BSS 110

Chapter 110

I nearly spewed out everything I’d been drinking and wanted to crawl into a corner and cry together with Rai.

Snake wine?!

[Anel is a barbarian!]

[Why are you making such a fuss?! You’re not even a real snake! I’m the one who drank it!]

[If you live as a snake for about ten years, you stop feeling like a stranger, okay!]

[Get a grip, you spirit!]

The reason I staggered heavily as I got to my feet wasn’t because I was drunk.

It was simply because the shock was too much.

My sister… fed me snake?!

I trusted her!

She should have told me before I gulped it down without question!

“Are you okay, Jini?”

“Sister! How could you make me drink snake?!”

“…It’s good for your skin.”

I was on the verge of tears, but I carefully and calmly scrutinized my sister’s face—the face of someone pushing forty yet still looking like she was in her twenties.

At least I could stay rational about that. My judgment was swift.

I sat back down obediently.

“The liquor tastes great.”

So the secret to maintaining that skin under the harsh jungle sun was snake wine, huh.

[Master!]

“What now?!”

[Waaah! These barbarians!]

“Goat or snake—it’s all the same.”

I comforted myself with that bit of mental gymnastics.

“Who are you talking to, Jini?”

“Oh, no one.”

Whether Rai was wailing beside me or not, it was a thoroughly drunken night. Apparently, my alcohol tolerance was pretty high.

“No, it wasn’t.”

The next morning, I was crawling along the floor like an earthworm sprinkled with salt, writhing from the oncoming hangover.

My first hangover ever.

[I knew you drank too much.]

“Ughh….”

The feast had been more fun than expected. Drunk on both the fact that I was welcomed and the sweet liquor, I’d truly poured it down.

I blacked out completely, and when I came to, I was in a strange house.

I had no memory whatsoever of why I was sleeping here, drooling.

I knew who I was, but I had no idea where I was.

“Ugh, I’m dying….”

[That is the curse of the snake!]

“You damn spirit.”

Clutching my throbbing head, I glared at Rai, who was still sulking.

Just because I drank a little snake wine, he was painting me like some heinous villain.

Since when did he love animals so much?!

[Master, you’re awful! How could you do that to a snake!]

“What? Who was it that made me desecrate a snake corpse in the first place?! That was you—ngh!”

I’d been about to scold Rai as usual, but the moment I raised my voice, my head rang violently.

It felt like someone had smacked the top of my skull with a giant bell.

Seeing me rolling around on the floor from the unfamiliar hangover, Rai flipped over laughing.

[Kyahaha!]

I wanted nothing more than to grab him and kill him, but even shouting made my head scream in agony.

Powerless, yet grinding my teeth, I muttered,

“Don’t laugh, you…!”

But despite my warning, Rai only laughed harder, clutching his stomach.

A wolf, laughing while holding his belly!

That infuriating little bastard. A spirit who enjoys his master’s suffering.

Whenever I was nauseous or couldn’t use my strength, Rai always seemed blissfully happy like this.

The only one I could rely on was—

“Ugh… help me, Undine.”

[Master!]

“Water. I need water.”

[Oh? You sounded so desperate I thought something terrible had happened.]

I gulped down the water Undine created, one mouthful after another.

The water floated in the air in round globes, like in zero gravity, and I plucked and drank them as if picking fruit.

After drinking plenty, I finally felt a bit better.

Thankfully—or maybe not—this hangover was nothing compared to warp sickness.

“Thanks, Undine.”

[It’s nothing! Is there anything else I can help with?]

“There is. There is. Could you kill that wolf for me?”

[Ahahaha!]

Undine just laughed brightly, taking it as a joke.

Even though she must have felt my pure, sincere intent.

Anyway, after catching my breath, I finally took a good look around.

It was an unfamiliar house made by weaving together slender, bamboo-like trees.

The structure was well-ventilated, with sunlight filtering through the wooden walls.

It seemed to be Anel’s house.

The presence approaching from outside felt like hers, too.

