Chapter 143
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 143
Chapter Title: Arachne - 2
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Bienne told me she couldn't produce her thread anymore.
"S-since some point, the th-thread coming from my w-wrist has become w-weak and th-thin..."
"I see."
I had no idea why I was hearing this, but I listened attentively since I wanted the underwear she made.
"I a-asked other Arachnes, but none of them had a proper answer."
"I see."
"S-so lately, I've been pr-producing thread through m-masturbation."
"Hm?"
Why had the topic suddenly shifted to masturbation?
"Um, Miss Bienne."
"Y-yes! D-Duke A-Atlas, sir."
"Why did the subject change to masturbation? It doesn't seem related to the thread at all."
"W-well..."
At my question, Bienne fidgeted with her hands and answered in a slightly trembling voice.
"Arachnes can pr-produce better thread when they're s-sexually aroused."
"Oh, I see."
Her words planted the image of Arachnes as perverts in my mind.
To think such a lewd race existed.
But what did that have to do with me?
"There's no need to make it specifically from Arachne thread."
"Pardon?"
"I'm fine with underwear made from ordinary materials."
"No, that won't do!"
"Huh?"
Unlike before, Bienne spoke confidently without stuttering, revealing her strong will.
"Underwear is clothing that's fundamentally different from regular clothes!"
"I-is that so."
It seemed her artisan spirit kicked in specifically for underwear.
What was this refreshingly perverse obsession?
"It's not shown to others, but precisely because it's not shown, it requires even more meticulous care. After all, those with beautiful insides are beautiful on the outside too."
"Ah, y-yeah..."
"You came to me because you understand the importance of underwear, don't you, Your Grace?"
"W-well, yes."
As expected of a rural village like Lugeron, the underwear the women wore was mostly just breast covers.
Honestly, from my position of making love to them every night, linen underwear felt like a flaw in a jade.
'It's not hygienic either.'
That's why I was looking for high-end underwear from the Holy Kingdom, but now the underwear artisan in front of me was being stubborn about the materials.
"Underwear must be made from Arachne thread! Only then is it hygienic, beautiful, and feels different against the skin. Please try touching it, Your Grace."
"Eh?"
Bienne took off the bra she was wearing and held it out to me.
"It's different from regular underwear, right?"
"The texture is definitely different."
It still held the warmth from when she'd been wearing it moments ago.
"Try smelling it too. Arachne thread is very absorbent."
"No, that's a bit..."
"Come on."
Unable to refuse her insistence, I smelled the bra.
'All I can smell is her body scent.'
I felt a sense of self-loathing at my perverse actions.
"What do you think?"
"Aside from the body scent, nothing else."
"That's the important part."
"Pardon?"
"Depending on the fabric, smells can mix and create an unpleasant stench."
"I see."
It was something I couldn't understand as a layman, but it seemed to matter to Bienne, the underwear artisan.
"Underwear that can hold the natural scent! I think that's the most perfect underwear!"
"But you can't make it anymore, right?"
"Y-yes..."
At my point, Bienne lost her confidence again and slumped like a deflated puppy.
"B-but there's n-not absolutely no w-way."
"Getting help from another Arachne?"
"N-no, not that. In a place called the D-Dark Forest, there's something called the Tricolor Spider, and the thread from those spider monsters is said to rival Arachne thread..."
"Hm?"
Dark Forest?
"You mean those guys in the giant cave in the depths? The ones that spin webs by color?"
"Y-you know about the Tricolor Spiders?"
"Of course. The Dark Forest is my playground, after all."
Who knew their thread was such good material?
'I burned all the webs.'
It hurt just thinking about it now.
"If you br-bring me Tricolor spider silk, I'll m-make you underwear."
"Well, I'd like to, but I won't have a reason to visit Asgard again."
"Th-then I'll v-visit your d-duke's territory."
An unexpected immigrant had appeared.
"Is that okay? My territory is like filthy gutter water compared to Asgard."
"I-it's fine. As long as I can work as an underwear tailor, I won't mind the gutter water."
