Looking at the hand he held out, Ariel not only wasn't happy, she actually frowned and started complaining.
"How does that have anything to do with disrespect?"
"Think about it yourself."
"I'm asking because I can't figure it out!"
"I'm the Demon Lord, right? Normally I should be the one conquering it myself. If you just hand it over to me, isn't that a little disrespectful?"
The more Ariel spoke, the more dissatisfied she became. She puffed out her cheeks in annoyance.
To Ash, this was clearly intentional acting cute. After all, she was over three thousand years old. If that wasn't deliberately acting cute, what was?
Still, he had to admit it really was cute. Ash thought that without meaning to, then immediately felt there was something wrong with having that thought.
Left with no choice, he rubbed his aching temples and said, "Honestly, I don't really understand your definition of respect and disrespect..."
"You'll understand when you become a Demon Lord."
"Sorry. There are plenty of things I don't know, but I was basically no different from a Demon Lord before. I should understand this much."
"Really? Then we're coworkers?", Ariel cried out happily. She grabbed Ash's hand and pulled him over, her eyes shining as she looked at him, "So we'll definitely be working together from now on, right?"
"Wrong. I'm not someone who works without payment."
Ash pulled his hand free, causing Ariel to tilt her head in confusion.
"So you're the type that only acts when there's something to gain?"
"That's a harsh way to put it. Though it's pretty close. More accurately, it depends on my mood."
"Standing right in front of you is a beauty who only appears once every three thousand years!", Ariel put one hand on her waist and pointed at herself with the other.
"Sorry, but let me correct you. There may be three females in this room, but there isn't a single beautiful girl here. In fact, there isn't even a human. Can you understand how I feel?", Ash glanced around the room.
There was a demon girl, a vampire baby, and a half-human half-spider monster.
There just wasn't a human, much less a beautiful girl.
No matter how he looked at it, this wasn't a normal situation.
It was very far from the peace and quiet he had hoped for.
It was a complete mess.
"Hmm... Actually, I understand," Ariel nodded.
"Really?"
"Fine, I don't understand. But it's basically the same!"
Ariel spread her little hands, trying to brush the matter aside.
Even though she seemed to be trying to act cute and get away with it again, Ash had no intention of giving in on matters of principle. He spoke seriously, "It's completely different! More importantly, can we talk about something practical? No, wait... Didn't I already say that earlier?"
"Then what do you want? Didn't I already say I'd take care of you? I'll give you money too."
"I'm not the type who just lives off someone else. How many times do I have to say that..."
Ash let out a heavy sigh.
"A normal person, even if they can't offer anything tangible, would at least say something about marrying the person in return, right?"
"How could anyone casually offer something like that? Are you a pervert? Or a thug? This kind of thing should be taken seriously!"
Ariel stared at him with wide eyes, her face red as she shouted at him as though she'd just heard the most unbelievable thing in the world.
Seeing her reaction, Ash knew she had kept a lot of her old timid personality.
He couldn't help finding it a little amusing and shook his head.
"I just mentioned it casually. Don't take it so seriously. Besides, there are a lot of things I want to complain about right now. Anyway... shouldn't saving the world be something that requires more caution? Why are you treating it more casually than my suggestion?"
"..."
'This guy is harder to deal with than I thought...'
'Didn't he say he liked me before?'
'So it really wasn't something he meant while things were chaotic. He was just playing along?', Being lectured instead made Ariel unconsciously bite her thumbnail at the side while staring at him.
It was during this that her gaze landed on Kumoko, who looked like she was spacing out but had actually been paying attention the whole time.
The moment their eyes met, Kumoko suddenly twitched.
A bad feeling rose inside her.
Before she could escape, Ariel had already moved over and flashed a cheerful smile.
"Come to think of it, should I call you Wakaba Hiiro, or Shiro?"
"..."
'Nothing good ever comes with this girl.'
'And Shiro completely sounds like the name of a pet.'
'I accepted it because I was too lazy to complain, but having it become my permanent name feels weird.'
'I should oppose it properly!'
'Yeah!'
'I have to oppose it!'
'Just give me some time... One minute is enough! Let me prepare myself!', Kumoko's thoughts were extremely active. She was even trying hard to organize her words.
On the outside, however, she still wore the same expressionless face as always.
People who didn't know her would probably think she was a cold beauty who looked down on everyone.
But Ariel was one of the few people who knew how terrible she was at speaking.
Even knowing that, she had no intention of giving her a chance.
With a grin, she immediately made the decision herself, "If you don't object, that means you agree. I'll call you Shiro!"
"???"
'Why?'
'How is this different from the name Ash got?'
'At that point, I'd rather you just use my original name!', Kumoko's expression collapsed, and her head tilted sharply to one side.
She was about to object when Ariel continued on her own.
"Anyway, you're not the same person you used to be. So changing your name fits the situation better, right?"
"....."
'I still don't want a weird name like this!', Kumoko felt a little depressed, but she couldn't be bothered saying more.
Finally, she opened her mouth and got straight to the point.
