— Anonymous Holy See: …Are you asking for help now?
— Anonymous Holy See: Really? You’ve never made a request for help before. Will you genuinely accept it?
— Anonymous Holy See: Let me help you!
— Anonymous Holy See: Shut up! I will help you!!!
— Anonymous Holy See: Are you talking about the child that gave candy earlier? The sick one.
— Anonymous Holy See: he headed towards the carriage!!
If he headed towards the carriage, it means he is still inside the plaza.
It was a much riskier position than being outside the plaza.
‘Shit!’
I swiftly opened the store and arranged the shield items.
However, I had an absurdly insufficient amount of points to purchase a proper shield.
Even a disposable shield, which was a one-time-use item that needed to be timed precisely for its defensive effect, cost 500 points.
‘This is insane. I shouldn’t have used the exchange ticket.’
If I had known this would happen, I would have waited a little longer. Why did I hastily use the exchange ticket as soon as I received it?
I exchanged all the points I had for four disposable shields and handed them over to Genia.
Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t even consider it, but now I couldn’t be choosy.
“Do you know where the carriage we arrived in is? Find it and hide there because your sibling should be there. If our carriage is unavailable, any other carriage will do. It must be in the vicinity. If it becomes dangerous, use this.”
“What, what is this?”
“A shield scroll. It will block an attack once.”
“Then…”
“It’s useless if you don’t time it correctly. Only use it when the arrow is about to be released. So, you have four chances. Do you understand?”
Genia looked at me with a bewildered expression.
“And, what comes next? What do I do then? Lady, I’m so scared. I feel like I’m going to die…”
“What are you afraid of? I will go.”
“W-Will you truly come?”
“Then endure it. Hold on tight, even if it’s just for the sake of your sibling. If you die, no one will be able to protect him. Keep that in mind.”
“…Mi-Milady? Milady!”
As I exited the carriage, I unsheathed Arondite.
Arondite, a 1.60-meter-long sword, its black blade adorned with golden accents, shimmered brilliantly in the sunlight from hilt to tip.
Arondite, a sword that felt like a part of me.
In my previous life, I had amassed one billion points to acquire Arondite.
“It took around seven years, didn’t it?”
I tightly grasped the handle of Arondite and swung it forcefully.
Strangely enough, it adhered to my palm just as it had until yesterday. I couldn’t even sense its weight.
Arondite was an extraordinary sword that only those granted ownership could wield due to its immense heaviness.
“Aron, it’s been a while.”
— Anonymous Holy See: Boom, something big has arrived.
— Anonymous Holy See: Oh, finally!
— Anonymous Holy See: She’s came!!!
— Anonymous Holy See: Hah, we’ve been waiting♥
— Anonymous Holy See: Astel, let’s gooooo
* * *
The hunters swiftly organized themselves into formations.
While the melee fighters dealt with the spiders, the spellcasters focused on attacking the core.
However, they couldn’t succeed in breaking through the protective shell encompassing the core.
The sharp claws of the Chimera proved futile in tearing through it, just as the flames of hellfire failed to incinerate it.
The arrows released by the archers merely rebounded, unable to inflict any harm.
Ironically, the reflecting nature of the lightning posed a greater danger to the people.
For the time being, the hunters abandoned the core and focused all their efforts on eliminating the spiderlings.
With the core’s protection withdrawn, the spiderlings were swiftly dispatched before they had a chance to reproduce.
Gradually, the number of spiders that had blanketed the grand square diminished.
Only around ten or so remained.
Dealing with this small number posed no significant challenge. The hunters briefly experienced a sense of relief on their faces.
“Oh my goodness…”
“When will this ever end?”
Once again, the core laid more eggs.
This time, there were thirty of them. The hunters let out a heavy breath.
“Aaah! Help me!”
“No! Stay away!”
The emerging spiders from the eggs began hunting down the surviving prey.
People caught in spider webs screamed in terror.
The hunters rushed in, swinging their swords, only to have the blades bounce off.
