Chapter 102 Hehehe
“Geck geck geck.”
There’s a saying that what goes around comes around.
How dare they think of turning a Komodo-lania into Sugungsa.
Even though I might look like this, I’m still a divine beast.
And on top of that, Tang So-yeong, who’s practically a guest in this place, belongs to one of the Five Great Families.
Even such a person believes in the Gecko.
The spiders believe in me, too.
The Snake Queen’s daughter believes in me.
And they think they can just grind up such a precious lizard?
This is a justified punishment.
No, actually, stealing those rice cake balls made with Okbong’s honey was getting off lightly.
After all, I even gave them my precious tail.
It’s a tail that Shikshik admired and that made Tus and Pus tremble.
Even Baek Yeonyeong showed interest in it.
Of course, I can always grow it back whenever I want, but since I haven’t used it much after I grew larger, its rarity remains.
Now, all my missions were complete.
Get the unicorn horn?
Complete.
Admire Baek Seolhwa’s internal energy pouch?
Complete.
Steal Okbong’s honey?
Complete.
Now all I had to do was return with a light heart.
Tududududut!
…What’s that?
Scary.
Baek Seolhwa was running around, kicking up a massive cloud of dust.
It was like the speed and power that reminded me of a unicorn.
How could such power come from that small frame?
Is it possible that Baek Yeonyeong is actually a separate species?
Something roughly similar to a T-Rex.
And Baek Seolhwa is a subspecies of Baek Yeonyeong.
If not, then that sight doesn’t make sense.
She’s like an enraged rhinoceros.
No, look at her charging like a unicorn.
My tail trembled on its own.
One thing I’ve realized since coming here is that you should never judge by appearances alone.
Seeing her act like this over stealing one rice cake ball, it doesn’t seem like she has the best personality.
Even if they’re expensive, they can’t be worth a house, right?
She should just consider it an act of charity to a poor lizard.
If I get caught, I’m in big trouble.
Which means as long as I don’t get caught, I’m innocent.
Who am I?
The creator of the Gecko Heart Technique.
The master of the Soaring Dragon’s Ascension Step.
“Gegegeck!”
I leaped forward, stepping on the dew on the grass at high speed.
—
I finally managed to shake off Baek Seolhwa.
It seems that using my miniaturized form was a stroke of genius.
With this small body and executing the Soaring Dragon’s Ascension Step, not only could she not keep up, she couldn’t even track my location.
It might be a problem if we ever meet again, but what are the odds of running into that woman again?
I checked multiple times to make sure no one was following me.
I’m safe now.
With an excited heart, I entered the temple.
“Princess, why do you keep doing this to your mother?”
The Snake Queen and Shikshik were bickering.
Normally, they would have sensed my presence immediately, but it seemed a bit different today.
I was curious about what they were talking about in my absence, so I decided to hide and eavesdrop.
“What, what? A thief? How can you say something so dreadful?”
Shikshik chirped away, and the Snake Queen somehow understood every word.
I should probably learn Shikshik’s language from the Snake Queen later.
I could communicate with Shikshik now, but it wasn’t perfect.
“That was already agreed upon, wasn’t it? If the Princess becomes the Queen, it’s natural that she would also become the Princess’s companion.”
“Hieeek!”
“Do you think I made that decision lightly? Absolutely not. I had no choice but to make this choice.”
No choice?
Then please cancel it.
I barely held back the geck sound of resentment and continued to listen to their conversation.
“Doesn’t his body bear the traces of other species? It’s clear that lizard has been playing around with other species. Probably because he’s handsome.”
…It’s true I played with the spiders, but I don’t think it was that intense?
“That’s why I made my move before another species could take him.”
“Piyak!”
I was curious to see how far this conversation would go, so I stayed still.
Just as the Snake Queen was about to start lecturing on bedroom techniques, her gaze turned to me.
“…How long have you been there?”
Since the beginning?
“How could this be? That I failed to notice you. You’ve certainly grown.”
It’s true that I’ve grown, but it’s probably more because the conversation was so interesting.
Or maybe I’ve just become adept at hiding my presence after escaping from Baek Seolhwa?
Either way, it’s all good.
“Geck geck.”
“Piyah!”
Shikshik slid over to me, rubbing her head against me in greeting.
Her wagging tail showed just how glad she was to see me.
“…Pik?”
She tilted her head, flicking her tongue.
A snake flicking its tongue was the same as smelling.
Shikshik was sniffing me.
It was like a dog sniffing its owner after they returned from a trip.
It was a heartwarming sight.
“Piiik….”
Shikshik continued to tilt her head.
“Ssssak!”
Suddenly, she let out an angry sound and started licking me all over.
“Geck!”
Stop!
That’s enough!
“Piiiik!”
Could she have smelled Baek Seolhwa on me?
Shikshik kept licking me as if she were trying to erase that scent.
With my current size being on par with the Green Basilisk, I was quickly soaked like a toy in a washing machine.
