Chapter 193: The Wolf and the Spider
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 193: The Wolf and the Spider
“One hus… hehe…. multiple wives… hehe….”
Leaving the bicorns with their suspicious cries behind, I approached the nest.
Having them as allies was incredibly reassuring, but sometimes, those giant, bicorns felt a little scary.
It wasn't hostility towards me, but I felt a different kind of gaze from them, so to speak.
They weren't dangerous, but paradoxically, they felt infinitely dangerous.
“Gekgek.”
I promised to reward their efforts by kidnapping a unicorn for them, so it should be fine for a while.
“This is truly amazing. I don't think it's any less impressive than the buildings I saw at the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. How on earth did they build this?”
That’s what I was thinking.
It was like they had construction skills surpassing humans.
Honestly, I had thought they would be good at construction.
After all, each bicorn could exert more force than a piece of heavy machinery.
I had trusted them to handle the foundation work, and I planned to finish the rest with them after I returned.
But it was a pleasant miscalculation.
They had completed everything from start to finish, not just the foundation.
Of course, their physical traits would have made delicate work difficult.
But that was fine. A place where large spirit beasts like the Red Dragon and I live doesn't require delicate work.
It was only something to consider for the few who could take human form, like the Red Dragon or Baek Rang.
The materials seemed to be the plants I had grown with my ability, along with the gold and other precious metals the Red Dragon brought.
The vines were tough, and the wood was hard.
Moreover, the plants created with my ability had excellent fire resistance, enough to withstand even the Red Dragon's flames.
Of course, if the Red Dragon really set her mind to it, it would eventually burn, but she would never burn her own nest.
She might breathe fire in her sleep sometimes, but the nest should be able to withstand that much.
“Kioong…!”
“Kieeek!”
Tus and Pus.
And Nephila, too, raised their heads to survey the nest.
They looked like they were contemplating where to spin their webs.
It made sense; they couldn't just spin webs wherever they wanted in the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
They must be itching to do it.
…Should I help them get some web out?
“Hioong….”
As if reading my thoughts, Pus stealthily crawled over to me.
Subtly, Pus presented her spinneret.
Alright, I’m in the mood.
Slap!
“Keeng!”
Pus's short arms trembled.
“Keeeek….”
Tus clacked her teeth together, as if in envy.
Grip.
Nephila suddenly grabbed my arm tightly.
…Does she want me to do it for her too?
“T-To do something like this in broad daylight…!”
Tang Soyeong screamed, covering her eyes.
What is “something like this”?
I'm just patting their butts to help them spin webs.
“Y-You beast! W-Well, you are a beast, but…”
Swish!
“Kyaaak!”
Nephila gave her a fitting punishment.
Just as I was about to give her a light pat on the butt…
“Aung?”
A familiar ball of gray fur caught my eye, running this way.
A cute puppy, wagging its tail and crawling in a low stance.
It was Chillang-i.
“Awoong!”
Scales are nice, but fur isn't bad either.
That fluffy body, I just want to….
“Kioong!”
“Kieeng!”
Right.
You guys are fluffy too.
I gave Chillang-i a few good pets as she approached me.
“Hmph.”
Nephila seemed to quite like Chillang-i as well, gently touching her with a finger.
“Pant, pant, pant….”
Chillang-i seemed to enjoy Nephila's touch, sticking her tongue out and panting happily.
Spiders and snakes didn't have the best relationship, but wolves were different.
Of course, Chillang-i might be reacting this way because she's a naive, young wolf who doesn't know the ways of the world, but still, it was a good start.
If they didn't get along from the beginning, I'd have to force them into a drinking party.
Then I'd fall asleep again, and the next day, my body would feel strangely weak.
Their skin would become firm and supple, while I'd grow thin and haggard.
Just thinking about it was terrifying.
“Gasp, what is this? This cute little creature?”
So Chillang-i looked cute to Tang Soyeong too.
She did have the cute-one position, but she wasn't exactly small.
