“…….”
I spent the entire night awake because of insomnia.
‘Damn it….’
The Civil War continued.
At first, northern Gesenna had been at a disadvantage and was steadily pushed back.
But Count Hamuan's forces had now succeeded in reclaiming most of the territory they'd lost.
In the meantime, whenever ciphers appeared, Ermasa continued to distinguish himself.
He grasped the state of the battlefield.
He saw through the enemy's strategies.
And he earned merit in countless operations.
That didn't mean he attended every meeting.
Sometimes, even in urgent meetings, he remained silent.
That selective participation instead fit the aloof image of the Spider Society perfectly.
……That was probably the image people had of me.
‘No, seriously. This is way too exhausting.’
I already had trouble sleeping, and being summoned to meetings every single day was driving me insane.
“There's going to be a 3-day ceasefire starting today!”
‘Finally!’
A sweet holiday had arrived.
The Count's household, the northern gangsters, and Eden's organization members all took a day to rest and tend to personal matters.
For the first time in a while, I got some rest too.
I sprawled out and wasted time like an idiot.
For someone as naturally lazy as me, the events of the past few weeks had been far too complicated and burdensome.
Maybe that was why a single day off felt unbelievably sweet.
I need this kind of idiot time…….
Then someone knocked on my door.
― Elder Ermasa. His Excellency the Count requests an audience.
Can't even get one comfortable day off.
“Understood.”
I got up, pulled on my hood, and stepped outside.
“…….”
The burdensome man, Black Knight Parthenon, was waiting for me.
He accompanied me on every outside activity like this.
Together with a maid, the 3 of us headed toward the Count's office.
“That way.”
On the wall outside the office hung a portrait of the Leader of the Republic of Evil, ‘Eden.’
A maid was wiping it with a soft cloth called a ‘Devotion Cloth.’
The maid bent at the waist in a perfect right angle.
I also bowed to the Leader's portrait.
This was part of Eden's culture.
That portrait was a substitute for the Leader himself.
You had to bow whenever you saw it, and it could never be damaged.
You weren't even allowed to hit someone or raise your voice in front of the portrait.
Because the Leader was watching and listening.
I'd even heard that when someone's home flooded, they carried the portrait out first and received an award from the Eden Party.
Something about being a loyal servant….
The reason the Civil War had broken out suddenly felt much more real.
The position of Leader was revered that much by the people.
And now the sole bloodline had vanished?
I'd want that position too.
We walked on and reached the Count's office.
Count Hamuan was nagging an attendant about something.
I reached out and stopped the maid from knocking.
― Did I not tell you to remove the silver tea set? There must be nothing reflective among the tableware or tea utensils.
― The silver tray as well. And prepare wooden forks and teaspoons. Remove them. Quickly.
Huh.
I was impressed inwardly.
The Count was being extraordinarily considerate toward me.
The reason he'd removed all the silver was to protect the face hidden beneath my hood.
It could've been reflected.
Well, I suppose one needed that level of awareness to defeat 4 brothers and become Count at a young age.
Even if he was friendly toward me, I couldn't relax.
He wasn't an ordinary man.
Afterward, the maid knocked.
“Your Excellency. Elder Ermasa has arrived.”
― Ahh. Show him in.
I lowered my hood and entered the office.
The room felt clean and gentle.
A white, spotless table and wallpaper.
Dolls placed beside photographs of his daughter.
And the finishing touch was Count Hamuan's smile.
“Welcome, Elder Ermasa. This time, I was not late.”
He joked like some good-natured neighborhood uncle.
“What business do you have?”
I spoke informally as usual and wanted to die.
Still, I'd decided to remain consistent.
“Let us take our time and speak over tea. This conversation may be long.”
A peaceful teatime passed for a while.
Then the Count looked out over his territory through the window and spoke.
“There was something my predecessor used to tell me and my brothers from the time we were young.”
His predecessor?
For some reason, an image of Hamuan's father having his dentures stolen by Song Chien flashed through my mind.
I desperately ignored it.
“He said that every successful person in this land had a ‘benefactor.’”
“…….”
“Someone who gave them a great realization in life. Or someone who led them to a great opportunity.”
He looked at me with deep eyes.
“I believe you may be such a benefactor to me.”
I lowered my head slightly, letting the hood fall further over my face.
