Chapter 52

"Can't you just reveal to Thea that you're a necromancer?" "Why so sudden?" "We've grown close enough... And Thea feels a great debt towards you. Above all, your idea seems reasonable. I want to assign guards around Thea." "Are you suggesting I assign my undead as Thea’s guards?" "Yes. Is that possible?" "Should I advertise in the middle of the pioneering city that I'm a necromancer?" "...You could keep it hidden. Like in the basement incident. Tell Thea to escape underground in case of danger...." "And you think someone with no power can manage to run away that far." The hastily conceived idea was fraught with too many loopholes. Clearly, Athena saw Thea as a significant weakness. Despite this, the notion of conspicuously placing my undead as guards next to Thea implied she had immense trust in me. 'But assigning undead as guards might actually be a usable method.' Though many of them are unsightly, there aren’t beings more loyal than the undead. "Well, if you're worried, just wait." "Why? Do you have a solution?" "It will take some time, but it’s not impossible once I grow stronger." If I enhance the specters further, I could make their presence less detectible. At that level, enforcing physical power would be simple, making the role of a secret guard not too challenging. "Really!?" "However, they can't alleviate loneliness. It would be better to encourage making friends." "...That’s not an option. People can't be trusted." "That's being overprotective." "My life is at stake. Can I afford not to be?" I understand. Having been separated once before and finding her sibling enslaved upon reunion. "What should I really do…" Athena’s worries did not cease until we reached the village of Greenwood. "Welcome, Knight." "It's been a while." There’s no point in correcting them anymore. They’re well aware. It’s just them trying to be polite. "But, you seem quite emaciated." "The food situation has not been great." Given the state of the pioneer city, it was needless to say about the condition of the pioneer village. I clicked my tongue and informed the village chief of my visit’s purpose and the authority I possessed. "To bring... villagers to the ant hill? Most of the young men have already been conscripted…" '...So that's why they gave me the authority…' They had left out anyone useful. I felt cheated. 'No, this is indeed a scam.' There wasn’t even a hint about this situation. My already low regard for the lord plummeted. "I'm not planning to use them in combat. If the extermination is successful, just have them collect the corpses. Oh, and by the way, giant ents are edible." "...You mean as food?" "I shall ensure that Greenwood Village is the first to receive food supplies under my discretion." The lord couldn't reproach me for that. "...Please command us at any time, Knight." Ant Hill After getting a firm answer from the chief and resting, we headed towards the entrance of the ant hill. Knowing the exact location and having prepared thoroughly, there were no delays. The journey was uneventful without encountering any monsters, so it didn’t take very long to arrive. "This is it…" Athena spoke upon seeing a light dirt mound. The entrance to the ant hill was hidden behind a barrier made of dirt and stones erected by them. Just like ordinary ants that build walls around their entrance using soil or sand grains, giant ents had made a considerably high barrier due its sizable difference compared to normal ants. With a height of about 1.5 meters, it was notably tall. "I don’t see any ants beyond the wall?" "The deeper we go inside, the less visible they'll become unless we get closer." There could be soldier ants acting as guards. 'Most are probably inside, blocking the entrance though.' "I’ll position skeletons at the forefront. Specters will be free to roam. As for the interior of the ant hill, it hopefully won’t be too narrow, given its size." A giant ent, antennas included, can almost reach 1 meter in height, exceeding 1 meter in length, which is taller than an average human. Hence, the interior of the ant hill wasn’t too cramped for activities. Their vision is quite poor, primarily distinguishing objects and individuals through smell, antennas, and sound, communicating through unique pheromones akin to ordinary ants. "Be careful of those that spit acid. It shouldn’t be a big deal if it lands on your gear, but sensitive areas like the eyes could be dangerous. Kaila should be fine though…" While acid on metal might cause minor corrosion, it's not severe thanks to protective coatings. However, contact with skin, especially eyes, could lead to blindness in the worst case. "It seems I’ll be at risk then. You’ll be in the back anyway, aiding with attack and curse spells, right?" Mana, transcending human limits, provides resistance against such toxins. With Kaila possessing a mana heart as well, a bit of giant ent acid should pose no real issue. "Especially since, despite the ant hill being navigable, you won’t be able to freely roam around at your level. Maybe in a room, but it’ll be difficult in the corridors." "Understood, I'll be careful." However, unlike before where she supported from the rear with a crossbow, she intended to directly engage in combat beside Kaila, alongside skeletons. Kaila, her mentor, had confirmed she was up to the task, and indeed, Athena had significantly improved from before. 