Her species was Direwolf, and she was bigger than a typical adult wolf, so I thought she might be a little scared.
“It's super big, so it's super cute.”
You know that phrase?
It seems Chillang-i's cuteness is universal.
She was reacting like this to just one Chillang-i. I wondered how she'd react if she saw all seven wolves rolling around like cotton candy.
“H-Here, Illuwat!”
Tang Soyeong tried to touch Chillang-i, her hand waving suspiciously.
“Aung?”
Chillang-i tilted her head, wondering what was going on.
She must be dying to touch that fluffy fur.
I understand.
I know how hard it is to resist.
“Hehe… look at it staying still. This smooth… huh?”
But Tang Soyeong's hand never reached Chillang-i's fur.
Her hand only touched my tail, which had gotten in the way.
“Ugh, what's this? Why did you suddenly stick your tail out? Wait, this is your tail, right?”
If it's not my tail, what else would it be?
Tang Soyeong, her face slightly red, shook her head vigorously.
“S-So it is a tail. I thought for a second…”
What were you imagining?
You have a bit of a wild side, don't you?
“Ahem, Hero Go, you have a surprisingly cute side to you.”
Huh?
Tang Soyeong looked up, meeting my gaze.
A playful glint appeared in her green eyes.
What is it now?
“You're jealous because you think I like that doggy, right? Hehe, I get it. I'll give you lots of pets too…!”
Slap!
“Kyaang!”
Tang Soyeong leaped up, clutching her butt.
She seems to be under a grand delusion.
“Pant, pant, pant….”
Chillang-i is a cutie that only I can touch.
“N-No fair! I'm going to pet her too!”
It became a total mess.
Pus, who kept subtly presenting her spinneret.
Tus, who climbed onto my tail, watching for an opportunity.
Nephila, who stood beside me, petting Chillang-i with me.
And Tang Soyeong, buried in the ground with only her head sticking out.
“I'm sorry! I won't mess around anymore!”
Good.
You've reflected enough now, right?
“When we're alone, with some Bewitching Poison…”
Guess not.
“Kyaak! I-I was joking!”
As we were passing the time like that…
“…What are you doing?”
A familiar voice.
Baek Rang, in her wolf form, was staring at me blankly.
“Gekgek.”
Nothing much, just establishing some discipline.
“Kieeek…!”
“Keeeek!”
Tus and Pus immediately scrambled onto my horns.
It didn't seem like they viewed her as negatively as they did the snakes, but they didn't seem to like her as much as Chillang-i, either.
They were being cautious first and foremost.
Because Baek Rang was a powerful spirit beast.
“You've managed to bring only females. It's astounding.”
Baek Rang looked at me with an expression that said I was pathetic.
“Gekgek….”
There were circumstances.
“One spirit beast and two guardians? How on earth did you live in the past to have so few followers?”
I have more. There's Swish-Swish, a very powerful snake.
“…Whatever. Still, they came before me, so I should treat them with respect.”
That's Baek Rang for you.
I felt like kissing her belly right now.
“Wait, Left Guardian and Right Guardian?”
“Kieeng!”
“Kiong!”
Tus and Pus waved their short arms.
It seemed she could tell what their positions were.
“Even so, that's too high a rank… No, you must have your reasons.”
She seemed to have complaints but accepted it nonetheless.
I knew Baek Rang would react this way.
Even the Red Dragon hadn't complained about being the same rank as Baek Rang.
In fact, she seemed to treat her more kindly than before, giving her due respect.
Since she was a beneficiary of the Gaegaek Cult, it seemed she was trying her best to understand.
“The Priestess… at least she's a spirit beast. She's still lacking in power, but I suppose this is acceptable…”
It seemed Nephila passed her inspection.
Because spirit beasts that can take human form are rare.
I don't know the details, but…
“A white puppy…!”
Tang Soyeong's eyes gleamed.
Even though only her head was sticking out, she seemed excited by the appearance of a new spirit beast.
