That night, Meradis and I stayed in the room Rian had arranged for us, but there was only one bed in the room, and it was both old and small. It clearly couldn't accommodate two people, but since neither Meradis nor I needed to sleep, it wasn't really an issue.
The issue was—I was still mad at her!
"What's wrong, Shiraori?"
She had clearly made a promise to me, and now she didn't even remember it.
"Let's go to sleep." I said, pretending nothing was wrong.
"But we don't really need to sleep."
Meradis seemed to be trying to smooth things over, but I wasn't going to give her that chance.
"I want to sleep."
"Then Shiraori can take the bed."
"No need."
I used my Spider Silk to create a simple cocoon and slipped inside. The softness and the space of the cocoon could be freely adjusted to my liking, so it was way more comfortable than that old creaky bed.
Also, it helped me avoid seeing her face for a bit.
"I forgot you could produce silk, Shiraori." Meradis smiled.
"Good night!" I said and closed the cocoon, completely soundproofing it from the outside.
Lying inside, I suddenly felt so still and quiet. Today was the first day I'd turned back into a human after such a long time living as a spider. It was only temporary, but to me, it was an experience I'd never forget.
It also made me realize how different it felt to be a human versus a spider. The things I usually cared about were completely forgotten when I was a spider. Now that I was human again, they all came rushing back and overwhelmed me to the point I could hardly control myself.
So this is what human emotions are like... so complicated.
I wanted to be human again, but if that meant having to deal with all these volatile emotions, it was honestly exhausting. On the other hand, I didn't want to become completely emotionless either.
I could keep a blank face, sure—but inside, I wasn't emotionless, and acting that way actually felt more fitting to me. But… there were just moments when I couldn't deal with all the emotions inside.
I shouldn't think about it anymore.
Instead, I wanted to try sleeping. Even though I was still wide awake, sleep was a basic human function, and I wanted to get used to that again.
Alright. Time to sleep!
I closed my eyes, relaxed my mind, and let go of all the thoughts from today. My body had gone soft and limp, and the silky cocoon made everything feel even more comfortable.
Everything was going well.
I could fall asleep.
...
What's this?
My silk started to tremble a little, which disturbed me.
Whatever it was, it wasn't more important than my sleep.
I had to sleep.
I really wanted to, but the trembling was getting stronger and stronger. At this point, I was sure someone was doing it on purpose—and no one else had the ability to do that except Meradis.
Don't mess with my sleep!
I figured she probably had something to say, so fine, I'd give her a little more time.
I fixed my clothes and hair, then opened the cocoon. The moment Meradis saw it open, she looked visibly happy.
What is it?
I was still using telepathy.
"It's a little cold out here. Can I come in with you?" Meradis asked.
Huh?
You've got to be kidding me.
I thought it was something important, but this? She's cold? Because of the room temperature? What a joke!
Clearly, that's not the case.
I gave her a stern look, one that should've said "I see right through your lie," but Meradis just kept her usual gentle smile and looked at me calmly.
Ugh... that smile. I think it's becoming more dangerous to me each day.
Who knew people who lived long lives could be this shameless?
"Get in." I said.
"Thank you, Shiraori."
Even though Meradis came inside, I didn't expand the cocoon's size. We were basically lying on a small bed together, but Meradis didn't complain at all.
Well… I guess this is fine.
Now, let's sleep.
I put all other thoughts aside and focused solely on falling asleep. This time, I really didn't care about anything around me, and I quickly drifted off.
The next morning, I woke up to find myself lying in Meradis's arms.
Oh no! What was I doing?!
Even if the space was small, this wasn't appropriate.
I figured I should get out before she woke up.
"..."
I said that, but the sensation of this kind of contact made me not want to move at all. I never thought I was the type who enjoyed things like this—but at this moment, I actually did.
Haah… I have no self-discipline.
...
Leaving that nonsense aside, we went to find Rian to discuss treatment for his little sister.
When Meradis and I stepped into the room, the first thing I noticed was that the whole space was covered in a thick, gloomy atmosphere. A faint black mist immediately surged toward us as if trying to consume us—but it couldn't do anything and was instead absorbed by me.
Hmm…
This… it resembles Dark Mana, but much weaker. Like most of its essence had been drained, leaving only a few residual traits.
We looked at the girl lying on the bed. Her face was pale and haggard, and her body trembled constantly in waves. There were heavy dark circles under her eyes.
