Otome Game no Heroine de Saikyou Survival-Chapter 87

Thread Harvesting

After arriving at the hermitage where Master lived, I spent five days taking alchemy lessons and making my own pills and potions, which I needed to replenish my powers, and my health had recovered to nearly 90%, probably because Master’s medicine was very effective, and I also got a good sleep after a long time.

“It’s about time, then, unsociable disciple Aria, get ready to go out.”

“Where?”

I asked her, “Where?” but she simply told me “get ready”. Before I could ask her what we were preparing for, she started teaching me how to make medicines to relieve my fatigue and to strengthen my body, but I didn’t know exactly why.

“It’s been almost two years since you left here. Isn’t it about time you ran out of string?”

This 𝓬ontent is taken from fгeewebnovёl.co𝙢.

“How did you know?”

I asked her as I shuddered for a bit, but kept my expression blank.

“I knew that with the size of the spider Aria hunted, you would have enough for a few years. But you’ve been in some reckless battles anyway, haven’t you?”

“…”

Master seemed to know that I would be reckless, but as I expected, I would be scolded for fighting orcs, including Orc General, so I decided not to talk about it.

The giant spider threads I had hunted were made from fresh materials, but they were only intermediate grade when it came to spider threads. There were few humans and monsters that could cut threads of that level, but there were also a good number of higher-ranked humans and monsters that could cut it easily.

Appraising my fighting ability the last time I returned, my master thought that I would be encountering higher ranked enemies from now on, and she was gathering information about monster spiders using the peddlers and the few contacts she had with who usually came here.

“In the valley where the river passes, about three days north of here, arachnids have been sighted for several months now. There hasn’t been any damage done to the forest and people yet, and because the river prevents the arachnid from crossing, adventurers don’t go out of their way to hunt it. But I decided to hunt it down before it goes away.”

“Understood.”

Like Elena, Master had four attributes, and due to the enlarged Magic Stone in her body, Master’s body was weak. Moreover, Master, who had fought so hard that she gained the nickname of war monster in the monster army, was no longer able to fight the long battles due to the strain she had put on her body.

[Don’t push yourself too hard.]

[Don’t do that].

I would never say such words to my master.

Her life was hers alone. But that was why I did not want to waste even a piece of what my master had done for me.

I was using the boots and armor that my master used as an active war monster, I had already equipped myself as a sorcerer, and although magic alone should not be too much of a burden on the heart, I had to move my master’s baggage closer to me before we set off.

I put on the leather dress made by Gelf, which I had also taken care of, hung Galbas’s black knife and black dagger at my waist, and put the used cloak on top.

“Then, unsociable disciple, tell me what makes Arachne so special.”

As soon as we departed, Master’s class began.

My master taught me not only about magic and alchemy, but also about common sense regarding life in general, including the dangerous monsters and forest creatures that I would have to live with as an adventurer.

Arachne was a monster with the upper body of a human female on top of a giant spider.

There were two types of Arachne, the normal and the rare. Both were the same Race, but according to my Master, they were so different that they could be called different species.

The upper body of the Normal species looked like an ordinary woman, but it had only the intelligence of a goblin, and the moment it started to move, its entire body would become unsightly and distorted, revealing its true nature as a monster.

Rare species were said to have a high level of intelligence, almost eliminating their true nature as monsters. They were said to be able to understand human languages and use magic, and their appearance was said to bewitch human male when they stayed in the form of beautiful women.

In short, these two species were the same Race, but they were as different as the human species and goblins. You could say that they were more like subhumans and monsters.

Arachne, a rare species, was intelligent and could communicate, but its reaction was neutral. Some were friendly, while others would try to trick you into being their food. They could also use magic and were skilled at tricking people, which made them Rank 5 in the difficulty level of rare species.

But this time, Master and I would be hunting the normal species. They could not use magic, so they were one rank down by rare species which was Rank 4, but their physical abilities were better than the rare species, so they were not an opponent that a scout with a low attack power like me could let down my guard against.

My answer seemed to have been a proper one, since my master nodded her head after she heard me and we continued to move through the forest.

“Master Celeshura, is there any difference in the quality of threads between normal and rare species?”

When I asked what I was wondering as part of the class, my Master opened her mouth with a bit of difficulty.

