13. The Atrocities of the White Spider

Synopsis of the previous chapter:

“Now that you mention it… Lily, that is, um, do you have any experience in reproductive activities?”

“Hn? Like giving birth to a child? What is it, Master, are you interested?”

‘Before meeting me she was only a Slime, but, if you ask if I’m interested, I am interested though… What’s with this vague feeling.’

“Fufu. Not yet. I’m still a young individual.”

“I-Is that so.”

*It was sc.r.a.pped from the middle of the story. Well, doesn’t that sound interesting.

Chapter 13.

The air was freezing.

What moved was the flickering fire from the bonfire, which produced shadows.

Our awareness was stiffened, it has been drawn by the sudden appearance of an intruder.

“Arachne…?”

From my mouth, the word unconsciously spilled out.

Arachne.

I knew about a monster with that name when I was at the Colony.

They said it is a giant spider monster with a woman growing on its upper body.

Well, in games, it’s common for monsters to have the appearance of a half-human. However, in this parallel universe, between the monsters which appeared around the Colony, the Arachne is the only monster that is known to us to have that characteristic.

But, it is impossible that said Arachne can be mistaken for a human.

If anything, it is not only because of the ugly spider’s lower body. ‘The giant spider which grew ‘a woman monster’ on its upper body’ is what can be expressed from the face that has been seen; rather, the problem lies with the woman that completely looks like a monster.

The mouth was a slit from ear to ear; two big fangs peeked out from the corners of its mouth.

The eyes are round and sunken, the pupils are bloodshot red.

The skin is hard with a thin covering of fur, in the terribly skinny body, the bones were angled at unnatural positions all throughout it.

Even in the state where the lower body is separated, the corpse of an Arachne will not be mistaken for a human’s.  

If the figure resembles a human, the people in the Scouting Corps might even hesitate to hunt it. This may even cause victims.

In fact, there was also a case like that in the past.

It’s when the Scouting Corps which consists of the students with cheat ability was made. Even with such huge fighting power, they who have never experienced any actual battles, suffered many casualties as they fight monsters while exploring the forest.

There was once a student who died and became an undead monster in the process, the guys at that time, the students who couldn’t kill the undead monster with the appearance of their friend, suffered more casualties in that disaster.

But, as for Arachnae, there was none as far as I’ve heard.

Instead, the human part is the one that stands out as more monster-like and disgustingly registered, said the students who are members of the Scouting Corps.

That is, the monster called Arachne that I knew.

But, the thing in front of my eyes, it is totally different from what I have heard.

The appearance of the pure white spider with a full grown woman’s well clothed torso attached to its lower body does not give any impression of a monster. Rather than monstrous, its face resembled that of a young woman below her twenties, the only thing outstanding about it was the deep red eyes which looked as if they had coloured contacts in. Even so, there was no impression of her being a monster.

As though made from spider’s silk, the thin, translucent, *chiffon-like fabric obscured her elegant body line. Luxurious and stylish, it was as if it was a product made to seduce men.

*(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiffon_(fabric))

There’s no room for discussion, she’s a beautiful woman.

Even though she grew out from the spider, the truth is not overshadowed by it.

“Fufu…”

Her deep red lips let out a smile, her red pupils tried to inspect each of us, slowly moving to the left and right.

I instinctively realized it.

Looking for something, the sound of her footsteps approached.

…But, what is she looking for?

The moment I thought that, the alarming sound in my head since a while ago was one step ahead, the volume was increasing.

The crimson eyes caught my appearance. She squinted her eyes and looked at me.

“...Found thee.”

After hearing the girl’s clear voice, I got gooseb.u.mps.

Without any reason, I was convinced.

That is, we must not encounter her, and it’s the worst thing that could happen.

In other words, a ‘High Monster’.

The white spider in front of my eyes was not a regular one, it was a monster out of our reach.

“Run aw―…!”

My words weren't finished and got cut off, disappearing into nothingness.

“O, guh… Ooo!?”

