Part 8 of 8
I’m not standing on the ground at all.
What I thought was the ground was actually thread, stretched all over a portion of the floor.
A spider’s thread, the exact same color and texture as the ground.
None of my skills can change the color or texture of my thread.
However, Mother has a higher skill for that than I do.
Divine Thread Weaving.
The highest class of thread-related skills.
The most powerful skill a spider can have.
She covered the entire surface of the floor with thread woven into a cloth-like shape, then used the Concealment skill to disguise the fact that it was thread.
And as soon as I stepped on it, its adhesiveness activated.
It captured my legs, just like that.
Honestly, it’s no different from birdlime.
Such a simple trap, and I fell for it completely.
I can’t believe I was so careless.
I should have known by now.
No matter how much stronger an enemy is, there are plenty of ways to beat them if you catch them in a trap.
That’s how I’ve consistently beaten strong opponents until now.
But this time, I’m the one caught in the trap.
And although my opponent is in a weakened state, by all rights she’s originally much stronger than I am.
No matter how much lower her stats are, her skills are still going strong.
I shouldn’t have taken my enemy so lightly.
She’s the reigning queen of spiders, who specialize in traps.
Her huge leg swings down toward me with a roaring sound.
I just barely manage to dodge it by cutting off my caught legs.
I don’t know if fighting thread with thread is the best idea, but I used Cutting Thread to slice through my own legs and escape the trap.
However, while I avoided Mother’s attack, my self-injury reduced my HP by a lot.
I quickly use Healing Magic on the middle joints where I cut off my legs.
Since I can’t land on the floor, I use Dimensional Maneuvering to run through the air and put some distance between Mother and myself.
But as I try to do so, my body is pulled back toward her.
Mother has opened her huge mouth and is sucking in air.
The catfish in the Middle Stratum used this same technique.
I’m guessing she’s using the Satiation skill to inhale large amounts of air and pull her opponent toward her.
When the catfish did it, I barely felt a pull at all.
But this time, my opponent is Mother, whose stats and size are beyond comparison to the catfish.
I’m blown backward as if hit by a typhoon, raging winds dragging my body toward Mother’s mouth.
Either her stomach or her fangs await me on the inside.
I activate Wind Magic to neutralize the suction, then use Repellent Evil Eye on my own body to propel myself away from Mother.
I’m so busy resisting the pull that I have no time to heal my legs.
But as I desperately struggle against the gale-force winds, they suddenly stop all at once.
Immediately, a chill runs through my body.
I attempt to flee, making no effort to hide my fear.
Seconds later, something invisible shakes the entire room.
It’s the large amount of air that Mother just inhaled.
She used her Expel skill to fire it out in a ball.
It’s just air.
But it’s still too much.
The mass of compressed air rocks the Bottom Stratum with power equal to the giant breath attack Mother did before, crashing through my body.
I managed to avoid taking a direct hit.
And yet, my body is racked with pain.
Just the shock wave was enough to cause a ton of damage.
Lowered stats or no, Mother is far more powerful than any monster I’ve ever seen.
I manage to catch myself in midair to try to reposition myself.
But I don’t have time, because just then the floor comes flying up toward me.
Or rather, the thread that’s been made to look like the floor.
It shoots right at me in hot pursuit.
I try to escape upward, only to be dumbfounded by what’s coming down toward me.
The ceiling is falling.
Or rather, the thread that’s been made to look like the ceiling.
It wasn’t just the floor.
The floor, the walls, and the ceiling have all been covered in thread.
And now everything is closing in on me.
I’ve got nowhere to run.
The tidal wave of thread bears down on me, enveloping my body without even giving me a chance to resist.
Since it’s completely wrapped around me now, I can’t cut off a limb and escape this time.
To do that now, I’d have to cut up my whole body.
But if I don’t escape, I’m going to be crushed.
I have Immortality, so I won’t die, but if I get knocked out, the Demon Lord will definitely catch up to me.
Then it’ll really be the end for me.
Even with Immortality, there are ways for her to deal with me for good.
I try to calm my panicked feelings and think of a way out.
If I don’t hurry, Mother is going to trample me.
I use Black Magic to try to break through the thread, but it doesn’t work at all.
This thread must be unbelievably tough to withstand my magic attack power of 18,000 without so much as a scratch.
I realize now how terrifying it is to be on the receiving end of the thread I’ve relied on all this time.
I try to teleport, but I’m too panicked to make the rune properly.
On top of that, since it’s a complicated spell, it takes a while to create the rune.
I doubt Mother will spare me for even that short amount of time.
Abruptly, the magic construction I was working on dissipates.
Why?!
No, I can’t panic.
This is no time to hold anything back!
Rot Attack!
I apply Rot Attack to my scythe and cut up the thread.
Even Mother’s thread is weak to Rot, so I’m able to cut through it.
However, it’s like cutting through cloth with dull scissors.
I put all my strength into cutting through the thread with my scythe, then into using Fire Magic to tear through the remaining thin, sticky layer.
