Wendigo (1)

“…He’s strong.”

Guillaumevalt was astonished to see Azadine facing that enormous spider-woman without the slightest hint of hesitation.

‘I heard that the Messenger Clan are people who even kill kings… No wonder. That’s terrifying. Taking down that monster so easily?’

If he were to learn that the very Azadine, who sent chills down his spine, was once considered a useless outcast among the Messenger Clan, he would be even more shocked.

Noticing Guillaumevalt’s expression, Ismail spoke calmly.

“There’s nothing to be surprised about. Since it’s big, there are plenty of places to stick arrows in.”

He had realized that Guillaumevalt was growing fearful of the Messenger Clan’s power.

While Azadine’s feat was impressive, for the Messenger Clan, it was nothing out of the ordinary. Ismail wanted to reinforce that impression so Guillaumevalt wouldn’t dare think of challenging them.

“We built barricades and mounted them on the wheelchair, preventing the spider-woman from engaging in close combat. As a result, she became easy prey for arrows.”

Mediam added to the explanation. The duty of a servant was to analyze the actions, tactics, and strategies of a Messenger, accumulating indirect experience. Her statement was a reflection on Azadine’s tactics, making it a fitting action for a servant.

“Couldn’t she have attacked from the side?”

Guillaumevalt asked.

“To flank us, she’d have to avoid the webbing we set up and bypass the buildings, coming onto open ground. That would’ve been a risky move for her.”

Mediam smiled as she sidestepped the barricade. Zebec swung his sword, cutting down approaching spiderlings.

The spiders were no match, falling helplessly before Azadine’s group.

The spider-woman, Fran, lay on the ground, unable to recover from the shock, flailing in distress.

“No… No! That woman is smiling! If I die, she’ll take you away from me!”

“…I mean, is that guy really that handsome?”

Azadine sighed.

It wasn’t uncommon for commoners to harbor an almost blind admiration for the nobility—their status, superior wealth, and experience. Using that privileged position to manipulate naive women wouldn’t have been difficult.

“Fran, I’m sorry, but you’re not thinking rationally right now. The curse that transformed your body has no cure. Atra’s infection is turning you into a spider-beast. Living as a beast while retaining your human consciousness would be a miserable fate for both you and those around you. I’ll put an end to it here. Do you have any last words?”

“Ah… Brock… I just… I just wanted to save you from her. I’m sorry.”

Even now, she still believed Brock’s lies. Seeing that, Brock was overcome with grief.

“F-Fran. No, that’s… I just pretended to be a victim so I could take advantage of your youth. Most of what I told you was a lie. I’m nothing more than a vile, greedy piece of trash.”

“Brock… Then, did you love me?”

“Of… Of course.”

“……”

Watching this, Azadine shook his head.

‘If he cut ties with her harshly, she might let go of her obsession. Does he just not want to be the villain? Well, she’s going to die today anyway. Maybe it’s better for her to believe her love was real.’

The spider-woman twitched, struggling before managing to raise herself slightly.

“If that’s the case, then end me with your own hands. At least that way, I’ll remain in your memory forever.”

“……”

Perhaps because her beastly instincts had been subdued by her injuries, she spoke with a rational, human mind, asking Brock to be her executioner.

Hearing her words, Brock approached the spider-woman. Fran, bleeding but calm, clasped her hands together as if in prayer as he stepped closer.

But just then, her lower half—the monstrous spider body—suddenly thrashed, launching a front leg at Brock.

-Thunk!

Zebec and Azadine, who had been waiting for this moment, swiftly swung their swords, severing the limb.

“Hik!”

“Be careful, old man. That thing isn’t just Fran anymore. The spider-beast is still alive, coexisting with her. If it grabs you with those front legs, it’ll drag you straight to its mouth and sink its venomous fangs in. If you let your guard down, you’ll die.”

“…I’d rather die by her hands.”

“Stop talking nonsense. The thing trying to kill you is the spider part, not her. If you die here, it won’t be by her hands, but by the massive evil that’s consuming her. Dying now won’t atone for your sins. Don’t run away—face the disgraceful things you’ve done.”

Azadine scolded Brock, who seemed eager to die just to escape the situation.

“That’s right. What a pathetic mess all because of foolish lust.”

Brand agreed, striking away an incoming spider leg with his spear.

“I understand that it was foolish, but Sir Brock, at least grant her final wish.”

Zebec, though displeased with the situation, knew that there was no way to restore a person who had turned into a monster.

“Ah… Alright.”

Brock approached Fran, who had her eyes closed, and drove his sword into her heart.

-Krrrraaaagh!

The spider body let out an enraged screech, flailing violently, but Azadine’s arrows had already shredded its form, and several of its legs had been cut off, making it struggle under its own weight.

As the beast flailed and then collapsed, Brock fell to the ground, shaking.

“Ugh… Uwaaah! What have I done?!”

“You seduced a naive, young girl with your status and sweet words, deceiving her into being your lover.”

Azadine spoke coldly.

“This woman’s death is entirely your fault. Didn’t you make sure she loved you completely? This wasn’t just a drunken mistake—despite being married, you willingly pursued an affair.”

