Ultimate Otome Survival - Chapter 87

Having arrived at my master’s hermitage and spent five days crafting elixirs and potions while attending her alchemy lessons, I managed to recover nearly ninety percent of my health, perhaps thanks to her superior medicine and the first sound sleep I’d had in ages.

“Alright, it’s about time, Taciturn Disciple (Aria). We’re heading out, so prepare yourself.”
“Where to?”

Come to think of it, Master had mentioned preparing something for my return. Before I could ask what it was, I was put to work learning how to make restorative and invigorating medicines. What exactly had she been preparing?

“It’s been almost two years since you left this place, you know. Isn’t it about time you ran out of ‘thread’?”
“…How did you know?”
Slightly unnerved by her accurate prediction, I maintained my composure and asked. Master replied nonchalantly, “I knew the size of the spiders you were hunting wouldn’t last you more than a few years. Knowing you, you’ve probably been in some reckless fights, haven’t you?”
“…………”
Master seemed to know I was reckless, but I decided against mentioning the battle with the Orc General and his horde; she’d probably scold me.

The Giant Spider thread I had gathered was of good quality, thanks to the fresh materials, but it was still only mid-grade. Few humans or monsters could cut through the airborne threads, but higher-ranked individuals were capable of it. Seeing my Overall Combat Strength the last time I returned, Master anticipated that I would encounter higher-ranked enemies in the future. She had been using the merchants who came here and her few contacts to gather information about monster spiders.

“There have been sightings of Arachne in a valley with a river about three days north of here for the past few months. There haven’t been any casualties yet, and the adventurers probably won’t bother hunting them down since there’s a river, but we’ll go hunt them before they disappear.”
“…Understood.”

Master, like Elena, possessed all four elements, but her enlarged Magic Stone prevented her from overexerting herself. Moreover, having fought as a “War Demon” in the Evil Race Army, she had pushed herself too hard, and her body was no longer suited for prolonged battles.
‘Don’t push yourself.’
‘You don’t have to do this.’
I wouldn’t say such things to Master.
Her life was her own. But that was precisely why I didn’t want to waste even a fragment of what she had done for me.

I was using the boots and gauntlets that Master had used as an active “War Demon,” so she had equipped herself as a Magician. Magic alone shouldn’t strain her heart too much, but I still moved her luggage closer to me before we departed.
I donned the leather dress made by Gelf, which I had been maintaining, and strapped Galbas’s Black Knife and Black Dagger to my waist, throwing the used cloak over it all.

“Alright, Taciturn Disciple. Tell me the characteristics of an Arachne.”
Master’s lesson began as soon as we set off.
What Master taught me wasn’t limited to magic and alchemy; it encompassed general knowledge about life, dangerous monsters, forest creatures, and everything I needed to survive as an Adventurer.

An Arachne was a monster with the upper body of a human female growing out of a giant spider.
There were two types of Arachne: the “Common” and the “Rare.” They were the same species, but according to Master, the differences were so significant that they could be considered different species.
The upper body of the Common Arachne appeared to be that of a normal woman at first glance, but its intelligence was only on par with a Goblin, and its entire body twisted grotesquely, revealing its true monstrous nature the moment it moved.
The Rare Arachne, on the other hand, had almost no monstrous nature and possessed high intelligence. It could understand human speech, use magic, and its appearance remained that of a beautiful woman, said to bewitch human men.

In essence, these two types were the same species but differed as much as humans and Goblins. One could say they leaned towards demi-human and monster, respectively.
The Rare Arachne possessed intelligence and could communicate, but its reactions were neutral. Some individuals were friendly, while others would deceive and devour with cunning words. They also used magic and were skilled in trickery, making the Rare Arachne a Rank 5 threat to subjugate.
But this time, Master and I were hunting the Common type. They didn’t use magic, so their rank was one level lower at Rank 4, but their physical abilities were superior to the Rare type, making them a formidable opponent for a scout like me with low attack power.
Master nodded as she listened to my explanation while we moved through the forest, indicating that my answer was satisfactory.

“Master (Serejula), is there a difference in the quality of the thread between the Common and Rare types?”
As part of the lesson, I asked what I was curious about, and Master frowned slightly before speaking.
“Generally, they are considered the same, but monsters are living creatures, so there will be some differences depending on their physical condition and nutritional status. Especially in the case of the Rare type, some individuals pay more attention to their diet than humans in order to maintain the luster of their hair and skin to seduce men.”
“…I see.”
Monsters have it tough too…

We camped in the forest that night. If I were alone, I would have concealed my presence, not used fire, and slept in a tree for two or three days, but since there were two of us, we burned monster-repelling incense and made a simple soup with wild grasses, mushrooms, and dried meat.
“…Taciturn Disciple. The food you make is as rustic as ever.”
“It provides nutrition.”

