Chapter 26. I found a spider.

“You found a cave, and you think it’s a monster’s nest?”

“Yes!”

If it was a monster’s nest, we had cleared out a few yesterday as well.

Discovering a new monster’s nest didn’t seem like such a big deal.

“Ms. Grainy seems to be guessing that it’s a creature called an ‘Arachne’.”

“An Arachne?”

“It’s a human-sized spider.”

An image of it in my head gave me the chills.

Insects were creepy even when they were small, but they were large too?

“Is it dangerous?”

“She said it's moderately dangerous?”

“If it's dangerous, it's dangerous. What do you mean by moderately?”

“It's a monster that's a bit stronger than a goblin, but its reproductive ability is said to be good. So Ms. Grainy went inside to check the state of the inner cave.”

‘Its reproductive ability is good,’ he said.

Insects were usually like that.

They were creatures that didn't need to raise their young.

All they did was pop out hundreds of eggs and leave them to survive on their own.

If the environment was bad, it was hard for them to continue their lineage, but if they were lucky, their numbers would increase in an instant.

An image of the large spider that had been squirming in my head multiplying into dozens was drawn.

I shook my head to clear the distracting thoughts before they multiplied into hundreds.

It was a sight detrimental to my mental health.

Goblins were better.

I hoped I wouldn't have to see it in person.

“Before Ms. Grainy comes out, we have to go get the oil from the ranch's storage.”

“Are you planning to set the cave on fire.”

Humans found it hard to fight properly in dark, narrow caves.

Since it was unknown how many were hiding inside the cave, setting a fire instead of dealing with them one by one seemed like a wise choice at first glance.

“Alright. Good luck with that.”

I thought about whether I should help if it was a big deal, then decided against it.

I did not want to go near such a cave.

If I set it on fire and the spiders came swarming out, I wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.

Not as a joke, but for real.

And if I left my post, who would guard the ranch?

Considering I had just been bickering with the cow thieves, I didn't know what else might happen while I was away.

And everything would become my responsibility for having left my post.

“Yessir! You too, Brother, good luck!”

Just as he had when he arrived, Pol stomped into the storage and came out carrying a large barrel that looked big enough for a person to fit in.

Pol, who had been staggering at first, soon found his balance and disappeared with the oil barrel that must have weighed over dozens of kilograms.

He was quite talented.

‘I have a bad feeling about this.’

An Arachne was a monster, too, would it be knocked out just by setting some fire?

If they didn't die from setting the cave on fire, how on earth would those spiders react?

Wasn't there an old saying about stirring up a hornet's nest?

I was reminded of the security team employee who had to take sick leave after making a fuss about removing a hornet's nest that had formed at the company himself.

……I couldn't even remember my parents' faces, so why did I only remember things like this?

“Hmm.”

Pol had already left. And Grainy wasn't the type to listen to me.

There was nothing I could do.

* * *

It was about an hour later that Grainy and Pol returned to the ranch.

It seemed the cave was quite close by.

Pol, approaching the ranch, shouted at me.

“Brotheeeeer!!! We're in big trouble!!”

A much more desperate shout than before.

That alone was enough to understand the situation.

We're screwed.

I knew this would happen.

There was no surprise.

Just a feeling of displeasure at a situation that was clearly going to become troublesome.

“They're not following anymore. Those disgusting spiders.”

Grainy muttered, catching her breath after crossing the ranch fence.

“What happened?”

“It wasn't just an Arachne. It was a Red Arachne.”

A short answer returned to my question.

What the hell is that, you geek.

Had this guy already forgotten that I didn't even know about Arachnes until a moment ago?

I didn't even know what an Arachne was, so what was I supposed to do if he just said Red Arachne?

As I was glaring at Pol, who had cut off his explanation as if it were common knowledge, Grainy took over.

“It's a subspecies with resistance to heat. It's not that fire is completely ineffective, but you can't kill it just by setting a fire.”

Of all things.

If it had been the original species, it would have been an effective method, and even if not, it would have been fine as long as it wasn't a species with fire resistance.

We were out of luck.

“So the situation got worse. If it had been immune to fire, it wouldn't have cared about the fire at all.”

The fire wasn't dangerous enough to kill, but it was enough to be recognized as an attack.

As a result, there were no achievements at all, and they only provoked the spiders.

The spiders must be going crazy and running rampant by now.

I desperately refused to let the scene form in my head.

Imagining it would just chip away at my mental strength.

I continued the conversation, feeling that a human's excellent imagination could also be a poison.

“That's not all, is it?”

Grainy's reaction was too extreme for it to be just that.

Beads of sweat trickled down her chin.

Her exposed skin was covered in no small number of scratches, as if she had been scraped by tree branches, and her eyes were trembling as they stared into space.

A state close to a kind of panic.

It was as if she had seen something incredibly shocking.

It meant that there was something there that could shock Grainy, who had been a veteran mercenary.

Grainy nodded her head and continued.

“There was a ‘Queen’.”

“A Queen?”

I'd heard of a queen ant or a queen bee, but a queen spider?

Since it was a monster, I could understand that its ecology was different.

And, because it was a monster, its behavior would not be the same as that of an ant or bee colony.

