A Horror Novel’s Supporting Character Wants to Live as a Human

Chapter 214

What kind of beings were the snake-people?

They looked like a mixture of snakes and humans while faithfully serving 'Ig,' called the King of Vipers, as their father.

And what was his relationship with the snake-people?

He was the 'child' of a competitor who had burst through their precious father's side and escaped right before their eyes,

And the scoundrel who had completely collapsed the cave where their father lay groaning while clutching his burst side.

Could the snake-people and he meet and laugh heartily while exchanging pleasantries?

Not a chance.

They might laugh with anticipation saying 'Today we'll finally cut off your head.'

Ah, he was really thoroughly screwed.

"How were the snake-people doing after I became like that?""They chased me. Then giant land animals appeared and I became of no concern to them."

"Giant... what?"

"They looked similar to snake-people so I thought they were new kin, but they came close and suddenly started devouring the snake-people. Funny, isn't it?"

"What?"

"So Valusia, was it? The place we first went to together. It's gone now. The snake-people scattered in all directions too."

"Then there's no real problem, right? You scared me for nothing?"

"It's true that the snake-people appeared again. To be more precise, the snake-people have been chasing Yesung all this time."

"All this time? From when to when?"

"From right after Yesung and I escaped Valusia, until now."

"That's, that's from when to when...?"

Yurik looked at him and shrugged.

"It was about 5 million years ago when I reached an agreement with the Mi-Go species and left with the Shambhala people."

No, damn, this was insane!

He couldn't even grasp where to start objecting.

Just as he was sitting there dumbfounded with his mouth open, Yurik spooned some sticky tree sap into his mouth.

He was like a devoted son caring for an old, weary elder.

"Just now there were Ig's minions lurking around the black land too. Naga hunted them."

"Who's Naga...?"

"Naga. Haven't you seen her yet?"

Yurik's head tilted slightly.

Seeing this, he was definitely imitating his childhood self.

He put the bowl down on the ground and lightly tapped the earth with his palm.

Wondering who he was calling, he looked in the direction Yurik had turned his head.

Bushes a little distance away rustled and a black river flowed gracefully between them.

Seeing that immediately reminded him of the slender snake he had thrown to Yurik along with the book.

"That snake lives really long."

"I don't know the reason, but she's lived quite long."

"...And she's gotten really fat too."

"Now I have to help her shed her skin."

A lustrous black snake climbed up Yurik's white back and neck.

There was a faint gray mark on her head. Ig's pattern seemed not to have manifested properly over the long period.

"Want to say hello?"

"It's okay. She probably has more good memories of you than me."

All he had done was put her in and out of black mud.

The snake seemed to acknowledge this fact, coiling once around Yurik's neck and resting her round head on his shoulder.

The snake that had barely been able to wrap around his wrist had grown large enough to coil around an adult man's shoulders,

And Yurik, who couldn't even pronounce words properly when young, had grown up to use Elder Thing technology to create people and become their leader.

He was trying to adapt to the suddenly arrived future too.

But he wondered if it was strange that he felt a corner of his heart holding onto the wistfulness of all the things he knew disappearing into the past.

It seemed like there would be some distance between them.

Yurik, who had been pushing away the snake's head, suddenly asked.

"How is it?"

"How is what?"

"Naga, I raised her well, didn't I?"

"You did. She looks healthy."

"I kept this safe too."

Yurik pushed a red-covered book and pen in front of him.

So this was what he had been hiding behind his back.

The book was perfectly intact too. Not even one corner was damaged, showing how preciously Yurik had carried it around.

"Thank you. You maintained it cleanly."

"As for the diary you asked me to write... I couldn't write it. I had too much to do. I also knew too few letters to write down everything that happened. But I tried to remember everything so I could tell you. As for the book, I tried hard to make it exactly like when you entrusted it to me."

"It looks like it."

"I didn't think carelessly about anything Yesung gave me or said. I tried really hard. I tried hard even while staying alone all this time. Yesung probably can't imagine. Of course, Yesung must have had a hard time under the black lake too, but I had a hard time too. So what I want to say is..."

Yurik spoke increasingly quickly.

He became curious watching how Yurik was rubbing his fingertips.

He didn't think he had this habit before - had it developed while he wasn't watching?

After rubbing his fingertips red like that for a while, Yurik asked in an anxious voice.

"...Did I do well?"

Wow, damn.

Was he asking him now if he had done well?

If it had been before the regression, he would have thought 'What kind of trick is this now, I absolutely won't fall for it this time.'

But the Yurik before his eyes was exactly like a 10-year-old fidgeting restlessly while waiting for praise from mom and dad.

Was this the reason he had been saying not to worry about anything, that there was no need to worry?

Just because he wanted to hear a word of praise from him?

He canceled the thought about keeping distance that he had just been thinking.

Yurik was still a child. He didn't know about in front of others, but at least in front of him, he was nothing but the little kid who used to catch lizards to show him.