“I-I didn’t know it would end like this! If I had known, I never would have done it! What do I do now? Poor Fran!”

“You look regretful enough, so I hope that regret changes the rest of your life. Let’s go. Your wife is still waiting for you.”

At Azadine’s words, Brock’s face hardened even further.

“Alright. We lost them!”

Shati let out a sigh of relief.

“This place is protected by magic.”

In the town’s pavilion, there was a door concealed by the magic of the Nagas. Shati confirmed that the protective spell was still intact, then carefully used an unlocking incantation to enter the building.

Inside, there were several injured Nagas, some of them stained with blood.

“Ghh… You’re….”

“A traitor, aren’t you!?”

To Shati’s shock, these were the same Nagas who had hired Scott McGreen to attack Count Lantarique’s stronghold. She had assumed they had fled nearby, but she never expected to run into them like this.

“No, no! I was a covert agent from Salasma. I was captured by the enemy but managed to escape.”

“A prisoner? You expect us to believe that?”

“So you weren’t actively cooperating with them? Too bad. We already reported your name to the upper ranks. Better be prepared.”

“Please, don’t do this. If I had truly betrayed you, would I have come here alone? More importantly, what exactly happened? I heard that a Nether monster was summoned but became uncontrollable.”

“It’s not about being controllable or not.”

“That thing hasn’t fully manifested in our world yet. If it does, everything here will be wiped out.”

“What…?”

“Ugh… It’s cold.”

The Nagas groaned. It seemed they had sustained injuries similar to the were-rats she had seen earlier on the surface. Their wounds were freezing over, turning their blood into ice.

“This is…”

“We have to kill the sorceress. She is the medium allowing the Nether monster to interfere with this world.”

Even after accusing Shati of being a spy, they still shared what they knew.

“But the sorceress was also pulled into the Nether’s dimension, making it difficult for her to fully materialize here.”

“Can’t we just defeat the Nether monster?”

“Defeat it? Heh…”

“You think you can take down a giant taller than the bell tower of Karagala?”

Karagala was once the grand city of the Nagas, said to be larger than any human-made structure. If this monster was taller than the bell tower of Karagala, that meant it was beyond imagination. Shati swallowed hard.

“I haven’t seen anything like that.”

“It appears occasionally through the mist and cold.”

“Each time it does, its minions pour out.”

“Our magic? At best, we might be able to pluck a single hair from that thing.”

It was unusual to see Nagas—who were always so proud—speak with such self-deprecation.

“Are there any other survivors inside?”

“…We were supposed to offer the Heavenly King’s Book of Truth to the Cobra Queen.”

“There’s a mad orc who believes that in order to banish the Nether monster, the Heavenly King’s Book of Truth must be returned to the Light of the Crown.”

“He killed the were-rats, grabbed the Heavenly King’s Book of Truth, and fled underground.”

“The Light of the Crown…?”

Shati was horrified.

This place was like an outpost of the Naga Empire. There should have been copies of the Heavenly King’s Book of Truth here, collected by the Nagas. That book was the hope of the Naga Empire, the Kurt Pantheon, and all those who worshiped the Kurt Gods.

And yet, an orc was so terrified of the Nether monster that he wanted to use it to strengthen that cursed thing?

“This town was built over an older city that sank into the ground, leaving behind an underground sewer system. We chose this as a safe house because of the many subterranean passages that required no additional excavation.”

“So this place is connected to underground tunnels. But be careful—aside from the orc who stole the Heavenly King’s Book of Truth…”

“The witch who summoned the Nether monster—this region’s lord’s wife—is also down there!”

“Understood. Then I will—huh?”

Shati suddenly noticed that the Nagas had gone silent. The creeping frost had spread to their hearts and bone marrow, taking their lives.

“They’ve stopped breathing.”

At that moment, a voice she should never have heard spoke from behind her. Somehow, Azadine had approached her without a sound, now inspecting the dead Naga youths.

“Eek?!”

Shati spun around in shock, but Azadine simply rested his chin on his hand and spoke nonchalantly.

“As expected, sending you ahead made it easier to gather information. If I had asked them, they would have taken this to their graves.”

“W-wait a moment!”

Shati was alarmed by Azadine’s sudden and silent presence, but before she could react, a blade was already at her throat.

“Shh.”

Mediam gestured for silence.

“The underground tunnels echo.”

Ismail also held his breath, whispering softly.

“Huh?”

Shati then realized it wasn’t just them—everyone else, including the Holy Knight, Brass Knight Brand, and even the arrogant orc necromancer Scott McGreen, had fallen completely silent.

“…You don’t mean…”

“That’s right. We’ve seen the Nether monster.”

Azadine’s expression was grim.

“The bell tower of Karagala—the Nagas must take great pride in Karagala.”

“Huh?”

“A mountain walks. You don’t really think the bell tower of Karagala is that big, do you?”

“……”

The way Azadine spoke made it clear—this Nether monster was not something anyone wanted to face.

“You saw it? What was it like?”

“What was it like? Hmph, fine. I’ll explain while we prepare.”

Azadine began recounting the events of his encounter with the Nether creature to Shati.