Deadline Is Raining in the Status Window - Chapter 11

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Knock, knock, knock.
“See? I told you he’d come.”
“Miss, you certainly have peculiar taste in friends.”
Mother pressed a board against the broken window and hammered away—tap, tap, tap. The wind howled fiercely outside. I opened the door to the sideways rain and ushered Gerth inside, offering him a towel to dry off. But Gerth hadn’t caught a single raindrop; he was perfectly dry. He must have possessed some relevant skill.
“You’re quite dressed up.”
“My son insisted I wear this.”
“You already have a son, young man?”
Mother finished hammering and wiped her hands on her apron, greeting Gerth warmly. She’d foolishly assumed that if he was a friend, he’d be biologically human—she laughed at herself, then lavished praise on Gerth’s handsome features, studying his hands intently.
“This is. My son asked me to bring it as a gift.”
“Oh my, what is all this!”
You’ve been eyeing that gift basket since Gerth walked through the door. Mother brushed off my protest with a laugh, seated Gerth at the table, and brought out tea. After arranging a full spread of refreshments, she eagerly opened the gift basket and withdrew two bolts of fabric.
“My, what beautiful cloth! This would be perfect for making a school uniform for you, Miss!”
“I don’t wear anything unless it’s made at Ronell’s Atelier.”
“The clothes you’re wearing now—are those not clothes but burlap sacks?”
“Honestly, they’re pretty close to burlap.”
Mother swung the fabric at me as if to strike, but I quickly turned my head and dodged. Though she’d sewn these clothes for me with care, compared to what I wore at Duke Neftis’s estate back then… this wasn’t clothing. It was a sack shaped like a garment.
“Good. Your temperament is no different from Evan’s.”
“What did you just say, beastman?”
“I misspoke. I said nothing.”
Gerth pretended he’d said nothing at all, and Mother laughed at his amusing demeanor, suggesting he stay the night since the weather was poor.
“No. My son is waiting for me.”
“My, your son must still be quite young?”
“Yes. He’s only recently reached adulthood.”
“You really… even for a beastman, you look remarkably young. What’s your secret for skincare?”
When Mother asked Gerth about his skincare regimen, he smiled and said Evan had asked the exact same question.
“Do you enjoy spicy food? My daughter won’t touch anything unless it’s spicy, sour, or salty.”
“I’ll make the effort.”
He didn’t even offer empty flattery about enjoying it. That’s one of Gerth’s good qualities—his tastes are clear, so there’s no need to worry about reading the room.
Mother finished her tea and stood to prepare dinner. Titi emerged from washing, shaking water from her feathers as she toddled toward Mother. Gerth, momentarily fascinated by the sparrow the size of a human head, seemed to remember something and spoke to Mother with formal courtesy.
“My apologies for the late introduction. Allow me to properly introduce myself. I am Gerth, the Serpent King.”
“Oh my, forgive me. I am Eleanor Laef.”
“Eleanor Laef, mother of Evan Laef. I shall remember.”
“Squeeeeeak!”
For a moment I thought I’d misheard, but seeing Titi collapse with her eyes wide open, it seemed Gerth had indeed introduced himself as the Serpent King.
“The Serpent King?”
“Yes. The Serpent King.”
“One of the Four Demon Kings—the Serpent King?”
“You’re quite knowledgeable, Evan Laef. Among the Beast Kings—the Mechanical King, the Ming King, the Dragon King, and the Serpent King—I am the Serpent King.”
I see… So Gerth was the Serpent King…
I felt as though anemia I’d never had before was about to strike me.
“Um… Teacher.”
“Why would I be your teacher?”
How fascinating. The moment I heard “King,” honorifics just flowed out naturally. Is this the refinement of nobility, or is this skill just some kind of automatic response? The moment I realize someone is of high standing, respectful language pours out like a river?
“The Serpent King was… a white fox beastman, was he not?”
“That child is my son, Hubert. You should have met him before.”
“Ah… You mean that adorable and handsome fox gentleman.”
“Evan Laef. Your manner of speech is grating.”
So that’s it. The one the main couple defeated wasn’t the Serpent King himself, but the Serpent King’s son. I’d thought something was off about it. When they defeated the Mechanical King, the Floating Island fell from the sky due to the Mechanical King’s power, but when the white fox beastman who claimed to be the Serpent King died, nothing happened at all.
“Um, Teacher. According to what we learned at the Adventurer’s Guild, the Serpent King is supposedly a white fox beastman…”
“There’s a reason for it. If you don’t change that grating manner of speech, I won’t tell you.”
“Fine. Tell me.”
“It was about two hundred years ago.”
Gerth slowly closed his nictitating membrane and fell into reminiscence. I’d been worried about his dry eyes since he never blinked normally, but apparently he had a nictitating membrane like other lizards. Honestly, it was creepy.
“You already know of the Dragon King’s existence.”
“Yeah.”
“Do you know what species the Dragon King is?”
