So I’m a Spider, So What?, Vol. 6

by Okina Baba

  “Stuff like this don’t bother me at all, Mister. In fact, if anyone complains about doing their damn job, you oughta just shove a boot up their ass.”

  My crass remark makes Mister Tiva grin.

  I know he really is shorthanded.

  It can’t be easy running a town that’s just been taken over.

  Technically, Ohts is in charge of the operation, so the Empire shouldn’t have to do much, but Mister Tiva is still hard at work every day.

  In fact, Ohts is a pretty weak nation, so they’d do a shit job of running this town by themselves anyway.

  That’s why the Empire people are running around nonstop even though this shouldn’t be their job.

  Works out for me, since it means Mister Tiva was able to pick me up after the geezer ditched me.

  But it must be a pain in the ass for the Empire people in this town.

  Makes things pretty tense around here.

  “Hmm?”

  Mister Tiva knits his brow.

  A big crowd of people has formed up ahead, shouting and jeering.

  Uh-oh. Looks like trouble.

  “What are you doing?” Mister Tiva addresses the crowd.

  Even without shouting, his voice rings out loud and clear.

  The crowd of people freezes in place and turns to look at us.

  As soon as they spot his uniform and realize he’s a knight of the Renxandt Empire, they scatter in all directions.

  The only person left behind is a young boy who looks like he’s been beaten.

  “To think so many adults would do such a thing to a child like this… How cruel. Are you all right?”

  Mister Tiva offers a hand to the boy.

  The boy, however, stands up on his own without accepting it.

  Whoa. Now that he’s standing, this kid’s actually pretty good-looking.

  “Are they really the cruel ones here, I wonder?”

  Tiva looks confused at first; then his eyes widen, apparently realizing something.

  “Compared to what we’ve done to them, it’s only fair that we allow them this much in return,” the boy continues sorrowfully.

  I think I know what he’s getting at now.

  Ohts ransacked and took over this town.

  Not to mention, they did so by attacking innocent townspeople while their fighters were away at a separate battlefield.

  The town’s beloved lord and his wife were assassinated, and most of them think that was Ohts’s doing, too.

  It’s natural that the surviving citizens of this town have a deep hatred for Ohts.

  So much that they attack Ohts’s men on an almost daily basis.

  But there’s one thing I still don’t get.

  Why is this boy talking like he wronged them personally?

  He doesn’t look much older than me, so I doubt he was part of the attack on the town.

  “There is no need for you to do any such thing, Sir Julius the Hero.”

  Mister Tiva’s words hit my confused little brain like a ton of bricks.

  Hero? Hero?!

  “Whaaa—?!”

  It’s not my fault if I yelled a little bit, okay?

  I mean, this is the hero we’re talking about!

  Who wouldn’t be shocked if humanity’s best hope against the Demon Lord turned out to be some little kid?!

  “You were only brought along in order to experience the battlefield firsthand. Not a single ounce of blame for what happened in this battle should lie with you.”

  “But from their point of view, I’m one of the perpetrators. Since the hero went into battle against them, even if I didn’t participate, they’ve lost all sense of what is right. That is why Ohts has acted so unjustly. With the hero on their side, the Ohts Army felt they must be in the right. Nothing they do can be wrong. Even if I didn’t do those things myself, my very existence is what put the town in this position.”

  Whoa, sounds pretty complicated.

  “Untrue. Whether you were technically a participant or not, the Ohts Army attacked this town, not you.”

  “Even so, I can’t forgive myself.”

  The hero looks around sadly.

  His gaze lingers on the houses that have been burned down and all the restoration that still needs to be done.

  Those eyes are full of remorse and, even more so, determination.

  Aah, now I get it. Okay.

  This one’s definitely a hero.

  He might look close to me in age, but I’ve barely ever seen adults look that determined, never mind kids.

  “Sir Hero…”

  Mister Tiva looks sorrowfully at the boy, seeing the same thing in his eyes that I did.

  I can tell he feels responsible as one of the adults who made this little boy feel such intense determination.

  I don’t really know what’s going on behind the hero boy’s determination or Mister Tiva’s complicated expression.

  “I came here without thinking, and now I deeply regret it. From now on, I will think and act on my own. Never again will I let myself be used simply because I am a child. Child or not, I am the hero. I have no intention of being a puppet who does not live up to my title.”

  “Then please take care of yourself. If you wish to become a true hero, you mustn’t throw away your life like this.”

  Mister Tiva gives the warning in a gentle tone.

  “But I must help the people of this town somehow.” The hero looks discontent.

  “And so you would silently let them strike you? That will not help you or them in the least. Hurting you will only ease their suffering for the briefest moment. Then they will feel the pain in their hands from having struck you and in their hearts from hurting such a young child. Eventually, they may forget their sense of virtue entirely. You must not let anyone strike you, for their sake as well as your own.”

  Good one, Mister.

  Looks like the hero is surprised, too.

  “But…what can I do for them, then?”

