Chapter 50

"Why would you suddenly do that?" "…Because my leg has healed." "What does your leg have to do with having sex?" "…The reason I avoided relationships with men… was because I feared getting pregnant." Kaila said, with a somewhat bitter expression on her face. "I have someone I need to take revenge on." "Revenge?" She slowly started to reveal a story she had never shared with me before. "The fall of the house I belonged to was due to traitors within." "You mentioned before that there was someone who desired me? That person was also one of the traitors." "…I see." "Yes. Those who betrayed me and my comrades, and turned against our house… if I ever meet them again…." "Didn't you promise to always be by my side?" "That's right. Don't worry. That oath takes precedence over my revenge. However, I presume you wouldn't stop me from taking my revenge when the opportunity arises." "Why would you think so?" "Because you are a dark mage." "The traitors have gone over to the Holy Empire. As you continue to grow, we might be opposed, but never aligned." Kaila said with a small smile. "You are much greater than I thought. Not strong in a conventional sense, yet you manage things even high priests cannot. The specter, likewise. Your skills are definitely not that of a level 5." Though she couldn't pinpoint the exact extent of my power, Kaila suggested she had an idea. It seemed she knew a bit about dark magic. 'If she had been active in the underworld….' It was highly likely she had encountered dark mages. "But you still made the specter. Of course, what we found in the cave was special, but it would have been impossible without your abilities. I assume you haven't been introduced to dark magic for very long." "…Right." By any measure, her words were accurate. "And yet, you consistently displayed prowess beyond the norm. Perhaps you will ascend to a high status among dark mages, or even beyond. If you reach such a position, friction with the Holy Empire becomes inevitable." By following me, naturally, even opportunities for revenge would come, Kaila said. She held a higher opinion of me than even I did. "So, I don't need to prioritize revenge." "…What does that have to do with having sex?" "Did you know? A woman's pelvis gets distorted after giving birth." "If my pelvis distorted while my leg was injured, I would have never been able to heal it properly." Even if it were healed, I wouldn’t have regained my former skill. But now, my leg has been healed. No, it has become even stronger than before. The performance of my right leg has far surpassed its past, augmented further by the addition of a mana heart. So, there was no longer anything to fear. "Of course, I'll take contraception. I wouldn’t mind bearing your child, but I assume you wouldn't want that." That's true. A child would be a big vulnerability at our current strength, for me, for Kaila, and for the child. A future fraught with unhappiness would likely await. If one can't take responsibility for a child, then it's better not to have one. That's what I believed. "Just think of it as me having some peace of mind now that my leg is healed. And… most importantly, I like you. That's why I seduced you first." Knowing my nature, that I wouldn't make the first move, she took it upon herself. "…Is that so." To Kaila's candid admission, I couldn't help but smile bitterly. "But the slave's mark has also disappeared, so how long do you plan to call me master?" I had noticed the disappearance of her magical brand during our intimacy. She was no longer a slave. "It's comfortable for me. By now, I don't see much of a difference between a master and a lord. Honestly, I think I started calling you master more from the standpoint of a knight than a slave. Well, I am no longer a knight." "…Do as you like." I had gotten used to being addressed that way too. "After all, for the sake of keeping up appearances, you'll need to continue calling me that." "Oh, look at the time... I'll prepare breakfast today… Ah!" Was it because I had heard her innermost thoughts? I couldn't help but watch as she got up. Because of what happened last night, neither of us wore a thread of clothing, and there was nothing cumbersome in our way. Kaila didn't object, and we didn't leave the bed until the sun was high in the sky. "Hunger Crisis" "Ah, it's late. We won’t be able to do much today." "Did you dislike it?" "That's not it but…." After rolling around together in the morning and eating a late lunch, it was already quite late. Because of this, today's practical training was also going to be lacking. "It can't be helped. It's because you’ve fallen for me. Seems you quite enjoyed my body last night." I didn’t deny it. Her learning curve was steep, and her earnest efforts were quite endearing. 'And attractive in its own way.' More than anything, it wasn't just a night of fulfilling physical desires but spending it with someone whose heart was in tune with mine made it all the more satisfying. At that, Kaila lightly laughed, indicating she felt the same. We casually joked around while watching her training, similar to yesterday. Precisely, I was there to support her just in case, but it wasn’t too bad seeing Kaila’s rehabilitation was successful, and the specter went around draining energy. All in all, Kaila managed her rehabilitation while occasionally offering tips for Athen's training, and I checked on the basement in between. 'The backdoor… it's completed.' A little more digging and I would be inside the secret tunnel. I periodically checked inside but since I couldn't drill a hole in advance, I prepared everything right up until that point. 'To think jewels would still be left…' Honestly, I thought they would have been destroyed by now, but they seemed to be of surprisingly good quality. They must have been given to me to sell at a high price... 'They wouldn't have expected them to be used like this.' Right after completing the backdoor, I began expanding the cellar. Although the lord controlled the food supply, hunting and foraging meant my comrades and I were unaffected, so I started secretly storing smoked meats from outside in the cellar. 