Chapter 17

Summary of the previous chapter:

Cuddling with Arachne... *squeak*

17

...They came.

Lily stood there with a stern expression, spear in hand, staring down Arachne.

And behind her, Rose was already in a combat stance, battle-axe at the ready.

I couldn’t take my eyes off the two figures that had appeared, even as Arachne’s hand gripped my throat.

I hadn’t doubted that they would come to save me.

In fact, I was certain that they would pursue me.

Still, I couldn’t help but feel a warmth in my chest at their selfless dedication, despite the danger.

Just that alone was enough to revive my almost broken spirit.

I really couldn’t do without them.

That’s what I thought, honestly, as the smooth voice of the young girl caressed my ear.

"Hmm. You pursued me. You must be fearless."

Releasing her grip on my neck, the white Arachne turned to face them.

"Keh, keh...”

My airway suddenly cleared, and I choked, a tear of physical pain falling to the floor.

That’s when I snapped back to reality.

My blood ran cold.

"I will kill you if you fight me. Both of you."

I couldn’t afford to be complacent.

The one holding me captive was a white spider, an embodiment of cruelty.

For them to come to my rescue meant they would have to face this monster.

That was as good as throwing themselves into death.

Lily and Rose were standing on the brink of death.

Why couldn’t I have prevented this?

I should have known this would happen.

If I were taken, Lily would panic. Whether Rose could calm her down or not was uncertain, but there was a high probability that they would throw themselves into a reckless battle.

They were challenging an opponent they couldn’t defeat. Fortunately, my safety was somewhat guaranteed—though with this spider, that was a bit questionable. They should have spent days planning and preparing, coming up with a foolproof strategy.

Even if it might be too late, it would be a million times better than a doomed rescue mission.

I knew they wouldn’t think that way.

Yes, I knew.

I should have been able to predict this, yet I hadn’t taken any precautions.

This was my mistake.

I had been too optimistic.

I should have taken preventive measures.

There was no one who would conveniently cover for my absence...

"Pitiful creatures."

Arachne turned to face the two, shielding me behind her.

"Still, I understand your attachment to your master. I understand, but... I won’t let you have him. He is mine. I won’t let him be taken. I won’t lose him. I have the power to protect him."

Her words dripped with a sticky, spider-like possessiveness.

"Disappear, you insignificant insects."

"Boring? I think you are."

I felt a despair as if the world had gone dark, but then I saw something unexpected.

Lily stood firm, facing a mass of killing intent that could freeze the blood in one’s veins.

There was no fear in her demeanor, no sign of hesitation in facing a far superior monster.

Seeing her, I realized my mistake.

Lily wasn’t panicked.

The resolve I could feel through our bond was tinged with anger, but it was surprisingly calm.

She hadn’t rushed in recklessly. Her current stance suggested a certain resolve, as if she had prepared for this moment.

What had happened? It wasn’t like her... but still, I couldn’t shake the feeling of unease.

Could she have come here after careful consideration?

Did she have a plan?

But how?

Of course, I trusted her more than anyone.

...I trusted her, but that was a different matter. My rational mind predicted that they would be torn to shreds.

"You find me boring? Well, you’ve got some nerve, little girl."

As if to confirm my suspicions, a massive wave of killing intent emanated from the white Arachne.

Even I, unable to sense magic, could feel the overwhelming threat.

Despite the open space of Arachne’s nest, I found it hard to breathe.

It was hopeless.

Lily. Rose.

They would be killed by the creature before them.

"Both of you, run! Don’t worry about me!"

I couldn’t help but shout, even though I knew it was futile.

"I won’t let you."

Arachne’s voice was filled with malice.

There was no way she would let Lily and Rose escape now.

"Your bravery in calling me boring... I’ll give you credit for that..."

The massive body of the white spider crouched low.

"I’ll devour you both!"

The coiled force was released.

It was unstoppable. Unstoppable.

The slaughter was about to begin.

Just before it did...

"It’s okay, Master."

I saw Lily’s smile.

***

The spider leaped.

The nest swayed violently, like a ship in a storm.

"Shriek!"

The six-legged leap was almost like a cannonball.

In a fraction of a second, the ten-meter distance between Lily and the white Arachne was closed.

It was the same terrifying leap I had seen before.

There was no time to react.

Like Rose, who had been struck down in one blow.

So, Lily and Rose must have decided on their actions before the battle began.

"Shiiiiii!"

With a fierce cry, Rose, who had been behind Lily, swung her battle-axe.

