Chapter 104 Chihiro Yuki ⑩
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
It had been ten days since we left Envyos Magic Academy¹. We finally pulled into a town called Varity, located in the Greedia region.
The trip had been suspiciously quiet. No monster ambushes, no high-born ladies needing a rescue from bandits – hell, we hadn’t even seen a highwayman. Our carriage was a step above the usual junk, and since our horses were former military stock, we were clocking twenty percent more miles a day than a standard merchant’s rig. The only problem was the lack of rubber tires or any real suspension. The ride was a bone-rattling nightmare. We’d piled up cushions to take the edge off, but a dull ache still settled deep into my tailbone. The women were miserable, though Nakim seemed to handle the jolting well enough.
Speaking of Nakim, he’d spent the first few days acting like Kijima and the others were a brick wall, but ten days on the road has a way of softening people. By now, he was chatting with them like old friends. Aside from the physical toll, it was a textbook journey. Until we hit the gates.
”Sorry, folks. Don’t bother unhitching. Turn around or find a detour,” a town guard said, blocking our path.
”Excuse me? Did something happen?” I asked.
”It hasn’t happened yet,” the guard replied. “But it’s coming.”
I didn’t follow. The rest of the group looked just as lost as I was. “What exactly is ‘coming’?” I asked.
”Some damn fool went and poked the swarm,” the guard spat. “And then he had the bright idea to run here, bringing a piece of the Ants with him. Because of that idiot, this town is going to be a graveyard before the sun sets.”
The weight of his words left us stunned. He wasn’t talking about house pests. He was talking about Killer Army Ants² – monstrous, oversized predators that lived up to their name. They had all the worst traits of a real army ant swarm, but with a supernatural grudge. If you killed one, the pheromones marked you. They would hunt you to the ends of the earth. Worse, those pheromones were like a virus; they clung to everything you touched – people, buildings, the very dirt. The only way to stop them was to kill the Queen. Without her, the swarm would lose its hive mind, gathering in one spot to march in endless, useless circles until they died.
I looked at the massive, barred gates. It made sense now. They weren’t just locking the swarm out; they were sealing the town’s fate. The people of Varity were being served up as a sacrificial distraction to keep the pheromone trail from spreading. “Goddammit… my wife and son are still in there,” the guard muttered, his face twisting. “My boy’s only three months old. Some ‘Hero’ that guy is… he’s a walking disaster.”
The guard’s voice broke with pure resentment. But one word stuck in my throat. A ‘Hero’? Was it one of my classmates? It couldn’t be Tatei or Yokoo; they weren’t fighters. I needed to know who was in there. And more importantly – “Is there anything I can do?” I asked. “I might not look it, but I can hold my own in a fight.”
”Are you insane!?” the guard barked.
”Chihiro!” Kijima cried out.
”That’s suicide, and you know it!” Kodama added.
The group erupted, but I stayed focused. Nakim looked like he was about to break down, but I kept my voice steady. Perfectly sane. “It’s okay, Nakim. Kodama-san, do me a favor. Take Nakim and keep moving toward Foxia ahead of me.”
”You say it’s okay, but you have no proof!” Kodama argued.
”I’ve got a plan,” I lied. “I’ll be back. I swear it.” I gently stroked Nakim’s head, trying to soothe him like a frightened child.
”Do you… do you really promise? You’ll come back for me?” Nakim asked.
”I promise.”
”……Okay. I’ll wait. I’ll wait forever if I have to!” Nakim cried, throwing his arms around me. I wondered how this looked to anyone watching. For a second, the image of Yamihama’s creepy, drooling grin flashed through my mind. Nakim finally let go.
”Take care of him for me,” I said. “Fine,” Kodama-san replied, her voice tight. “We’ll get him to Foxia. Just… don’t do anything stupid, Chihiro.”
”See you in Foxia,” I said. They climbed back into the carriage and pulled away, leaving me alone with the guard.
”So,” the guard sighed, “you actually have a strategy, kid?”
”Not a single one,” I admitted. “I just couldn’t watch you all die for nothing. The hunters in there – they’re fighting to the end, right?”
”Every last one of them. Well… I won’t talk you out of it. Get inside.” The guard opened a small service door beside the main gate. I stepped through.
I’m sorry, Nakim.
