The Spider Queen

(Earth Federation- Alpha Star System)

(Planet Gaia- Peterlor Mansion)

A handsome middle-aged man sat quietly on a chair while staring motionlessly at his wrist communicator.

The warm afternoons rays shone gently through the window and illuminated the study room in a soft glow.

Rows upon rows of books lined the walls and a roaring fireplace made a crackling noise that broke the quiet atmosphere.

Duke Peterlor was feeling completely overwhelmed since a message from his daughter had unexpectedly appeared on his communicator.

It had been over four months of not knowing whatever his precious child was alive or dead.

He had never stopped searching for her.

Every passing day since her disappearance seemed to blur into a meaningless stream of time.

This was a never-ending nightmare.

One cannot fathom the pain of a parent who has lost their child.

Duke Peterlor had not slept well since Sophie had been teleported to an unknown location and the gaping chasm in his heart proved to be impossible to fill.

Other noble houses may have given up on their missing heirs but not him.

Despite the advice of his peers, Duke Peterlor had stubbornly refused to even consider another successor to the Peterlor family.

All the noblewoman who had attempted to contact him with impure intentions during this time were blacklisted without hesitation.

Sophie would be the only choice for the next leader of House Peterlor.

She was the greatest gift in his life and the last remaining connection he had with Princess Thai'lle.

Duke Peterlor was one of the most powerful men in the Federation. He was a brave commander who had fought constant battles and yet…

His fingers trembled slightly as he pressed the notification button on his communicator in order to open the message.

[I hope that this message will reach…]

[This is Sophie Peterlor and I am currently in the Unova Syndicate with Lily Blackait. Both of us are unharmed and in good health]

[We were teleported to a random planet several months ago and have only now managed to secure passage to the frontier region.]

[Unfortunately, due to the war between the Imperial Army and the Unovan forces it is impossible to travel safely to the Earth Federation.]

[We are posing as mercenaries and have secured a position near the battlefield. The starship that we are currently on belongs to a religious organization called 'The Sun's Glory.]

[Our last location was near Planet Xercpolisis which should in the Imperial Army's control by the time this message arrives.]

[The situation is extremely dangerous and I can only use my communicator within the range of the virtual net]

[Urgent assistance and an extraction team is needed. I will continue to send out messages whenever possible]

[Dad.. if you get this message… I hope…]

The message ended abruptly at that point.

Clearly Sophie had typed out more lines of text but it was likely that the connection that she had used to link to the virtual net was unstable.

Duke Peterlor could not stop reading the message over and over again until the words had burned themselves into his mind.

He seemed like a man possessed as various emotions rapidly flashed across his face.

Fear, anxiety, concern, happiness and then finally… relief.

She was alive.

SHE WAS ALIVE.

Duke Peterlor laughed madly as tears ran down the sides of his cheeks. He knew it! He knew that his baby girl was a survivor.

The handsome duke could feel the heavy burden that he had been carrying in his heart finally be released.

But now was not the time to relax.

Judging by the contents of the message, it was clear that both Sophie and Lily were in a perilous situation.

The number of lives that were lost during war were as numerous as the stars in the sky.

Duke Peterlor knew better than anyone that the battlefield was both the best and worst place to hide.

Ding!

Duke Peterlor slowly pressed the button on the top right corner of his desk and soon the sounds of hurried footsteps could be heard coming from the hall outside.

Knock! Knock!

A polite knocking noise could be heard before the head butler opened the door and entered the room.

"Did you wish to see me sir?" Butler Gerald politely asked.

"She is alive." Duke Peterlor spoke plainly but the happy smile that stretched across his face displayed his true emotional state.

A look of disbelief flashed across the old servant's face as there was only one person that his master could be referring to.

"The young miss is okay?!" Butler Gerald exclaimed.

A similar joyous expression appeared on the old man's face as the good news brought a warm feeling to his heart.

Duke Peterlor pressed a series of buttons on his communicator and soon a holographic projection filled the room.

It was map of the frontier region but this map was more complete than the one in the hands of the Imperial Army.

Most high noble families possessed an impressive network of spies but Duke Peterlor had also remained in contact with certain members of the Federation's military.

It took him only a few minutes to access the latest information on the wartime situation with the Unovan forces.

The mental processing speed of a god stage cultivator was unmatched so Duke Peterlor already grasped the situation after reading the information once.

"She is currently stuck in this particular zone of the frontier region of the Unova Syndicate," Duke Peterlor explained while gesturing to a certain area of the map.

"I believe the current commander of the Imperial Army's Unovan conquest division is a man named Stewart Prince."

"He is a fairly competent man but is greedy ambitions are a weakness that have been exploited by several noble families."

"In ideal circumstances, I would submit an official request to pause the war efforts and then send out rescue teams but it was likely that Commander Stewart will refuse."

"Sir, will you go out personally or send out a team of shadow guards?" Butler Gerald inquired in a serious tone.

There was a brief moment of silence as a conflicted expression flashed across Duke Peterlor's face.

He wanted nothing more than to rush over to his daughter and rescue her in person but there were countless eyes watching his every move.

Being an outspoken supporter of hybrid rights and equality meant that he had made a lot of enemies and his foes would gladly pay any price to make sure that his daughter disappeared mysteriously.

Should they get word that Sophie was alone and surrounded by the Imperial Army, there was no doubt in Duke Peterlor's mind that assassins would be sent after her.

Perhaps certain factions within the Imperial Army would 'coincidently' accelerate their battleplans and operate more ruthlessly than before.

Sending out a team of his personal shadow guards seemed like the safest option and yet…

Wait…

A frown flashed across Duke Peterlor's face as he remembered the other message that had arrived at the same time.

The shock of seeing a message from his missing daughter meant that the duke had not bothered to open the other message until now.

He opened the message from the unknown sender which read…

[To Duke Peterlor. The Nephilim Church has information regarding the future whereabouts of your missing noble heiress]

[The high oracle would like to speak to you directly. This opportunity was only granted due to the heartfelt request of one of our saintess-in-training.]