So I'm a Snake, Who Cares?

In truth, I won't be able to properly pass on magic to the little kid.

How could I, who am still learning magic from Pelerian, properly teach anyone else?

I wanted to stay in the carriage longer, and I thought it would be nice to get necessary items or food by using Amain.

That was the extent of my idea.

I was planning to leave the carriage anytime if I was discovered by other humans.

However, persuading the little kid turned out to be an excellent choice.

Amain was a smart kid despite his young age.

"Dad, I'm going to go into the luggage compartment to train for a bit."

"You're going in again?"

"Yeah, it's quiet and dark there, so I can concentrate better."

Amain said this in a natural voice and then hopped into the luggage compartment.

The merchant named Roil didn't seem to suspect his son at all.

The luggage compartment was sturdy, covered with oiled cloth, making it a good place to practice magic as long as you didn't shout.

It's been two days since Amain started coming in and out of the luggage compartment, and my presence still hasn't been discovered.

'Have you come?'

"Yes, master."

The boy was not only smart but also well-mannered.

I used the ink pen I received from him to communicate through writing.

'What did I ask for?'

This morning, I had requested something from Amain.

I asked him to bring a pot filled with black soil, but there was no way to find a pot on this mountain road.

I didn't expect much, but Amain fulfilled my request admirably.

"There was a suitable stew bowl, so I filled it with soil and brought it."

He politely handed over a wooden rice bowl.

This is good enough for a pot. I think I can plant the chimera snake seeds here.

He's quite capable.

'Excellent. Have you mastered mana breeding well?'

"Yes."

'Show me.'

Amain sat down, closed his eyes, and started breathing.

The breathing method he had been practicing originally was crude.

This is the breathing method taught by Pelerian.

'You're doing well.'

It wouldn't be easy to concentrate on a bumpy carriage.

But even as I watched from beside him, I could tell that Amain was breathing excellently.

I don't seem to have a dantian unlike humans or elves.

It wasn't easy to accumulate magical power through breathing methods.

I felt a bit depressed, but seeing this kid learn well made me feel a bit better.

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"Oh, he has talent. He has talent."

Pelerian mumbled while looking at Amain.

"If I had taught this guy, it would have been much easier..."

'Then why don't you just go around with him instead of me?'

I said that out of anger, but Pelerian seemed to be seriously considering it.

After a while, he finally shook his head and answered.

"It won't do. Humans are too inferior a race. At best, they live for sixty years and die. They can't even evolve."

'....'

Pelerian just admitted that snakes are better than humans.

Amain excellently completed his mana breeding.

'Well done. The knowledge I'll impart to you today is about elemental magic circles.'

"Elemental magic circles!"

I just learned it from Pelerian this morning, but it's really nice not having to act when writing.

'I'll teach you how to infuse magical power into the fire magic circle.'

When you teach newly acquired knowledge to others, you can internalize that knowledge once again.

It was the same with magic circles.

With Pelerian's help, I drew a small magic circle on paper.

'After properly infusing magical power here.'

And I attached it to my dagger, Ashura.

After raising the dagger.

'If you do this.'

When I injected a bit of magical power.

Whoosh!

The dagger caught fire as if it had been coated with oil.

A light of envy settled in Amain's eyes.

'This completes the fire aura.'

"This bastard."

Although I used a bit of trickery.

I have finally become a first-class magic swordsman.

==

It had been just under a week since three cargo wagons departed from the middle trading post towards Calea City.

Finally, tomorrow they would reach Calea City.

After camping outdoors for nearly three days, the merchants looked quite disheveled.

"Ugh, we'll be able to enter the city tomorrow, right?"

"I'm heading straight to an inn to wash up."

The dark night had fallen.

The merchants gathered around a single campfire, chatting quietly.

Since it was their last night, they shared some rum to warm their bodies.

With warm stew and rum, even a cold night would be bearable.

However, one of them drank his stew from a cup instead of a bowl.

"Damn it, where did my bowl go?"

"Jackson, you were on dish duty, you should know if anyone does."

"It was definitely there until then..."

The merchant named Jackson had a bright red nose.

He lived with alcohol, which was why.

It wasn't a good habit, but he wouldn't listen when others tried to stop him.

Amain, lying next to Roil, curled up as if sleepy.

"Mmm, Dad..."

"Looks like you're cold. Here, have this blanket too."

Roil covered Amain with his own blanket.

The sight was quite heartwarming.

Jackson mumbled absentmindedly.

"The kid's really smart. And cute too."

"Haha."

Though Roil and Jackson weren't particularly close, they knew each other to some extent.

"Your son wanted to become a merchant too, right?"

"Ah, yeah..."

"Why don't you bring him along sometime? Would your wife mind?"

Jackson hesitated before answering.

"Well... I guess so."

The atmosphere became a bit awkward due to Jackson's ambiguous attitude.

Only the chirping of insects could be heard.

Jackson broke the silence.

"Can I take the first watch tonight? I'm really tired."

"Oh sure. Then I'll take the second. Wake me up later."

They took turns keeping watch.

There had been talk of bandits recently, and hungry monsters might appear.

After all, this area was close to the magic realm mountains.

Except for Jackson, the others got into their sleeping bags one by one.

When their breathing became regular and everyone was asleep,

Jackson muttered while drinking a glass of rum.

"...This sucks."

Roil, with his kind face, was sprawled out sleeping.

And his son, cuddled up in his arms, also asleep.

It was a pleasant sight, but to Jackson, it only looked disgusting.

With a flushed, drunken face, Jackson thought,

'Is Roil mocking me too?'

Bring my son along?

It's been a long time since I've seen that brat's face.

One day, I came home early for once,

And saw an unknown man lying in bed with my wife.

I lost it and beat up the man and my wife.

The man ran away, and as I was about to slap my wife, she bit my wrist.

I was drunk and so angry that I beat her with the intention to kill.

Then I felt a sting on my back. I turned around and saw

My young son had stabbed me in the back with a kitchen knife.

His hand holding the knife was shaking, but he was glaring at me with bloodshot eyes.

Fortunately, the knife only pierced the skin a little.

My wife, with a bloody nose, hugged our son and cried out,

Begging me to leave. To get out.

I was dumbfounded, but I left as if fleeing.

I drank and told this story to my fellow merchants, and soon the rumor spread.

Did Roil not hear about this?

Or did he pretend not to know and ask on purpose to mock me?

'That bastard. He thinks he's so great.'

As I drank, anger welled up inside me.

I felt like smashing that brat's face, and Roil's face too.

I didn't actually do it, though.

But perhaps sensing the hostility Jackson was emitting,

Amain, who had been sleeping, slightly opened his eyes.

At that moment, when Jackson's eyes met the boy's,

Thwack!

Along with a searing pain, something pierced Jackson's cheek.

He realized a moment later that it was an arrow that had flown from somewhere.

"Ugh, gaaaargh!"

Jackson let out a muffled scream and jumped up.

More arrows were fired from the darkness.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

Three arrows pierced Jackson's body.

It was instant death.

Jackson fell onto the campfire with a thud.

Thump!

Sparks flew up noisily.

Everyone who had been sleeping woke up from the commotion.

From the darkness, rough-looking men emerged holding crossbows and maces.

"I didn't kill him in one shot, so it's my win."

"No, he would've died anyway even if we left him."

"Are you kidding? He would've died of old age much later. Hahaha!"

These men were joking and laughing about killing someone.

A dog started barking.

"B-Bandits!"

Amain screamed.