Chapter 270: 270: The Serpent Clan

If what the Nymph said was true, then that was quite troubling.

The Middle Stratum was already a cesspool of colossal monsters, considering the ether there was far denser than here. I could only imagine the monsters grew larger due to the abundance.

If every serpent lived down there, they would be the same – It was probably good that I hadn't ventured deeper into the forest of giant monsters before. 

The Nymph reached over to pick up a white fruit with a rosy hue, and taking a bite out of its soft flesh, her keen eyes watched my reaction, a faint smile playing on her moistened lips.

She looked quite amused watching me ponder her words, and like a lazy goddess, her body draped across from mine, looking quite surreal in a flowery garment that hardly counted as clothes.

While she had reduced much of our contact, she was still actively trying to charm me at every turn. 

How could I trust her words completely? 

Her faint smile made me wonder if what she said was out of concern for my safety, or for some other motive. It seemed a little out of character for someone who just confessed she wanted to eat me not long ago. Rather, it was like she didn't want me to get involved with other serpents, because of how strong they could be.

|[Why do you say I'm better off without them?]| I asked.

The Nymph sighed, the fruit in her hand dropping dramatically as she rose to her feet in one fluid motion.

[Because they will kill you the moment they learn you've allied with me.] The Nymph said, her body swaying languidly as she approached me.

So it was her fault.

And I scowled at her. |[Then shouldn't I break our alliance, if it's going to cause problems for me later?]|

The Nymph simply glared at me, her ruby eyes flashing in anger as she crossed her arms. Why was she suddenly so upset?

[You want to join a territorial, aggressive group of serpents who only know how to kill each other, revel in their lust, and then come up to lay their eggs near MY forest, in hopes of one of their brood making off with one of MY children – all because their king thinks eating one of them will extend HIS life?]

Huh? 

Seemingly with no regard for me, the Nymph then proceeded to criticize my species even more.

[My children are treated like some kind of  prize to win or steal. Do you know how many times I've had to kill vile, vicious serpents that  wandered into my forest, trying to snatch one of my children and offer them to their king?] 

I didn't, but from the looks of it, there had to be many.

[Their young brood spends their very first moments fighting amongst themselves for superiority. And will continue to do so with other victors until they are strong enough to descend below ground.] The Nymph fumed.

[From the very beginning, you're forced to fight for the right to live because of some old war between clans you weren't even alive to see – all because your king decided a long time ago, that this be the price of rebellion. Why would you want to go somewhere to be under the whims of such a terrible ruler?]

The Nymph was breathing hard, her face flushed with fury as she spoke, and I was surprised.

The more I listened, the more questions I had.

Clans? Wars? Weren't the serpents united?

[And after all that bloodshed, the victor will integrate into one of the larger clans and be forbidden from forming outside alliances ever again. Why would you want to join such a barbaric clan? To gain entry, you'll have to kill all these children.]

The Nymph pointed at my nestlings who were lazing around the banquet after stuffing their faces, but then she picked up her discarded fruit, before launching it at a nearby tree. The forceful impact smashed through a branch like nothing, startling the nestlings and myself in the process.

[Could you really bear to kill them all?] The Nymph asked, her chest heaving in anger.

Hearing the racket, all of the nestlings turned to us, Delphine, and Morgana giving me startled looks.

The Nymph turned to me with a knowing smile. [Could you really bear to kill them for such a reason?]

My answer was the same as when Sensei had asked me to kill them.

However, unlike then, I didn't understand why killing every other nestling was so important to the serpent clan. 

At their hatchling stage, their low level and severely limited HP would make killing them redundant.

Unless I was starving and desperately in need of food, I wouldn't gain much in terms of levels or XP, because hatchlings were quite weak, compared to the many stronger monsters just outside the cave. 

If I really wanted to improve my abilities, killing the nestlings now in their evolved versions would be so much better.

Looking back, I was certain Sensei only asked me to kill them because he didn't want me to have any baggage moving forward. His priorities, however merciless - my survival above all else.

