"It seems you've already learned about that child… about Raya's true form."
Although Tanith's expression was hidden behind her mask, her tone was calm.
"Since she has chosen to reveal her name to you, I won't say much more. But as the one who raised her, please allow me to ask one thing—continue to treat Zelleyas kindly. No matter the reason behind her appearance, she is still a good child… one that makes even a mother like me feel guilty."
"Indeed. The little girl's quite well-behaved. But I think you already know—she has her own worries."
Raya's appearance might be strange, but she wasn't a bad person. Duanmu Huai had no reason to disagree. As an Inquisitor, his duty was to eliminate those who threatened humanity—not to bully harmless, weak creatures like her.
"I see… I've noticed her acting oddly lately. So it's because she's been troubled."
Tanith sighed softly.
"I hope you understand—not all truths are worth uncovering. A person's origins shouldn't be held against them. Our true purpose is to fight against the Golden Order. Compared to that, one's lineage is trivial."
"All right. I understand."
"Thank you."
Tanith's voice softened for a moment, then grew solemn again.
"Since you've learned this much, and have completed my request perfectly, it's time you learned about the true master of the Volcanic Manor—our king, Rykard."
"Oh?"
Duanmu Huai's eyes narrowed. Tanith let out a quiet breath before continuing.
"The Erdtree grants its blessing to the Tarnished, but compared to the heavy mission that blessing demands, it is far too meager. To fulfill their purpose, the Tarnished are forced to seek power—just as the demigod lords once fought each other for the Great Runes after the shattering of the Elden Ring. Our king was furious at such shallow greed. If the Erdtree—the gods themselves—would trample upon us, then even if it means committing blasphemy against the laws of gold, we shall rise and defend our dignity. That is the will of the entire Volcanic Manor… and the resolve of our king."
So that's how it is.
Duanmu Huai nodded inwardly. He had once heard Ranni mention that she'd cooperated with Rykard. It seemed their goals differed, but their destinations were the same.
Tanith looked at him once more.
"As long as you continue walking the hero's path, one day, you will meet our king."
"All right then. I'll look forward to that."
Their conversation came to an end, and Duanmu Huai prepared to leave—but before going, a question suddenly came to mind.
"By the way, Lady Tanith."
"Yes?"
"Why do you call Raya a serpent? That form of hers—she's clearly a lizard."
He had never understood that. From the first moment he'd seen Raya, he had thought she was a lizard. It was simple: he'd once watched videos online about pet lizards, and they looked just like her—short limbs, a slightly chubby body, and a head shaped like a snake's.
At least in his eyes, Raya's true form looked exactly like a two-meter-tall version of a pet lizard.
"No. She is of the serpentfolk."
"But she clearly looks like a lizard…"
And so, Duanmu Huai and Tanith spent an entire hour debating whether Raya was a lizard or a snake.
It was proof that both of them had too much free time.
After that utterly pointless discussion, Duanmu Huai finally remembered that he'd originally gone to tell Raya about his discovery in the Volcanic Manor—but had completely forgotten after seeing her true form. So he went to find her again and explained what he had found.
"I knew it…"
Raya looked uneasy after hearing his report. She hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"To tell you the truth, Hero… at night, I saw a writhing black shadow in the hallway. It slipped into the room next door and never came out. And… if I wasn't mistaken, that shadow had the same serpentine outline as me."
It's a lizard, he thought silently.
"There are secrets in this manor that I don't know… Lady Tanith must be hiding something from me."
"So what do you plan to do?"
He looked at her curiously. Raya lowered her head.
"I know it's not my place to ask… but if you discover anything, could you please tell me?"
"Hm…"
Duanmu Huai studied her for a moment. From what Tanith had hinted at earlier, it was quite possible she wasn't truly Raya's mother—and that Raya's origins might not be the blessing she believed them to be.
"Are you sure? Secrets are hidden for a reason. To uncover them, there's always a price—and that price might be more than you can bear."
"I…"
Raya shrank under his gaze, lowering her head. She'd never been confident, and his serious tone only made her more nervous.
"I… I still want to know. I want to understand everything. I want to know what secret Lady Tanith has been hiding from me."
"…All right. I'll see what I can find."
Duanmu Huai shrugged. It wasn't unusual—Raya was obedient and polite, but she wasn't naïve. Anyone in her situation would wonder about their origins. She'd probably doubted herself for a long time but had no one to confide in—until she was exposed before him and Odelle.
Well, he was already here. Might as well look into it.
It didn't take long for him to find the hidden door in the adjacent room. Following the passage, he arrived at an abandoned chapel—and beyond it lay a small town.
