Chapter 16

Previous Summary:

From Kato's perspective, the mid-boss is actually Lily. After defeating her, he will make her a temporary ally and then challenge the boss.

16

"Servant...?"

The white arachne that attacked us, kidnapped me, scattered Rose, and managed to escape from Lily, was my servant.

"Surely, this can't be..."

I first doubted my senses, but no matter what, my instinctual part wouldn't deny that this was my servant.

Next, I doubted my mind, but it didn't seem like I was hallucinating out of despair.

"Why would my servant... attack me?"

All my servants care for me. I also intend to respond to their feelings.

Between us, there is a solid trust and affection. Our relationship might seem twisted to others, but to us, it is the most important thing, and I didn't care about others' opinions.

I love Lily and Rose. As their master. Like a family.

So, I thought I could also cherish any new servants that would come along, unconditionally, or perhaps naively.

"Why...?"

"Surprisingly dense, aren't you, Master?"

The white arachne said with a teasing tone.

"As I said before, 'I wanted you.' There is no other reason."

"You... want me?"

What does that mean? What value do I have?

I still don't understand. But thinking about it, she didn't kill me but brought me to her nest. This means her goal wasn't my life but my person.

I won't be killed, at least. That's some comfort, but...

"Master, you don't understand your own value at all, do you?"

The white girl chuckled. Seeing her expression, I recalled a scene.

—A child observing a bug in a cage.

The roles of spider and human are reversed, but it's the same kind of scene. A cold sweat ran down my cheek.

I won't be killed, that's some comfort?

Am I a fool? Spending the rest of my life trapped in her spider silk. Such a dark future can't be a salvation.

I have to escape this situation somehow. But how?

The most realistic option is to wait for Lily and the others to help. But it's also the most unrealistic. They will surely come to save me, but the result will be cruel. They can't defeat the white arachne.

I have to escape from this white arachne on my own before they come.

If I don't, it's over. Everything will be over. But I can't think of a good way to escape from her.

The arachne, unaware of my inner turmoil, approached me with her eight spider legs, and smiled like a blooming flower.

"You need some education about the value you possess, Master."

As she tilted her head slightly, her long white hair slid down her shoulder. Leaning forward excitedly, I could see her two soft mounds being gently crushed under the sheer fabric.

I recalled the word 'demon.' Every gesture of hers felt disturbingly sensual.

The fact that this beautiful yet sinister girl is on top of a hideous monster should be a cruel reality that makes one turn away, but with her, it seemed to enhance her beauty and allure.

Feeling dizzy from the abnormal situation and her seductive demeanor, I had to keep my mind clear. If I let my guard down even a little, I would be 'consumed.' I was certain of that.

"Education?"

I can't afford to upset her now. I need to buy time and look for an opening. ...If there is one, I have to believe it exists.

"What exactly are you going to teach me?"

"Well, do you know what the monsters you call 'monsters' really are?"

"What are the monsters... really?"

"That's right."

"Creatures that possess magic power, right?"

While considering the intent behind this Q&A, I answered.

"Because they possess magic power, monsters can exhibit abnormal strength. The Fire Fang spitting fire, the Magical Puppet moving dolls, the Slime maintaining a semi-liquid body, the Treant moving like an animal despite being a plant—all of this is due to the magic power of monsters."

"Correct. Do you know why monsters possess magic power?"

"That's... because they accumulate the magic power circulating in the world within their bodies, right?"

Lily had mentioned this before. I also recalled the analogy of heavy metals, but it wouldn't apply to this arachne, so I didn't say it.

The white arachne looked a bit unimpressed.

"You know a lot. ...By the way, there was a piece of wood with you. Did you hear it from her?"

The 'piece of wood' must be Rose. I wonder if she's safe. She was in bad shape, so I was worried.

"Do you know that monsters don't have their own will?"

"I've heard a little about this before..."

It was a bedtime story from Lily. She said that before meeting me, her and the others were just wandering in the forest without any will.

"I've heard from my companions that they gained a sense of self when they became my servants."

"Oh, oh, indeed!"

The girl exclaimed excitedly. Her lower body, the spider, started to stomp in sync.

The floor creaked as if it would break. The pillars and ceiling, connected by spider silk, also creaked as if they would collapse.

"Then, don't you understand? Don't you understand the value of Master?"

I am now captured by this spider. Realizing this strongly, I lightly bit my lip.

The frenzy subsided, and the white arachne stopped stomping. However, her smooth, white cheeks were still flushed with excitement.

"You don't understand, do you? Even that misunderstanding is precious to me."

She closed the distance and bent her legs.

She was already close enough to touch me. The surprisingly smooth white hairs of the spider touched my arm. The girl reached out and stroked my shoulder. —A tearing sound, and the remnants of my shirt were removed.

The slender fingers of the arachne touched my upper body, slowly caressing it.

My skin prickled with a gentle pleasure, and the girl's red eyes looked up at me.

"To contradict my earlier statement, I actually had a semblance of will before becoming Master's servant."

"...What?"

I frowned at the arachne's words. This contradicts what I've heard.

"Though it was faint. To you, it would have been a fragile, barely self-aware existence."

The white arachne spoke with a self-mocking tone. However, contrary to her words, the girl on the spider was breathing heavily in ecstasy, a sign of her good mood.

