Chapter 55: Returning to the Goddess's Embrace
Gülie: "...".
"Are you sure you haven't made a mistake?" Shirazawa asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I have no reason to lie to you."
"This..." Shirazawa stroked his chin, falling into deep thought. "Body Mind, you've really handed me a difficult riddle, haven't you?"
"I have one more request," Gülie spoke up.
"Oh? What kind of request?"
"I hope you will cease contact with the human race. Could you find a secluded place to live in hiding?"
"What do you mean?" Shirazawa frowned slightly, not understanding the intent behind this.
"I am deeply sorry for dragging you into this world, but the power you now possess is far too great. Every move you make will cause deviations in the original plan, ultimately leading the world into chaos. Therefore, I implore you: stay away from the conflict."
After speaking, Gülie bowed deeply to the two of them, his posture sincere.
After listening to the advice, Shirazawa fell into silent contemplation.
"...I'm sorry, but I refuse." A moment later, Shirazawa spoke coldly, his tone without a hint of hesitation. "Since we have already come to this world, its destruction is directly linked to us. We cannot simply sit back and watch ourselves perish along with the world."
"You are too pedantic, Gülie. Humans are not worth protecting like this. Or rather, is a world saved only by the sacrifice of the Goddess the ending you truly want?" Shirazawa shook his head with a bitter, slightly ironic smile.
"I have never cared about those things. I am simply protecting Sariel's will, nothing more." Gülie's expression remained indifferent, unshaken.
"Fine. You have your persistence, and we have our convictions. Let's drop the subject." Seeing that Gülie was adamant, Shirazawa let out a helpless sigh.
"In the eyes of an off-worlder, are my actions ridiculous?" Gülie lowered his eyes, a trace of confusion flickering within them.
"Not at all." Shirazawa looked up. "A man who carries out his convictions, follows his inner will, and fights for it is actually quite cool! Regardless of the outcome."
Hearing the spider's praise, a faint smile finally touched Gülie's lips. "I stand corrected."
"Then, I wish you luck. I'll take my leave." With that, Gülie stepped into a portal and vanished, leaving the two spiders staring at each other.
"Being an Administrator seems pretty tough," Shiro remarked with heartfelt sentiment.
"Tell me about it~" Shirazawa nodded in agreement. Everyone had something they had to protect, even if it wasn't recognized or was even hated; it couldn't be changed. That was their fate.
"Tired, so tired. Let's sleep." Shiro yawned. "Talking all seriously like that is more exhausting than a battle. Goodnight, Aze..."
She curled up lazily in Shirazawa's embrace and closed her eyes.
"..." Shirazawa's mouth twitched. *You literally only said one sentence just now, didn't you?* And besides, it was still broad daylight.
He shook his head helplessly and pulled Shiro closer. "Goodnight~"
**The Count's Estate.**
Looking at the diplomatic mission members being carried back, Count Keren was at a total loss.
"Master, what should we do about this?" The butler, Mera, stood to the side with a long face, his eyes filled with worry.
"What else can we do? Go call a doctor, quickly." Geren sighed and turned to order Mera to find a physician.
An envoy from the Kingdom of Ohts attacked in a neighboring territory... this was not going to be easy to handle.
Under the physician's treatment, the men soon woke up and immediately unleashed a torrent of threats at Count Keren.
"..." Hearing their accusations, Keren couldn't help but roll his eyes. These idiots! He wasn't the culprit!
Once they had finished venting, the Count dismissed them, leaving Mera behind to discuss their strategy.
"Sigh... I wonder if the arrival of the Nightmare of the Labyrinth is a blessing from the Goddess, or a curse. While it has brought massive revenue and connections, it also brings many unwanted guests. Do we need to speak with *that* person?"
Mera suggested, but Geren shook his head. "No, there are still too many mysteries. Just the attitude of the Ohts envoys alone is worth scrutinizing."
"Are you saying Ohts intentionally sent people like that to stir up trouble?"
"It's a possibility we can't rule out."
"But what's the benefit?" Mera asked, puzzled. "A small nation like Ohts is no match for our Kingdom of Sariella. To provoke us so recklessly is just playing with fire."
"I'm aware of all that," Keren sighed. "That's exactly what I find so confusing. Notify the Royal Family; this matter must be handled with extreme caution."
**Meanwhile, in the guest room next to the study.**
The pudgy envoy was fuming, veins popping on his forehead. "Inexcusable! To think mere monsters would dare disrespect us! They must have a death wish!"
"Lord, what do we do now?"
"Hmph! Since it's come to this, we'll take them by force. And if we can't take them..." The envoy made a throat-slitting gesture.
"Brilliant, milord!" The other envoys began to flatter him, and the fat man's mood finally smoothed out a bit.
**Night, under a bright moon.**
The little spiders were fast asleep in their comfortable silk hammocks. Suddenly, over a dozen dark figures approached silently. They didn't show any sportsmanship, opting for a sneak attack right off the bat.
Could the spiders let that slide? Of course not. The Magic Brain fired a single Shadow Arrow, piercing several hearts instantly. That night, they "met the Goddess" and returned to her embrace quite peacefully.
[Experience has accumulated to a certain level. Lv 36 → Lv 37]
"Mmh... don't be noisy... let me sleep a bit longer..." Shiro grumbled, rolled over, and went back to her sweet dreams.
The next morning, Shiro opened her eyes and stretched her eight limbs. Feeling the warm sun on her body, she squinted her eyes in bliss. Then she looked down.
*Holy cow.* The ground was covered in corpses.
"Huh?" Shiro poked Shirazawa. "Aze, wake up! There are enemies!"
"Enemies?! Did the Demon Lord find us?!" Shirazawa bolted upright in terror, looking around warily.
"Not quite, but..." She pointed to the bodies on the ground and shrugged.
"These are... the Little Pig's henchmen?" Shirazawa blinked, looking at the pile of dead bodies and frowning.
"Little Pig?" She scratched her head, confused.
"The idiot envoy from yesterday."
"Oh~ I remember now." Shiro stomped her leg in anger. "How dare he strike at the great Divine Beast Lord! Unforgivable!"
"Thousand-Mile Cursed Evil Eye!"
**Back at the Inn.**
"Those two pests... once I get them back to Ohts, I'll show them how I squeeze every cent out of them." The Little Pig chewed on a cigar, fantasizing about the spiders making him a fortune.
However, a sense of unease was starting to creep in. "Strange, it's been all night. Why aren't those guys back? They can't even handle a small task. I'm definitely docking their pay when we get back, pay, pay... ugh... AH!"
An agonizing pain made him shriek, his face twisting in horror. His entire body began to convulse and twitch until he eventually went silent.
The commotion drew a maid to the room. When she pushed the door open and saw the scene inside, she froze in shock.
"AAAAAAAH!"
A piercing scream shattered the morning air, shaking the entire estate. When the butler Mera arrived at the scene, he was utterly baffled. This "modus operandi" was enough to make Sherlock Holmes shake his head.
With the pathetic death of the fat envoy, the fuse of war was officially lit. History would remember it as: The Landing of the Nightmare.
A massive amount of "experience packs" was heading toward the Keren territory. It was simply *subarashii*.
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