"What do... you want?"
"It'll definitely be inconvenient for someone with your appearance to move around in human territory. So why not come to the Demon Territory? The places under my control. You can go wherever you want there, and eat whatever you want too."
Since they had once practically been one being, Ariel understood her extremely well.
She immediately offered a condition Kumoko found hard to refuse while wearing a completely innocent smile.
Reading at the side, Ash had basically guessed what she was doing.
She wanted to win Kumoko over first and use her as a breakthrough point.
He had no intention of interfering.
He simply continued flipping through his book.
The Demon Territory would indeed be more convenient.
Someone would deal with troublesome matters.
And... there were cute girls to tease.
No matter how he looked at it, there wasn't much downside.
If they really wanted his help with something later, they could negotiate then.
Since Ash had no intention of joining the conversation, Ariel persuaded Kumoko very easily.
As a result, what happened afterward was exactly what Ash expected.
After being successfully "bought off," Kumoko grabbed the hem of Ash's clothes and silently dragged him toward the door.
Ash merely sighed and let her do as she pleased.
With a helpless expression, he allowed himself to be dragged out of the house.
Behind him, Ariel walked along with her hands behind her back and a cheerful grin on her face.
She looked like a little devil whose plan had succeeded.
One thing worth mentioning was that Ash was holding a book in one hand and Sophia in the other.
He looked surprisingly busy.
This was because after learning Ariel's identity, John and his wife had thought it over carefully.
After Ariel repeatedly promised she would protect Sophia until adulthood, they ultimately decided to ask Ash and Kumoko to take care of Sophia.
Although they hated to part with her and desperately wanted to watch their daughter grow up themselves, they knew very well that with their abilities, they couldn't protect her once the elves had already set their sights on her.
Having no other choice, they could only entrust their daughter to Ash and the others for the time being.
At the same time, they secretly held onto a bit of hope and made a promise with Sophia that after she grew older, she would return home and marry Ash.
Of course, Ash simply pretended not to hear that part.
After all, taking something like that seriously felt like losing.
As for Sophia herself, she was just a baby.
She didn't really have a choice.
Besides, she understood that if she wanted to survive, she had to leave with them.
If someone discovered she was a vampire, the Church would definitely hunt her down without mercy.
It was fine while she was young and didn't attract much attention.
But once she grew up, she couldn't stay inside the house forever.
Now that the Demon Lord was willing to protect her, it was the best outcome she could hope for.
And besides, she was being carried by Mr. Ash.
'This treatment...'
'I hit the jackpot!,' Sophia felt sad when she first parted from her mother, but before long, she was clutching Ash's clothes with both hands and smiling happily.
However...
She was clearly celebrating too early.
Kumoko was willing to take care of Sophia because she didn't feel comfortable leaving her behind in Keren Territory.
But when she saw how happy Sophia looked in Ash's arms, she suddenly felt unbalanced.
A burst of irritation rose up for no reason.
So, figuring she had nothing better to do anyway, she silently raised a hand and shot out spider silk.
The silk wrapped precisely around Sophia's arms and legs.
Sophia only had time to let out a startled cry before she was pulled out of Ash's arms.
After landing, she could only move forward using her own legs.
["Huh? W-Wait? Why am I?"]
Sophia was about to ask Ash for help and have him carry her again when Ariel suddenly cut in with great interest, "Ooh~ Starting training from childhood? Not bad~ Reincarnators have a lot of potential to begin with. Training earlier is good for her too."
["I don't..."]
Sophia tried to argue.
She didn't want to walk.
She wanted Ash to carry her.
But Ariel looked like she'd found an interesting toy and continued tempting her, "If you become a strong girl, Ash will definitely see you differently, right? And even if he falls for someone else by then, you can just take him by force!"
["I like training!"]
Sophia had been arguing through telepathy moments earlier.
Now it was as if she'd been injected with a steroid.
In an instant, she became full of motivation.
Her tiny figure seemed filled with strength as she started walking forward on her own with fighting spirit.
The sight made Ash shiver.
For some reason, his back felt cold too.
From the beginning, he knew Ariel was only encouraging people because she found it amusing.
And besides, what she was teaching a child was absolutely terrible.
He really wanted to say something about it, but...
'Sigh, forget it. I can't be bothered. Let them do whatever they want.'
'By the time she grows up, I don't even know if I'll still be here,' Ash sighed in his mind.
After almost speaking up, he ultimately chose not to interfere with the baby girl's path toward "self-improvement."
Nor did he bother saying anything to Ariel.
Even though Sophia's reason for improving herself was extremely strange.
Naturally, that strange goal also made Kumoko unhappy.
As a result, the training became even harsher.
Thus, in front of the three of them appeared a baby who kept sprinting forward under the control of silk threads despite being completely exhausted.
The sight was bizarre, absurd, and looked somewhat like child abuse.
———
Although both Ash and Kumoko possessed teleportation magic, teleportation wasn't all-powerful.
They couldn't directly teleport to places they had never visited before.
