificant creature.
Wow, guess my inner thoughts were too clear.
He kindly responded.
"If you call me insignificant one more time, I won't let it slide."
—…For a mere Serpent.
Just moments ago he was grateful I saved the fairy—now his attitude has completely changed.
As expected, long-eared ones can't be trusted.
"By the way, where are we going?"
—East.
"No destination?"
—Hmm, heading roughly east, we should reach the Palamu Forest region.
"…Sounds like you don't know either."
—…That's just how the 'Emergency Escape' skill works.
So that thing he shouted—'Emergency Escape'—was a skill.
If he's a mage, shouldn't he be able to use teleportation or something?
This just feels like an upgraded version of flight.
—In my current state, I can barely use any magic. Be satisfied with this, Serpent.
He said it as if he had read my thoughts.
At least he's not calling me "insignificant" anymore.
I was satisfied—
Until I started falling.
"W-Wait—!"
—Are we falling?
"We are falling!"
—Can't be helped. I'm out of mana.
Damn it. Flying really doesn't suit me.
My speed increased as I plummeted.
Fortunately, it wasn't a complete free fall like when I got blasted away by that fairy.
As I neared the ground, I felt a humid, hot atmosphere.
Even more tropical than the Arkan Basin.
The trees grew massive.
Vines tangled between them like spider webs.
Crack—
The vines cushioned my fall.
I tumbled across the ground several times before landing.
Even the ground felt soft.
Looking down, moss covered the earth like a blanket.
The sound of flowing water.
Birds chirping.
Leaves rustling like waves.
"I lived!"
Yes—I survived again.
This time, I'm really never flying again.
So this is the Palamu Forest.
Pelerian popped out of the ring.
His mouth hung open in astonishment.
—We actually survived!
I don't like that old man.
Sigh… there's never a peaceful day.
I thought I'd finally become the ruler of the basin after defeating the chimera—
but instead, I ended up deeper in the forest.
There must be plenty of dangerous monsters here too.
Probably even stronger than the chimera.
Even before coming this far east, there were creatures like the Horn Jaguar.
Maybe… I'll even meet the father I've never seen.
To catch my breath, I checked my status window.
It's been a while.
[White Double-Horn Python Lv.1]
[Traits]
[Indomitable], [Diligence], [Fire], [Instinct]
Same as before.
[Skills]
[Borrowing Horn Lv.4]: Heavenly Thunder Spirit Lv.0
[Leaping Horn Lv.1]
[Basic Elemental Magic: Fire Lv.3], [Basic Elemental Magic: Water Lv.4], [Deadly Poison: Neurotoxin Lv.1], [Devour Lv.7], [Bite Lv.9], [Stealth Lv.6]
[Poison Resistance Lv.5], [Bleeding Resistance Lv.3], [Pain Resistance Lv.7], [Heat Resistance Lv.8], [Cold Resistance Lv.1], [Petrification Resistance Lv.1], [Survival Instinct Lv.6], [Leap Lv.6], [Mana Detection Lv.3], [Acceleration Lv.4], [Swimming Lv.1], [Breath Holding Lv.5], [Slash Lv.1]
[Status]
[Exhausted]
[Achievement]
[Killed the Guard Captain]
***
A skill called Cold Resistance had appeared.
That's how cold it had gotten.
As the status showed, I was completely exhausted.
But I couldn't stop smiling.
How could I not?
With Borrowing Horn, I had managed to draw out a hero's skill.
Well—borrowed it, not drawn out.
Anyway, it was called Heavenly Thunder Spirit.
Even the name sounded extraordinary.
Though the Level 0 part bothered me…
I checked what kind of skill it was.
[Heavenly Thunder Spirit Lv.0]
Hold the lightning of the heavens within your heart.
…Wow, thanks for the detailed explanation.
Isn't this kind of description completely useless?
If I want to know its real effect, I'll have to actually use it.
But right now, I was far too exhausted.
I'd have to recover first.