  “Why don’cha hunt monsters or something?” Oops. I answered him without thinking. “Oh, um, sorry ’bout that!”

  “No, it’s all right. What do you mean, ‘hunt monsters’?”

  The hero smiles at me kindly.

  “Oh, uhhh… Well, y’know how parts of the town’s defense wall got broken and stuff? They’ve got guards watching the worst bits, but there are other areas that look like they’d break real easily. So what I hear is, a lotta the townsfolk are so worried about monsters breaking down the walls that they can barely sleep at night. There are a lot more monsters outside than there used to be, too, prolly ’cause they’re attracted to the smell of death or whatever, right? If you defeat those monsters, that’d help the folks here, wouldn’t it? Although I guess that’s more of an adventurer’s job than a hero’s.”

  The hero’s eyes start to sparkle as he listens to my explanation.

  “An adventurer?”

  “Sorry, uh, did I offend you or somethin’?”

  “No, no, just the opposite. You’re right. Maybe I could try something like that. Thank you.”

  With that, the hero runs off.

  Mister Tiva and I watch him leave, then finish our shopping like we planned.

  From the next day on, I hear tell that the little hero is out fighting monsters to keep the townspeople safe.

  If you ask me, it sounds like he’s got the makings of a real good hero.

  Y’know, the kind who really lives up to his title.

  Speaking of titles, when the hell is that so-called “court mage of the Empire” gonna come back anyway?

  He might have a fancy job and a lot of power, but he’s not good on the inside at all.

  THE MAN BEHIND THE MISFORTUNE

  Merazophis is an incredibly loyal man.

  He swore loyalty to my parents and, even after their passing, continues to serve me faithfully.

  The depth of that loyalty knows no bounds.

  Though we’re traveling companions now, the truth is that I don’t
know much about Merazophis’s life.

  While my parents were alive, I was playing the role of an ordinary baby, so I didn’t get to see or hear him very often.

  However, I did understand a few things based on what little I did manage to witness.

  Merazophis is a workaholic. It’s a serious condition, too.

  He seemed to work so constantly that I sometimes wondered when he slept.

  On paper, he was my father’s retainer, but in reality, he was essentially the family’s butler.

  Or rather, he did the work of both a retainer and a butler.

  The driving force behind that intense work ethic was his loyalty to my father and his love for my mother.

  Yes. Merazophis was in love with my mother.

  If it was that obvious even to me, who had zero experience with love in my previous life, I’m sure it was an open secret that everyone in the mansion knew.

  A servant in love with the wife of his master. In a fairy tale, that would probably be the start of a forbidden love affair, but in reality, it would be nothing but foolishness to act on those feelings.

  One wrong move, and there could’ve been serious trouble.

  But because we’re talking about Merazophis, that never happened.

  He never made a wrong move.

  Instead, he kept his feelings inside and acted appropriately for his position.

  He truly wanted my mother to be happy from the bottom of his heart, and he trusted my father to take care of her.

  I think the fact that everyone knew about it is what made it okay.

  How can anyone be so considerate of others?

  How can you wish for someone else’s happiness even at the cost of your own?

  I don’t understand it.

  Merazophis’s adoration for my mother was so obvious that even I picked up on it.

  How could he suppress that passion and entrust her to my father?

  I can never understand what he’s thinking. To be honest, it scares me a little.

  What if he decides someday to leave me and goes away forever?

  I mean, Merazophis is loyal to my parents, not me.

  It’s not like he swore loyalty to me.

  I’m sure his heart still lies with my late parents.

  So what must he think of the person who killed them?

  It’s simple. Obviously he must hate anyone involved.

  There’s Potimas Harrifenas, the elf who did the deed directly.

  But there’s also the Ohts Army, the Word of God religion, and the Empire, who were all involved in the war.

  Right now, he’s still staying by my side, but what if he decides one day to leave and seek revenge?

  I can’t stop worrying about it.

  “Ha!”

  Unaware of my thoughts, Merazophis is currently swinging his sword with a vigorous shout.

  However, the blade cuts through nothing but air.

  He’s not doing practice swings. His opponent just dodged him.

  Sweat pours off Merazophis like a waterfall as he swings his sword desperately.

  I guess vampires do sweat, then, I think absently.

  In the meantime, Merazophis trips and falls to the ground, clearly reaching his limit. Though he tries to stand up, his body is undoubtedly down for the count.

  I’m amazed that he was able to push himself this far.

  From my point of view, his attacks were pretty decent.

  It was clear even to me that his movements weren’t exactly polished, but he was able to cover for that with the high stats he gained when he became a vampire.

  As a servant, Merazophis only had enough skill to perform the minimum amount of self-defense.

  Still, it’s not as if he’s a complete novice, and his high stats make him a decent fighter overall.

  It’s his opponent who’s the problem.

  White, who’s been effortlessly dodging all his valiant attacks, swings her giant scythe around without a care for his current condition.

  As she avoided his sword, she even stopped to comment on his movements a few times.

