CHAPTER 32
My plan was this.
Arachne had just finished her spawning season and hatched her young.
The instinct to raise her offspring should still be present.
The hatchery, her spider den, was right in front of us.
And conveniently, the moss was almost completely dry.
If we used Babiyen's fire magic, it would burn spectacularly well.
If a fire breaks out in the hatchery, Arachne will hurry back to put it out.
In that time, we escape using Horizon's shadows.
"What do you think?"
After explaining the plan I'd come up with, I watched Callen's reaction. Callen was pressing his chin, his face lost in thought.
"Isn't the risk far too great, no matter how you look at it?"
Vandal showed a displeased expression. Just as he said, this plan carried a huge risk.
One wrong move, and the entire Moss Flower Cave could be endangered.
"This girl thinks it's better than all of us dying to Arachne," Babiyen unexpectedly supported my opinion.
She had almost been killed by the Red Flame Lord not long ago.
Her face showed she knew well just how dangerous a Fantasy Species that required someone like the Red Flame Lord to handle was.
"Let's say we tie down Arachne. But what are we going to do about the criminals?"
This time, the question came from Miren.
Even if my plan tied down Arachne, if the criminals had blocked the exit, we'd be stuck.
"The fact that the criminals induced Arachne's spawning season means that while they can use her, they can't kill her."
If they were skilled enough to kill Arachne in the first place, they wouldn't have gambled on something as dangerous as inducing her spawning season.
"I don't know how those bastards predicted that the Moss Flower Cave would connect the 1st and 2nd Worlds today, but it's certain they can't handle Arachne."
Since we could indirectly gauge their level, the solution was simple.
"If Arachne comes to the exit, they'll have no way to deal with her either. Everyone, you and I, will have to dive for the exit."
"Wait, Holy Mage-nim, how are you going to bring Arachne to the exit? Weren't we supposed to tie her down here?"
This time, Pingle raised a question.
His face said that the story wasn't adding up.
"Everyone knows that Fantasy Species react sensitively to Holy Magic."
Fantasy Species show a particularly sensitive reaction to Holy Magic.
This was a common trait among all Fantasy Species.
That tendency became more severe the higher the grade of the Fantasy Species.
And I possessed the highest grade of Holy Magic.
Resurrection magic.
I wouldn't reveal the existence of that magic to them, but it was the ultimate spell for luring Fantasy Species.
"I have a special Holy Magic. With it, I can definitely lure Arachne."
A creature like Arachne would probably lose its mind and chase after me.
"So, after drawing Arachne in as planned, I will lure her with Holy Magic and dive for the exit along with the criminals."
The Regular Army was always on standby outside the exit.
They would immediately capture the criminals.
"Having lost its target—me—Arachne will return to the hatchery to deal with the rest of the fire. With Arachne tied down in one place, the other pioneers left in the cave will also be able to escape through the exit."
The caves were all connected.
If smoke spread through the cave, the other pioneers would notice the unusual situation and flock to the exit.
So, we could save their lives as well.
I couldn't care less if those savage This-worlders died, but a decrease in the number of pioneers wasn't good.
They were the primary producers of raw resources in various regions.
Their loss would soon become a cause for rising prices.
And I needed money more than ever.
It would be a headache if rising prices increased my expenses.
"This is a plan with absolutely no guarantee of safety."
Callen spoke his honest thoughts.
Just as he said, this plan had no guarantee of safety whatsoever.
Even I felt the burden of this plan.
If I were caught by Arachne, I'd be swallowed into its stomach.
Even if I revived after being melted in its digestive tract and excreted as waste, I'd be reviving on a pile of droppings.
And even from such droppings, there was no guarantee I could escape to the 1st World.
I'd be lucky not to run into more spiders and get killed along the way.
But being played by those criminal bastards was an even bigger headache.
We could only guess; we didn't know their true objective.
Normally, I'd think they were trying to take pioneers hostage.
But now, after they induced Arachne's spawning, made her rampage, and even predicted the Moss Flower Cave would connect to the 1st World...

