46

There was still some distance, but something huge was slowly making its way toward us.

Despite its massive size, it moved with surprising silence, and no one had noticed yet.

Realizing that my plan of “brushing my teeth with a handmade toothbrush” was about to be scrapped, I sighed. The mercenaries watching me flinched.

The giant figure slid soundlessly along the treetops of the forest.

Now that it was closer, I could hear it better, and its shape became clearer.

(Yep, that’s one big snake.)

In a word—extremely long.

I couldn’t tell exactly, but it had to be over twenty meters.

That gave me a good guess of its identity.

(It must be a “Shadow Viper.” A massive snake capable of swallowing humans whole. Its signature traits are its silent movement and its ability to blend perfectly into its surroundings with camouflage. Its usual length is about ten meters… wait, what?)

The type seemed right, but the size was off.

A variant? Or just an unusually large specimen? Either way, this was likely the mercenaries’ target.

I could have waited until it attacked someone, but if its first target happened to be the busty sorceress, I’d feel bad.

I had already teased her too much, so this time I decided to protect her.

So I stood and lumbered toward the center of camp.

The mercenaries recoiled in alarm, but once they realized I was heading toward her, they oddly united, as if agreeing to leave her to me.

She looked at me with a disgusted expression, but I easily picked her up and sat her on my hand. Her butt really was nice, too.

“…What now?”

Her tone was clearly irritated, but I needed her to bear with it.

I carried her to the center of camp and set her down.

Puzzled, she tilted her head, then tried to return to her spot, but I blocked her and walked toward the snake’s direction.

Only then did some mercenaries finally notice the threat.

“Everyone up! Something’s out there!”

It was the captain who shouted first.

At his order, the resting mercenaries leapt up, weapons in hand.

The sorceress also raised her staff immediately.

From faint sounds, I could already track the snake’s position, but the mercenaries had no clue.

Some followed my gaze, trying to find it, but couldn’t.

Naturally. I couldn’t see it either.

Not because of distance—something that should have been visible wasn’t.

(Ah, perfect camouflage. It’s blending in completely.)

Even with my night vision, I couldn’t see it. Humans had no chance.

Snakes sensed heat, which gave this one the advantage.

Without me, they would have been ambushed without mercy.

(So it makes sense she wanted to use me.)

Indeed, the mercenary band would have to accept annihilation against such a perfect ambush.

But now that I had noticed it, the snake’s movements slowed.

Maybe it was wary of me, hesitant to attack.

But then, even more quietly than before, the snake advanced.

I wished it would hurry—it was tiring to keep my head raised—but one mercenary wandered toward the forest edge.

“Again? It’s just him messing around, right?”

I couldn’t be sure, but it sounded like that.

He even carried his sword carelessly, spreading his arms in mockery.

The next instant, the snake lunged at him.

From its sluggish crawl, it suddenly shot forward with blinding speed. Not knowing where its head was had ruined his sense of distance.

“Above you!”

But it was too late.

The mercenary was swallowed in one gulp by the enormous mouth that appeared overhead.

Talk about a textbook flag being fulfilled.

Flawless in both speed and accuracy.

The captain rushed forward, greatsword in hand.

But no—too late. The snake was gone from that spot.

It was faster than expected.

In the forest at least, that snake was quicker than me.

(But too bad. I’ve memorized its scent. No matter how far it runs, I’ll catch it eventually.)

Instead of following the captain, I leapt in another direction.

A few mercenaries shouted something, and the sorceress began chanting in response.

I hoped she wouldn’t hit me by accident.

Her spells could hurt me. And I had played too many pranks on her.

(Honestly, if she blasts me from behind, I can’t even complain.)

Still, I swore that if she did, I’d strip her, lick her all over, and drench her in saliva. The thought made me almost eager.

The snake seemed ready to fight, coiling its long body through the cramped forest.

The battle was over in an instant.

Not that it was fully decided yet, but the snake had made the fatal mistake of trying to wrap itself around me.

For me, “touch equals victory.” The moment it coiled, it was done.

First, it tried to bite. Its upper jaw came from behind, but without even turning, I swatted it away with a single punch. At the same time, it coiled around me.

I had planned to crush it then and there, but a sudden flash blinded me.

Some spell, like a flare.

In that instant, I lost the chance.

The mercenaries, illuminated by the light, saw me being constricted by the massive snake.

Some might have thought I was about to be crushed.

So I made it clear, with the simplest solution.

I overpowered it.

Its coils spread uselessly against my strength.

Then I grabbed its approaching body and tore away flesh and skin in one brutal rip.

The snake screamed and thrashed, uncoiling in panic. I stomped its body to pin it.

(Sorry, but even with your size, trying to overpower me was reckless.)

Truthfully, I had nearly been at my limit—it was stronger than I’d expected.

If it had been even bigger, it might have been dangerous.

But the fight was decided.

According to nature’s law, it had to die.

I yanked its body closer, ignoring its desperate thrashing.

Its flailing knocked down trees, keeping the mercenaries at bay.

I plunged my hand into its body, hauling its head toward me.

It opened its jaws in a final struggle, but I slammed its head into the ground and pinned it under my foot.

Then I raised my arm and struck, ending it.

For good measure, I tore open its body where the swallowed mercenary was trapped, pressing down until the man slid out in a mess of slime.

The mercenaries stared in shock as I carried the limp man back and dropped him in camp.

He was still breathing, barely, but no one moved until the captain barked orders.

With my task done, I turned to the sorceress.

I pointed to the snake.

She nodded firmly.

Good. That meant this was indeed the target.

I had worried it might not be the right one.

The mercenaries swarmed the snake, likely to begin dismantling it. That would take ages.

And then I noticed.

They were all over there.

Which left only me and the sorceress in camp.

A perfect chance.

I lifted her witch’s hat, and as she looked up curiously, I slid a finger into the cleavage of her robe and tugged downward.

Her large breasts spilled free.

She only sighed deeply, then pressed them together and lifted them slightly.

“Make sure you remember this.”

That was the gist of what she said before she pulled her robe back up, slapped my hand away, and snatched her hat back.

So yes—she was right. She knew I remembered her by her breasts.