The moment I realized my body’s right flank was. .h.i.t by something, my body was pulled with a tremendous force.

Reflexively I tried to hold my ground, but my strength was no match for it.

My supposedly adult body was floating in mid air.

At the same time, a strange noise was produced from the heavy burden on the right half of my hanging body which made my hair stand on end.

“A, ga… …h?!”

A pain severe enough to make my vision flash.

“...kh, …!?”

There were no sounds.

Many things, were broken.

It hurts so much that I don’t know where it hurts.

My consciousness was fleeting and barely connected, maybe caused by fear and a sense of crisis. I don’t know for how long it lasted.

I dropped my line of sight to look at my body.

White sticky material was wrapping my body, from my arm to my chest.

It extends a distance――Now, it is attached to the Arachne’s hand who was holding me.

――Spider’s thread.

I’m now being pulled by said Arachne. It’s the same as the Fire Fang which was killed earlier, right. If the Arachne feels like it, I can also become a deep red stain which spoils the forest.

And, the crisis hasn’t left yet.

My life is in the hands of an evil monster.

Of course, my ‘family’ will not just stand and watch.

The first one to act after I was caught by the white spider was Rose. She was the closest one to me.

The distance between the Arachne who was pulling me, and I, was around 5 meters, a distance of this degree is nothing for Rose who is a monster.

When I saw her, she was running while swinging her axe.

“Release Mas――”

The next moment, Rose was advancing in front of me as though in slow motion.

“――kh!?"

Rose was blown off a few meters into the bushes, creating *baki baki* sounds as she hit them. I was dumbfounded by the sight of it.

I was sure that something had happened, but I didn’t want to admit to the reality.

The White Arachne who is holding me had just stuck out one of her spider legs and moved forward.

With just that, Rose was blown off.

And I wasn’t even given a chance to worry about her who had just been done in.

I who was being held by the White Arachne which started to fiercely run off.

Since my body’s right side is injured and can’t move, my resistance didn’t seem like any resistance at all. No. Even if my body can move, resisting the person who managed to beat Rose with a single blow is useless.

The view of the burning bonfire inside the forest which was reflected in my eyes went black in an instant. At the same time, my consciousness had pa.s.sed the limit of pain and finally got swallowed into the darkness.

“Masterrr―!”

The last thing that I saw was Lily’s hand which was directed to me, and a face which was going to cry.

It’s been about 1 hour since I lost my consciousness.

My bubble of consciousness, floating between dream and reality.

The feeling of cold woke me up.

I opened my eyes.

At that moment, I remembered what happened before I lost consciousness.

“This place is…!?”

My upper body rose with a snap, as though propelled by something.

As soon as I did that, I groaned as I felt the pain coming from my body’s right side.

"Ugu... Gah, haa... Gu, u, uuuh..."

I was somehow able to stabilize my breathing and then I checked my own body’s condition.

My mind was far away.

The remains of the s.h.i.+rt I wore on my body… …The right side was in a miserable state.

The outline of my wrist looks weird.

One of my fingers is also in a strange position.

My ribs―which I heard were easily breakable in general―were, naturally, hurting.

It seems I accidentally twisted my ankle. A dull aching could be felt.

While I had fainted, the worst of the pain had probably pa.s.sed, fortunately for now, half of the pain had ended up numbing me.

My body can barely move in this condition.

Even if it could, there’s nothing that I can do.

As soon as I realized that, my body started trembling.

...Cold.

So cold.

――Lily.

――Rose.

Those girls are not in the vicinity.

Through the link I always used, I felt that their consciousnesses were not near.

I’ve never thought that it would make me feel this lonely.

"...Dammit. Don't get cold feet!"

I scold my frightened mind.

I have a responsibility as Lily and Rose's Master.

They must be worried.

I have to get back immediately.

At least, the fact that I'm alive is already fortunate. With this, I can get back to where the girls are. The worst that could happen is that I lost my life while I was unconscious, but right now it is far from the worst.

