Knights, Let’s Smash Them

95 – How to set fire to our holy land (4)

Imperial rangers were different no matter what.

The only sure trace was a withered Laverantia, but he quickly grasped the surrounding landmarks and strode forward.

“Didn’t you say there were no cases of missing persons reported near Monterto recently?”

“Yes, not only in Monterto, but also in the other villages of Baron Kirten, we checked to see if there were any missing requests, and there were no results.”

“Then there are two possibilities.”

First, Arachne had just built a nest and had just attacked people.

Second, until now, Arachne has been able to procure food without hunting people.

Among them, Andrei was convinced of the latter.

“Generally, Arachne is a very cautious monster. Their intelligence is also high, so they won’t touch you if you think it’s unreasonable in the first place.”

Because of these characteristics, it was common to move in groups of at least seven people in areas where Arachne mainly inhabited.

“But before attacking the workers, we attacked Petra’s administrative chief and his party. Even though I rode a warhorse.”

The former imperial ranger’s eyes flashed.

“This means that it has already adapted to hunting humans. After that, the number of people who raided was up to six, so they clearly knew how to hunt humans.”

Monsters that are accustomed to hunting are several times more dangerous than those that are not. It’s not that a single hobgoblin is a more troublesome monster than a colony of goblins for nothing.

As soon as I heard Andrei speak, I realized what he was trying to say.

“It must mean that it has already been raided by more than that number without difficulty.”

He nodded silently, then went on to answer.

“Just in case, the Adventurers Guild identified the locations of nearby dungeons, neglected villages, fortresses, and ruins yesterday.”

“In the meantime?”

“This is a missing person case. This level of investigation should be done in advance.”

Andrei’s confidence skyrocketed at the insipid words. I’m also the type of person who doesn’t yield to anyone when it comes to meticulousness.

“Anyway, there is a ruined castle from the days of the Old Kingdom nearby. Since it was left unmaintained for a long time, it is likely that local outcasts or thieves used it as a hideout.”

Those who wander in search of deserted places are not just monsters and beasts.

Those who were isolated from society for some reason also often lived in such places.

A utopian world in which everyone is happy and prosperous has not been realized here either.

“Let’s start there.”

That’s how we arrived at the ruined castle following Andrei’s guidance. The thick wall, which once stood up to the attack of the enemy, collapsed, and the gate at the entrance was crushed, leaving no shape.

As soon as you step into the castle, where only the filthy atmosphere lingers.

“…… Damn.”

I could find clumps of cobwebs all over the place.

“It is as I said. They must have hunted down all the outcasts here.”

Not only that. In one corner of the wall, there were corpses close to mummies. The remains of the victims who met a terrible end were driven there, as if the leftovers were thrown away.

I’m sorry I have a strong stomach, but if I had been a little weaker, I wouldn’t have been able to hold back my nausea at this point.

Furthermore, along with other crudely made armor, the jet black armor of the Black Lion Knights was clearly visible on the pile of remains.

For a moment, my heart is about to sink.

“You haven’t eaten yet. Arachne is unnecessarily tidy, and she throws away what she eats.”

“Then this… ….”

“I just took it off.”

A monster possessing a high level of intelligence. Even that goblin would remove all of the victim’s clothing or armor, so there’s no way that the sturdy knight named Arachne would have eaten the entire armor.

In the end, after attacking the party, it seemed that all the armor that was easily eaten was removed.

Since its existence has been confirmed.

There was no reason to delay any longer.

“Follow me straight away.”

I pulled out the sword I had hung from my waist and stepped into the dark castle where no sunlight came in.

***

“Here I am.”

“I agree.”

Assuming that it is not a spider that nests in a shady and damp place, Arachne had built a nest in the basement instead of the upper floor.

From the beginning, the basement is full of terrible things that look like yarn bags and egg sacs.

As much as it seems to have been used as a prison at one time, rusty prisons and bars left unattended here and there add to the horror atmosphere.

Still, is it fortunate that there were no human-shaped pockets because it was still a beginner?

“First of all, this.”

Before entering the battle, I took out a bottle of potion from my bag and handed it to Andrei. The ‘potion of night vision’ I brought to prepare for an unexpected situation.

It was one of the potions that Compton, who has now established himself as a mid-level alchemist, readily donated.

I didn’t expect this to be used here.