We moved for another two days, and as we approached the river, we climbed the slope of the forest, revealing the summit of the valley where the river flowed below.
The Commercial Guild used ships to trade with the noble territories along the coast via this river, but bird monsters that occasionally attacked had disappeared, and instead, spiderwebs and shadows resembling Arachne had been sighted above the valley.
The Commercial Guild hired Adventurers to protect the ships, but the Arachne didn’t show themselves when Adventurers were present. If that was all it took to prevent attacks, they weren’t motivated to actively hunt them down in this deep forest, so the situation remained unresolved.

“Alright, I’m going.”
“Be careful.”

First, we needed to lure out the Arachne that was supposed to be in the valley.
Rather than having Master, a Dark Elf, do it, we thought it would be easier to lure them out if I, a female child, was alone. I walked towards the crevice in the valley alone.
Master was Rank 5 as a Magician, but her close combat Skill was only Level 3, so I was the better bait right now. Besides, with only a knife, I probably looked like a mere traveler to outsiders.
Of course, it was unnatural for a child to be alone in this deep forest, but a Common type with low intelligence, let alone a Rare type, would see me as nothing more than prey.

At the summit of the valley, which was about 40 meters wide, I sat on a nearby rock, pretending to rest, and waited. Soon, I sensed a disturbance in the Mana Particles with my “eyes.”
“Tch!”
I kicked off the ground, spun around, and threw off my cloak. The flying “thread” ensnared the cloak and pulled it away in an instant.

“――【Typhoon】――”

At that moment, Master, who had been hiding, unleashed the Level 5 Wind Magic 【Typhoon】, and a raging cyclone blew the Arachne, which had been aiming for me, into the air.

【Arachne】【Race: Monster Spider】【Rank 4】
【Mana Capacity: 132/150】【HP: 386/435】
【Overall Combat Strength: 697 (Body Enhancement in progress: 831)】

A human upper body growing out of a two-meter spider… No doubt, it was an Arachne.
【Typhoon】 had a large area of effect, but unless used at close range, it only had enough power to blow away a human. The Arachne, sent flying and screeching, landed on the ground, its upper body twisting from a human-like form into something resembling a Goblin as it glared at me.
By that time, I had already leaped forward and thrown my knife, which it caught with a thread from its spider head instead of its rear.

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[Arachne] [Race: Monster Spider] [Rank 4]
[Mana Capacity: 132/150] [HP: 386/435]
[Overall Combat Strength: 697 (Body Enhancement in progress: 831)]

A two-meter spider with a human upper body… It was definitely an Arachne.
【Typhoon】 had a large area of effect, but unless used at close range, it only had enough power to blow away a human. The Arachne, sent flying and screeching, landed on the ground, its upper body twisting from a human-like form into something resembling a Goblin as it glared at me.
By that time, I had already leaped forward and thrown my knife, which it caught with a thread from its spider head instead of its rear.

The Arachne, seeing me approach with a knife and dagger in both hands, and noticing Master closing in from behind as it tried to spew poison again, seemed to realize its disadvantage. Suddenly, it changed its goblin-like distorted face into that of a beautiful human woman, displaying a frightened expression.

But what’s the point of “that” now?

“——【Thrust】——”
“——【Slash】——”
My Black Knife and Master’s hatchet struck the Arachne’s neck from left and right, slicing it off like scissors, and the “human face” stuck with an expression of shock and fear fell into the valley and disappeared.
The Arachne has two brains, one in the human head and one in the spider’s head, but the spider’s one only functions as a cerebellum and can only move like a real insect on its own.
Just to be sure, I finished off the spider’s head as well, and Master muttered deeply.

“Did it think we’d hesitate just because it put on a human face?”
“Who knows?”

There’s no way I’d hold back against an opponent trying to devour me.
I would have struggled alone, but Master adjusted to me, so I was able to defeat the Arachne without much difficulty. So this is party combat… it’s so different from solo.
While processing the body of the defeated spider, Master took out a simple alchemy kit from the luggage she had brought and handed it to me with a grin.

