Episode 179. Interlude – Spiderweb

“…”


“…”


A silence fell like a curtain.


It was as if, after making a big fuss about introducing a surprise guest during the performance, the guest suddenly disappeared somewhere.


An awkward and uncomfortable atmosphere settled between me and Jackal.

“W-Wait… T-This can’t be…?”


Jackal frowned as if he couldn’t understand.


According to the records, the Tyrant of the Abyss, Behemoth, is said to be extremely possessive of its territory, and the moment its territory is invaded, it rushes to tear the intruder to pieces.

‘But why isn’t it coming?’


Jackal not only stepped into Behemoth’s territory but even rolled around, yet there was no sign of Behemoth or any other monsters.

“Why! Why isn’t it coming!”


Jackal shouted with a panicked expression.

“Ah…”


I let out a low sigh as I watched Jackal.

‘So Jackal came to the Abyss to tame Behemoth?’


I had been wondering why he had gone to such lengths to invade the Abyss, even using the Monster Legion as bait, but now I understood.


For Jackal, who has the ability to control monsters, Behemoth must have been the ultimate prize.

But.


The very Behemoth that Jackal was after…

“Why! Why isn’t it coming!”


“Uh, well…”


“Grr… Could this not be Behemoth’s territory?!”


“No, it is its territory…”


“Shut up! What do you know, spouting nonsense?”


“…”


The words “It’s already dead” rose to my throat, but I didn’t say them out loud.


Even if I told him, Jackal wouldn’t believe me, and there was no reason to tell him anyway.

And honestly.

‘It’s kind of funny.’


Seeing Jackal desperately searching for a Behemoth that had died long ago made me chuckle.

“Grr…!”


Jackal swallowed his frustration, took a step back, and then charged at me, kicking off the ground.

“Uwaaaaah!”


Well, it was to be expected.


The “Grand Archbishop of Beasts” without his monsters was laughably clumsy in hand-to-hand combat.

Thud!


“Guh!”


Jackal flew through the air after being lightly kicked.

“Trying hard, huh? Now you’re resorting to hand-to-hand combat?”


Pathetic.

“You… you brat…”


Jackal trembled as he bit his lip.


Not only had I turned the core forces of the Monster Legion, the Ten-Eyed monsters, into ashes, but I was also overwhelming him like a child.


Even if he was weak in hand-to-hand combat, this wasn’t something a mere candidate could do.

“Who… are you?”


Jackal asked in a trembling voice.

“Why, didn’t Mephisto tell you? Then you should know who I am.”


I shrugged and continued.

“Third-year of the Warrior Department at Reynaldo Hero School. The bottom-ranked hero, Dale Han.”


That’s me.

“Nonsense!”


Jackal gnashed his teeth and shouted.


Third-year of the Warrior Department? Bottom-ranked?


This was utter nonsense.

“Who are you, disguising yourself as a candidate?”


Jackal, who had been looking at me with suspicion, suddenly widened his eyes as if he had realized something.

“You… could you be ‘Khalid Han’?”


“Huh?”


I couldn’t help but laugh at his absurd guess.

Khalid Han, the Falling Blossom Swordsman.


A hero currently ranked 5th, known for the petals that scatter with each swing of his sword, earning him the title of Falling Blossom Swordsman.


Another nickname is “The Last Master,” as he barely made it into the top 5, earning the title of “Master.”


Anyway.


Although he is considered inferior compared to other Masters, a Master is still a Master.

“Wow, I’m honored. You think I’m Master-level?”


“Don’t play dumb! Grr… Now that I think about it, you’re from the Republic, and your surname is the same!”


Jackal shouted, convinced I was Khalid Han.


I shook my head with a pitiful expression.

“First of all… I can see you know nothing about the Republic.”


“What?”


“Do you know how many people in the Republic share the same surname? By that logic, even the dog next door is a Han.”


“…”


While there are rare surnames like “Ryu” that represent a family, most Republic citizens share similar surnames.

And most importantly.

“I’m an orphan.”


“…”


“My name and surname were given to me by the orphanage director.”


I heard that one of the orphanage’s sponsors suggested the name, so they gave it to me.

Anyway, the guess that I was Khalid Han, disguising myself to enter the school, was completely off the mark.

“Then, who are you…?”


“How many times do I have to say it? I’m Dale Han, a third-year candidate in the Warrior Department at Reynaldo Hero School.”


“…”


Jackal clenched his teeth, unable to believe it.


He twisted his wrinkled face and continued.

“Stop lying! How… how could a mere candidate… Guh!”


After tripping Jackal, I pointed the tip of my sword at his chest.

“Question time is over. Now it’s my turn to ask.”


“Grr…”


“How did you open the gate to the lower Abyss?”


