Chapter 434: Your Life Is Mine

Cassius stood beside Nala, arms folded across his chest, gaze hardened and fixed on the road leading toward the village gates. The faint laughter of children was now distant, swallowed by the oppressive silence settling around them.

But when he glanced at Nala, his frown deepened.

She wasn’t looking at the road.

Her gaze was low, distant, unfocused. Her brows were furrowed not in anger, but in guilt. Like she was lost somewhere deep in her own thoughts. Like she was blaming herself.

Cassius sighed softly, stepping closer. He reached out, rubbing her shoulder gently, voice calm.

"Hey...it’s alright, Nala. Really. This isn’t your fault. That Leviathan—that big, dumb worm has got nothing to do with you."

But to his surprise, Nala turned toward him with a look that was half-annoyed, half-bewildered, like he’d just said something incredibly dumb.

"What are you even saying, Cassius?" She asked, blinking. "Of course it has nothing to do with me."

"...Huh?" He blinked back.

She huffed indignantly, folding her arms under her chest as her tail gave an agitated flick. "You think I’m blaming myself because I think I’m related to that overgrown sewage monster?"

Cassius stared at her, mouth slightly open. "...I mean..."

"Please." Nala scoffed, eyes rolling. "Just because we both have snake tails, and just because our scales happen to be the same shade of pure, glorious white—people think we’re related? That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard."

Cassius blinked again, as she went on, voice rising, her hands gesturing wildly in frustration.

"I mean, have you seen the size of that thing? It’s like bigger then a house! And me?" She pointed to herself with both thumbs. "I’m small, compact, petite, elegant, adorable, and extremely smart."

A beat.

"That thing probably has the IQ of a rock. No, scratch that, rocks are useful. They can at least hold doors open...That thing? Spits acid, probably has breath that smells like rotting algae. Ugh." She gagged playfully. "If I were related to that thing, I’d throw myself into the lake and beg the fish to eat me."

Hearing this, Cassius was silent before he chuckled, lips curving up in amusement. "You’re still the same Nala, huh?"

"Of course I am!" She sniffed proudly.

But then...her expression shifted.

The light in her eyes dimmed slightly, and her tail curled closer, as her voice softened.

"But still...even if I know that, even if you know that...the rest of the villages don’t."

She looked down, brows knitting.

"They’re scared. They’re angry. And they’re looking for someone to blame. I’m the easiest target."

Cassius remained quiet, letting her speak.

"No matter what I say, no matter how much I joke or smile, it doesn’t change the fact that the mob outside is real. That they really believe I’m the cause of everything that’s happened." She sighed deeply, wrapping her arms around herself. "And I’m scared, Cassius. Not for me. For them. For us. For our village."

Cassius frowned.

"Nala..."

"I know this place." She said softly. "They’ll protect me. They’ll fight for me. To the very end, if they have to. Even Grandma Wanda is out there right now, facing them down and to think that it’s all happening because of me—"

She let out a low, frustrated groan and shook her head.

"I should’ve seen this coming. I should’ve prepared."

"Wait...What do you mean?" Cassius tilted his head. "Are you saying you knew something like this could happen?"

Nala hesitated for a second, then nodded.

"Two weeks ago." She began, her voice more composed now. "A smaller crowd from one of the lakeside villages came here. Nothing violent, just...complaints. Whispers. Murmurs about how our village was doing well while they were suffering."

"How their catches had dried up, while we still had plenty. How we had money, trade, food, everything they didn’t."

She glanced up at him.

"And they said it was because of me."

Cassius’s brow furrowed.

"I thought it was just jealousy. Grumbling. You know how people can be. Most of us thought so...But still, just in case, the elders decided to give away forty percent of the village treasury. As a show of goodwill. Thought it’d calm things down."

Her eyes darkened. "But it didn’t. And now...it’s come to this."

Cassius was silent for a beat, absorbing her words. Then, he asked carefully, "So...what are you going to do now? Are you going to hide away? Just like they told you? Or—"

Nala blinked, then suddenly smiled.

"Of course not!" She said brightly, her voice almost childlike in sudden enthusiasm. "What do you think I am, Cassius? A coward?"

He opened his mouth, but she cut him off, already marching in a circle, mimicking punches.

"I’m going to fight back!" She declared. "I’ll go out there, punch every single one of those thugs in the face, tail-whip them into the river, choke them out one by one if I have to!"

She paused dramatically, fists in the air.

"Nala the Snake Princess! Defender of grilled fish and adorable children!"

She burst into a laugh.

But then...the laughter faded.

Nala’s hands slowly lowered. Her smile faded. And her voice...softened.

