## Chapter 87 – Widow Spider’s Memory (2)
It felt like it had been ages since I last saw Arachnella’s face.
Staring at her face, which was so beautiful it felt unnatural, like a sculpted masterpiece, I hesitated before speaking. But when I finally did, her red eyes widened momentarily, and she couldn’t hide her surprise.
“Is that… really true…?”
‘Yeah, it’s been quite a while. I’ve been digging diligently, so all you have to do is leave.’
Silence fell between us.
To be precise, the groans of the female beastmen being relentlessly violated continued to fill the air, but at least between Arachnella and me, there were no words.
“……..”
‘Ah… and I tried to dig in areas where there weren’t people… but you never know. Once you get out, find a safe place first. And then, just find a way out of the city. I wasn’t sure if the ground would hold up that far, so I didn’t dig too deep there.’
“I see… finally…”
Arachnella seemed lost in thought, staring blankly into space. I felt like I shouldn’t disturb her and waited for her reaction.
– Kyuing
The giant Kernel Worm, which had been peeking its head out from the wall like a wall decoration, let out an uncharacteristically cute cry and slowly retreated, revealing a large tunnel.
It was large enough for Arachnella’s massive form to pass through comfortably.
I spoke to Arachnella, who was gazing at the tunnel with her head tilted slightly.
‘Hey, um…?’
“What is it?”
‘Could you look after some people on your way out?’
“What…?”
The sound of a door opening, connecting the prison area to another room, echoed through the space, and several figures emerged.
I added an explanation for Arachnella, who was narrowing her eyes at the newcomers.
‘You’re getting out, but these kids are too. So, could you look after them until they get to a safe place?’
Two young beastman girls and Pina, who had her arms wrapped around their shoulders, shuffled forward hesitantly. Arachnella stared at me in disbelief, her lips moving as if she had lost her words, before letting out a small sigh.
Eventually, she took a deep breath, pinched the bridge of her nose, and finally spoke.
“Me, look after them? Why would I do that?”
‘They’re being hunted, just like you. I can’t leave here, so you’re the only one I can ask.’
“Huh…? Really…? You’re helping us escape…? But… even so, Arachnella… Eek!!”
Pina, who had overheard my request to Arachnella regarding the beastmen who would be escaping, stammered in disbelief. But when Arachnella glared at her, she whimpered and cowered.
Then, one of the little girls, who was nestled in Pina’s arms, looked up at Arachnella and said something that instantly changed the atmosphere.
“Is Big Sis helping us?”
“Big Sis…?”
“Hey… hey…!! That’s rude!! She’ll eat you up…!!”
Perhaps because she didn’t know any better, the little girl’s eyes were filled with curiosity rather than fear as she looked at Arachnella.
But Arachnella, still with an unwavering gaze, looked down at the little girl. After a moment, she turned her head towards me, where my tentacles were twitching, and tossed out a short sentence.
“They can follow if they want. I take no responsibility.”
Arachnella turned away haughtily and stepped off the web, landing on the ground. The little girl, fascinated, approached her and touched her legs.
Of course, Pina’s horror increased in proportion to the girl’s fascination.
“Wow!!”
“Eek!!”
Beastmen often have the forms of various animals, so parts of their bodies are often like those of animals.
In Pina’s case, only her tail and ears were those of a rabbit; otherwise, her entire body was virtually identical to that of a human.
But whether it was a Minotaur with the head of a bull, or a Centaur or Faun with the lower body of a horse or goat, they were all just beastmen.
Perhaps the little girl thought of Arachnella in the same way, as she stroked Arachnella’s smooth legs with a bright expression, welcoming her new companion.
And in Arachnella’s eyes, as she looked down at the girl with a twitch, a subtle air began to flow.
‘Please look after them, Arachnella.’
Without a word, Arachnella took the lead and walked away, her footsteps clicking as she carefully placed one foot inside the entrance of the tunnel.
She paused there for a moment, then turned back slightly.
“… Leda.”
‘Leda… is that your name…?’
“Yes. I’m leaving.”
‘Goodbye. Take care.’
“You’re such a fool…”
Was it because I was giving away all the prey I had painstakingly caught, and then letting her leave without receiving anything in return?
I was momentarily stunned by Leda’s blunt words, but then I saw her start walking again, and I began to push Pina’s back with my tentacles.
‘What are you doing!! You have to go too!!’
“Ah… yes…!! Th-Thank you for everything… I’m really grateful…!! Then we’ll be going now…!!”
Now that I think about it, we were all so distracted that we didn’t have time to say proper goodbyes.
Only then did Pina come to her senses and bow repeatedly towards me in surprise.
Then, with one of her sharp legs being held by the little girl, Leda slowly began to walk, followed closely by Pina, who was holding the hand of the older girl and running to keep up.
I watched them go with a bittersweet feeling, and then I sensed them stopping.
They all turned around, waving, bowing, or giving me meaningful looks…
‘I guess they’re… saying thank you.’
They started walking again, and soon disappeared into the dark tunnel around a bend. The giant Kernel Worm poked its head out again to fill the space, and the tunnel gradually disappeared from view.
‘Ah, they’ll have to walk for a while. Now that I think about it, I should have given them something to eat, right? I should send them a tentacle.’
I turned around, thinking of tearing off a tentacle and sending it with the Kernel Worm. I looked up at Leda’s spiderweb hideout, which was still in a corner of the prison area, and fell into thought for a moment.
‘She knows how to use it, so… she’ll be fine… yeah. She’ll be fine…’
.
.
.
.
.
.
How long had they been walking?
Walking through the dark tunnel all day wasn’t good for their mental health.
Also, the young beastman girls soon began to complain of fatigue and sore legs, which caused Leda to frown every time. She ended up putting the girls on her spider abdomen and carrying them as she walked.
Pina, the beastman lady who was the girls’ guardian, seemed to be growing paler by the minute as she watched, but Leda didn’t pay much attention.
Adults were one thing, but these were just children.
Even if they were both massive monsters, Leda wasn’t weaker in terms of strength. To her, this amount of luggage was no different from carrying a small plastic bag full of food.
After walking for a long time, she estimated that it was time to stop for the day, and they sat down in a corner of the tunnel to rest.
When they rested, the girls’ energy would return, and they would soon be laughing and giggling.
Leda would glance sideways at the two girls as they scribbled something on the ground and played. Then, Pina, who had been fidgeting and disappearing somewhere with a tentacle, would return and hand it to her.
‘What kind of taste is this?’
It was a new taste she had never experienced before.
She was used to eating only meat, so she was curious about the sweet fluid that flowed from the torn-off tentacle. As she sucked on it, Pina blushed and covered her face with her hands.
They repeated the cycle of walking and resting.
Even considering the slight delay caused by the children, after walking for three days straight, a conversation that had not occurred until now began to take place between them.
“Um…”
“…”
