"…He's, strong."
Guillaumevalt was astonished as he watched Azadin face off against the giant spider-woman without the slightest hint of hesitation.
'I heard the Herald Clan are people who even kill kings, and I see why. Isn't this terrifying? He's taking down that monster so easily.'
If he were to learn that the Azadin, who sent chills down his spine, was actually considered an unusable outcast among the Herald Clan, he would be shocked all over again.
Noticing Guillaumevalt's expression, Ishmael spoke calmly.
"There's nothing to be surprised about. The bigger the target, the more places to stick arrows."
He had caught on that Guillaumevalt was fearing the power of the Herald Clan.
While Azadin's feat was astonishing, for the Herald Clan, it was merely routine. Ishmael wanted to instill that impression so that Guillaumevalt would never dare to challenge them.
"The palisade was strapped onto the wheelchair and brought along, preventing the spider-woman from engaging in close combat. That's why she became arrow fodder."
Midiam added to the explanation. Servants were originally meant to review the actions, tactics, and strategies of a Herald, indirectly accumulating experience as a Herald themselves. Her remarks were merely a reflection on Azadin's tactics and strategy, an appropriate act for a servant.
"Couldn't she have flanked and attacked?" Guillaumevalt asked.
"To flank, she would have had to avoid the webbing we laid down and the buildings, which would force her onto open ground. That must have been burdensome for her as well."
Midiam smiled and sidestepped next to the palisade. Zebeck swung his sword, cutting down the approaching spiderlings.
The spiders were powerless, falling helplessly to Azadin's group.
***
The spider-woman, Franc, writhed on the ground, unable to recover from the shock.
"N-No! That woman is smiling! If I die, she will have you all to herself!"
"Oh, come on, that old man isn't even that handsome…"
Azadin let out a sigh.
It was common for commoners to hold a vague admiration for nobles. Their noble status, their superior wealth and experience—using such advantages to manipulate naive women must not have been too difficult.
"Franc, I'm sorry, but you're not thinking rationally right now, and there's no way to undo the curse that has transformed your body. Arthra's infection is turning you into a spider-beast. Living as a beast while retaining your humanity will only bring misery to you and those around you. This is where it must end. Do you have any last words?"
"Ah… Brock, I just… I just wanted to save you from her. I'm sorry."
Even at this moment, she still believed in Brock's lies. Seeing her like that, Brock felt an unbearable pain in his heart.
"F-Franc. No, that's not… I was just pretending to be a victim so I could take advantage of your young body. Almost everything I said was a lie. I'm just a despicable, greedy piece of trash."
"Brock, then… did you love me?"
"O-Of course I did."
"..."
Watching the scene, Azadin shook his head.
'If he had just cut ties with her coldly, she might have let go of her obsession. Does he just not want to be the bad guy? Well, either way, she's going to die today. Maybe it's better if she believes her love was real.'
The spider-woman writhed as if having a seizure, then barely managed to lift her body.
"In that case, please, end me with your own hands. At the very least, let me remain in your memory forever."
"..."
Perhaps due to her wounds, the beastly nature that dominated her had receded, allowing her to appear as a rational human. She pleaded with Brock to carry out her execution.
Brock, hearing her request, approached the spider-woman. Franc, bleeding profusely, watched him come closer, pressing her hands together in prayer.
But at that moment, her lower spider-half began to thrash, and in an instant, her front legs lashed out toward Brock.
—Thud!
Zebeck and Azadin had already expected this. They both swung their swords simultaneously, severing the front legs.
"Eek!"
"Be careful, old man. That woman, Franc, and the spider-beast are coexisting right now. If she grabs you with her front legs, she'll shove you into her mouth and bite down with her venomous fangs. Let your guard down, and you'll die."
"I would rather die by her hands."
"Don't be ridiculous. The one trying to kill you is the spider part, not her. She has no intention of killing you. If you die now, it won't be by her hand—it will be at the hands of the monstrous evil that has consumed her. Dying here won't atone for your sins. Stop running and face the disgraceful things you've done."
Azadin scolded Brock, who was desperately hoping for death as an escape.
"That's right. All this because of some foolish passion."
Brand also chimed in, smacking away an incoming spider leg with his spear.
"I understand that you regret your actions, Sir Brock, but at least grant her final wish."
Zebeck didn't like the situation either, but there was no way to turn a monsterized woman back to normal.
"…Alright."
Brock stepped toward Franc, who had her eyes closed, and thrust his sword into her heart.
—Kuaaaah!
The spider-half let out a furious shriek and flailed wildly, but it was already riddled with Azadin's arrows, and several of its legs had been severed, making it difficult to even bear its own weight.
As the spider struggled and collapsed, Brock fell back onto the ground.
"Ugh… Uwaah! What have I done?!"
"You seduced an innocent young girl with your status and sweet words, making her your lover."
Azadin spoke coldly.
"Her death is entirely your responsibility. Didn't you deceive her into loving you completely? This wasn't just some drunken one-night mistake. You were married, and yet you still had an affair."
"I… I didn't know it would come to this. If I had, I wouldn't have done it! W-What should I do? Poor Franc!"