"...That’s what I want to say."

She looked down, her tail drooping low to the dirt.

"But I know that’s not realistic. Not now. Not when things have already gone this far."

Cassius frowned. "You don’t have to say that. We can fight. You’re not alone."

Nala smiled at him, but it was faint, sad, a little self-deprecating.

"I know what you’re going to say, Cassius." She murmured, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "You’re going to call the Holy Guard. You’ll bring Miss Julie, Aisha, and Skadi. You’ll drive them away like a divine hurricane."

He didn’t answer.

Because yes, she was right. That was what he was thinking.

"And maybe it would work." She continued. "Maybe we could drive them off. Today. Tomorrow. Even next week."

Her voice became serious.

"But this problem...isn’t just about them."

She turned her gaze to the horizon, where the other villages lay, villages with struggling families, starving children, poisoned waters.

"The other settlements are desperate, Cassius. Their lives are falling apart. The Leviathan’s been wrecking everything they rely on. They can’t fish. They can’t sell. Their families are going hungry."

She looked down, her voice trembling.

"Desperation leads to madness."

Cassius watched her silently.

"And right now it’s just a mob. Hooligans. People with hate in their hearts...But if this keeps going, if they keep suffering, then even the good people will turn."

She clenched her fists.

"Mothers. Fathers. People who’ve never hurt anyone in their lives...will come for me. Not because they want to. But because they think they have to. To protect their children. Their homes."

Cassius didn’t speak.

"I don’t want that." Nala whispered. "I don’t want innocent people, good people, to turn into killers. Not because of me."

She looked up at him, a sad, crooked smile on her lips.

"We can push this wave back, sure. But there will be more. And more after that. And one day, someone who shouldn’t even have blood on their hands will cross a line they can never come back from...just because I stayed."

She exhaled slowly.

"I’d rather surrender myself...so that none of them have to carry that weight."

And hearing this, Cassius stared at her, stunned silent by the quiet pain behind those words.

Because in that moment, he realized, Nala wasn’t just trying to save herself.

She was trying to save everyone else, too. Even her enemies.

She was choosing self-sacrifice.

True, heart-wrenching, world-shifting self-sacrifice.

Despite being the one wronged. Despite being the clear victim. Despite doing nothing but bringing joy, laughter, and prosperity to the village...she was still choosing to walk into the fire so that others could be spared.

Even the bravest warriors would’ve hesitated. Even saints might have faltered.

But Nala didn’t.

And in that moment, as Cassius looked at her, he felt something swell in his chest. Not just admiration. Not just affection. Reverence.

She looked like a all-forgiving angel.

And that only made him want to protect her even more.

...Even if he hadn’t known her.

...Even if he didn’t love her.

...Even if she was a stranger.

He would’ve still fought for her, just because of this.

But since she wasn’t a stranger...since she was Nala, he was going to do a whole lot more.

First, though...she was stressing out. And when someone was panicking? A little teasing always worked wonders.

He leaned in slowly, smirking ever so slightly, while Nala stood deep in her thoughts.

"But Nala...." He said in a grave voice. "...if you go out there...you really don’t know what those villagers might do to you."

"Huh?" She blinked.

"They’ve got pitchforks, right? Like Dorothy said. And they’re really angry." He tilted his head, mock-concerned.

Her eyes widened slightly.

"So, who knows?" He continued with a dramatic shrug. "They might start poking your poor little tail with those pitchforks. Just to mess with you. You know, torture-style."

"P-Poke my tail—?!" Nala flinched.

He nodded gravely.

"Or worse. They might peel your scales off one by one like fish skin. Maybe even sell them as snake-scale souvenirs. Can’t waste valuable materials, after all."

"CASSIUS!!" She cried, absolutely horrified.

But he wasn’t done.

"Actually..." He leaned in, voice lowering ominously. "They might even cut off your tail entirely. Roast it over an open flame. I hear snake meat tastes just like chicken—"

"STOP IT!!!"

Nala burst into tears on the spot, grabbing his collar and shaking him.

"I’m already scared beyond belief and now you’re just making it WORSE!" She cried. "Why are you saying such things right now?! If you were trying to stop me from sacrificing myself, congratulations!....IT’S WORKING!"

Her voice cracked. Her eyes welled up.

"I’m actually hesitating right now, okay? So just STOP!"

But Cassius only smiled, softly, warmly, and placed a hand over hers.

"That’s good." He said gently. "That’s really good."

She looked up, confused, her hands still clinging to his collar.

"Because you’re not going to sacrifice yourself." He said firmly. "And there’s no way in the world I’m going to let that happen while I’m still breathing."

