The Male S*ave of the Count Sianella Family

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[Beginning to protect Shione Shianella.]

[Your powers are partially unlocked.]

After saving Shione from those demon-worshipping brats in the past, I gained this ability.

Thanks to my will to protect Shione, I felt my physical abilities and mana increase.

I immediately started channeling my mana.

If I missed my timing even a little, it was obvious Shione’s head would be pierced by the spider’s fangs that were the size of a house.

My actions were more urgent and swift than ever.

That giant bug wouldn’t just flutter away with a gust of wind.

Whoosh!!!

I unleashed 40% of my total mana at once to create a ball of flame.

“Get down!”

I had no time to waste with formal speech.

Shione, who was walking carelessly, turned around and looked at me with concern.

“Huh?”

She looked horrified, possibly because I was glowering while creating a fireball.

But whatever.

Before it got any worse, I threw the fireball.

Boom!!

A loud explosion erupted above Shione’s head.

“Shyaa…!!”

Fortunately, I wasn’t too late, and the Arachne was hit by my magic.

It failed to crush Shione’s head due to the blast.

Then the Arachne, with its six madness-infused eyes, glared ferociously at me.

Well, it was about to have me for dinner, but since I interfered, it was bound to be angry at me.

The spider stretched its eight legs, distancing itself and preparing for battle.

Having no immunity to creatures with over three pairs of legs, I couldn’t help but grimace at the sight.

I observed the spider’s movements while asking my master, who brought chaos wherever he went.

“Are you alright?”

“I thought I was going to die from fright.”

“If I had been any slower, you would have lost your life.”

Shione nodded, trying to maintain calm.

She must have seen the explosion that flung that damned spider away from above her.

Shione also likely had a rough idea of how things were unfolding.

Soon, I could see Shione’s clear gaze tracking the Arachne, no longer showing a foolish expression.

“I can sense magic from that Arachne.”

“…It certainly didn’t seem intimidated even after being hit by fire. It must be tainted with magic.”

…This situation just got more annoying.

Catching a regular Arachne was already a bit tough for me right now.

But if it’s contaminated with magic, it becomes even harder.

That spider was as big as two grown men.

If that spider, which already had high endurance, was soaked in magic…

It’s obvious that a few arrows wouldn’t do anything to it if it’s dulled by magic.

“Is there any chance we can run away?”

Immediately shaking my head at her question.

“At least in this forest, we won’t be able to escape from it. If we try to run, it’ll shoot webs and ensnare our ankles. Even if we show weakness, it’ll quickly try to stab us with those venomous fangs.”

“…So it’s like being trapped in my own yard.”

“Exactly.”

Shione’s expression perfectly captured our situation.

This forest is precisely where Arachne goes wild as its hunting grounds.

If we just try to run, that spider will spray webs as if spitting phlegm, trapping us and draining our blood while hunting us down.

Now that this is the case, we have no choice but to fight back.

I immediately shot an arrow while saying, “Be careful of the web it shoots. If you get caught, I can’t guarantee I’ll be able to free you.”

“Shyaa!!”

As soon as it saw the shot arrow, its four pairs of legs slammed into the ground, launching its body into the air.

How can such a huge body climb trees so well?

I gathered mana to ensure it wouldn’t escape my sight.

A whirlwind burst forth, lifting the fallen leaves.

Whoosh!!

As the bowstring was released, it let out a wailing sound.

The arrow sped straight through the air, cutting through the rising leaves at high speed.

“Swiish!!”

My arrow pierced the Arachne’s abdomen.

It let out an unidentifiable scream, possibly annoyed by the sharp iron piece lodged deep inside.

‘Not bad for mana efficiency improvement.’

Thanks to Siabel, the mana efficiency had improved slightly, making it evident that the amount of mana needed to create a whirlwind had decreased.

While creating flames hot enough to burn the Arachne still consumed a lot of mana, this small wind-based magic could likely be used several more times.

At that moment.

Whoosh!!

I heard something slice through the air next to me.

“Of course, from this distance, I can’t hit it.”

Shione had also started to draw her bow and aim at the Arachne.

Though her arrows didn’t reach the Arachne due to the distance, it was enough to distract its attention that had been focused on me.

The Arachne hurriedly climbed to the top of the tree, now aware of Shione.

“…This isn’t good.”

I tried again to shoot an arrow while summoning the whirlwind, but I couldn’t block the Arachne’s movement.

Rustle, rustle.

The Arachne began to bustle about, hiding itself among the thick leaves.

‘I need to keep it from climbing that tree!’

I should’ve prevented it from securing the high ground, but inevitably, the Arachne had taken the advantage.