How embarrassing….
“After investigating the spy we captured last time, we found 2 more spies among my Blue Wing Guard. Men who could have aimed for my neck at any moment.”
“…….”
“That is not all. My standing among Eden's northern forces has risen greatly as well. And our string of victories in this war is also thanks to you…. So I wished to express my gratitude.”
Ohh.
‘…Just with words?’
The thought had barely crossed my mind when the Count pushed a wooden box toward me.
THUNK.
“What is this?”
“An Elixir from the Ekesinki Workshop. A-Grade, no less. This is a secret, but it is something only VIPs like me can obtain.”
He whispered.
The luxurious box opened on its own.
Inside was a green pill.
A faint glow flowed from it, making it look like a gemstone.
Whoa.
It's real.
An A-Grade Elixir from Ekesinki was a luxury product worth several hundred gold each.
And if it was from Year 452, while the current year was Imperial Year 501, then this Elixir had been aged for nearly 50 years.
It was like having an entire house placed in front of me.
‘Holy shit…. I've only ever seen these in books….’
Something this prestigious wasn't an item you could simply buy because you had money.
The workshop cared about its brand value and only sold to qualified individuals, like Counts.
I hesitated briefly.
Was it really all right for me to accept something this expensive?
But when I considered the value of everything I'd done for the Count, I felt like accepting even 2 of these would've been fair.
“My thanks.”
“I should be the one thanking you. It pleases me to give a gift like this to both a benefactor and a friend.”
The Count's stance was obvious.
He wanted us to become closer.
That was troublesome for me.
Of course, when would I ever get another chance in my life to befriend a noble?
But in the end, I wasn't actually Spider Society or anything of the sort….
“However, if you do not mind, may I ask one favor?”
“A favor?”
“Morale in the Northern Alliance has risen with our consecutive victories. The more there is to eat, the more important unity becomes. So in 2 days, the Northern Alliance will hold a military parade.”
“A military parade?”
“If it is acceptable to you, Elder, I would like you to give an address there.”
A speech at a military parade.
Standing before a large crowd was intimidating, but speeches like that were usually just a string of obvious remarks.
It didn't sound too difficult.
“Very well.”
The Count smiled with satisfaction.
At that moment, a bird flew in through the open window.
It chirped.
Chirp, chirp!
It seemed like a wild bird.
But when the Count extended his hand, it quietly flew over and perched on it.
Then it flew toward me too and landed on the desk.
Chirp, chirp!
For some reason, such a small thing made my heart feel soft.
“…War is truly exhausting. Wouldn't you agree?”
The Count spoke in a tired voice.
“It is. Is it the same for you, Count?”
“Why would I be any different? When I was young, I had no choice but to defeat my rivals in order to survive. By the time I came to my senses, as many people around me had died as the number I'd personally killed.”
“…My condolences.”
“You too must have suffered greatly, Elder. All of your beloved comrades were murdered.”
“…….”
I chose not to say much.
Come to think of it, my current situation was extremely dangerous.
Somewhere out there were people who had killed every member of the Spider Society.
They were capable enough to kill people as extraordinary as Song Chien.
And right now—
I was in the Spider Society.
‘Aren't they going to target me too?’
The chances seemed quite high.
‘……I need to leave this place as soon as possible.’
The problem was that I couldn't think of any way to leave.
By now, Ermasa, Elder of the Spider Society, had become far too important to these people.
How was I supposed to cast off this identity and run away?
‘I need to keep thinking.’
I had no intention of simply sitting around waiting to die.
For now, staying near the Count was probably safest.
But I needed to find some way out.
“If you do not mind, would you care to go hunting with me this evening?”
The Count suddenly made the suggestion.
Hunting?
Hunting was one of the activities nobles enjoyed to socialize with one another.
Naturally, as an ordinary guard, I'd never done it before….
I was worried, but I didn't want to miss the opportunity.
“Very well.”
“Good. Then I shall see you this evening.”
***
I returned to my room.
My mind was complicated.
How to act like Spider Society.
How to hunt.
How to get home alive.
And so on….
I had more things to worry about than at any other point in my life.
‘But worrying won't change anything right now.’
For the moment, I decided to empty my head.
It was better to focus on something I could do immediately.
For example—
‘The Elixir!’
Just thinking about it made me feel secure.