Nala stared at him, stunned, while Cassius’ voice dropped, his smile fond and teasing.

"You know, Nala, I’m actually a good Samaritan. Real hero-type. Always helping people in need."

He tilted his head.

"So even if you were a complete stranger, if I didn’t know you at all, I’d still be standing here, ready to pull you out of this mess...No hesitation."

Then he stepped closer. So close she could feel his breath.

"But you’re not a stranger, Nala."

Her breath hitched.

"You’re you."

He leaned in further, resting his forehead against hers.

"You’re someone I love. Someone I look up to. Someone I want to spend my days with...someone who will bear my children someday." He added with a low chuckle. "So...do you really think I’m going to let you walk away to your death while I stand around doing nothing?"

He pulled back just enough to smile again.

"What a joke." He whispered. "Even the heavens themselves couldn’t stop me from helping you."

Hearing his solemn promise, Nala’s heart was pounding. Her face was flushed.

Never in her life had she imagined someone, anyone, would say something so absurdly beautiful, so recklessly sincere, and so devoted.

But still...she tried to protest.

"But Cassius." She whispered. "It’s my life. I can choose what to do with it. If I want to sacrifice myself—"

"Nope." He cut her off bluntly.

"What do you mean, nope?" She blinked again.

He tightened his grip around her waist, their foreheads nearly touching now as he said, "That logic doesn’t work here. You’re already mine, Nala. That means your life is mine too."

Her face went deep red. "What?! You—! That’s not—! You can’t just—!"

"I can, and I am." He said proudly, eyes glowing with mischief and sincerity. "You’re life is mine now. So there’s no way I’m letting you throw yourself away."

"You...arrogant idiot..." She mumbled, but her voice was soft, flustered. "Y-You talk all big and proud, acting like you can just change the world for me—"

"I can." He interrupted, grinning.

"But what exactly are you going to do?" She snapped, trying to focus. "You’re not seriously thinking of dragging the Holy Guard into this, are you? You know they’d go on a rampage. I don’t want innocent blood on my hands!"

Cassius raised an eyebrow. "Relax. I’m not planning anything like that."

"Then what?" She asked, wary. "You can’t just throw fireballs at all the hoards of villages that will come after this. These people are desperate. Scared. Hungry...Many of them are just innocent villagers who don’t know what else to do."

"The ones who may have come now may be be bad guys, but the ones who will come out later in desperation are just doing their best to survive...I don’t want anything to happen to them."

Cassius nodded. "Exactly. That’s why I don’t need to fight them."

She blinked. "What?"

"I just need to warn them." He said calmly. "Just one...very good warning. Something so horrifying that they’d never dare raise a hand against you again. Even if they were starving."

Nala blinked rapidly. "Wait, what kind of warning are you talking about? What are you planning, Cassius?"

He chuckled, brushing her cheek. "Don’t worry about that. Just answer me this, do we have any really big fish?"

"...Big fish?"

"Yeah. Like, huge ones. Something you’ve caught before. Something monstrous looking."

She tilted her head. "Um...yeah, actually. There should be one in the storeroom. Drying from last week. It was too big to cook in one go."

Cassius smiled. "Perfect. Go get it for me."

"Wait, what are you planning to do with a fish?" She asked, completely baffled.

"I’ll show you. Trust me."

She hesitated...then asked, "Should I call Miss Julie too? Or Aisha? Or Skadi? I don’t even know where they are right now—"

"Let them be." Cassius shook his head. "They’re probably out hunting the Leviathan anyway. This little village problem? I’ll handle it myself."

"You’re sure? Really sure?" Nala raised an eyebrow. "You don’t want any backup?"

He placed a hand on his chest. "Come on, Nala. I’m the guy who scared off a Leviathan. Don’t you trust me?"

"Maybe the Leviathan just didn’t like your stinky smell and ran away." She snorted.

Cassius flinched. "You—! That’s slander!"

But she was already laughing. "Still...if you’re the one saying it, I’ll trust you. After all, who am I going to trust but you."

Then she turned, waving her tail playfully behind her. "I’ll be back with that fish, oh mighty hero~"

Cassius watched her leave with a fond smile.

A smile that slowly turned sharp.

His crimson eyes flickered toward the smoke in the distance, the mob beginning to gather near the village’s gate.

They would learn today with that fish...that Nala was just like them even with her tail.

But they’d also learn something else—

That she was protected.

And not by a god.

Not a angel.

Not by a holy warrior.

But by someone far more terrifying.

By the Incarnation of Devil himself—who was thirsting to feel the blood of the ones who wanted Nala in his hands...