I Have Tamed a Spider Monster - Chapter 256, Chapter 257, Chapter 258

Negotiating With a Herbivorous Spider
I was amazed by their ecosystem, but my main goal was to find a monster to serve as Princess Annette’s bodyguard.
When I explained this to the spiders, they responded quite favorably.

(Hmm, a human child needing a bodyguard. Intriguing. But is this child in such danger that a monster must protect them?)

“Yes, well—”

“No need. I shall explain.”

“Oh, please do, Rumaja.”

Rumaja explained Princess Annette’s situation in detail, even sharing things I didn’t know.
It sounded like there had been some truly dangerous incidents.
Since the Kiblinki Saltas could use mind-reading, there was no point in lying—it had to be the truth.
It felt heartbreaking to think of a child enduring such peril.

(I see. So the child is truly cornered to this extent.)

“Indeed. For that reason, we plan to officially declare her ‘dead from illness’ and have her live in secret among the populace. But even so, there’s a high chance that assassins will target her. That’s why we’ve been seeking a monster capable of serving as her bodyguard.”

(Understood. We don’t condone allowing a child to live in hardship. We are willing to help. However, it would not be wise for us to do so without setting conditions. Let us propose a few terms.)

The spiders got straight to the point, much faster than I expected.
I had assumed they’d be reluctant, but they agreed surprisingly easily.
Still, it seemed there would be some conditions. I wondered what they might demand.
Hopefully, it wouldn’t be anything too difficult.

(First, we would like you to secure land for us.)

“Land, you say?”

(Indeed. The size of this cave limits how much we can cultivate. We ask for assistance in clearing a nearby forest and designating it as our new habitat.)

“Land… this area belongs to Marquis Vardmoi, doesn’t it?”

“That’s correct. But if you explain it’s for Princess Annette’s sake, the Marquis will likely agree. This place is so remote, only accessible by climbing a mountain. It’s not as if we’re asking for farmland already occupied by settlers. Handing over a mountain with nothing but monsters and beasts shouldn’t be a problem.”

That made sense.
Given the magnitude of our current requests, we could likely secure permission for this.
But if that was just the first condition, what else would they ask for?

(Second, we would like you to procure vegetable seeds for us.)

“Vegetable seeds? Not vegetables themselves?”

(We will grow the vegetables ourselves. However, acquiring seeds is quite difficult. In human society, seeds are widely available, are they not? We’d like you to obtain them for us.)

Hmm, that made sense.
In such a remote mountain, getting seeds would indeed be a challenge.
I could probably ask Marquis Vardmoi for help with this as well.

(And third, we’d like you to introduce us to the nearby village.)

“Introduce you?”

(We want to apologize for stealing their vegetables in the past. Also, we’d like to negotiate.)

“What kind of negotiation? Depending on the content, I may not grant permission,” Rumaja said, clearly cautious.

But the Kiblinki Saltas’s response was surprisingly peaceful.

(We wish to propose protecting the village from pests and other monsters in exchange for a small portion of their vegetables. We would like to openly enjoy the produce humans cultivate.)

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Negotiations Between the Herbivorous Spiders and the Village
We decided to descend the mountain with the Kiblinki Saltas.
Only one would accompany us for the negotiations.
If too many spiders showed up at once, it might cause the villagers to think their settlement was under threat.

After descending the mountain, we followed the Kiblinki Saltas to a nearby village.
It seemed there were villages other than the one we had previously visited—three in total in the vicinity, according to them.
Ideally, they hoped to be accepted by all three, though they weren’t overly optimistic about the negotiations going that smoothly.

First, we used the Lumite Grand Wing to stop by the nearest village.
Rumaja handled the initial persuasion, while the Kiblinki Saltas would take over during the formal negotiations.
In this village, the villagers appeared to accept Rumaja’s reasoning.
Now it was time for the Kiblinki Saltas to take the lead.

Together with the Kiblinki Saltas, we descended from the Lumite Grand Wing and headed to the village chief’s house.
The villagers watched the Kiblinki Saltas with a mix of fear and curiosity.
It must have been unusual to see such a large spider—about half the size of a human—calmly walking alongside us.

“Welcome, visitors. So, is this spider the one you mentioned?”

(That would be me. We are called the Kiblinki Saltas. First and foremost, I wish to apologize for my kin stealing vegetables from this village in the past.)

“I see. So, it was your kind taking the vegetables from the edges of our fields from time to time. By the way, was it also your doing that fruits and wild vegetables would appear in their place a few days later?”

