The Spider Queen's Web

The crushed feelings and illusory time had long since passed, and now the mood was ripe, the alcohol flowing—time to enjoy the second round. No other woman caught my eye except Kathleen. Was this love? No. It was primal, pure desire itself. I sent all the other girls away except Kathleen. Part of me wanted to grab her by the hair and say, "Follow me to the hotel, bitch," but that would look too trashy, so I held back. Before we got to the language of the body, let's try some wholesome conversation with our mouths.

"It's just the two of us now."

"Don't like it?"

"No, that's not it. I'd welcome someone as impressive as you. Besides, I never had the right to refuse in the first place."

"You must owe the gang something. Did you borrow money from loan sharks?"

"Not money. I owe them my life. The boss took in my family when we were drifting fugitives running from the Empire."

That orc boss turned out to be more of a big shot than I thought. From what she said, Ulk had taken in Kathleen's homeless family, given them food, shelter, and work. Sure, he took a cut as commission and tribute, but he didn't squeeze them too hard.

"I thought he was just a shady pig, but he's actually a decent guy."

"Things aren't always what they seem on the surface."

"True enough."

She was right. You can't judge everything by appearances. I was living proof of that. If Kathleen ever found out I'd been working with the Imperial Guard elves while throwing dark elves into camps, what kind of face would she make? Contempt? Hatred? Rage? Fear? Whatever reaction she showed would be entertaining. But for now, I'd keep it secret. The Silvareich Empire's reputation wasn't exactly stellar, and advertising that kind of history would only bring annoying complications.

Kathleen skillfully picked up the bottle and poured into my glass. Right now I wanted nothing more than to pour this liquor down her pretty dark elf cleavage and lap it up greedily. I heard high-class room salons served food on women's big breasts. "Staring so openly makes even me embarrassed."

"Sorry, Kathleen. But your body's so stunning, how could I not look?"

"Thank you. Shall we have another drink?"

"By the way, did Ulk tell you to kill me? Something feels off."

"No. The boss only said you were an important guest and to treat you with the utmost care."

I put on my most stern, serious, and dignified expression while staring into her eyes. But those golden irises didn't waver. If anything, I felt like I was the one getting pulled in. After apologizing for my rudeness, I clinked glasses with Kathleen. Then I pulled out a gold coin and tucked it between her breasts. Men don't treat women this well without a reason. Obviously, right? When a guy goes out of his way for a woman, it's because he's interested in her tits and pussy.

"Your name was Marquelon, wasn't it? You're quite charming and amusing."

"I hear that a lot. How about we drink somewhere else instead of here? In a room. I'm getting a bit tired."

"Sounds good."

Kathleen agreed to the second round without hesitation. Her instant reply almost caught me off guard. I naturally took her hand and led her out of the room, only to run into Ulk.

"Got business with me?"

"No, nothing like that. So, how is it? Our bar and girls are the best and the peak in this city. Even the most devout and upright priest would fall the moment he steps in here."

"Sounds great."

"Anyway, this girl here is the star of the bar. It's fine to have a good time, but treat her gently."

"I'm rougher than I look, but I'll try."

Come to think of it, I'd only been with Tirga and Lati lately. When was the last time I'd held another woman? Richel was around, but this was a good chance to learn the difference between elves and dark elves. Ulk said he'd give us VIP treatment and called over a lackey to guide us to a carriage. Outside, the sun was already setting. Time really flew when you were having fun. The Nero Colpo gang must be loaded—they even had flashy carriages like this.

"Hehe, this is a first for me. Having a secret rendezvous with a man outside the bar."

"Same here. First time dating such a stunning woman."

"Liar. I saw you leaving with that pretty blonde human girl and the cute beastman girl yesterday."

"This is why I hate sharp-eyed women."

The atmosphere turned slightly awkward, but the carriage soon arrived at the hotel. We booked the best suite. No way I was taking a cheap room when spending a hot night with a beauty like this. Though cheap rooms had their own kind of romance, I supposed. Money could be earned anytime, but opportunities like this didn't come often.

"This is a really nice room."

"First time in a place like this, Kathleen?"

"I told you earlier—this is my first time coming somewhere like this alone with a man..."

