The cavern glowed with countless colors.
Blue mana crystals illuminated the darkness.
Silver crystal formations stretched across the walls like frozen rivers.
Purple crystal clusters pulsed softly with magical energy.
The entire underground world looked less like a mine and more like the palace of an ancient dragon.
Yet nobody paid attention to the beauty.
Not now.
Because at the center of the cavern stood something far more interesting.
A negotiation.
Thousands of snakes surrounded the area.
Some coiled around crystal pillars.
Some slithered across rocky ledges.
Some watched from the darkness.
Their yellow eyes reflected the crystal light.
Creating the uncomfortable feeling of being observed from every direction.
The knights remained vigilant.
Hands rested on sword hilts.
Shields remained ready.
Yet nobody moved.
Because Kel and the serpent woman were speaking.
And somehow...
That felt more dangerous than combat.
The serpent woman folded her arms.
Golden eyes narrowed.
Her long dark hair flowed down her back.
Several wounds remained visible from their earlier fight.
The cuts were already slowly healing.
Yet her pride appeared far more injured.
"This mine belongs to me."
Her voice echoed throughout the cavern.
Firm.
Confident.
Defiant.
Kel simply looked at her.
Waiting.
The serpent continued.
"I have lived here longer than any human."
She pointed toward the surrounding crystals.
"Longer than your soldiers."
Another point.
"Longer than your miners."
Another.
"Longer than your cities."
The cavern became silent.
Then she smiled proudly.
"According to your human logic..."
Her arms crossed.
"If someone lives somewhere long enough."
A pause.
"It becomes theirs."
Several knights exchanged glances.
The argument sounded surprisingly reasonable.
The serpent's smile widened.
"Therefore."
She spread her arms dramatically.
"This mine belongs to me."
Silence followed.
A dangerous silence.
Because unfortunately for her...
She was arguing with Kel Rosenfeld.
And Kel was currently trying to find a loophole.
The young Count remained silent.
Thinking.
Analyzing.
Searching.
Then his gaze shifted.
Toward the thousands of snakes surrounding them.
An idea appeared.
Immediately.
"Are they your offspring?"
The cavern froze.
The serpent blinked.
"...What?"
The sudden topic change was so abrupt that even the knights looked confused.
Kel calmly pointed toward the thousands of snakes.
"Those."
The serpent followed his finger.
Several seconds passed.
Then—
"THEY ARE NOT MY OFFSPRING!"
The roar echoed through the cavern.
Several smaller snakes immediately fled.
A knight nearly dropped his weapon.
The serpent looked genuinely offended.
Deeply offended.
Kel nodded thoughtfully.
"I don't think that's true."
The woman's eye twitched.
"What?"
Kel calmly continued.
"You're clearly female."
The serpent looked confused.
"So?"
Kel pointed toward the endless sea of snakes.
"There are thousands of snakes."
Another point.
"This is your mine."
Another.
"Therefore."
The young Count nodded confidently.
"Surely you laid hundreds of eggs every season."
Silence.
The serpent stared.
The knights stared.
Even Seiren became silent.
Then—
"WHAT KIND OF LOGIC IS THAT?!"
The cavern exploded with her voice.
The serpent's face turned red.
Several knights immediately looked away.
One veteran quietly whispered.
"Lord Kel is provoking her."
Another nodded.
"I think he's doing it intentionally."
A third whispered.
"I'm not sure even Lord Kel knows what he's doing."
Nobody disagreed.
The serpent took several deep breaths.
Then pointed toward the snakes.
"They are NOT mine!"
Kel tilted his head.
"Really?"
"YES!"
The response came instantly.
The young Count nodded.
Then asked another question.
"Then why are they here?"
The serpent immediately opened her mouth.
Then paused.
Then frowned.
Then opened it again.
Then frowned harder.
Because she suddenly realized...
She actually had to explain.
And somehow...
That felt unfair.
The woman rubbed her forehead.
Frustration visibly accumulated.