Kodama and the others probably knew I was lying, but the truth was darker. I didn’t stay to be a hero. I stayed to die. I wanted to go out the same way Natsumi did. I wanted to feel every bit of the agony she suffered. If there’s an afterlife, I’ll find her there. I’ll beg for her forgiveness. I don’t know if I’ll ever get it, but…
* * *
The guild hall was a madhouse of shouting and clashing armor. One corner was louder than the rest. “You son of a bitch! Do you have any idea what you’ve done to us!?” “The town is dead because of you!” “Shut your mouths! How dare you speak to a Hero like that!” “Hero? You’re a piece of human garbage!” “Garbage!? You’re dead!”
A crowd had swarmed the center of the hall. I’d know that arrogant, whiny voice anywhere. “Excuse me, coming through,” I said, shoving my way past a few hulking hunters. Sure enough, there he was.
”I’ll make you regret defying – wait. Yuki! What the hell are you doing here?”
”That’s my line, Nishiyama. What’s with the circus? Actually, don’t answer. I can guess.” I exhaled, already exhausted. Nishiyama Kishi. A Knight, and a total disaster of a human being – narcissistic, delusional, and convinced the world revolved around him. Natsumi used to call him “the kid who never outgrew his middle-school fantasies. A walking cringe-fest who doesn’t even know he’s embarrassing.”
Nishiyama was the center of the storm, as usual. “Tch… whatever. Look at these losers, Yuki. They’re just bitter that I-sama took down the Queen Ant. They’re all ganging up on me because they’re jealous ssu.”
”Queen Ant!? That was a damn Worker and you know it!” a hunter screamed.
”Shut up! Look at the size of this head! It has to be the Queen!” Nishiyama held up the severed head of an ant like a trophy. It was the size of a basketball. Huge, sure, but… “Nishiyama,” I interrupted, “what did the rest of it look like?”
”Huh? What do you mean? It was just a massive ant. And since it was this big, it’s obviously – “
”You’re dead wrong.” I didn’t have the patience for his ego. “A Queen Ant’s abdomen is massive – hypertrophied. Did you ever even look at an encyclopedia as a kid?”
”Wh – Shut up! If I say it’s a Queen, it’s a Queen!” He probably knew better, but his ego was too fragile to admit a mistake. He was a lost cause. I’d never liked the guy, but seeing him refuse to acknowledge the death sentence he’d brought on the town made me lose any shred of pity I had left.
”Look, everyone,” I said, turning to the crowd. “Can we just ignore the ‘Fake Hero’ and talk about how we’re going to handle the swarm?”
”Fake Hero!?” Nishiyama shrieked. I tuned him out. “You’re right,” a man said, scratching his head. He was the branch manager, and he looked like a man who had already accepted his death. “But ‘handling’ it is a stretch. At best, we buy the civilians a few extra minutes before they’re slaughtered.”
”What’s our headcount?” I asked.
”Including the guards and soldiers, maybe a thousand. If we’re lucky. I’m the highest-ranked hunter here.” The manager showed a Red Copper⁵ tag – Level 31 to 40. He was solid, but against a swarm of thousands, he was a drop in the bucket. I was still just Amber-rank⁴.
The air in the room felt heavy, until the front doors slammed open. A man walked in, followed by a group of women. He had black hair like mine, but his face was masked by a bone-white visor. He wasn’t tall, but he had an aura of cold, calculated power that silenced the room.
The women behind him were stunning – a literal harem of beauties. One had long, indigo hair and wolf ears peeking through her locks. She wore a blue cheongsam embroidered with a white wolf, and a matching tail swayed behind her. Beside her was an ash-blonde girl who looked like her younger sister. The rest of the pack included a red-haired warrior in bikini armor, a top-heavy priestess from the Aurelia Church⁸, and a black-haired mage who looked disturbingly like our old Academy Chairperson.
”Narumi? And Himezaki?” I muttered. Narumi was in a suggestive, modified maid outfit, and Himezaki was wearing a pale green armored leotard. I hadn’t talked to Himezaki much back home, but she’d been close with Natsumi. But why were they following this guy? And where were Akiyama and Koganei?
”The Masked Lord…” someone whispered.
”Is that ‘The Fist Wolf’ next to him?”
”It’s them! Clan Renegade⁷!” The guild exploded. People were actually cheering.
