[V8C27] A Harpy’s Mistake
Translated by Jodas 8: The Witch of the BoundaryAfter jumping out from the bushes, Oliver severed the webs strangling Tia’s neck… Or he tried to, at least. Oliver wasn’t quite talented enough at the spear to pull that off.
But in that brief moment when the Arachne’s attention was diverted, Tia could reach her fingers around the webbing that loosened ever so slightly.
As a Harpy, Tia couldn’t put too much strength into her fingers. Instead, she focused all of her strength into her whole arm and tugged on the webbing with all her might.
The Arachne looked at Oliver, her mouth lifting into a smile.
“You were the coward who ran away back then.”
“But now, I have no fear.”
True to his word, Oliver charged straight at the Arachne. The Arachne screeched as she aimed for Oliver’s neck— At that moment, Tia leapt off of the webbing and grabbed onto Oliver’s back.
If this was a life-or-death situation, then she should just put all of those messy feelings in her mid off to the side. Following her survival instincts, Tia screamed.
“I’m jumping, Oliver!”
“I’m counting on you!”
Still latched onto Oliver’s back, Tia activated the Magical Leaping Device.
Wind emerged from the short metal wings, carrying Oliver’s tall body high up. The Arachne’s fangs swiped through empty air.
Tia made precise adjustments to the Magical Leaping Device, leaning her body into the wind as she shouted.
“I’m dropping you now!”
“Roger that!”
With Tia still on his back, Oliver fell towards the ground. Even falling from a lethal height, he did not waver.
“Ho, ho, what a predictable attack…”
The Arachne laughed. An attack coming from directly overhead could be dodged just by stepping a little bit to the side.
—That was why Tia had set something up just before taking the leap.
Wrapping that webbing tightly around her hand, she pulled as hard as she could.
“LUAAAHH!!”
It was the same webbing that had been around Tia’s neck. Since part of it was still connected to the Arachne’s abdomen, Tia held that part tightly as she leapt into the air.
Suddenly pulled by the webbing, the Arachne lost her balance. In that moment, the spear bearing down on her from directly overhead pierced straight through the Arachne’s head and torso.
So Oliver didn’t bear the full impact of the landing, Tia used the Magical Leaping Device to control the wind. With the help of that wind, the bodily fluids of that Arachne showered across the landscape like rain.
If it were all normal blood, perhaps one could have called this ‘the Red Rain.’
“Ho… ho… I see…”
With her innards pouring all over the ground, the Arachne laughed.
Her eyes gazed at Oliver.
“Romy had been trying to eat… your fear, huh?”
Once Tia climbed off of Oliver’s back, she approached the Arachne.
She thought to finish off this bug before she could expose Tia’s true identity.
But the words that left the dying Arachne’s mouth were not about Tia’s identity.
“You were a weak one, weren’t you… You couldn’t even hunt your own prey… Look, your mother has prepared such a wonderful meal for you…”
The light had already faded from the Arachne’s eyes.
Those arms, like a human woman’s, reached out to someone who wasn’t there.
“Eat up, Romy…”
Those would be her last words.
As the intensity of the battle wore off, Tia’s mind rapidly chilled.
Looking down at the mangled corpse, Tia thought.
Just now, the reason why Tia had killed this Arachne was because this Arachne had tried to kill her.
The Arachne knew it would be hard to convince Tia, so she chose to attack her. That was why Tia had to kill her.
But had the Arachne tried to bring Tia over to her side; had she been persuasive enough; had they been in a situation where that was possible; how would it have turned out?
“It’s the same for you Harpies, is it not? I’d heard there was a large-scale extermination a few years ago, and just about all of you were killed.”
“This is a battle for the very existence of us Monsters. Are you saying you’re still going to take the humans’ side?”
One by one, drops of cold sweat formed and trickled down her face. Tia’s body shivered.
She wanted to see her sister and fellow Harpies again. She wanted to laugh along with Wren and Sevil. She wanted to learn all sorts of things from Mr. Hütter. She wanted to fly through the sky with her rival Frederik again. — It would be impossible to grant all of those wishes at once.
“Tia.”
When her name was called, Tia gradually turned to look at Oliver.
Oliver was the same as always. That fact set Tia at ease to an extent.
“I’d like to carry Brother to a safe place. Help me.”
“…Okay.”
Monsters don’t make decisions based on what’s right or wrong.
The essence of their decisions is always simply ‘I do it because I have to.’
Yet now, Tia felt an intense feeling of regret towards something ‘wrong’ she had done.
In order to fly, she had grown close to humans.
That had been the Harpy Folulutia’s mistake.
Wren had been in a light sleep before the voices of a man and a woman brought him back to consciousness. When he did, he still laid there half-asleep for a while.
The reason he hadn’t quite awoken yet was because the bed just felt so comfortable.
Lately, he’d been spending many nights sleeping in rough situations, so he was reluctant to let go of such a wonderful bed and comforter.
(Actually, where was the last place I slept…? I don’t remember crawling into a bed at all…)
The voices belonged to Hütter and Sevil. It seemed like the two of them were there to check on Wren’s condition.
“So, what say we do a thorough interrogation of our suspect, hmm?”
“Do you really need to check my pulse for that? Really? Why don’t we just stop measuring our teachers pulses to see if they’re lying, okay?”
“I’m thinking we should start with the Guidance Office… Oh? Seems like your pulse is getting faster.”
“Did you know? Most humans’s pulses will get faster when an overwhelming beauty like you has grabs their wrist and intimidates them!”