(That was likely the work of my kin. We also grow vegetables to eat and understand how difficult it is to cultivate them. Stealing your vegetables must have weighed heavily on their conscience, so they brought other food as a form of reparation.)

“Hearing this, I must admit I was wary at first when I heard about spider monsters. But from what you’ve said, you’re far more honorable than many human merchants I’ve dealt with. So, your request is for some vegetables in exchange for protecting this village, correct? How much are you asking for?”

(Not much. Even a small amount will be shared among us. Protecting the village is a fair trade for the vegetables we’d receive.)

Listening to this, it struck me just how earnest these spider monsters were.
If only the foolish nobles of this country could take notes from them.

“I understand your position. However, it would still be difficult for us to openly accept wild monsters into the village.”

(I see. That’s unfortunate.)

“In that case, might I propose that one of you become someone’s tamed monster? Having the mark of a tamed monster would prevent not only villagers but outsiders from attacking you thoughtlessly. Additionally, it would make it easier for us to explain that we are not coexisting with wild monsters. What do you think?”

(Become a tamed monster, you say? I hadn’t considered that. Very well, I accept this idea.)

“We appreciate your understanding. Let’s continue these negotiations when the arrangements are made.”

(Indeed. I look forward to working together.)

Becoming a tamed monster, huh? That idea hadn’t occurred to me either.
… Wait a second.
Wouldn’t it make the most sense for me to be the one to tame them?

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Contract with Kiblinki Saltas
The negotiations with all three nearby villages concluded with similar results: as long as the Kiblinki Saltas became tamed monsters, there would be no issues.
This meant I had to officially contract with them.

(So, Lily, you intend to form a contract with us.)

“Yes. In return, I’d like some of you to come with me and help protect Princess Annette. If you agree, I’ll provide you with vegetables and magic stones.”

(Hmm. That’s a fair deal. Let us return to our kin to discuss this further.)

We returned to the Kiblinki Saltas cave in the mountains.
The representative discussed the village negotiations and my proposal with the others.
It didn’t take long for them to reach a decision.

(Make us your tamed monsters. That will resolve everything.)

That certainly would solve all the issues, but was it really fine with them?
It seemed the Kiblinki Saltas were genuinely content with this arrangement, and I had no reason to refuse, so I agreed.

The contracting process began, with each spider stepping forward, forming a contract, and stepping back.
Since there were so many of them, the process took quite some time.
In total, I contracted with 76 Kiblinki Saltas—more than even a typical wolf pack.
It was my decision, so I couldn’t complain, but still… that was a lot.

However, this raised another issue.
When a tamer’s number of monsters increases, it must be reported to the Tamers’ Guild.
This means I’d have to bring all of them to the city at least once.
How should I handle this?

“There’s only one way. Take them to the city in groups over several trips.”

“As I thought, that has to be the plan, then?”

“Indeed. At least they’re not the rampaging type, and you should have plenty of proof-of-tame tags ready.”

“That sounds awfully detached, Rumaja.”

“The Tamers’ Guild has nothing to do with me, so it’s none of my concern.”

Fair enough, but…
Wouldn’t I get scolded for bringing in so many monsters at once? Especially by Marquis Vardmoi?

With no better solution, I took 35 Kiblinki Saltas on the first trip back to Vardmoi.
They seemed to enjoy riding in the cargo hold of the Lumite Grand Wing, clearly having fun.
However, as expected, we were stopped at the city gates.
Understandably, they couldn’t allow such a large group of monsters into the city without warning.

While the guards contacted the Tamers’ Guild to send personnel, the spiders curiously observed their surroundings, fascinated by the city.
It seemed they had always avoided human settlements during their travels, so the sight of a human-built city was novel to them.

“Are you that interested in the human city?”

(Indeed. We’re curious about the kinds of vegetables they have here.)

Ah, of course. It always comes back to vegetables. I had a feeling that would be the case.

Eventually, personnel from the Tamers’ Guild arrived, including Melanie, who seemed intrigued by the new tamed monsters I’d brought.

“Hmm, herbivorous spider-type monsters, huh? There might not be any records of them in the Adventurers’ Guild.”

“Oh? I thought there would be, since Rumaja didn’t seem particularly surprised.”

“Rumaja is a Grandmaster. She likely knows of many monsters from legends that aren’t officially documented. The Adventurers’ Guild only records monsters once their existence is confirmed, after all.”

“I see. So, these ones will be newly documented, then?”

“Yes, it seems so. Since they can communicate telepathically, we’d like to learn as much as we can from them.”

Documenting the Kiblinki Saltas’ ecology…
I could already imagine their love of vegetables being heavily emphasized.

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