Volume 7 Chapter 3 Interlude – ③ The Rookie Queen and the Exasperated Commander
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The commander flew into the hollow of the sawtooth oak tree where Poplar had made her nest. The snow fly was a full size larger than the ones flying around outside—the ones that, as a rule, accompanied Minoru. The executive unit commander.
””Thanks for your hard work!”” the guards at the entrance chirped.
””Likewise.””
The commander returned their greeting, then went deeper into the nest. Toward the queen.
””I’m back.””
””Hm? Oh, welcome back!””
The commander approached Poplar, who was even larger—the queen. All around her, attendant snow flies hurried around, taking care of their queen. Poplar herself, however, was taking it easy. Lounging. Lazing. Her main job these days was laying eggs—multiply and prosper, as they said.
””You were quick~””
””We only went to pick up Asunaro-sama. The master went to the main house with her. No other matters to report.””
””Got it~””
The commander’s unit of snow flies traveled with Minoru as a general rule. Their standard operating procedure: conceal themselves in Minoru’s shadow when leaving the Tatemiya Estate grounds, then emerge once back inside.
””Are you done with today’s schedule?””
””Almost~ I mean, I’ll make it done. …Hyah, oww…♡””
Right there before the commander, Poplar popped out one egg after another with a rhythmic bloop, bloop. The attending snow flies on standby immediately scooped them up with care, carrying them off to the incubation chamber.
””Phew… That’s it for today.””
””Good work.””
The commander offered a word of appreciation for Poplar’s efforts.
””Anyway, my factor’s getting low again. Gimme factor, factor~””
””Understood.””
The commander moved closer, made contact, and transferred a fresh supply.
””Ahh… here it comes…♡ …Mm… you got stronger again?””
””We gain experience alongside the master.””
””Nice~ Sounds like we’re gonna have some strong kids.””
For snow flies—beings originally born as unusual creatures within the dungeon—reproduction was a magic ritual. They increased their numbers through inherited magic.
The key ingredients: male factor and female factor.
When both were present, an egg could be formed. A bizarre halfway imitation of insect biology—monstrous, yet strangely familiar.
In this particular flock, the queen held the female factor. The commander held the male.
””Anyway~ What’s with that super serious attitude? Talk to me normally, won’t you?””
””…And here I was, all motivated. Way to kill a subordinate’s drive, you useless queen.””
””Yeah, yeah. Useless, useless. I’m just so useless, aren’t I~””
The way she said it reminded the commander of a not-so-distant past.
As Poplar herself had said, among snow flies, she was—to put it kindly—a character. To put it less kindly, she was a useless queen.
The snow flies had originally inhabited the Sealed Dungeon in District Five. From time to time, one of them would be born with the potential to become the next queen. New queens would go on to form their own flocks—but leaving the dungeon wasn’t allowed.
Ultimately, each queen would claim a section of the Sealed Dungeon’s territory as her domain. There were no outright conflicts between flocks, though.
The sovereign queen—queen of all queens—kept the dungeon peaceful through her authority and military might. It was something like a shogun and the daimyo lords beneath her.
In that context, Poplar had been born with the potential to be a queen, but she’d never been enthusiastic about building her own flock. Poplar, the youngest of all queen snow flies, had been given a plot on the outskirts. The worst living conditions.
Despite being a queen, Poplar had done none of the work expected of her—she hadn’t grown her flock. Instead, she’d done nothing with her days. In the eyes of the other flocks, she was a useless queen.
The thing was, Poplar hadn’t been drifting by choice.
The dungeon already had plenty of flocks. Plenty of snow flies. Adding one more would offer little advantage, and space concerns existed for the future.
The great sovereign queen had weighed those factors and concluded that Poplar would be restricted to the bare minimum flock size.
And what could Poplar do, once someone above her had spoken? There was no option but to obey.
””It won’t do to be useless now, though. For the master’s sake, we need to expand the flock.””
””I know~ That’s why I’m working so hard laying eggs every single day.””
And indeed, ever since establishing her nest, Poplar had been laying eggs with a diligence that seemed to come from a different creature entirely. She’d always had it in her. Thanks to her efforts, the flock was slowly growing.
””See? Wasn’t it worth it, coming under the master?””
””Couldn’t agree more.””
The decision to accept subjugation under Minoru had been Poplar’s.
Fed up with the dreary life in the corner of that Sealed Dungeon, Poplar had taken a gamble—a long shot—and chosen to place herself under Minoru.
””That carefree life wasn’t so bad, y’know~””
””If the peace were guaranteed to last, maybe.””
””But when it’s not peaceful~? It’s tough, right?””
The commander had originally been royal guard. Part of the sovereign queen’s best forces—the newest recruit to a unit that settled disputes between flocks through strength, whenever one flared up.
When the new queen was born and the commander was chosen as her attendant, there’d been pride in that. A quiet, private pride that they’d been selected ahead of their seniors. Not that that feeling lasted long, of course.
