So I'm a Snake, Who Cares?

'Read some books...?'

The snake rebuked in a somewhat disparaging tone.

From Oliver's perspective, it was an absurd statement.

Moreover, Oliver was surprisingly an avid reader. He must have read far more books than the snake in front of him.

He felt a bit wronged.

'Ah, do you mean that venomous snakes can even topple elephants?'

He checked again, just in case.

After all, mice and snakes are in different positions.

But the snake firmly denied it.

'No, snakes swallow elephants in one bite.'

'?'

'Well, boa constrictors specifically.'

Oliver couldn't understand what he meant.

But what happened afterward.

Truly, it exceeded Oliver's imagination.

The snake threatened Oban VanKloss.

No, perhaps "blackmailed" would be more accurate.

「Apologize!」

Oban VanKloss made a troubled expression.

「Apologize to Oliver, you bad guy!」

How considerate, writing words so Oliver could see the blackmail.

But Oliver didn't think Oban VanKloss would apologize.

「Kneel down and apologize sincerely!」

And to kneel down and apologize, no less. Oban VanKloss? That would never happen.

And also... what would he do with an apology anyway?

It's not like his wife who died in the explosion would come back.

As expected, Oban VanKloss just stared blankly at the snake.

That's when the snake brought up those words.

「If not, I'll side with the Emperor.」

"...?"

「I'm a terrifying snake who became a Serpent within a year of birth. I mean I'll join the Emperor and offer my loyalty.」

"...Snake, do you understand what you're saying right now?"

「I understand very well?」

The snake was threatening to take the Emperor's side.

Whether that could be a threat or not was questionable.

「I don't know whether you'll succeed in assassinating the Emperor or not. But if you don't kneel down and apologize and help us now. I'll become the Emperor's snake.」

And he even added that he would change the Empire's symbolic animal to a snake.

Honestly, that statement probably wouldn't have helped at all.

Oliver was blankly watching the scene.

He never expected Oban VanKloss would actually move.

He stood in front of Oliver and knelt down with a thud.

And as if submitting, as if surrendering, he bowed his head to the ground.

"I'm sorry."

"..."

"This is sincere, I sacrificed your precious person for my goal. I apologize."

"...This is insane."

Oliver let out a hollow laugh.

Indeed, as expected, nothing changed by receiving an apology.

The knot firmly tied in his heart didn't loosen, and his dead wife's spirit didn't appear to say "Rest now, darling."

However.

Seeing the snake standing tall with a triumphant expression behind.

"Haha."

Laughter burst out before he knew it.

Once it started, the laughter wouldn't stop.

Oliver ended up laughing with hiccups until tears welled up.

All that time, Oban VanKloss kept his head bowed.

The snake climbed onto Oliver's shoulder.

'How about it, do you feel better?'

"...Yes, I feel better."

He couldn't answer any other way.

The snake's blackmail didn't seem to be over yet.

「Also, tell us a way to get out of here!」

But Oban VanKloss didn't seem to know that method either.

"I guess digging through the ground would work... though it would probably collapse midway."

「Hmm...」

The natural cave collapsed due to the explosion.

The snake can handle earth elemental magic.

He tried using magic to dig the ground.

It seemed like a tunnel large enough to pass through was forming.

Rumble!

Once the tunnel reached a certain depth, it collapsed in an instant.

It was because the foundation had collapsed due to the explosion.

The snake alone might be able to get out somehow, but it seemed impossible to dig a tunnel deep enough for Oliver to escape. Experience new stories on My Virtual Library Empire

"Leave me and go. I have no more attachments."

'Nonsense!'

"Ack!"

Oliver was struck on the cheek by the snake.

The snake demanded something else from Oban VanKloss.

「Give me your mana essence!」

"Hmm..."

Oban VanKloss made a troubled expression.

But Oliver also knew that 'mana essence' wasn't something that could be given and received.

Magic power is possible, but mana essence is another dimension.

Mana essence obtained by killing monsters or other people accumulates in the form of 'levels'.

But Oban VanKloss was already half-dead.

There was no way they could kill him here when even the Sword Saint couldn't.

However...

「There is a way, right?」

"Hmm..."

The snake seemed to know something, and.

Oban VanKloss eventually nodded.

"Alright."

==

「You have killed Spirit Beast Eleanor.」

I thought there might be a way, and there was.

Oban VanKloss was already dead, so he couldn't be killed again.

But it was clear he wasn't completely dead either.

「You have killed Spirit Beast Eleanor.」

Because I could see his status window.

──────────────

[Oban VanKloss lv.140-]

──────────────

I confirmed that I couldn't steal Oban VanKloss's skills with the Crown of Steal.

He couldn't leave this place, couldn't exert physical force on anything, and couldn't use magic or skills.

"Be summoned..."

But there was one thing he could do.

He could summon and control spirit beasts from the netherworld.

"Kueo..."

A grotesquely shaped spirit beast popped out of the ground.

It didn't even seem to have survival instincts and strictly followed only Oban VanKloss's orders.

In other words, if told to stay still, it wouldn't resist even if I sent a sword flying to cut off its head.

Surprisingly, the dead spirit beast's corpse disappeared into particles of light after a while.

"It must be returning to the netherworld."

Pelerian, who had shamelessly popped out of the ring again, said so.

When I kill a Spirit Beast Eleanor, its mana essence is absorbed by me.

Although I'm already at max level right now.

「Unabsorbed mana essence accumulates.」

The more mana essence, the better.

More is always good.

"Kueoeo..."

The secret to this mana essence grinding lay with Oban VanKloss.

His level decreased each time he summoned a spirit beast.

──────────────

[Oban VanKloss lv133-]

──────────────

In other words, he consumes the mana essence engraved in his soul to bring spirit beasts from the netherworld.

I thought his level seemed a bit low compared to his reputation.

It seems his level had dropped because he had summoned a lot of spirit beasts here in advance.