Around noon the following day, after spending a night at the ducal estate, Yudum and I left the city of Gaunago and headed down the highway.
"We should be seeing a rest area soon. Let's pull over there!" Yudum called out from the lead.
"Understood!"
I followed him into a roadside square. I secured the reins of my Mimic Slime—currently disguised as a Take Ostrich—and Yudum’s horse near a communal water trough.
"How’s the horse holding up?" I asked.
"He’s doing great. He’s a spirited, sturdy animal," Yudum replied. "It’s just that your Take Ostrich is remarkably fast, Boss. As long as we take regular breaks so I don't overwork him, we should reach our destination before nightfall."
"That’s a relief. It’s not a particularly long journey, and we aren't in any rush. Let’s take it slow."
I had entrusted the entire rope factory project to the Moulton Slave Company the day before, but obviously, they couldn't finish the administrative arrangements in twenty-four hours. Since operations hadn't started yet, we decided to use the downtime to scout for lumber. Armed with the map and permits I’d received from Arone, we were heading out to harvest wood for Ogalite production.
"According to the map, if we maintain this pace, we’ll be there in three or four hours."
"There are some forks in the road, but the path seems straightforward," Yudum noted. "It’s right after the crossing at the big river, so it shouldn't be hard to find. The real challenge starts after that. There used to be a village there, but the road has likely vanished by now."
"So it seems. According to the records, a large monster nested there about sixty years ago, forcing the villagers to evacuate. The Lord's Army eventually subjugated it, but the process took so long that the village fell into ruin. By the time the threat was gone, the villagers had already settled permanently in their new homes. The village simply faded away. It was much like Kormi Village in the Sea of Trees. Does that happen often?"
"Lords take measures against it, but it’s actually quite common," Yudum explained. "You might not see it often in a single territory, but across the kingdom, you hear about it a few times every year. Pioneer settlements and newly established villages are especially vulnerable. Once a village has been around long enough, it develops its own defenses and stabilizes, but they’re still no match for cities. A lot of it comes down to luck. You could say that village was fortunate just because the people escaped with their lives. It was a disaster, but it could have been worse."
"That's true. Nothing is more valuable than a life."
As we spoke, the horse finished its water and began grazing on the undergrowth.
"Since we’re stopping, we might as well eat. The staff at the estate packed some sandwiches for us before we left."
"I won't say no to that. Much appreciated."
I pulled the packed lunches from my Item Box. We sat on a fallen log a short distance away and began to eat.
"By the way, Yudum. This is a bit of a random observation, but I noticed you’re wearing a sword today. That's unusual for you."
"Oh, this? I’m still dedicated to mastering unarmed combat, but being empty-handed is a serious disadvantage against monsters or bandits. If we were using Space Magic to teleport directly to our destination like we did at the experiment grounds, it would be one thing, but we’re traveling the highway on horseback. Besides, it’s good for appearances—I’m supposed to be a technician’s attendant and guard, after all."
We finished our meal amidst idle chatter and resumed our journey at a leisurely pace. Eventually, we found the river and bridge that served as our landmarks. Across the river to the right, a wild, untamed forest stretched out before us.
"The records say there was a path leading from this highway to the village, but I don't see anything."
"No one has set foot here in sixty years," Yudum said, scanning the tree line. "It’s only natural for nature to reclaim it. Wait... is that it?"
"Where?"
"Look at the ground right there. Doesn't it look like there’s a path beneath the grass?"
I looked where he was pointing. It looked like ancient stone paving—or rather, just a collection of scattered rocks—but they seemed to have been placed with intent. I focused my Steel Slime and shared its vision. From that perspective, I could clearly see a strip of rocky ground extending deep into the forest.
This was definitely the road to the village. Once we knew the route, the work was simple. I summoned my Soil Slimes and used Slime Magic to uproot trees and clear a fresh path along the old stones. It was the same process I had used for the road to the experiment grounds.
"Your methods are as impressive as ever," Yudum remarked.
"It’s the fastest way I know. We can collect the fallen timber later to use as materials."
I made sure to set up the warning signs I’d prepared. They clearly stated that the work was being conducted under the authority of the Ducal House; if someone heard the noise and came to investigate, the signs would keep them from getting suspicious.