Influential flocks could sometimes talk to the sorcerers who managed the dungeon, but a backwater like Poplar’s flock never had that chance. Pushed to the farthest corners, unable to grow their numbers, living day to day without purpose.
Resigned to the demotion. Resigned to the monotony. The commander had ignored their instincts as snow flies. We’ll just get by until the end whenever that comes, they’d both thought.
And then, into that dungeon, their current master had arrived.
From the dungeon supervisor, via the sovereign queen, a general alert went out across the entire dungeon. The highest level of alarm ever experienced.
Poplar had hurriedly gathered her small flock. The supervisor—controlled by a shadow—ordered the snow flies to attack the master and their party. At first, the more eager flocks charged forward. But they were blocked by a crystal barrier, and got nowhere.
””Ah, well. No way that’s working~””
””Yeah.””
The snow flies who’d initially attacked with such eagerness slowly became less eager as they realized their efforts were pointless. Passing the buck: You go! No, YOU go! It became a back-and-forth of blame.
For Poplar, that was inconvenient.
With the least influence among the flocks, Poplar was reluctantly forced to charge again and again.
””Ugh, this is the worst…””
””I almost wish they’d hit back…””
On one of those charges, the master—who’d been holed up inside the crystal—stepped out.
Poplar charged that spot—
And static electricity left her completely immobilized.
””Aw… got me…””
””Hey! You okay—…yeah, you look fine.””
All of Poplar’s flock lay on the ground, twitching. Unable to move. Some of her flock members had burned wings, but no one had been destroyed.
””Hey, this works. Let’s just play dead.””
””…Yeah, let’s.””
After that, the wind swept Poplar and her flock away. Having been declared unable to fight, they didn’t have to charge again.
Then, with one thing and another, the incident resolved itself. As the master was preparing to leave the dungeon, Poplar suddenly spoke up with determination.
””I’m going with this person! Dungeon Training Instructors, thank you for everything until now!””
””?! H-Hey, what are you—””
””Just come on! Let’s go!””
The queen gathered her flock and approached the master.
The commander had no choice but to follow.
The master had been careful not to kill the snow flies, but there’d been moments when they couldn’t stop themselves and had crushed other flock members. In that chaos, a queen from one of the other flocks had been destroyed. If they’d wanted, Poplar could have taken over that flock’s position and escaped the restrictions on flock size.
But Poplar hadn’t chosen that.
In the end, the power dynamics between queens wouldn’t change. If something similar happened again, there was a high chance she’d be treated as a disposable pawn.
Poplar was the youngest queen, and the least afraid of anything. She’d found her courage and decided to approach the master directly.
During the battle, while other queens were focused on the sovereign queen’s orders, Poplar had been watching the master the entire time. She’d been certain: This one can subjugate us.
And as a result, that snow fly—who was just a young queen back then—now bore the name Poplar, and spent her days as a real queen, commanding her flock in service to the master.
””It’s not peaceful over here, though.””
””But doesn’t it make you feel alive~?””
””I suppose it does.””
The commander accompanied Minoru on dungeon expeditions. Sword-Hammer Cave alone had presented danger more than once.
The snow flies providing light were frequently targeted by bats, salamanders, and grasshoppers. Some of their flock members had been killed by enemy monsters.
But compared to those days of just doing nothing with their lives, the present was wonderful. There was a real sense of growth—of becoming stronger as a flock.
””Hm…?””
””What is it?””
””Looks like Kram came out of the house. Not with Tempura—with Pape.””
””Where are they headed?””
””The main house. You should probably go, shouldn’t you?””
””Yeah. Fine. No rest for the wicked.””
””Hey, don’t complain~ The estate grounds are our territory—our garden.””
The commander emerged from the tree hollow and hovered in the air.
””Going.””
””See you~! Do your best!””
Pushed onward by the queen’s encouragement echoing from the hollow, the commander set off after Kram.
On the way, the commander checked on the guard snow flies posted at key points around the estate. The “”stay-behind”” team included many of the flock’s older members—the ones whose wings had been singed in that dungeon battle.
It wasn’t that they couldn’t fight. They’d healed completely.
The commander simply took the stronger insects into the dungeon.
Female factor aside, the male factor carried by the commander grew stronger through experience. While ordinary insects only passed on natural traits, snow flies passed on learned strength as well. The children born from today’s factor transfer would be even stronger than previous generations.
Passing near the gate, the commander recalled the recent incident.
A group of snow flies—once belonging to a flock with whom they’d had bad relations back in the dungeon—had picked a fight when the former administrator visited.
They’d approached with hostility from the start, attempting to cast sorcery on the master and their companions. Of course, the master had seen through their plan. With the commander’s help, they’d stopped the spell.