"Well, you seem to be regretting it for now. I hope that regret changes how you live the rest of your days. Let's go. Your wife is still waiting for you."
At Azadin's words, Brock's face hardened even more.
***
"Alright, I lost them!"
Shati let out a sigh of relief.
"This place is protected by magic."
In the town's brothel, there was a door hidden by the magic of the Nagas. Shati confirmed that the protective spell on the door was still intact and carefully cast an unlocking spell to enter the building.
Inside, there were several injured Nagas, with some blood staining the floor.
"Ugh… You're…"
"Isn't she a traitor!?"
Surprisingly, among those present were the very Nagas who had hired Scott McGreen to attack Count Lantarik's foothold fortress. It was expected that they would have fled somewhere nearby, but meeting them here so suddenly was unexpected.
"No, no, I was an infiltration agent of Salasma. I was captured by the enemy as a prisoner and only just managed to escape."
"A prisoner? Don't make me laugh."
"You weren't actively cooperating with them? Well, too bad. We've already reported your name to the higher-ups, so prepare yourself."
"Please, don't do this. If I were a traitor, would I have come here alone? More importantly, what exactly happened? I heard that a Nether monster was summoned and went out of control."
"It's not a matter of control or lack thereof."
"It hasn't fully manifested in our reality yet. If it does, everything here will be finished."
"What?"
"Ugh… It's so cold."
The Nagas groaned. It seemed that they, too, bore injuries similar to the ones seen earlier on the surface on the Wererats. The wounds were freezing over, with even their blood turning to ice.
"This is…"
"We have to kill the ritualist woman. She is the medium through which the Nether monster is interfering with the present world."
Even though they had accused Shati of being a spy, they were still providing her with useful information.
"But the ritualist woman has also been dragged into a dimension similar to that of the Nether monster, so she won't manifest easily."
"Can't we just defeat the Nether monster?"
"Defeat it? Ha…"
"A giant larger than the spire of Karagala, walking on two legs?"
Karagala was once the great city of the Nagas, said to surpass any human-made structures in size. And yet, a giant even taller than Karagala's spire? Shati swallowed nervously.
"I didn't see anything like that."
"It appears sporadically amidst the cold and the mist."
"And each time, its minions flood out."
"Our magic is barely enough to pluck even a single hair from that thing."
The Nagas, who were usually so arrogant, were now speaking with an uncharacteristic sense of self-deprecation.
"Are there any other survivors? Inside this place?"
"…We were planning to present the Book of the Divine King to the Cobra Queen."
"There's a crazy Orc who says the Book of the Divine King must be returned to the Light of King's Virtue to banish the Nether monster."
"That bastard killed the Wererats and ran off underground with the Book of the Divine King."
"The Light of King's Virtue…?"
Shati was shocked at those words.
This place functioned like an outpost of the Naga Empire, and somewhere nearby, there must be a copy of the Book of the Divine King that the Nagas had gathered. It was a source of hope for the Naga Empire, the Kurt Pantheon, and all who served the Kurt Divine Clan.
And yet, an Orc was so terrified of the Nether monstrosity that he wanted to use that cursed power to strengthen the Light of King's Virtue?
"This place was once a city. Over time, it sank and became an underground sewer system, and the village was built on top of it. We chose this place as a safehouse because it had plenty of underground passages we could use without additional construction."
"So, this place is connected to an underground tunnel. But be careful. Down there, besides the Orc who betrayed us and stole the Book of the Divine King…"
"There's also the witch who summoned the Nether monster—this territory's lord's wife!"
"I understand. Then, I will make sure to—huh?"
Shati suddenly noticed that the Nagas had fallen silent. The chilling energy eating away at them had reached their hearts and marrow.
"They've stopped breathing."
At that moment, a voice she shouldn't have heard came from behind her. Azadin had somehow approached her without making a sound and was now inspecting the state of the fallen Naga youths.
"Eek?!"
Shati whirled around in shock, but Azadin simply rested his chin on his hand and spoke.
"As expected, sending you in first made it easier to get information. If I had spoken to them, they wouldn't have said a word even if they died."
"W-Wait a minute!"
Shati was still reeling from the shock of Azadin silently appearing beside her, but before she could react further, a blade was already at her throat.
"Shh."
Midiam gestured for silence.
"The tunnels carry sound."
Ishmael whispered, keeping his breath low.
"Huh?"
Shati realized that it wasn't just them—others, including the human Holy Knights, Brand the Brass Knight, and even the arrogant Orc necromancer Scott McGreen, were all holding their breaths.
"…You don't mean—?"
"Yes. We've seen the Nether monstrosity."
Azadin's expression was serious.
"The spire of Karagala, huh? The Nagas seem to take great pride in Karagala."
"What do you mean?"
"The mountain itself was walking. There's no way Karagala's spire is that big, right?"
"..."
Judging from the way Azadin spoke, the Nether monster was something they truly did not want to face.
"You saw it? What was it like?"
"What was it like? Hmph, alright. I suppose I'll tell you while we make preparations."
Azadin then began recounting the events of their encounter with the Nether monster to Shati.