The Youngest Daughter of the Snake Family - Chapter 49

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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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Episode 49
It was the moment when a mind-boggling conversation poured forth without restraint, unfolding in real time before the very person at its center.
Ella fell silent.
There was truly nowhere left to retreat.
If someone were watching, they might laugh at how absurd and ridiculous the situation was, but she could not afford such a luxury.
The words spoken by the hooded figure and Durias carried genuine conviction.
They seemed to be waiting for the exact moment she would leap over the cliff.
‘These people are insane. Absolutely out of their minds. Are they really going to throw themselves off the cliff with me?’
Ella swallowed hard.
As she took one step backward, Durias reached out with a panicked “Wait, wait…”
He seemed startled, as if she might actually jump.
The composed one was the hooded figure.
Ella felt a prickle of doubt.
What made this person so confident as to stand idle and watch?
Feeling her feet slip into empty air, Ella clenched her fists.
‘If I’m lucky, I might survive being swept away by the river.’
Fortunately, she was not so weak a Beastkin that she couldn’t hold out hope of opening her eyes alive.
‘No matter how mad they are, they won’t leap off the cliff after me.’
Her life hung in the balance.
No matter how important their orders were, nothing could be more precious than life itself.
With that thought settled, Ella’s lips curved into a smile.
“You’ll never catch me. I’m really going to jump.”
Her body began to plummet rapidly downward.
In that instant, a strong wind swept through, and the hood covering the black-clad figure was torn away.
Soft, cropped hair spilled free, revealing the gentle face that had been concealed.
Durias glanced at this figure and asked quietly:
“Can you bring her back alive? Hestia?”
“Don’t worry yourself too much, Durias.”
Hestia’s tone was as gentle as always, yet her eyes gazed coldly down the cliff face.
Hestia walked forward without hesitation.
“I will most certainly bring her back unharmed.”
There was no wavering in Hestia’s actions.
Watching her launch herself off the ground and plunge down the cliff, Durias let out a small gasp of admiration.
It was a speed so tremendous that even the Black Mamba’s Dynamic Visual Acuity struggled to follow.
Hestia’s expression had grown colder than ever as she descended the cliff face.
She had to bring her back alive.
This mission was her first chance to make amends for her past failure.
* * *
“So you’re saying I should prepare stories about the outside world one by one from here on?”
“Yeah.”
Early in the morning, Faiman fell silent at this sudden condition.
“If you want to meet Seigie, that’s how it has to be.”
“May I ask the reason?”
The reason was simple enough. No matter how I looked at it, there was too much I still didn’t know.
I had clearly realized that my situation was not favorable enough for slow growth.
“I just want to know from now on.”
“I understand.”
I decided that from this point forward, I would neglect nothing and learn everything diligently.
I was already studying various theories in stages, but since I’d begun learning every other day, progress had slowed somewhat.
Besides, the most important thing was practical experience over theory.
I had been pondering who could teach me best when Faiman appeared.
“Understand? You need to tell everyone.”
“Understood.”
Faiman, who had been staring quietly at the floor, gave a nod.
While the decision had been made in haste, the more I thought about it, the less bad it seemed.
These were the people who had most recently stayed outside for a long time and returned—surely they would have much to tell?
“What would you like to know?”
“Oh, anything at all. Maybe… something about the South Region?”
I carefully let slip what I was hoping to hear. First, it seemed best to understand what the situation was like in the South Region.
Faiman seemed to be considering why I would make such a request. At his lukewarm reaction, I quickly grabbed his arm.
“Hmm?”
“…….”
“Faiman.”
“…….”
“Faiman!”
When I urged him forward with a wave of my arm, Faiman startled and drew a sharp breath.
His dark green eyes began to wander in confusion.
“Yes. I’ll pass the message along.”
“Oh, and one more thing.”
I caught Faiman by the arm just as he was turning to leave.
“It’s a secret that I decided to have you tell others about Seigie, all right?”
Not that it mattered if they found out, but somehow I had a feeling that if Kaid and Baon learned about it, things would get complicated.
Faiman nodded in understanding.
And so I found myself with four new teachers.
