Chapter 76

(Note) This is the third post of the day.

22

"Indeed, it seems this is not just my imagination."

As she spoke, Garbela lifted her face. From beneath her long, white hair that hung down to the ground, a beauty emerged, one that could make even a goddess flee barefoot.

I was taken aback. The gaze she directed at me seemed to blame me in some way.

Feeling uncomfortable, I was about to look away, but then I noticed myself and turned back to her.

"...What is it, Garbela?"

As I asked, a slight pain shot through my throat. My throat was parched, and the saliva I tried to swallow tangled with my ragged breath.

I coughed lightly and continued.

"Besides, if we're going to talk, we can do it while moving..."

"It's about when I joined you earlier."

Garbela interrupted my words. Her intense gaze remained fixed on me, and her lustrous lips parted.

"You didn't notice I was approaching, did you?"

"Huh?"

I doubted my own ears.

What did she just say? She didn't notice I was approaching?

What's the big deal about that?

"Lord Rose seemed to notice."

Garbela continued, seemingly unconcerned with the change in my expression.

"...What are you talking about?"

My tone had a hint of irritation. In this emergency, to suddenly start with something incomprehensible—anyone would react this way.

"Is it something that requires us to stop and talk?"

"I made that judgment, so here I am."

Even as I scolded her in a slightly harsh tone, Garbela didn't back down. Her red eyes held me firmly.

"You..."

The discomfort grew, and frustration began to rise in my head.

The urge to yell at her, to ask if she understood the situation, welled up from the depths of my chest. While we were standing here, Lily was getting further away. This wasn't the time for such things.

"...Listen, Garbela. This is an emergency."

I barely managed to suppress my emotions. Still, I couldn't stop my voice from trembling.

"I can't save Lily alone. As I've been saying, I need your help. I want you to cooperate."

We can't possibly get Lily back without working together.

I can't do it alone. This is something Lily taught me in the past.

What I should be as a leader of monsters. Working together with my subordinates, cooperating with them, is how I should be as a master.

Especially now, in this emergency. I can't afford to let my emotions explode and create discord with Garbela. I need to stay calm and talk.

I restrained myself by repeating this to myself.

But when she saw my restrained appearance, Garbela bit her lip.

"...Is it really Lily that you need?"

"What...?"

I furrowed my brow at the words Garbela spoke, almost in a sigh.

"What are you saying, Garbela? You don't want to get Lily back, too?"

That couldn't be. As far as I knew, their relationship was good. Despite the age difference, Garbela, as a subordinate, admired Lily, who was like a sister to her. It couldn't have been a facade.

"Could it be... you think I'm only this desperate because it's Lily?"

I voiced the possibility that came to mind.

"If that's what you think, you're wrong, Garbela. Even if it were you, I would have tried to get you back just the same."

Not just Garbela, but if any of my subordinates had been taken, I would have pursued them just as I am now.

It's not a lie. But Garbela shook her head.

"...I don't think so."

Garbela's tone was uncharacteristically sarcastic.

I was about to feel frustrated again, but when I saw her face, those impulsive feelings vanished.

"I think it's different."

"...Garbela?"

"If it weren't Lily who was taken... if Lily were here..."

Her words were filled with a sense of powerlessness.

Now, with only four legs, Garbela approached me, walking unsteadily. Her steps were wobbly, like a flower beaten by a strong rain.

"You said you need my power. Yes, that's true. We can't get Lily back without working together."

Even as she stumbled, Garbela never took her eyes off me.

"But... is power all that's needed?"

"..."

"Isn't working together more than just that?"

She grabbed my shoulder. Her beautiful face was close enough to breathe on.

She bit her lip in frustration, her brows furrowed.

"...What kind of face is that?"

"That's my line."

Indeed, it was.

Her blood-red eyes reflected the face of a boy, worn out with anxiety. Yes, this is me now.

This... is terrible.

"Don't bear your worries alone. Don't let your anxiety gnaw at you alone."

