Kumo Desu ga, Nani ka? (LN) - Volume 11 - Chapter 8

JULIUS, AGE 14: YOUTH 

“Yaaaah!” 

Jeskan swings his ax down with a shout, lopping off the tentacle that was stretching toward him. 

“Boss!” 

Hawkin turns to help Jeskan, but his master shouts out to stop him. 

“I’m fine! Stay close to Miss Yaana!” 

“Hey! Yaana, stay behind me, no matter what!” 

“Wehhh, okay!” 

Yaana cowers behind Hyrince’s shield, her mouth drawn tightly. 

“Ah!” 

I cut down another tentacle, but they keep coming no matter how many we slice off. 

We’re fighting a monster called a Boellero, which has long, snakelike tentacles. The seemingly endless tentacles attack with paralyzing barbs on the end; then it devours its helpless prey. 

And for some reason, this monster especially prefers to attack young women. 

So the tentacles keep shooting toward Yaana, the lone girl in our midst. 

Hyrince blocks the tentacles with his shield, while Hawkin covers him. 

As Yaana keeps the monster’s attention on her, Jeskan and I attack its main body. 

At least, that was the plan—but it’s turning out to be tougher than expected. 

The tentacles grow back as fast as we can cut them off, making it all but impossible to deal a finishing blow. 

The core of the Boellero is a sphere, and the larger it is, the higher-level and more dangerous the monster will be. 

The Boellero we’re fighting right now has a core easily twice the size of a human. 

Considering that the average Boellero has a core around the size of a human head, that’s unbelievably large. 

“How many humans must it have eaten to get so big?!” 

Jeskan groans as he slices off another tentacle. 

“No wonder the adventurers’ guild gave up on this thing!” 

Defeating this Boellero was originally a job posted for members of the adventurers’ guild. 

But all the adventurers they sent to fight it were soundly defeated, so now it’s fallen to us instead. 

Adventurers make their living by defeating monsters and receiving reward money from the adventurers’ guild. If we were to stick our noses in and defeat all those monsters, we’d be depriving adventurers of their livelihood. 

In order to avoid that, we only deal with monsters too strong for the local adventurers to handle or other special cases where the adventurers’ guild requests our involvement directly. 

Which means that most of the requests that come our way are extraordinarily dangerous. 

“Eeeek!” 

Yaana screams and unleashes a Light Sphere spell toward the Boellero, but it’s thwarted by another tentacle before it reaches the core. 

The stricken tentacle grows back at an astounding rate. 

“Idiot! Stay behind us!” 

“Aaaah!” 

The tentacle rushes toward Yaana, but Hyrince jumps in front of her and blocks it with his shield. 

His shield is large enough to cover his entire body, which is already large for his age. 

Since we added the attacker Jeskan to our roster, Hyrince has chosen to become a defender, focusing on the shield instead of the sword. 

Now he protects our healer, Yaana, and our supporter, Hawkin, with that shield. 

“Not so fast!” 

One of the tentacles tries to go around Hyrince’s shield to get at Yaana, but Hawkin’s knife slices it off. 

Hawkin doesn’t boast as much battle power as most of us, but he’s definitely not weak. 

He’s an expert in throwing knives, and I’ve been saved by a well-timed throw of his many times. 

But Hawkin’s real value lies outside of battle. 

His main role is supporting us in other ways, like getting supplies, gathering information, and formulating plans based on what he’s seen and learned. 

He even hires bag carriers or pack animals for our luggage so that we can save our strength for battle. 

It might sound like a modest job, but we can fight to the best of our ability only thanks to Hawkin. 

Something about the way he works reminds me of Mr. Tiva. 

“Hrm?! Tch!” Jeskan notices something and clicks his tongue. “An acid attack! My weapon’s ruined!” 

Without any further hesitation, he flings the ax in his hand at the Boellero’s core. 

It’s blocked by tentacles, of course. 

But as it hits the floor, the ax emits a strange smoke, and the blade starts melting away. 

“This thing can use acid, too?!” 

