My wife is an immortal black snake.

Page 48

Chapter 109

...

The afternoon of the 11th.

"So Margarita—you really have only met a dozen or so people at most over the years?"

"...Yes...If we're talking about the longest period of contact...I've only ever been in contact with fewer than five people..."

"Less than five people?!"

"Because after we escaped to another city... the only job I could find was as a disaster messenger... so..."

"...Now I understand why you're not sensitive to the time of short-lived species."

In a small village in northern Minos, the Blood Demon hides in a recess in the hills behind the village.

Mr. Norsen had already smoked his fourth cigar. She looked at the shy, bewildered, still-weaned girl in front of her with a headache, feeling that this must be the first time in her long life as a Blood Demon that she had encountered such a troublesome matter.

Margarita's situation was worse than Mr. Northumbers had imagined. In her mind, a Blood Demon who lost both parents before the age of 20 was essentially doomed without the care of other members of his kind. Although Margarita was fortunate enough to have a small blood bank left by her mother, it would only last a few years at most. And that was indeed the case.

If her crush hadn't suddenly appeared in her house, smashed her remaining blood bags, and ultimately used his own blood to provide Margarita with nutritious food, Margarita probably wouldn't be alive today.

But this raises another question: that man was the first "outsider" Margarita truly encountered. Putting aside what the man's initial purpose was in not even sparing a baby, they quickly fell into the trap that always comes when two races with different lifespans meet, and could not extricate themselves.

In short—it might take Margarita several decades to wean. But the problem is, those decades are enough for the short-lived species to grow old and die. And because Margarita lost her parents so early, she hasn't even realized this problem.

And so, one side thought the other could wait another ten years or so, while the other was getting too old to wait any longer. Then, under the influence of some external force, Margarita and her like-minded perverted man ultimately missed each other—wait, it seems they didn't miss each other after all?

"So you confessed your feelings before you left? Hoping he would wait for you decades later? And he agreed?"

"Hmm...because my Originium Arts allow me to see him still very young decades into the future..."

"Then they must have found a way to transform into a living species. Well, that's good."

Yeah, I didn't miss it—but the problem is, isn't this about the same as it is now?

Margarita, you might have just been weaned, and when you excitedly head to Ursus, the waiter who greets you calls you "Auntie"... you're probably going to explode. I mean, what if the waiter is the child of someone you like...

Mr. Northrend really had this feeling. After all, if he remembered correctly, that man went to Ursus to get married, right? And that—the Undying Black Serpent? Hmm, Mr. Northrend had heard of that name. If all goes well, the Undying Little Black Serpent should be ready to emerge in a few months. Sigh, I hope my kinsman can stay strong. If things don't work out, I'll accompany her to see...

Just as Mr. Northumbers was pondering this, she heard Margarita, who was drinking blood, whisper a question:

"Then... Mr. Norsen, how did you come here from that country?"

"That country? Gaul—ah, it's a long story."

Mr. Norsen sighed heavily and slowly began to recount the process of the downfall of that once great empire.

...

Initially, Gaul was just an ordinary empire. It was vast and its various races lived together relatively harmoniously; even the Sarkaz blood demons could secure a place there through their abilities. It was far better than any other country today!

However, later, whether due to the influence of some kind of Originium Arts or something else... the modern emperor of Gaul used the entire empire as a price to sign a pact with a certain great being.

“At first, no one realized how terrible the consequences would be,” Mr. Northumbers remarked. “Everyone was just marveling at the effects of that contract—farmland yields increased more than 40 times in a year, and countless minerals suddenly sprang up in previously barren underground deposits. It was as if even the air within the empire smelled sweeter than elsewhere. Under the influence of that contract, Gaul developed rapidly, and 50 years passed in the blink of an eye.”

"this..."

"Then, the liquidation began."

The 50-year period has ended, and the Gauls, who were immersed in joy, have been subjected to a reckoning.

That great being was beyond the power of either the humans or the gods of this world to contend with... In an instant, the world before Mr. Northumbery's eyes changed: the mobile city floated into the air, eventually transforming into some kind of purple crystal. Under the influence of the contract, the vast majority of the Gauls had become ethereal monsters, but less than two seconds later, only a very small number of Gauls who had left the cities or were simply on the borders of the vast Gallo Empire survived.

The Gauls were reduced to a pit, and the Great Pact seemed determined not to spare them.

"In short, the pact that idiot emperor signed will drag this world into the abyss sooner or later," Mr. Northum said irritably. "On the land of Gaul that has been purged, those monsters who were once our compatriots are expanding outwards at an extremely slow pace. Although it is slow, for us immortal beings, it will only take a few hundred years for them to spread to other countries."

"...Is there really no way—?"

"No. At least we can't. Those monsters are beyond the capabilities of humans or Blood Demons... but it's not that we can't fight them. Although they are ethereal, physical attacks can have a huge impact on them—but the problem is, physical weapons in our time haven't developed much." Mr. Northon curled his lip. "People in this era rely more on Originium Arts, or the effects of Originium Arts, in battle. But the problem is... those monsters are completely immune to the effects of Originium Arts."

"Is it only through purely physical means that we can fight them...?"