Garbela shook my shoulder.

"You probably don't realize it... but you have no composure at all. You're missing things that anyone could easily notice, which is proof of that."

—While trying to meet up with Garbela, I didn't notice she was already nearby.

—While traveling with Iino, I missed the fact that Takaya knew Lily's true identity.

These are such obvious oversights. There might be other things I've missed.

It was a sorry state of affairs.

"...I thought I was calm."

"That's not true."

Garbela was right.

—Lily was taken from me.

—Takaya, who took Lily, had a grudge for making him eat Mihō.

—Takaya's missteps were my fault.

Bearing all these things alone, I couldn't remain calm.

As soon as I acknowledged this, the fatigue I had been feeling grew. More accurately, the fatigue I hadn't been feeling finally became noticeable.

I must have been too focused on the pursuit. I was completely overexerting myself.

As Garbela said, the likelihood of Lily being harmed immediately was low. Yet, if I rushed and exhausted myself before catching up with Takaya, it would be pointless.

Garbela was stopping me for that reason.

While circulating magic power in my body to promote physical recovery, I felt a sense of shame.

I wasn't practicing what Lily had taught me. I was just going through the motions of cooperation, even though I had been able to do it before.

Why did I make such a mistake now?

"If Lily were here, there would be no problem, right?"

Garbela answered my question.

"Lily could have shared your worries. But Lily was taken. Unfortunately, the one here is me."

"Unfortunately...?"

"Stop trying to comfort me. I know how special Lily is to you, my lord."

Garbela shook her head as I started to speak.

"The first subordinate. The one closest to your heart. Conversely, that means... we are a bit further from your heart."

"..."

"That's why, my lord. I don't think I can replace Lily. Embracing, sharing, merging hearts... that's a privilege only Lily, your lover, can have. I am not enough."

Garbela smiled.

"I know. That's why I won't cling to you. I won't ask you to embrace me back. I understand that I haven't received your affection yet. Of course, I won't ask you to reciprocate my feelings."

The hand on my shoulder moved to my back. It was a light, feather-like embrace, yet it felt like I was being enveloped.

"At least, can you lean on me? Remember, you did it once before?"

Garbela was referring to the time we explored the forest together. When I was overwhelmed by the trauma from the colony, Garbela simply stayed by my side.

Indeed. She must have remembered that moment and is doing this for me.

"If it can ease your heart, even a little, I am content."

The warmth of another's body. The feelings transmitted through the bond. My anxiety melted away.

I felt enveloped by Garbela's heart. For some reason, I was remembering the time I met the 'White Arachne' before she was named.

It was an unfortunate encounter. Rather, it was more like a confrontation.

I was alone, captured by the Arachne's nest. Exposed to an overwhelming white emotion, I felt my heart breaking. Bound by spider silk, I was imprisoned like a bug in a cage.

—My lord, even now, I still want to capture you in my hands.

Of course, this warm embrace is completely different from that violent restraint. Garbela is trying to support my weakened heart. The love she conveys is pure and sincere, very warm.

But, fundamentally, Garbela is still a spider.

I thought so because, at this moment, I felt captured, even more strongly than before.

Bound so tightly, inescapably.

"...You're still a bit off, aren't you, Garbela?"

"My lord?"

"There's no way you're not enough."

I smiled at Garbela's puzzled expression and reached out to her back.

"I thought that if I embraced you, I wouldn't be able to control my feelings."

Until now, I had been carrying over my chastity from the original world. It wasn't out of any particular attachment. I felt that, given our relationship, which didn't exist in the original world, I needed to change to face the important girls in my life.

Yet, I was still holding on to it.

Perhaps there was a fear of changing.

In this world, I've lost many things. I've been forced to change. So, unconsciously, I tried to preserve the part of me that remained from the original world.

Fear is like a wedge, trapping the heart.

But it's time to end that.

