No to Being the Suffering Heroine!

It was truly surprising that Wolfgang and the Vengeful Spirit Spider were not father and son.

Oh right. It was obvious they looked alike. Especially that shiny forehead.

But that couldn’t be possible.

Monsters using humans as hosts to breed do exist, but that doesn’t mean a hybrid child would be born between them.

You’d just get monster babies that look just like their parents.

So, there was no way Wolfgang could be the son of the Vengeful Spirit Spider.

Though he looked and acted like a monster, shockingly, he was a being closer to humanity.

He was slightly inferior to humans, so should we call him a lesser-human? Anyway, he had no relation to spiders.

So—

“Son! Aaargh!”

No, that wasn’t something to be worrying about right now.

As the torch shining on the ceiling fell again, the Vengeful Spirit Spider with its jaw gaping wide began charging towards us!

“Run!”

I quickly turned around and shouted.

We had to flee.

That thing was a monster we couldn’t face right now. Even with Kikel and me giving it our all, it was impossible.

To take it down, a silver-ranked adventurer or a knight from the kingdom had to show up.

“Sounds good!”

“Agreed!”

There was no opposition. My party members nodded and immediately turned, rushing towards the shared entrance.

“Running away again? You can’t escape!”

The old man’s roar echoed behind us. It felt like his voice was getting closer, sending chills down my spine.

Crash!

Eight legs were crushing the cave ceiling as they approached. The noise oddly reminded me of helicopter blades.

“Why is the Vengeful Spirit Spider here…!”

Laute muttered, gritting her teeth.

I shared the same sentiment.

Why was such a monster hiding in an ordinary tunnel…?

The Vengeful Spirit Spider was a being resurrected through the rare chance of a human soul filled with strong resentment obtaining a monster’s body.

If it were a multi-level dungeon, maybe, but a place like this shouldn’t have such monsters.

If all humans who died with resentment turned into such monsters, this world would’ve been doomed ages ago!

What should we do?

Can we escape like this?

I clenched my teeth as I stared at the approaching entrance.

The corridor was wide enough that even Kikel, a Lizardman, could fight freely. But could the Vengeful Spirit Spider fit into that passage?

If it could, fleeing would be pointless.

If we ran down a straight path, the eight-legged monster would definitely be faster than our two-legged selves.

Like a dog with its tail on fire, I’d run through the passage, only to be knocked down by the spider’s attack.

Then, what should we do….?

“Uwaaaah!”

While I nervously chewed on my lips with such ominous assumptions, Wolfgang let out a loud scream and ran faster than anyone, like a newborn monkey.

Maybe it’s because he wasn’t wearing any armor. While completely useless in combat, he was the fastest when it came to fleeing.

“I’m alive—!”

And so, Wolfgang finally reached the shared entrance, leaping in with a joyful scream—

Thud!

“Guhck?!”

With a heavy thud, he was immediately bounced back at the same speed he entered, splattering red blood like a fountain.

“What the heck!?”

Startled, Kikel grabbed Wolfgang by the scruff of his neck to lift him up.

“Gghhhh….”

Wolfgang, drooping like a sick octopus and bleeding instead of ink, groaned in pain.

“Spiders…! The spiders are blocking the way…! Ggh…”

Wolfgang pointed with his trembling right hand towards the shared entrance, closing his eyes after delivering what sounded like a dying message.

“What? Is he dead?!”

“Shut up! His heart’s still beating! He’s not dead yet!”

So, he fainted but was still alive.

“Kikel! Hilde! The entrance…!”

Laute quickly cried out, pointing her mace towards the entrance. Specifically, towards the dozen giant spiders filling it.

“Kiieek! Kiieek!”

“Creeeeak…!”

Damn, they were following us after all…!

While the Vengeful Spirit Spider chased us from behind, the path ahead was blocked by enemies. We were completely trapped. A fatal trap.

“Let’s break through…!”

“It’s impossible!”

Laute shouted, her face contorted as if she could spit.
Though what she declared seemed pretty much impossible.

Getting through a dozen giant spiders in a brawl seemed plausible if we were willing to take some injuries, but….

“Kiieek!”

“Keheeek!”

Pshh—! Pshh-!

Instead of charging at us, they spewed webs from their rear ends, sealing the passage completely.