Then finally—
"I am single."
Silence.
The cavern became very quiet.
Several knights looked surprised.
One knight accidentally coughed.
The serpent immediately glared at him.
The knight nearly died.
"I have been single for centuries."
The woman crossed her arms.
"And no."
She pointed at Kel.
"I have never had a mate."
The young Count blinked.
"Never?"
The serpent's expression darkened.
"Never."
Another pause.
Kel genuinely looked curious now.
"How?"
The serpent's eye twitched.
"How?"
The word echoed dangerously.
"HOW?"
The woman pointed at herself.
"How do you think I achieved this form?"
The cavern fell silent.
The serpent continued.
"When I was born."
Her voice became calmer.
"I was an ordinary serpent."
The knights listened carefully.
Even Kel remained silent.
The woman pointed toward her giant python body lying nearby.
"It took me nearly three hundred years to gather enough mana to reach that size."
A pause.
"Three hundred years."
Several knights inhaled sharply.
The serpent continued.
"And many more centuries after that to achieve a human form."
The crystal light reflected within her golden eyes.
"Every day."
A pause.
"Every year."
Another.
"Every century."
The woman looked upward.
"I cultivated."
The cavern became quiet.
Very quiet.
Because suddenly...
The giant serpent no longer sounded ridiculous.
She sounded ancient.
Truly ancient.
The woman laughed bitterly.
"Relationships?"
She shook her head.
"Impossible."
The laughter disappeared.
"If I divided my energy."
Her hand clenched.
"I would never have reached this level."
A faint sadness appeared.
Just for a moment.
Then vanished.
The serpent looked toward the thousands of snakes.
"When I entered seclusion..."
Her voice softened slightly.
"Other serpent monsters occasionally came here."
The knights listened.
"They fought."
A pause.
"They courted."
Another.
"They bred."
The serpent looked annoyed.
"Then they left."
Silence.
"And abandoned their offspring here."
The entire cavern froze.
Several knights slowly looked toward the thousands of snakes.
Then toward her.
Then back toward the snakes.
Realization appeared.
The serpent groaned.
"Those idiots kept treating this place like a nursery."
Several smaller snakes hissed in protest.
The serpent immediately pointed.
"YOU KNOW IT'S TRUE."
The snakes became silent.
Kel rubbed his chin.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
The serpent continued ranting.
"I didn't kill them."
A pause.
"I didn't mind them."
Another.
"And eventually they started protecting the mine."
The woman pointed toward the surrounding crystal formations.
"Which was useful."
Then she looked toward Kel.
"And now."
Her eyes narrowed.
"You arrive."
Another point.
"You kill hundreds of snakes."
Another.
"You stab me repeatedly."
Another.
"You accuse me of having thousands of children."
The woman's breathing became heavier.
Her patience visibly reached dangerous levels.
"And somehow."
A pause.
"I am the unreasonable one."
The cavern trembled slightly.
Not from magic.
From anger.
Raw.
Ancient.
Accumulated anger.
The serpent leaned forward.
Golden eyes locked onto Kel.
"You frustrating human."
Her teeth clenched.
"I was trying to negotiate peacefully."
A vein appeared on her forehead.
"And now I am seriously considering swallowing you."
Several knights immediately stepped forward.
Weapons raised.
The serpent ignored them.
Her attention remained fixed on Kel.
Meanwhile.
The young Count simply stood there.
Thinking.
Analyzing.
Then—
A faint smile appeared.
Because while she had been explaining her life story...
He had finally found the loophole he wanted.
Far beneath Scarder Lake.
Seiren immediately sensed it.
"Oh no."
The Guardian sighed.
"You found something, didn't you?"
Kel's smile widened slightly.
The serpent woman noticed.
And for reasons she couldn't explain...
A terrible feeling suddenly appeared.
The feeling that somehow...
Despite speaking for ten minutes straight...
She may have accidentally argued against herself.
And she absolutely hated that possibility.