episode_0063

Got it. at las.

The being who had been the reason we had rushed from the capital of the Empire to this Britannia was now caught in a web of spider webs.

The cursed rabbit, who had lived as a legend of slaughter for hundreds of years, seemed to have no energy left to struggle and rebel now.

Considering the source of that net, it may have been coated with poison that drains the energy of the game caught.

Facing such a sight in front of us, we couldn’t relax for a moment.

There were more than one or two hardships I had faced while dealing with her so far, and the moment I thought I had almost everything figured out, I vividly remember being hit by the trick hidden in her arms.

But she didn’t move at all until I got closer and picked up the spear that had fallen next to her.

Even if you turn the direction of the spear and lightly tap on the head a few times, you cannot change the movement, which does not apply much force, even though the face is horribly distorted in humiliation.

“Phew… That’s it.”

I sigh and mutter in relief.

It is not until the moment when we can finally be sure of the success of the mole hunt that our tension eases a little.

Of course, it wasn’t completely resolved.

The success of the hunt also meant that the common goal that had bound different people together until now also disappeared.

The thing to be most wary of was the mercenary soldiers sent by Katenis.

When I turned my gaze, Luvia and Emma, as well as the female warriors of this land, were already keeping an eye on her and being on guard.

Yong Ah-byeong also received those sharp gazes but did not let go of the sword in his hand.

I just asked back calmly.

“So are you going to go back to that cave right now?”

At those words, the female warrior’s expression wavers.

She left her tribe to hunt down an ancient cursed monster and finally achieved her goal…

Because she was unable to sacrifice the game to the gods she served and complete her journey.

Rather, it will not be easy to accept a situation where it has to hand over what it wants to a being who may put this world in danger.

If she becomes convinced that the freed Aladikh will spread the poison to this land, she will try to block our deal, even if it means threatening me, who is bound by the contract.

Rather, it would be in line with her duty as a warrior of the tribe living in this land.

Of course, for Luvia and Emma, who prioritize their safety above all else, the shaking is a sign that they have no choice but to be cautious.

There was a high possibility that Yong Ah-byeong would have brought up this story right away in order to disperse even a little the vigilance that had been directed only at him.

I couldn’t be dragged along the way she intended.

If we are torn apart now, our inevitable reunion with Alaadih will have bad consequences for all of us.

I raise my voice to calm everyone down.

“Okay. I should go back right away. First of all, the contents of the contract must be faithfully fulfilled in order to address its blind spots.”

Reminding everyone of our original plan.

At least the female warrior seemed to calm down a little at my words, took a deep breath, and nodded with a more organized expression.

When the conflict he was trying to raise seemed to have been resolved again, Yongahyeong looked a little disappointed, but obediently let go of his weapon and walked away.

When I saw that, I couldn’t help but shake my head as if I was sick of it.

‘…If a problem arises, the life of the person involved in the contract will be in danger.

Still, there is a higher chance of success in the mission if we try to trick here, so we are going to give it a try.

I’ve done a lot of reckless things… but is this something I was born with?’

I have competed with the mercenary soldiers in large and small conflicts with the Katenis family before, but this is the first time I have been able to know not only their skills but also their behavior and way of thinking.

At the same time as I further upgrade my assessment of their risk… I also feel pity for them.

I have no choice but to offer such great loyalty and devotion to a man who would not feel the slightest gratitude for receiving such things.

If only I could change the direction of that allegiance…

‘No… I don’t have time to think about that right now. Concentrate.’

To steady myself, I add strength to the hand holding the spear.

As the coolness of the metal pole penetrated deeper into my hands and cleared my mind, I picked up the net and caught it with it.

Emma came close to me, clasping her hooves, and when she bent down slightly, she climbed on top of her and placed the captured game on her back.

The thin body of the rabbit hanging from Emma’s waist hung limply, as if the spider’s web had tightly tightened its limbs.

“Let’s go.”

As soon as I finished speaking, Emma moved her horse-shaped lower body again and began to run lightly through the darkening forest.

The goal was to return to the cave before night fell and it became difficult to tell the direction.

Because they had to keep pace with others, they couldn’t run at full speed like usual, but except for the druid girl, all of them were warriors who had no problems with physical strength.

The female warrior moved her body quickly as if she didn’t feel any weight even with the young druid on her back, and we were soon able to escape the forest.

I memorized the path accurately, so once I left the forest, it didn’t take much time to get back to the cave.

It seemed like no one in our group was happy about that fact.

As darkness slowly began to fall, the cave looked like a monster with its mouth open waiting for prey to enter.

Normally, this would be a story we would pass over with a laugh… but if we think about what awaits us inside now, it may not make much of a difference.

“Kyaaaa!!”

