Real Magic Python
"Shut up."
I made a frightening expression.
I flicked out my purple tongue and bared my venomous fangs.
Ssshhh.
Come to think of it, this kind of hissing felt more like something a cat would do than a Serpent.
Still, most monsters would cower when I threatened them like this.
—Th-that's impossible.
It seemed to work on Pelerian as well.
He looked completely stunned.
—It can fail, or the effect of the suggestion can be short… but for it to not work at all…
Wait—wasn't he supposed to be scared of me?
I scolded him sternly.
"You should apologize first, Pelerian."
—What went wrong? Just what kind of mutation are you?!
We weren't getting anywhere.
So I tried breathing fire onto the ring.
Fwoooosh!
I wondered if he'd scream "Ah, it's hot!" or something—
—You're even using magic?! This is unbelievable!
Nope.
Instead, he seemed thrilled that I could use magic.
To him, I must have looked incredibly rare.
I tapped the ring, even dunked it into a puddle.
None of it had any effect.
All the while, Pelerian just kept marveling at how special I was.
No choice then.
I'd have to try the method I'd thought of.
"Here's my second wish. From now on, answer my questions honestly."
—Hm… fine. …Understood.
Though reluctant, Pelerian nodded.
That's it? Even in this situation, he'd grant a wish?
Sure, he said a mage's oath couldn't be broken—but only a fool would take that at face value.
I'm not that kind of foolish Serpent.
So I asked.
"Is there any way I can harm you?"
—If you destroy… the soul bound to the ring, you could.
"And a way to inflict pain?"
—Tch. You could channel mana into the ring to torment me. Even I can't properly explain how. It requires delicate mana control.
Is that so?
Whether it was a lie or not, I could find out myself.
I placed my tail on the ring.
Then, just like when casting magic, I infused mana into it.
Let's hear you scream in pain, Pelerian.
—Ughhhk!
But instead, Pelerian twisted strangely, making a bizarre noise.
He didn't look like he was in pain.
He looked… ticklish.
So even without a body, he still had sensations.
Still, even tickling becomes painful if it goes on long enough.
Gradually, his breathing grew ragged.
—S-stop, ahhh!
As I adjusted the intensity and flow of mana, he finally screamed.
—Stop it! Damn it, you learn fast.
If that was acting, he should've been an actor, not a mage.
So he had been telling the truth.
"What do you fear most?"
Pelerian hesitated.
"Answer."
—Death. Being cast into darkness. And above all…
He had been a somewhat frivolous old man before, but now he was different.
His face was dry—like an ancient, withered tree that had lived too long.
—Before death inevitably comes… to remain, rotting away, having achieved nothing.
A chill lingered in his dry voice.
It didn't sound like a lie.
Good.
I picked up the ring with my tail.
"Then I've got just the perfect solution."
—Wh-what are you doing…
I caught a frog hopping near a puddle.
After some effort, I managed to slip the ring onto its body.
I wrapped the limp frog with my tail and carried it.
Pushing through bushes and trees, I moved forward.
Pelerian, growing anxious, kept asking what I was doing.
I ignored him.
As I went deeper into the forest, I found a wild boar.
It was digging the ground, eating something.
Not a monster—just an ordinary boar.
When it noticed me, it startled and hesitated.
—Aren't you going to answer?! What are you doing?!
"You should've just quietly granted the wish you promised. Wouldn't it have been better to stay with me than be trapped in a ring and abandoned?"
Yeah, nothing to say, right?
Because it's true.
Goodbye!
"Go become pig shit!"
—W-wait!
I tossed the frog—with the ring on it—into the squealing boar's mouth.
Startled by the sudden food, it instinctively swallowed it whole.
Then it just stood there blankly.
When I showed no sign of attacking and backed away, it resumed sniffing the ground.
What a stupid beast.
And Pelerian was swallowed by that stupid beast.
One day, he'd come out as excrement—and be left abandoned like that.
He would meet the very fate he feared most.
In the middle of this jungle, what are the chances that someone who understands the language of elves would appear and save him?
Pelerian had clearly said he used his taming skill on me with "his last remaining bit of mana."
I kept watching in case he tried to escape—but there was no sign of it.
Inside the boar's stomach, he probably couldn't even project those illusions. Or perhaps he no longer could at all.
Live kindly in your next life, Pelerian.
Don't be born as a nasty race like fairies.
Be reborn as a virtuous animal like a Serpent.
Goodbye.
Pelerian, the Archmage Who Defied the Heavens.
He hadn't possessed that grand title from the beginning.
From childhood, he had been known by a different epithet.
"Grotesque" Pelerian.
Ah, grotesque Pelerian.
Though born among the beautiful fairy race, his appearance was hideous.
He had none of the smooth skin blessed by heaven, no flawless face, no long and graceful limbs.
From childhood, he looked like an old human.
Short, with stubby legs, and a strangely hunched back.
It was like a curse from heaven itself.
The sky had made him grotesque.
His parents, after all, were flawless elves without a single defect.
But his appearance wasn't what mattered.
Though ugly in form, Pelerian possessed magical talent and intelligence surpassing any other elf.
The truly grotesque thing lay elsewhere.
—Damn it, damn it!
It was his mind. His soul.
Pelerian himself knew it better than anyone.
The ugliness festering deep within him.
Jealousy, anger, resentment, hatred, distortion.
If his inner self was ugly, he should at least hide it outwardly.
But when even his outward appearance was ugly, what could he do?
Pelerian came to identify himself with his race.
In a way, it was only natural that he became obsessed with the evolution of monsters.
Blood was spilled along the way.
He had no regrets.
It was a necessary sacrifice for the evolution of the entire race.
But now—inside the belly of a boar—
He could not remain proud.