And since I had no idea what kind of effect it might produce, I should find a safe place first.
The jungle was filled with all kinds of sounds.
The sounds of life.
Finding a safe spot came first.
Before that, though—there was something I needed to do.
Talk to Pelerian.
***
—Serpent.
"Yes."
Our eyes met.
I couldn't lose in a staring contest.
I used to struggle making eye contact with people,
but ever since becoming a Serpent… that wasn't the case anymore.
…Actually, no. It was still a bit hard.
I forced myself to maintain eye contact.
Huh? Pelerian was the one who looked away first.
Does this fairy also struggle with eye contact?
For a moment, I almost felt a sense of kinship.
—Your eyes are quite unsettling.
Coming from someone who called a chimera cute, that stings.
—What exactly are you?
"Me? I'm a Serpent."
—A Serpent that talks and uses magic like that?
"Who says monsters can't talk? And I'm not actually speaking—you're just hearing my thoughts."
—If you were a high-level monster, it wouldn't be surprising. But you're just a… insignificant—no, an unevolved Serpent, aren't you?
I had only said it casually, but he responded seriously.
Do highly evolved monsters actually talk?
I had never seen my mother speak.
It seemed the threshold for "high-level monster" was much higher than I thought.
I didn't bother explaining my entire past to Pelerian.
There was no reason to bring up my previous life.
—Explain.
Since he sounded so insistent, I just told him everything from when I was born.
Being born as a Medusa Serpent hatchling.
Running away to the Arkan Basin.
Everything that happened afterward.
I explained it as having intelligence from birth.
I also mentioned entering and staying in Pelerian's dungeon.
(Of course, I didn't mention scribbling "bald" on his portrait.)
After hearing everything, Pelerian was shocked.
—A mutation…!
"Yeah, I guess you could call it that."
Can a mutation really produce a Serpent as intelligent as me?
It seemed this mage didn't have much scientific knowledge.
—You evolved twice in such a short time?!
"Yeah, twice."
—Unbelievable potential. I've never seen such a specimen! It's… beautiful.
That made me feel a little proud.
Trying not to show it, I asked:
"So what about you? Are you really Pelerian? Why are you inside a ring?"
In other words—was he really the eccentric mage who built that dungeon?
—Yes and no. I tore off a part of my soul.
"…What? Why?"
—Listen. I split off part of my soul and embedded it into my belongings. The signet ring you're wearing—that's the vessel.
What is he, some "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named"?
Splitting his soul and putting it into objects…
Come to think of it, he's basically a dark mage.
Why would he do something like that?
"Were you trying to live forever or something?"
—What nonsense. Why would a fairy worry about lifespan?
Even as he said that, he didn't give a real reason.
—To think the first monster I meet is a mutant like you. What luck.
I stared at him and said:
"Don't forget your promise. You still owe me two wishes."
—Yes, the wishes. Of course. An oath must always be honored.
"Anything?"
—Anything.
I started thinking about what I could ask from this eccentric mage.
But then—
Pelerian smiled strangely.
That smile felt familiar.
It was the same one he had when he guided me to the tank where the chimera was stored.
A deeply sinister smile.
—However, it makes no sense for the Archmage of Reversed Heavens to serve a mere monster.
His eyes flashed.
Mana gathered at an incredible speed.
—Submit, monster!
That mana surged through my body.
—From now on, I am your master. Obey my voice.
Pelerian burst into maniacal laughter.
—To tame an intelligent mutant with the last of my remaining mana… The heavens favor me!
A textbook mad mage.
But despite his shameless mental magic—
I did not obey him.
Yes—I was perfectly fine.
"…Figured as much."
—Huh? What's going on? What are you doing?
Hmm.
I had wondered how my 20 mental strength would handle a mental attack like this.
[Trait "Indomitable" nullifies "Taming Lv.10."]
As expected, my mental strength didn't betray me.
—Stay still! Hey! I said stay still!
I slipped the ring off my tail.
Now then—
How should I properly educate this guy?