The cursed rabbit, which had been quiet until now, also lets out a scream as the cave approaches.

Something between a threat filled with anger and a scream mixed with fear burst through the net that held her, but at the same time, it was all she could do.

I reached out and tightened the net, quieted her, and spoke in a whisper to the rest of the group.

I was worried that the spiders in the shadows might hear our story.

“Last time I entered the cave, I had to go deep into the cave to meet Aladih and his children, but there is no way that will happen this time.

Because there is a high possibility that they are waiting for us.

So those who can’t follow this time will wait here for us to return.”

As he spoke and looked alternately at the mercenary and druid girl who served as a guide, he responded with obvious relief that they did not have to go in.

The female warrior seemed to be speaking similar words to the druid girl in the language of her people.

The girl showed a more complex reaction than the mercenary, who clearly seemed relieved by the story.

Although it seems like it is trying to follow along, the body that remembers the fear naturally ends up taking a step back.

The female warrior, who looked pitifully at the girl who was gritting her teeth as if she was embarrassed and angry at herself, bent down for a moment and hugged the girl.

When the warrior handed her a necklace with a blue pattern on it, the druid girl took it cautiously, as if surprised, and finally took a step back.

“Can I ask what you said?”

“…He told us to flee to the northwest if we didn’t return for too long, and that if you showed the token to our tribe, they would probably accept you.”

When I asked the female warrior who came back with the ax on her shoulder, she hesitated for a moment and then confessed.

“Don’t worry too much. Because that girl will find a new family after she goes back with you.”

“…I hope I can do that too, if possible.”

It’s not like she, who had fought bravely until now, suddenly became more scared than me.

It’s just that the weight of this situation that the female warrior felt was different from mine.

To me, Aladikh was just another new danger in the land, but to her, she was an evil from sinister myths passed down among the tribes.

But that’s why I had to take the lead and act more confidently.

At least until the moment when Aladikh is caught off guard, he must act so innocently as if he had been deceived in order to trick the cunning spider.

The female warrior’s anxiety will become another smokescreen that hides her intentions until the last moment.

So that, unlike my doubting colleagues, I can disguise myself as a foreign adventurer who naively believed in a contract with a blind spot.

There was no reason to delay any longer, so we left the mercenary and the girl behind and walked into the cave.

And it wasn’t long before I was able to confirm that leaving those two behind was a wise decision.

Perhaps because I had entered this space before, I was able to recognize it immediately the moment I crossed the boundary.

The shadows we are now stepping on are no longer real, but belong to those who were exiled from there a long time ago.

“…You came back really quickly, sir. Was your hunting successful?”

In the darkness, only one voice greets us, ringing sweetly.

However, even though he asks a question to which he already knows the answer, he cannot hide the slight tremor of his voice due to the longing and anticipation contained within it.

In complete contrast to last time, when she first sent out countless children to chase us, she was hiding somewhere in this darkness, speaking only with her voice.

In a space of unknown size, where no sound could be heard except Aladih’s voice.

I have a rough guess as to what her intentions are, but… I wait for now. I just pretend to know nothing and ask back.

“That’s right. Alladih. Thanks to your gift, I was able to complete the hunt much more easily.

As per the terms of the contract, we caught the white rabbit cursed by the gods. Where are you?”

“… That’s great. Even though I gave you a net I woven myself, you caught something that no one on this earth has been able to do for hundreds of years…

Well then, I guess I’ll have to finalize the contract now. Hunter, give us the cursed beasts you have hunted.

Then we will not touch you until you escape this darkness.”

Following Aladikh’s words, I took down the spider web and the rabbit inside from Emma’s waist and laid them on the floor of the cave.

Only then does she come down from the darkness above, slowly revealing herself with a spider web hanging down.

“…Ah… finally…”

Aladikh stepped on the cave floor, stretched out his trembling legs as if he was moved, and carefully caressed the prey I had received.

“Aladih, we have done our part in the contract. Now you also fulfill the remaining part of the contract-”

“Ah… Of course… But hunter… Do you remember exactly what I signed up for?”

Her voice was full of laughter as she suddenly interrupted me.

“Aladikh, after you took over the cursed rabbit we caught.

He said he would guarantee our safety until we leave the darkness of the cave again. So-”

And that moment.

The darkness disappears in the cave.

Only then did the things hidden within come to light, and what drove away the darkness were countless spider webs sprawled everywhere.

On top of the spider webs that gave off a strange green glow and consumed the darkness, there were twice as many spiders as the last time I saw them.

And now that there was no darkness to be found in the cave, there was no longer any reason for them to stay still as there was nothing to worry about in the contract.

Numerous spiders begin to descend from web to web, clicking their jaws sharply.

Drooling as we see ourselves in those shining eyes.