Once I get my tattered body free from the restraints, I’m greeted by the sight of Mother’s foot.
As it speeds closer, it fills my entire field of vision.
There’s no time to avoid it.
I think I hear some kind of sound, like a crunch or a snap or a splat.
Somehow I manage to get my head out intact, while the rest of my body is crushed under Mother’s foot.
It’s the return of the decapitated spider head.
I use Telekinesis to float my head through the air.
But it’s difficult to control. I can’t move the way I want to.
I’ve been having a hard time activating my magic, too.
The reason for all this is Mother’s Dragon Barrier skill.
It’s a skill that produces a barrier with the same properties as Dragon Scales and its related skills.
In other words, it interferes with the construction of magic.
It’s basically like my kryptonite.
Normally, this skill would make a barrier around only the user’s immediate vicinity, but she’s expanded its range to prevent me from invoking magic.
Even with Height of Occultism, I can’t use complicated spells in this condition.
Which means I can’t use Teleport.
I can’t escape.
I’ve got nothing but a head left.
My magic is being partially blocked.
I’m doomed.
No matter what I do, I can’t see any way out of this situation.
The tidal wave of thread bears down on me again.
Mother starts charging up her breath to finish me off.
If I get killed now, temporary or not, I’ll never wake up again.
Unbelievable.
This is what I get for naively thinking I could win this fight without any preparation just because my stats are higher.
After all the times I’ve trapped and defeated others, now I’m the one caught in a trap.
I guess this is karmic retribution.
My punishment for getting carried away.
My life flashes before my eyes.
When I was born as a spider, I ran away from Mother and my siblings’ bloodbath.
I made a home, only to have to run away when humans burned it down.
The humans chased me until I fell into the Lower Stratum.
And then I ran away again, this time from Araba.
I ran away from the terror of the Lower Stratum by escaping into the Middle Stratum.
Once I got back to the Upper Stratum, I was thrilled to finally not have to run away all the time.
But once I got outside, my life consisted of running away from Mother and the Demon Lord.
Ha-ha. In retrospect, most of my life as a spider consisted of running away from things.
I didn’t want to run away. I wanted more than anything to get strong enough that I wouldn’t have to do that anymore.
But despite my hopes, I still spent my whole life on the run.
Yet in the end, I’m going to die because I walked right into a trap.
It’s so stupid I could almost laugh.
I’ve got nothing to be proud of.
I’m nothing like Araba, which died satisfied, knowing it’d done everything it could.
I wanted to keep living.
I didn’t want to die.
So I kept running away from anything that could kill me.
I stood my ground only when I had nowhere else to run or when I knew I stood a chance of winning.
I never knowingly went into a truly hopeless battle of my own free will.
I was always on the defensive, never starting a fight I knew I couldn’t win.
Even when I fought Araba, I made careful preparations and challenged it only when I was confident I could win.
But I neglected those preparations this time.
And Mother was even more determined than I expected.
I figured the Demon Lord was at least as intelligent as a human, since she used spoken language. I should’ve guessed that her subordinate Mother would be fairly smart, too, especially considering what I’ve seen her do so far.
And yet, I was convinced that I could beat her, just because my stats were higher.
That was my fatal mistake.
And Mother didn’t miss that chance, even though her very soul was being devoured, which she’d surely never experienced before.
I have no doubt that having your spirit get devoured is more terrifying than I can imagine.
But Mother didn’t give up, even with her power disappearing by the second. She kept struggling, clawing for victory until it finally came into her grasp.
Come to think of it, that’s the same way I won when I was backed into a corner all those times.
I never expected us to have something like that in common.
If it wasn’t for the fact that I’m her current victim, I’d probably be like, You go, Mom!
But this is it for me.
After all that running away, I’m going to die in the stupidest, most anticlimactic way possible.
I can’t turn things around now.
But I’m not gonna go down that easily!
You’d better believe I’ll keep fighting until my very last breath!
At the very least, I’ll make sure Mother always remembers me as a powerful foe who kept her on her toes till the end!
If she does, then it’ll seem like my life had a little bit of meaning.
Now, time to struggle in vain for all I’m worth…!
I like that attitude!
Suddenly, a voice rings out in my head.
It’s one of my Parallel Minds, who’ve been fighting a spiritual battle with Mother this whole time.
She must have noticed that I was in a pinch and returned to this body to help out.
But just having one Parallel Mind come back won’t be enough to make any difference…
At that moment, an incredible amount of power surges through me.
Wh-whaaaa…?!
What just happened?!
Well, where do you think all of Mother’s lost stats went?
My prodigal Parallel Mind, the former magic brain number one, sounds decidedly pleased with herself.
If she had a face, I’m sure it’d be wearing a smug grin right about now.
Heh-heh-heh. During the fight with Mother’s spirit body, we started eating it. A spirit body is really just a soul. And stats and skills are the soul’s power, right? It only makes sense that eating her soul would give us the power she’s lost, y’know?