From here on, I had to keep my head up to track its location while avoiding or cutting the webs that could come pouring at us.

Suddenly, the sound of rustling leaves faded, and then…

Swish!!

From behind, its sticky web shot out towards Shione.

“Whoa…!”

Shione, still pulling her bowstring, wouldn’t be able to avoid such a sudden attack.

I quickly summoned a gentle wind and yanked her behind me, pulling her to safety.

And then…

“Swish!!”

For some unknown reason, the Arachne, having managed to climb the tree, launched its body over my head.

“This is insane.”

Along with the involuntary Korean exclamation.

I momentarily met Shione’s gaze.

“…Ray?”

“Don’t call me that and…”

I hurled Shione, whom I had been holding on to with all my might.

“Protect your head!”

“What do you… Gyaah!”

The sound of her surprised scream echoed, suggesting she must have tumbled several times.

But unfortunately, with my life at stake, I couldn’t think about Shione any longer.

With that eight-legged monster about to crash down on my head, I had to hurry and retreat before being squashed.

I quickly rode the wind back and positioned myself against the Arachne.

Thud!

Its eight legs hit the ground.

Even though I had thrown Shione, the distance between the Arachne and me was still not very far.

“Shyaa!!”

Thanks to that, it charged at me, exposing its two pairs of venomous fangs for paralyzing venom.

It immediately fired multiple webs.

I tried to dodge using spirit magic, but…

The distance was ridiculous.

And the speed at which its webs were coming was exceptional; it was impossible to dodge them all with just the whirlwind.

“Damn it.”

Sticky webs clung to my right foot, restricting my movement.

A mere Arachne had turned into something that could trap me with just one pull of the bowstring.

Why has my life turned out this way?

All that venom with paralysis, and now it was coming at me with a small set of fangs delivering even more potent toxins.

If I let this happen, I’d be a goner.

I gathered all the mana I had left.

I won’t allow myself to die to just one Arachne.

I conjured fire spirit magic as high as I could muster.

The power from the flame spirit became concentrated in my sword.

The blade wouldn’t heat up to melting point.

The spirit’s flames have the capacity to burn only what the caster desires to burn.

Though the problem was, I was rapidly depleting my mana, making me feel extremely drained.

‘I guess I’ll have to sacrifice one of my arms.’

With the magic having eaten away at my mana, it was obvious I’d be bitten anyway, no matter what.

I targeted right behind those grotesque eyes—its brain.

However, it was apparent I would get bitten before I could reach its brain.

I’d need to offer one of my left arms to that enormous fang.

The Arachne’s danger comes from the toxins inside, not those outside.

Its paralyzing toxin wasn’t strong enough to stop my heart.

Just enough to make me unable to move.

“Shyaa!!”

It displayed its gigantic fangs.

Before its head or shoulder could bite me, I hastily placed my left arm towards it.

“Damn it…!!”

Crunch.

That hurts like hell.

The protruding fangs responsible for delivering paralyzing venom are used for tearing flesh and breaking bones.

As it crushed my left arm, paralyzing venom was injected.

Even if my left arm turned to scraps, as long as I survive, someone will come to treat me.

With my jaw clenched, I drove my mana-infused sword directly into it without hesitation.

Bursting through the many eyes of the Arachne, the blade entered its head.

Boom!!

A powerful explosion erupted.

“Shyaa!!!”

I felt a loss of strength from the fang that was biting me.

Inside its head, I could sense a raging storm.

To my amazement, it was still hanging on and biting me.

Since its fangs were painfully lodged in my arm, I exerted all my strength to twist the sword.

“Shyaa…”

At that moment, the life vanished from the Arachne’s six eyes.

“Ha… Ha…”

I gasped heavily.

There’s no need to keep this left arm punctured in those fangs. I hurriedly pulled it back.

The moment I did, an intense fatigue surged over me.

It felt like the paralysis toxin spread, making moving even a single finger difficult.

Thud.

My legs finally gave up supporting me, collapsing backward.

With blood pouring from the wound in my arm, I had to deal with that too.

Not only my legs but even my right arm wouldn’t cooperate.

Now my vision began to dim as well.

Burning through all the remaining 50% of my mana at once seemed to have had a more significant impact than expected.

I turned my head one last time to where I had tossed Shione earlier.

Damn, at least I have some loyalty.

Shione was staring at me, tears streaming down her face as if sorrowful.

She approached me, murmuring something, and I looked at her, wondering what she wanted to say.

I opened my mouth to ask for some healing, but no sound came out easily.

And before long, my vision abruptly faded to black.