I embraced Garbela. The body of the girl with formidable power was more delicate than mine, her skin incredibly smooth, and her softness made me feel like I was drowning.

"I'm sorry for keeping you waiting."

＊＊＊

And so, I was captured by the white spider's silk. I couldn't escape.

I had no intention of escaping.

At the same time, another wedge that had been holding me back fell away.

Through the interactions with the important girls in my life, I would continue to change in this different world, for better or worse.

That's what I thought—

"FAAAAAAAAH!?"

—when Garbela suddenly let out a loud scream.

Startled, I kept my arms around her and stared at her face up close.

The hands that were supposed to be embracing me were in a victory pose, and her spider legs, lacking in number, started to twitch uncontrollably. Naturally, this caused her to lose balance.

"Uwah!?"

I knelt to the ground, still holding Garbela. Her face, just inches away, was bright red. Her mouth opened and closed a few times before she managed to speak.

"I, I was surprised."

"That's my line. What's wrong?"

I thought she would be happy. This reaction was unexpected.

"No, I was happy, really."

It was different. She seemed to be happy. ...But then, why?

In response to my questioning gaze, Garbela, still in a victory pose, explained.

"I was so happy, I almost crushed you in a hug."

"That's scary."

I had never heard the phrase "crush in a hug" before.

It seems the effect was too strong. Garbela's red eyes, which had been focused on me, were now swirling.

"What should I do? I'm so excited, I can't control my strength."

It sounded like a bad joke, but seeing her spider legs digging into the ground, it didn't seem entirely a joke.

I sighed and pulled away from Garbela.

"We'll embrace when you can control yourself... "

"Aaauuuu..."

Garbela groaned and slumped her shoulders. Her tone was almost a protest, but she seemed to know it was her fault.

I couldn't help but laugh.

If it were me before, I would have given up and stepped back.

"Uhyah!?"

When I initiated the hug, Garbela let out a strange scream.

"G, G, G, G, Master!?"

"You're overreacting."

I chuckled, but didn't let go of her.

I was already captured by the white spider's silk, with no way out. But now that I was in this position, I had no intention of letting her go.

"We'll get Lily back, and when we're calm, we'll spend some time alone."

"T, That's...?"

Garbela's eyes widened.

"Are you talking about... cuddling!?"

"...Yeah, something like that."

...Don't jump to conclusions. It's probably because she's been holding back for so long, and maybe partly my fault.

Still, it's so explicit, or something. Some people might be put off. Well, if I can find this cute, I'm probably beyond help.

"S, So, when that time comes, l, let's... kiss! Let's kiss!"

"Kiss?"

Garbela nodded eagerly as she spoke.

"Alright."

Considering the challenges ahead, a little reward seemed appropriate.

"R, Really!? It's a promise!"

"Yes, it's a promise. So, for that... "

"Right. We must definitely get Lily back!"

I released Garbela, who I had been holding.

I clenched my fist. I could feel the nerves in my fingertips.

My physical strength had recovered to about 80%. Thanks to Garbela, my mental state was back to normal. I felt ready to do this properly.

With renewed determination, I extended my hand to Garbela. She smiled as she took it.

It was strange. I felt something different from before. The physical distance was the same, but it felt like our auras were closer.

Just that alone made me feel a surge of energy.

"Alright, let's go."

Just as we were about to start—

"Harmony is a beautiful thing, isn't it?"

A voice that shouldn't have been there echoed in the forest of the Kitrus Mountains, far from civilization.

"My lord!"

Immediately, Garbela moved to protect me from the direction of the voice.

"But one spider isn't enough, is it?"

From the shadow of a tree, a slender figure emerged.

"Would you like some help?"

Beside him, the foul breath of a beast. From the shadows, a horde of shadowy figures seeped into the sunlight.

"Can't be..."

I opened my eyes wide and stared at the boy who appeared.

"...Kudo Riku"

"Long time no see."

With a two-headed wolf and a horde of shadows, another monster master smiled.

◆This is the last update of the day!