Was it because he tried to deceive the Serpent? Because he failed to grant the wish and instead tried to tame it?
No. That couldn't be it.
He couldn't answer the Serpent's question.
Because he didn't remember.
When asked if he was truly Pelerian, he said yes—but without confidence.
He remembered that his soul had been torn apart and sealed into the ring.
But how it happened, and why it happened—he had no memory at all.
According to his last recollection, he had been on the verge of uncovering the secret of evolution.
He had obtained the clue to evolve his entire race into High Elves.
He had been just steps away from achieving his lifelong goal—so why had his soul been torn apart?
The one dwelling in the ring was clearly an "insurance" for his original body.
Like how a lich hides its phylactery, it was something left behind to avoid death.
What had happened to his original body?
He didn't know.
He didn't even have mana anymore.
No longer a state where magic overflowed like before—just a being bound to a ring.
There was no way to escape.
At this rate, he would become excrement.
No one would find him, buried in the earth, meeting eternal silence.
Suffering endlessly until, after an eternity, even his sense of self would collapse.
Suddenly, fear gripped him.
In the pitch-black darkness, Pelerian trembled mentally.
A great archmage, facing the worst possible death.
—I should've just granted the wish…!
Too-late regret.
—Isn't anyone there?! I, Pelerian, am trapped here!
But he only swayed inside digestive fluids.
He couldn't feel pain, but he could still see, hear, and smell.
Inside the boar's stomach, the stench was unbearable.
And it would only get worse once he reached the intestines.
Three hours in the stomach.
—Please…
Then four hours in the small intestine.
—Ugh…!
Even when captured and tortured by knights, Pelerian had never lost his composure.
But now, he finally broke into tears.
More terrifying than pain was despair.
And Pelerian was drowning in despair.
Then, as he passed into the large intestine—just before being completely buried in filth—
Screeeech!
A scream rang out.
The boar—the owner of all this filth—was screaming.
Then everything spun violently.
Pelerian tumbled inside the creature's insides, disoriented.
And then—
Light poured in.
Someone had clearly cut open the boar's belly.
And that someone was—
"Hey."
A Serpent.
It seemed to think it looked terrifying—but it didn't.
Pythons were like that. Unlike vipers or cobras, they looked rather dull, with round, black eyes.
Yet—
For the first time in his life, the sight of a Serpent felt welcoming.
The Serpent didn't pull him out.
It simply stared at him.
Pelerian realized he had to say something.
There was no hesitation.
—I'm sorry!
Hmm.
—I apologize. I'm sorry for trying to deceive you. I'll grant your wish too. I don't have mana right now, so I don't know what I can do, but… anything I can…!
The Serpent had made the Archmage Who Defied the Heavens apologize.
Considering that Pelerian had never once apologized to anyone since childhood, it was an astonishing feat.
But the Serpent itself had no way of knowing that.
"I'm not trying to save you. I was just going to ask a few questions and then feed you to another animal again."
—Don't do that. I'll really behave this time. I'll do whatever you say…
To think he'd lower himself this much.
Once pride was broken, the rest came easily.
"Really? Then promise me one thing as your third wish."
—What is it? Anything!
"Never try to harm me by any means. And don't even try to indirectly cause me harm."
—I swear. I, Pelerian, swear upon the soul of the Archmage Who Defied the Heavens.
And I will follow your words. I'll obediently do whatever you command.
—That sounds like more than one wish…
"Don't like it?"
—Fine, I swear!
Pelerian made an oath he could never break.
The Serpent smiled.
It definitely looked like it was smiling.
"…Alright then. Oh, and can you teach me some magic? Right now I can only use beginner-level earth and fire magic."
Even after using up all its wishes, it sure was shameless.
—You stand before the Archmage Who Defied the Heavens. That's an easy task.
The words came out naturally from Pelerian's mouth.
Only then did a thought occur to him.
Ah… he had sworn never to take a disciple again.
Would this count as one?
"Thanks. But don't expect me to treat you like a master. It's not like that."
—Fine.
That was actually a relief.
Pelerian felt at ease.
My talent is exceptional.
I'm not boasting.
The world itself—the great force that reincarnated me—acknowledged it.
A potential of 20, no less.
Learning magic wouldn't be a problem at all.
After nearly becoming excrement once, Pelerian had grown much more obedient.
Cleaning the ring thoroughly was quite a struggle too.
Honestly, I had threatened to turn him into a pile of crap again if he tried anything funny—but I didn't really want to go that far.
After all, it's a ring I have to wear.
Even now, it still smells a bit…
As long as Pelerian didn't betray me, this ring was practically essential.
Until I learned spatial magic, I'd need it as a substitute for a bag.
There were still valuable potions left inside, too.
—"Borrowed Horn"… I've never heard of such a skill.
"Don't horned monsters usually have something like that?"
—Are you joking? Even horn-type monsters typically just use them to stab enemies. The idea of stealing a human's skill that powerful is absurd.
"It's not stealing. I'm borrowing it."
I corrected him.
—And whatever this "Surpassing Horn" is—it's just as ridiculous. At that level, it's practically a unique skill of a high-ranking monster.
I straightened my posture proudly, unable to hide my satisfaction.
Whether he noticed or not, Pelerian continued explaining.
—So you borrowed a golem's magic. That's how you awakened two beginner-level elemental spells. Now it makes sense.
"Exactly."
—But learning magic through such tricks… you can't truly call that entering the path of magic.
As he taught magic, Pelerian gradually grew more arrogant again.
—I, the very progenitor of magic!
His eyes seemed to flash.
—I shall teach you the remaining two elements—water and wind.
Thus began the path of a true Magic Serpent.
And I learned the two spells.
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