"Yes, pure physical. No Originium Arts can be mixed in—but stones thrown using Originium Arts are also considered pure physical attacks."

"Um..."

After listening to the stories for several days, Margarita felt that she seemed to have grown up a bit.

She was grateful for Mr. Norson's care, but then again, why did she feel like she was always learning about other things? She clearly wanted to grow in terms of the meaning of life...

"Anyway, there's no point in saying all that now. Sigh, get ready, you're coming out with me later—if you want to understand the concept of time of the short-lived ghosts and us Blood Demons, I have a good place where you can experience it for yourself."

"Huh? Yes..."

"Also, little Margarita—you need to be more courageous and proactive in the future."

"Yes..."

Chapter 110

While Margarita was growing up, it was getting late at night in Ursus.

Because he might have to work all night, he pre-arranged his marital relations with Kosiché.

Afterwards, feeling refreshed, he put on his clothes and prepared to go to that place to wait.

"The appointment was for midnight, so going now would be perfect." Sitting on the bed, covering his private parts with his hands and tail, Kosichrie watched Yang Hao's retreating figure and chuckled, "Come back early. Otherwise, you might not be able to meet that Wendigo scholar who came all the way from Saint-Germain-des-Prés tomorrow."

"Then—could my wife greet me when I can't get up?"

"Hehe, I don't know how you want to communicate with him. In order to avoid causing trouble for your plans, I'd better think of a way to get you up earlier."

"That's true..."

Yang Hao chuckled bitterly a few times, wondering if he should just stay up all night?

After all, he definitely couldn't go to bed early tonight, but that didn't mean he couldn't go to bed early tomorrow—he meant going to bed in the morning. It made perfect sense to warmly welcome the Wendigo scholar who had unlocked his research slot in the morning, then go find the little pony in Casimir before going back to sleep, didn't it?

However, his wife had a strong opinion about this, or rather, a completely different opinion.

"To be honest, if this happens every day, I feel like this body is getting pregnant." Koschche rubbed his belly with his tail and laughed. "Sigh... but let's try not to get pregnant during this time, shall we? In this busy period, if I do have a child, I don't know who I'll ask to take care of him."

"Um... Monica isn't okay?" Yang Hao felt sweat pouring down his forehead.

"She has to take care of you."

"Ah...then maybe we should be more restrained lately?" He had a vague sense of foreboding—a premonition that Koschchet would reject the suggestion.

"Does it need to be? As long as you don't stay inside every time you get excited, right?"

...This was roughly in line with Monica's earlier guess. Clearly, the immortal black serpent, who had been starving for a thousand years, had no intention of letting her husband go. She simply didn't want children to distract them during this busy time, not that she didn't want to stop their intimacy during this period...

This is what's tough on Yang Hao. It's not that he feels uncomfortable, but based on his experience, if Koschie doesn't satisfy him, then he'll have to be careful when he's alone with her.

This black snake doesn't care where it is when it's alone. Even in the courtyard, if Monica isn't paying attention, it will stick its devilish tail in through every gap... Yang Hao really would rather stay in the palace for two hours at a time than break those two hours into dozens of minutes in other places. He doesn't want to have to go back and change his pants every time he goes out, really.

But it sounds exciting to do that while working in the audience hall one day, doesn't it?

Hmm... or should I think about it?

"Then I'll go first."

"Yes, remember to come back."

Yang Hao only thought about it; today's work was more important. After Kosiche's farewell, he put on his boots, left the palace, and waited outside for a long time. Led by Monica, whose face was inexplicably flushed, he arrived at the agreed-upon side door and waited with the Serpent Scales for the Gauls to arrive.

...... ......

Seeing that it was almost time, Mr. Napoleon ordered his soldiers to prepare for departure.

Before leaving, he told those who remained that if none of them returned, they should try their best to earn money to support their families in a "normal" way. With 100 fewer soldiers to feed and house, the pressure from the remaining 1400-plus compatriots should be less than expected.

"Corporal—if I hadn't returned either, you would have been the highest-ranking officer in this tavern. My rank in the military is captain, so I'm temporarily granting you the rank of lieutenant, understand?"

"...I hope you'll take back this temporary rank when you return, Captain. I don't want to work with such a troublesome title," the corporal said with a wry smile. "But I'll be prepared. Captain, have a safe journey."

"That'll be fine."

Captain Napoleon led his soldiers away from their hideout. Along the way, because it was late at night, they did not encounter any Ursus residents wandering the streets. Instead, just as they were about to leave the alley, they ran into a strange army.

If Napoleon wasn't mistaken, that should be the secret force of the Duchy of Cosice—what? Serpent Scales?

“You’re very punctual,” they said. “Going now will allow you to assemble within the deadline. Go on, your first test is punctuality. Did you bring your weapons?”

"...Thanks for the reminder. We are fully armed, and of course we brought our weapons."

The first test was to see if they could arrive on time. Napoleon breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that this little test was quite simple! After all, the residential area was not far from the Duke's mansion, and it shouldn't be difficult to get there on foot.