I was trying to calm myself down but, it was only inevitable to fall into a depressed state.

Encouraging my heart that wanted to curl up, I reared myself to look around at my surroundings.

"This place is..."

"’Tis inside of my nest."

A fascinating woman’s voice answered my monologue.

I looked back immediately.

A girl with pure white thread-like hair hanging down was looking down to me in close range.

"You, you are..."

The girl with the flowing pure white hair wrapping the spider’s lower body was crossing her arms and supporting her cheek with a palm while looking at me with a playful gaze.  

There’s no mistake.

She’s the one who attacked and took me, that Arachne.

"Nest, you say...?"

I returned her gaze.

Now that you mention it, I’m not lying down directly on the ground.

Below my body, a rough but still traversable floor exists. Reasonably thick trees were gathered, the outstretched spider thread fell on top it―It gives a messy feeling but this is certainly a flooring.

Basically, it is as big as a small gymnasium. It’s quite wide.

The place I was sleeping at was a narrow corner which has remained flat. For the time being, it may have been a consideration for the injured. But if it’s like that, then that thoughtfulness is totally wrong for the condition now.

The natural tree was acting as a pillar, there’s no wall but a ceiling exists, apparently all of the structure was supported by the spider’s thread.

Threads were hanging from the ceiling, near it was a coc.o.o.n-like object. From inside the coc.o.o.n, red lights are flickering. The full view of Arachne’s nest which is vague and dark rose to the surface.

Apparently I was brought into the Arachne’s nest.

Alone, at that.

It’s a hopeless situation.

"What did you..."

Looking face to face with the Arachne, I let out a voice from my throat.

I inquired with my stiffened jaw as I was frightened.

"No, more importantly. What happened to Lily and Rose?"

"Hou... Thou worrieth of thine family before thine own self?"

The woman on top of the spider laughed pleasantly.

“Be at ease. Interest hath I none with the life of those small fries. What I seek after is but one.”

"...It's me, huh."

"Indeed."

It looks like I won't be killed for now.

If you think about it, bringing me here without killing me at that place, there must be a reason why.

…“Feeding on me in the nest peacefully.” I can’t help but pray that it is not because of that kind of cruel reasoning. If it is so, I don’t have any way to resist.  

"Why did you kidnap me?"

"Dost thee knowest not?"

I asked by summoning what little courage I have left, but the Arachne questioned me in return.

“Impossible! How canst thee knowest not? Thee ought to knowest ‘what I am’.”

"...What are you talking about?"

Even if you say that, this is the first time I have met the Arachne.

There’s no way I would forget the penetrating individual’s gaze in front of me.

It seems to be true, but the presence was overwhelming everything else.

I’ve never met her so far.

Thus, I shouldn’t have a clue about her ident.i.ty.

Right. There is no way I kno-...

"...Wait a minute."

A certain possibility arose in my mind, but, I denied it in an instant, thinking it’s impossible.

But I can’t fool my own instincts.

It is rooted instinctively, the special power which only I have.

"Is it possible that you are affected by my cheat ability..."

"Umu? I knowest not of that cheat ability, however..."

The girl growing on top of the white spider closed off one of her red eyes.

“Tis as thine thoughts art.”

With a tone that says all things in this world are fun and she can’t get enough of it, the girl responded to my astonishment while having fun.

"Ay? 'Milord'."

The deep red lips, began to weave a single lovely word.

"No way..."

No matter how much you deny it, the truth will not change.

The monster in front of me is the target of my [Monster Tame] cheat ability.

In other words, she's part of my ‘Family of Monsters’.

AUTHOR’S NOTES:

◆The summary of the previous story is like the usual but, the story is reaching the climax of the first volume.

◆Writing about the white spider is because of the author’s taste but, it actually exists.

An example is *Azuchigumo, it’s pretty.

*http://opencage.info/pics/files/400_6705.jpg

…Although I said that, even if it’s only a spider, for those who hate it, please don’t google it.

The one in this story has white fur, it gives off an impression of being round.