"You did well! Very well! It must have been hard being chased every day but you did so, so well! Who did this well?"

"Ye, Yesung."

"Aww, how admirable! So fucking good! You must have suffered a lot but you didn't cry like a man! Oh, so good. Oh, so impressive. Who worked this hard! Hm? Who's this smart? Where's the smartest, kindest, most obedient Yurik in the world?"

"Wa, wait a moment. Please let go of this..."

"Should hyung give you a kiss? Hm? Oh, so admirable. Oh, so good. While I was gone, you even found out about the snake-people's movements. Raised the snake healthily too. Got along with people too. Oh, so good. You did the kindest thing in the world. Will you be filial to hyung from now on? Hm? I really raised you all up, you little rascal."

He repeatedly scratched and patted Yurik's head, then squeezed and released his cheeks.

Yurik had a sour expression at first, but when he cupped both cheeks and pressed firmly, he smiled with a scrunched face.

This kid.

Up until the last cycle, there probably wasn't anyone to praise him like this. How did he live for so long like that?

Thinking that made his heart feel a little touched.

After having a storm-like praise time for a while, they returned to serious topics.

Yurik's hair was still disheveled, but his expression was composed.

"In conclusion, building Shambhala in the desert was to check if the snake-people could chase us there, but since the snake-people travel underground rather than above ground, it wasn't very helpful."

"So?"

"I thought we needed to find a new continent to avoid the snake-people. No matter how skilled those guys are at digging burrows, they can't dig tunnels under the sea."

"So you came here with the Shambhala people and Arahan. After waking me up, you plan to find a new continent and take refuge. Since it would be difficult for just the two of us to settle there."

"...Do you not like it?"

"Not at all?"

"Then you like it?"

"I think it's not a bad plan. To be honest, I think you, who've been awake until now, would know better than me, so I have no objections."

"Really? It's okay?"

Yurik seemed to be in such a good mood he was over the moon.

It was a bit awkward to say this here, but,

"But if you leave like that, what about the remaining Shambhala people?"

"What about them?"

"You said people depend on you, right? But suddenly leaving Shambhala isn't enough, you're also taking those people called Arahan. What will happen to the remaining people?"

"But if we encounter snake-people, it's better to have even one more person."

"You said Arahan also protect the village. Me encountering snake-people is a matter of probability, but people in Shambhala will definitely have a hard time without Arahan. Didn't you think that far?"

Yurik was about to say something in dissatisfaction but closed his mouth.

"Still."

"Besides, I can't go far with this body. How about going back to Shambhala to recover?"

"I'll carry Yesung."

"Who do you take for baggage?"

Actually, with a body like this, he was closer to baggage than a person.

But he didn't voice that thought.

"Taking responsibility for one's own creations is what makes a real adult. Go back and think about it more. I'm not finding fault because I dislike your plan, but suggesting we find a better method for both sides. Understand?"

"Why do you care so much about Shambhala? They're inferior life forms cloned from me who can't even live a thousand years."

"Someone taught me. To pity all people."

"Just because of that?"

"Yes."

Yurik stared at him with a complicated expression from various angles, then frowned and muttered.

"The people who followed will be disappointed."

Well, whether they were disappointed or not didn't matter much to him.

Anyway, Yurik being by their side would be the best choice for them too.

*

He washed off some of the mud with water obtained by cutting vines.

Since the clothes he had been wearing were almost completely rotted, he received a large piece of cloth as spare clothing.

People used this wrapped around their waist or to cover their whole body.

It was like a hybrid of Egyptian and Greek clothing styles.

He tried to just wrap it around his waist and finish like other male Shambhala people,

But his thin forearms and gauntly protruding ribs had no dignity, so he covered his upper body too.

When would his healthy body return?

With tears in his eyes, he threw away the damp, rotted clothes and returned, several Shambhala people's gazes fixed on him.

Yurik, who had been waiting for him, quickly grabbed his hand and led him to stand in front of everyone.

"As you heard earlier, this is someone I respect. We plan to return to Shambhala together, so know that. The Arahan and I have things to discuss, so we'll step away for a moment."

Saying that, he left with the people presumed to be Arahan.

Only the Shambhala people and he remained.

Somehow feeling compelled to introduce himself as a newcomer, he was reading the atmosphere when

A small girl suddenly popped out and grabbed his hand.

"I've never seen someone like this! Red hair and eyes like wet sand! Are you Anutara's friend? Anutara said you're someone he respects - are you perhaps Anutara's teacher?"

"Tea, teacher?"

All he had taught the kid was how to speak!

The girl chattered on without stopping.

"If you're Anutara's teacher, you must have lived longer than Anutara, right? You must be able to use more amazing powers than Anutara, right? Do you split the sky and bring down lights that shake everything? Wow, show us, show us!"

He couldn't do such things!

Yurik, what exactly had he shown the Shambhala people!