At the same time, Lily threw herself to the ground without hesitation.

As a result, the wooden axe whistled past the spot where Lily’s torso had been a moment ago.

"!?"

The white Arachne, who had leaped at Lily, was momentarily confused when her target vanished.

Even a creature of her power would have a moment of disorientation when making a full-speed charge.

The spider leg’s strike only managed to tear a few strands of Lily’s flaxen hair.

Then, the spider, still charging towards Lily, was set to collide with the swinging axe.

Lily’s provocative words had set up this situation.

And then, the collision.

Even though it was made of wood, Rose’s battle-axe was a magical weapon, with a blade harder than steel.

The destructive power of the blow, delivered with the strength of a monster, was immense.

A sickening sound echoed as the axe embedded itself in the spider’s head and thorax.

Rose’s blade cut through the spider’s white fur, pierced its tough skin, and sank into its powerful muscles, causing a slight spray of blood.

However, before it could inflict a fatal wound, the axe itself shattered.

"Kii!?"

Rose was outmatched in speed, strength, and weight.

The massive white body passed by Rose, who had managed to avoid the spider’s path.

Yet, Rose’s body was flung away like a spinning top, her arm torn off at the shoulder, and her body slammed into the wooden floor, bouncing off it.

"Shriek!"

The white spider, landing on eight legs, leaped to deliver the final blow to the airborne Rose.

"I won’t let you!"

A scream echoed.

Lily, who had been lying on the ground, activated a spell she had been preparing.

A third-tier wind magic. It had the property of thirty-seven blades.

Though less powerful, it could cut a wide area, one of her special techniques.

The raging wind wreaked havoc.

Several hanging lights were blown away, and the thin logs used as floorboards flew up with a crack.

Even a high-level monster couldn’t avoid damage from this. I couldn’t help but think it was a perfect timing.

"This much!"

But the white Arachne avoided the range of Lily’s offensive magic in an impossible manner.

Just before Lily’s attack was activated, the white Arachne had stopped her pursuit of Rose and shot a spider thread at a tree.

With a strength that could uproot a tree from its roots, the spider’s massive body disappeared from my sight.

"---There!"

Lily’s fierce cry echoed, and she hadn’t lost sight of her target.

"Insolent one!"

A crack.

When I looked, Arachne had already severed one of her spider legs.

The spear Lily thrust at the airborne Arachne was split in two and sent flying to the ceiling.

"Ugh..."

Lily’s arms, nearly torn in half, bent in an impossible direction, leaving her defenseless.

The white Arachne, seeing this, thrust a spider leg at Lily’s face.

I thought it was over. Even I, who had hoped for Lily’s victory, couldn’t help but think so.

"Not... yet!"

In the next moment, Rose attacked from the side of the approaching Arachne.

"What!?"

Lily’s wind magic had lifted many of the nest’s wooden structures into the air.

Using the shadows, Rose had sneaked into Arachne’s blind spot.

The coordinated attack of the two sisters, bound by the bond of my servants, had created a moment of vulnerability.

"Shiiiiiiii!"

Gripping the spare axe with her remaining arm, Rose struck the side of the white Arachne, who was about to attack Lily.

"Kuh..."

A spider leg was severed and flew through the air.

However, Rose’s axe didn’t inflict a fatal wound.

Even in this sudden exchange, the white Arachne managed to defend herself.

The decisive blow was deflected by sacrificing one of her eight legs.

Still, it was a wound.

Perhaps it had deeply wounded the pride of the white Arachne, who had been injured by an inferior opponent.

"Grr..."

The face of the girl, which was Arachne’s, twisted with hatred.

"You... insolent wretch!"

"Kii!?"

Unable to avoid the spider leg thrust like a spear, Rose’s body flew horizontally and slammed into a tree, bending it in half.

The ceiling, supported by the trees, creaked and tilted.

This time, Rose didn’t move.

Lily’s arms were broken, and Rose had lost an arm and was down.

At this point, the battle was as good as over.

At least, that’s what the white Arachne must have thought.

And that was the only chance Lily and Rose had.

Lily’s eyes gleamed.

She opened her mouth wide, facing the nearby Arachne.

"Aaaaaah!"

A red flame spewed from her throat.

It was a fire-breathing ability mimicking the Fire Fang.

"Ugh!?"

Even the white Arachne couldn’t avoid this.

The red flame struck the white girl’s face directly.

"I did it... Wait, what?"

Just as I was about to celebrate, a chill ran down my spine.

I saw the spider threads entangling Lily’s body.