The sensed presence soon opened the door and entered.

“You’re awake, Jini?”

As expected, it was her. My ability to sense presences had gotten pretty decent.

“The sun’s already high. To wake yourself up, why don’t we go bathe by the river together?”

“Yes!”

Bathing in the jungle! There was no way a bath addict like me would miss that.

I jumped up in excitement—and instantly regretted it as my head throbbed.

I’d have to move gently.

The river cutting through the jungle was fascinating, with blue and green hues beautifully blended together.

The water was so clear that, except for the deepest parts, you could practically grab the swimming fish with your hands.

Unlike city rivers, polluted by all sorts of trash, the jungle river was clean enough to drink straight away.

I dipped my foot into the water, murmuring in awe.

“It’s beautiful.”

“It’s different from the city, right?”

It was around two in the afternoon, with the sun shining brightly. We weren’t the only ones bathing.

Children were playing ball in the shallow water, while adults stood waist-deep, leisurely washing their hair or swimming.

Of course, everyone was completely naked.

To begin with, the jungle tribespeople didn’t wear particularly formal clothing anyway.

Since it was only women, I relaxed and undressed as well.

If any man dared to peep, we’d just cut his head off.

“That area’s good for washing.”

My sister pointed to the outer edge of the river, where large rocks were clustered together.

The current looked weak, and behind the rocks the water pooled calmly.

I followed her lead.

Near the rocks, I saw familiar faces—villagers who’d laughed, chatted, and drunk with us the night before.

We exchanged casual nods, and I washed my hair like everyone else.

After rinsing off and swimming around a bit, I climbed onto a rock because the current was stronger than expected.

Sitting there, I wrung out my hair and sunbathed.

A hum naturally slipped from my lips.

Bathing really did put me in a good mood.

Then I noticed a child climbing up a high rock.

I wondered what he was doing—then, without hesitation, he jumped straight into the river.

Splash! Water splashed all the way to me, and I laughed without thinking.

“The kids are even diving?”

As I casually turned to my sister while speaking, I froze in shock.

Too many eyes were fixed on me.

Every single tribesperson nearby was staring at me.

Did I do something wrong? Why were they all so interested?

Following their gazes, I realized most of them were staring intently at my pale hands, chest, and shoulders.

Was it because of my skin color? I was the only pale one here.

“Jini.”

“Yes?”

“When you’re like that…”

They couldn’t be seeing pale skin for the first time.

Ah—maybe they’d never seen it undressed before.

“You look like a goddess.”

“…What?”

What kind of exaggeration was that?

“Like the goddess of light from the myths, descended here.”

“…That’s ridiculous! It’s just because I’m pale and blond, right?”

“No. It’s true, Jini. You’re dazzlingly beautiful. I have a very good eye for aesthetics.”

“Hahaha!”

“Everyone probably thinks the same.”

What was wrong with her—ah! I got it! I crossed my arms and shouted defensively.

“That’s enough! No matter how much you flatter me, I won’t fall for it!”

“For what?”

“I’m not doing healing service today either! Do you know how exhausting that is?”

She was clearly buttering me up because of that.

Thinking I’d cave just from a little praise was a big mistake.

“Oh my, I’m genuinely admiring your beauty. Look for yourself—brilliant golden hair, radiant skin. Men who see you would surely go blind and walk straight into the sun, wouldn’t they?”

How could she say something so embarrassing without changing expression?!

Sure, I had a follower or two, like Bright, but that had been going on for so long it didn’t even faze me anymore.

“I guarantee it. Your beauty is close to that of a goddess. Even the gods wouldn’t consider this thought blasphemous—especially since it’s the truth.”

“Ugh….”

I couldn’t take it anymore.

“Fine! I’ll do healing today too, okay?!”

“That really wasn’t my intention.”

“I’ll heal, so stop it! Stop!”

“You’re weak to compliments, Jini.”

If it had been a man complimenting my looks, I could’ve just snorted it off—but coming from another woman, I didn’t know how to react. It made my throat feel unbearably itchy.