Chapter 1

"Ogyaa, ogyaa, ogyaa"

The baby cried out as if on fire.

It seemed to have been born only recently, as its eyes could barely see anything.

Of course, it couldn't survive without the help of adults.

But the place where the baby was left was a barren wasteland, where almost no plants grew, and the reddish-brown earth stretched endlessly.

There were no villages or towns nearby, and there was no sign of human presence.

The baby was inexplicably left there all alone.

Just then.

A beast approached, apparently drawn by the baby's cries.

It was a bear.

But it was no ordinary bear.

It had a spiral horn on its head, and its fur was dyed a fiery red.

Moreover, it had four arms, and three tails sprouted from its buttocks.

"Ogyaa, ogyaa, ogyaa"

"Grrrr..."

As the bear approached the baby, which could only continue to cry, something suddenly attacked the bear from the sky.

"Kueeeeeee!"

"Wha!?"

It was a strange bird with two heads and iridescent feathers.

It had a beak as long and sharp as a spear, and its feet were composed of countless tentacles like an octopus.

It seemed that this strange bird was also after the baby.

It captured the bear with its tentacles and attacked it with its sharp beak.

However, the bear and the bird were not the only ones after the baby.

It looked like a giant spider.

But on its back was the upper body of a white human woman.

The spider approached silently and shot white threads from its buttocks toward the baby.

As soon as the threads entangled the baby, the small body was lifted into the air and placed in the arms of the white woman.

"Ogyaaaaaaa!"

It was a case of the fisherman's gain.

By the time the bear and the bird realized the giant spider had fled, it was already hundreds of meters away.

"Gruaaaaa!"

"Kueeeee!"

The bear and the bird, who had paused their fight, hurriedly gave chase.

But the baby was taken to a giant spider's web built on a rocky area.

It seemed the spider intended to take the baby back to the web and enjoy it at leisure.

Moreover, the spider's web had a strong adhesive that trapped anything that stepped on it, making it impossible to move.

"Grrr..."

"Kuee..."

Instinctively understanding the danger, the bear and the bird could not approach the web.

Just as they were about to give up and turn back, something unexpected happened.

Suddenly, the spider woman's head flew into the air.

"......?"

With a look of confusion, the woman's severed head rolled from the web and onto the ground.

The baby, which had been thrown into the air, was caught by someone before it hit the ground.

"I thought I heard a baby's cry, so I came to check... and found a human baby here?"

It was an old man with white hair.

In his hand was a long sword, which seemed to have been used to slay the giant spider.

"Grrrrrr"

"Kueeeee"

Thinking that the death of the spider had given them another chance, the bear and the bird showed their aggressive intentions.

"Hmm, what is this? You're still here? You can't defeat me, a mere old man. You'll meet the same fate as that spider. If you still want to fight, I won't hold back."

"「～～～～っ！？」"

However, the bear and the bird, realizing the gap in power, quickly fled.

"This is not a place for humans... where did this child come from?"

The old man widened his eyes and stared intently at the baby's face.

Then, as if he had an idea,

"Could it be that the child fell through a 'dimensional hole'? It's a rare phenomenon... What an unfortunate child. Still, it's fortunate that I happened to be nearby before the Devil Arachne could eat it. It was a close call, indeed."

"Ogyaaaaaaa! Ogyaaaaaaa!"

"There, there, don't cry so loudly or more monsters will come. ...There's no helping it. I'll take you back to my home."