Chapter 35
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: Ambush (2)
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Before the black shadows lurking near Dominic's tent in a remote spot were spotted, someone else had already made his way there.
The blond knight, Ian.
'I forgot to tell him to pitch his tent deeper inside the camp since it's dangerous starting today.'
He knew that ever since they set out, Dominic had been sneaking beers, wines, and even whiskeys every night—a full assortment.
But strictly speaking, Dominic was an outsider, not a soldier, so punishing him for breaking military discipline was a gray area.
Besides, the guy was sharp enough to set up his tent in an out-of-the-way spot on purpose so he could drink without the soldiers noticing. Ian had turned a blind eye up until now.
Rustle, rustle.
The ground was overgrown with weeds.
It was a place where nature's recovery outpaced human touch—the border between civilization and the wild.
No monster would recklessly charge a large force like this.
Beasts and magical creatures had strong survival instincts, after all.
'But even a single lost goblin can cause casualties.'
The reports said the monsters in the mountains were acting strange. Better to eliminate even the tiniest risk.
"Ah, I could go for some chicken."
Dominic's mutter carried from afar.
Just as Dominic was getting fed up with hearing food talk every day while making meals,
Rustle—.
Ian's ears picked up movement in the bushes too. Unfortunately, it was coming from right near Dominic.
"Something's in the bushes—get back!"
"Huh?"
Ian spotted the shadows rippling under the moonlight and shouted immediately. Dominic sprang to his feet on reflex.
Shieeeek!
Had the prey they'd thought was caught suddenly leaped up?
Whatever was hiding in the bushes burst out all at once, letting out eerie shrieks.
"Groot Spiders!"
Bodies at least thirty centimeters long, eight long legs covered in bristly hair, and instead of eyes, two short, blunt horns where they should be—Groot Spiders, cave spiders.
Shiek, shishik!
There had to be at least twenty of the massive spiders.
"Gah, what the hell are these?!"
Dominic freaked out at the sight of the fully revealed monsters.
His first encounter with a monster in this world just had to resemble his most hated bug, supersized. He couldn't help shuddering.
"Do something about them!"
Shieeeek—!
"Don't make a sound and freeze! Their eyes have degenerated!"
At Ian's words, Dominic froze like a statue, clamping his mouth shut to stifle even his breathing.
Shiek?
Thud—!
"Over here!"
One huge spider lunged at Dominic's shin, fangs dripping viscous liquid, but hesitated at the sudden silence. Ian stomped without missing a beat, drawing their attention.
Shish, shish, shishishik!
The bugs turned as one, skittering toward Ian on their eight legs, gliding over the underbrush.
Ian had already drawn his rapier and assumed position.
Clack clack clack clack!
Were they signaling an attack? The spiders' blunt mandibles clicked relentlessly, sending chills down the spine as they charged Ian in unison.
"Run! There are too many!"
Even Dominic, who had been holding his breath, yelled out, forgetting his own safety in the dire situation.
But,
Swooooosh!
Ian's rapier danced like a painting come to life.
The moonlit blade gleaming, his fine blond hair whipping in the wind.
And fountains of green blood spraying from spiders bisected clean in half.
Thud, thud, thud.
Every time the blond knight moved like he was dancing, more spider corpses piled up on the grass.
Watching Ian wield a sword properly for the first time, Dominic realized the man hadn't become commander just because of the old lord's favor.
'But why waste a knight this skilled babysitting a village chief like me?'
The thought crossed his mind even in the heat of battle, but,
"I don't know how you got this far,"
Slash—.
"but rest in peace."
Dominic wiped the question clean when he heard Ian's low murmur, tinged with a hint of sorrow, as he cleaved the last spider.
'...Cool as hell, but kinda cringey too.'
He couldn't fathom why someone who fought so majestically would ruin it with such a cheesy line.
"Thank you for saving me, Sir Knight."
"Any injuries?"
"None, thanks to you."
But gratitude came first to his lifesaver.
Dominic's legs were still trembling.
"Do... these things show up in monster sweeps?"
"......"
The veterans had said it was mostly kobolds, frogmen, goblins. Large monsters from deep in the mountains or pack hunters didn't venture to the foothills.
'No one mentioned dog-sized spider swarms! If I'd known, I'd have made excuses and stayed home!'
This was blatant false advertising.