It was a cunning strategy. They might just even have higher intelligence than Wolfgang.

“Damn it, at this rate…!”

We stopped running, gritting our teeth.

If we charged in recklessly, we’d be caught in a web without even being able to resist, and would be turned into a meal. We couldn’t move forward anymore.

“…We’re screwed.”

It felt like my vision was going dark. I cursed while gritting my teeth.
In front of me was a net made of spider silk.

“Creeeeek…! Are you going to let me catch you again…!”

Behind us was a monster we could not defeat.

We were literally on the edge of being trapped.

◆◆

“Show your legs, my son…!”

As we were stuck without options, the Vengeful Spirit Spider slowly approached us, likely to mock our situation.

With that old face and the way it spoke, considering the setting, it must be the spirit of the previous Village Chief possessing that monster.

Damn that Village Chief. If you’re going to kill your father, then make sure it’s done right. Don’t leave behind such lingering problems…!

I ground my teeth and glared at the slowly approaching giant spider with an old man’s face.

“Kiieeek…!”

My body trembled.
The air I breathed felt icy, and my legs felt like they didn’t belong to me.
The only sound I could hear was the thunderous beating of my own heart.
The edges of my vision darkened, making it impossible to see anything other than the Vengeful Spirit Spider.

Since being possessed by Brunhilde’s body, had there ever been a situation as dire as this?

Even when facing Gunther, or when we were ambushed by raiders on our first quest and had to fight while getting slashed at the back.

I had always been assured that as long as I kept my head straight, I could somehow get through it.

But what about now?

“Hah….”

Suddenly an old joke came to mind.

The one about staying conscious even when being bitten by a tiger… because wouldn’t you feel the pain of being eaten alive?

That was the situation now.

◆◆

“I have a good idea.”

Laute quietly spoke up.

A good idea?
Could such a thing exist in a situation like this?

“What is it…?”

“Set Wolfgang on fire and throw him at the spiderweb.”

What the hell?

I turned to her with a dumbfounded look.
“Wha…?”

“If we have a flame strong enough to burn one person, then the spiderweb should burn away completely too, right? Once the web burns, we could escape through the hole….”

No, that’s a crazy idea!

Even though he was injured and fainted, he was still a person, and you want to burn him and throw him like firewood at the spiderweb?

That’s clearly insane.

It seemed Laute wasn’t in her right mind due to fear.

Come to think of it, she was the one who recognized the Vengeful Spirit Spider immediately upon seeing it.
Because of that, she couldn’t help but be consumed by fear and despair.

Unlike Kikel, who still had some rationality left, she was already convinced that they had no chances of winning.

“…It seems too late for that. There’s no guarantee it’d go as planned.”

I rejected Laute’s suggestion—no, the insane rant disguised as a suggestion.
Wolfgang, while being uselessly weak and noisy, and looking grotesque, was still a member of our party.
It wasn’t a crime heavy enough that a bald martial artist should become human firewood.

“Hah….”

What a good idea, I was foolish for even having expectations.
With a sigh, I turned my gaze back in front of me.

At least her absurd idea had helped a bit.
Perhaps because I’d heard such ridiculous talk, my trembling limbs began to regain some movement.

“Kikel, I’m leaving the back to you.”

I gripped the hilt of my sword tightly with both hands and forced myself to bring forth the dying fighting spirit as I glared at the Vengeful Spirit Spider.

“Creeeeek…!”

The Vengeful Spirit Spider burst into a grotesque laughter as it descended on webs to the ground. In its empty eye sockets, the blue glow seemed to be filled with ecstasy.

…How ridiculous.

Yeah, thinking it had caught its prey?

“…Calling me son. Can’t you tell the difference with those eyes gone?”

I gritted my teeth and tightened my grip on the sword’s hilt.
The odds were slim.
No, it was beyond slim; the chance of us taking it down was close to zero.
But still… I had to fight.
I had to fight.

Even if the chances are close to zero, without fighting, we wouldn’t even have that tiny chance to grasp.

“Sigh… Hah….”

I took a deep breath, filling my lungs with air, and exhaled it as if letting out a sigh.
The trembling of my body calmed a bit with each deep breath.
The trembling blade began to stabilize.
I tilted my body sideways and pulled the sword closer to my cheek while slightly bending my knees.
A chilling tension coursed through my taut back muscles.

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