Just when Bauer thought his heroic epic that had yet to begin was about to end here, the black-haired “demon” in front of him suddenly furrowed her brows.
She turned her head sharply and looked toward the depths of the cave, as if something in that darkness was staring back.
Tsk…
She clicked her tongue softly and murmured to herself, “No wonder I felt like I was missing something. So that’s how it is…”
“Should I just leave now? But then all my efforts would be wasted… Or…”
She gently raised her hand and, through the fabric, pinched something hidden against her chest.
Bauer, collapsed on the ground, couldn’t understand a word of what this illegitimate daughter was muttering.
But he wasn’t stupid. Since her attention was no longer on him, if he didn’t run now, when would he?
The black-haired girl was lost in her own thoughts.
“No, we’re still within the academy’s magic barrier. If I really did that, those examiners outside would definitely notice.”
“Wait… magic barrier?”
As if remembering something, she turned her head again and looked at Bauer, who had been taking advantage of her distraction to crawl along the wall toward the exit.
“Hey, that barrier you set up—can it completely block outside perception?”
Bauer, caught red-handed, froze and swallowed hard.
‘D-Damn! Why is this illegitimate daughter asking that? Is she going to mock me, or does she want to confirm that no one outside can hear, so she can kill all of us here out of spite?!’
‘No way! Absolutely can’t tell her! There must be examiners watching outside. Without absolute certainty, she wouldn’t dare do anything rash even with ten times the guts!’
With that thought, Bauer suppressed his fear, forced a smug grin, and shouted at the top of his lungs, “Ah ah woo woo!”
Sevitis tilted her head, leaning her ear closer, her eyes narrowing as she tried to make out what he was barking.
Seeing her reaction, Bauer thought she was ignoring him. Frustrated, he waved his fists and screamed again.
“Ah ah ah woo woo!”
Whoosh—!
Before his words died down, a short sword flew toward him and thudded into the ground just below his crotch.
If it had been any higher, the sixth prince would have become the sixth princess.
“What are you mumbling about? Nod if yes, shake if no.” Sevitis said impatiently, conjuring another short sword and tossing it. “Consider that a warning. Next time, I won’t miss. I always mean what I say.”
Sevitis cocked her head slightly, her gaze benevolent.
“Got it?”
Bauer looked at the short sword buzzing inches from his manhood, then at the culprit who had reduced him to this state.
‘Are you kidding? I’m still a noble prince, a future king, a man with heaven and earth under his feet! How could I bow to such a lowly illegitimate daughter! Even if I die here, absolutely—’
Whoosh—!
A second short sword flew with force, this time aiming directly at his vitals.
At the critical moment, the defensive artifact activated again and blocked it, but he knew this was his last artifact.
So his head bobbed like a chicken pecking at rice.
He was indeed a man of heaven and earth, but if he didn’t nod now, he wouldn’t even be a man anymore.
“If you’d been this obedient from the start, nothing would have happened.” Sevitis said with satisfaction, putting away the remaining short swords. She muttered quietly, “What a shame…”
“I thought I’d have a new comrade. This kind of pain… cough, this kind of good fortune can’t be mine alone.”
Bauer naturally didn’t understand what she meant by “comrade,” but he would bet his life that the “good fortune” she mentioned was definitely trouble.
His still-aching “brother” was warning him just that.
After getting the exact answer, Sevitis glanced around at the terrified noble lackeys.
Then, under everyone’s anxious gaze, she raised her index finger and pressed it gently against her rosy lips, making a shushing gesture.
“Shh… I’ll leave the rest to you. Good night, everyone.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, Sevitis’s figure vanished.
The nobles on site had no idea what her inexplicable farewell meant. But soon, they understood with their lives.
A few seconds after she disappeared, eight dark red dots lit up in the darkness behind her.
Then, a sticky, enormous spider web shot through the air, trapping most of the people in the cave.
“What the hell is this! It’s so sticky!”
“Can’t break free! Where’s the swordsman? Cut it!”
“Can’t cut it! This silk is too tough! Anyone know fire magic? Burn it!”
At the brink of death, someone finally thought of the right approach. But it was too late.
As the web fully tightened, the trapped nobles were dragged, web and all, into the pitch-black depths, and then they never made another sound of distress.
Witnessing this, Bauer scrambled backward toward the cave entrance in panic.
