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Steward Aaron is not a talkative person; in fact, his demeanor often retains silence, speaking only when necessary, his language steady and concise.
Today, however, he seemed transformed, engaged in a continuous conversation about Anes, the Arachnes Spider—a name given to this creature. From the moment it hatched until today, Aaron is so fascinated by Anes, even just by feeding it a piece of meat nearly half its body weight, a sight enough for Aaron to be amused by it.
Just as he was about to delve further into this intriguing topic, he paused due to dryness in his throat. It was only when Aresia’s gaze rested on his shoulder that he realized his enthusiasm.
“Apologies, I lost composure there, discussing such trivial things.”
“No, I found it rather intriguing.”
Aresia genuinely listened with enthusiasm.
“I’m glad you’re bonding with him, after all, it was my choice.”
While the Arachnes hatched and bonded, Aaron, despite signing the contract, didn’t initially feel fondness for it atfirst. Their relationship was a struggle for both parties. Aresia couldn’t help but feel guilty about it.
Steward Aaron smiled at her words, lifting the spider to his shoulder, a creature that now hopped onto his arm, cradled by him.
His smile exuded warmth, as if the spider were a beloved grandchild. His tone was affectionate and incredulous, “Indeed, I’ve come to realize how much I adore it.”
During the Arachnes’s hatching, Guan Ping had reservations despite the bonding. Especially after researching extensively, some records depicted the creature as malevolent, inducing fear without a shred of warmth.
As an ordinary individual, well past his prime, lacking magical prowess, and unable to handle even a Level One magical beast, the steward would ordinarily be fearful. Yet, despite the evident power of a Level Six creature, possessing strength akin to a Level Four high-tier magical beast, he found himself unafraid.
Even after acknowledging the potency of the contract, the steward still doubted if he truly accepted this creature as his companion.
He didn’t believe a contract could alter the inherent nature of the Arachnes Spider, and he feared his rejection might render the bond ineffective.
Yet, at the moment of the Arachnes’s hatching, all his fears and worries dissipated.
He gently stroked the head of his companion with his fingertips, his voice filled with indulgence, “Perhaps it’s destiny. When it broke through its shell, the first thing I encountered was its human side.”
The human aspect of the Arachnes Spider wasn’t just talk; it had the appearance of a humanoid creature, crafted perfectly in the image of a human’s perception. What was even more intriguing was that this humanoid aspect of their species wasn’t static. Initially, when just hatched, their humanoid features resembled young children, not much more than a human toddler of two or three years, irresistibly cute and endearing. This humanoid form slowly matured alongside them until they reached a stage where their humanoid side settled into a human appearance akin to a strikingly beautiful young adult around the age of twenty.
Aaron was already an elderly man, and despite his age, he had a special affinity for young children, particularly his fondness for them. Surprisingly, he found no resistance whatsoever with the Arachnes Spider. Even though he initially struggled with the spider’s humanoid body connected to a spider’s form, once he put a filter on it, the chubby, pure-white spider body seemed irresistibly cute and nothing like the terrifying descriptions in books.
Additionally, upon hatching, the spider’s reliance on him generated a maternal sense within him. Their companion contract not only didn’t fail but their initial connection was bursting with intensity.
Even though the brutality of Anes’s first feeding should have dispelled his feelings, Aaron’s fear had completely dissipated. He no longer felt scared and instead embraced Anes.
“Moreover, Anes is incredibly clever, you know. The first time it fed, it used its humanoid mouth. I had some reservations then, but I haven’t seen it use the spider body for feeding since then.”
He realized he had already mentioned this before but managed to hold back from repeating himself.
The humanoid part of the Arachnes Spider wasn’t just ornamental; in Aresia’s world, studies showed that the humanoid part and the spider body had separate minds, yet they functioned coherently. This duality, where two minds operated independently without any signs of split personality, intrigued researchers studying these creatures.
While such phenomena weren’t uncommon in magical creatures—the most notable being octopuses with nine brains, suspected alien beings—having two minds in the Arachnes Spider was relatively mild, comparatively speaking.
Indeed, the intelligence of the Arachnes Spider was genuine; their intelligence levels weren’t lower than a human’s and equaled that of a human kid.
Despite Aaron’s initial discomfort with feeding Anes spider food, it quickly adapted to consuming food the human way. Once Aaron acknowledged this change, Anes smiled and even began setting the table for meals.
“He is really a smart one. You can groom him into your liking, I’m sure he can satisfy you.”
Aresia referred to Anes as “he” rather than “it,” signifying that the spider had transcended the usual status of a beast.
He realized upon what Aresia said that he had been regretting something—an inability to groom his offspring as the steward of the Rogest family.
It wasn’t that he lacked heirs; it was that his offspring had shown a propensity for warrior skills at an early age. They were quickly taken under the Duke of Rogest’s wing to learn combat techniques. Now nearly forty, one of his children had become a Level Five warrior, safeguarding the Duke’s wife.
This success with his children was enough to bring Aaron relief, but his inability to groom an heir according to his wishes was a disappointment. Despite his children seeking suitable partners and even having grandchildren, none seemed to align entirely with his standards. The candidate serving in the Duke’s household, whom steward Aaron had been training to someday replace him, didn’t meet his complete criteria, adding to his dissatisfaction.
Hearing Aresia talk about Anes made steward Aaron ponder. He realized Anes wasn’t just intelligent; it had an inherent talent that could make it a qualified successor.
Aaron patted the bewildered spider’s face, which couldn’t comprehend their conversation, and said cheerfully, “Miss, I’ll do my best to educate him. Hopefully, in my lifetime, he’ll become a good student.”
“It’s a Level Six magical beast, and with enhanced longevity, living up to 150 years won’t be an issue. With a little more effort, who knows, he might even reach 200.”
“In such a long time, how much can you teach him?” Aresia asked earnestly.
The lifespan of humans in this world varies drastically. Among the common folk, the impoverished often lead toilsome lives, with some not living past fifty, and many even passing away sooner. In contrast, the affluent, who regularly consume meals containing enchanted plant and magical beast meat or purchase magical remedies, can live up to a hundred years or more.
Furthermore, for professionals reaching Level Five and beyond, their lifespans increase significantly. The beast companion contract between a beast and its master has an effect similar to sharing lifespans, providing a safeguard against severe penalties if one party dies prematurely, lessening the backlash suffered by the surviving party.
However, even in cases where one party passes away peacefully, there remains a slight residual backlash. Despite these constraints, professionals with extended lifespans exceeding that of magical beasts are often hesitant to enter into such contracts. Researchers have long aimed to study how both parties could mutually share their lifespans, and in Aresia’s world, they had made initial progress, witnessing the effect firsthand.