“Generally speaking, it is said that there is no difference, but since monsters are living creatures, there will be some differences depending on their physical condition and nutritional status. Especially in the case of rare species, some individuals are much more careful about their diet than humans, since they take care of their hair and skin as they need it to seduce men.”

“I see.”

It’s not easy being a monster, either…

That day we camped in the forest. If it were just me for a couple of days, I would sleep on a tree without leaving behind any signs of a person being there and would not light a fire, but since there were two of us this time, I lit incense to ward off monsters and made a proper soup with wild plants and mushrooms from around the area and dried meat for a meal.

“Unsociable disciple, the food you make is as wild as ever.”

“It’s for nourishment.”

We moved from our current location for two days and climbed up a forest slope where we saw the river we were aiming for. We then climbed to the top of the canyon where the river passed through.

The commercial guilds used the river to trade with the nobles along the coast by boat, but the bird monsters that occasionally raided this area had stopped showing up, and instead, spider webs and Arachne-like shadows were seen above the canyon.

The commercial guild hired adventurers to protect the merchants, and the Arachne was mentioned not to show itself when adventurers were present. Since the merchants thought that doing that would be more than enough to prevent damage, they deemed that it was not worth going too deep in the forest to aggressively defeat it, so it was left alone.

“Well, I’m off then.”

“Make sure you do it right.”

First, we needed to lure Arachne, who was supposed to be in the canyon.

I thought it would be easier to lure her out if I, a woman and a child, moreover, was alone than if Master, a Dark Elf, was out there, so I alone started walking toward the canyon rift.

Master was a Rank 5 magician, but her melee combat skills were Level 3, so I would be the best decoy right now. Besides, with only a knife in my hand, I would look like a mere traveler to anyone who saw me.

Of course, it was unnatural for a child to be alone in deep inside the forest, but to a rare species, or even a normal species with low intelligence, I simply look like easy prey to catch.

As I sat on a rock near the top of a 40-meter wide canyon, killing time as if taking a rest, I saw a disturbance in the magical element in my eye.

“What!”

I took off my cloak as I kicked myself to the ground, and the thread that flew at me tangled my cloak and pulled me instantly.

“–Typhoon–“

Aiming for that moment, Level 5 Wind Magic Typhoon was released from Master who had been hiding until then, and the raging Cyclone blew the Arachne that was aiming at me into the air.

[Giii!!!]

[Arachne] [Race: Demon Spider] [Rank 4]

[Magic Power: 132/150] [Strength: 386/435]

[Total Combat Power: 697 (With Physical Enhancements: 831)]

The upper half of a human body growing on a two-meter-long spider…it’s definitely an Arachne. By the way, Arachne had two heads – human-like and spider-like.

Typhoon had a large area of effect, but it was only powerful enough to blow away a human if it was not up close. The Arachne’s, which was slammed on the ground after being blown away screeched, and its twisted

human-like body with the appearance of a goblin, viciously stared at me.

Unlike normal spiders that shot their web from their abdomen, the Arachne shot its thread using its spider head at the base of its human torso.But before the thread reached me, I had already escaped and tossed a throwing knife in retaliation.

[Gigii!!!]

Arachne spitted out what looked like venom from its human head.

“–Magic Shield–“

As I flew to the side and ducked while preventing it with the magic shield I had quickly put out, my master’s Guillotine flew from behind me and cut off one of Arachne’s legs.

[Giiiiiiiiiii!!]

I then released a Slash Type pendulum at the Arachne, who screeched and tried to move back.

When the spider head spit out its threads again and tried to entangle me, I manipulated my threads to avoid the Arachne’s threads and slashed its neck in a shallow slash.

The next moment, a large rock fell from overhead, aimed at me and Arachne.

[Giiii!]

After escaping that attack, three knives released by Master, who attacked from the side, deeply pierced the back of Arachne, even after noticing the attack and attempting to escape.

I went passed through the large rock created by Master’s illusion, which even stopped wind from entering, and slashed the Arachne’s right arm, that was still confused, with the black knife.

However, as expected of Rank 4, it was still not a fatal wound, and every attack I delivered missed the vital point.

Arachne, who noticed me approaching with knives and daggers in both hands, and my master approaching from behind to ambush it, suddenly changed her distorted goblin-like face to that of a beautiful Human woman, perhaps sensing her disadvantage, and showed a frightened expression.

But what’s the point of that now?

