"Do any of you know anything about something called the Brood-Mother?"
The question slipped into the air almost casually, yet it didn't land that way.
It settled.
Like a shadow stretching across the ground.
Every gaze shifted toward Haruto, and for the briefest moment, the warmth of the campfire felt thinner, as if the name itself had siphoned something from the atmosphere. Even the distant chatter of the hobgoblins seemed to dim, the world narrowing around that single point of curiosity.
Venora was the first to react.
"The Brood-Mother…?" she repeated, her brows knitting ever so slightly. There was no confusion in her tone, only recognition. "How do you know her?"
There was something careful in the way she asked it. Not fear, not quite… but close enough to make the question feel heavier than it should've been.
Haruto, oblivious to the subtle shift in tension, simply shrugged.
"Well, the name came up this morning during the meeting," he said, leaning back a little as if recounting something trivial. "I was thinking of building our village on the island at Tsukuyomi Lake. Then one of our guys mentioned it and said the 'Great Brood-Mother' was currently staying there."
A pause.
Then—
"I see…" Venora exhaled, the tension in her shoulders easing as she brought a hand to her chest. "You really worried me for a second."
Kuronai set his empty bowl aside with quiet composure before stepping into the explanation, his tone measured, steady.
"The Brood-Mother is not just some random entity in the forest," he began. "She is one of the most powerful magic users alive within these lands. The supreme leader of the Arachnar Legion… and one of the Seven Guardian Lords."
Haruto blinked once.
"Oh… so the lake's basically her territory?"
"No," Kuronai answered almost immediately.
The denial came clean, precise.
Venora took over, her voice carrying a faint edge now, like someone describing a storm they'd already survived once.
"She doesn't belong to the lake. If anything… the lake is simply where she ended up."
There was a quiet weight behind her words, and she leaned slightly forward as she continued.
"She's… unpredictable. A tyrant by nature. Expansion, domination, conquest… those aren't strategies for her. They're instincts."
Her lips curved faintly, though there was no humor in it.
"And because of that, she made herself a target. Many factions in the forest tried to bring her down."
Hana tilted her head slightly, listening with a newfound interest.
"So what changed?"
Venora's gaze flickered, as if recalling something unpleasant.
"She angered a dragon."
Not just any dragon.
The way she said it made that clear.
"A powerful one. Strong enough to rally its own kind. They didn't just strike her… they brought their entire force down on her nest."
The imagery painted itself in silence. A web of shadows torn apart by fire. A domain shattered under overwhelming pressure.
"Even with her strength," Venora continued, quieter now, "she couldn't withstand multiple dragons at once. Her nest was destroyed… completely."
Kuronai's eyes remained calm, though his posture carried the weight of the story.
"She was forced to retreat."
"And for some reason," Venora added, "she chose Tsukuyomi Lake."
Haruto frowned slightly.
"…That place with the illusions?"
"Exactly." Venora nodded. "A normal being would be trapped there. Lost. Broken. But her…?"
A faint, almost impressed breath left her.
"She's a genius when it comes to magic. If anyone could create countermeasures against the lake's illusions… it would be her."
Hana leaned forward slightly, resting her chin on her palm.
"So… the dragons just let her go?"
"Not quite," Venora replied, shaking her head. "They destroyed her nest and left. But something tells me… they're not finished."
Her eyes sharpened just a little.
"And knowing her… she definitely isn't."
A quiet chuckle slipped from her lips.
"That woman's pettiness rivals even humans. If she's hiding within the lake now… it's only a matter of time before she tries to turn it into a weapon. A shield she can strike from without consequence."
Haruto let out a low whistle.
"…Yeah. That sounds like a whole mess waiting to explode."
His gaze drifted briefly, already discarding the idea he'd had earlier.
"Guess we're staying far away from that place."
Kuronai's expression turned serious, the casual air of the conversation thinning.
"You must," he said firmly. "Avoid the Arachnar Legion at all costs. Their unpredictability is what makes them truly dangerous. Even their weakest members can become a threat if you engage them carelessly."
Haruto nodded, filing it away without argument.
