But when Kumoko, in her new Arachne form, finally stepped into view, Sophia was struck completely dumb.
Seeing Kumoko's lower half a full eight-legged spider body while her upper torso was perfectly human… it was a sight that defied words.
A sudden, crushing wave of powerlessness washed over Sophia. Wakaba Hiiro.
Even after being reborn as a tiny, insignificant spider, she had still become this… this incredibly strong, undeniably beautiful being.
A sharp, unbearable pain lanced through Sophia's heart, making it feel as if her very breath was being torn from her lungs.
It was then that a simple, brutal truth slammed into her: people with strong hearts, with an unyielding will, they would always be powerful.
It didn't matter what world they were in, what environment they faced, or what situation they found themselves in.
And a weak person, even if they were dressed up in borrowed power, would always be just that strong on the outside, but hollow within.
To have evolved from a mere spider to this… Sophia couldn't even begin to fathom the sheer amount of suffering Kumoko must have endured.
But one thing was now crystal clear: Wakaba Hiiro… was someone she could never, ever hope to surpass.
At that very moment, however, Kumoko's attention wasn't on Sophia at all. Instead, her gaze was riveted on the little girl standing quietly beside Elliot.
She was an incredibly pretty and adorable child, dressed in a maid outfit that looked a little too big and endearingly clumsy on her small frame.
But there was no denying it this little girl had some seriously good genes; she was so cute it was almost unreal!
And what truly made Kumoko's jaw drop was what she saw perched on top of the girl's head… two small, tender-looking dragon horns.
Seeing those horns, Kumoko's hand trembled as she pointed, her voice laced with disbelief.
"Th-This child… could she possibly be… Elliot, your…" A silent, mournful wail echoed in the depths of her heart.
Her entire world, which had just started to regain some color, instantly turned a bleak, miserable grey.
But I was here first… Why is this happening?! The one who should be having Elliot's child… it should be me! If it were our child, it would be just as cute, just as adorable as this one! Wait a minute… a dragon and a spider… what in the world would their offspring even look like?
But regardless of the biological impossibilities, Kumoko's mind was now a complete, chaotic mess!
"How could that even be possible?" Elliot shook his head, instantly realizing Kumoko had jumped to a wild conclusion.
"Then where did this child come from? Is she a dragon too?" Kumoko asked, her curiosity piqued.
Even Sophia, who a moment ago had been the focus of so much internal turmoil for Kumoko, was momentarily forgotten.
Kumoko was far more interested in finding out where this little dragon girl, Kanna, had appeared from.
Elliot smiled and gently patted Kanna's head. "This is the daughter of my distant cousin, Zhongli. Her name is Kanna." He continued, "My cousin was attacked recently. Although his life isn't in danger, he entrusted his daughter to me for her safety, just to be absolutely sure." It was a complete fabrication, of course. No one actually knew Kanna's true origins or how she'd ended up with him.
"Oh, I see."
So, not Elliot's daughter, that's a relief! Kumoko visibly relaxed, patting her chest as if a great weight had been lifted.
Her mind, however, quickly began to spin all sorts of new, elaborate scenarios and details. Her demeanor softened considerably, and she gently reached out her hand towards the little dragon girl.
"Your name is Kanna, right? Can I hold you?"
Kanna looked at Kumoko's outstretched arms, then glanced up at Elliot, seeking his approval. Only after receiving a reassuring nod from him did she nod in return. With that, Kumoko immediately, and perhaps a little too eagerly, scooped Kanna into her arms.
Nestled in Kumoko's embrace, Kanna found it a little hard to breathe. It felt strangely… constricting, as if her head were sinking into some unfathomably deep, soft place.
She couldn't help but feel a little miffed. She didn't feel like this when her Master (Elliot) held her.
….
Meanwhile, Sophia, also a child, found herself completely ignored. First, she'd been utterly stunned by Wakaba Hiiro's no, Kumoko's new, imposing form.
Even without Appraisal, she didn't need to know Kumoko's exact abilities now to understand one thing: Wakaba Hiiro's strength was definitely on par with, if not greater than, that Earth Dragon's!
So incredibly strong! Did she really evolve all the way from that tiny spider? It's almost impossible to believe!
"And that one is…?"
Kumoko gently set Kanna down, then looked at the sullen man nearby, a little puzzled. From her Appraisal, she couldn't see anything particularly special about him. But if Elliot had brought him along, there must have been a good reason.
Mera was about to say something, but Elliot answered for him. "This is Mera. He's just a servant. The truly important one is the infant beside him."
"An infant?"
Only then did Kumoko notice the baby. She slowly walked over and used her Appraisal skill on the child!
N%I=W! That was the innate ability all reincarnators possessed. Seeing that skill confirmed the infant was a reincarnator.
At the same time, Kumoko saw the infant's other stats and abilities, and it almost made her explode with jealousy.
What kind of insane abilities were these?! The [Vampire True Ancestor] title, plus all sorts of powerful magic skills! And even started with 75,000 skill points! My god! Comparing people really is infuriating!
What was even more maddening was that this child actually possessed a Ruler skill: [Ruler of Envy].
This ability... on a baby! Being reincarnated as an Earth Dragon wasn't as ridiculously lucky as being reincarnated as this child! (Except for Elliot, of course.)
"Who... are you?" Using her Telepathy skill, Kumoko communicated with the child. Knowing the baby couldn't speak yet, Kumoko directly linked their minds, temporarily granting Sophia the ability to converse.
Sophia opened her mouth, then remained silent for a short while. Facing Wakaba Hiiro the person she had envied in her past life and still looked up to in this one she found it difficult to speak.
But eventually, she decided to confront her fear and jealousy. Even if Wakaba Hiiro laughed at her, so be it.
She possessed the [Vampire True Ancestor] title; her future achievements wouldn't necessarily be inferior to Wakaba Hiiro's!
"I am Negishi Shouko," Sophia finally answered. As a child now, Wakaba Hiiro will probably mock me, she thought. But whatever.
However, after hearing this name, Kumoko paused, as if searching through her memories. After a long moment, she replied.
"Negishi Shouko... Who's that???"
She truly wasn't doing it on purpose. Kumoko racked her brain for a long time but couldn't recall anyone named Negishi Shouko in their class.
Was there really a girl with such a strange name in our class? Anyway, she just couldn't remember.
Hearing this, Sophia almost coughed up a mouthful of old blood. As the only two ostracized girls in class, did Wakaba Hiiro really not know her name?
They were classmates! And Wakaba Hiiro sat in the last row by the wall, while she sat in the last row by the aisle! Yet, the first thing Wakaba said was that she didn't recognize her.
Sophia's heart felt like it was being stabbed. It hurt so much. The number one beauty in class, whom she had always paid so much attention to, didn't even know her name.
And to think she had been so jealous, so resentful of her! It was like an elementary school kid being jealous of Jack Ma and cursing Pony Ma every day, but those tycoons wouldn't even spare you a glance.
That's pretty much how it felt. All along, that person hadn't even given you a proper look, yet you took yourself so seriously.
Sophia felt a mix of complicated emotions, like an overturned bottle of five-flavor sauce a very unpleasant taste in her mouth.
"Nega-what's-it? Your name is so hard to remember," Kumoko then asked the infant. Since I don't know who she is, I should at least try to remember her name now.
The baby girl was a little speechless and didn't want to answer at first. But then, remembering she was relying on others for now, she sighed.
"Negishi... Never mind. You don't need to remember my old name. My name now is Sophia. Sophia Keren."
….
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