”Who are they?” I asked a hunter. “Renegade? They’re the hottest clan on the map. They wiped out an Orc horde at Nada Village and cleared out a Manticore pride last month. The leader, Lord Sieben – he’s the boss of the Casino Guild⁶. Nobody knows where he came from, but he’s the real deal.”
Sieben. The Masked Lord. Our eyes met for a split second. He seemed startled to see me, but he masked it instantly. He walked straight over to Nishiyama. Without a single word, Sieben grabbed Nishiyama by the collar and decked him, sending the ‘Hero’ sprawling across the floor.
—
Summary:
Chihiro and his group arrive at Varity only to find the town sealed in anticipation of a Killer Army Ant swarm. The disaster was caused by their classmate Nishiyama, who killed an ant and brought its head to the guild, marking the town with pheromones. Chihiro decides to stay behind, secretly seeking a death similar to Natsumi’s, while sending Nakim away. The situation shifts when the powerful and mysterious Clan Renegade, led by the masked Sieben, arrives and punches Nishiyama.
—
Character_Insight:
Chihiro exhibits a deep, nihilistic drive; while he acts the hero to Nakim, his true motive for staying is self-destruction and a desire to experience the same pain as Natsumi. This reveals his profound guilt and detachment from his own survival. Nishiyama, conversely, remains trapped in his delusions of grandeur, unable to comprehend the scale of his failure. The arrival of Sieben introduces a foil to both—a character with genuine power who immediately humbles the ‘Hero’ through physical force.
—
Behind_the_scene:
The author uses the ‘Killer Army Ants’ as a classic fantasy obstacle to highlight the incompetence of the ‘Hero’ archetype in this series. The voting results for character side stories are mentioned in the notes, showing reader engagement with the ‘harem’ elements of Clan Renegade.
—
Glossary:
Notes:
• Nakim – A thirteen-year-old boy with soft, androgynous features; the creator of the Dispel spell.
• Tatei – Tatei Kozoo. Height 186 cm, weight 52 kg. Natsumi’s otaku friend. Originally a tall and sturdy man, but he became skin and bones due to anorexia. Possesses the skill ‘Materialization Alchemy’. Created equipment for the class.
• Yokoo – Natsumi Sasaki’s otaku friend. His appearance is based on ‘Yoko’ from ‘Comic Party.’ Possesses ‘Materialization Summoning’. Accompanied by a Living Armor.
• Tate – Male Otaku friend of Reese. Gaunt and thin, wears glasses. Possesses Materialization Alchemy skill.
• Chihiro – Height 178 cm, weight 70 kg (Male). Natsumi’s childhood friend. A handsome, athletic top student in the soccer club.
• Kodama – Kodama Satomi. A self-proclaimed fan of Chihiro. A bronzed girl with bleached hair. She uses Lightning Bolt sorcery. Her stats are noted to be higher than a Gargoyle’s, though she is not built for melee.
• Natsumi – The protagonist. Height 168 to 171 cm, weight 57 to 59 kg. He has a baby face, but he hides his eyes with his bangs. He was bullied by the Sugita gang just because his name sounded like a girl’s name.
• Yuki – Yuki Chihiro. Height 178 cm, weight 70 kg (Male). Natsumi’s childhood friend. A handsome, athletic top student in the soccer club.
• Kishi – Height 165 cm, weight 84 kg. An unattractive guy with a face full of acne. A chuunibyou who calls himself a holy knight. After being kicked out of Plaudix, he went to Greedia where Natsumi humiliated him.
• Aurelia – A goddess who contacts the class via the school intercom to announce their reincarnation. Characterized by the protagonist and the Administrator as ‘useless’ and selfish.
• Koganei – Height 166 cm, weight 56 kg. A mood-maker in the baseball club. He was only after Honoka’s body and worked with Oshiro to steal her from Akiyama.
• Narumi – Narumi Honoka. A member of the relief team with healing magic. Despite her cute, short, ‘transistor glamour’ appearance, she is cold-hearted and mocks Sasaki. Black hair, black eyes.
• Ren – Height 169 cm, weight 50 kg. A cool-headed guy with glasses who aimed to be a lawyer. He viewed bullying as a minor issue and stood by while Natsumi was tormented.
• Sieben – Young man with black hair and a mask covering his eyes. He purchased Honoka and Ria.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
Leave a Reply