But just as he was feeling fortunate, the snake scales suddenly said:

"But our master asked me to tell you that if you can complete all the tasks ahead of schedule, he will consider giving you more rewards. Arriving on time is just 'qualified,' understand?"

...I see, so this is just "qualified".

"Qualified" is a grade that is still some distance from being "average" or "excellent".

"I understand."

Napoleon understood very well that only by being the best could one earn the most resources. And it was clear that if he wanted his remaining compatriots to live a good life, he had to be the best.

Therefore, after concluding his conversation with Serpent Scales, he immediately ordered his soldiers to advance at full speed. These heavily armored Gallic warriors, though not as agile as the lightly armored Serpent Scales, were still quite fast. Under Napoleon's personal supervision, they arrived at their destination at 11:45 PM, just 15 minutes before midnight.

At the side gate of that enormous and luxurious ducal mansion, the duke's husband stood, protected by the serpent scales, awaiting the arrival of the Gauls.

"You've arrived quite early," he said with some surprise, glancing at the panting heavily armored warriors behind Napoleon. "Looks like you brought 100 men? Not bad, not bad at all—let's get straight to the point, talk about the rules, and then how to get the rewards."

"All ears."

...

Yang Hao decided to get straight to the point. So after bringing Mr. Napoleon over, he had Monica bring out the prepared map and spread it out on a temporary table—a map of the supercity pieced together from four mobile cities.

Yang Hao was also seeing this map for the first time, but he knew what to say. But then again, those uneven depressions on the right... sigh, they could be smoothed out by piecing together Duke Nikolai's city later. Let's get down to business now.

“Mr. Napoleon, the test I’m giving you this time is very simple: kill the five nobles on the map. I’m not asking you to assassinate them; you can carry out the mission in your favorite way. Once these rascals are all dead, your mission will be over. Of course, I personally suggest that you don’t cause too much damage to the buildings; you’ll understand when the time comes.”

"...May I ask why they were killed?" Napoleon looked at the five points marked on the map, planning the routes and tactical arrangements for the hundred-man squad after it was divided into five teams, while frowning as he pondered the reasons for the purge of those nobles. "And I need to know my time limit."

He was worried that if he joined this duchy, his fellow countrymen would also become targets for elimination at any time. However, Yang Hao's explanation put his mind at ease.

"This one over here is smuggling illegal medical supplies, turning our people into zombies. This one over here is human trafficking. And these three—they're robbing the people of their hard-earned money and even banding together local hamlets to use against our police and people. Do you have any more questions?"

"No, that's all." So, those being eliminated were all scum? While the credibility is still low, at least Napoleon can now focus on his mission without distractions. "So, what's our deadline?"

“The faster the better. If you can take care of everyone within an hour, I'll give you full marks. You can use any of the vehicles here—I only have one request: don't harm the innocent.” Yang Hao pointed to the vehicles already prepared in front of the Duke's mansion's side gate. There were many vans and ordinary cars; although they could only transport about half of the Gauls to their destination, they should be able to take care of everyone on the list tonight. “My Serpent Scales will be following you and scoring you. Report back after you're done, then collect your money and go home, waiting for my notification.”

"...Understood. Let's begin now."

"Wish you a safe journey."

Having said that, Yang Hao planned to rest for a while in the nearby lounge. After watching the Duke's husband and his maid leave, Napoleon immediately summoned his men to explain his plan.

There are five nobles on the map who need their help. Based on the distance calculations, two of them are closer to the Duke's mansion and can be reached on foot in 20 minutes via a shortcut. Therefore, the squad responsible for these two nobles will walk to their destination. They should also be the two squads that return to report the fastest.

"Leon, Chris, you two lead the team and take charge of these two locations—go there now, wipe out everyone inside, but don't harm the civilians outside."

"Yes."

After watching them each lead their teams away, Mr. Napoleon turned his attention to the remaining three points on the map.

Of the remaining three nobles, the furthest is about a 20-minute drive from the Duke's mansion. The residences of the other two nobles are not far away, only about a ten-minute drive, but the map shows that the terrain there is complex, and it would take a lot of time to ensure that everyone is eliminated.

Napoleon's plan was to take charge of the furthest noble residences himself, while two officers would lead teams to the other two. And then again, since that official's only requirement was "not to harm the innocent," then using bombs shouldn't be a problem, right?

As for "minimizing damage to the building structure"? That's something to consider only when there's a choice. So, since there's no other option now, it's better to finish as quickly and efficiently as possible.

“You, and you, go to these two locations. The requirements are the same as before—bring the bombs. The terrain there is complicated. If someone is hiding in a secret room, bury the house along with the secret room. Now choose a vehicle and head there. I will begin the operation shortly after.”

"--Bombs? We didn't bring many bombs."

"Then we'll see how it goes."

"learn."

Watching his trusted subordinates begin to lead the operation, Napoleon took a deep breath, thinking to himself that he must do his best in this test that would determine the future of the Gauls!

......

[Event: The Gauls' Way]

The Gauls are very hospitable and have decided to treat the nobles on the mischievous list to bombs—though you don’t really care what happens after those houses are destroyed, you would still like the Gauls to behave themselves if possible: otherwise, for a long time to come, their base will be tents on the rubble.