As soon as you drink the potion, your dim vision instantly brightens as if you were wearing night vision goggles.

It would be foolish to carry a torch here.

There might be an inflammable toxic gas inside, and it couldn’t be dealt with if there were any casualties caused by using fire hastily.

In return, I brought a few more magic scrolls.

A very useful and expensive item that allows even a person like me who can only handle a small amount of mana to use powerful magic temporarily.

It’s more than enough to deal with Arachne.

From noble mtl dot com.

As soon as Andrei and I finished doping like that, we headed down into the cruel underground.

“Kyaaa!!!”

A deafening cry resounded.

It’s Arachne.

Is someone resisting?

We made eye contact almost simultaneously and ran down the stairs.

In the middle, stretched spider webs obstructed the passage, but he swung his sword to clear the way.

And finally.

I could identify a giant spider climbing the wall.

As well as a cobweb-covered human-shaped pouch hanging from its side.

I could see the medium-length hair coming through the spider web.

Of all the victims I know, there is only one person with hair like that.

“Andrei!!!”

Before I could say anything, an arrow was fired from the veteran hunter’s crossbow.

As soon as the sharp arrow pierces the thin web, it accelerates and leaps forward.

A shape that was barely grasped. I tore off the cobwebs stuck to my face and shouted.

“Petra! Are you okay!?”

Her eyes trembled.

Paralyzed and unable to even open her mouth properly, Petra gasps and weeps. How scared she must have been.

“What an asshole.”

“Kyaaa!!!”

I glared at Arachne.

I’ll slit the face of that goddamn monster.

How many innocent people did he eat?

I took the lives of all those who lived in the ruined castle, and even tried to eat my precious person.

It didn’t stop there, and even attacked the citizens of Monterto who participated in the construction with pure good intentions.

As the minor lord of Baron Kirten, administrator of the Snow Leopard Knights, vassal of Rupel Manor, and former administrator of the Knights of the Black Lion.

This bastard had to be killed.

“Petra, be patient. See you from above.”

I handed over Petra’s personal affairs to Andrei, who immediately followed.

“I will deal with that bastard alone. In the meantime, Andrei, please focus on rescuing the survivors. He joins Irrfin and reinforcements.”

“Will you be okay alone?”

“Enough.”

I raised my sword and took a stance.

Unlike a spider, Arachne is protected by a hard carapace on her front.

Unlike other insect-type monsters that can inflict critical hits with just a few swings, this is a cumbersome opponent to deal with with just a simple sword strike.

In addition, since it is sleek and thin like a sword, there is a risk that the sword will bounce off if you take the wrong trajectory.

‘Then…… I have no choice but to aim for the vitals.’

Shoots threads, sprays poison gas, and has a poison needle─ in fact, the most important part of Arachne.

Even though it’s such an important part, the stomach that wasn’t protected by the upper was the only vital spot I could target at the moment.

‘If you turn around and lure it in, then cut it right away… ….’

A confrontation where only strange tension flows.

The moment I showed even the slightest gap, I was thinking of digging into it and putting a knife in the back.

Thanks to the effect of the night vision potion, parts that would normally not be visible were clearly visible.

“…… ?”

Isn’t the round weak point that should have been covered with thin hair, etc., Surrounded by something shiny and oval?

“Kiyaaa!!”

At the same time as the roar, the uppers that were wrapped around the guy’s belly spread out to the sides. What came out of it were opaque wings.

A shape that has never been seen in an ordinary Arachne.

Not only that.

Keee─!!!

The thin film that rose above the ship collided with each other, and a powerful shockwave that shook the bones covered the entire space.

“Keuuugh!?!”

If I hadn’t blocked my ears according to my instincts, it wouldn’t have ended with a simple headache.

‘It’s Arachne who uses sonic attacks…… ?’

I’ve never heard of it.

Not only in the academic world, but also in the Knights Order, which fights all kinds of monsters at the forefront, it has not been reported that this type of monster has been found.

I had a thought that suddenly passed through my head at the incredible sight even when I was looking at it myself.

“No way.”

A monster with a different form from the normal Arachne.

It’s not enough to have wings that a spider shouldn’t have, and it uses those wings to shoot sound waves.

Unless this guy in front of me is a new type of monster that hasn’t been reported to the academic world.

There is only one case left.

“Chimera?”

That guy was an ‘artificial monster’.