Episode 115

Azadine stepped away from the deceased Were-Rat. The terrifying chill that froze blood solid continued to spread, even after the creature’s death, freezing his body further.

“That’s a tremendous amount of magical power. Be careful. We should probably wear some cold-weather gear.”

Scott warned the group.

“C-Cold-weather gear? In the middle of summer?”

Sir Brock asked in disbelief. Everyone had worn lighter armor expecting combat, not frigid temperatures.

“We don’t have a choice. Wrap yourselves in blankets if you have to.”

Azadine’s group took out whatever blankets they had, wrapped them around their cloaks, and secured their makeshift winter protection.

“So, in the end, this entire disaster was caused by a fight between your wife and your mistress. What a mess.”

“…I am deeply ashamed.”

Sir Brock, despite being higher in rank than Brand, couldn’t say a word against his scolding.

At that moment, a strange sound echoed from beyond the mist.

A young woman emerged from the mist.

She had reddish-brown hair that shimmered under the eerie fog as she walked forward.

“Sir Brock.”

“…Fran?!”

Brock recognized her immediately, his expression filled with shock.

Fran’s eyes were hazy, feverish, almost as if she were drunk. She looked at Brock with an expectant gaze.

“You came for me. I knew you would choose me, not her.”

That’s when Brand stepped forward, shouting:

“Hold there, young lady!”

“……”

“I already know that you’ve become one of Atra’s followers! So don’t try to deceive us—just speak openly and tell us the truth!”

The group watching the scene couldn’t help but laugh.

“Well, that’s one way to handle things.”

“At least he’s skipping all the unnecessary formalities.”

Ismail commented, drawing his bow and notching an arrow.

“You came here to exterminate me, didn’t you, Brock?!”

“Fran, I…”

“She’s the one who did this to me! That woman is the reason this happened to Saenopi Fortress! You said marriage was just a shackle that trapped you!”

“……”

“Oh, come on. That’s just something men say to fool young women. Miss, you were never actually trapped by marriage, so wake up already. Whether it’s men or women, whatever they say to illegitimate lovers is mostly nonsense.”

Brand scoffed and gave Brock a scornful look.

“Uh, S-Sir Brand… aren’t you afraid?”

Brand was not a knight but a scribe, yet Guillaumevalt still addressed him as Sir out of respect. What was shocking was how completely casual Brand was while talking to this woman, even though her presence radiated an ominous, unnatural aura.

“It doesn’t matter. As long as I act with righteousness, what is there to fear under the heavens?”

“…It’s not about shame—it’s about fear.”

“Brock, choose me. Forget about fighting that woman and run away with me. Let’s start a new life somewhere far away, where no one can find us.”

Impressive.

Azadine ignored Brand’s nonsense, instead focusing on Fran. He had to admire how deeply obsessed she was. The sheer determination she showed, even in such an utterly hopeless situation, was remarkable.

“…Fran, I…”

Brock looked like he was in agony.

Like Brand had said, he had whispered empty words to this naive young woman, pretending to be trapped in a miserable marriage.

He had never intended to divorce his wife. He had never actually planned to run away with Fran. But to keep her attached, he had fed her lies—things like:

-“My wife is cruel. She suffocates me. You’re the only one who understands me.”

-“If only I weren’t bound by my responsibilities as a noble knight, I would be with you instead.”

It had all been manipulation. But unlike Brock—who had spoken those sweet nothings without a second thought—Fran had believed every single word. And now, even in this nightmarish state, she was still clinging to that illusion.

“It seems I have to silence all of you.”

Fran’s tone darkened as she glared at the group.

“Brock could never listen to the true voice of his heart because of his status and duty. But now… I’ll take care of that.”

“Fran! No! It’s not because of duty—I was just cowardly!”

Brock shouted desperately, but Fran vanished into the mist.

The next moment, silken threads shot out of the fog—aimed directly at Brand.

—Ping!

A swift arrow intercepted the threads mid-air, tearing them apart before they could reach their target.

“Tsk. I was about to shoot that woman in the head, but I got distracted by the drama.”

Ismail grumbled, pulling another arrow and setting it to his bowstring.

“Alright. Watch yourselves.”

“The spider silk?”

“No, you idiots—don’t fall for some cheating bastard’s empty words.”

Azadine added, motioning to Brand.

“I got it!”

Brand pushed forward, driving the spiked wheelchair barricade forward.

“Move in!”

“W-wait a minute!”

Brock hesitated, stunned by how ruthlessly Azadine and his party treated Fran as an enemy.

But then, the mist started to clear.

“…Ah?!”

Within Saenopi Fortress, the two- and three-story wooden buildings were covered in webs. The silken strands stretched across entire streets, filled with corpses.

Most of them were Were-Rats and Nagas, drained dry, their bodies shriveled up like empty husks.

And standing above them—perched atop a web-covered, frost-coated bell tower—was a giant spider.

Its massive body was fused with the upper torso of a woman.

Fran.

Her eyes, filled with insanity, fixated on Brock.

