The Mana Crystal Cavern had descended into absolute chaos.
Not battle chaos.
Not monster chaos.
Not even political chaos.
Family chaos.
Thousands of serpents filled the cavern floor.
Black serpents.
White serpents.
Grey serpents.
Large serpents.
Small serpents.
Young serpents.
Old serpents.
And every single one of them was hissing at the ancient serpent woman.
Meanwhile.
The knights sat comfortably nearby.
Several had already begun eating rations.
Others sat atop crystal formations.
Some leaned against cavern walls.
Nobody wanted to interrupt.
Because this was genuinely entertaining.
To the knights.
The conversation sounded like:
"HISSSSSS!"
"HISSSSSSS!"
"HISSS!"
"HISSSSSSSSSSS!"
Completely incomprehensible.
But to the serpent woman...
And thanks to a small translation spell cast by Kel...
Everyone could understand.
Unfortunately.
The moment the translation activated...
The knights immediately regretted understanding.
Because the serpents were even worse than expected.
A young black snake immediately raised its head.
"So when is the wedding?"
The cavern became silent.
The serpent woman froze.
Several knights instantly started choking.
A veteran knight fell sideways.
Kel closed his eyes.
"No."
The serpent woman replied instantly.
The snake blinked.
"Not next month?"
"No."
"Next year?"
"No."
"Five years?"
"NO."
The snake lowered its head sadly.
"That's unfortunate."
Another serpent immediately joined.
"Will the human live long enough?"
The first serpent nodded.
"Good question."
The ancient serpent slowly grabbed her forehead.
A headache was forming.
A very large headache.
Then an older serpent raised its head.
"Actually."
The serpent sounded thoughtful.
"This is impressive."
The woman narrowed her eyes.
"What is?"
The older serpent nodded toward Kel.
"You finally found a male who survived a conversation with you."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
The knights immediately looked away.
One knight whispered.
"That snake has courage."
Another whispered back.
"Or a death wish."
The serpent woman stood up.
Slowly.
Dangerously.
The older serpent immediately hid behind several younger serpents.
Cowardly.
The woman pointed.
"I survived hundreds of years without a mate."
The older serpent nodded.
"Exactly."
Silence.
"...What do you mean exactly?"
The serpent looked genuinely confused.
The older serpent sighed.
"It means something is clearly wrong with you."
The entire cavern exploded.
The serpent woman almost transformed back into a giant python.
Kel quickly intervened.
"Let's focus on relocation."
The ancient serpent immediately pointed toward him.
"THANK YOU."
The young Count nodded.
"Please continue."
The serpent took a deep breath.
Then turned toward the thousands of serpents.
"We are relocating."
Silence.
A small snake raised its head.
"Why?"
Another.
"Where?"
Another.
"Do they have food?"
Another.
"Do they have warm rocks?"
Another.
"Do they have females?"
The serpent woman ignored that question.
Then she pointed toward Kel.
"This human has offered protected valleys."
The crowd murmured.
"He will provide territory."
More murmuring.
"There will be prey."
More murmuring.
"There will be safety."
The murmuring became louder.
Then suddenly.
One ancient serpent spoke.
"What does he gain?"
The cavern became quiet.
The serpent woman paused.
Then looked toward Kel.
Then back toward the serpents.
"The mine."
The ancient serpent nodded.
"Reasonable."
Several serpents agreed.
Then another snake raised its head.
"Will he exploit us?"
Silence followed.
The serpent woman actually stopped.
Because it was a serious question.
The cavern became unusually quiet.
Thousands of yellow eyes slowly turned toward Kel.
Watching.
Observing.
Waiting.
The young Count calmly stood.
Then looked toward the sea of serpents.
The atmosphere shifted.
The knights immediately straightened.
Because when Kel spoke seriously...
People listened.
Even monsters.
"I won't."
The answer came immediately.
No hesitation.
No theatrics.
Simple.
The serpents remained silent.
Kel continued.
"If I wanted slaves."
A pause.
"I would have enslaved you."
Another.
"If I wanted corpses."
Another.
"I would have killed you."
Another.
"If I wanted the mine by force."
Another.
"I would already own it."
The cavern became still.
Because nobody could argue.
Kel pointed toward the ancient serpent woman.
"She has intelligence."
Another pause.
"So do some of you."
Several snakes immediately looked proud.
Others looked confused.
One looked surprised.
Kel continued.
"Therefore."
A pause.
"I would rather cooperate."
The words echoed softly.
The ancient serpent quietly watched him.
The older serpents quietly watched him.
Even the younger serpents listened.
Then a tiny snake raised its head.
"Can we bite him?"
Silence.
Kel blinked.
The serpent woman looked horrified.
"No."
The tiny snake lowered its head.
"...Just once?"
"No."
The tiny snake looked devastated.
The knights burst out laughing.
The tension disappeared.
Immediately.
Then another serpent spoke.
"If we move."
A pause.
"Will Lady finally stop living alone?"
The entire cavern froze.
The serpent woman slowly turned.
Very slowly.
Dangerously slowly.
The serpent immediately regretted speaking.
Several nearby snakes abandoned him.
Completely.
No loyalty whatsoever.
The woman pointed.
"You."
The serpent swallowed.
"Yes?"
"When we arrive at the new valley."
The serpent brightened.
"Yes?"
"You are digging the first burrow."
The serpent looked horrified.
The knights laughed so hard several fell over.
Meanwhile.
Kel quietly sat back down.
Watching.
Listening.
Observing.
Far beneath Scarder Lake.
Seiren laughed softly.
"You've somehow become the leader of a giant dysfunctional serpent family."
Kel sighed.
"It wasn't intentional."
The Guardian immediately replied.
"Neither was most of Frostbound Coast."
The young Count could not argue.
Because she was right.
Hours passed.
Arguments continued.
Questions continued.
Complaints continued.
The relocation discussion slowly progressed.
And eventually...
The serpents accepted.
Not because they trusted humans.
Not because they trusted Kel.
But because they trusted her.
The ancient serpent who had protected them for centuries.
As the assembly finally began dispersing...
One young serpent slithered closer to her.
Then quietly asked.
"Are you happy?"
The woman froze.
The question was simple.
Unexpectedly simple.
She looked toward the distant cavern entrance.
Toward the future.
Toward Frostbound Coast.
Toward the path she had chosen.
Then toward Kel.
Who was currently explaining territorial logistics to several snakes.
As though negotiating with monsters was completely normal.
A faint smile appeared.
Small.
Almost invisible.
Yet real.
"...Perhaps."
The young serpent nodded.
Then happily slithered away.
And for the first time in centuries...
The ancient serpent felt something unfamiliar.
Not certainty.
Not purpose.
Not direction.
Hope.
A small hope.
That perhaps...
The next chapter of her life would be far more interesting than the last few centuries.