Chapter 87
Chapter 87
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 87
Chapter Title: Into the Forest
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"Undead... Creatures I'd only heard about in stories..."
Me, Lenia, and Hilia... Just the three of us, but on paper, it was a ridiculously luxurious party. A viscount, a count's heir, and a duke's heir.
At this rate, we might run into a princess before long. More importantly, how long was I supposed to keep calling the duke's daughter Rahil?
"The appearance of undead means something serious is happening. I don't know the details, but in the stories, they're always tied to that kind of thing."
"In the stories?"
The truth was, I'd never heard any tales about undead. Sure, they popped up often in the oral stories passed around mouth-to-mouth, but as a kid with serf parents, hunting in the countryside, how many stories could I have possibly heard?
"House Keeper told me a story once. It was about an ancient kingdom overrun by undead, and the reason they rampaged was something called the Black Heart."
Black Heart. Just the name sounded like something a dark wizard would love. Those types always went for ominous names like that. Death, curses, darkness, destruction... you know the drill.
I'd never seen a real mage, but back on Earth, dark wizards had that vibe. So, had some popped up around here too?
"But... dark wizards... were supposed to have been... wiped out long ago... or so I heard."
Hilia chimed in with what she knew about dark wizards. Apparently, after a massive backlash and purge, the few that existed had vanished completely at some point.
"The forest's atmosphere isn't normal either."
The woods were suspiciously quiet. Not even the chirp of insects or birdsong, no howls from wild beasts. And a heavy, chilling aura hung over the entire place.
Riding deeper into the forest, we spotted a white object smack in the middle of the path. It wasn't pure white—more like a translucent something with a whitish tint. I knew what it reminded me of, but the scale...
"A spider web?"
Hilia said it first. Yeah, the shape and texture matched the everyday spider webs we all knew. The problem was how thick the strands were.
Not just thick—they were as bulky as yarn for knitting.
"That's too big to call a spider web."
Even just looking at it gave off a deadly vibe.
"If the web's this thick, who knows how big the owner is."
Lenia stared at it with a queasy expression. Normal spider silk was hair-thin, so by simple math, this had to come from a spider bigger than a human.
"Still... looks like... the owner's not home."
Thankfully, as she said, the monstrous web's owner was absent. Off hunting, or maybe hiding somewhere—who knew.
"A spider bigger than a person... Kyle, ever seen one that huge?"
"No. Magic beasts showed up in my forest too, but nothing like this."
As I answered, I instinctively glanced up at the sky. And drew my sword. A spider bigger than a human was staring down at us from the trees. A human-sized spider!
Can you imagine it? Eight fist-sized eyes gleaming, fangs as big as human heads glinting. Its glossy body streaked with yellow and black, triggering pure instinctive revulsion.
It looked like your standard wolf spider, but scaled up to human size? Utterly repulsive. The kind that makes you pray to the gods on instinct.
"Kyle? Why all of a sudden..."
Shing—
As I drew my sword, Lenia and Hilia, who had been looking puzzled, followed my gaze upward and silently drew theirs too.
Shieeeek—!
Realizing we'd spotted it, the spider let out an eerie hiss and began descending slowly. Disgustingly creepy. Even me, who'd seen it all, got goosebumps. I'd take fighting dozens of elves over this.
"Ughhh..."
A groan came from beside me as the spider hit the ground and skittered. Even muffled by her helmet, it was clear Hilia was shuddering from the same primal disgust.
Skreech!
The massive spider reared up on its front legs, threatening us. When it came to creepy, this thing could make werewolves look tame... Time to test the waters.
I gripped my sword and approached slowly. One step, two. With each, I caught my reflection in its cluster of eyes. Once in range... I swung with full force.
The blade whipped up from my shoulder like a rebound. A ferocious whoosh tearing the air. Even if it didn't cleave clean, the impact damage would be plenty...
Slash!
No snag at the tip. It sliced through like warm butter. The spider's eight eyes split into four each, cleaved sideways.
Thud!
"..."
"......"
The tension of bracing for battle evaporated. In the suddenly chillier air, we stared down at the spider, bisected and oozing green ichor onto the ground. All bulk, no substance—just regular spider-level strength.
"Still... for ordinary folk... it'd be... quite the threat..."
We nodded at Hilia's belated comment. We were knight-level with full gear, so it felt pathetic, but for folks foraging for mushrooms or herbs? Deadly enough.
And if it had dropped silently from above with that thick web...
"Definitely a pain. These fangs suggest potent venom too. Nothing ordinary about it."
We were right about the threats, at least. We remounted and continued down the path. Or tried to. Until an unknown gaze prickled my senses.
"Who's there!"
My shout at the blatant stare from the bushes made nearby foliage rustle. Out jumped a mercenary with a familiar vibe.
"Kyle... no! Lord!"
It was Rapork. Different gear and helmeted, but after all that time together, I recognized the voice. He yanked off his helmet and bowed hastily.
"You're finally back! The whole territory's been praying for your safe return!"
"Haha! Bootlicking already?"
"No way! It's the truth! You'll be shocked when you see the territory now. Way more impressive than before."
"More importantly, what are you doing here? A mercenary contract for the subjugation?"
That was the only reason I could think of for city-dweller Rapork being here. He nodded and spilled what he knew.
"Started with just magic beasts. Gringem had us take down a few. But then they multiplied—undead, giant bugs... every damn thing under the sun."
"I just saw one of those giant spiders."
"Because of them, mercs have to watch overhead now. Weak head-on, but those webs are tough as hell, and the venom's nasty. Real headache."
In my view, these forest magic beasts weren't normal. Usually, they mimicked predator carnivores, but reports said rabbits, deer, wolves, bears—every variety.
Definitely linked to the undead emergence.
"How tough are the undead? Manageable?"
"So far, just skeletons and zombies. Any decent merc could handle 'em without breaking a sweat. But we haven't gone deep into the forest yet, so stronger ones might lurk."
Exchanging info as we walked, we reached a small clearing. Mercenaries in familiar gear lounged about, scrambling up when they saw us.
"Captain!"
"You idiots! The Lord's back! Show respect!"
Those who knew me bowed quick; the rest followed Rapork's lead. Lots of new faces—must've recruited heavily.
"Your band's grown quite a bit."
Rapork laughed heartily at my words.
"Haha! Business boomed once the subjugation force formed. They scooped up mercs and soldiers, so merchants who stayed hired us left and right."
Good news on the mercenary front. I grinned, satisfied, and clapped his back.
"Good work. You guys pulled your weight."
"We were just chasing coin. Heading to the territory? I can spare some for escort..."
"Nah. Since we're here, let's solve this. I think it's dark magic at the root."
"Dark magic? That's just... stuff from stories..."
Rapork looked skeptical, but weren't undead storybook creatures too?
"Undead are crawling out—why not dark magic? If story monsters appear, solving it via stories ain't bad. Enough. Let's move. No one wants to camp here overnight."
"If that's your will, Lord... I'll get the men ready."
At my order, Rapork barked at the awkwardly standing mercs to prep. About fifty strong. Decent size—not huge, not small.
But better gear than average mercs, mostly proven fighters. The doppelgangers made from swordsmen were solid at least.
"Move out!"
And so, merging mid-journey, I led the mercenaries—who'd become like my own soldiers—deeper into the forest.