"Got it. No spider politics for me."
That earned the faintest flicker of amusement from Venora, though it vanished just as quickly.
Beside him, Hana placed her now-empty bowl aside and stretched, her body arching in a languid motion. The movement carried a natural ease, her posture softening as she let out a long yawn. There was no real need for rest in her current form, no exhaustion in the physical sense… yet the habit lingered, stitched into her being from a life she no longer fully belonged to.
"Man…" she murmured, voice slightly muffled by the yawn, "I'm beat."
The remaining grease and fragments of food on her fingers simply… dissolved. Slid into her skin like water disappearing into sand, leaving her hands clean in an instant. No effort, no second thought.
Convenient didn't even begin to cover it.
She leaned sideways without asking, her weight settling naturally against Haruto's shoulder, her head tilting just enough to find a comfortable angle.
"Can we just stop here?" she muttered, eyes half-lidded. "We already talked about everything important, didn't we?"
Haruto let out a quiet sigh, though there was no real annoyance behind it.
"Sorry about her," he said, glancing toward Kuronai and Venora. "She's just…"
Venora waved it off with a soft chuckle as she rose to her feet.
"I understand," she said. "We've been talking long enough anyway."
She placed her empty bowl aside, brushing her hands together lightly.
"We should head back. The camp's been left unattended longer than intended."
Kuronai stood as well, adjusting his posture with quiet composure.
"Our scouts may have already returned," he added.
"Ah… speaking of that…"
Haruto's gaze drifted toward the distant silhouette of the Herb Mountains, their icy peaks cutting into the sky like jagged teeth.
"Our team isn't back yet either," he murmured. "Hope nothing went wrong."
"The Herb Mountains, huh…" Venora followed his gaze, her expression thoughtful for a moment before she shrugged lightly. "If they've all evolved like you said, I doubt they'd run into anything they can't handle."
"I'm not worried about Haruna," Haruto replied. "She'll be fine. It's just… I don't know if she can protect everyone else if something happens."
Hana shifted slightly against him, barely lifting her head as she responded with a lazy confidence.
"They'll be fine."
She waved a hand vaguely, as if brushing the concern aside.
"Ray's with them too. He's gotten way stronger."
Haruto blinked, turning his head toward her.
"You sent him?"
She straightened slightly, puffing out her chest with a smug little grin that didn't quite match her sleepy eyes.
"Of course I did," she said, voice carrying a playful pride. "I'm second in command, remember~?"
Haruto stared at her for a second… then exhaled slowly.
"…Of course you are."
There it was again. That quiet realization.
Somehow, without him noticing, she had slipped into that role. Organized them. Directed them. Made decisions.
And they followed.
Not because they were told to.
But because they trusted her.
He didn't push it further.
Instead, he gently nudged her away, trying to stand.
"Can you—yeah—move for a second?"
Hana peeled off him with the reluctant ease of something that clearly didn't want to move, like a cat being displaced from a warm spot.
"Whatever…" she muttered, though she did stand beside him.
Another yawn escaped her, softer this time.
And for a brief moment, Haruto paused.
There was something… off.
Not wrong.
Just… different.
Her movements were slower. Her expression softer. The usual sharpness in her eyes dulled just slightly, replaced by something gentler. Almost… vulnerable.
It didn't make sense.
She didn't get tired.
She didn't need rest.
And yet—
Standing there beside him, with that faint, drowsy look clinging to her features…
She looked—
…adorable.
Haruto clicked his tongue lightly and looked away before that thought could linger any longer.
Definitely something weird going on.
---
Haruto turned his face just a little too quickly.
It wasn't subtle. Not even close.
A faint heat crept up along his cheeks, stubborn and uncooperative, as if his own body had decided to betray him at the worst possible moment. He cleared his throat, forcing his attention away from Hana and toward something—anything—more stable.
Kuronai and Venora were already preparing to leave.
Right. Focus.
"S-so… I guess everything's settled now," he said, steadying his voice as best as he could. "I'll come by your camp once I'm done laying the groundwork for the village."