‘What in the world are they talking about?’ Wren wondered as he pored through his own memories.
The Lange Hamlet, the Monster attack, the strange garden with all four seasons, his meeting with and service to the Witch… Then…
(Right, we were attacked by Arachne Monsters, and Frederik saved us, right…?)
With his eyes closed, the inside of his eyelids reflected the memory of mangled and dismembered Monster bodies, so Wren forced his eyes open.
The first thing to meet his gaze was a half-open notebook. It must have been Hütter’s. For whatever reason, he had dropped it on Wren’s pillow.
Wren absentmindedly cast his eyes through the words inside.
John Rose
Fuzzy redhead. Huge.
Seems like he wants to use Modern Magecraft? Can only use defensive barriers.
— Researching mana imbuement into plants. Often visits the Management Office.
— Currently researching ways to remove mana from mana-imbued plants after harvesting. Has been doing a lot of work together with Gerald lately.
Julius Löwenich
Laughs like ‘ku, ku, ku.’ Modern Magecraft is his specialty. His contracted spirit is a greater flame spirit.
— Seems like his father used to be at the Wedge Tower. Maybe wants to join the General Affairs Office?
Gerald Anker
Black hair, long bangs, doesn’t talk much. It’s bad for his eyes, so he really should cut those bangs.
Has a sword, but I’ve never seen him using it so I don’t know how good he is.
— Often helps out at the Management Office. Is he not interested in magic swords?
— Has lately been visiting the kitchen a lot.
Finn Nohl
Tiny, black-haired boy. The youngest. Apparently the son of a woodcutter.
At the same level as Tia academically. Weak-legged, but reasonably strong.
— Often helps out with the Management and Maintenance Offices
Oliver Lange
Tallest of the Apprentices. Uses a spear. What does ‘red rain’ mean? You’re scaring your teacher, you know?
Seems to be from a Monster-hunting family. I don’t really understand what that means.
— Wants to join the Extermination Office. His brother is also in the Extermination Office.
— Has succeeded in flying jointly with Tia.
Wren Bayer (Apprentices’ Assistant Representative)
Self-proclaimed pretty boy. Reasonably good at reading the room and paying attention to the people around him.
Has the lowest mana reserves so needs attention. (Ms. Röhm has already helped with that.)
— Might have interest in inscription magic? May be headed for Library or Management Office.
— Has acquired a talent for inscription magic. A good match for the Library Office? I also think he’s a good match for the Finance Office, so I need to make some connections.
Sophie Schwarzenberg
From a family of Shamans. Her grandfather was in the Wedge Tower until his recent death. She came to the Wedge Tower as his replacement.
— Often visits the Library Office. Might join the Library Office like her grandfather?
Rukiye Sorge
Has the eyes of an artisan. The type of person who dislikes dealing with other people. She should get out more.
— Wants to be a magical device artisan. (Especially seems to like engraving metal.) Just about guaranteed to join the Management Office.
— Has lately been becoming much more well-rounded. I think she’ll turn out just fine.
Roswitha Ohlendorf
Skilled with Classical Magecraft. Has lots of sticks hanging inside of her cloak. Whatever that is, it’s scary.
— Wants to join the Extermination Office. Her mother was part of the Extermination Office before resigning.
Ella Frank (Apprentices’ Representative)
Came from a magical academy. Has interest in both Classical and Modern styles. Probably a magic idiot just like Ms. Röhm.
Gets along well with self-confident braggarts like Roswitha and Rukiye.
— Has difficulty controlling mana. Unsure of her career path?
— Looking in to surgery to correct her mana organs. Sounds like it involves cutting into her palm, so I should have a talk with the other Apprentices to keep her quality of life from suffering.
Tia Vogel
Chirps like ‘Piyopp’ all the time. Wants to learn flight magic. What is she, a bird?
Her special talent is singing — Should I suggest magic related to singing? (Unrelated to flight magic, so need to wait and see)
— Currently practicing with the Magical Flying Device at the Management Office.
— I’ve asked Spiremaster Alto to tutor her on choral magic. Even Spiremaster Alto has complimented her, that’s amazing.
Adelheid Sevil Lamea Krewing
The Barbarian Sword Princess and the Emperor’s little sister. Why is she here??
— Interested in magic swords and (how to kill) spirits. Currently practicing with the Protection Office.
— Has learned magic swords through the Protection Office. I should make sure to thank Director Böll a ton (Apple-based pastries are OK with Director Böll)
Written inside was a bunch of information about the Apprentice Mages.
As he absentmindedly read through it all, he could hear the conversation Hütter and Sevil were having.
“So, who do you think is most suspicious in the Guidance Office?”
“Uh… What about Mr. Sombart? Come on, you know, he’s super sketchy, right? Right?”
“Oh? You’re rather quick to sell out your coworkers aren’t you, Mr. Hütter? How suspicious… Could it be that you’re a Monster yourself, Mr. Hütter?”
‘Oh, I get it.’ It sounded like they were talking about what would happen if a Monster infiltrated the Wedge Tower, pretending to be a human.
At that point, Wren made a connection between their conversation and the notebook in front of him.
Wren sprang up with a start and grabbed the notebook. Hütter raised his voice in shock.
“Whoa, you’re awake, Wren? Hey wait, that’s my notebook…”
“Mr. Hütter!”
Wren opened to the page with the Apprentices’ information and leaned in towards Hütter.
“About what you’ve written on this page, could this be…?”