“A dragon species. A dragon. A massive reptile.”
“Exactly that.”
So why did he say “exactly that” with such finality? No matter how used I got to the Serpent King’s manner of speech, I couldn’t figure this one out immediately. It took me a good thirty seconds of thinking before I arrived at the answer.
“Wait. Don’t tell me.”
“That’s exactly it.”
“No, but even so.”
“The character overlapped. He came to Beast King’s Tower and caused trouble over it.”
What kind of absurd creature does that?
Wait, hold on, seriously? The Demon King or whatever, he said the character of a lizard overlapped, so he demanded someone else take the role of Serpent King?
“My manner of speech is characteristically rare, so he said it was fine to keep it as is.”
“Why is that bastard so obsessed with character distinctiveness?”
“That’s why I spent nearly a hundred years gathering my blood and flesh to create Hubert.”
“No, I’m asking why he’s so obsessed with character distinctiveness.”
At my repeated question, Gerth slowly closed his nictitating membrane again and fell into thought. But even Gerth couldn’t give a definitive answer this time.
“Perhaps… the books he read regularly touched upon some unsavory places.”
“Books?”
“Yes. He became strange after encountering human books. He even painted his body red.”
“…”
“He was originally a golden dragon, but now he paints himself entirely red and calls himself Kar—”
“Stop.”
That has too many copyright issues to mention.
I calmly cut off Gerth’s words. I refused to acknowledge that the white fox who had been the Serpent King was actually the son of the real Serpent King Gerth, or that their characters overlapped, or that this freshly-matured narrow-eyed white fox lady was mimicking her father’s speech patterns and concept-trolling. I heard none of it.
Right. Gerth was just some cat daddy I’d met while out mining for ore. That was enough. My friend Gerth. Strange way of speaking, actually old, but young and handsome—my friend!
“Gerth! Let’s just eat!”
“Very well.”
I completed my self-brainwashing perfectly and shared a meal with His Majesty the Serpent King Gerth. His Majesty boldly declared he would make the effort, but the food must have been quite spicy because he kept reaching for water.
“The food was less a meal and more akin to poison. Yet I ate my fill.”
“My, what a beastman. Now I understand exactly how you became friends with our young lady.”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
“That wasn’t a compliment.”
“What benefit do you gain from insulting me?”
“Young lady, may I strike this fellow?”
“No, Mother.”
Otherwise I’d die. True to form, Mother—who beat Duke Neftis and anyone else like a dog whenever she was annoyed—immediately seized a broom from the corner. Fearing this would escalate into a serious incident, I hurried to send Gerth away and tried to arrange a time to meet again, but Gerth seemed to remember something. He furrowed his brow, tilted his head slightly, and spoke to Mother.
It was quintessentially the original Serpent King’s behavior—aware of the mood yet stubbornly saying only what he wanted to say.
“Now that I think of it, my son told me to do this without hesitation.”
“This fellow certainly listens well to his son.”
“I wish to formally propose a relationship with Evan Laef.”
“….”
“….”
Did this “relationship” mean friendship, or something a step beyond that? I quickly stopped Mother from swinging the broom around and asked Gerth a question.
“By relationship, do you mean as a friend? Or as romantic partners?”
“I see. My son did not specify that precisely.”
“However, I already consider you a friend, Gerth. The proposal is unnecessary.”
“Fortunate. Ultimately, I wish to breed with Evan.”
“….”
“….”
Gerth elegantly cut his post-meal dessert and sipped his tea. Hmm… yes. Breeding was indeed an important activity for beasts. It made sense he’d dressed up so finely. It was the same system as males of his kind desperately grooming themselves and courting—a natural mating ritual.
The moment I reached this conclusion, a voice from the heavens pierced my ears.
At the moment I made that judgment, a voice from the heavens pierced my ears.

The situation has changed slightly. I’m awarding you 10,000 experience points.

The Serpent King requested a duel with me, but the story development barely changed at all? Isn’t the judgment too harsh?
“Hey, hey!”
“I am not ‘hey.’ I am Gerth, the Serpent King.”
“Get out of my house nooooow!”
Mother absolutely lost it. She grabbed a broom and swung it at Gerth, and even as he took hit after hit from the bristles, he stubbornly declared to me that he would visit again next time. Mother shrieked and fumed at the Serpent King, telling him never to show his face here again.
“A widower with a child! You should know your place!”
Mother was completely furious as she chased Gerth out, then gulped down cold water and threatened me never to meet that thieving bastard again.
Mother drove back the Serpent King with her broom, but this doesn’t affect the story development?

….

The system window offered no further comment.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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