So Tanith really had been hiding something. Raya had never even mentioned this place.
Stepping out of the chapel, Duanmu Huai spotted a lizardman standing at the cliff's edge, sword and shield in hand, like a sentry.
And once again…
"So it is a lizard."
He muttered to himself, already considering knocking it out and dragging it back to Tanith for a proper discussion.
But before he could move, the creature suddenly bent low and stretched upward—as though it were loosening its body. In an instant, its torso extended from two meters to nearly five!
"…Okay. I take it back—it's a snake."
No, wait—this thing looked more like an earthworm than a snake!
"Hsssss—!!"
The creature had spotted him. It hissed, lunged forward with blinding speed, and swung its sword down at him. A heartbeat later, it lay screaming on the ground—dead.
"What the hell is this thing…"
Duanmu Huai quietly lowered his fist, staring at the corpse in silence. He had thought, since Raya could talk, perhaps these serpentfolk could too—but no, they were just as deranged as the others outside.
Right… Milfi had once mentioned that many races had built their own civilizations long ago…
He immediately contacted Bambi through the link. "Ask Milfi if she's ever seen creatures that look like lizards but can stretch their bodies really long."
The reply came quickly.
"Ah, those would be the Spirit Serpents. Milfi says they used to live around the volcano, but disappeared long ago."
"I see. Got it."
Duanmu Huai climbed toward a church atop a cliff. Before him stood a statue—a winged, snake-headed figure, like a divine image of the serpentfolk.
So Raya was descended from this race?
Or could Tanith herself be one of them? After all, she always wore that mask… maybe she was just bad at shapeshifting, like Raya. Though, as far as he could tell, Tanith didn't have a tail.
Shaking his head, Duanmu Huai pushed open the church doors.
The interior glowed faintly red. At the far end stood a massive serpent statue—and beneath it, an enormously fat… shut-in.
That was his first thought.
The man looked like an extreme case of obesity, a rolling ball of flesh. His limbs were short and stubby, his body squeezed into what looked like white leather garments—and behind him trailed a tail.
Yep. Definitely one of the serpentfolk.
But could serpentfolk really get this fat? Did they gorge themselves before hibernation or something?
"Uuuh… uuuuh…"
The creature looked up and saw him. Its eyes widened, and then—it let out a strange cry, waddled forward, and suddenly collapsed at Duanmu Huai's feet.
…What in the world?
"Uuuh… uuuuhhh!!"
As Duanmu Huai debated whether to smash it flat, the fat man raised his head, tears streaming down his face, then bowed deeply, pressing his forehead to the ground—worshipping him like a god.
No, hold on—I may be a god, but not your kind of god!
"What… what are you doing?"
He frowned down at the weeping creature. The serpentfolk nodded frantically, seeming to understand his confusion. Then it raised its hands toward him. A black flame flickered to life in its palms.
That was—Black Flame?!
Duanmu Huai's eye twitched. He recognized it immediately. After obtaining the Rune of Death, he had gained the ability to wield black flame—the fire used to hunt gods, controlled by the Godskin Nobles who served Destined Death.
…Wait. You mean this guy is a Godskin Noble?!
He stared blankly at the fat serpent.
Couldn't they at least have made the Godskin look… decent?!
Why did it have to be this blob!?
Well… from a certain point of view, it did look like a noble.
Specifically, one of those depraved aristocrats from anime and games.
"Haa…"
For the sake of Destined Death, Duanmu Huai suppressed the urge to crush it with his hammer. Rolling his eyes, he sighed and changed the subject.
"I'm looking for a serpent girl—young, able to take human form. Her name is Zelleyas. Do you know her?"
"Uuuh… uuuuh…"
The fat man nodded, then turned and led Duanmu Huai to the altar. He carefully picked something up and presented it to him with both hands.
"What's this?"
Duanmu Huai took it and examined it closely. It looked like a transparent organ—inside, a faint cavity where some small life had once been.
A moment later, the system interface appeared before his eyes.
[Item Acquired: Serpent's Amnion]
[Serpent's Amnion: The discarded membrane from a grotesque birthing ritual, once wrapped around an unborn serpent child. Still moist despite the passage of time.]
"Uh… so Raya… was born from this thing?"
Duanmu Huai stared blankly at it.
Wait a second.
Weren't serpents egg-laying creatures?
An amnion is something only mammals have!
Wouldn't it make more sense if you gave me an eggshell instead of this thing?!
…Whatever. I'll just take it back and show it to Raya.
(End of Chapter)