The first floor of the Abyss is connected by physical paths, but from the second floor onward, you can’t descend without activating a magic circle.

“…Mephisto. That bastard told me how to open the gate.”


“Mephisto?”


“Ah… yes! That’s it! Mephisto, that bastard! This was all his doing!”


Jackal’s eyes widened as if he had realized something.

“Damn it! No wonder…! I should have realized it when that sly bastard proposed the deal!”


“…”


I frowned as I watched Jackal, who was now in a frenzy.

‘So he was just a puppet too.’


Even Jackal, a fellow Archbishop, was being played by Mephisto.

“Tsk.”


Whoosh!


Flames of ash ignited along the blade of my sword.

“W-Wait! Let’s make a deal!”


“A deal?”


“Yes! If you spare me, I’ll give you information about Mephisto!”


“Hmm.”


That was certainly tempting.


I twisted the corner of my mouth and continued.

“Alright. But I’ll change the terms of the deal.”


“Change the terms?”


“Yes. If you give me information about Mephisto, I’ll kill you.”


“…What?”


Jackal looked at me as if I was talking nonsense.

“What kind of nonsense… Guh, gah!!!”


Whoosh!


I thrust the ash-covered sword into his body and smiled brightly.

“Don’t worry.”


You’ll understand soon enough.

“Gaaaaah! Aaaaah! S-Stop! Stoooop!”


As the ash flames consumed his body, Jackal let out a scream of agony.

* * *

Thud.


I pulled the sword out of Jackal’s charred corpse.


After a brief(?) interrogation, I recalled the information I had gathered.

‘Mephisto is colluding with a hero.’


I couldn’t find out who it was or what their goal was, but one thing was certain.

‘There’s a traitor.’


A traitor who has turned their back on humanity and joined hands with the Devil God.

‘Well… it’s not like there haven’t been heroes who betrayed humanity and sided with the Devil God before.’


Even with my past life experience, I couldn’t guess who among them had joined hands with Mephisto.

“Ugh.”


As I was racking my brain over this unsolvable problem.

“…Is it over?”


Professor Elisha approached with unsteady steps.

“Are you awake?”


“Hoho. I couldn’t just leave everything to my student and rest comfortably.”


Professor Elisha smiled faintly and took out a cigarette from her pocket, biting it.


She looked down at Jackal’s charred corpse with a complicated expression.

“Candidate Dale… in your past life, did I die with Jackal?”


“…Yes?”


“Then you’ve saved my life.”


She threw the barely smoked cigarette on the ground and moved closer to me.


She leaned her forehead against my chest.


I could see her shoulders trembling slightly.

“Can I… can I be a little selfish with Candidate Dale for a while?”


“As long as you want.”


I patted her back as if comforting a crying child.

“…”


Her trembling shoulders gradually calmed down.

“Candidate Dale.”


“…Yes.”


Before I could answer, her lips met mine.

“Hoo.”


After a brief kiss, Professor Elisha pulled away.

“There’s one thing I regret.”


“Regret?”


“Not being able to give Candidate Dale my ‘first.'”


She touched her lips and smiled bitterly.

“Before meeting Candidate Dale, I used to kiss others just to activate Insight’s Blessing more comfortably.”


Although she could activate Insight’s Blessing by drinking blood or sweat, it was much less effective than kissing.


She had never found it uncomfortable.


Because she had no feelings about the act of kissing itself.

“I never thought I would come to care for someone like this, or feel such happiness because of them. I thought… I didn’t deserve it.”


Her life had been a long series of despair.


Along with the flames that consumed her village, all her hopes had turned to ashes.

“But… ironically, it was the fire within Candidate Dale that gave me new hope.”


The flames that burned with a dull ash color.


Unlike the scorching flames that had consumed her life as a child, the fire she felt from him was incredibly warm.

“Thank you. And…”


Professor Elisha placed her hand on Dale’s left chest.


Feeling the warm fire within, she spoke softly.

“I love you. More than my own life.”


Professor Elisha’s eyes trembled.

“…Professor.”


I had known for a while that she had feelings for me, but hearing it directly made my heart pound as if it would burst.


As I was about to say something, Professor Elisha smiled faintly and placed her index finger on my lips.

“Hoho. You don’t need to answer now. I know you’re in a complicated situation.”


“…”


“But… well, let’s make one promise.”


She brought her lips close to my ear and spoke in an enchanting voice.

“My other ‘first’… I’ll save it just for you. Forever.”


Suddenly.


The image of the Flesh Monster, tightly bound in a spiderweb, unable to move, came to mind.

“Hoho. I should go back now.”


“…”


Perhaps.


The prey caught in the spiderweb wasn’t just that monster.