𝐑𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐢𝐧𝐤
In a certain small village, there was a girl named Ridelle.
She came from a family that was by no means wealthy. From morning to night, her parents worked in the fields, and the care of her younger siblings was left to fifteen-year-old Ridelle.
Both her father and mother were 『pet-type』 Summoned beasts. Therefore, they couldn’t get decent jobs and ended up settling in this village. In a world where everything is determined by the ranking of Summoned beasts, this wasn’t uncommon.
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However, Ridelle never felt it was hard.
Life was tough, but her family was always smiling.
Most of the villagers were in a similar situation as Ridelle’s family. They helped each other to survive. That alone made them happy.
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Ridelle, while taking care of her younger siblings, loved doing embroidery.
Fortunately, she never ran out of fabric.
Ridelle’s Summoned beast was a tiny 『spider』 named Pink, small enough to sit on her shoulder.
True to its name, it was a small spider with a pink body. Its ability was to produce 『colored thread』. It wasn’t particularly useful in everyday life, but Ridelle felt this ability was more precious than anything.
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Today, as always, her parents were working in the fields.
Her younger siblings were taking a nap. Ridelle summoned Pink onto her shoulder and petted it.
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“Pink, I’ll be counting on you today.”
『───』
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Pink couldn’t speak. However, it waved its little legs adorably.
Pink began to produce thread which Ridelle threaded into her needle, then she sat down to embroider.
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“～～～♪.”
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Humming a tune, she visualized in her mind.
A field full of red, blue, and yellow flowers.
Conveying that image through her fingers, she embroidered.
She decided to add an embroidered field of flowers to her mother’s apron, adding colors while fixing a tear.
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“Do you think Okaa-san will like it?”
『───』
“Haha, yes, I think so too.”
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Pink seemed to hum in agreement, and Ridelle laughed.
The day ended joyfully with her mother coming back from work delighted, her father laughing, and her siblings asking for embroidery on their clothes too.
It was happiness.
They weren’t rich.
But there was a kind of happiness here that money couldn’t buy.
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However, that happiness was easily shattered.
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◇◇◇◇◇◇
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It all began with a rumbling sound.
Early in the morning, right after breakfast, when her parents were preparing to go to the fields.
Suddenly, an earthquake struck.
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“Kyaa?! What’s happening? Otou-san!!”
“Ridelle!! Honey, bring the children here!!”
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Earthquake.
The shaking was intense.
But Ridelle’s father realized something unusual.
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“This isn’t right. This isn’t an earthquake.”
“Huh. . . . . .Otou-san?”
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The father opened the window to look outside.
Dust was rising in the distance.
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“This is bad!! It’s a stampede!! A horde of demon beasts is attacking!!”
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It turned out to be a massive outbreak of Minotaurs.
An unbelievable number.
Thousands, maybe two thousand, charging in a single line.
Without any warning, out of nowhere.
The village had no soldiers. The other villagers took shelter in their homes, trembling in corners.
Ridelle’s family did the same.
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“Otou-san, Otou-san!!”
“Ridelle, don’t move!! Honey, take the children.”
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And, that’s as far as Ridelle’s memory went.
The house was destroyed, and as the Minotaur charged, her father was thrown aside. Just like that, the Minotaur barged in like an avalanche.
The house crumbled, her mother was crushed, and her younger siblings were swallowed whole by the Minotaur.
Ridelle, feeling a sharp pain in both her legs, lost consciousness.
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The Minotaur ravaged the village.
It just ran through. But. . . . . .the village was almost completely destroyed.
The fields were ruined too. Bits of villagers were scattered everywhere. There was the stench of death.
And in the midst of all that━━from the ground where Ridelle’s house once stood, Ridelle’s hand emerged.
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“━━Uh.”
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From the soil, Ridelle crawled out.
By sheer coincidence, just pure chance, she ended up snugly inside the vegetable storage underneath the kitchen of her home. As Ridelle tried to crawl out, she realized━━her legs were gone.
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“Hi, hiiiiiii. . . . . .aah.”
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There was no pain.
However, the loss of her limbs was a shock.
And then. . . . . .she realized. No family. No village. Nothing.
What happened? No legs. No family, no fields.
In an instant, Ridelle’s mind was cornered. . . . . .and she collapsed from the shock of blood loss.
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“. . . . . .”
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Clouded eyes.
Tears flowed.
I’m going to die.
At that moment━━in front of Ridelle’s eyes, a tiny pink spider appeared.
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『Don’t die. . . . . .Ridelle, you can’t die!』
“Pink. . . . . .I just. . . . . .”
『No! Ridelle, I know, right? You said you wanted to be a designer! Studying embroidery, going to the town someday, and becoming a designer!』
“It’s impossible. . . . . .Everything is gone now. I don’t want to die. . . . . .but.”
『Don’t give up! I don’t want Ridelle to die!』
“. . . . . .sorry.”
『Ridelle, listen. . . . . .I, I. . . . . .I believe you’ll make your dream come true one day. You can hate me. . . . . .Don’t forgive me for my selfishness, okay?』
“Pink. . . . . .?”
『I’ll give you. . . . . .my true power. . . . . .Goodbye, Ridelle. I. . . . . .love you』
“. . . . . .”
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Ridelle’s consciousness faded.
At the same time, her missing legs began to regenerate.
Bright red 『leg armor』 became Ridelle’s new legs.
And, there was someone who witnessed this.
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“Well, that’s a surprise. . . . . .”
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A slave trader who had hidden from the stampede happened to find Ridelle.
The slave trader decided to make Ridelle a slave and sell her as a rare item.
By the time Ridelle awoke, her heart had already turned dark.
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This was the moment of the birth of Ridelle’s. . . . . .Parasitic type Summoned beast 『Red Queen』.
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