* * *
“Look carefully. This is the South Region, and to the right is the East. Up is the North, and to the left is the West.”
“Wow. The North is here? That’s so close!”
“That’s right. Even though it seems farthest away, it’s actually the closest region.”
Mesis was the first to take his turn teaching me.
Surprisingly, Mesis seemed to have a real talent for explaining things.
“The North and we haven’t gotten along very well until now. We only recently formed an alliance.”
“Why?”
“There was a territory where our borders overlapped. Now we divide it exactly in half and manage it together, but even so, both clans still live mixed together there.”
I’d always thought everything had been peaceful, but there was so much I hadn’t known.
“So you’re not close with the North right now?”
“Not particularly close, no.”
“I see…….”
Not close with the North. My thoughts immediately turned to Seigie, and my mood darkened.
What if things went wrong again later? That couldn’t happen.
Surely she wouldn’t take back what she said about being friends with me?
As my expression grew gloomy, Mesis paused mid-explanation and looked at me.
“Why did your face suddenly change like that?”
“I just made a friend, and Seigie lives in the North.”
“Ah. That little one?”
Mesis’s expression turned sour.
“You mean Seigie Ara?”
“So you know her. So her name is Seigie, I guess.”
“Yeah. I promised to meet up with Seigie again later to play.”
“Well……. Relations shouldn’t fall apart that easily. There haven’t been any major problems so far.”
That was a relief. Mesis returned to drawing more of the map.
As his explanation flowed on without pause, I saw him in a new light.
Crouching on the dirt-covered ground and sketching with a stick seemed remarkably intelligent.
What’s more, the map itself was quite detailed and easy to understand.
This time Mesis marked the South Region with a star and began his explanation.
“The South Region has much more active exchange than other areas. The Family Head pays close attention to it, so the Border has more than twice the personnel stationed there compared to other places.”
“Why twice as many at the Border?”
“To enter the South Region, you have to pass through Terra Forest, and there are rough sorts living there.”
“I see. Is it pretty dangerous?”
I looked at the circled spot near the Border as I asked. That must be Terra Forest.
“The South Region has good public order, but you can’t be at ease everywhere. That’s why guides help Clans from outside conduct their exchanges smoothly, starting from the Border.”
“I see.”
“It’s expensive, but the safety is guaranteed, so most prefer the South Region. What do you think? The more you hear, the more impressive it seems, doesn’t it?”
“Quite impressive.”
I’d thought Kaid wouldn’t pay much attention to such details, but surprisingly he was observing everything very carefully. He really did seem like the ruler of the South Region.
I’d assumed he lived entirely by the law of the jungle, but it seemed that wasn’t quite the whole picture.
When you thought about it, it was surprising how peaceful the South Region was, infested as it was with Black Mamba.
If everyone preferred the South Region as a place for exchange, that meant its administration was quite systematic.
Mesis tapped a stick against the central part of the South Region’s map.
“This is where we are right now. It’s called the Heart of the South.”
“So we’re here then?”
“That’s right. Most families hide deep within their territory, but the Astropel Family is positioned at the center.”
“Why?”
Isn’t it better to be tucked away in a remote area?
If I think about defending against attacks from other clans, it seems like a remote location would be most advantageous.
Mesis chuckled.
“It’s a rule of the family that when war breaks out, the Family Head steps forward first to command. For that to work, being too far ahead or too far back is problematic, so we’ve positioned ourselves at the center.”
“So when something happens, Kaid is always the first to step in?”
“Yes. That’s why no one picks fights with us. Who’d want to face the Family Head right from the start?”
…I’m not sure if that’s meant as a compliment or a warning.
It basically means Kaid is strong enough that no one wants to confront him.
I’ve never witnessed the family members fighting at full strength, but I do know how formidable the Black Mamba is as a force.
Each of them wields devastating power, and Kaid, standing at the apex of that organization, was a force I couldn’t even begin to measure.
“By the way, how strong is Kaid anyway?”
“I don’t know.”
“How can you not know?”
“Because I’ve never witnessed the Family Head engage in combat with true resolve. Honestly, I’d rather not. That would mean the South Region is in grave danger.”
He had a point. I nodded at his reasonable explanation.

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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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