Kumo Desu ga, Nani ka?

Chapter A sort-of Christmas present from me…

This special post is in two halves. The first is a translation of the two page timeline included at the end of volume 4 of the light novels. Think of this as the “official recorded history” from the point of view of the Anareich Kingdom, though simplified to include the parts that are relevant to the story. Meaning, this isn’t the inside story. Some of the information here is new, particularly the first few entries. It’s not clear if the dating system has any particular relevance to the total age of the System or not. For the first half, comments from me are in round brackets.

The second half is a complete translation of this blog post from author on the 14th October, or around the time of Blood 34. This is shortly after LN4 was released.

History of the Kingdom

Year 798:

In the Rengzand Empire, Ronant becomes the youngest chief court magician in history.

Year 801:

Hero Masis dies during a battle at the Kusorion fort.

Dalthsmeig is inaugurated as the new Hero.

Year 803:

Due to the great efforts of Hero Dalthsmeig, Demon King Atmos is successfully subjugated.

Year 804:

Hero Dalthsmeig goes missing.

(This is probably due to Potimas working behind the scenes to get the Hero and Demon King to join forces to attack D.)

Year 807:

In the Rengzand Empire, Sword Emperor Reigar abdicates. Rahgis is enthroned in replacement. Ronant becomes an advisor.

(This should be the same Reigar that Wrath fought in “Sword God vs Ogre”)

Year 829:

In the Anareich Kingdom, Sirius is enthroned.

(This should be Shun’s father, though in S6 and the same scene in the LN, his name is said to be Magus Delua Anareich. I can’t find any other mention of this name in the WN or LN. Either it’s a mistake on my part, the author’s part or this is a posthumous name)

Year 832:

The queen gives birth to first prince Cyris.

Year 833:

The first princess consort gives birth to first princess Raylecia of the Anareich Kingdom.

Year 834:

The third princess consort gives birth to second prince Julius of the Anareich Kingdom.

Year 837:

The second princess consort gives birth to third prince Leston of the Anareich Kingdom.

Year 840:

Second prince Julius is inaugurated as the Hero.

This event is treated as confirming the death of Hero Dalthsmeig.

In the Erlo Great Labyrinth, a peculiar immature Taratekt specimen is sighted. At that time a drake’s egg and spider thread is collected, and presented to the royal family.

There is an increase in activity amongst the demons.

(The death of the previous Hero should coincide with the attack on D, since the Hero and Demon King who did that died in the attempt. Interesting to note that it took 34 years to get to this point - clearly a lot of effort was required.)

Year 841:

The third princess consort gives birth to fourth prince Shurein of the Anareich Kingdom.

The queen gives birth to second princess Suelecia of the Anareich Kingdom.

In the Anabald ducal house, first child Carnatia is born.

In the Rengzand Empire, first prince Yuugo is born.

The third princess consort dies.

In the Elro Great Labyrinth, the Imperial army force led by Ronant makes contact with the “Nightmare of the Labyrinth”.

Outside the Elro Great Labyrinth, the Nightmare of the Labyrinth and a Queen Taratekt arise.

Ronant temporarily goes missing.

(The Queen Taratekt also going outside is something that happens in LN4 - it was hunting Kumoko and blasted up the landscape a bit. Suelecia is Sue’s full name - this is the first mention of it.)

Year 842:

The Nightmare of the Labyrinth arises in the country of Sariera.

War breaks out between the country of Sariera and the country of Otsu. The Empire as well as the Divine Word Religion support the country of Otsu.

Hero Julius battles with the Nightmare of the Labyrinth. Due to the intervention of Ronant, he survives.

Hero Julius temporarily becomes Ronant’s apprentice.

Human trafficking and kidnappings occur one after the other in all lands.

Year 843:

In the Elro Great Labyrinth, the “Remnants of the Nightmare” are confirmed to exist.

Year 844:

The first princess Raylecia is betrothed to the first prince of the Telecent Kingdom, and relocates there to study.

Year 845:

In the Empire, the “Sword Demon” arises.

Due to the great efforts of Ronant, the Sword Demon is successfully driven away.

(I can’t find a reference to Wrath being referred to as this, but it’s obviously him.)

Year 846:

Led by the Divine Word Religion, decisive action was taken to expose the large-scale human trafficking organisation.