And no matter how fast a baby ran, short legs were still short legs.
Every day, after being trained until she practically looked half dead, Sophia would run over with tears in her eyes and hug Ash's leg.
It gave Ash the feeling of suddenly becoming a father again.
All he could do was place her on his lap and comfort her.
Not long after leaving Keren Territory, the group passed by the first city on their journey.
Because of Kumoko's unique appearance, she attracted too much attention.
She could easily cause panic among people.
There was simply no way she could enter a town.
With no other option, Ash could only endure Kumoko's resentful gaze and head into the city with Sophia and Ariel to buy daily necessities.
'Ah... what is this?'
'Is this the legendary act of abandoning your wife and child?'
'No, that's not right. He took the child.'
'Now I'm the only one left here, aren't I?', Kumoko lay on the ground by herself, scratching the dirt with her foot in boredom.
There was nobody around.
Feeling miserable, she started singing to ease her frustration.
"Ah~ hey yo yo~ hey yo yo~ I'm a little spider! Eight long skinny legs, sitting alone in the corner, dust piling up on my web, nobody comes to visit, this life is really hard~ wobbling around and feeling uneasy~ no delicious food in sight~ a lonely spider all by herself~"
Kumoko's singing echoed through the empty wilderness.
The sound carried a bit of humor, along with some helplessness and sadness.
At least judging from the lyrics, it sounded pretty pitiful.
When the song ended, she spun around in place by herself like an artist performing on stage.
Afterward, she gave a ninety-degree bow to a nearby tree and loudly announced:
"Song title: Empty, Lonely, and Feeling Cold~ A Lonely Spider All By Herself! Lyrics and composition by me personally! Thank you all for your support! Clap! Clap! Clap!"
After speaking, she even nodded her head while applauding herself.
The whole scene was ridiculous.
But after finishing her song, she quickly went back to scratching the ground and muttering complaints.
"Stupid Demon Lord, heartless Ash! Leaving me alone out here in the wilderness. Going into town to enjoy yourselves is one thing, but you're even planning to stay overnight. You'll definitely be sleeping in warm beds and eating luxurious meals, right? How can you people live with yourselves?! Unforgivable! Damn it... I want a big meal too!"
However, at that moment, the sound of a branch snapping suddenly came from behind her.
The unexpected noise shattered the previous calm in an instant.
Kumoko's entire body shook.
The expression she had while complaining froze immediately.
An overwhelming sense of embarrassment surged through her.
At that moment, only one impulse remained in her mind, silence the witness.
That's right.
As long as the witness disappeared, there would be nothing to feel embarrassed about.
However... the moment she turned around with killing intent in her eyes, the person she saw was Ash.
His face carried an awkward but polite smile.
At first, Ash had indeed gone into the city together with Ariel and Sophia.
But... he felt that if he left Kumoko alone, she would definitely complain afterward.
She probably wouldn't say anything out loud, but she'd definitely sulk inside.
There was a good chance it would show in her actions too.
And since she was basically a child he had raised, no, a spider he had raised, Ash couldn't quite bring himself to leave her behind.
So shortly after entering the city, he gave up on staying at the inn with everyone else.
After buying some tasty food, he handed Sophia over to Ariel and returned alone.
He headed back to the small forest where Kumoko was hiding near the city.
His original plan was to share the food with her and then use teleportation magic to bring her to the inn.
However, he had only just quietly approached, intending to surprise her.
Instead, he was the one who got surprised.
Kumoko, who normally gave off the impression of a cold beauty, had unexpectedly spoken a huge amount.
'She even started singing?'
The contrast was so extreme that it made him feel uncomfortable.
And the song Empty, Lonely, and Feeling Cold~ A Lonely Spider All By Herself almost made him burst out laughing.
After taking several deep breaths and managing not to laugh out loud, he heard something else.
That girl was actually complaining about him behind his back.
He really wanted to expose her directly.
The urge was incredibly strong.
But showing himself at that moment felt like it would make things very awkward.
Kumoko might even get angry out of embarrassment.
So he quietly stepped backward, planning to leave as silently as he had arrived.
Then he could return later and pretend he had just come back.
However, the more you worry about something happening, the more likely it is to happen.
Just like in a television drama, he accidentally stepped on a dry branch while backing away.
Normally it wouldn't matter.
Most people probably wouldn't even hear it clearly.
But Kumoko was already a mythical-class monster.
Even though he had concealed his presence using methods similar to the Shadow Warriors and had approached without being noticed, the sound of the branch snapping, she heard it perfectly.
As Kumoko suddenly turned around, he could only try smiling to ease the awkwardness.
But judging from her frozen expression and the panic gradually replacing it, the effect didn't seem very good.
———
Kumoko had been immersed in her own little world.
Her mind was full of complaints about being abandoned by her companions.
The sudden noise and the familiar figure she saw after turning around caused both her complaining expression and her murderous gaze to freeze.
Time seemed to stop at that moment...
Though in reality, that wasn't what happened.
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