This should be to my advantage. The hand that was drawing circles on my chest could easily pierce my heart.

Yet, I couldn't genuinely be happy about her good mood. I even felt a chill. The more she was happy, the more I felt like sinking into a dark place.

"After a long, long time, I gained a sense of self. But it was too faint and fragile. I lived in a deep slumber for a long, long time. And tonight, I 'awoke' for the first time. You might not understand this joy, Master."

"Was I the trigger for your 'awakening'?"

More precisely, it was my 'cheat ability.'

My cheat ability, Monster Tame, is the ability to produce servants. But it's not about creating puppets or tools for combat.

My servants, Lily and Rose, have solid selves. They also have emotions—Lily with love and affection, Rose with loyalty. They have strong feelings for me.

Self.

Emotions.

These are what the white spider has long desired.

"Perhaps the piece of wood you had with you also had a faint sense of self... or was a 'special monster' with the potential to develop one."

"Special..."

I recalled that Lily is a unique monster and Rose is a rare individual.

I had suspected that this might be a condition for becoming a servant, but with so few samples, I couldn't be sure. However, the white arachne in front of me is a high-level monster, indeed a special monster.

In this case, the 'specialness' of monsters can be described as their 'potential to accumulate magic power.' The arachne also says that my servants had the potential to develop a self.

So, perhaps the excessive accumulation of magic power influences the development of a self.

It seemed like a far-fetched idea, but upon reflection, it didn't seem so far-fetched. For example, a Magical Puppet is just a doll without magic power. Even a corpse can become an undead monster with magic power. They don't have a clear will like humans, but they have enough intelligence to attack other creatures. They act autonomously, as far as I can see.

Perhaps magic power, an unfamiliar and mysterious force to me, has such properties.

In that case, the creatures we call monsters in this world are closer to what we call yokai in Japan. Foxes that gain will over time, or old tools that come to life. They accumulate magic power over a long period, similar to monsters.

The fact that all my servants, from Lily and Rose to the white arachne, are classified as female can also be explained. If monsters gain will by accumulating magic power, then all servant monsters must have a certain level of magic power. And among monsters, those with significant magic power are the ones that engage in reproductive activities and bear children—females.

"We are connected to you, aren't we?"

As she slowly moved her hand down, the arachne asked. I tried to stop her, but I couldn't. My uninjured arm was already stuck to the floor with spider silk.

"...About the bond?"

"Yes. That is the essence of your power."

The arachne laughed close to my face—crunch, a strange sound.

The broken belt buckle fell to the floor, and the arachne licked her red lips. Then, she reached out again.

"Through the bond, we touch your heart. We learn the nature of the heart. Without the soil for the heart to grow, even if we touch your heart, we wouldn't understand it."

The bond between me, the master, and the servants, the monsters, is more than just a convenient power. The arachne says it is the source of my power.

For example, in the cave, Lily connected with me through the bond and touched my desire. In other words, she touched my heart. This was the trigger for the formation of Lily's personality.

The servants born this way are not 'tamed' in the general sense of monster taming. They genuinely respect me as their master, like a parent, and help me out of kindness.

Structurally, I have no authority to control them. This characteristic of my ability is what led to the current situation.

"Hehehe"

The spider, with a loving gaze, laughed.

"The shock I felt when I found you just now is something you can never understand, Master."

The white girl spread her arms wide.

"The world is vividly colored! I am here, truly and surely!"

Her voice conveyed a heavy, sticky obsession, like the spider silk she produces.

Only then did I realize that, despite the twisted form, the white arachne has a deep affection for me, like Lily and Rose. She is also my servant.

"I have power. Unmatched power. With this power, I can do as I please! As my newly gained self desires!"

My servants have a childlike, innocent, or simple side. This is a kind of inevitability because they have had their selves for a short time. In the case of the white arachne, this is compounded by the long-standing obsession.

All of this—her desire to capture and bind what she likes, to monopolize it—drives her spider instincts, making her uncontrollable.

"Do you understand, Master?"

"Ugh...!?"

The hand that had been caressing me now gently squeezed my throat.

"The value you have to me"

"A, k... ha"

Her breath was sweet and troubling. The girl watched me suffer, her cheeks flushed and her eyes glazed.

"You gave me my self. That's why I can't help but love you."

My vision flickered. My brain was starved of oxygen. My consciousness began to blur.

"I want everything about you."

Through the bond, a vast torrent of white emotion flowed into my weakened consciousness. The violent surge of will washed out my mind. It was being bleached white, losing all its original colors.

"Be mine, Master. I will keep you for a long time."

I felt a deep loneliness. My heart was breaking.

I couldn't bear it.

I am weak. My heart is weak. If I were alone, I couldn't have withstood this white violence.

"...They're here."

The white arachne murmured softly. Her brows furrowed in the blurred vision.

The arachne's words and the clear voice from behind the white spider were almost simultaneous.

"Is that your reason for kidnapping Master?"

A warm, gentle emotion flowed into my heart, which had been overwhelmed by the spider's will.

I understood. They had come.

"Let go of your hand."

Behind the arachne, two shadows were illuminated by the moonlight.

"Lily. And Rose..."

My strong companions were there.

◆If Lily and the others had been a little later, it would have been Nocta.

It was a close call!

◆The next update will be on January 22 (Wednesday).