Acid Attack is a dangerous skill that can destroy weapons and armor. 

Equipment enhanced with the Energy Conferment skill doesn’t break easily, but an Acid Attack can damage it regardless. 

Not only that, but it has its own unique resistance, so inexperienced adventurers who aren’t used to it can easily take a large amount of damage from the attribute. 

“Try not to touch the mucus on the tentacles! It’ll melt right through!” 

“Easy for you to say!” 

Hyrince is desperately defending Yaana with his shield from the attacking tentacles. 

He doesn’t have a moment to spare to worry about the mucus. 

On closer inspection, his shield is emitting the strange smoke that Jeskan’s ax did. 

This is bad. 

We probably have a little longer before the thick shield breaks, but there’s not a moment to waste. 

“Guys! Buy me a little time, please!” 

“Got it!” 

“Understood!” 

Jeskan and Hyrince call out their acknowledgments immediately. 

It’s been over a year since the anti-human-trafficking force was disbanded. 

We’ve been traveling together to different nations, defeating monsters, taking down bandit hideouts the task force missed, and so on. 

I think our teamwork has gotten very strong in the course of the past year. 

Jeskan and I attack on the front lines, Yaana and Hawkin support us from the rear, and Hyrince stays in the middle to fend off attacks from the enemy depending on the situation. 

Early on, I often had to depend on the older Jeskan, but lately, we’ve been in better sync. 

We’ve even gotten closer off the battlefield and have started calling each other by name without any titles. 

Knowing my dependable companions, I’m sure they’ll buy me the time I need! 

Jeskan pulls out a spare scimitar and starts lopping off more tentacles. 

A master of many weapons, he always carries several at any given time and can swap them out as needed. His ax is no longer usable, but he still has plenty of other weapons. 

However, the situation is looking grim. 

The hole I left in the front lines is difficult for Jeskan and Hyrince to completely cover. 

Hawkin and Yaana are trying to back them up, but it’s obviously not enough. 

“This is gonna put us in the red, but ya can’t make an omelet without breakin’ some eggs!” 

Hawkin flings something toward the Boellero. 

Whatever it is, it immediately explodes, freezing the tentacles over. 

“Ha-ha! How d’ya like that?! Ice Bombs ain’t cheap, but it was worth it!” 

A disposable magic item?! 

One-use-only magic items like that are very expensive, primarily because there aren’t many artisans who can make them. 

In exchange, though, their power is guaranteed. 

The item Hawkin threw must have had an Ice Magic effect. 

“?” 

The Boellero emits an ear-piercing shriek. 

Its tentacles flail around wildly as it writhes in pain. 

I can’t let this chance pass me by! 

“Now!” 

I unleash the spell I was forming in the time my friends bought for me: the Holy Light Magic spell Holy Light Spear. 

Enhanced with extra magic power, just like Master taught me! 

At my level of power, it takes me a while to create the spell, but Holy Light Magic is already powerful on its own, so it’s even more so when imbued with extra strength. 

The Holy Light Spear forces its way past the tentacles easily and pierces the core! 

Then the entire area fills with a burst of light. 

“Good work, everyone.” 

After completing the request, we gather to celebrate. 

“Cheers!” 

“““Cheers!””” 

Jeskan and Hawkin toast with beer, the rest of us with fruit-flavored water. 

“Ahhh… I never want to fight a Boellero again.” Yaana sips her drink and sighs deeply, unable to hide the disgust in her voice. “Just thinking about it gives me goose bumps.” 

“Was it that bad? We didn’t really notice anything.” 

“Of course it was!” 

Yaana waves her glass at Hyrince, splashing a bit of fruit water. 

“What are you saying? That repulsive creature was directing some horrible desires toward me. It was absolutely awful!” 

Watching her tremble, I can’t help but feel like we wronged Yaana by bringing her along. 

Boelleros are supposed to be one of the three greatest enemies to women in the world. 

It’s said that their female victims are subjected to unspeakable things until they draw their last breath. Men are eaten immediately, yet women are kept alive. 

