Chapter 180: The Blame And Varek’s Revelation!

Neve walked away from the forest toward the snake beastmen territory.

He furrowed his brows as he watched them gathering together like someone had called for their attention. The snake beastmen were standing in large groups, whispering and talking among themselves. Their tails were twitching with nervous energy.

"What is going on?" Neve muttered to himself, folding his hands over his chest. "Did Varek accept the position? Did he agree to become the next king?"

He looked around, scanning for anyone that he might recognize. His eyes landed on a familiar face.

Popi was standing with Varek and... Skarr in Zyreth’s body. The three of them stood slightly separated from the main crowd, like they were having a private discussion before the announcement.

Neve walked toward them.

As soon as Popi saw him, her eyes beamed with recognition and relief.

"You’re finally here," she said, moving toward him. "We’ve been waiting for you."

Neve nodded as his eyes snapped to the person standing close to Popi.

Varek.

The snake king’s brother looked even scarier in person than Neve remembered. The way he glared at Neve made his entire body shiver. His eyes were cold and predatory. His expression was intimidating.

Neve took a step back, a shiver running down his spine as he swallowed hard.

Varek looked just as dangerous as his brother had been. Neve could not help but wonder if making him the next leader was actually a good idea. Would the outcast territory fare better under Varek’s rule? Or would it just be trading one tyrant for another?

Suddenly, a sharp sound snapped him back to reality.

Smack!

Popi had slapped Varek’s arm, placing her hands on her hips as she glared at him with her brows raised high.

"What do you think you’re doing glaring at Neve that way?" she demanded. "Stop looking at him like that. You’re scaring him."

"Aww Popi," Varek whined, his entire demeanor changing instantly.

Neve heard the tone and saw the soft, almost vulnerable expression that Varek used when speaking to Popi. His jaw almost fell to the ground.

He could not believe this was how Varek looked at Popi. No wonder no one believed her when she said Varek was soft and kind. No wonder everyone thought she was crazy.

Yes, Varek was soft and kind. But only to Popi!

Neve sighed at the revelation.

"Has he agreed to be the next king or chief or whatever they call it?" Neve asked, trying to understand the situation.

Popi looked away from Varek and walked closer to Neve, lowering her voice to whisper.

"Apparently, he has something to say to everyone," Popi whispered. "I told him Zyreth was dead and he suddenly burst into laughter. Like, really loud laughter."

"Was it a good laughter or a bad one?" Neve asked, raising a brow. "Was he happy or was he mocking the situation?"

"How do I know? Laughter is laughter," Popi shrugged, clearly not understanding the subtle differences. "He just laughed really hard and then told me he wanted to address everyone."

Neve looked at Varek again, trying to read his expression and understand what the snake king’s brother was thinking.

But as soon as his eyes landed on Varek, he saw the snake beastman glaring hard at him. The intensity of that glare was burning. Neve immediately tore his gaze away, breaking eye contact.

It seemed like Varek was glaring at him because of jealousy. Popi was close to Neve and holding his hand. The female had chosen to stand next to the red panda rather than stay with Varek.

But Popi had already told Varek not to lay a finger on her without permission. So what right did he have to be jealous?

Jereth walked toward Varek and lowered his head respectfully.

"I’ve called everyone here like you requested, my king," Jereth said. "All the beastmen are gathered and ready to hear what you have to say."

Varek’s lips suddenly curved into a smile. A smile that was both gentle and dangerous at the same time.

"King, you say?" he asked as he stepped forward, his presence suddenly commanding everyone’s attention.

Everyone suddenly kept quiet. They all turned their attention toward Varek, waiting to hear what he had to say. The silence was heavy and expectant.

"My fellow beastmen!" Varek yelled in their language, his voice carrying across the entire gathering.

Popi clapped her hand over her ears.

"Ugh! He’s so loud," she complained. "What is he saying? I can’t understand snake language."