So you mean that for every bit Mother’s stats went down, my stats went up?
Eeexactly!
Former magic brain number one sounds gleeful.
At the same moment, all the other Parallel Minds that were fighting Mother come back to me, too.
And as a result, my stats rise up unbelievably high.
Now, time for our counterattack!
On magic brain’s command, all the Parallel Minds start building magic together.
The resulting spells completely defy Mother’s Dragon Barrier, tearing through the approaching tidal wave of thread like it’s made of paper.
Then Mother’s breath attack is met head-on by a breath of my own, which pushes it back and blows her away.
Even I’m stunned by my own power.
Multiple Healing Magic spells kick in at the same time, growing back my lost limbs in little more than an instant.
Still half in shock, I take a fresh look at my stats.
<Zana Horowa LV 24 Nameless
Status: HP: 21,622/21,622 (green) +0 (details)
SP: 17,097/17,097 (yellow) (details)
Average Offensive Ability: 21,153 (details)
Average Magical Ability: 28,280 (details)
Average Speed Ability: 25,021 (details)
MP: 29,618/29,618 (blue) +0 (details)
: 4,111/17,097 (red) +0 (details)
Average Defensive Ability: 21,104 (details)
Average Resistance Ability: 28,107 (details)
Skills:
[HP Ultra-Fast Recovery LV 6] [Height of Occultism] [Magic Divinity LV 7] [Magic Power Conferment LV 10]
[Magic Conferment LV 2] [Magic Power Super-Attack LV 2] [SP Rapid Recovery LV 10] [SP Minimized Consumption LV 10]
[Destruction Super-Enhancement LV 6] [Cutting Super-Enhancement LV 7] [Piercing Super-Enhancement LV 4] [Piercing Super-Enhancement LV 6]
[Impact Super-Enhancement LV 6] [Status Condition Super-Enhancement LV 10] [Battle Divinity LV 10] [Energy Conferment LV 10]
[Ability Conferment LV 7] [Energy Super-Attack LV 4] [Divine Dragon Power LV 7] [Dragon Barrier LV 2]
[Deadly Poison Attack LV 10] [Enhanced Paralysis Attack LV 10] [Rot Attack LV 6] [Heretic Attack LV 8]
[Poison Synthesis LV 10] [Medicine Synthesis LV 10] [Thread Genius LV 10] [Divine Thread Weaving]
[Thread Control LV 10] [Psychokinesis LV 7] [Throw LV 10] [Expel LV 10]
[Dimensional Maneuvering LV 10] [Swim LV 2] [Kin Control LV 10] [Egg-Laying LV 10]
[Concentration LV 10] [Thought Super-Acceleration LV 3] [Future Sight LV 3] [Parallel Thinking LV 9]
[High-Speed Processing LV 10] [Hit LV 10] [Evasion LV 10] [Probability Super-Correction LV 10]
[Stealth LV 10] [Concealment LV 2] [Silence LV 10] [Odorless LV 3]
[Emperor] [Conviction] [Hades] [Corruption]
[Immortality] [Heresy Magic LV 10] [Wind Magic LV 10] [Gale Magic LV 1]
[Earth Magic LV 10] [Terrain Magic LV 3] [Shadow Magic LV 10] [Dark Magic LV 10]
[Black Magic LV 7] [Poison Magic LV 10] [Healing Magic LV 10] [Spatial Magic LV 10]
[Dimensional Magic LV 7] [Abyss Magic LV 10] [Demon Lord LV 8] [Perseverance]
[Pride] [Rage] [Usurp] [Gluttony]
[Sloth] [Wisdom] [Destruction Super-Resistance LV 5] [Impact Nullification]
[Cutting Super-Resistance LV 5] [Piercing Super-Resistance LV 5] [Shock Super-Resistance LV 5] [Flame Resistance LV 8]
[Flood Resistance LV 1] [Gale Resistance LV 4] [Terrain Resistance LV 5] [Bolt Resistance LV 1]
[Holy Light Resistance LV 9] [Dark Resistance LV 6] [Heavy Super-Resistance LV 4] [Status Condition Nullification]
[Acid Super-Resistance LV 7] [Rot Super-Resistance LV 5] [Faint Resistance LV 8] [Fear Super-Resistance LV 2]
[Heresy Nullification] [Pain Nullification] [Suffering Nullification] [Night Vision LV 10]
[Long-Distance Vision LV 1] [Jinx Evil Eye LV 8] [Inert Evil Eye LV 7] [Repellent Evil Eye LV 5]
[Annihilating Evil Eye LV 5] [Five Senses Super-Enhancement LV 10] [Perception Expansion LV 8] [Divinity Expansion LV 9]
[Celestial Power] [Ultimate Life LV 10] [Ultimate Movement LV 10] [Fortune LV 10]
[Fortitude LV 10] [Stronghold LV 10] [Skanda LV 10] [Taboo LV 10]
[n% I = W]
Skill Points: 164,500
Titles:
[Foul Feeder] [Kin Eater] [Assassin] [Monster Slayer]
[Poison Technique User] [Thread User] [Merciless] [Monster Slaughterer]
[Ruler of Pride] [Ruler of Perseverance] [Ruler of Wisdom] [Wyrm Slayer]
[Fearbringer] [Dragon Slayer] [Ruler of Sloth] [Monster Calamity]
[Champion]
>
W…h…a…t?
