Taming The Villainesses

(EP-345.1) #2

345 – Spider #2

The Demon King Solomon’s eyes were said to shine like stars.

With those twin orbs of light and wisdom, he gazed into the distant future.

It was for the sake of that future that he created the four great magic—Ars Nova.

The first was Gamigin, the necromantic magic.

The second was Vassago, the magic of foresight and analysis.

The third was Agares, an unknown power that resided within the Saintess.

And the last, ranked first among them, was the magic standing before us—Bael.

In the suffocating silence, I asked again. As the Demon King’s final creation, surely it could understand us.

But the creature remained hunched beneath the torrent of black wastewater, utterly still. It showed no reaction to our presence.

Was it a mindless monster, devoid of reason? I’d hoped to communicate with it, similar to the cases with Professor Balan and Vassago, but perhaps that was naive of me.

Splash.

Elga stepped up beside me.

“What kind of monster is that? It’s even more grotesque than I imagined.”

“So even the brave Lady Elga gets scared sometimes.”

Elga snorted at my teasing.

“I never said I was scared. I just said it looks disgusting. Though I bet that cowardly Draco over there is shaking.”

Slick.

Her blue eyes shifted toward Mirna.

The moment we entered this place and faced Bael, Mirna had frozen stiff—like a mouse petrified before a snake.

I don’t know if she was scared like Elga’s sarcasm, but it’s true that she didn’t look well.

Noticing our gazes, Mirna let out a small sigh and spoke.

“I was just a little surprised. I didn’t think something like that could exist in this world. It’s incredible. It’s almost like… how should I put it… an artificial being, created through necromancy, ancient sorcery, and magic…”

She trailed off.

I couldn’t tell whether she was searching for the right words or if she had simply lost her train of thought.

But one thing was clear—I understood what she was trying to say.

The first ranked Bael.

Facing it reminded me of the time I’d encountered the giant centipede, Angala.

A mystical being said to have existed since ancient times.

This grotesque spider lacked the aura that radiated from Angala, yet something about it felt oddly similar—as if it was trying to recreate it.

Was this some kind of artificially created spiritual beast?

Just then, Elga spoke up.

“So why isn’t that thing moving? It looks like it crawled out of hell, but it’s oddly quiet.”

It wouldn’t be strange if a fierce battle broke out right now. But as Elga pointed out, Bael wasn’t moving. It was just hunched under the torrent of black water.

Mirna offered a thought.

“Maybe it’s waiting for prey to step into its web. That’s how spiders behave. If we get too close, it might start moving.”

She had a point.

As if to back up Mirna’s thoughts, the blonde nymph lightly praised, “Not bad.” Then, she added an explanation.

“You’re right—it only moves if you cross a certain distance. Until then, it won’t budge regardless of the noise we make. Lucky us.”

Swish.

She raised her hand.

“Now, look past that thing. See that platform over there? And the chest sitting on top of it? Notice how it’s covered in locks? That’s what I’m after.”

As the nymph had described, beyond the spider-like monster Bael, there was a fairly large platform or pedestal.

Atop it sat a chest that looked like it had been dredged up by pirates, bound thickly with chains. It was an imposing sight.

I couldn’t tell what was inside, but Bael looked like a watchman guarding it. No wonder this thief nymph had her eyes on it.

A chest guarded by a terrifying monster? Odds were, it held something extraordinary.

Elga said.

“I don’t know what all this means, but isn’t this our chance? If that thing isn’t attacking first, we can just blast it with a big spell right off the bat. That’s a huge advantage.”

That was true.

But with Aira clinging to me, I wasn’t sure if I could prepare a large spell. She was latched onto me like a cicada to a tree.

Her body trembled.

Was she afraid?

Of that spider monster?

I couldn’t blame her.

That thing was the root of Aira’s suffering, the reason her life had become hollow and numb. It might’ve even been the cause of her being dragged to the gallows.

Facing the very trauma that had weighed her life—of course she was afraid. I would’ve been too.

The thought made me pity her deeply. We needed to free her from this nightmare as soon as possible.

“Aira-nim, please stay here for a moment. I’ll finish this quickly.”

“… Nngh.”

I grabbed a box floating on the water and set her down on it. It hurt to peel her away as she whimpered, not wanting to let go, but there was no choice.

“Then we go as planned. Elga-nim, you’ll take the front. Lady Mirna, support her. And I’ll hit it with a powerful spell.”

In my mind, I pictured the classic trio—tank, support, and DPS. Our party was well-balanced and stable with each role filled.

Edit by: faker