  Watching her, I feel like I understand the true meaning of the phrase faster than a speeding bullet.

  I can’t even follow her movements with my eyes.

  White herself, however, doesn’t seem satisfied. She keeps leaning her head from side to side and swinging her scythe.

  Merazophis is so exhausted that he can hardly stand, yet White doesn’t even look out of breath.

  This is the reality of the gap between their stats.

  Sure, Merazophis has stats far superior to most humans now that he’s a vampire, but that doesn’t matter. Not to White.

  I know how hard he’s been working.

  Every morning, he does practice swings before the sun rises.

  Ever since the day our carriage was attacked by robbers on the way back from my grandfather’s, the day White saved us from certain death, the day the course of my whole life changed.

  Merazophis was cut down by one of the bandits without any resistance.

  Realizing his own weakness seemed to leave him frustrated.

  Starting the very next morning, he began practicing with his sword before sunrise.

  It’s not like that would be enough to make him insanely strong.

  Merazophis was an ordinary civilian with no swordsmanship skills to speak of.

  Nevertheless, he kept practicing every day and continues to do so even now.

  And yet, all of that effort is meaningless to White.

  I’m sure that must be even more frustrating for him.

  I know very well that Merazophis has been working as hard as he can.

  White is such an anomaly that she happens to surpass him completely.

  He must know that, too, but he’s still gritting his teeth.

  Upset with himself for not being able to do anything, he keeps struggling to get stronger.

  Though he doesn’t say any of this, the determination in his eyes tells the whole story.

  It’s a complete reversal from the low spirits he was in until recently.

  Since I snuck a taste of alcohol and immediately passed out the day Ariel brought those barrels, I don’t know what happened afterward.

  But something definitely went down while I was asleep. Starting the very next day, Merazophis looked utterly refreshed.

  Maybe it was as simple as him letting out his pent-up frustration thanks to the liquor, but it seems to be more than that.

  It’s possible that Ariel did something, but when I tried to thank her, she just wryly insisted, “I haven’t done a thing.”

  No matter what she might say, Ariel really is kind.

  Although she acted cold when I tried to talk to her about Merazophis before, her pointing out my flaws was exactly what I needed.

  I’m guessing she must have done something similar to help Merazophis deal with his problems. I certainly wasn’t able to help him.

  After Ariel scolded me, I tried to think about what might be bothering him.

  But I didn’t need to think that hard.

  Merazophis and I both lost the town we lived in.

  But he lived there as a human for far longer than I did.

  He lost more than I did.

  People, places, time…even his own humanity.

  Even if I had no other choice, the fact is that I turned Merazophis into a vampire.

  I didn’t even think about how that might be affecting him. I just took his words—“I cannot be anything but grateful for that”—at face value.

  Everything he’s lost, and the weight of living as a vampire from now on…

  It would be impossible not to let that bother him at all.

  I can’t blame Ariel for being unimpressed that I failed to realize something so obvious.

  I really haven’t been thinking of anyone but myself.

  And I’m still doing the same thing.

  If I think of Merazophis instead of myself, the best thing for him would o
bviously be to let him go, but I can’t do that.

  He’s a vampire now, but he’s still as excellent a person as ever, and it’s not as if his entire past has been erased.

  Since he was essentially my father’s butler, I’m sure he’d be in high demand with other nobles, and he must have acquaintances who would take him in.

  Whether he reveals the fact that he’s a vampire would be up to Merazophis’s own discretion, but knowing him, I’m sure he could still be accepted.

  No matter what path I choose, there’s sure to be danger ahead.

  It would be much better for Merazophis to seek out a different path than to follow me into such danger.

  I know this.

  Yet I still can’t do it.

  I’m afraid to let go of Merazophis.

  After he’s put his life on the line to protect me, the thought of a future without him by my side is too terrifying to consider.

  I really don’t think of anyone but myself…

  “All right, I’m hungry. What should we do?”

  Ariel looks around. Following suit, I look at our surroundings, too, but I don’t see anywhere we might be able to eat.

  In fact, all I see are people.

  We’re in a town right now.

  This is evidently the biggest town in the region; from here, it shouldn’t take much longer to reach the capital.

  As a result, this town is quite lively and full of people.

  The crowds are so thick that as Merazophis carries me in his arms, I can’t see anything past the milling passersby.

  “I have been to this town before. There’s one restaurant that I recall being quite good; shall I take us there?”

  “Sweet! Lead the way!”

  Ariel’s eyes sparkle as she follows Merazophis. She seems to be quite looking forward to his recommended restaurant.

  It’s hard to believe that this person is a demon lord.

  “Right this way.” Merazophis brings us down an alley.

  The farther along we go, the less people I see around us, until it seems like we’re entering a quiet residential area.

  Then we turn into an even narrower alley, until we arrive at an unmarked door.

  As Merazophis opens the door, a bell rings to announce our arrival.

  In spite of the unassuming exterior, the inside of the building looks like a proper restaurant.