Chapter 22: A Vow to Qiong Xing
It was almost as if it was calling for someone.
And then, the one who appeared was Qiong Xing.
At first, Leander was wary, thinking a human had come for some reason.
However, Qiong Xing did not show any fear toward the giant snake.
Instead, he approached it with concern, as if worried about why the snake kept crying out.
"What’s wrong?"
"What’s wrong with the egg? Is it cracked somewhere?"
Seeing Qiong Xing carefully wash the egg, thinking it might be damaged, Leander was shocked.
He thought that he had never seen such a beautiful human before.
It was not only Qiong Xing’s clean and well shaped appearance.
It was the way he looked up at the giant snake without fear.
It was the expression on his face, clearly showing that he was truly worried.
Everything about Qiong Xing looked like it was shining.
Because of the giant snake’s large body, Qiong Xing did not seem to notice Leander at all.
"It wants to entrust that child to you."
Before he realized it, those words had left Leander’s mouth.
Perhaps because he spoke so suddenly, Qiong Xing looked startled and almost fell over.
Leander grabbed his waist to steady him.
Qiong Xing’s body was so slender that Leander ended up stroking him lightly, as if to confirm it.
When Qiong Xing noticed, he tried to pull away, but Leander caught him and did not let go.
When Qiong Xing demanded an explanation, Leander told him that the giant snake could no longer be saved.
Qiong Xing was shocked and struggled in his arms, trying to do something, so Leander held him tightly and told him to calm down.
"Do you feel sorry for it? Does it hurt that you can’t do anything? Then listen to its final wish."
When the snake pushed the egg forward, it was clear that it was asking Qiong Xing to take care of the child from now on.
To Leander, that child would be a younger sibling.
Leander had thought that he would raise the child himself in place of the giant snake.
But if he could raise it together with Qiong Xing, there could be nothing better than that.
As Qiong Xing accepted the egg and gently stroked the giant snake’s head, saying, "You’ve worked hard," he looked so beautiful that Leander could not take his eyes off him.
He looked like a goddess.
Leander had always believed that neither humans nor beastmen could be trusted.
But Qiong Xing was different.
If it was Qiong Xing, Leander felt that everything would be alright.
The fact that they were both men, or that Leander was a beastman hated by others, no longer mattered.
He cared for Qiong Xing so deeply that none of that meant anything to him anymore.
So he made a vow.
To the body that scattered into the wind, he swore that he would become happy together with Qiong Xing.
That he would treasure and raise the child left behind, together with Qiong Xing.
To the giant snake who had raised him with such deep love, Leander swore that he would stay with Qiong Xing forever.