I entered the room, dragging Lily along with me.

“You can just hold my hand!”

He protested me holding him by the bicep.

“No.”

I said nonchalantly. I haven’t let him go not even a second since I met with him and I was sure I wouldn’t let him go until I was sure he wouldn’t just turn out to be another hallucination.

“So this is the spy you mentioned before.”

A man with goat horns said to me. All the eyes were turned to me and I would have felt overwhelmed if it wasn’t for my years of ordering people around.

Most of the eyes were filled with doubt and hostility. Considering some of them were from the slave camp and they recognized me I didn’t blame them. Reminded me of when I first met Morrigan.

“I prefer the term informant. Spy has… Negative implications.”

I saw Ama get up from the back of the room. She looked tired with bags under her eyes. She looked thinner than I remembered. Despite that, her eyes lit up when she saw me.

“Poyraz…”

“Morrigan told me the bad news. But you don’t need to worry. I am here with the good news.”

I looked around.

“Is Arslan…”

“He is fine.”

“Good. I still owe him a good ass-kicking. Now, will you curse me and get it out of your system or will you stare me daggers while I talk?”

I waited for a response but none came.

“Fine, unvoiced hostility is it. Here is the good news: Silverfoxes won’t be chasing you. She is currently on her way to her family home. The townfolk is currently trying to form their own research party but honestly, they will probably just look around in the forest nearby and return back to their homes.”

Some of them whispered to each other.

“They don’t know about that Regal person. They just think this is an attack from Black Claw.”

I only knew him from what Morrigan told me. There were no signs or talk about him when I talked to Blanche. Room’s reaction to that information was very negative.

“Of course, they wouldn’t do something that would help us.”

“Hah! It is better we kill that traitor ourselves!”

“I don’t care who kills him, I just want him dead.”

Were among the whispers I could make out. I could understand their anger. Enemies were one thing but one of yours turning on you?

…

It took me some time to escape from that room after giving them all the information I had.

“We managed to teleport most of the weaker beastkin but I guessed you would prefer to be with her.”

Ama said. She was guiding me to Larve.

“That’s why she is currently staying in a room we opened for wounded. You know, people that are not stable enough to be teleported.”

Morrigan wasn’t with us as she stayed behind to rest claiming she was tired. I think it was more like her social battery running out but I didn’t say anything about it.

The first thing I saw was Arslan’s ears perking up when he saw Ama then returning back to normal after seeing me. He was covered with bandages but other than it he looked healthy. Perhaps he was faking being injured so Ama would give him more attention?

“Stop that creepy smile.”

I must be smiling at the thought of it without realizing it.

“It is nice to see you too, Kitty Cat.”

I heard a gasp coming from Lily.

“Cheater! You have a pet name for him and not me?”

I put my hand to Lily’s face and pushed him away from me. Ama pointed toward Larve and I ignored Lily and Arslan’s bitching.

I looked down at her. She looked the same as I last saw her. Her horns were as hard and solid and her scales gave out a blue luster. She looked very peaceful.

“A Calamity Candidate.”

I thought to myself. One must have the “qualifications” to acquire a title. How? Why? Larve was a song-loving kid who cried and begged me to help villagers who attacked her. But she was the only one who qualified for the Calamity “marked” me.

1- According to Ama she was a race she never heard about.

2- I gained a skill only monsters could possess after she passed out.

3- Everything about her was suspicious from her past to how she came to that forest.

I neither was that stupid nor oblivious. If she was actually a Calamity I had the chance to let her to her own fate or even kill her while she couldn’t fight back. Wolf King was so strong that he could return back from death even if it was temporarily. Even his degraded kin was strong enough to kill me.

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

If I was really brought here to protect this world I couldn’t risk that kind of thing. Even if she had a 1 percent chance to turn into a Calamity…

“Bark?”

Gökbörü’s bark brought me back to reality. I patted his head.

“Yeah, that would be the smart choice. Good thing I am not smart.”

I raised Larve’s head as I pulled the revitalization potion I asked Blanche to give me from my bag. I poured it into her mouth. I made sure she didn’t choke on it and waited after I made her drink all of it. As she kept lying motionlessly, worry grew on my chest. I looked at Ama, pleading with my eyes to give me an explanation. She kneeled on the opposite side of me and grabbed her wrist.

“I will try to infuse her with some energy. We will see if it works.”

I nodded as a red hue started to come out of Ama. I watched, my heart pounding in my mouth. After a while, she looked at me and shook her head.

“I am sorry Poyraz. I don’t know-“

Before she could finish her sentence Larve’s small hand gripped my throat. With strength that couldn’t come from her small body, she slammed me to the ground.

“Poyraz!”

I heard worried voices calling my name. My eyes met Larve’s eyes.

Her star-shaped eyes were gone. Black liquid dripped out of her eyes to my face. A small scream escaped my mouth. It burned!

My eyes were locked with her pure black eyes. It was just black. Like a black hole.

I was falling. Falling into the endless darkness. It smelled like sulfur. It was hot. My lungs burned. I tried to move but countless snakes coiled around my body. I couldn’t even see what they looked like as blood filled my vision.

(Title “Serpent of Thousand Sins” ignores most of your resistances.)

“Is this the “Hero” chosen by Goddes of War?”

That voice was so deep that I felt my entire skeleton vibrate. Too cruel. Too mocking. Too inhuman.

I wanted to scream. I wanted to shout. But the moment I opened my mouth those snakes entered my mouth, choking me.

“Howl!”

The heat lessened as Gökbörü’s howl entered my ears. I felt snakes coiling around me freeze. I strained myself and shatter them.

“Annoying mutt.”

I managed to open my eyes despite the burning sensation all over my body.

I saw two black holes looking back at me. They were so black that they stood out in this darkness.

No. It was different. Dark existed because of the lack of light. Those eyes rejected the very concept of light.

(Difference between mana stat is causing damage to your soul.)

(With the skill Iron Will and Title The One who Have Seen The End you are barely able to protect your soul.)

“Human. Mere mortal. You have one of my shards. Give her to me and I will kill you last and painlessly.”

His voice made me feel like my ears were bleeding.

“That’s a horrible bargain.”

Every letter I spoke tore my throat as it left my mouth. I pushed past the pain and rejected his offer. As if I would just hand Larve to him!

“Foolish. For your ignorance, I will tear your soul apart. I will make you wish for death! I will-“

“Growl!”

He was cut short by Gökbörü’s growl.

“My anger will reach you, Chosen of War Goddess. Maybe not this day. Maybe not tomorrow. But don’t sleep easy at night because I will be in your nightmares, waiting for you.”

(You are being branded by Abyssial Nightmare.)

I growled with pain. It felt like burning metal was pressing on my body. Despite the pain shrouding my consciousness I forced myself to stay awake.

“No.”

I heard a familiar feminine voice before my entire body was washed away by a golden light.

(Branding failed.)

The pain disappeared without a trace.

“You annoying being! You think you can just- Arghhhhhhhhhh!”

He tried to talk against The Star but he suddenly started to scream.

Both the darkness and light faded and I opened my eyes.

Larve was on top of me. Her eyes were turned back to normal. Tears, now normal dripped on my face again.

“I am sorry! I am so sorry! I should have listened t- Hiccup!”

She hugged me while apologizing. Her apologies were cut by hiccups from time to time.

“You got hurt because of me!”

“It is okay.”

I said while hugging her back.

“It is all over now.”