“I’m really sorry you had to see that, Jinma. You can see why I had to move to the capital with how high-maintenance Mom can be,” Ms. Lili says as she sets up a hammock made of webbing next to hers.

“It’s fine. I’m sort of thankful, actually. I haven’t had a dinner that energetic in a while.”

“We’ll have a talk once I’m done helping her with clean up. You need anything before I go? Help you use a toilet or something?”

“No, but I’ve had this itch on my face that’s been bugging me—aaaah~. Thanks, that feels a lot better,” I say after she delicately scratches my itches using her claw-like fingers while giggling a little.

She then quickly makes some kind of drawstring that sits next to my face before connecting it to somewhere on her person. “If you need something, tug on this with your mouth a few times and I’ll come by as soon as I can. Just try to relax and make yourself at home until I come back, okay?”

“I’ll try, thanks.”

~~

It wasn’t even five minutes after I started resting my eyes that I heard a lot of yelling downstairs. It was then I started to wonder if this is normal within a family of spiderfolk. I did read somewhere back on Earth that the female spider does something with her mate once his part for reproduction is finished, so maybe this isn’t too much of a stretch of how Arachnes behave in this world.

While this may be what feels like ‘home’ to them, I can do anything but relax at this point in time after thinking of that.

Finally, after about an hour, Ms. Lili comes back looking drained.

“Ugh. I may be cutting my vacation short, but I’ll be glad to get out of this house by tomorrow,” Ms. Lili groans as she walks over to me. “You doing okay? You didn’t eat much, are you still hungry?”

“I’m fine.” I’m not sure if I should feel like a guest or a victim in this unique kidnapping, but I really didn’t want to bother Ms. Lili too much with the trouble she’s putting herself through.

“… All right.” She then walks over to her hammock and gets on before turning over to look at me. “So, spill. Brawler is like the default class for humans, right? How can you still be something like that at your age while you’re walking around these parts?”

“Uh … that’s a bit difficult for me to explain. There are just so many to choose from and where to go with them. I wasn’t in a hurry to pick one now, so I thought I’d worry about it later after seeing the world a bit.”

“… Do you realize how quickly those in the default class would die if they step outside the safety of their homes? There are races like the Werebeasts who can make do with theirs just fine, but anyone else who doesn’t find something to quickly better their chances of survival are probably the dumbest people I’ve ever heard of, and you’re quickly getting to the top of that list.”

“Wow, I’m honored to be granted such a privilege,” I say monotonously.

“No, seriously, how did someone like you become a Champion? The Champions I’ve heard of since childhood were granted abilities, powers, and items to do many great feats in this world. Saving cities, making new things we’d never think of that would advance their civilizations greatly, providing great knowledge that Sages would kill to have, and you … you’re a Brawler looking like a spring roll ready to be eaten.”

“Sorry to not meet your expectations.” Maybe it’s better for others to think I’m so weak to not be bothered with, but my pride still hurts a little. More importantly, spring rolls are a thing here? Does that mean there’s rice, too?

“That’s just it. The strangest thing here is that I’m sort of glad you’re not like what I’ve heard of.” Ms. Lili turns her back to me so I wouldn’t see her face. “To be honest, I was close enough to see you just as you got swept up in my trap. I was going to stop you, but I was too late. I then saw how scared you were hanging from such a high place, yet tried to bear with it to find a way to get out of that trap.

“When I think back on it and our exchange in the first meeting now, I realize that you’re not so different from other humans, different from us, who also have fears and hardships when they come across something they don’t understand. I’ve only made one or two human acquaintances purely out of business, but the other customers wouldn’t look at me, act cold, even get defensive and aggressive for how terrifying I appear with my spider half. You, on the other hand, though a bit awkward, still tried to talk to me like I was just another person. If that’s not strange enough, you didn’t even fight back when I told you I’d be taking you to the Demon King for some gold. Sure, Mom and I have told you how good-natured our king is, but you have every right to not trust anything we say, so just … why? Why would you still go along with this, being held captive and all?”

I had to take a moment to think. “Well … it’s true I have the right to not trust you, but then who else would I turn to? I’m all lost and alone in this world, and if I don’t trust someone even a little bit, I’ll never get a moment’s rest. You’re the first one I’ve met since coming to this territory with no reliable source of what demons are like. I mentioned before how you being honest with your intentions makes you better than others I’ve met, and I had nothing else going on, so I thought I might as well see where this would go.