Something’s wrong with my stats.
Sure, they were starting to get a little high to match the power creep that’s been going on with my enemies lately, but they weren’t anywhere near this.
On top of that, I got some weird skills, and they’ve all gone up a bunch of levels and stuff.
I definitely never had Dragon Barrier, Divine Thread Weaving, Egg-Laying, or anything like that. Did I copy them from Mother somehow?
A bunch of my skills even got maxed out.
Just when I was almost done for, I’ve suddenly gotten a huge power-up.
I thought that only happened to shonen manga protagonists?
Does that mean I’m a protagonist now, too?
Hey, I know you’re confused and all, but we should probably finish Mother off now.
Former magic brain number one brings me back to reality, so I look to where Mother landed.
There, I see that she’s been heavily damaged by my breath attack.
She’s trying to get to her feet, but her legs can’t seem to support her huge weight anymore.
It looks like she can’t even stand up now.
She was such an overwhelming force, and now she’s lying frailly on the ground.
A wounded mother whose own child stole her power away.
Of course, it’s not as if I actually have a motherly image of her at all.
I’ve been calling her Mother this entire time, but I don’t think of her as my parent.
All I associate with her is the fear I felt the first time I saw her.
Maybe I’m just a bad daughter, like I was in my previous life.
That reminds me, I wonder how my parents from my old world are doing?
The fact that I can’t even remember their faces anymore probably reflects poorly on me.
I’m sure even detached parents like mine would think so.
Well, I should probably say a few words for my parent in this life, at least.
Mother, you were amazing.
Your stats were impressive, of course, but what’s really amazing is how you were able to corner me in your weakened state.
I’ll never again let my guard down because an opponent seems weaker than I am. It’ll be your first and last lesson to me, Mother.
Good-bye.
My Parallel Minds unleash their magic in unison.
Thus, the most powerful creature in the Great Elroe Labyrinth breathes her last.
I successfully overthrew Mother.
Consequently, the Parallel Minds that were fighting her soul have come back to me.
At the same time, Mother’s control over me vanishes completely, and the faint connection I felt before disappears.
In other words, there’s no longer anyone trying to control me, and my link to the network of spider souls that centered around Mother is gone.
The Demon Lord was the real origin of this network, but since I was on the fringes, connecting to her via Mother, that means I’m cut off from the Demon Lord now.
The problem is, that means I can’t attack her soul with my Parallel Minds like I did with Mother.
Without a connection, I can’t send Parallel Minds over to her.
Even with my stats and skills raised by absorbing Mother’s power, I’m still far from approaching the Demon Lord’s level.
I mean, her stats averaged around 90,000.
Sure, I got a lot stronger just now, but I’m nowhere near closing that gap.
And that’s definitely not the kind of difference I can make up for with any amount of traps.
I don’t know what the Demon Lord is going to do now that I’ve defeated Mother and so many of her other minions.
If she’s going to keep coming after me, I’ll have to fight her eventually.
To be honest, I’d rather not fight that monstrosity. I kinda wish she’d just leave me alone…
As I mull all this over, former magic brain number one speaks up.
Hey, main body, you got a sec?
Yeah, what’s up?
C’mon. You haven’t noticed yet?
Hmm?
After thinking for a moment, it occurs to me.
The number of Parallel Minds that came back doesn’t add up.
There’s one missing.
See, former body brain kinda, uh…headed out.
Out? To where?
Over to the Demon Lord.
Come again?
I mean, when we still had the connection between Mother and the Demon Lord, body brain decided to use it to go attack her.
Say what?!
Wait, but isn’t my connection to the Demon Lord gone now?
Huh? Is former body brain gonna be able to come back?
Beats me.
Um, I’m pretty sure she can’t, right?
’Cause, like, the connection is gone now.
Yeah, I guess.
…Farewell, former body brain.
I’ll never forget you.
Looks like I’m down one Parallel Mind.
Thanks to Heresy Nullification, I don’t think former body brain will be destroyed.
But I don’t think there’s any way to get her back now that she’s attached to the Demon Lord and cut off from me, either.
Or whether that’ll ever be possible.
I guess maybe she might come back if I defeat the Demon Lord, but I wouldn’t hold my breath.
Because I don’t think I’ll ever be able to do that.
Sorry, former body brain, but when it comes to the Demon Lord, I’m sticking to the tried-and-true strategy of running like hell.
Now that I’ve absorbed all that power from Mother, I could even defeat a puppet spider in a fair fight, no problem. As long as I’m careful about the Demon Lord, I think I’ll be just fine.
But don’t worry—I’m not gonna let my guard down again.