"Alright, let's move. We’ll aim for the village center—specifically the Village Chief's house and the assembly hall."
"They'll be in bad shape, but they make for good landmarks. Are we clearing out all the surrounding trees?"
"I plan to dig up the entire village site. We’ll process the branches, leaves, and roots on-site, and take back as many trunks as we can carry. I’ll leave the rest in a temporary storage area. This is mostly a preliminary survey anyway. If we need more, I can just teleport back for them."
The Duke's family was apparently considering inviting new pioneers to develop this cleared land in the future. They had given me carte blanche to clear whatever I needed within the designated area. Since it was near a river and had supported a village before, it was a prime candidate for redevelopment.
As we pushed forward, we reached our destination. I decided to make this our base for the day and began my survey. I erected a simple shack using Earth Magic and cleared an area roughly the size of a park. Meanwhile, I sent my Rimur Birds into the sky to scout the perimeter.
I had intended it to be a routine safety check, but the report that came back changed everything.
"Yudum! We have an emergency!"
"What’s wrong?"
"A Rimur Bird found a carriage being chased by a monster back on the highway. It looks like a standard stagecoach, but there are no guards in sight. We have to help."
"Understood. What are we up against?"
"From what I could see through the bird's eyes, it’s a single spider-like monster with long, spindly limbs. Its body is a bit smaller than the carriage, but its legs are three times that size. It’s a massive, grotesque thing."
"A Sky Latch Spider! If that’s the case, there’s likely a trap on the road. They use their bodies to scare prey into silken traps. Watch out for its fangs—they’re venomous and cause paralysis."
We exchanged information rapidly as I vaulted onto my Mimic Slime and Yudum mounted his horse. Just as we galloped off, the Rimur Bird sent an updated report.
The vision showed the carriage overturned. The coachman had been thrown clear, and a horse was suspended in mid-air, struggling frantically with its front legs off the ground. It had been caught in the very trap Yudum had warned about. Now that the carriage had stopped, the pursuing spider would be on them in seconds.
I signaled the Rimur Bird to provide magical covering fire, but we couldn't wait.
"The carriage is down! I’m going ahead!"
"Don't be reckless!"
"Roger!"
I ignored the wind pressure and gravity as I pushed the Take Ostrich to its absolute limit. Grasping the situation through my slime vision, I charged toward the wreckage. Just as I arrived, I saw the spider towering over a young man, ready to deliver a killing blow.
I didn't waste time with a chant. I unleashed the Dark Magic spell for "Fear," a technique I’d mastered during my years in the Sea of Trees. The wave of terror hit the giant spider just in time, causing it to recoil and lurch backward.
"Exchange!"
I pulled a casting net from my spatial storage and leaped into the air using the Take Ostrich's powerful legs. I used the cargo bed of the overturned carriage as a springboard to jump even higher. I cast the net down from above. Even though the net wasn't large enough to cover the spider's entire frame, the creature suddenly seized up and stopped moving.
Then, a sickening squelch echoed.
A sword had pierced the spider's head. Yudum had arrived just behind me and thrown his blade with a surge of magic power. The spider began to writhe feebly.
"Lightning!"
I struck the incapacitated creature with a bolt of magical electricity. Its entire body convulsed before its legs folded inward, and it went still. I sensed no other monsters nearby. The threat was gone.
"Are you all right?" I asked the young man.
"I... I was saved? I'm..."
"The monster is dead. You’re safe now."
"Thank you... Ugh, damn it..."
"Abrasions, bruising, and a fracture on your left side," I noted after a quick assessment. "Hold on. I’ll call my companion over."
"I just took a fall... please, check the others first..."
"Don't worry. I’ll treat everyone, starting with the most serious. Just wait here."
I set to work rescuing the passengers and treating the wounded. Fortunately, while there were several injuries, no one was in critical condition.
"Thank you! Truly, thank you so much!"
"Think nothing of it. We all have to look out for one another. I am sorry about your horse, though."
The man thanking me so profusely was the elderly coachman. Unfortunately, one of the horses pulling the stagecoach had broken its neck when the trap forced the vehicle to a violent stop. It had died instantly.