Though she stuttered, Bienne firmly stated her intentions.
And so, after exchanging some words about the move, I promised to build her a workshop.
...
"This underwear is impressively well-made."
The underwear from Bienne was truly something to admire.
It subtly revealed the insides while barely covering the important parts, transcending mere lewdness into the realm of art.
"H-hero?"
Vice-captain Rachel was horrified by my actions.
A big guy admiring women's underwear on the street would look strange, no doubt.
As I hurriedly stuffed the underwear into my <Inventory>, Camilla asked.
"Hero, where are you planning to go next?"
"I've bought everything I need, so now to the library."
"The library?"
"You look skeptical."
"Well, I can't picture you reading books."
"That's harsh. I'm a book lover at heart."
Not to the level of a bibliomaniac, but if there was a book, I'd read it.
'Well, based on my previous life, anyway.'
In Lugeron Village, readable books were so limited that I could count the recent times I'd read on one hand.
"The library... In that case, it would be better to ask Her Majesty to guide you than us."
"Huh? Helen's busy."
Helen was swamped writing reports with Iris about me absorbing the divine water.
"Sorry. We're not the type for books, so we can't help you, Hero."
"No way—holy knights not into books? You must've studied for your enlistment exams."
"Of course we studied until the enlistment exam."
"Then..."
"That was 20 years ago. Even the youngest was about 10 years ago, so she might not know either."
"Ugh, don't holy knights have to study doctrine regularly?"
"We're the physical type, so it doesn't matter. No matter how much we study, we can't perform miracles like conversing with the Goddess, as you do, Hero."
I was speechless at Camilla's logical words. Anyone hearing that would think I was some swindler.
"Sigh, let's go to Helen for now."
"She should be at the academy by now."
"Academy?"
"Yes, Her Majesty serves as the principal of Nymph Academy."
"No way—she's busy as the second apostle and also principal?"
It was absurd, but considering the Holy Kingdom's exploitative nature, it made sense.
And so, we headed to Nymph Academy.
Camilla earnestly warned me.
"Hero, please don't emanate Hestia's divinity."
"Why? Isn't it better than needlessly intimidating them with my Titan trait?"
"No matter how much we like you, Hero, we can't help if you're arrested under the Nymph child protection law."
"Tch, fine then."
The frightened gazes of the young nymphs hurt, but it was a thousand times better than being labeled a pedophile.
"Kyaa!"
"Are you okay?"
We were moving carefully when I bumped into a young nymph.
"Hiiiek!"
I offered my hand to the young nymph who had fallen on her butt, but she was too busy trembling.
"Hero, didn't I tell you to be careful?"
"I was careful. Now help her instead of teasing."
"As I said before, I can't touch young nymphs because of the Nymph child protection law."
"Better than a man touching her."
"The Nymph child protection law is stricter on women than men."
"Why?"
"Because of the nymph doctors."
What on earth did those nymph doctors do in the past...
"Student Jaina, there you are."
As I was stomping around anxiously over the teary-eyed young nymph, our savior appeared.
It was Helen, dressed in academy principal attire.
"Sian? What brings you to the academy?"
"I came to ask you a favor."
"Hee hee, I see. Wait in my office for a bit. I'll come as soon as I'm done with work. Camilla, please guide Sian to my office."
"Understood."
Helen took the young nymph and led her somewhere.
She was clearly the academy principal, but why did she seem like a kindergarten teacher?
"Hero, did you know?"
"What?"
"The underwear Her Majesty is wearing right now was made by Miss Bienne."
"?!?"
Helen was wearing that see-through underwear?
At my disbelief, Camilla added an explanation.
"Not just Her Majesty. Most nymphs wear underwear made by Miss Bienne."
"Why?"
"There are many reasons, but the biggest is that it easily hides nymph body scents."
"Scents?"
"As you know, Hero, nymph body scents are unique."
"True."
Helen and Helia had a warm, bread-like scent; Lavi smelled like resting in the sun; and Forest had the aroma of the woods.
I knew I shouldn't, but I sometimes used my house nymphs' scents as air freshener.