'But it's still too soon to give her the Elixir.' Kaila had healed her legs and even gained a mana heart thanks to the Elixir. Hence, she highly valued the Elixir I possessed, viewing it as too precious for Athena's current level. Despite noticeable improvements in mana control, considering the Elixir's worth, it was still far too valuable to use. Seeing the results, I agreed that it was no ordinary elixir, and thus, for the moment, Athena had not ingested it. "Shall we check first?" I immediately summoned a specter and sent it skyward. Regrettably, being only a third-class necromancer, I couldn't share my senses, including vision, with my undead. However, the undead could somewhat interpret my will, allowing for an indirect means of checking. The result was as expected. "Nothing there?" The specter seemed to suggest so as it circled above. "Good work." -Uung. Responding to my words with a light vibration, the specter quietly took its place behind me. "It seems they're further inside." The specter hadn't checked internally. We were going to enter anyway, and we couldn't communicate well enough to get detailed information. 'It's obvious. The place must be crawling with ants.' Stamina would be crucial. Unfortunately, only I could recover from fatigue by absorbing energy harvested by the specter. Skeletons do not tire, so it was necessary for the two of us to manage our stamina. "Then, let's go." We were fully prepared. We immediately crossed the barrier of earth and stone and headed inside. As expected, descending further led to a deeper pit, with a considerably large hole at the innermost part. Yet, it was slightly elevated above ground level. "...Is it blocked? What’s that?" "Soldier ant." "An ant? That?" It was a type of soldier ant known as a gatekeeper, its head abnormally large, enabling it to block the entrance. At a glance, though it seemed like a black wall, that was in fact the head of the gatekeeper ant. 'The carapace is also hard.' Scouts or hunting ants knock on the door upon their return, and these ants open the door after verifying friends from foes with pheromones. Naturally, knocking from our end won’t prompt it to open. Therefore, killing it was the only way to gain entrance. And that would signal the beginning of the battle. Despite our arrival at the entrance, the ants showed no movement. I summoned a skeleton and turned to Kaila, saying, "Cut through." Sssrrng. Kaila drew her sword and enveloped it in aura. 'Hmm...' Her aura was denser and more defined than that of an average-ranking knight. If we were to classify her level, she’d be intermediate. Although she hadn't fully utilized her mana heart yet, she would still have the upper hand against experts of the same rank. 'If only for a moment, she could even summon a higher rank's aura. Once she starts properly wielding her mana heart, advancement will be swift.' Becoming a master didn't seem out of reach for her. As I momentarily digressed, Kaila had moved to the entrance and swung her sword. Swoosh! Following the path of Kaila’s sword, the entrance to the ant hill was opened, and transparent body fluid sprayed around. Drrrk. "Hm? What's that sound?" "Warning signal." While giant ents primarily communicate with pheromones, they also convey simple messages through peculiar sounds, understandable only among themselves. I knew they typically made these sounds by scraping their exoskeletons. It seems the gatekeeper ant had released a warning signal right before dying. 'If it made a sound, it likely released pheromones too.' They’d probably be ready for battle inside very quickly. "Let's go inside." Skeletons led the way, followed by Kaila and Athena, and then I entered. Lighting the lantern, we could see it was indeed a rather large path. Grrk. There, we already encountered a giant ent, likely a worker given its small mandibles and less sturdy carapace compared to soldier ants. Apparently, it was one of the nearest ones. Without hesitation, the skeleton charged towards it. Click, click! The giant ent raised its body and clicked its mandibles in a threatening manner, but such gestures were futile against a skeleton. Scrrk. Instead, it exposed its vulnerabilities, allowing the skeleton’s blade to sever a crucial joint, instantly killing the giant ent. 'Animating it wouldn’t be very useful.' While ants can be reanimated with animate dead, they seemed not very helpful. Besides, its body was severed. I could put it together and heal it for use, but it would be too inefficient. 'Hmm… Seems like there’s no need for strength enhancement. Targeting their weaknesses makes it easy.' This time, I had bolstered the skeleton's durability rather than its strength. Without actually enhancing its muscular power, targeting the joints allowed us to easily dispatch the giant ent. "It died surprisingly easy?" "The abilities of individual specimens are significantly inferior." The giant ents in this region weren't anything special. The only threat was their sheer number. Their ignorance of fear was also quite advantageous. 'Once the command is given, they’ll just keep coming.' Explaining this, Athena's face tensed up again with anxiety. Thud, thud, thud. "Here they come." Having dealt with the first one, we soon felt an immense number of ants approaching, their vibrations indicating a large group had gathered from nearby rooms.