"Yes... but if you two hadn't shown up, we all would have died. The fact that the rest of us and the other horse survived is a miracle."
The other passengers—a young girl, her parents, and the young man I had saved—were beginning to calm down. The terror of their near-death experience hadn't faded entirely, leaving them pale and shaken, but they all offered their heartfelt thanks.
While I was treating the passengers, the guards who had been assigned to the carriage finally arrived. They looked even worse than the victims, though for different reasons.
"We owe you our deepest gratitude," the lead guard said, his voice heavy with shame. "We essentially left the coachman and the passengers to their deaths."
It turned out they hadn't actually abandoned their posts. They had dismounted to hold the monster back so the carriage could flee, but the Sky Latch Spider had completely ignored them and chased the vehicle instead. Being left behind by a monster they were powerless to stop had clearly left them in a state of total despair.
"Sky Latch Spiders tend to target prey based on size," Yudum explained. "It likely saw the carriage as a more substantial target than three humans."
"Is that true? I had no idea..."
As the guard leader slumped his shoulders, Yudum offered a bit of comfort. "Don't beat yourself up. These monsters are rare. It’s not surprising you didn't know their habits."
"Why would something like that be out here?"
"They aren't common, but it’s not unheard of. It’s in the name—when they're juveniles, they 'latch' onto the sky. They use long silk threads to catch the wind and drift wherever it takes them."
I vaguely recalled similar spiders back on Earth. This creature looked like a grotesque fusion of several different species, like a long-bodied cellar spider combined with something venomous.
"When they’re young, they’re no more dangerous than a common insect. But because they drift like that, they can grow up anywhere. Their habitat isn't fixed. In a sense, you can encounter them anywhere. I heard that if multiple spiders land in the same area, they’ll resort to cannibalism to monopolize the food supply, which keeps their numbers low. I only learned about them in the Knight Department; this is the first time I’ve actually seen a live one."
"So it was just pure bad luck," the guard muttered.
"Most likely. Monsters have been more active lately, but these aren't the type to appear in swarms."
Yudum turned to me. "By the way, Boss... what was with that net? It didn't even cover the thing, yet it stopped it dead. Was that another one of your inventions?"
"It’s just a regular casting net, but I’ve enchanted it with a curse that hinders the target's movement. There are monsters in the Sea of Trees far larger than that spider that would be a nightmare to fight up close. I made it as an experiment while I was living there to give myself a fighting chance."
I thought back to the Tyrant Raptor Glen had killed, or the adult Cannonball Rhinos. In the forest, I could usually just run, but if they attacked my base, I needed a way to neutralize them.
"It’s not perfect yet, though. In this case, the people were right there, so I used it to keep the spider from thrashing around. But since the curse affects anything the net touches, you'll catch yourself in it if you aren't wearing anti-curse gear. And it’s a pain to use in a place with as much brush as the Sea of Trees."
"Suitability for terrain notwithstanding, it seems plenty effective to me."
"Excuse me! Sorry to interrupt!"
One of the passengers—the young man the spider had almost killed—stepped forward. He was staring at me, his eyes wide with shock.
"Could you possibly be Ryoma Takebayashi? The one who was appointed as a technician to the Ducal House at such a young age?"
"Oh? Ah, I suppose I haven't introduced myself. That's correct. I’m Ryoma Takebayashi. I hold a position as a technician for the Jamil family. And you are?"
"My apologies for the delay! My name is Jasper Pembroke! I’m a newspaper reporter from the Royal Capital!"
A newspaper reporter... I’d heard that newspapers existed in this world, but this was the first time I’d ever met someone who worked for one.
"I was dispatched to the Jamil Duchy to write a feature on the recent developments here! It’s been the talk of the capital! Takebayashi-sir, would you please allow me to interview you?"
"Whoa, you're a bit close—"
"Alright, that's enough," Yudum said, stepping in to give me some breathing room. "Calm down."
"Ah! M-my apologies!"
The color had returned to the man's face, but it was quickly replaced by a fervent professional drive. He backed off once Yudum intervened, so he didn't seem like a bad person—just intense.
I was surprised, but more than that, it finally sank in. I had actually become the kind of person that reporters sought out for interviews.