“Geeek….”
Where did the dignity of a divine beast go?
I only managed to stop her after I was completely drenched.
“Piyak!”
Shikshik’s triangular face turned round again.
It seemed like she was going to let me off today.
Wait, what crime did I commit?
I’m a victim too.
But my complaints didn’t reach Shikshik.
No, I’m really feeling wronged here.
“You’ve returned safely.”
The Snake Queen slithered over to me.
“Geck geck.”
“So, how was the unicorn?”
“Geck-gegegegegeck!”
I actively expressed my feelings.
I exaggerated how I was almost trampled to death, far from it being gentle.
“Hm… that’s strange. It didn’t behave that way when I met it with the Princess.”
How unfair.
I’m quite pure too.
Maybe it acted that way because I’m male?
According to legend, unicorns sometimes just don’t like males.
Surely it couldn’t have thought a three-month-old lizard was impure.
“Still, you completed the mission safely. Thanks to you, things have become much easier.”
“Geck geck.”
The Snake Queen stroked my head with a satisfied expression.
But the Komodo-lania is a spiritual creature that always brings more than expected.
With a proud expression, I handed over the tube I had taken from Seolhwa’s internal energy pouch.
“Hm? What is this?”
The Snake Queen put down the unicorn horn for a moment and accepted the tube I handed over.
“Geck.”
Open it and see.
“…This smell. Could it be Okbong’s honey?”
The Snake Queen’s expression was one of disbelief.
“Where did you get this?”
“Geck.”
I let out a dignified cry.
It’s nothing special, just something I picked up on the way.
“…Are you giving this to me?”
“Geck geck.”
I brought it to share, what else?
The Snake Queen patted me repeatedly, then opened the tube.
“Ufufu. Okbong’s honey. This is an unexpected gain.”
The Snake Queen took out three rice cake balls and handed one each to Shikshik and me.
“Hieeek….”
Shikshik sniffed the rice cake ball with her tongue flicking.
“Although eating too much of this isn’t good for you, consuming it in moderation makes it a better elixir than most.”
I wonder if that’s a snake’s way of saying “too much sugar rots your teeth.”
“I haven’t done anything for you, yet you bring me such a precious item.”
Is it really that special?
Aren’t you overpraising me just because I brought it?
“Hiek!”
Shikshik looked at the rice cake ball with eyes full of anticipation.
The Snake Queen also looked at me silently.
They were waiting for me to eat first so they could eat too.
But I had already eaten mine earlier.
So I just pretended to open my mouth and swallow the rice cake ball.
“Piyak!”
Only then did Shikshik pounce on her rice cake ball.
After taking a lick, she had a look of disbelief on her face.
“Hieeeek!”
Is it really that delicious?
With a happy expression, she began to nibble on the rice cake ball little by little.
Seeing her enjoy it so much made me feel proud.
“Hehehe.”
She even let out a silly laugh.
…Hehehe?
Could Shikshik make a laugh like that?
When I looked at Shikshik, she too had her eyes wide open.
She wasn’t the one who made that sound.
It wasn’t me either.
Then, the only one who could have made that sound
…
I lifted my head and saw the Snake Queen making a face I had never seen before.
It was an expression that truly matched the sound “hehehe.”
Her face looked like it was melting, overflowing with joy from the taste of Okbong’s honey.
Even though Shikshik and I stared at her blankly, she kept that expression for a while, until she suddenly seemed to realize that someone was watching her. She lowered her head.
That’s when our eyes met, and it seemed like she was trying to recall what kind of expression she had just been making.
No, “trying to recall” isn’t the right expression.
Because she hadn’t wiped that expression off her face yet.
“…This isn’t right.”
The Snake Queen had a look as if she had done something wrong or made a mistake.
Her usual emotionless expression was nowhere to be seen, and she looked like an ordinary girl.
She tried hard to erase that expression quickly, but it wasn’t easy.
Her once sharp eyes had long since softened.
Who would look at this woman and think she was the Snake Queen?
“…That’s not it.”
The Snake Queen made a desperate attempt at an excuse.
Her face had turned so red it was almost like a tomato, but her raised lips wouldn’t easily come down.
She tried to curl her snake body to hide her face, but that was impossible.
“…That’s not it….”
The usual Snake Queen was like winter.
Her face resembled Baek Yeonyeong’s.
A cold face that seemed to know nothing of emotion.
Even her occasional smiles were always elegant and dignified, like snowflakes on a tree.
Okbong’s honey had melted her winter.
The Snake Queen now could be described with the word “spring.”
Seeing the Snake Queen flustered was a fresh shock.
She must have been surprised herself.
Instead of her usual “Ufufu,” she had let out a “hehehe.”
Shikshik and I exchanged glances.
There was only one thing for us to do.
“Geheheck.”
“Pihiiek!”
Gecko Species, Second Technique: Teasing Relentlessly.