When will this girl ever learn?
“Hm? Is that one emergency rations?”
“Hiiyaak!”
Tang Soyeong freaked out.
“I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please don't eat me!”
It was obviously just a joke.
“I-I don't have much meat on my bones, so I won't even taste good…!”
She's really hit rock bottom.
A part of me wanted to see how far she'd fall, but still, Soyeong was one of my followers.
Step.
I shifted my body slightly, standing between Baek Rang and Tang Soyeong.
“Hero Go…!”
She probably thought I was protecting her.
“She's quite the coward.”
“Gekgekgek.”
Tell me about it.
You wouldn't really eat my follower, would you?
“Why would I dispose of a physician?”
It seemed she knew Soyeong was a physician.
“T-Then does that mean if I didn't know medicine…. Hiiyak!”
Thump.
Tang Soyeong's eyes rolled back in her head as she slumped forward.
…Did she actually faint?
“Ge-ek.”
I extended my tail and pulled Tang what's-her-name out of the hole.
Why is she so timid?
Then again, the situation was bound to make anyone timid.
“……You really picked up a strange one.”
“Gegek.”
I think so too.
“Gek.”
But, that thing about eating humans was just a joke, right?
“Of course it's a joke. Most spirit beasts are reluctant to harm humans. Unlike beasts, they often harbor grudges, so killing them only brings us harm.”
Is it like a Tiger Ghost?
There's a story that if a human is killed by a tiger, they become a ghost called a Tiger Ghost that clings to that tiger.
It seems something similar happens when a spirit beast kills a human.
“It clinging to you won't cause a major problem right away, but it's a different story for those who get addicted to eating humans. Their end is never good. They're either subjugated by humans, or they become mindless monsters.”
That's a relief.
“…You seem to have a strange fondness for humans, but I'll tell you just in case. Don't kill humans.”
“Gek.”
“That doesn't mean you should run away from humans who attack you. You have no choice but to kill those who cross the line.”
She didn't seem particularly friendly towards humans.
You avoid shit because it's dirty, not because you're scared of it.
That seemed to be the feeling.
“There are ways to deal with vengeful spirits. Some eat them, and others use bizarre methods to prevent them from latching on. …To give you a rough idea, there are oddballs who push them off a cliff and then think, ‘The cliff killed them, not me.’”
So it's the mindset that's important?
I have no intention of killing humans, but it would be good to know.
You can't survive in this world with just optimism.
If someone were to harm my followers, I would have no choice but to kill them, even if they were human.
Before my identity as a former human, I am the Divine Beast of the Gaegaek Cult.
“There's a nine-tailed old hag who's absolutely brilliant at handling vengeful spirits. I'll tell you about her later.”
A nine-tailed old hag? A nine-tailed fox?
“Gekgekgek!”
Why tell me later! It's urgent!
Crack.
Nephila grabbed the scruff of my neck, hard.
“Ge-eeeng….”
No, that's not it. I was just curious because you said nine-tailed fox. It's not because I'm curious what her human form looks like, but because I want to form a connection with a powerful spirit beast….
“Quiet.”
“Ge-ek….”
Huh?
I looked at Nephila again.
Did she just speak?
“Gek!”
Nephila turned her head away slightly, as if embarrassed.
Right.
It was only a little, but she could already speak. As expected of the Priestess of the Gaegaek Cult.
…But what about me?
“Geeeeeng.”
“You've only gotten bigger; you're still a kid. A baby.”
Baek Rang continued, sounding pathetic.
“Gekgek.”
Just tell me where the nine-tailed fox lives.
“At this rate, we'll be talking in circles until sunset. I'll just get to the point. There's something I need to tell you right now.”
If she puts it like that, I have no choice but to wait.
But what could it be about?
If it were that urgent, she would have skipped the greetings and just said it. Since we chatted a bit, maybe it's not that serious.
“The guardian of the Snow Mountain has fallen.”
What?
No, my ice/flight evolution