‘Damn! There was another Cave Venom Spider!’
Because he had been sitting on the edge of the ground the whole time, Bauer had narrowly escaped.
But he knew it was only temporary. If he didn’t find a way out fast, he would end up the same way.
But before he could even stand up, the culprit of this tragedy finally crawled out slowly from the depths.
It had a similar appearance to the corpse on the ground, but its size was incomparable—a full size larger.
Just by looking, anyone could tell its strength was far above the male spider.
Its dark red compound eyes swiveled, locking onto the surviving nobles one by one.
Eight sharp limbs swept across the cave, and in an instant, flesh and screams splattered against the stone walls.
“No—help!”
After just a few seconds of slaughter, the only living things left breathing in the cave were this giant spider, Bauer—sobbing in fear, legs too weak to move—and…
Shing—!
A blood-red blade streak fell from above the spider’s head, aiming straight for its eight eyes.
Squeal—!
The moment the attack was about to hit, the spider twisted its massive body, using its hard back carapace to block the strike, but still let out a pained cry.
Even with its seemingly indestructible shell, a vicious gash was carved into its back, and dark green blood dripped slowly from the wound.
“Tch, got discovered?” A slightly disappointed click came from the darkness.
The intense pain sent the spider into full frenzy. It spun around and roared angrily at the figure lurking in the shadows who had hurt it, spraying foul liquid everywhere.
“Ugh! So gross! If you’re fighting, just fight—why are you spitting?” The voice complained disdainfully. “Ptooey, I’m done playing with you. Catch me if you can, idiot.”
As the taunting voice quickly faded toward the depths of the cave, the enraged spider chased after it with its long legs.
Since the spider blocked his view, Bauer, still sitting on the ground, couldn’t see who had provoked the beast.
‘But just from that annoying tone, I immediately guessed—it had to be that useless illegitimate daughter who had disappeared earlier!’
Surviving the disaster brought joy that overwhelmed his fear. Bauer breathed a long sigh of relief, a grin spreading across his face.
‘I have no idea how that worthless illegitimate daughter did it, but given her current state, once the raging spider catches up, she’s dead for sure! And she’s running deeper into the cave, which is surely a dead end!’
“Ha ha ha ha—!”
Bauer couldn’t help but burst into laughter. At the end of this brutal battle, the final victor was still him, Bauer!
Even if things had gone a little wrong and he looked pathetic, so what?
The one who survived to the end was the winner! He truly was the Chosen One favored by the Goddess!
But his arrogant laughter had barely ended when an unexpected change ruthlessly interrupted his dream.
A blinding, blazing red light suddenly flared from the darkness deep inside, illuminating the entire cave like daylight.
“Ha ha… argh—!”
“What the hell!”
Boom—!
The roar of flames exploded, instantly drowning out Bauer’s scream.
The giant Cave Venom Spider was blown backward like a kite with broken strings, sent flying from the depths by an impact.
Bauer’s mouth was still open, but what he had just seen left him dumbfounded.
‘That was clearly magic! But wasn’t that illegitimate daughter a useless waste with no elemental affinity? How could she release a spell with such terrifying power?!’
Before he could figure out what was going on…
“Eat my fireball!”
From the darkness came a volley of fireballs trailing long tails of flame, like a dense meteor shower.
The high temperature distorted the air as they howled toward the spider.
Bang bang bang bang—!
In the blaze, countless fireballs scattered, nearly hitting Bauer cowering in the corner.
“Ahhhh!”
Even though he reacted in time, a stray spark ignited his crotch, making him scream and frantically slap his thighs to put out the fire.
The chain of explosions echoed through the cave. The fireballs struck the spider, instantly setting its massive body ablaze.
In an instant, the scent of burning and thick smoke filled the cave.
Bauer coughed uncontrollably, but he clearly heard the shout just now.
‘Fire… fireball?’
‘No way? A spell powerful enough to blow away a fourth-rank spider, and you call that a basic first-rank “Fireball Art”? And since when could you chain-fire fireballs like a crossbow without any incantation?!’
Amid steady footsteps, a cool yet mocking voice drifted through the smoke from deep in the cave:
“I don’t know what you were grinning about sitting there all alone, but I’m sorry to inform you—”
“You seem to have celebrated too early.”
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