"Just a simple greeting," Neve replied, suddenly turning into an impromptu translator. "He’s greeting everyone and preparing to make an announcement."

Varek stepped forward again, his posture becoming more formal and authoritative.

"I have news to share with everyone," he said, with one hand held behind his back mysteriously.

Everyone swallowed hard, their eyes focused on him. The tension in the air was thick and suffocating.

Neve translated what he said to Popi so she could understand.

"Why do they all look so serious?" Popi asked nervously. "They wouldn’t do something crazy when they find out their king is dead, right? They wouldn’t turn violent or start a civil war?"

Neve just lifted his shoulders in a shrug as he continued to listen to what Varek was saying.

"We’ve gone years without our true culture," Varek announced loudly, "all because of my brother and his oppressive rule. Fights, pleasures, and everything that was derived from our traditions will be given back to us. But why?"

He paused dramatically, then turned directly to Neve.

"Why?" he repeated, his eyes locking on the red panda.

Neve’s eyes widened in panic.

"No, that bastard wouldn’t dare..." Neve said, taking a step back. He knew what was coming. He could feel it in his bones.

But Varek stretched his hand toward Neve, pointing at him.

"This pregnant female smelling male has killed our king!" Varek announced loudly for everyone to hear.

The crowd gasped.

They did not want to believe him. They really did not want to believe him since Skarr was standing there in Zyreth’s body, looking alive and well. If Neve had killed Zyreth, who was the person standing before them?

As soon as Varek made the accusation, all eyes traveled to where Skarr stood in Zyreth’s snake form.

"This isn’t my brother," Varek said, stuttering slightly. He clearly did not know what to call Skarr or how to explain the situation without sounding absolutely insane. "He’s someone that um... he’s someone that’s now taking over my brother’s body, I guess."

The explanation made no sense to anyone listening.

Neve translated what Varek had said to Popi in a low voice.

Popi shook her head in frustration.

"We should have made Skarr stay away so everyone would believe Varek," Popi said. "We should have hidden him so the beastmen couldn’t see that someone else was in Zyreth’s body. Then they might have actually believed that Neve killed him."

"It doesn’t matter if they believe him or not," Neve said, his voice filled with resignation. "I don’t know why I’m being crowned the cause of this entire situation. And why do they all look excited like they really wanted Zyreth gone?"

"I wish I knew, Neve," Popi said. "I wish I knew."

Skarr, understanding the confusion, decided to show them his dark magic as proof.

He snapped his finger and a guard fell to the ground, completely under his control. The beastman moved like a puppet on strings, acting out exactly what Skarr wanted. The display was terrifying and undeniable.

After witnessing the dark magic firsthand, the crowd finally believed.

They all believed that Zyreth was truly dead. They believed that someone had taken over his body. They believed that Neve had somehow been responsible for the king’s death.

And they cheered.

The entire crowd erupted into celebration, slamming their tails on the floor in joy. They cheered for Neve like he was a hero. Like he had liberated them from tyranny.

"However," Varek said, raising his hand to silence the celebration, "we need to find a new king. Someone must lead the outcast territory now that my brother is gone."

"Huh?" Neve said, his confusion evident. He immediately translated to Popi.

"Why? I thought he came here because he wanted to be king," Popi said. "Wasn’t the whole point to make Varek the new leader?"

Neve watched as Varek turned directly to Popi. He switched from the general snake language to a language that everyone could understand, including Popi.

"Because I’d like to go everywhere the love of my life wishes to go," Varek said, his voice soft and tender as he looked directly at Popi.

"What?" Popi shrieked, her eyes widening in shock.

Her voice was so loud that it echoed through the entire gathering.

Neve took three steps back, away from Popi.

Because somehow, in some mysterious way, Popi had become the female lead of this entire story. The one that everyone wanted. The one that held power over others. The one that mattered most.

And Neve was just... a supporting character caught in the middle of everything.