As for the serpent clan, it seemed their nesting ground was designed to force the nestlings to fight and kill each other for unknown reasons. However, while the serpent clan's motives were simple, Sensei's were not. 

I could only think there must have been another reason.

Perhaps I could have gained a skill or a title to boost my survival even further, had I killed them at that time.

However, I didn't ask Sensei because I was sure he would gloat over it.

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Instead, I turned to the Nymph who observed me with triumphant eyes, extremely happy to see the reluctance to do such a deed in my face. 

|[How big do these serpents have to be to descend below?]|

The Nymph's happy expression instantly dissolved and she scowled at me in disapproval.  [Why do you want to know? You can't go there.]

I could see she was thinking I wanted to leave her and go down myself so  I shook my head.

|[Believe me, I have no interest in joining them, but they sound like trouble. If I want to protect my nestlings I need to know what to expect.]|

My immediate thought after hearing about them was to infiltrate their ranks. What better way to understand how they fought?

The Nymph was hesitant but after convincing her I wasn't going to join them she finally replied. 

[They are usually about your size when they go below.] She answered. [Then they have to find the clan, as their instinct to survive drives them to seek out others.]

So, it was around their second evolution, by which time the serpent would be significantly stronger than my nestlings currently were, perhaps even several decades old.

However, developing at the normal rate for a monster, they wouldn't be nearly as strong as I am now. My nestlings could potentially be equal to them if I pushed them to level up even further.

Yet, any special skill or title they may have gained from killing their brethren would also make them unpredictable – It would be unwise to underestimate them.

I had a lot to think about.

The Nymph approached me. [You don't need to worry. You are different from them, more powerful. Just stay here with me, I will kill those that come.]

Awww…yeah, no thanks!

I pretended not to hear her request and posed another question. |[This serpent that gained the allegiance of your daughter. Was he an exile?]|

Of all the things she told me, I didn't understand this one.

If all the serpents were forbidden from forming alliances with outsiders, how was this serpent allowed to do so without facing any punishment?

Perhaps he was some rebel that was fleeing from the serpent king. If so, wasn't it best to find him and learn all I could before he was killed.

The Nymph grimaced at my question. [That one was different - cold, cunning, ambitious, seeking allies to strengthen himself to overthrow the old rule. A bit like you in some way.] 

|[What?]| 

The Nymph seemed to get angrier as she remembered more. [He came to me first, but I refused him, so he went behind my back and seduced my daughter. If I see him again I-] 

|[My relationship with you has nothing to do with some old rule,]| I interrupted her before she could go on. |[Don't lump me in with some power hungry maniac!]|

The Nymph glanced at me, seemingly surprised. [It does not?]

|[How could it, when I didn't know anything about the serpent clan until now.]|

But the Nymph crossed her arms in disbelief. [Then why aren't you surprised by everything I've told you?]

I wanted to laugh. Who was she to be so suspicious of me?

|[Because one of my nestlings already found a cave full of serpent corpses. I assume this was the result of their battle.]|

The Nymph seemed to understand and simply shrugged, before settling down beside me to lounge.

|[So did he succeed?]| I asked her. |[This rebel serpent?]|

The Nymph frowned once more. [Who knows. I haven't seen that serpent in a long time and my daughter certainly won't tell me, even after all the dark fae I sent to her. You shouldn't try to find out either, when you visit her, you are to check on her situation  and then return.]

The Nymph seemed quite upset, so I was surprised when she suddenly turned to me with a mischievous grin. [You shouldn't  get involved with any dispute amongst serpents…unless you plan to become his lover.]

What?

I hissed at her in fright. "What is she…ew no…wait…how do serpents even..."

Nevermind, I decided not to think about it.

Sensei was silent anyway.

But then, the Nymph smiled at me with murderous glee. [Anyway, you are mine now. So, even if that serpent comes near you, I will peel off his skin and wear it.]

Wait…hold on.

I felt a terrible chill.

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