NOVPUBThey said the Demon King Solomon’s eyes shone like stars.
That with those two eyes, which held the light and wisdom of the world, he contemplated the far-distant future.
They said it was for the sake of that future he had foreseen that he created the four grand arcane sorceries known as Ars Nova.
The first one created was Kamigin, necromantic sorcery.
The second was Basago, for precognition and analysis.
And the third—Agares, an unidentified power possessed by a saint.
And finally, the number one sorcery, the last one created, was Bael, which now stood before their eyes.
“Are you Bael?”
Amidst the raging silence, Theo spoke once more. Since it was the final sorcery born of the Demon King, surely it could be reasoned with.
However, the thing only sat there, huddled beneath the black waterfall of sewage, showing no particular reaction even with their arrival.
Was it perhaps a pure monster, with no semblance of reason whatsoever? He had attempted conversation recalling people like Professor Balan or the wicked monk Basago, but now it seemed like a foolish move.
Splish.
That was when Elga stepped up beside him.
“What the hell is that kind of monster? It’s even worse than I imagined.”
“Even the brave Lady Elga has moments of fear, it seems.”
To Theo’s offhand remark, Elga gave a light snort.
“I never said I was scared. I said it’s hideous. Of course, that coward Drayco over there looks like he’s about to piss himself.”
Slide.
Elga’s blue eyes turned toward Mirna.
From the ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) moment they’d entered this place and faced Bael, Mirna had frozen stiff like a mouse in front of a snake.
Whether, as Elga teased, she had been truly frightened was unclear, but one thing was certain—she didn’t look well.
Perhaps realizing all eyes were on her, Mirna let out a soft sigh and spoke.
“I was just surprised for a moment. I didn’t know something like that could even exist in this world. It’s an incredible being. How should I put it... an artificially created entity born from necromancy, ancient sorcery, and magic—”
She trailed off mid-description.
Whether she was searching for a more precise term or had suddenly lost the ability to speak, Theo couldn’t tell.
But one thing was certain—he could guess what she was trying to say.
Bael, the number one.
The sensation of facing that thing was deeply reminiscent of when he had encountered the colossal centipede Angarla.
A spiritual being said to have existed since the beginning of time.
While this grotesque and dreadful spider lacked the divine aura Angarla had exuded, it was still similar—enough to suspect that it had been an attempt to recreate something like it.
Was this an artificially constructed spiritual being?
Just then, Elga spoke.
“So, why isn’t that thing moving? Looks like it crawled out straight from hell, but it’s way calmer than I thought.”
A situation where battle could break out at any moment—yet, just as Elga said, Bael remained motionless. It simply sat silently beneath the waterfall of black water, curled up.
Mirna offered a thought.
“Maybe it’s waiting for its prey to step onto the web. That’s what spiders do. It might only move once we’re within a certain range.”
That could very well be the case.
As if to support Mirna’s theory, the blonde Nymph gave a faint compliment: “Not bad.”
Then she added further explanation.
“Just like you said, that thing only moves if you get close enough. Until then, you can make all the noise you want—it won’t budge. Which is a good thing for us.”
Swish.
The blonde Nymph raised her hand.
“Now look over there, just beyond that thing. You’ll see a platform—like a pedestal. There’s a box on top of it, covered in tons of locks, right? That’s what I’m after.”
As she described, beyond the spider monster Bael lay a fairly spacious platform—what could be called an altar.
Resting atop it was a chest that looked like it had been pulled up from the bottom of the sea by pirates. Thick iron chains wrapped around it tightly, giving it an imposing presence.
They couldn’t tell exactly what was inside, but the spider-like monster Bael appeared to be guarding it, like a sentinel.
Given that, it wasn’t strange at all that the thieving Nymph would be eyeing it.
A chest guarded by such a terrifying beast—odds were high it contained something unimaginably valuable.
Elga said, “I don’t get all the details, but isn’t this a good opportunity since it’s not attacking? We can start by blasting it with a big spell. That’s a huge advantage.”
She had a point.
But given Aira was clinging to Theo, preparing a powerful spell might be difficult. Aira was latched onto him like a cicada stuck to a tree.
She had her arms wrapped around his body tightly, with no intention of letting go.
Tremble, tremble.
Her entire body was shaking violently.
Was she afraid?
Of that spider monster?
It was understandable.
That creature had nested deep inside Aira’s mind, ruining her life and draining her of all feeling. It may well have been the very root of what dragged her all the way to the execution platform.
She was now confronting the trauma that had suppressed her entire existence. There was no way she wouldn’t be terrified. Theo would’ve felt the same in her place.
Realizing that, he felt deeply sorry for Aira—and thought he should free her from this scene as quickly as possible.
“Lady Aira, please step aside for a moment. I’ll finish this quickly.”
“...Mmh...”