'Normally, I would have just bought and stored it.' I never expected my actions to result in a territory-wide lockdown, leaving no other choice. It was neither predictable nor typical. When Kaila was finally getting used to the sensation of her new leg, I received a summons from the lord. 'Tch. It must be for war mobilization.' It was highly likely they were calling me on some pretense. 'I can't win. There's a need to lose just as badly.' Ideally, I wanted Muttr to remain in the territory until the monster wave occurred. Failure wouldn't be catastrophic, but it would be a significant disappointment. 'We've gotten surprisingly close.' Muttr's situation turned out to be much more of a mess than I anticipated, bringing us much closer than expected. Honestly, it seemed like a little persuasion might flip him to our side, and it would be a huge shame to lose that chance. The merchant union would take care of manipulating information, handling the situation, and the aftermath. However, the lord hadn't summoned me to participate in the war. "So, you're telling me you called to find out if humans can eat monsters." The food situation in the territory must have been quite dire. "It varies with the monster. Some are entirely inedible, others can be eaten if processed, and some can be eaten just by cooking." "What about those we can find around the territory?" "Well, goblins need some treatment. Eating them as is can cause stomach issues. However, finding antidote herbs in our current situation won't be easy." Though antidote herbs do grow in the monster forest, they are more commonly found in other areas. "Moreover, there wouldn't be enough. Orcs can be eaten as is." "…With our current forces, we can't take on the orcs. As you may have heard, we're preparing for a battle." Engaging in war with the orc tribes, especially an offensive one, would inevitably result in significant casualties. Even if they didn't die, injuries would be a given. "Hmm… How about giant ants?" Giant ants. Large monster ants. "The giant ants around here aren't very strong. They're numerous, which might be a problem, but on the other hand, we need their numbers right now. Depending on the size of their colony, we could last a while without worrying about food if we can clear out just one, maybe two nests. They're edible." Just avoid the acid sacs. If any parts are contaminated, just cut them off. "Hmm… giant ants. Aren't they also high-risk?" "That is true. Hunting individuals isn't difficult if you know their weaknesses, but guessing their numbers is the issue." True to their nature, ants can number from hundreds to thousands in a single colony. Encountering them outside isn't much of an issue, but infiltrating their nest is a different story. Even orcs tend to avoid them; the interior of the nest is their territory, and without engaging them in battle, it's impossible to know their exact numbers. In the worst case, you might end up fighting until exhaustion without ever seeing the end. 'Besides, depending on the location, they can be monstrously strong.' Ants that have set up in mines for a long time may have bodies composed of metal. Giant ants are notorious for consuming everything, including metals and gems. There are records of colonies made entirely of gems which annihilated an entire order of knights. Precious metals, especially gems, contain mana, and if giant ants start consuming and using mana, it's difficult for any aura or magic to have an effect, making it almost impossible for even the strongest beings to defeat them. Fortunately, there are none of those around here, just low-level monsters. But the unknown size of their colonies was still an issue. After pondering for a while, the lord said to me. "Are giant ants our only option…?" Hunting beasts was one thing, but given our situation, it couldn't keep pace. Feeding over a thousand people required more than just a few beasts. "I'd like to commission you." "I want to request the extermination of one, maybe two giant ant nests." "I know it's not an easy task. But our territorial situation isn't great. We also have to deal with those damned thieves. However, Sir Langbinck is not yet fully recovered. If we wait for him, we might lose before even fighting. Thus, you're the only one I can ask." Given the circumstances, the lord was surprisingly subservient. "I'll ensure you're well compensated." 'I wonder if they even have anything to give?' Honestly, I didn't particularly need compensation. I had plans to slowly consume this territory anyway. 'Rejecting it… but if the territory falls one-sidedly, that wouldn't be good either.' It was in my interest too. 'I thought as much might happen.' Nevertheless, I expressed my reluctance. "…It's too dangerous." "Yes. That's why I'm asking you." "I thought I would be mobilized for the war." "This too is a form of warfare." 'He never had any intention of letting me go, it seems.' Aware as I was, it was still infuriating to see him not even trying to deny it, acting as if it was nothing. I was certain that I had been promised exemption from conscription for the next few years. Yet, I continued nonchalantly. "If I were to take on this task, I wouldn't be able to participate in combat. It's unlikely I'll be in any condition to fight." "It's regrettable, but there's no helping it. Still, it's better than being defeated without even putting up a fight." "Can't we get help from mercenaries?" "With as much as we're already bleeding from employing you, we can't afford to divert them as well." This meant he intended to shift all the risk onto me. Apparently, he figured that even if we got supplies, we'd be doomed to fail if he were to divert some mercenaries to assist me. 'The merchants' union isn't likely to be weak.' They were a group of merchants operating in a large territory. They wouldn't be easy to deal with. If I failed, the people of the territory would probably starve. To my party and me, an ant nest doesn't pose much of a threat. However, they are completely unaware of my actual strength.