DEMON LORD
A mysterious monster that revived itself even though I was sure I killed it.
The panic of being backed into a corner by a creature that should have been much weaker than I am.
And then…
I awaken from my nap with a start.
Dozing off in a carriage as we march toward the elf village is a pretty nice luxury, if I do say so myself.
Though it’s not exactly a typical carriage.
To be clear, I’m riding in a basket on the back of a giant spider.
My steed of choice is an arch taratect.
Riding around on a monster as powerful as a dragon is yet another perk of being me.
Thanks to this thing, none of the soldiers try to approach me.
In fact, they couldn’t even if they tried.
Demons may have higher stats than humans, but they still know better than to casually approach a dragon-class monster for no good reason.
I’m sure they wouldn’t want to even if they had one.
So I get to enjoy a comfortable journey without being bothered by the outside world.
Little Miss White is in the carriage with me, but as long as I don’t speak to her, she’s not going to say a word. It’s nice and quiet.
I peer at White’s face, directly across from me.
Her eyes are closed, and she’s sitting perfectly still.
Since she has her eyes closed most of the time, I can’t tell if she’s sleeping or not.
She could probably fall asleep standing up and no one would even notice, I think absently.
She might look fragile, but she’s strong enough to kill a hero without breaking a sweat. You can’t judge people by their appearances.
Well, I guess you could say the same thing about me.
I wonder if all these pointless thoughts mean I’m actually nervous for once?
We’ve finally arrived, after all.
Looking out the window, I see a truly ridiculous amount of trees and plants.
This is the Great Garam Forest, the home of the elves.
My army has been marching through it for a while.
Our goal, of course, is the elf village.
The imperial army has already arrived there.
They’re at a standstill right now because of the barrier that protects the village, but soon that barrier will be gone.
And then the imperial army will attack the elf village.
After that, we can take our sweet time showing up.
Once the elves have lost their precious barrier and are flying into a panic as the imperial army attacks them, we’ll slide in from the side and greet them with a finishing blow.
As I imagine it, my lips automatically curl into a smile.
We’ve finally made it.
My longtime wish is going to be fulfilled.
My wish to exterminate the elves once and for all, that is.
Now I can get revenge on them for all the sneaking around they’ve been doing behind the scenes since forever ago.
Once I had my watchful queen taratect help the imperial army’s advance, I put her in position for a pincer attack on the elves.
Soon, they’ll taste the triple threat of the imperial army, the demon army, and the queen taratect all at once.
What will their screaming and crying faces look like?
Just thinking about it gives me a thrill.
“I can’t wait.”
Without meaning to, I murmur my thoughts out loud.
Overhearing this, White turns toward me.
Her eyes are still closed, but I can tell she’s looking at me.
“You can rampage as much as you like this time, okay, White? I’ll definitely be going all out!”
I know it’s childish to get excited, but I can’t help it.
“Demon Lord,” White says quietly.
She sounds a little worried, so I decide to reassure her.
“I told you—it’ll be fine. I’m not going to touch those reincarnations. My only target is the elves, remember? I made sure all the soldiers know that, too. Don’t worry, okay?”
My goal here is to wipe out the elves.
Honestly, I don’t care either way about the reincarnations.
From what I’ve heard, the reincarnation who’s the new hero and his friends have shown up in the village, but they’re all just small fry as far as I’m concerned.
If they get in my way, I’ll just knock them out without killing them, easy.
Their presence doesn’t change a thing.
The elf village is going to be destroyed no matter what those reincarnations do.
And that’s a fact.
“Ahh, I can’t wait…”
Finally, I get to kill you.
Just you wait, Potimas Harrifenas.
CHIEF OF THE ELVES
“Lord Potimas, we’ve confirmed another army approaching behind the imperial army.”
“I know.”
“You were already aware of this?”
“Of course. The empire’s little army is nothing but an opening act.”
“Does that mean you know the identity of the other army, Lord Potimas?”
“Yes. It’s the current Demon Lord’s army.”
“The Demon Lord’s army?! Why would they be in human territory?!”
“Why, indeed. It’s likely the work of a certain sly old schemer.”
“Aha…”
“At any rate, please prepare the Gloria.”
“Yes, sir. What operation ratio would you prefer?”
“All of it.”
“Sir?”
“Activate all of it.”
“But, sir, that would be—”
“If they’re attacking us with all their strength, it’s only polite to give them an equal reception. We must not hold anything back. We shall intercept them with the full strength of the elves.”
“You do not think that is excessive?”
“I think it will be just enough.”
“Shall we deploy the Gloria behind the general elf defense force, then?”
“Indeed.”
“What about the hero and the other reincarnations?”
“Let them do as they please. Now that things have come this far, I have no further use for them. It is no business of mine where they choose to die.”
“I’ll relay your commands to the defense force, then.”
“Please do. It’s about time to settle the grudge between that creature and me. It would be foolish of me to miss this chance now that she’s come right to my doorstep. Exterminate them without allowing any chance for escape.”
