“Cough… cough…”
“Shh. Your breathing is too loud. At this rate, we’ll be detected.”
“Match the tempo… I’m a perfectly ordinary modern person worn down by civilization, and you’re the strange one…”
“…I don’t quite understand what you’re saying.”
Inside the ant colony.
With Sylvia by my side, I was infiltrating that dark, damp place.
Sweating profusely, I was continuing through a course of maneuvering and marching.
No visibility.
The uneven ground.
A continuous series of obstacles: crawling through narrow spaces, descending almost vertically by holding onto the walls, or rock climbing.
Even with good stamina, it was hard to advance, and with this cursed body, it was almost unbearable.
I felt like I was going to die. This was not just a dramatic exaggeration; I really felt like I was going to die.
It wouldn’t be surprising if I soon collapsed from lack of oxygen.
“We’ve only been in here for 10 minutes.”
“Don’t lie.”
“Yes, let’s call it a lie.”
“…”
Under the torchlight, Sylvia’s slightly disdainful expression was visible. I was strongly tempted to give her a hard time, but I managed to suppress it. What an irritating person.
“Pant, Pant. Sylvia. Carry me.”
“Didn’t I already tell you to get on my back?”
“…”
Eventually, I had to be carried by Sylvia before long.
I hadn’t anticipated the labyrinth would be this vast.
The colony had grown as large as the monsters had grown in size.
For a brief moment, I considered entering alone because I felt pity for Sylvia, who was suffering from exhaustion.
I’m really glad I didn’t.
I almost ended up lost and becoming a good meal for the monsters in the ant mound.
“Is the queen ant’s chamber still ahead, Dirt-Dirt?”
[It’s coming up soon. Turn right here. If you dig and go straight, you’ll get there quickly, but with your human bodies, you can only move so inefficiently… Tsk.]
Dirt-Dirt looked at us with a pitiful expression, as if viewing a primitive species.
It seemed to have a strong disdain for beings with physical bodies rather than spirits.
‘Wasn’t there an opportunity to escape when I made the spirits manifest for using magic earlier?’
Dirt-Dirt seemed to be enjoying living in such an uncomfortable body.
There were several opportunities to escape.
But Dirt-Dirt chose to stay.
The reason was just a donut with sugar cream, but no one would believe that straightforwardly.
[You have a distasteful expression, human! Are you looking down on me internally? Is that it? Speak honestly!!!]
“We’ve arrived, Master. Up ahead is the queen ant’s…”
Screech! With a chilling sound and the flickering of the torchlight.
In the darkness, a black mandible shot through the air like lightning.
Sylvia reacted immediately, dodging swiftly, while the monster’s body crashed against the wall.
“…It’s dead.”
A moment later, the ant monster, succumbing to the Touch of Death, lay limp.
It seemed to be one of the guards protecting the queen ant.
That was a scare.
The range of the touch of death was not very wide, so it would be quite dangerous if they accelerated and charged like before.
More importantly, it was crucial not to accidentally kill the queen ant.
The queen ant was essential to lure the monsters here.
If we killed it, all the residents of the Ariente territory would be annihilated by the enraged monsters.
“Be careful when entering.”
“…Could you please speak after you get off my back?”
“Wouldn’t it be better to keep carrying me? If you let me down, you’ll have to pick me up again every time I need to run or be carried, which would be more troublesome, wouldn’t it?”
“Well, you make a rational point, so I have no counterargument. I will continue to carry you…”
“Why-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y!!!”
“…!”
At that moment, a monstrous scream echoed from beyond the room.
The volume was so loud it felt like my eardrums might burst, causing both Sylvia and me to frown.
Sylvia urgently drew her sword and entered the room.
“Queen…!”
Revealing itself inside was none other than a gigantic ant.
It was at least ten times the size of other ant monsters.
With such a large creature screaming with its enormous voice, it was impossible not to feel deafened.
“…”
“…”
Sylvia and I made eye contact.
We nodded simultaneously with tense faces.
We instinctively knew.
This sound was a distress signal from the queen ant. It was a scream of danger.
Soon after, the entire ant mound began to rumble with a pounding noise.
The vibrations were getting closer.
They were coming. The monsters were coming.
I clung tightly to Sylvia’s back and swallowed my saliva.
“Kieeeeeek!!!”
“They’re here.”
Ant monsters began appearing and charging through the corridor one by one.
But my insecticide, or rather the Touch of Death, caused them to fall one after another helplessly.
It seemed like a situation similar to when Sylvia was saved earlier.
“They don’t stop!”
The difference this time was that they continued charging and dying in endless waves.
Even if the corridor was blocked with corpses, the ant legion pushed forward, tearing through their comrades’ bodies.
Since this was a matter of the queen ant’s life or death, they could not be bargained with.
“It looks like they plan to suffocate us with their own corpses.”
“How could that be…!”
If things continued like this, we would eventually die.
Crushed by the corpses of the ants coming in without pause, we would die.
But all we could do here was anxiously wait while activating Touch of Death.
We could only hope that Julia and Charlotte would time things well according to the plan.
“I didn’t realize it when you explained the plan…”
“Why-y-y-y-y-y-y-y!!!”
“I can’t hear!”
“This is completely…”
“Why-y-y-y-y-y-y-y!!!”
“I said I can’t hear!”
“…”
Sylvia swung her sword silently.
Swish.
Only then did the noisy siren sound stop, and the queen ant, dripping with juices, collapsed with a thud.