Jiskan and Hawkin joined Hero Julius’s party during that incident.

Year 847:

Shurein, Suelecia and Carnatia undergo the Appraisal Ceremony.

Year 848:

From the Earth Drake’s egg, Feyrune hatches.

(Feyrune is Shinohara Mirei, as mentioned in the “Autumn-leaf Viewing” special, meaning she is born 7 years after the human reincarnators.)

Year 850:

The elf leader Potimas visits the country as a goodwill ambassador.

Potimas’s daughter Firimes relocates to the kingdom to study.

Hero Julius is caught in a trap by the demons and attacked, but it is just barely repulsed.

(This might be the trap mentioned in chapter 259 though if so the timing of that is different by several years in the LN)

Year 851:

Shurein, Suelecia, Carnatia and Firimes enter the royal academy.

They make contact with Prince Yuugo of the Empire and Saint candidate Yurin.

Hero Julius subjugates a Remnant of the Nightmare in the Elro Great Labyrinth.

Prince Yuugo of the Empire makes an attempt to assassinate Shurein.

An Earth Drake makes an attack on the academy.

(Julius’s fight with one of the Remnants is in LN2. He and his whole party seriously struggle to beat just one of them and only win with some luck. The drake that attacked the academy is thought to be Feyrune’s mother - this incident is only shown in the LN.)

Year 856:

The Human-Demon Great War.

Hero Julius dies in battle.

A coup d’etat breaks out in the Anareich Kingdom.

King Sirius dies.

Fourth prince Shurein escapes together third prince Leston who was a collaborator.

The Divine Word Religion announces that Prince Yuugo of the Empire is the new Hero.

At the same time, it is announced that the Anareich Kingdom’s second princess Suelecia is betrothed to him.

Due to conspiring in the coup d’etat in the Kingdom, the Empire declares war on the elves followed by the raising of an army.

The Empire’s Army and the Demon King’s Army invade the elf village.

Various aspects of the chronological order

At the end of the fourth volume of the published work is something like a history. By looking at this, you should be able to understand various aspects of the chronological order. Well, there are a few differences between this and the web version though. Thus, in order to make the chronological order of the web version a little bit easier to understand, here is the following explanation:

Kumoko’s birth is approximately half a year before the reincarnators are born. Since she’s a spider monster, she’s born earlier than the humans. Incidentally, oni-kun was also born at a similar time.

↓

The reincarnators are born in various places. This was generally around the time of the fight with Alaba. If you look very closely, you can see that the summoner laments “why at such a time”. The summoner has also had a child born at this time (a reincarnator), and is lamenting about why he has to take on such a mission when his child has just been born.

↓

Spider-style vampire training. Training vampire girl while heading towards the demon territories. This is before those on Shun-kun’s side enroll at the academy.

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Arrival at the demon territory, secret manoeuvres begin. Secret manoeuvres, secretly manoeuvring. This is about the time that those on Shun-kun’s side enter the academy.

↓

Human-Demon Great War. The outbreak of the great war. On Shun-kun’s side, he knows that by becoming the Hero that Julius-nii-sama has died.

↓

The Kingdom is overthrown. Turmoil as Yuugo-kun overthrows the Kingdom. Shun-kun is in deep trouble. For this part, the perspectives from Kumoko’s side hasn’t yet been written.

↓

Elf village battle. Just who is the true mastermind behind this battle? (smirk)

There, that’s basically how the chronological order is. While Kumoko’s point of view has continued in a straight path the whole way through, the point of views from other characters diverges from her path and join around the halfway point, so it becomes rather confusing. Well, I deliberately made it hard to understand though. Right from the beginning of the included S-series, that was set in the future from Kumoko’s perspective in the chapters at the time. In the chapters being released now the story is thus approaching the S-series. Currently they’re in-between the Human-Demon Grear War and the overthrowing of the Kingdom. Just when is the story going to catch up to the elf village, I wonder (shudder).

Notes:

“Why at such a time” - the summoner doesn’t literally say this but it’s pretty much what he says in his first line in “The labyrinth’s nightmare ①”. In “The revolving lantern of the summoner” his wife wrote him a letter saying that their daughter had been kidnapped.

“Secret manoeuvres, secretly manoeuvring” - this is chapter 225.