Those snow flies had been crushed and destroyed in the fighting that followed. But judging by their reactions at the moment of destruction, perhaps they hadn’t acted by choice. They’d been forced to obey the sovereign queen under the former administrator’s control. Maybe they’d been just as reluctant as Poplar had once been.
Now, the truth was lost to the dark.
One thing was certain: if Poplar hadn’t chosen to follow the master, they would have been the ones sent out first when similar circumstances arose. And they wouldn’t be alive today.
All thanks to Poplar’s decision that day, they were now safe under the master’s protection.
As a queen, Poplar’s skill—her ability to keep her flock alive—was very high.
Maybe I’m one of the lucky ones.
With that thought, the commander flew toward the main house.
—
Summary:
The commander enters Poplar’s nest, they exchange banter about duties and factor transfer, then the commander reflects on Poplar’s past as a marginalized queen who made a bold gamble to follow Minoru—a decision that ultimately saved them all. The chapter ends with the commander heading toward the main house after Kram, carrying a quiet sense of gratitude and purpose.
—
Trivia:
The commander was originally a royal guard recruit chosen as Poplar’s attendant.
Poplar was considered a useless queen because she didn’t expand her flock.
The sovereign queen restricted Poplar’s flock size due to space concerns.
Poplar chose to follow Minoru after observing him during the shadow crisis.
Snow flies reproduce through sorcerous ritual using male and female factors.
The commander’s factor strengthens through experience and passes to offspring.
Poplar’s flock was spared from destruction because she chose subjugation.
The “stay-behind” team consists of veterans with singed wings from past battles.
Kram left the house with Pape, not Tempura, heading to the main house.
The former administrator’s visit triggered an attack from hostile snow flies.
Notes:
• Minoru – Master of the monsters. He tamed Pape and others. He has business at the main house. The protagonist and narrator. A young man who leads a group of female companions, wielding Inherent sorcery and managing a harem-like dynamic. He maintains a pragmatic, observant demeanor and holds the position of “master” within his group.
• Poplar – An Aberration who serves as the queen of a snow fly colony and Minoru’s shikigami, she remains at the detached house to guard the nest.
• M – A first-year student at District 13 High School and the childhood friend of Anonymous Student 0006, described as an atavistic strong-female who looks plain but possesses significant power.
• T – A first-year student at District 13 High School who has recruited K and N from East Middle into his group.
• A – A student from South Middle School described as an idol who has been recruited into R’s high school squad.
• Asunaro – A monster who received a fragment of Hinoki-sama’s power long ago. Serves as a second interpreter. Referred to as Lady Asunaro. A named individual whose voice the protagonist hears alongside others during the goodnight sequence. Speaks with formal, affectionate phrasing (“Good night, Prince Charming”). Likely holds special significance to the protagonist. An anomaly who resides inside Risa’s body. Originally a White Centipede, she was awakened by a Shadow and saved by Minoru. She speaks with a flat tone when using Risa’s body but has genuine emotions. She refers to Minoru as “Prince.”
• N – A student from East Middle with an eccentric personality who entered National High School due to complex family circumstances and used herself as leverage to negotiate a protective agreement for K.
• Tatemiya – Minoru’s family name, referenced by the group members as a marker of their relationship with him. The protagonist and first-person narrator. A pragmatic young man who navigates a world where beauty standards are reversed. He leads a group of strong-females and maintains a clinical, analytical approach to relationships and sexuality. He operates with controlled detachment, viewing his interactions as transactions or maintenance of his harem rather than romantic connections.
• R – A first-year student at District 13 High School who has successfully built a squad and added multiple girls, including M and A, into his group.
• S – A first-year student at District 13 High School who has taken B from North Middle into his squad.
• B – A student originally from North Middle School who was added to S’s group.
• Tempura – A pistol shrimp monster captured in the wild by Minoru. Despite being a former stray, he has won their master’s favor. He serves as the instructor for younger monsters and maintains a gruff but caring demeanor. He is in a romantic relationship with Kaname. A senior monster who scolds Kram for skipping sorcery training. She is mentioned as being holed up with Kaname-chan.
• Kram – A young Clam Wife monster who has been a monster for only half a year. She received a fragment of Hinoki-sama’s power and became fond of caregiving through food. She is curious about written information and imitates Hinoki-sama’s behavior. She expresses a desire for Master to eat her cooking and be happy.
• Pape – A Mannequin-type monster with a special nature. She serves as the boss of the shallow layer of the Commercial District dungeon. She has evolved from a lazy Torso into a diligent servant who prioritizes cleaning and proper attire. She aspires to become a butler and is influenced by Hinoki-sama’s power, which has made her fond of caregiving through clothing. A monster created as a dungeon boss who has spent many years in that role. Their monster history is exceedingly long. They follow rules properly and play cat’s cradle with Clam.
• K – A student from East Middle who followed N to National High School out of care, successfully remaining pure through N’s protection until a misunderstanding involving Anonymous Student 0008 led to her capitulation.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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