…Somehow, the ants’ morale seemed even fiercer now.
“This is truly a life-risking operation.”
“You’re only realizing that now, aren’t you?”
“Do you trust those kids? Do you trust them enough to entrust your life to them?”
Sylvia tilted her head, wiping her sword.
I let out a wry smile.
“Of course, I trust them. They’re sometimes so pure and kind that they seem foolish. Do you think those kids would ever think of letting me die and then gaining their freedom?”
“…No.”
“Of course not. Even if they ever thought of such a thing, they’d never be able to put it into practice. That’s just their inherent nature. I trust in the purity of those kids. That’s all.”
Over the past few months, if Charlotte and Julia had developed any fondness for me… it would be great, but the likelihood is very low.
To the kids, I’m still just a cruel master who holds their freedom and rights.
I don’t expect them to realize that everything I’ve done so far was for their sake.
For them to understand that, they’d need to grow up more and become more mature. It’s still too early for that.
So, it’s fine to be a cruel master for now.
As long as the kids don’t become twisted.
As long as they can keep their purity and inherent nature until the end.
If I can avoid the painful wounds I received in the original here, that would be wonderful.
“Do you really believe in their purity?”
Sylvia asked with a slightly doubtful expression.
“Of course.”
“Then what if the children want to get married right away…”
“Why are you talking about such nonsense at a time like this? Get your head together, Sylvia!”
“Oh, no…”
Do you really want to make such a morbid joke when our lives are on the line?
Sylvia, who was flustered by my stern reprimand, stammered as she spoke.
At that moment, the body of Dirt-Dirt in Sylvia’s hand began to glow brilliantly.
“What is this…?”
[The quiet little brat outside is casting a spell.]
The timing for Julia to cast the spell was when all the ant legion had entered the ant mound.
The plan was to lure all the monsters into the mound.
Then, Dirt-Dirt, having regained all its abilities by returning to its spiritual form, would cause an earthquake to completely collapse the ant mound.
That was the basic outline of the plan.
So, how would Sylvia and I survive inside the ant mound?
There were ways.
“Sylvia! Deploy the barrier!”
“Understood. But you need to get even closer.”
“I’m as close as possible.”
“No. Even closer… I think it might be necessary for you to embrace me from the front. The barrier I can deploy is quite small… Perhaps only if you embrace me from the front will the space be just enough…”
“…”
Sylvia, blushing and speaking shyly.
What’s this? Who are you?
It was like a celestial maiden had appeared, not Sylvia.
Anyway, I had to embrace Sylvia from the front.
I hope it doesn’t smell?
I was so frustrated by Sylvia’s hesitation that I ended up pulling her in and embracing her tightly myself.
“Eek!?”
“Surprisingly, there’s no smell.”
“What an outrageous breach of manners…!”
“Never mind that, just deploy the barrier. Dirt-Dirt will completely destroy this place soon.”
“Yes, yes!”
Rumbleee!
The ant mound shook violently, and cracks began to appear in the walls.
A golden light barrier spread around Sylvia and me.
“Ugh!?”
The barrier was tighter than I had expected, and I had to hold Sylvia even more closely.
The soft pressure against my chest was quite uncomfortable.
.
.
.
“Mister! Mister, Mister…!”
Charlotte, breathless, dove into the landslide that had collapsed.
Monster corpses tumbled around, carried away by the landslide, but Charlotte didn’t care at all.
She started digging through the earth with her hands.
Surely it’s around here!
She can feel it!
She can sense that Mister and the Knight Sister are alive down here! Charlotte had no capacity to think of anything other than digging.
“Haaah, Haah…!”
Julia, who arrived shortly after, was breathless.
Charlotte’s hands, digging through dirt and tossing rocks, were injured and bleeding, but Julia couldn’t bring herself to tell her to stop.
If she were as strong as Charlotte, she would be doing the same…
“Dirt-Dirt! Where are you!”
“…”
“Help us, Dirt-Dirt! We need your help to dig!”
“…”
Despite Julia shouting with all her might, calling for Dirt-Dirt, there was no response.
Did she hastily manifest Dirt-Dirt?
Did Dirt-Dirt run away to a place where her spell doesn’t reach, as soon as it regained its abilities?
Negative thoughts flooded back.
Negative thoughts surged up.
Julia’s mind went completely blank for a moment.
If this continues, both Lady Sylvia and Aslan will die…
She didn’t want that.
There’s still so much to do.
There are still many teaching rights left.
They needed to obtain Neomium and continue researching black magic…
Tears welled up in Julia’s eyes.
“Dirt-Dirt, please!!!”
[Ugh! I can hear you loud and clear, you damn brat!]
“Dirt-Dirt…!”
[This is the last time I’ll help. I have transcended once again and become a form that cannot be controlled by your spells anymore.]
“Thank you! Really, thank you!”
Rumble.
The Great Spirit of Earth’s spiritual form began to interfere with the physical world.
An enormous amount of earth was lifted and moved, along with Charlotte.
A gigantic pit formed.
And below it, two familiar figures emerged.
Charlotte and Julia, with tears in their eyes, looked down into the pit with relief.
“You arrived just in time. Now, step aside, Sylvia.”
“…What are you two doing?”
“Ah, ah. Kids. This is, well… it’s not what you think it is…”
“…”
“…”
Aslan and Sylvia were embracing each other without any gaps.
Charlotte and Julia’s expressions turned cold in an instant.