“Yes, sir. Understood.”
“Come, then, you foolish girl who drew the unfortunate lot of Demon Lord. Perhaps death will prove that you were mistaken in assuming that someone who can only watch in silence as everything they have rots away would be able to challenge the likes of me.”
FIRST ENCOUNTER
After defeating Mother, I’ve been wandering around outside while avoiding the Demon Lord.
I’ve eliminated most of Mother’s spider army in the Great Elroe Labyrinth.
All that remains now is the Demon Lord and her four puppet spiders.
She seems to have judged it too dangerous to let the puppet spiders act on their own. Instead she’s keeping them with her.
Thanks to that, she has to match her speed to the puppet spiders’, making it harder for her to catch up to me.
In fact, it seems like I’ve lost her.
I’ve expanded my range wide enough that there’s not much she can do.
I keep moving farther and farther away from the Demon Lord.
And now I’ve started traveling on a main road.
I’ve been avoiding any human roads, villages, towns, and the like to try to keep from being spotted, but there must be a city close by or something. There are so many roads around now that I can’t avoid them anymore.
I’m just traveling along one of the roads while trying to keep away from human eyes.
If I keep traveling this way, I feel like I’m gonna run into a big town or something, but my only other option is to travel in the direction of the Demon Lord.
And that’s no good.
My only choice is to resign myself to the possibility of being spotted in order to keep traveling farther away from the Demon Lord.
Luckily, there hasn’t been much traffic, letting me travel without being seen by humans for a while, but it looks like I’ve hit the limit on that.
There’s a carriage up ahead.
I’ve finally crossed paths with some humans. Unfortunately.
Also, not that this matters, but regular old horses are drawing along the carriage.
Since this is a fantasy world and all, I wouldn’t have been surprised to see wyrms or something, but this is so ordinary that it’s almost a letdown.
Anyway, as I peek curiously at the carriage, I notice that something seems off.
Hmm? Hmmmm?
What are you guys up to?
Oh, I see.
A robbery.
They’re being attacked, huh?
I knew I’d run into humans sooner or later, but I never would’ve guessed that my first encounter would be the scene of a fight with some robbers.
Some escort-looking people are fighting the robber-looking guys.
There are four escorts and six robbers.
Hmm. In my opinion, both sides seem to be evenly matched, but if we’re going strictly off numbers, then the robbers have the advantage.
Oh, one of the guards went down.
What’s my play here?
I don’t really wanna get involved.
I’m trying to avoid being seen, especially if I want to keep off the Demon Lord’s radar.
Still, if I just ignore people being attacked right before my eyes, I’m gonna feel bad about it later.
I’m not trying to be an ally of justice or whatever; it’s just a matter of not ruining my mood.
I guess maybe I still have a little bit of my basic moral compass from my previous life.
At the same time, though, my heart says the whole thing seems like a pain.
Like, why should I have to save some stupid humans anyway?
Not to mention, even if I save them, I’m still technically a monster.
What if I rescue them and they turn around and try to attack me?
I mean, I’m not gonna let it slide if they pull something like that, but I’m pretty sure that would defeat the purpose of rescuing them in the first place.
Maybe I should just wait till all the carriage people get killed and then go in and kill the thieves?
Like, I’m definitely gonna kill those guys either way.
Humans give a ton of EXP, after all.
I don’t wanna go around massacring civilians or anything, but it’d be a waste to ignore people like robbers who I can totally get away with killing, right?
I get lots of EXP. I’m more than happy.
Civilians don’t have to deal with the robbers anymore. Now they’re happy.
See? Aside from the robbers getting killed, everybody’s happy.
Those robbers are definitely going down.
And then down the hatch and into my belly.
When I ate those bastard knights who burned my home in the labyrinth, I discovered that humans taste different depending on the individual.
Maybe it was just my imagination, but the better-looking ones seemed to taste better, too.
These butt-ugly robbers probably won’t taste great, but they’ll still fill my belly one way or another.
Now it’s just a matter of whether to rescue the people in the carriage or not.
I mean, I dunno.
Is it just me, or is there no advantage at all to helping them?
In fact, there are tons of disadvantages.
If I don’t help them, the advantage is that there won’t be any eyewitnesses to my existence, plus I’ll get more food.
The disadvantage is that I’m probably gonna feel bad about it.
Hmm, hmm, hmm.
Ugh…
Fiiiine.
I don’t really feel like it, but I guess I’ll help them.
Objectively, it’d be more advantageous not to help them, but I gotta follow my heart at times like these.
It’d be annoying to regret it later anyway.
Here we go.
The robbers are so focused on their battle with the guards that they don’t even notice my approach.
Works for me.
The big guy in the middle is probably their leader, I guess.
His stats are the highest, anyway.
I zip around behind him, then stab his wide-open back with one of my scythes.
The scythe runs through his body, skewering his heart.
Oh, and of course I had my deadly poison on it, too. He definitely died instantly.
When I pull the scythe back out, the robber’s body crumples to the ground.