"What happened?"
"We heard something weird... Wh-what the hell is this...!"
Soldiers from nearby tents rushed over late, freezing at the spider corpses.
Dominic was convinced by their reactions.
'See? Even they look like they've never seen these before.'
He wondered who to complain to, but Ian was quicker.
"Soldiers, clean up the monster corpses."
"Yes, sir!"
"You, come with me."
"Where to?"
"We need to report the monster sighting to the lord."
"Do I have to go too?"
"You're seriously asking that now? This isn't the time for jokes. Follow me."
Dominic had a gut feeling he'd been dragged into something majorly annoying.
"Groot Spiders appeared? Is that true?"
The Sinclair Count, preparing for bed, straightened his attire and hurried into the command tent.
The other lords were arriving one by one.
"Yes. Twenty-two in total."
"Good lord! Any soldier casualties?"
"Fortunately, we spotted them early. No fatalities."
"The gods are watching over us."
Everyone sighed in relief.
Groot Spider fangs carried potent venom. Not instantly fatal, but miss the treatment window and you might lose a limb.
'What was I thinking coming for some stupid tax relief?'
Dominic regretted it upon hearing that, but the water was spilled.
"Groot Spiders live deep in caves, don't they? I heard even foothills dwellers see one once in a lifetime at most."
"Exactly. They don't move in places that dark—their eyes are completely degenerated. So why come all the way here? And in numbers like that... looks like a whole colony's on the move."
"If something's happened in the mountains, we're in trouble."
The lords pondered gravely.
The rangers' reports of unusual monster activity had prompted the sweep, but giant spiders? An unexpected wrinkle complicating plans.
"May I say a word, my lords?"
A grizzled middle-aged knight stepped forward.
A veteran among veterans from the monster-plagued north, who'd devoted his youth to battling beasts.
"I've led countless monster hunts, but even I've never seen a Groot Spider before."
"Not even you, Sir Richard?"
"Yes. But I know their habits. They hunt by sound in caves so deep no light reaches. They never come out."
"But these were found near soldier tents. So this is unusual?"
"Precisely."
"Under what circumstances?"
The knight paused briefly before speaking.
"The queen's hatching."
"...The queen."
Dominic's head snapped sideways involuntarily.
No one else heard, but Ian had guessed the reason for the spiders' appearance too.
'How does he know this stuff?'
Come to think of it, when the spider lunged, Ian had yelled not to make a sound.
He'd identified exactly what they were the moment he saw them.
'How?'
His mind filled with question marks, but he lacked the guts for chit-chat in front of the bigwigs.
"The queen's hatching? They leave the cave when she emerges?"
"Yes. Precisely after she completes her molt, they hunt and stockpile food for her nourishment. No way the cave's creatures suffice. If they're preparing for the queen's hatching, we must act fast."
"Fast? Is it a problem once she molts?"
At a lord's question, the knight replied grimly.
"It'll shatter the mountain's food chain balance. The fallout will reach even the foothills."
"......!"
Silence fell over the command tent, but one lord's words shifted the mood.
"It's just a spider queen. Isn't this overblown?"
They were big and gross, sure, but one skilled knight had butchered over twenty without a scratch.
Tough for regular soldiers, maybe, but a good knight order could take even the queen with ease.
"It's not that simple."
"What makes you say that, Sir Richard?"
"The spiders' queen isn't a spider."
"What?"
It was hard to parse at first.
"Sentinella Seed. A variant giant centipede. That's their queen."
"...!"
The next day, early morning.
Earlier than soldiers' usual routine, a tense group gathered before the command tent, faces set with determination.
Elites handpicked from each domain—knights excelling in skill and character.
"You know the gravity of your mission without me saying more."
The Sinclair Count's encouragement seemed to steel their resolve even further.
"This isn't just slaying a monster. It's safeguarding the lives of countless commoners rooted in the foothills. Remember that."
Stomp, stomp!
From different domains, yet they moved as one, stamping in unison to salute the count.
"We will succeed and return."
"I believe you."
No more honeyed words.
But the count's hand patting each shoulder conveyed more gratitude and respect than a hundred speeches.
Some knights teared up at the great noble's personal send-off, but one man alone still couldn't grasp how he'd ended up here, half-dazed.
"...Why am I...?"
The sole unarmed civilian among the knights.
Dominic.