I took the wooden box from inside my clothes and checked it again.
Then I used the 「All-Seeing Eye」 to see whether there was anything strange about it.
‘Nothing. It's genuine, and it's nothing but a pure Elixir.’
Amazing.
Absolutely amazing.
If I could get even one more of these, my chances of survival would rise dramatically.
I hesitated briefly.
This would probably hurt again.
‘I have to endure it.’
I locked the door tightly and put the pill into my mouth.
‘Mm.’
It was different from the one I'd eaten in the underground Herb Mine.
That one had tasted like countless medicinal herbs and had bits of roots crunching between my teeth, so I'd had to swallow it in one bite.
This one tasted sweet, almost like a red-bean dumpling, with something like nuts mixed in.
‘Delicious.’
But the instant I chewed and swallowed it, and it reached my stomach—
I remembered that this was an Elixir.
CRACKLE! CRACK!
Violent energy surged upward.
The better an Elixir was, the stronger its resistance.
Because you had to absorb all that overflowing vitality.
‘Ugh.’
This Elixir felt as though lightning were erupting inside my stomach.
Savage energy rose and gathered near my heart.
I tried once again to move it toward my eye.
But this time, even that wasn't easy.
The energy lashed out in every direction.
Getting it to my eye in the first place was the problem.
‘……!’
It felt like pulling on the leash of an enraged tiger.
So this was why nobles and renowned warriors apparently kept 2 or 3 mages beside them when consuming Elixirs, to help control the magical power.
Naturally, I had no one like that.
Drip―
That sound came from inside my body.
The mucous membrane in my nose ruptured, and blood began running.
The area around my eyes started feeling strange too.
‘Damn it. I have to get this under control somehow.’
But it wasn't easy.
The Elixir rampaging freely around my chest soon began creating something.
SQUELCH―
“Urgh!”
I panicked.
Something had grown outward from near my heart.
I hurriedly removed my hood and opened my shirt.
3 thorn-covered stems had pierced through my flesh and were protruding from my chest.
Naturally, blood was pouring out as well.
‘You fucking bastard. You're trying to use me as nutrients?’
The stems writhed and tried to coil around my body.
A sudden sense of crisis overwhelmed me.
If I failed to control it like this, that enormous vitality would instead use me as nutrients and completely wrap my entire body.
‘How? What do I do…….’
Huff― Haaah―
My breathing grew ragged from panic.
Then an idea flashed through my mind.
‘I can see it.’
That was what mattered.
Whether or not I could see it with my eyes.
And right now, the energy trying to consume my body was visible to me.
In the form of stems.
Then—
「All-Seeing Eye」
The aperture of my left eye opened.
The light bestowed by the gracious sun entered through the window and reached my chest.
Some of the light striking the thorny stems reflected back and entered my left eye.
The question was this.
How do I control this monstrous energy?
Information flooded into my mind.
The vitality possessed by this old, prestigious Elixir was the power to ‘coil.’
Like ivy.
But that power had a limitation.
It could only coil if there was something to coil around.
Once I understood that much, I began emptying myself.
‘Erase it.’
Not physically.
Mentally.
First, I erased the ‘large path’ I'd forcibly created to send the energy toward my eye.
That wasn't so much a cord as a wall.
It had caused the energy to gather and branch outward in every direction.
Next, I erased the very space near my heart where I'd tried to gather it.
Finally—
I erased even the thought that there was something I needed to erase.
The only reason such abstract and difficult concepts became possible in an instant was the 「All-Seeing Eye」.
‘Good.’
Once I emptied everything away, the enraged energy lost its destination and began flailing helplessly.
The stems that had grown through my heart also stopped moving.
Life is astonishing.
Bees build their homes in hexagons, the most efficient use of space, even though no one teaches them how.
Trees likewise sprout leaves while naturally maintaining enough distance not to steal one another's sunlight.
The energy inside me did the same.
Without anyone teaching it, each branch sought a different angle and extended a stem.
And so something like a chestnut burr formed inside me.
I began carefully absorbing each individual thorn of that branching chestnut burr.
“…….”
Only several hours later did I slowly open my eyes.
The thorny stems that had pierced through my chest had dried up and fallen away.
At the same time I acquired the ability—
My Mana Capacity had increased dramatically by +99.