So I'm a Snake, Who Cares?

Phili feared his father.

It was natural, as he hadn't received a warm look since childhood.

Children instinctively crave parental love.

Phili Aden Solion was still a child, and he hadn't received enough love.

Because he knew it was due to his 'sin'.
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Phili couldn't hate his father.

It takes considerable mental strength to accept and process such a situation.

So in some ways, Phili matured quickly.

He realized that not everyone - even those as close as family - would love him.

While in other aspects, he hadn't matured at all.

Phili developed an unbalanced personality.

But now, even he smiled brightly.

"Ho ho ho, well done, Phili!"

His father was praising him.

How long had it been?

"You have something in common with me after all. When I was young..."

"Hehe..."

His father seemed genuinely happy.

Actually, even Phili thought his recent performance was amazing.

Ripping off the mantis monster's head completely, wasn't that crazy?

Though he did borrow the power of an elixir...

"Well done. Very well done. In front of the Imperial Ambassador... You've elevated my honor."

He felt dazed from the praise.

It felt like floating in the sky.

Even more surprising was that the Second Prince's match was currently happening in front.

While his brother was fighting a gorilla, his father wasn't even watching and was just praising Phili.

"Ah, I didn't expect things to turn out like this..."

He kept gulping down alcohol while saying that.

Something strange emanated from that sight.

Phili unconsciously asked.

"Father, perhaps is there something troubling you...?"

"Troubling...?"

"I, I spoke out of turn. I apologize."

Phili quickly apologized.

Why did such words suddenly come out?

The king didn't smile and drank with a serious expression.

"Kyaaah!"

"P-Prince Leon!"

At that moment, screams rang out.

Yet the king didn't look at the arena.

He seemed almost indifferent.

And when Phili turned to look at the arena.

"Aaaah!"

The gorilla monster was crushing his brother's limbs.

Screams and chaos continued.

The king didn't look at the arena the entire time.

The way he just kept drinking was clearly strange.

Rumble-

Then, the ground shook.

"Kyaaah!"

Another scream.

The soldiers surrounded the gorilla to kill it, but huge vines shot up as if to stop them.

It was clearly an unusual situation.

"Y-Your Majesty."

The king also knew there was a problem.

While he didn't even glance at the Second Prince's struggles, he was greatly startled by the rising vines.

Throwing down his wine cup and standing up abruptly.

"Balanyar-!"

He called for the Gnome Chancellor.

The Chancellor hopped over.

Making his body light as a feather, he bounced lithely from foot to foot, his movements quick and springy like a boxer warming up before a match.

The two stood so close their foreheads nearly touched, trading urgent whispers that were meant for their ears alone, their warm breath mingling in the narrow space between them.

Phili, who was right in front, caught snippets.

'Was it you?'

'It wasn't me.'

'Then what is that?'

'I don't know either. Anyway, proceed as planned.'

'I suppose we must.'

What were they trying to do?

Phili stood gaping.

And then, the giant vines spewed flames.

Hot hellfire scattered everywhere.

"Block it-!"

The knights protecting the royalty blocked the king's front.

Phili got pushed away in the chaos.

And those huge flames actually reached the audience seats.

Chancellor Balanyar jumped up to prepare for any possible danger.

"Hup! Ingens Scutum!"

Soon a translucent barrier shield floated in the air.

The flames couldn't penetrate it and bounced upward.

However, even a great archmage couldn't instantly create a barrier shield large enough to cover all the audience seats.

He only blocked where the king was, so people screamed at the heat wave they felt.

"Aaah!"

And that included a princess who had trauma from burns.

Lily Ardene, she was sitting quite far from where the king was.

Nevertheless, Phili clearly heard that scream.

Phili ran to Lily without hesitation.

And over there, the flames also reached where the Imperial Ambassador was.

Like Balanyar, the Ambassador's guards who could block the flames were naturally present.

A mage wearing ornate Imperial-style clothing - complete with flowing silk robes embroidered with golden thread and ceremonial sashes wrapped around his waist - leaped gracefully into the air. His weathered fingers moved in an intricate pattern as he gathered the ambient magical energy around him, the air shimmering with power as he exhaled forcefully, unleashing a powerful gust of wind that rushed forward like an invisible battering ram.

Water gushed out and exploded into steam when it collided with the flames.

Shhhh!

The heated steam covered the audience seats.

Unfortunately, the steam reached where the princess was.

Phili blocked the front without time to judge.

But how could he protect his sister against incoming steam, not even fireballs?

Phili just acted according to what popped into his head.

"Huaaap!"

He frantically windmilled both arms.

Whoosh!

And it worked.

When he turned his head, he met eyes with a dazed Lily.

"...H-hello."

"Phili..."

Grab.

Phili unconsciously grabbed his sister's wrist.

"L-let's... run away first."

The siblings held hands for the first time in a long while.

==

'Advisor! What exactly happened!'

Time was urgent, and Lady Rilla's words were slow.

So I just roughly listened.

It seems she made a deal to protect her subordinate monkeys.

She says she got captured alone and did as told in exchange for saving the monkeys.

What a kind gorilla.

The monkeys should have been freed already, but I wondered why she kept following orders until the end.

"On this neck... bomb necklace..."

Lady Rilla had an explosive necklace around her neck.

"Need... key..."

"Saaak!"

Could this key be that key?

I had copied a suspicious-looking key when I snuck into the underground storage before.

When I inserted it and turned.

Click.

The restraint on her neck came off.

I immediately threw it outside.

Bang!

It was close.

Those guys outside must have quickly activated the bomb in the restraint.

'Let's escape.'

"H-how do we escape?"

As an advisor, the gorilla lady was intelligent.