The other two are too stunned to figure out what’s happening, so I whip my scythes to either side.
Boom, sliced ’em both in two.
Now only half the robbers are left.
I use Earth Magic to shoot one of the three right in the head.
Y’know, I think I’m pretty well suited to Earth Magic.
I’ve gotten way better at it than Wind Magic, which I picked up at about the same time.
Anyway, four down, two to go.
One of the men tries to run.
Tough luck, pal.
I’ve already got you tied up in my thread.
With the last two thieves immobilized, I turn my Evil Eyes on them.
Their HP, MP, and SP get sucked away in seconds, and down they go.
That’s a wrap, people.
If I were a prince or a knight or whatever, this is the part where I’d go, Are you hurt, milady? and the young lady inside the carriage would be all, Oh, I’m so lucky you just happened to be there when those awful men attacked me! and so on and so forth.
Ew. Gag.
White knights are the worst.
Ugh. All right, enough going off on tangents.
I beat the thieves.
I rescued the carriage.
The guards are pointing their swords at me.
And here we are.
Well, well.
I knew it.
I knew this would happen.
If anything, I guess I’m glad they didn’t just attack me right away.
It’s not that they’re just too scared of me to move.
I’m sure they’re really nice people, so they’re very suspicious but reluctant to attack someone who just saved their lives.
Like I said. It’s not ’cause they’re too scared of me to move.
It’s not, okay?
Hmm?
Well, look at that. The first guy who went down is actually still alive.
Ugh, since I’m in it this far, I guess I might as well help him, too.
I approach the fallen human.
As soon as I move even a little, the other guards make a big deal of backing far away.
…I’m just gonna pretend I didn’t notice that.
Activate Healing Magic.
The collapsed guard’s wounds heal up in an instant.
Okay. With that, he’s probably not gonna die.
Actually, now that I look at him, this guy’s dressed more like a butler than a guard.
You were trying to protect your master even though you’re not trained for combat?
Aw, how nice.
Aside from the guards, the lady watching nervously from inside the carriage looks pretty surprised, too.
Considering that a monster just rescued her from thieves and is now using Healing Magic on one of her entourage, I guess that’s a reasonable reaction.
Whew. All right, I’m done here.
I guess I’ll just make a super-cool exit, since it’d be awkward to gather up the robbers’ bodies in front of everyone.
Wait, the lady is bustling out of the carriage now.
Her guards all protest, holding her back.
But I don’t care about that anymore.
My eyes are fixed on what the lady is holding in her arms.
<Human vampire LV 1 Name: Sophia Keren
Status: HP: 11/11 (green) (details)
SP: 12/12 (yellow) (details)
Average Offensive Ability: 9 (details)
Average Magical Ability: 32 (details)
Average Speed Ability: 8 (details)
MP: 35/35 (blue) (details)
: 12/12 (red) (details)
Average Defensive Ability: 8 (details)
Average Resistance Ability: 33 (details)
Skills:
[Vampire LV 1] [Immortality LV 1] [HP Auto-Recovery LV 1] [Magic Power Perception LV 3]
[Magic Power Operation LV 3] [Night Vision LV 1] [Five Senses Enhancement LV 1] [n% I = W]
Skill Points: 75,000
Titles:
[Vampire] [Progenitor]
>
The lady is cradling a baby.
And its Appraisal results are something else.
I mean…could I be wrong?
There’s so much going on here that I don’t know where to start, y’know?
I mean, she’s a vampire, she’s got a ton of skill points, and she’s got a second name kinda displayed under the first one…
Ahh, I get it.
Is this baby what I think it is?
I mean, come on. I knew the moment a super-Japanese name like Shouko Negishi popped up in her Appraisal results.
This child is a reincarnation, just like me.
That was the day I first met a fellow reincarnation in this world.
TIMELINE KINGDOM HISTORY
Year 798 Ronandt becomes the youngest head court mage of the Renxandt Empire in history.
Year 801 Meicis the hero is killed in battle at Fort Kusorion.
Darresmeig is appointed as the new hero.
Year 803 Darresmeig the hero defeats Demon Lord Atomos.
Year 804 Darresmeig the hero disappears.
Year 807 Sword-King Leigar abdicates the throne of the Renxandt Empire and disappears.
Largis becomes the new sword-king. Ronandt becomes his adviser.
Year 829 Sirius becomes king of Analeit Kingdom.
Year 832 The first prince of Analeit Kingdom, Cylis, is born to the true queen.
Year 833 The first princess of Analeit Kingdom, Leiresia, is born to the king’s first concubine.
Year 834 The second prince of Analeit Kingdom, Julius, is born to the king’s third concubine.
Year 837 The third prince of Analeit Kingdom, Leston, is born to the king’s second concubine.
Year 840 The second prince, Julius, becomes the hero.
The previous hero, Darresmeig, is thus assumed dead.
An unusual young taratect individual is sighted in the Great Elroe Labyrinth. A wyrm egg and spider thread are collected from its nest and presented to the royal family.