“–Thrust –“

“–Slash –“

My black knife and my master’s machete struck Arachne’s neck from both sides, slashing it like scissors, and the human face, with a look of astonishment and fright, fell into the canyon and disappeared.

Arachne naturally had two brains, one in its human head and the other in its spider head, but the spider head’s brain acted like a subconscious link and could only move as much as a real insect when the human head was cut off.

When I tore apart the spider head, my Master muttered sagely.

“Did it turn to look like a human so that people would hesitate to kill it?”

“I wonder?”

I would never go easy on someone who was trying to eat me.

If it had been just me, it would have taken a lot of effort, but since my master was willing to go along with me, I was able to defeat Arachne with almost no difficulty. So, this was party combat…so different from solo.

As I was processing the body of the defeated spider, Master took out a simple alchemy tool from the luggage she had brought and offered it to me with a grin.

“Time is of the essence, unsociable discipline, and if you want a proper thread, use this thing as it will make thread-making chemicals from the materials here within half a minute.”

“Got it.”

I took the alchemy equipment and hurriedly began to make the chemicals, feeling nostalgic even though I thought she was being as harsh as ever.

***

That day, at the royal castle of the Kingdom of Cleydale, the three noble daughters who had become the Crown Prince’s official fiancées were gathered in one place.

Clara Dandol, daughter of the Dowager Count of Dandol.

Patricia Fudale, Duchess of Fudale

Carla Lester, Countess of Lester.

They had no idea why they were gathered here today. As the daughters of high nobility, they were allowed to bring several attendants and guards with them whenever they went to the royal castle, but only one of them was allowed to enter this room, and the others were made to wait in another room.

(…boring)

While the other two were looking nervous, Carla, the youngest of them all, was bored out of her mind.

Carla’s father experimented on her since she was a child to gain her all the attributes, and as a result, she had lost her meaning as a noble daughter which was to continue the bloodline of the family. And despite that condition, she was still forced her to become the crown princess as her last role.

The royal family did not expect anything from Carla, who had health issues. She was merely used as a pawn to strengthen domestic ties.

Normally, in the Kingdom of Cleydale, one of the queens in every two generations would come from a foreign royal family.

However, the current king, who was supposed to strengthen ties with influential domestic aristocrats, chose a baroness, who was not even a candidate for his fiancée, as the first queen, and this had intensified the factional conflict within the country.

The former king took responsibility and tried to stabilize the position of the royal family by transferring the throne to the crown prince, but the domestic opposition remained unresolved, and he was forced to take a queen from one of the country’s leading aristocratic families again.

Carla did not think much about it. She had the opportunity to acquire a toy in the form of the crown prince, so she did not care what happened to the country.

She thought that by defiling the innocent Crown Prince, she would be able to play with him until death, but when she met a girl, Carla felt that her life had become colorful for the first time.

A cruel and merciless angel of death. She was the only one who understood her. Only she stood on the same line as herself.

(How wonderful it would be if we could kill each other and die in a garden where blood flowed everywhere.)

“His Royal Highness the Crown Prince Ervan von Cleydale and Her Royal Highness the First Princess Elena Cleydale, you may enter!”

Just as Carla was daydreaming, the doors to the hall opened and the Crown Prince and First Princess of this country entered the room.

Carla’s interest in the Crown Prince had waned somewhat, but she had become interested in the first princess, Elena, instead. When she shifted her gaze from the Crown Prince to Elena, who had followed him into the room, the princess gave Carla a wary, intense look that made even her other fiancées avert their gazes.

Elena used to cling to her brother, the crown prince, but since about three years ago, her obsession had been reduced to a general one, and as a member of the royal family, she had adopted a resolute attitude to avoid being taken advantage of by the aristocratic faction.

What had caused her to change so much? Most people thought it was just the princess growing up, but Carla was intrigued by what caused the sudden change.

A short time later, His Majesty the King entered the room, accompanied by the Prime Minister and Carla’s father, the head court magician.

What was he going to discuss with the royal children and their fiancées, instead of an audience?

As everyone held their breath and stiffened, His Majesty the King looked over the children’s faces and spoke directly to them.

“As members of the royal family, you will conquer a dungeon on a remote island in the Duke of Fudale’s enclave in one year’s time. I hope that you will use the gift you receive from the spirit for the good of the country.”

After a moment of silence, there was a slight murmuring noise at the king’s words, but only Carla smiled thinly in the shadows.