Kathleen couldn't lift her head, embarrassed. Unbelievable. A virgin? A woman this pretty, charming, and talented at singing was still a virgin? It was hard to believe. You couldn't put a price on a woman's virginity, but it was worth an enormous amount. After Lati, I'd be taking another woman's first time. I really was a terrible bastard.

"I'll wash up first then."

No matter how long a man took in the shower, it never took that much time. I finished faster than I ever had in the military. Still, I'd made sure to scrub every smelly spot thoroughly, so there shouldn't be any issues. What if she ran off with my stuff? My money was safely stored in the pseudo-inventory that only accepted currency, so the only things worth stealing were my clothes. And those were ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠one-of-a-kind outfits Ameri had made by hand—I couldn't let them get stolen. Just in case, I finished quickly and stepped out. Thankfully, Kathleen was elegantly enjoying the wine set out in the living room.

"Huk, already..."

"Ahem. Men just wash up fast."

"I-I see. Then I'll..."

Kathleen asked me to look away, saying she was embarrassed. I wanted to stare holes through her, but I could at least do that much. The moment I turned my back, a razor-sharp dagger blade pressed against my neck.

This fucking bitch. This ruins everything.

"Shh. Don't move. Scream ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and I'll cut your vocal cords."

"Ulk's orders?"

"I really didn't expect this. Killing an S-rank mage and coming for my throat. You're as strong as you look. But..."

But what? Did she think I'd just let myself get killed? Getting caught from behind in a fight was definitely dangerous. If I'd been put in a rear choke like this as an ordinary human, I wouldn't have been able to do ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠anything and would've tapped out or passed out. But I wasn't ordinary. I drew up the electric power I'd built up from sleeping with Tirga every night and released it through my entire body. This voltage would make even the pocket monster's lightning mouse cry. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠A shock like this would lock up the muscles and leave you unable to do anything.

"Aaaagh!"

Kathleen screamed and dropped the dagger. But she didn't go down completely helpless—she staggered backward. The fact that she managed to stay on her feet and keep her balance meant my electricity wasn't as effective as a taser at 100% incapacitating the target. She pulled another dagger from her waist and threw it at me. The fast, lethal strike made me instinctively squeeze my eyes shut.

Is this how I die?

But something felt wrong. There was no sensation of being stabbed. When I opened my eyes, the dagger hadn't pierced my body—it had stopped in midair, as if caught on something.

"What the—how?"

"Pretty skilled, dark elf. If it weren't for me, darling would've been skewered right there."

"Damn it! I didn't know he had backup."

Kathleen couldn't move. Looking closely, transparent wire-like threads had wrapped around her entire body, binding her. Like a tangled marionette, she was frozen in an unnatural pose, writhing in pain. Footsteps echoed from the darkness untouched by the lights, and a woman emerged.

She had short black hair and stylish sunglasses. She wore a pink fur coat—the kind of fashion most men hated—but on her, with that sexy and haughty appearance, it worked. The unusual part was that her legs weren't human. They were covered in smooth, insect-like shells. Six long, insectoid legs extended from her back like tentacles, enough to inspire both disgust and fear in anyone who saw them.

So this is a monmusu? At least she still has a humanoid form.

"Oh my, did I scare you, darling? It's not so bad having a cute man stare at me like that."

"W-who are you?"

"Nice to meet you. My name is Morvanel. Call me Vanel for short. You looked like you were in danger, so I made a brief appearance to help."

I'd never pulled a summon like this before. What was going on? Another person who knew my identity? Or some kind of administrator like Admi? But as if denying that thought, a status window appeared right in front of my eyes.

An SSS-rank? The setting was pretty brutal, but the highest-grade summon had just dropped from the sky to help me? Did the dwarves send backup? I didn't understand the situation, but whatever. How dare they trample on my pure heart like this! I'd show that dark elf bitch and the gangsters what revenge really meant.

"Good timing, Morvanel. I've got a question. How did you know I was in danger?"

"Hmm, I've been watching ever since our master got involved with the gang. Through the eyes of those small, cute spiders hiding everywhere."

"But I didn't even spin the gacha. Can summons just appear like this on their own?"

So that's how it worked. Well, as long as the result was good, that was all that mattered. I'd survived, and even if it was temporary, an overpowered cheat character had fallen into my hands. What I had to do now was clear.