"Do you know anything about your sister's condition?" Meradis asked.
Rian scratched his head as if trying to recall something, then replied, "We were traveling from the countryside to here. Along the way, because we lacked food, we had to eat wild plants and drink stream water. One day she suddenly got sick. I took her to get checked, but they said nothing was wrong."
"You two have been through a lot..." Meradis reached out as if to pat Rian's head but then withdrew her hand.
She looked at me, but I was still focused on the girl in front of me. While they were talking, I had already used Heaven Eye to peer inside her—and guess what I found?
A living creature was inside her body, constantly feeding on her nutrients. If this kept up, she'd be dead within two days.
"Did you find anything?" Meradis asked.
I shared what I had discovered. Meradis looked a bit surprised, then relayed it all to Rian.
"So that's why… no matter how much medicine she took, it never got better." Rian said gloomily, his voice tinged with despair.
"Do you know what it is?" Meradis asked again.
"If I'm right, that thing is called a 'Parasitic Insect.' It hides inside people's bodies and drains their life force. These kinds of parasites are usually raised by dark shamans—criminals that Arkanis has placed bounties on."
Rian suddenly dropped to his knees and bowed his head. Tears began to fall. "Can the two of you… save her? She's all I have left..."
Sigh, looks like this time I have to get serious.
"There's no need for that. We already said we'd help." Meradis quickly comforted the boy, then turned to me again.
Of course, I wasn't going to be petty at a time like this. But removing that parasite would be tricky—it had been inside her too long and had nearly become one with her body.
I could see its tail, and it was wrapped around the girl's heart. If we tried to pull it out forcefully, it might panic and kill her along with it.
I explained the details to Meradis, and her expression darkened.
"First, I'll transfer some vitality to sustain her life. Removing it will take time," I told Meradis.
She nodded and passed the message to Rian, who then turned to me and started thanking me over and over.
Alright, I get it—once is enough. I can get embarrassed too, you know.
With my [Soul Link] and [Soul Repair], I could keep the girl alive for now, but this also meant the parasite would get a constant food source and grow even faster.
Hmm…
I need more information on this thing.
Scan!
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Oh, I didn't expect it to even list the owner's name. That's useful.
But more importantly, it's almost fully matured… If it completes the process, I don't think the girl can be saved. The most important thing now is to stop it from feeding any further.
How can I suppress it without agitating it…?
I looked through my skill list and found a potential solution. I used [Dark God Gaze]—and it actually worked.
The skill inflicts a bunch of debuffs on the parasitic insect. It doesn't cause real harm, but it throws it into a state of confusion and temporarily makes it forget about feeding.
This will do for now.
…
I had managed to suppress the creature and simultaneously replenish the girl's vitality, but I still needed to find a way to remove it as soon as possible.
No good.
None of my skills seemed to work. I let out a sigh, but suddenly Rian looked even more panicked.
Now what?
"Is it that bad?" Even Meradis asked.
Oh, it seems my sigh made them misunderstand how dire the situation was. I guess I should explain myself before acting next time. I repeated the current situation and the viable solution to Meradis.
"So we just need to find a way to remove the parasite, right?"
I nodded.
Meradis thought for a moment and then said, "If it can't be forced out, then make it leave on its own."
Huh?
What does she mean?
"If you show it a higher-quality host to draw nutrients from, it'll leave the current one by itself."
Oh, that's actually a good idea.
Then let me do it.
I volunteered because I wanted to study this creature further—opportunities like this don't come often, so I can't pass it up.
"No!" Meradis firmly objected. "It could be dangerous."
Of course it's dangerous, but something of this level can't harm me.
"Let me do it!" Meradis remained adamant about not letting me handle it.
We argued for a while, though externally it just looked like we were silently staring at each other since we were using telepathy.
Fine.
After a while, I conceded, realizing I couldn't win against Meradis's stubbornness. I decided to take a different approach.
"I can insert my silk into the girl's body and approach the creature. Just drip a bit of your blood onto it. That way, we avoid direct contact and minimize danger."
"All right."
Meradis made a cut on her finger, and droplets of blood soaked into my silk, dyeing it red. Strangely, I could feel the warmth and smell of her blood through the silk—it was directly linked to me.
No, no!
What am I thinking?!