There are rumors that some perverts like this horrible aspect of the creatures and will keep pet Boelleros in secret, deliberately supplying them with women. 

Although in most cases, the would-be owners will fail to tame them and wind up eaten themselves. 

Maybe the Boellero we fought escaped from similar circumstances. 

Of course, I’m not interested in that kind of thing at all. 

As a man myself, I guess I can see the appeal, but I would never say that and upset Yaana further. 

“Why do such perverted things have to exist in this world? I wish it would all be destroyed!” 

Clearly, she was so upset by the Boellero’s evil intentions that she’s saying some extreme things now. 

“What are you talking about? If it wasn’t for perversion, none of us would be born. You realize you’re denying the reason you were made in the first place, right?” 

Hyrince sounds shocked, but there’s a smirk at the corners of his lips. 

He’s obviously teasing Yaana. 

“That’s not true! Don’t compare the intercourse between a man and a woman in love with such foul proclivities. Love is far more sacred and noble!” 

“PFFT!” Yaana’s exclamation makes Hawkin spit out the beer he was sipping. 

He starts to cough and choke, so Jeskan claps him on the back a few times. 

I know there’s no one else here except us, but I still don’t think it’s appropriate to shout about things like “intercourse” so loudly. 

Yaana turns bright red, belatedly realizing the same thing. 

“Yeah? So what specifically does this sacred and noble activity involve? Please teach us, O Great Saint.” 

“Th-th-th-that’s—! That’s not!” 

Ahhh, she’s playing right into Hyrince’s hands again. 

Poor Yaana turns even redder, her head visibly spinning. 

I know she’s not, but she looks drunk herself. 

“I won’t say such things!” 

“But you said it was sacred, right? Come on—you’re a holy woman. Can’t you educate poor, ignorant me?” 

“Wehhh! Weeeehhh!” 

I know it’s half Yaana’s own fault, but I still feel bad for her. 

I’d better cut this short. 

“Hyrince, that’s enough teasing for now.” 

“Heh-heh. I guess so. Now that I know Yaana’s actually a perv, that’s good enough for me.” 

“A p-p-p-p-pervert? Me?!” 

“Well, you’re clearly obsessed with the subject, yeah? Otherwise you wouldn’t be overreacting like this.” 

“Who’s obsessed?!” 

“Now, now. It’s nothing unusual for youngsters our age to start taking an interest in that sort of thing. Besides, you said it yourself—it’s ‘sacred’ and ‘noble.’ So as a saint who serves the gods, you could even say it’s your duty to take an interest.” 

“M-my duty?” 

“Yeah, exactly. So there’s nothing to be ashamed of. Just be honest with yourself.” 

“Honest with myself…” 

“To start with, try thinking about the person you like and all your feelings for them!” 

“……” 

Yaana turns toward me with an oddly feverish gaze. 

“Yaana. Yaana. He’s messing with you again.” 

“Wha—?!” 

Coming back to her senses, Yaana glares at Hyrince and sees that he’s clutching his stomach and shaking with the effort of holding in his laughter. 

“HYYYYRIIIIIINCE?!” 

“Ha-ha-ha! Sorry, sorry.” Hyrince chokes out an apology through his laughter. “But it really isn’t such a bad thing to be honest with yourself, you know? We’re at the age where it’s perfectly normal to have those kinds of thoughts. Even Julius is a growing boy, too, no matter how noble and innocent he might act.” 

“Hyrince…” 

Now it’s my turn to glare at Hyrince, but he shrugs, looking unfazed. 

“In fact, sometimes it’s the straitlaced types who end up falling for someone with major sex appeal, ’cause they’ve been suppressing their urges for so long. The more you suppress something, the bigger it’ll blow up when the time comes. If you keep dawdling, someone might come along and steal him away.” 

“Wha—?!” Yaana shrieks. 

“Like that other apprentice Aurel. She’s pretty close with Julius, y’know? And her face is plain, but she’s been growing like crazy lately.” 

Hyrince glances pointedly at Yaana’s chest and snorts. 

Of course, that sends Yaana flying into another fit of rage. 

