Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: Mod7
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Chapter 3 - Spoils of War
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The spiders dragged us along. I estimated there were more than ten of them.
I wished I had fainted like [him]. While he was blissfully unconscious, paralyzed by the venom, I had to endure the sharp, predatory, and lustful gazes of every spider.
“I wonder how long he’ll last?”
“Lucky him. He’s in for a treat.”
Their words were openly threatening. Their fingers grazed my skin, sending shivers down my spine.
Hostility and a thirst for revenge, directed at the male who had dared to harm their sisters.
I endured it all, my lips pressed tightly together. Showing weakness wouldn't change anything.
And while enduring wouldn't necessarily improve my situation, I didn't want to die a pathetic death like the alien in the cave.
“Don’t cry now.”
One of the spiders patted my shoulder.
“You’ll have plenty of time to cry later.”
I couldn't argue. Unable to even take my own life, I was at their mercy, dragged along like a helpless captive.
“You…”
As if my situation wasn't dire enough,
The youngest spider, her body badly burned, glared at me from beside me.
We were both being carried on the backs of different spiders,
But her gaze never left me.
“I’ll kill you.”
Her burning stare ignited a flicker of fear within me.
“No, I won’t kill you. I can’t just kill you.”
I wished someone would gag her.
Separate us.
“…I’ll make you beg for death. Both of you.”
She winced in pain, but her gaze remained fixed on me. It was as if her every thought and emotion revolved around my existence.
I had never been the target of such intense hatred before.
In this moment,
I became her most hated enemy.
The monster who had taken everything from her,
The object of her revenge.
“I’ll never forgive you. Never…”
Her delicate features,
Contorted in a mask of rage.
Her sharp eyes, filled with anguish…
“…Never…”
But she was exhausted too. Her eyes fluttered, and she drifted into an unconsciousness she couldn't resist.
Now, I was the only one conscious. The only one aware of my surroundings, trapped amongst the spiders.
I didn't know how long they dragged me along, wrapped tightly in their webbing.
It was a long distance. The scenery changed gradually, and with each change, my fear intensified.
At first, I saw decaying trees,
Then, webs strung between the trees, dense and intricate.
The spiders’ territory.
These webs weren't for hunting, they were markers, delineating their domain.
There were no animals here, not even insects.
Only the oppressive presence of the spiders.
An aura of death and decay permeated the air, raising goosebumps on my skin.
I didn't know how to describe their domain. A nest? A gathering place? Or a kingdom?
Yes, kingdom seemed fitting. A spider kingdom…
A vast network of webs, centered around a massive tree.
The spiders called it the Ancestral Tree.
We were being taken there. As we approached the tree, the spiders’ movements became more cautious.
They reached the base of the Ancestral Tree and set [him] and me down. A large, empty space lay before us.
Something emerged from the darkness, slowly crawling towards us.
The spiders bowed their heads and bent their legs in deference.
A massive spider, larger than any I had seen before, emerged from the shadows. The Spider Queen…
“Mother.”
And the spiders called this massive queen, Mother.
She didn’t look much older than the others. Yet, she exuded a mature authority, a palpable aura of power.
This presence spoke of her absolute rule, her dominance.
Her gaze, heavy and oppressive,
Made me lower my head.
“I don’t need another new male. Dispose of him. Where is he?”
She wasn't interested in me.
Her focus was on,
[Him], the one who had been captured with me, the one who had sacrificed himself for me.
The Spider Queen, unable to contain her impatience, approached us.
She wanted to see her mate, up close.
“Remove his mask. Quickly!”
Two spiders approached and removed [his] mask.
I couldn’t bring myself to look at his face,
But the Spider Queen gasped, tears welling up in her eyes.
“Yes, it’s him.”
The lavender-skinned body was lifted into the air, his limp limbs dangling helplessly.
“It’s really him…”
It seemed like a touching reunion, but the Spider Queen’s expression was strange, a mixture of laughter and tears.
It wasn't a genuine smile.
A sneer? No…
More like a mockery.
“So, you’ve finally returned. Haven’t you?”
The Spider Queen climbed the tree and began spinning a web high above. The other spiders looked up, witnessing their parents’ reunion.
“You can’t escape now.”
A vast web, impossible to escape from, unfurled,
And [his] body was bound tightly within it.
The Spider Queen, finally satisfied, descended the tree.
For a brief moment, she had shed the titles of Queen and Mother, becoming simply a female, reunited with her mate. But now, she had to address her daughters.
“So, who deserves the greatest reward?”
She intended to reward them.
Judging by her reaction, she had likely sent her daughters to retrieve [him].
“Which brave child brought back their father?”
The Spider Queen’s question was met with silence as her daughters exchanged glances. The one who deserved the greatest reward was…
“Mother!”
The youngest spider.
She, who had been separated from us, receiving treatment for her burns, had applied a quick patch of green slime to her wounds and crawled all the way here.
Judging by the reactions of the other spiders, this had been an impulsive act, driven by her thirst for revenge.
“Mother, please…! Listen to me.”
The youngest spider crawled towards her mother. The other spiders offered assistance, but she stubbornly dragged her heavy body forward.
“Those males killed my sisters. They…!”
Her emotions were raw. The youngest spider, who had initially reminded me of Amy’s calm demeanor, couldn't maintain her composure in the face of her sisters’ deaths.
She reached her mother, tears streaming down her face, her voice filled with anguish. To me, it sounded like a curse directed at [him] and me.
“Let me avenge them. I captured them! Let me gouge out their eyes and melt their limbs. Let me…!”
The other spiders watched silently, waiting for their mother’s response.
The youngest spider’s arm reached out towards her mother,
And the Mother…
“Arachne.”
She uttered a strange, familiar name, and gently stroked the youngest spider’s hand.
It was a spider greeting. The lower-ranking spider bowed, raising her arm, and the higher-ranking spider acknowledged her by touching her outstretched arm.
“Calm down.”
As she soothed her distraught daughter, the Spider Queen’s gaze was filled with an overflowing love.
Her eyes, filled with a sweet, almost honey-like affection, radiated maternal love. Even I, an outsider, could sense the powerful bond between them.
“You’re badly injured.”
“It’s nothing, Mother… I’m fine…”
Observing her gently stroking her daughter’s head, one might have mistaken them for a highly evolved, social species.
“But… I can’t forgive them. I must have my revenge. For my sisters, I must-”
“Arachne.”
But looking at her, her fangs bared, her claws extended towards me, she was nothing but a demon, a vengeful spirit.
“I told you to calm down. I’m so happy you returned safely, and I’m proud of you for accomplishing such a feat.”
The mother’s and daughter’s reactions were incongruous. The youngest spider, Arachne, tilted her head, wiping away her tears.
“…What?”
She didn’t know who she had captured. She thought she had brought back two males, but the reality was far more significant.
“This is your father. You’ve never met him before, have you?”
The Spider Queen lifted Arachne into her arms and showed her the lavender-skinned male, suspended high above.
“You brought him back. Arachne, my daughter…”
The girl who had inherited her father’s traits more strongly than her sisters.
Born with sharp, powerful,
Claw-like legs.
“I’m so proud of you. Tell me your wish.”
Arachne had intended to avenge her sisters by bringing back both males,
But she knew how much her mother longed for her mate.
“…”
Her eyes flickered, her expression unreadable. A mixture of emotions played across her face.
Arachne looked at me, then at [him], then back at me,
And finally, her gaze fixed on me, she spoke.
“Give me that male.”
Her eyes were red-rimmed,
But I couldn't tell if she was sad or angry.