“Sir Brock! Let me free you from your chains of responsibility—Kill them all!”

“You’re in for a tough fight.”

Azadine scoffed and signaled to Zebec. The Holy Knight drew his rusted morning star and flung it.

—Mace of Judgment!

As the powerful White Magic began to manifest through the mace, the Spider-Woman quickly shot out webbing to try and catch the weapon midair.

But just as the web closed in—

—Thunk!

An arrow fired by Azadine struck the handle of the mace, knocking it upward, out of reach of the web.

“What—Impossible!”

“That kind of archery…?”

Sir Brock had seen Ismail shoot down webs before, but he had dismissed it as a coincidence. This, however, was different.

“The Messenger Clan?! No, but the Holy Knight…”

Zebec’s identity as a Holy Knight was undeniable—in fact, he wielded a level of White Magic that was rare even among his kind. But a Holy Knight working together with the Messenger Clan? That didn’t make sense.

“When your cause is just, allies will follow.”

Azadine smirked and stepped closer to Brock. Meanwhile, Zebec’s Mace of Judgment came crashing down toward the Spider-Woman.

However—she quickly shot out another web, clinging to the rafters above and pulling herself underneath to dodge.

—BOOM!

The mace detonated midair, shattering the webs and collapsing the roof tiles and lightning rod from the fortress tower.

“Kyahhh!”

The Spider-Woman shrieked in pain as the tower crumbled, but she quickly retreated behind the remains, dodging further attacks.

“No escape!”

Mediam loosed an arrow—one that curved midair, pursuing the Spider-Woman even behind cover.

“Incredible!”

Sir Brock was shocked.

An arrow, bending in midair, hunting its target as if alive? He had heard stories of the Messenger Clan, but now he understood why they were powerful enough to slay Divine Kings and their nobles.

At that moment, the ground rumbled, and from below, dozens of spiders emerged.

They weren’t small, either—each was the size of a hunting dog. Even without venom, a bite from those fangs could cripple or kill.

“Wait—Fran! Listen to me! This is all my fault!”

Sir Brock pleaded, but Fran ignored him.

“You’re still blinded by duty as a vassal! If I can break that shackle—you’ll finally see me! You’ll finally choose love!”

Azadine sighed deeply.

‘What the hell did this man tell her?’

Brock must have lied to her constantly—pretending he desperately wanted to divorce his wife but was trapped by duty. He had likely fed her false hope to keep their affair going.

Then—Scott muttered:

“Hey. The Naga woman’s running.”

During the battle, Shati had started sneaking away, dashing between buildings to escape.

“Shh. Let her go.”

Azadine had expected this.

Sure, he could have just asked Brock where the local brothels or trading guilds were—that alone would have led them straight to the Naga hideout.

But why bother? Shati was going to lead them there herself.

“So, should I finish off the Spider-Woman?”

Scott asked.

“No. Don’t use Necromancy in front of an audience.”

“I don’t only use Necromancy, you know.”

“Then use Neutral Magic—no Dark Magic. Just handle the smaller spiders.”

“What about her? Are you planning to spare her?”

“No. She’s already too far gone.”

Azadine drew his bow and sword, stepping forward.

The spiders lunged at him—

—Shwack!

Azadine swung his sword, severing the legs of the charging spiders. Then—he twisted his wrist, shifting his grip. The bowstring wrapped around his forearm, securing the bow, freeing his hand.

In that instant—he punched forward.

—Splat!

His fist punched straight through a spider’s abdomen, lifting its corpse.

“Alright then—”

Azadine used the dead spider as a shield, catching the incoming web fired by Fran.

—Splat!

The Spider-Woman had meant to pull Azadine, but instead—she yanked her own dead offspring toward her.

“Ah! No—!”

But instinct took over.

The moment the small spider landed in her grasp—her spider-maw (located at her lower torso) opened and sank its fangs into it.

She drained it dry in seconds.

She had no control over this—it was an automatic, instinctual response. If anything touched her front legs, she would bite and devour it without thinking.

“…Pitiable. She’s just a beast now.”

Azadine sighed, then drew his bow again, loosing multiple arrows in rapid succession.

Most bows, especially war bows, required a strong draw for each shot. But Azadine fired effortlessly, releasing arrows one after another—each one accurate and lethal.

Then—he grabbed the severed spider leg and fired it like an arrow.

—Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

The arrows and spider legs struck the Spider-Woman, causing her to scream.

As blood splattered, her legs slipped on her own webbing, and she plummeted from the frozen web barrier.

—CRASH!

The ice-coated webbing shattered, collapsing like a melting glacier.

—BOOM!

The Spider-Woman hit the ground hard, the impact shaking the earth.

“Ahhh! Why?! Why are you doing this?! I just wanted to save Sir Brock! Why are you stopping me?!”

She wailed, her voice no longer human—like a child sobbing in frustration.

Azadine let out a long sigh.

“…What a mess.”

A nobleman’s pathetic affair had led to all of this.