Yaana’s not, you know…small, either. 

I think she’s very pretty, with a well-balanced figure. 

It’s just that Aurel is, um, very blessed in that department. 

I still have a strange bond with Aurel, since she’s my master’s second apprentice. 

We first met in the former Keren County. 

After that, she showed magical promise and insisted on becoming his second apprentice, so we spent a lot of time together for a while. 

I still see her pretty regularly. 

And every time we meet again, she’s, um…grown. 

Her chest, I mean. 

“Hmph! Julius wouldn’t be seduced by those pointlessly giant sacks of fat! Right, Julius?!” 

She looks to me a little desperately, but honestly, I’m not quite sure how to answer. 

Unable to confirm or deny right away, all I can do is smile vaguely. 

Somehow, this only makes Yaana look even more shocked. 

“You two adults! Stop pretending not to hear us and say something!” 

Yaana’s glare swivels toward Jeskan and Hawkin. 

“I’m not sure what to tell you, missy. I’ve messed around a fair amount, so I don’t think I can give you the answer you want.” 

“H-how indecent!” 

Yaana huffs at Jeskan. 

“Now, I do think it’s normal to be sensitive about this topic at your age, but personally, I think it’s better if Julius gets a little bit of experience in that department,” he continues. 

“Don’t try to tempt Julius down the path of evil!” 

Turning bright red, Yaana flails her hands around. 

All the fruit juice seems to have splashed out of her cup at this point. 

“I’m serious, Miss Yaana. Many a great man has fallen to feminine wiles before. He has to build up some resistance to that kind of sexuality, or he really could get hoodwinked, like Hyrince says. In Julius’s position, he could be in danger of someone seducing him to keep him from interfering with an evil plot or even to try and assassinate him.” 

Yaana shrinks back in response to the unexpectedly serious topic, probably embarrassed about getting so worked up. 

“S’normal for a lass your age to be prim ’n’ proper, li’l Yaana. But I wanna make sure ya know, there are some real nice ladies who happen to make their livin’ in just that sort of business. It ain’t right to dismiss every one of ’em as evil, y’know?” 

“Right.” 

Hawkin, who’s knowledgeable about all kinds of trades and secrets, makes a surprisingly earnest comment as well, and Yaana nods obediently. 

She’s probably remembering that there are many women who enter the nighttime entertainment business because of poverty or other circumstances. 

“I ain’t sayin’ Julius should mess around with women for fun, o’course. Although I’d say it might not be a bad thing to get some experience at a trustworthy establishment. But there might be other ways to learn that kind of thing for royalty, so maybe I’m worryin’ for nothing. And if ya got your little heart set on someone already, that’s all right, too.” 

Yaana looks at me with obvious hope in her eyes, but I manage to pretend not to notice. 

“I hear there’s a race of demons who specialize in seduction, too. The demons are quiet of late, but if the war starts again, Julius will have to go to the front lines, being the hero and all. And then he might have to deal with that sort of thing.” 

The war against demons. 

Usually, it’s the biggest duty assigned to the hero. 

They say that generations of heroes have dedicated most of their lives to this cause. 

But in the era of the previous hero, the demons suddenly stopped their usual onslaught of attacks on humanity and became almost disturbingly quiet. 

That uneasy peace continues to this day, so I haven’t had to fight any demons yet. 

But if they ever start attacking humanity again, it’ll be my duty as the hero to stave them off. 

If that day comes, I’m sure it’ll be a fearsome battle. 

A cloud falls over the faces of the others, who must be thinking about the same thing. 

“Don’t worry. I wouldn’t fall for a trap that easily. If anything, I’d be more afraid of Hyrince getting charmed straight to his doom.” 

“Hey, it wouldn’t be so bad to die at the hands of a pretty lady!” 

Hyrince immediately matches my joke with one of his own. 

“Honestly! Hyrince, you’re far more worrisome than Julius!” 

Yaana promptly starts scolding him, and Jeskan and Hawkin chuckle. 

I can’t help wishing that times like these would go on forever.