Kumo Desu ga, Nani ka? Volume Chapter 28

After the Tragedy of Zatona, the Nightmare did not appear again for some time.

According to Sir Julius the Hero, who was in a standoff with the Nightmare until the end of the Tragedy of Zatona, the Nightmare disappeared after being hit by a large spell cast by one of the armies.

It is assumed this spell was the work of the army of the Holy Kingdom of Alleius.

At the time, it was thought that the Nightmare was killed by the spell, but considering the subsequent Defense of Keren County, it is now generally thought that the Nightmare may have survived.

The Defense of Keren County took place in year 842 of the Kingdom Calendar, the same year as the Tragedy of Zatona.

In this incident, the former capital of Keren County was attacked by an onslaught of white spider monsters.

The attack was intercepted by the Ohts Alliance Army, which was preparing to continue its invasion of Sariella.

Sir Julius the Hero, though quite young at the time, also participated in the defense, as did Elder Ronandt, the court mage of the Empire, who happened to be present at the time; with their assistance, the spider horde was successfully repelled.

However, due to the massive casualties, Ohts was forced to cancel its invasion of Sariella.

There are many theories as to where the spider swarm originated, but most prominent is the belief that it was connected with the Nightmare.

It is generally thought that the Nightmare may have been commanding the army.

However, some scholars believe that if the Nightmare was truly leading the spider army, then the defense would not have been a success.

After this incident, white spider monsters known as the Nightmare’s Vestiges, which are assumed to be the same species as those that appeared in the Defense of Keren County, emerged, but none of these sightings has been confirmed as the Nightmare itself.

In any event, the final confirmed sighting of the Nightmare was at the Tragedy of Zatona, and any subsequent sightings can be considered only speculation.

Theories abound as to whether the Nightmare died at the Tragedy of Zatona, at the Defense of Keren County, or continues to survive somewhere even today, but these, too, are nothing more than speculation, and the truth of the matter is unknown.

In conclusion, though the Nightmare’s period of activity was short, it has had an enormous effect on human society.

Most notably, it reminded us all that there are some individual creatures against which no ordinary human, even an army of them, stands a chance.

The monsters considered to be legendary-class may be few in number, but their existence cannot be denied.

The only reason we humans continue to exist, in spite of the existence of monsters that it’s said no number of humans could defeat, is that these monsters have no interaction with humans.

Legendary-class monsters live only in unexplored regions and places where humans dare not set foot.

It is only because they do not approach human settlements that humanity is allowed to keep living.

Personally, I believe the Nightmare showed itself before humanity to remind us of that fact.

—AGRISSA FURYU,

Analeit Kingdom monster researche