“It’s a race against time, Taciturn Disciple. If you want proper thread, try to make a medicine to create thread from the materials here within half an hour.”
“…Understood.”
While still thinking it was harsh as always, I felt a sense of “nostalgia,” accepted the alchemy kit, and hurriedly started making the medicine.

On that day, in the Royal Castle of the Kingdom of Claydale, the three noble ladies who had become the Crown Prince’s official fiancées were gathered together.
Clara Dandall, daughter of the Margrave of Dandole.
Patricia Foodale, daughter of the Duke of Foodale.
Carla Leicester, daughter of the Count Leicester Estate.
They had not been informed why they had been gathered here today. As daughters of high-ranking nobles, they were allowed to bring several attendants and guards when visiting the Royal Castle, but only one person was allowed to enter here, and the others were made to wait in a separate room.

(…Boring)
While the other two had tense expressions, Carla, the youngest of them, was completely bored without any sense of tension.

Carla had been subjected to experiments to obtain All-Attribute Magic since she was a child due to her father’s policy. As a result, she lost her “meaning” as a noble lady to create connections with other families, and her father forced her to become the Crown Princess as her last role.
The Royal Family wasn’t expecting anything from Carla, who had health problems. She was merely being used as a “pawn” to strengthen domestic connections.

Originally, in this Kingdom of Claydale, a princess from a foreign royal family was welcomed as queen every other generation.
This was to strengthen ties with neighboring countries and deal with political issues with other major powers. However, the current king, who was supposed to connect with and strengthen ties with powerful domestic nobles, made a viscount’s daughter, who wasn’t even a candidate for fiancée, his first queen, which intensified the factional conflict within the country.
The previous king took responsibility and passed the throne to the Crown Prince to stabilize the royal family’s position, but the domestic backlash didn’t subside. They had no choice but to marry a queen from one of the leading noble families again, which created a rift with the royal family of the Solhorse Kingdom, who were scheduled to marry into the family next.

Carla had no thoughts on the matter. She had been given the opportunity to obtain a “toy” called the Crown Prince, so she didn’t care what happened to the country.
She thought she could play with the innocent Crown Prince until she “died” by defiling him, but after meeting a certain girl, Carla felt that her life had been colored for the first time.
A cold and merciless angel of death. She felt that only that girl understood her. Only she was standing on the same line as her.

(How wonderful would it be to kill each other with Aria and die in a garden full of blooming blood flowers?)

“Crown Prince Elvan von Claydale, First Princess Elena Claydale, entering!”

As Carla was imagining a wonderful dream, the doors of the venue opened and the Crown Prince and Princess of this country entered.
Carla’s interest in the Crown Prince had waned somewhat, but she had become interested in the First Princess Elena instead. Shifting her gaze from the entering Crown Prince to Elena following behind, the Princess directed a strong, wary gaze at Carla, who even the other fiancées avoided looking at.

Elena used to cling to her brother, the Crown Prince, but around three years ago, that obsession had subsided to a normal level, and she had begun to take a firm stance as a member of the royal family so as not to be taken advantage of by the Aristocratic Faction.
What caused her to change so much? Most people saw it as just growth, but Carla was drawn to the change with “interest.”

A little later, His Majesty the King entered with the Prime Minister and Carla’s father, the Head Court Magician.
What was the content of the talk that gathered the children of the royal family and their fiancées, rather than an audience?
Everyone stiffened as if holding their breath, and His Majesty the King looked over the faces of the children and opened his mouth directly.

“As members of the royal family, I want you to conquer the dungeon on the remote island, which is an exclave of the Duke of Foodale, in one year. I hope that you will use the Divine Protection (Gift) you obtain from the Spirit in that land for the sake of the country.”

After a moment of silence at the King’s words, a murmur arose, and behind it, only Carla wore a faint smile.

Aria obtains a new thread, and the story moves on regardless of Aria’s intentions.
It’s been a while since the Otome Game part. This content will be related to Aria in the future, so it may be easier to understand Chapter 4 if you remember it.
I’m having trouble because there’s too much I have to write (laughs).
I’ll do my best, so please support me.

Addendum
The royal family’s next generation trying to obtain Divine Protection (Gift) is not just a one-time thing, but has been going on for generations.
However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that Divine Protection (Gift) can always be obtained.
The current king and the previous king do not have Divine Protection (Gift), but the previous generation’s second prince obtained Divine Protection (Gift) and died young.

Next time, to the meeting place with Viro.
Next time will probably be Wednesday.