“When Arachnes increase beyond a certain number and form a colony, a superior individual emerges.”

“And that's the Queen?”

“No. The Queen is the leader individual that emerges after dozens of superior individuals have gathered.”

So it was a superior individual of superior individuals.

It seemed to be a concept like a boss monster.

“How dangerous is that?”

A normal Arachne was at the level of a goblin.

A superior individual would be stronger than that, and the Queen would exist another level above that.

But this kind of estimation didn't really hit home.

“It would at least be comparable to a Drake.”

Even with Grainy's explanation, it didn't feel real.

She spoke with an expression that said ‘Isn't that shocking?’, as if she were 100% sure I would understand, which made it awkward to ask further.

I had no choice but to poke Pol in the side.

“What's a Drake?”

“It's one of the lesser dragons .”

“……Speak in a way I can understand.”

Were these bastards teasing me because I came from Earth?

“They're similar to dragons but inferior, and they're called lesser dragons. Things like Drakes, Wyverns, and Lindworms.”

“In short, you're saying it's a subspecies of a dragon.”

I had a memory of dragons.

The apex of all monsters.

That's why the emblem symbolizing the emperor of the Empire also used a red dragon, which depicted the form of a dragon.

“This is serious.”

From near a goblin to a dragon's relative.

The gap seemed too large for just two evolutions.

I knew that Grainy wouldn't have been this flustered if there were only slight differences between each stage, but hearing it like this did make it feel hopeless.

“Drakes are on the weaker side among lesser dragons, but they are definitely powerful monsters.”

“And you set fire to such a creature's nest.”

You poked a sleeping lion, no, a spider.

And of all things, one that was near a ranch.

“It's okay. The more superior an individual is, the less likely it is to come outside. Even if it does come out, it probably won't chase us this far. Arachnes are not a species with excellent senses. It won't find me…….”

Grainy muttered as if making an excuse.

Because Grainy had shown a strong appearance until now, I could feel the seriousness of the situation.

“Anyway, it's not something we can handle.”

Since there was absolutely no hope, it was good that I could give up cleanly.

“Should we call for mercenaries?”

“There's no need to spend money unnecessarily. If we report that there's a monster this dangerous, a knight will come running.”

From what I'd heard, it was beyond what an ordinary mercenary could handle.

Naturally, the cost of the request would be high as well.

On the other hand, knights had a duty to fight to protect their fiefdom.

If a heinous monster appeared, they wouldn't be able to just sit still.

“Knights? Hah-”

Grainy sighed, perhaps having heard my conversation with Pol.

“Do you think a knight who can subjugate a Queen is common? Even if you brought all the knights from around here, it would be impossible. The lord would have to either commission a renowned mercenary or borrow the hand of a knight order.”

Was it that serious?

Come to think of it, I had never properly seen a knight's skill.

Knights were at least people who had learned swordsmanship, and I had vaguely thought they would be incredibly strong.

It was a little disappointing.

“There's no way the lord would be willing to bear the cost of hiring a mercenary. And waiting for a knight order would take too long. By the time the knight order arrives, the vicinity will be devastated.”

“Even if the lord makes the decision, we should at least report it to the lord first.”

The situation hadn't even blown up yet, but she was acting as if it were all over.

The lord could cheerfully open his pockets, or a knight order could luckily be nearby.

At the very least, various possibilities were open.

Why had this person become so negative?

“In that case, someone will have to go to the city.”

Pol looked back and forth between me and Grainy.

We had no way of contacting the lord directly.

At best, we could tell a city guard, the guard's report would be passed to his superior, and the superior would then relay it to the mayor, and only then could a letter be sent to the lord through the mayor.

Considering this complicated process, we had to leave for the city as soon as possible.

“One of you go. I have to protect this place.”

Grainy said, readjusting her grip on her spear.

It was a bit bewildering to hear someone who had been spouting only negative things suddenly talk about protecting this place.

Looking closely, Grainy's hand was trembling.

The part where she saw the situation as desperate hadn't changed.

It was just that her sense of responsibility for her ranch was greater than that.

“Have you forgotten why we came here? It's a bit much for someone who needs to stay hidden to go and plead with the lord……”

If I were to suddenly grab a guard and say that a super strong monster had appeared and we needed help, would they listen to me?

Of course, they would start with an identity check.

Unfortunately, this world was very generous about personal information leaks, so it was obvious that word of my being here would spread all over the neighborhood.

If you were to ask if something like that mattered in an urgent situation where an Arachne Queen was on a rampage, my principle was that there was no need to take a loss.

If it didn't matter who went, it was better for the person with a reason not to go to stay.

Putting everything else aside, I was a wanted man in the first place.

“And, they would at least listen more to a resident of this place.”

“Alright, if you put it that way.”

Grainy looked at me with strangely warm eyes.

“Thank you. I will surely repay your loyalty.”

Grainy's words were strange.

Huh?

Thank you?

For what?

Ah, for volunteering to stay in a place that could be dangerous?

Could it be that she misunderstood that I was trying to protect the ranch in her stead?

I just didn't want to go to the city, and I was going to run away immediately if it got dangerous…….

“Please be back as soon as possible.”

I didn't bother to correct the misunderstand

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