It was clear they had been planning and preparing for this for a long time.
Would such people really be content with just a safe return to the 1st World or a comparable reward?
No.
There had to be some other underlying reason.
While it was unclear what that reason was, I couldn't deny the possibility that it was a greater danger than Arachne.
"Ms. Horizon, can you do it?"
I had already confirmed Babiyen's intentions.
Finally, I asked for Horizon's, and her eyes wavered.
But soon, she clenched her fists tightly.
"I-I have to! Harua-ssi, you're trying to save the other pioneers, too!"
That wasn't really my intention.
The only reason I mentioned the other pioneers was to increase their participation in the plan.
If I lessened their guilt and raised their sense of justice, they'd be more willing to take part.
Horizon fell for my intention hook, line, and sinker.
She was an easy woman.
"Indeed."
And for some reason, Babiyen agreed with Horizon's words, glancing at me.
What was she agreeing to, after I used her as a hostage in the past?
"Tch, this is why they call you Holy Mage-nims."
"Hahaha, for the greater good!"
"You're a kind person."
My stock rose significantly with Callen's team as well.
I was surprised at how well my intentions were received.
"Let's do it."
Finally, even Callen agreed.
Unlike the others, he wasn't filled with the will to save someone.
He had simply judged that being played by the criminals was the more dangerous option, given the circumstances.
"Harua-ssi, we will clear the path ahead for you."
The path to the exit.
There would be spider hatchlings on that path.
Or possibly other pioneers or even criminals.
To escape while luring Arachne, the path had to be as clear as possible.
Otherwise, there was a high chance of getting caught by Arachne while dealing with other things.
Callen's team's role was crucial.
"The rest will all be left to your judgment, Harua-ssi. Will that be alright?"
Most of the plan's execution had to be done by our team.
But in turn, the lives of Callen's team also depended on us.
The criminals and Arachne at the exit.
If we failed, Callen's party would be caught between them and die.
"Yes."
Therefore, this was something we absolutely had to succeed at.
Callen streamlined his pack, taking only his weapons.
Our side did the same.
We would have to run for a long time, so unnecessary baggage was meaningless.
"Then, we will take a detour and clear the path from the nest to the exit. Pingle, coordinate the route with Ms. Horizon."
"Hoo, my hands and feet are tingling."
While Pingle coordinated with Horizon, Callen took a small orb from his pouch.
"It's a signal orb. When the orb lights up, you can execute the plan."
It was a simple type of magic tool.
It was essential for this situation, so I took it carefully.
The completion of Callen's path-clearing mission was the signal to start the breakthrough operation.
"Good luck."
"Yes, good luck to you too."
Callen finished speaking and quickly moved out.
After they left, I looked back at Babiyen and Horizon.
Both of their faces showed they had made their decision.
"Let's both begin."
It was time to set the hatchery ablaze.

The Vermilion-grade Fantasy Species. Arachne.
Eight legs and a colossal abdomen.
The upper torso rising from her abdomen was a grotesque mix of human and spider.
Right now, she was hungrier than ever before.
She had entered her spawning season earlier than usual and had been forced to lay her eggs in a hurry.
Normally, she would have filled her belly before the spawning season.
But this time she hadn't, so she was intensely hungry.
The delicious smell was all around her.
Normally, she would have to go outside the Moss Flower Cave to hunt, but today was different.
With such a delicious smell coming from all directions, she couldn't bear it.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud—
Arachne began to move through the cave at a rapid pace.
Her steps alone made the cave tremble as if in an earthquake.
As she advanced, foaming venom-laced saliva...
The running Arachne came to an abrupt halt.
What is the most fundamentally repulsive smell to a living creature?
It is the smell of something burning.
Fire can occur anywhere.
A single lightning strike from the sky turning an area into a sea of flames was a common occurrence.
Therefore, living things fear fire.
The acrid, burning smell rising from a fire is a danger imprinted on a creature's instincts.

And now, Arachne smelled a stronger burning scent than ever before.
And it was coming from the direction of her hatchery, where she had laid her eggs.
Arachne hurriedly moved her massive body and began to run. The moment she arrived at the hatchery with urgent steps...
FWOOOOSH!
A conflagration of demonic flames was raging there.
Thick black smoke spread throughout the cave.
Below, the hatchlings that should have been born and those that had just been born were rolling in the flames.
The dry moss made for perfect kindling.
Thanks to that, the fire showed no sign of stopping and burned even more fiercely.
Arachne let out a roar.
At the same time, she began to move her legs, stomping on the places where the flames had erupted.
The sight of her newly born young burning ignited a fire in the mother's heart as well.
Ironically, every time Arachne rampaged, the hatchlings that were barely breathing met their end, but she had plenty of young anyway.
Arachne was not a caring enough mother to look after her dying children.
Arachne shot webbing towards the fire, trying to suppress it somehow.
But for some reason, no matter how much she tried to extinguish it, the fire only grew.
Something unusual was happening.
The moment Arachne, sensing this, tried to find the cause...

Freeze—
Arachne's body stopped, and only her head slowly turned.
The direction her head turned.
A man was standing there.
A man wearing decent armor with a single dagger at his waist.
In his hand, he held a single finger.
The moment the man clenched his fist around the finger, a pure white light enveloped the area.

It was the most powerful Holy Magic in the world.
Arachne's pupils turned crimson.
She fell into a berserk state and let out a roar.
The man, Harua, canceled the magic he had used on the finger and shouted.
"Horizon!"
A shadow swallowed Harua and, at the same time, revealed him a short distance away. Arachne forgot about putting out the fire and turned her massive body to chase Harua.
The lure was a success.
All that remained was to reach the exit safely.
In other words.
"Run!"
If you stop, you die.