"That's enough." I said, then quickly guided the silk into the girl's mouth, navigating down to her heart.
"What are you doing?!" Rian shouted in alarm at the sight, but Meradis calmed him and explained the situation.
Why so panicked?
Anyway, I needed to focus.
The silk had reached the parasite, so I deactivated [Dark God Gaze]. Now, I could only wait to see if it would be attracted to Meradis's blood. She was a long-lived corporeal spirit after all—her blood quality should far surpass that of a normal child.
I was confident in that point, but after a while, the parasite showed no reaction and continued siphoning nutrients from the girl.
What's going on?
I had to suppress it immediately.
"It's not being lured," I told Meradis.
"How could that be…" Meradis looked just as surprised.
Suddenly, I recalled what happened when we first entered the room—an aura of Dark Power had struck us. Based on that, I assumed the parasite had some connection to that energy, and the reason it wasn't attracted to Meradis's blood might be due to incompatible properties.
If that's the case, then maybe my blood would work.
I shared the thought with Meradis. She looked displeased but eventually agreed to let me try.
Another silk thread imbued with my blood entered. This time, even before it got close, the parasite stopped draining the girl's energy and began searching for the thread.
I knew it would work.
Relieved, I watched as the parasite ceased drawing vitality from the girl and started slowly crawling toward the silk I used to lure it. Its movement was sluggish, but it was clearly heading toward the new source of energy I'd offered.
However, it had latched onto the girl for so long that detaching was difficult. I helped by severing the part that was stuck. The parasite seemed to wince in pain but cooperated in exchange for higher-quality food.
I didn't know what else to say.
Meradis stared at me intently, her eyes full of both worry and vigilance. She still didn't seem fully at ease with me directly handling such a dangerous creature. But I had my reasons—direct intervention allowed me to better understand its traits.
Still, I should probably reassure her a little.
"Get ready. If anything happens, you need to assist me immediately," I said via telepathy.
"Got it. I'm watching," she replied, her voice stern.
I smiled faintly and focused on controlling the silk to guide the parasite. A strange sensation emerged as the parasite began to absorb my blood through the silk. It wasn't just drawn in—it was trying to consume a part of me. My blood was filled with unique energy, unlike anything in this world, clearly awakening its predatory instincts.
That made sense. I had absorbed Dark Power before, so if the parasite shared that origin, it would naturally be drawn to me. But whatever it was trying to do, it was meaningless.
Even without resisting, it couldn't touch the core of my being—and above all, it was just a weak, primitive parasite.
"Careful!" Meradis's voice echoed in my mind as the parasite suddenly accelerated, rushing along the silk like a lunatic.
Hm? She could see it too? In that case, I should stop messing around.
The parasite finally detached completely from the girl's body, coiling up on my silk. I immediately activated [Dark God Gaze] to immobilize it, preventing any further attacks. Despite its small size, it held a dangerous power that couldn't be underestimated.
"It's done," I said, sensing the relief from both Meradis and Rian.
"She... she'll be okay now, right?" Rian walked to the bedside and held the girl's hand.
"She'll recover with time," Meradis replied.
Rian checked her. His face softened when he saw the girl breathing steadily again. The color in her face had returned, indicating that her vitality was beginning to recover.
"Big brother…"
"Erin, how do you feel?"
Since I'd already restored a good amount of vitality, it was no surprise the girl woke up quickly. I figured I should leave the two of them some private space.
I turned to leave, Meradis following behind me.
"Are you all right?" As soon as we stepped out of the room, she grabbed my arm.
"I'm fine. It couldn't do anything to me," I answered.
"Now then…" Meradis began, her tone turning serious. "What do we do with it?"
"I can use it to trace its owner. I'm fairly certain whoever that is will be connected to the Sun Festival."
This was a valuable opportunity I couldn't pass up.
"That's fine, but won't they notice if you do that?" Meradis's reminder made me realize the risk.
"I'll keep it inside my body temporarily to avoid suspicion."
"No!" Meradis immediately opposed the idea.
It'll be fine. Unlike the girl, I can fully control it. That alone proves my capability—she shouldn't be doubting me.
Meradis still looked hesitant, but knowing she couldn't change my mind, she sighed and gave in. I then stored the parasite in the palm of my hand, bound it with silk, and planned to feed it once a day.
Looks like the issue was resolved nicely.
Happy ending, huh?