Increase in demon activity.
Year 841 The fourth prince of Analeit Kingdom, Schlain, is born to the king’s third concubine.
The second princess of Analeit Kingdom, Suresia, is born to the true queen.
The first child of Duke Anabald, Karnatia, is born.
The first prince of the Renxandt Empire, Hugo, is born.
The king’s third concubine passes away.
The empire army, led by Ronandt, encounters the “Nightmare of the Labyrinth” in the Great Elroe Labyrinth.
The Nightmare of the Labyrinth and a queen taratect emerge from the Great Elroe Labyrinth.
Ronandt temporarily disappears.
Year 842 The Nightmare of the Labyrinth appears in Sariella.
The Sariella and Ohts regions go to war. The empire and the Followers of the Word of God support Ohts.
Julius the hero battles the Nightmare of the Labyrinth and escapes with his life thanks to Ronandt’s rescue.
Julius the hero temporarily becomes Ronandt’s pupil.
Kidnapping and slave trading occur successively in various locations.
Year 843 The Nightmare’s Vestiges are identified in the Great Elroe Labyrinth.
Year 844 The first princess, Leiresia, marries the first prince of the Teresent Kingdom and studies abroad there.
Year 845 The Sword Demon appears in the empire.
Ronandt successfully drives the Sword Demon away.
Year 846 The Word of God religion exposes a large-scale human trafficking organization.
As a result of this incident, Julius the hero adds Jeskan and Hawkin to his party.
Year 847 Schlain, Suresia, and Karnatia undergo the Appraisal ceremony.
Year 848 Feirune hatches from the earth wyrm egg.
Year 850 Potimas, the chief of the elves, visits the kingdom as a friendship ambassador.
Potimas’s daughter Filimøs studies abroad in the kingdom.
Julius the hero is caught in a demon trap and attacked but manages to escape.
Year 851 Schlain, Suresia, Karnatia, and Filimøs enter the royal academy.
The empire prince Hugo and the future saint Yurin make contact with them.
Julius the hero defeats one Nightmare’s Vestige in the Great Elroe Labyrinth.
Prince Hugo attempts to assassinate Schlain.
An earth wyrm attacks the royal academy.
Year 856 The Great Human-Demon War begins.
Julius the hero is killed in battle.
A coup d’état occurs in the Analeit Kingdom.
King Sirius passes away.
The fourth prince, Schlain, flees with fellow collaborator the third prince, Leston.
The Word of God announces Prince Hugo of the Renxandt Empire as the new hero.
At the same time, the second princess, Suresia, is announced as Hugo’s fiancée.
The empire declares war on the elves for participating in the kingdom’s coup d’état and begins raising an army.
The empire army and the Demon Lord’s army invade the elf village.
AFTERWORD
To readers old and new, hello! I’m Okina Baba.
Although I doubt there are any newcomers picking up the fourth volume.
That’d be like starting with the hardest member of the Elite Four, y’know?
Stop that! Put this down and start with the weakest member, aka Volume 1!
This is an ongoing series, so you’re not going to understand if you start with Volume 4!
The main topic of this volume is Mother, whose presence has been lurking since all the way back in Volume 1.
Are there any other novels where the first illustration is not the protagonist but the protagonist’s giant mother?
No, probably not!
Normally, the first illustration would be either the hero or a cute heroine, but instead, boom! Giant spider!
And when she reappeared in Volume 3, she once again stole the spotlight in the very first illustration.
Yes, Mother is the prima donna who took over not one but two major illustrations in the past.
Don’t give up, protagonist!
You’re still winning in terms of total number of illustrations, protagonist!
There’s a high percentage of illustrations that don’t feature humans, but I guess that’s inevitable given the nature of the story.
I mean, every one of the first three volumes featured nonhuman characters across the board.
Well, the protagonist’s not human, so that’s how the cookie crumbles!
I’m so impressed with Tsukasa Kiryu for dealing with all that. Don’t worry—there are plenty of humans in Volume 4!
This time around, the book features a story that wasn’t in the web version.
The amount of new material I write for each volume has only gone up since Volume 1, and now I’ve finally reached the point where 90 percent of the book is brand new.
If I keep this up, Volume 5 and onward will all be 100 percent new material!
Unforgivable! That will never pass muster!
Speaking of new material, I also wrote a new short story.
Kadokawa Books is conducting a survey to commemorate its first anniversary, and it’s set up that if you fill out the survey (http://kadokawabooks.jp), you can read the short story.
Please participate if you’d like to read it.
Now on to the thank-yous.
To Tsukasa Kiryu, who always draws the most incredible illustrations for this humble nonhuman-character-filled series.
To Asahiro Kakashi, who also does an amazing job of drawing all those nonhuman characters in the manga adaptation.
To my editor K and everyone else who was involved in bringing this book into the world.
And to everyone who has picked up this book.
Thank you all very much.
Thank you for buying this ebook, published by Yen On.
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Part 8 of 8