His words came out clean enough, but there was still a slight stiffness to them, like he hadn't fully shaken off whatever just caught him off guard.
Then his gaze shifted.
Viola.
Sarena.
"…What about you two?" he asked, tone easing into something more natural. "Are you heading back with them?"
The question lingered in the air.
Viola didn't answer immediately.
Her fingers curled slightly against her lap, her posture still composed, but her thoughts… anything but.
Up until this point, she hadn't needed to think about it.
Not truly.
She had come here with a purpose. A mission carved into her very existence. To find the one who carried the fragmented essence of Lord Charybdis… to secure a future for her people, even if it meant stepping into enemy territory.
And she had succeeded.
More than succeeded.
She had found him.
Not just that—through him, she had crossed paths with Kuronai, a prince among ogres, and Venora, a shaman of remarkable insight. She had stood at the center of a gathering that could very well shape the future of the entire forest.
And… she had been named.
The weight of that still lingered within her.
Her body felt different. Stronger. Lighter. As if something deep within her had finally been acknowledged… awakened.
She had been given a place.
So what now?
Returning with Kuronai wasn't an option. Not truly.
Even if he accepted her, even if Venora supported her… the camp wouldn't. Not so easily. Not without resistance. Not without conflict.
And forcing that… would only make things worse.
She knew that.
Before she could settle on an answer, Sarena casually cut through the silence, stretching her arms overhead with a lazy groan.
"I'm staying here."
The declaration came out so naturally, as if the decision required no thought at all.
Haruto didn't even blink.
"Who said you're welcome?"
Sarena glanced at him, completely unfazed, one brow lifting slightly as she let her arms fall back to her sides.
"Nobody asked."
The exchange was so immediate, so flat, that it almost felt rehearsed.
Viola blinked between them, unsure whether to be confused or impressed.
"A-are you sure?" she asked, turning slightly toward Sarena. "I thought you wanted to return to a human nation…"
Sarena's expression softened just a little, her usual sharpness easing into something more… grounded.
"Nah," she said with a small shrug. "I'm good."
Her gaze drifted briefly toward Haruto and Hana before returning to Viola.
"It's better knowing there are people here from where I came from… than walking into a completely new place full of strangers."
There was honesty in that.
A quiet, simple truth.
Viola nodded slowly.
"I see…"
She didn't fully understand it… but she accepted it.
Haruto, meanwhile, crossed his arms, his tone shifting into something dangerously casual.
"Don't worry," he said, glancing at Sarena with a faint smirk. "We'll take good care of her."
There was a pause.
Then—
"There's a lot of work coming up. We'll need all the help we can get."
The implication landed instantly.
Sarena's eye twitched.
"Oh, you little—"
She stopped herself, biting back the rest of the sentence with visible effort, her jaw tightening as she forced a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.
"Oh yeah?" she muttered under her breath. "We'll see who's suffering more."
Haruto pretended not to hear it.
Of course he did.
Viola watched the interaction quietly, a faint, almost imperceptible smile touching her lips. It was… strange.
Light.
Different from anything she had experienced before.
And yet—
Comforting.
Still, the question remained.
Her place.
Her role.
Her next step.
She drew in a slow breath, straightening her posture as she turned her full attention toward Haruto. The softness faded, replaced by something more resolute. More deliberate.
"I would like to stay here as well," she said, her voice steady, carrying a quiet determination.
Haruto blinked, slightly surprised by how direct she was.
"But…" she continued, her gaze unwavering now, "before that… I have a favor to ask of you, my lord."
That caught him off guard.
Not the request itself.
But the way she said it.
There was weight behind those words. Not hesitation… but intent. Purpose.
Haruto tilted his head slightly, the earlier awkwardness gone, replaced with genuine curiosity.
"Yeah," he said, a small smile forming as he met her gaze. "What do you want?"
The camp hummed quietly around them.
Fire crackling. Voices in the distance. The scent of roasted meat still lingering in the cold air.
And right there, beneath the shade of that tree—
Something shifted again.
Not loud.
Not obvious.
But important.
Whatever she was about to ask…
It wasn't going to be small.
...