The Spider's Hunt
Clop! Clop! Clop!
"The cart tracks head this way! Find them no matter what! Locate that bastard Libert and capture him alive! Even his corpse will do!"
"""Yes, sir!"""
The pursuers chasing Actor's group were a pursuit squad dispatched by the Colorado count's family. Comprised of 10 knights and 300 swift-footed soldiers, their sole objective was clear.
Libert's head—the one Actor had disguised himself as! The man who'd dealt a severe blow to the Colorado count's house. Capture or execute him!
Using intel obtained from Dekilaz—whom they'd dealt with via tail-cutting—and information from the slave market, they'd learned that the mage who'd bought Libert had requested transport of the goods to a clearing in the western forest. After scouring the area, they'd discovered Pladeus's hideout. There, they found the cart wheel tracks and followed them.
But by the time they arrived, all that remained were signs of the fire being extinguished, the cargo loaded up, and a hasty escape into the forest.
"Tch! They've headed into the forest! Pursue them at once!"
"""Yes, sir!"""
Rumble rumble—
Splat!
"Gaaah!"
Neighhh!
Splat!
"Oof!"
"What the hell is this?! [Spider webs]..?"
"Knight sir! There seem to be spider-type magical beasts here! The whole area is covered in webs!"
The Colorado knights and soldiers charging into the dense forest after Actor's fleeing group suddenly tripped over spider webs strung across the ground, tumbling down alongside their horses. Upon closer inspection with torches, the soldiers were right—webs stretched everywhere.
"Spider webs are nothing! Cut them down!"
"""Yes, sir!"""
Swish!
Slash—
...
"No good! These webs are tougher than they look! Swords can't cut them!"
"Tch! Out of the way! I'll do it!"
Vmmm—
Blue energy flowed along the knight's drawn sword, enveloping the blade. Aura. The power to infuse mana into a blade, allowing it to slice through rocks or iron that no ordinary sword could touch. It more than doubled human physical capabilities—a miraculous force.
The knight swung the razor-sharp, aura-clad sword, severing Estelle's webs in one stroke. The absolute power that let humans stand against magical beasts and monsters.
The knights cleared the webs one by one, pressing forward.
Slash!—
"Hmph! They're just spider webs in the end! The path is open! Resume the pursuit!"
"""Yes, sir!"""
"Urgh!"
"Hm? What now?"
Thud!
"Ughhh..."
Thud!
Neighhh~
Thump!
"What is this?! What's happening?! Hey, Rollington! Zector! Snap out of it! What's wrong with you?!"
...
"You're wrong, sir. The knights are already..."
"What... dead?"
"Gurgle!"
Thud!
Not just them—one by one, faces paling, knights, soldiers, and even horses collapsed in droves. Those who'd touched the webs began dropping like flies.
Blood turning black leaked from mouths, noses, and eye sockets as they convulsed, dead in under five minutes.
The knight in charge of the pursuit squad suddenly felt a chill envelop his body, strength draining away. His muscles paralyzed, he gasped for air, convulsed just like the others, and pitched forward.
Thud!
"Knight sir!"
Poi... son? When did that...? We didn't see any poison beasts... No way...
"Woo~♪ I did it myself, but damn, it's more impressive than I thought? Kyahaha!~♪ The boss is gonna love this!"
The surviving knights and soldiers gaped in horror at the figure dangling from massive webs strung across the treetops above the fallen.
Upper body a woman, lower body a gigantic spider the size of an adult man. A grotesque being. Even in the dark forest, her amber eyes gleamed like a predator eyeing prey.
"Eek! Monster!"
"What the hell is that?! Never heard of a beast like that!"
"Archers to position! Shoot it down!"
"Kyahaha~♪ Uncles. How about checking your surroundings first?"
"Hm?"
"Spider webs?"
"When did these..."
As the pursuers drew bows to fire at Estelle, her giggling warning made them glance around. Webs had already encircled them.
"Sorry, uncles, but you're dying here today? Don't hate me too much~♪"
"You monster!"
"Fire! Kill that thing!"
"Bye-bye~♪ You dumb uncles~♪"
Whip!
Whiiip whiiip!
Splat!
Splaatt!
...
...
"Urgh!"
Thud!
"Gaaah..."
Thud!
Estelle tugged the threads from her fingertips, pulling the pre-spread webs like a fisherman's net scooping fish. The webs enveloped the soldiers, her venom fused into them delivering death to the bound victims.
Estelle alone annihilated the 300-man pursuit squad of knights and soldiers.
Shocked by her own deed yet thrilled by her newborn power, she grinned ecstatically. The sight of knights she'd once feared now dying pathetically at her hands made her cackle madly.
It wasn't the laugh of a 10-year-old girl.
A monster. The predator's glee at securing prey.
Her glowing amber eyes and manic smile created a terrifying scene amid the slaughter.
"Haha... hahaha... kyahahahaha!~ I'm awesome, right?! This power! Kyahahaha! Ahh, so thrilling~♪ Gotta tell the boss~♪"
**
...