Her left arm, including her shoulder and part of her chest, and her right side, including her leg, were covered in sticky spider threads, which burned white in my vision.

It was a manifestation of despair, capturing even my hope.

"What... did you..."

Leaning back, Arachne muttered in a low voice.

"What do you think you’ve done, you insignificant creature!"

One end of the spider threads entangling Lily was attached to one of the spider’s legs.

The other end was in the white girl’s hand.

With a roar of anger, the white Arachne, using the overwhelming strength of a high-level monster, pulled the spider threads.

The result was something even a small child could understand.

Imagine a plastic doll for young girls.

If you grab its leg and pull its arm with all your might, what would happen?

With a tearing sound, part of Lily’s jacket and her left upper body, including her left arm, were ripped off her body.

"Aa..."

Lily’s body, devoid of its core, collapsed face down.

And she, too, didn’t move.

"Even that attack made me flinch a bit."

The will I could feel through the bond with Lily was very weak.

Perhaps sensing this, the white Arachne’s beautiful face twisted into a cruel smile.

"But this is the end."

The white girl’s face had a slight burn, but that was all.

"Kuh... Kuh, kuh, kuh..."

Her beautiful laugh was like the devil’s cackle.

"Truly foolish creatures. You should have known you couldn’t defeat me from the start."

She was right. If things went as they should, this was a very normal outcome.

The world’s cruelty was on full display, and I could only watch in a daze.

"If you blame anyone, blame your own weakness. If you had the power, you wouldn’t have died."

The white Arachne gloated.

Her words, though seemingly pitying, were clearly mocking.

"Farewell."

Above the fallen Lily, the spider raised its legs to deliver the final blow.

There was nothing left to stop the white Arachne.

"Such a sad misunderstanding."

That’s what it was supposed to be.

"Kato...?"

I couldn’t believe my ears.

Even seeing her, I couldn’t believe my eyes.

But it was definitely Kato, entering the spider’s nest.

Her presence here wasn’t entirely out of place. She must have followed Lily and Rose and been hiding outside the nest.

But why was she here now?

This was a battlefield.

A powerless girl had no place here. Kato must have known that.

"What are you? Who are you?"

The white Arachne, with the same thought, looked at Kato with a puzzled expression.

"What do you mean by a misunderstanding? What are you talking about?"

A mix of discomfort, confusion, and curiosity.

Her blood-red eyes, like the Arachne’s, were a whirlpool of emotions.

"First of all, why would a mere human like you stand before me? Are you suicidal?"

It was natural for the white Arachne to ask this.

She could kill Kato at any time and wouldn’t hesitate to do so.

But Kato showed no signs of such concerns.

It was a reckless act, worthy of being called suicidal, but Kato shook her head in denial.

"There’s no need for suicide. I came here... well, partly to complain."

If she was going to be killed, let her be killed.

Kato’s calm demeanor, even in the face of death, suggested a certain integrity.

"Looking back, Lily was the same. What’s so ‘enviable’? Even if the grass is greener on the other side, isn’t it too cruel? You’re the one who should be envious."

Her expression was stern, and her words were filled with clear anger.

"You’re the same. You have something within reach that I can never have. It’s only natural to want to complain."

I didn’t understand what she was talking about.

Neither did the white Arachne, it seemed. She frowned and fell silent for a few seconds, thinking about Kato’s words.

In the end, she gave up and dismissed them.

"Enough of your nonsense, girl."

With that, the white Arachne waved her hand.

A thread shot out at a speed impossible for a human to react to, wrapping around Kato’s neck.

"Blabbering nonsense. Do you even understand your position? I can kill you at any time."

A slight twist of her wrist, and Kato’s life would be over.

Kato had no choice but to fall silent.

"Ah, and one more thing. I have a purpose."

But she didn’t.

Despite the fear of death, Kato continued to speak to the white Arachne.

"Rose said that even if they risked their lives, a miracle would be needed. But miracles don’t happen easily. Reality is always cruel. But I don’t want to bow to that cruelty. So, in addition to Lily and Rose, I decided to bet one more life."

"What do you mean...?"

"Don’t you get it?"

Kato’s lips twisted.

"I’m saying that the time I’ve bought is enough."

By then, the situation was already decided.

"Hey, Lily?"

"Isn’t this a bit too dangerous, even for you?"

A gooey, transparent ‘hand’ had grabbed the jaw of the white girl emerging from the spider’s body.

"Thank you for saving me, though."

Lily’s slightly muffled voice echoed in the spider’s nest