“You were careful with me from the forest all the way up to this point like you said you would. Though I might’ve blown it on my first impression with your mom, she was still decent to an extent with me regardless of my circumstances. The only thing I’d have to question is the flattery you two brought on about my looks. I don’t know who you’re trying to fool calling me something like ‘cute’ of all things, but it’s not working. I’ve probably scared more human girls away in my life than a typical demon might, so putting the ‘cute’ label on me would be very unlikely.”

“… You really are stupid, but not as much as those girls you scared off,” she mutters.

“Wait, what? I didn’t hear that.”

“Just forget it.”

“Hey, come on, is this an interrogation or something? Throw me a bone at least, like what you’re planning to do with the money you’ll get in the reward.”

“I’m gonna use it to help make Dondegarm a better place for Mom to live, as well as the other citizens … after investing some into my own shop in the capital, Korangar, of course. I wasn’t lying when I said I wanted to have a place of my own and be more independent, and yes, while she drove me crazy, I still owe her so much for getting me to where I am today. I want to make this place at least a little more comfortable for her to stay in, you know? I just wish Mom would get off my back about getting a mate, already. The last few guys I saw before I left really broke my expectations in having a decent romance, and I’m not getting her freakin’ grandchildren the very next day.”

“Yeah, my own mom was pretty aggressive of me seeing other girls, too. I think she just wanted to make sure I wasn’t lonely by the time she … a-anyway, it may be the same idea with your mom as well, Ms. Lili, but if you haven’t told her already, I think you should really make a stance on what you want so she doesn’t have any more misunderstandings.”

“Easier said than done, but I guess I’ll try to take your word for it. Also, quit acting all formal and just call me ‘Lili.’ It’s weird of you being that way with me when neither of us is doing the same.”

“All right, Lili.”

A moment of silence passes between us. I thought this would be the time for me to get some shut-eye, but then Lili’s next words jumped me awake a little.

“Hey, Jinma … you said you could trust me because I was more honest with my intentions than your female human friend who betrayed you, right? If she was the same as me, would you still trust her?” I see she turned again to face me as she asked that question. My eyes adjusted to the dark enough that I could see her pinkish-white face looking at me with curiosity.

I roll to my back on the hammock to look up at the ceiling. “… I don’t know. I never knew what her intentions were for being with me all that time before she stabbed me.”

“Wait, she did what—”

Tok tok!

“Uah!” The sudden knocking on the window next to Lili’s hammock made her jump up to sitting, looking out to see a shadowy figure with pointy ears.

“Ms. Lili! Pull me in!”

“R-Ren?! What are you doing out there?! Wait, is that a fire over in the city?!” Lili quickly opens the window and pulls the girl named Ren inside her room. Lili then pulls something to turn the room’s lights on and I see the visitor standing in the middle.

Ren … didn’t I hear that name while we were passing through the city earlier?

This girl who’s rather lithe and short is bipedal like me, with the big differences between us being her furry canine-like ears poking out of her shoulder-length white hair, as well as beast-like limbs with fur of the same color. The nails/claws on her beastly hands and feet are neatly trimmed. There’s also a bushy tail sticking out of a hole behind her as she wears a worn-out, two-piece rag set covering her breasts and hips, of which I can guess they’re not covered in fur like the rest of her torso that’s seen in the open. Finally, there’s a blue ring around her neck that looks like a tattoo.

I have a guess to what race she’s from, and I find her to be surprisingly cute despite looking in her mid-teens.

With this get-up Ren’s wearing, I recall the conversation I had with Lili and her mom over dinner involving a human merchant of a particular trade who visits Dondegarm often.

“Is she … a slave?” I mutter aloud.

“Oh crap! Jinma! Shh! You're not supposed to be here!” Lili exclaims.

Oh, right, I snuck in through the toll as luggage of sorts.

“It’s fine, Ms. Lili, I suspected you were sneaking someone inside the moment I caught a strange scent while watching you,” Ren says before turning to me with a cool expression. “Mr. Jinma, yes? As you say, I’m a slave currently under the slave merchant’s, Mistress Carmen Todoka’s, ownership. I am Ren of the White Werewolves. Am I right to assume you’re a human … and that you crossed paths with an evolved Troll recently?”

““Huh?”” Lili and I utter at once.

Honestly, I’m more surprised I was correct on what I guessed of her race is than her finding out about me meeting an ‘evolved’ Troll. I’d probably be a little giddy running into a Werewolf for the first time in this world if the atmosphere wasn’t so serious.

“If that is so, then please, I beg of you, you must help my slave merchant and friends, help save this city!”

“H-Hold on, what’s going on?! What’s happening to the city?!” Lili exclaims.

Ren looks at both of us with a serious expression. “This group of humans … the White Rapture, they’re pillaging everything the city’s got and taking its citizens their prisoners!”