...
...
"Huh? What? You took out the whole bandit gang?"
"Yup! Big sis handled it all~♪ Good job, right? Huh? What do you think, boss? Praise me more~"
...
How the hell did she do that?!
I'd been hiding deep in the forest with the kids, prepped for an ambush... Then Estelle swings in like Spiderman from the movies on her webs, saying she'd wiped them out.
Everyone thought it was bullshit, but she just shrugged and demanded praise.
"I did great, right? Praise your big sis~"
"...For real?"
"Yup!"
"Seriously?!"
"I said really! I can show you if you want!"
...
"""No way!"""
Everyone denied it in unison, but Estelle puffed her cheeks like a frog, insisting it was true.
We went to check the "bandits" she'd supposedly handled. There, reeking of rot, lay not bandits but soldiers and knights from somewhere.
"My god... not bandits, but knights and soldiers? And that crest on the armor... Colorado house knights and troops?!"
"Estelle sis is the best!"
"That's insane!"
"Kyahaha~♪ I told you I'm super strong~♪"
"But the smell is brutal..."
"Worse than rotten fish at the harbor!"
"Ugh—gonna puke up lunch..."
"Eek! You guys are too mean!~"
The victims wrapped in Estelle's webs. The touched body parts already reeked of decay.
Apparently, she'd injected venom while spinning the webs, poisoning anyone who touched them.
"Um... Actor sir. How about collecting those armors and weapons? They're in good shape—we could get a nice price if we process them right."
"Malcolm, but how do we cover the Colorado crests on the armor? Won't that get us in trouble?"
"Easy with the right gear. Or sell 'em as stolen goods at a smithy, though we'd get less."
"Sounds good. But... Estelle sis. Those have your poison on 'em. Know how to clean 'em?"
...
"Sis?"
"Hehe~♪ Sorry... dunno how to remove the poison? Hope we can still sell 'em...?"
...
Back to square one!!
Priceless knight gear right there, but untouchable! Like cursed treasure you could only stare at.
**
...
...
Clank! Clank!
"Phew~ The cart's packed tight!"
"Boss, got all the horses from the forest. Four of 'em!"
"Nice! Four-horse carriage should handle this load easy!"
We'd salvaged unpoisoned armor and gear from the forest, loading the cart full. Thanks to Estelle's unexpected heroics, we'd annihilated the Colorado pursuit squad and scored heaps of loot.
Prepping for any more pursuers, bandits, monsters, or beasts, the rescued men each grabbed round shields and spears.
Swords were trickier than they looked, and in group fights, spears beat swords hands down.
Shield wall with spears poking out made instant heavy infantry—why conscripts got spears since ancient times. Even rookies could learn to thrust quick, and the reach gave psychological comfort and pressure on foes.
"Alright, let's move! The map from their pockets shows a mountain pass, then the border. Everyone, push on!"
"""Ooooh!~"""
Gotta test the other kids' powers later. Who'd think a 10-year-old girl would wipe out that many knights and soldiers without them even fighting back... Those kids might be total monsters.
Unintended or not, after witnessing Estelle demolish the Colorado squad last night, I had to gauge the others' potential.
**
...
...
...
"Lord Ostis. Nothing left at Lord Pladeus's hideout."
"Hm... Bandit raid? He wouldn't fall to mere thieves..."
Vmmm—
"Strong mana residue detected at the hideout. Summoning ritual marks and bloodstains confirm it. Lord Pladeus likely succeeded in summoning the Manbianja."
"I know. I feel the thick mana settled heavily in the basement. He succeeded in the ritual. But... he couldn't escape the Manbianja's wrath."
...
The demon said to shift through thousands, even tens of thousands of forms. Dantalian, the Demon of Change—most capricious of all, per ancient records. Ostis, having read them, figured Pladeus died to its whimsy.
Liches weren't mere undead; high undead immortal till their phylactery shattered. Yet no phylactery aura or fragments from Pladeus here. Like he'd vanished without a trace.
"Tch! As Richard warned, too reckless, Pladeus. We mages will never forget your tireless pursuit of the arcane."
"Lord Ostis! Faint [wheel tracks] remain here!"
"Hm? Wheel tracks?"
The survey team found faded cart tracks heading into the forest.
Actor's group had loaded all the magic books, rare tomes, and pricey reagents from Pladeus's place—heavy load leaving tracks even after time passed.
"Tracks head northwest into the forest."
"What's northwest?"
"Border area to the neighboring kingdom, about 10 days away."
"The thieves... must've stumbled here after Pladeus died, grabbed the arcana books and reagents!"
"What now?"
"Pursue. His final legacy before oblivion! The fruits of his arcane labors! We mages must recover it! Hurry—find Pladeus's heritage!"
"""Yes, sir!"""
A new group chasing Actor's crew. Magus Civitas's dispatched Ostis and survey team mounted up, galloping full speed.
To secure Pladeus's legacy.