While the spider’s abdomen was vulnerable when it retreated, its threads proved stronger than anything else.
Even Astel, in his previous life, had used his thread to ensnare and capture spiders instead of cutting them.
“Ugh! P-Please, save me…”
The bodies of the people started to crumple.
The piercing screams reverberated throughout the grand square.
As the hunters killed the spiders they were inhaling, the people who had become their prey also perished.
This occurred because the lives of the spiders and their prey became intertwined the moment they were ensnared in the threads.
A dark shadow emerged from behind the startled hunters.
It was Dante.
He swung his sword and severed the throat of the person entangled in the thread.
The screams abruptly ceased.
The hunters gasped in response to his brutal action.
“Your Highness, why would you…?”
“Look over there!”
Someone pointed in a certain direction.
There, a spider that had lost its prey wriggled with an illuminated body.
Suddenly, it burst open, releasing yellow fluids before succumbing to death.
All eyes were filled with tension as they watched the remnants of the spider. Nothing emerged from within.
Dante spoke calmly.
“Remove the prey while inhaling. Then they die.”
“…”
Astonished gazes remained fixed on Dante.
They were aware that killing the spiders resulted in the death of their prey, but no one had considered the reverse scenario.
Or rather, they had contemplated it, but they had not dared to act upon it.
After all, they were hunters chosen to save the world.
Johann was the first hunter to raise objections against Dante’s cruel act.
“Do you mean we should wait until they overwhelm us? And then kill the people? That’s unthinkable!”
“Then get rid of the remaining people before they become prey.”
“Your Highness! How can you utter such cruel words!”
Despite facing Johann’s anger head-on, Dante remained composed.
He cleaned his long sword on the clothes of the deceased and sheathed it in his scabbard.
“Is it cruel? If those creatures go beyond the barrier, won’t even more cruel things happen?”
“…”
“Holy Knight, everyone dies. It’s just a matter of how. Personally, I think it’s better to die by the hands of a holy knight than to become food for monsters like them. Do you have a different opinion?”
No one could respond to Dante’s question. It was a sincere statement.
“Your Highness, why are you doing this?”
The hunters were immersed in shock, and the grand square fell into silence.
Even the last person inside the barrier had been devoured.
With the prey, excluding the hunters, gone, the spiders ceased their proliferation and gathered around the pitch-black barrier of light.
As if waiting for the barrier to be lifted.
The sound of spiders’ footsteps echoed from all directions.
It was fortunate that the numbers, which had been decreasing, had now returned to their original count, even though their proliferation had stopped.
The hunters stopped their debates and focused on how to deal with the spiderlings first.
Although they were swift and possessed sharp jaws, they were no match for the hunters’ weapons and magic.
The spiders met their demise helplessly, and finally, the last one ceased its movements.
The hunters gathered in the center of the grand square, leaving behind viscous bodily fluids.
The mother spider remained intact.
“Do we have to kill it for the gate to close?” Kael asked Johann.
“How much longer will the barrier of light be upheld?”
“It will soon fade away. I apologize.”
“No need for apologies. Don’t apologize. Regardless, we must resolve the situation before the barrier of light disappears. If the queen lays eggs without the barrier, the capital will be destroyed.”
A weary hunter exclaimed, his voice filled with frustration.
“Archmage-nim, didn’t you see? Our attacks are futile! It’s shielding itself with the barrier! So why are we attempting to force its demise?”
“Are you suggesting we simply wait?”
Kael responded calmly, yet he couldn’t conceal the chilling aura.
The atmosphere grew tense.
With the level measurements in place, everyone was on edge.
Yulia wiped away her perspiration as she observed the escalating atmosphere.
Known as the eccentric Steel Guide of magic tower, she had no interest in the Holy See or monsters.
In fact, she had only become a hunter out of sheer boredom.
“I wish I could just sit comfortably in a cool magic tower and guide guests instead of dealing with this…”
Lost in such musings, it happened.
Someone tapped her shoulder.
