Volume 5 Chapter 2 The Castle of Ants
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
I ride through the morning mist, atop Ms. Claire the horsefolk.
Dressed in RPG-style leather armor, sitting on the beautiful centaur… I wonder what my family back in Japan would think if they saw me like this?
Life in Japan feels like a distant memory to me now, though only a few months have passed there. I bet they’ve been searching for me ever since I disappeared. I just wish I could let them know I’m okay.
I never thought much about Japan before, but lately, it’s been on my mind more often. After being summoned, I probably felt like the hero of a game, maybe even a little excited about it.
Speaking of which, there was that boy who went wild after being summoned in the village… If I’d gotten a cheat power like that kid, I might have turned out like him.
Luckily, I only got +1 Luck, so I managed to stay grounded. If you give a teenager without guidance a huge amount of power, of course, some of them are going to lose control. It’s that age where you want to feel special. Even adults like Justice and Musashi do dumb things sometimes. The summoning system really needs to be more careful.
Now that I think about it, Mr. Kondou’s group is supposed to be all normal people, right? I wonder if it’s okay to meet them… Mr. Kondou is serious, but there’s something off about him. The way he’s convinced this world is like a VRMMO is honestly kind of scary. Especially those fanatical eyes of his. Maybe his idea of “normal” isn’t trustworthy at all.
Now that I think about it, I don’t think I know a single “normal” summoned hero. Is the future of this world really going to be okay? I’m not cut out to be a hero, so I just hope everyone else can save the world.
* * *
The group is cruising at army speed, but Ms. Nina on Ms. Joa’s horse keeps pulling ahead.Ms. Claire frowns at Ms. Joa’s reckless riding ignoring the pace.If she weren’t a slave, she could surely have been a great commander in the horsefolk army.
The horsefolk cavalry is said to be one of the strongest armies in this world.Hearing about the big war 30 years ago, where 3 thousand cavalry stormed the Demon King’s main camp and crushed ten thousand enemies, got my heart pounding.
The only thing I pray for now is that I never see such a battle myself.
Although they won the war, the horsefolk population was cut in half, and it’s still not recovering well. They’re a breed with low reproductive power, and their custom of female soldiers fighting on the battlefield causes problems. If many young female soldiers die, the next generation will be even smaller. I just hope the human-horse race doesn’t become only a legend here too.
* * *
We’ve fallen pretty far behind Ms. Nina and the others now. Thanks to the fog, I can’t see them with my eyes anymore. Well, I can sense their presence without even using a skill. I’ve really become quite the cheat too.
”Lady Joa is overdoing it a little today.”
Ms. Claire grumbles in dissatisfaction, but today, it’s not Ms. Joa who’s excited ── it’s Ms. Nina.
Until now, Ms. Nina was against me doing anything to prolong her life.She probably thought about the last mission of the Doll Princess. Like giving her a brilliant death blossom to help the Hero grow mentally. The Hero Management Bureau really thinks up cruel plans. It’s common in games, but being too obvious just backfires. If Ms. Nina died right in front of me, I’d be so shocked I’d probably become a shut-in for life.
Last night, Mr. Mauro suggested we build a settlement together. Since it’s a new village, Ms. Nina, with her noble status, would be a strong trump card to smooth negotiations.Her true mission as a Doll Princess is to serve as a liaison with high-ranking people anyway.
She now has a reason to live, at least until she can build the pioneer village. Even the decision to head toward the puppeteer’s dungeon for survival has turned into a cooperative effort, quite different from how it was until yesterday.
As serious as Ms. Nina is, she probably needed a reason to keep living. Everyone’s scared of dying, it’s just that her sense of duty overpowered that fear. I couldn’t even notice that… I still have a long way to go.
I wish I had insight like Miss Floria’s. Strength in combat is necessary, but it’s not enough. Combat is just one method, not the goal itself.
My goal is to live happily with Ms. Nina and my friends for a long time, and to enjoy life in this other world while minimizing the battle elements. In the end, I want to be surrounded by cute grandchildren, peacefully passing away on a tatami mat. But before that, I need to find the ingredients for tatami──no, wait, first, I have to clear the puppeteer’s dungeon. But according to the information, there will probably be battles…
As the day grew later, a light wind began to blow. The mist spun in swirling curls, dissipating into nothing. A wind spirit drifted lazily nearby, making it look like it would be a calm day.
It’s a light breeze, but having it as a tailwind is great. A headwind creates so much air resistance. I’ve heard there’s a windproof skill that can help with that, and Ms. Claire has already mastered it, but it’s blocked by her subjugation skill, so she can’t use it. Since it’s a skill, I think I can figure it out with my editor skill. It’ll probably take some time to analyze though. Once Ms. Nina’s situation is resolved, I’d like to deal with the subjugation skill issue. I’ve already asked Ms. Hóa to gather some materials. I keep owing favors to that High Elf.
The sunlight helped warm me up a bit. Riding uses a lot of back muscles, so my body feels hot, but my toes and face are still cold. It’s almost painfully cold. I need to urgently develop socks and a balaclava.
I at least wanted to do something about my ears, but yesterday’s meeting left me no time to make ear muffs.
I temporarily borrowed a fur hat from Mr. Zenom. The fluffy, gray-brown fur is supposed to be from a mountain hare. The smell is a mix of beast and dwarf, a bit *stinky*, but I got used to it quickly.
Dwarves smell sweaty, but maybe since they take baths even in winter, they’re not that strong. As Mr. Zenom’s disciple, I even help wash his underclothes, so I don’t care much about this level of smell anymore. Though if it was an unknown dwarf’s smell, I’d probably find it gross.
Speaking of which, there’s a sauna behind the blacksmith’s shop. It’s basically a storage space now and not used for its original purpose. A few houses in the village have baths, but since fuel is needed, they rarely take baths unless it’s special.
I don’t need a bath because Ms. Lime’s with me, but I love hot baths. A salamander’s breath could turn a pond into a hot spring in an instant. Boiled with magic flames… I wonder how safe that is for the body.
* * *
Now, thanks to Ms. Joa pushing us to move quickly, we’re already near the wolf woods before noon. We’re way ahead of schedule. Since we’re just staying overnight at the camp we set up earlier, there was no real need to rush.
”I thought we were around here.”
Ms. Claire looks around, confused. Yeah, this is the right spot. The radar shows signals from Ms. Ant and others. But just seeing with our eyes, it’s hard to tell exactly.
Looking carefully at the area where the tents were, I see a hill shaped like a lens. The surface of the excavated dirt is already covered by wall barley shoots, so unless you look closely, you wouldn’t notice it.
Is this also an anthill? There are tunnels dug deep underground, like a maze──this could even be called a fortress. Damn, the 3 Antfolk girls really went all out. What are they planning to fight?
When Ms. Ann sensed our presence, she came to meet us on the surface. Surprised by the sudden appearance of Antfolk, Ms. Joa flinched. The stark contrast to her usual fancy attitude looked strangely funny.
Ms. Ann moves aside the large rock cover, revealing a hidden passage leading down into the underground. The tunnel is wide enough for Centaurs to walk comfortably, and the earth has been reinforced into an arch shape. It looks just like a dirt wall, but when you touch it, it feels like concrete. Seems strong enough.
Of course, it’s completely dark inside. Neither I nor the Centaurs have night vision, so we’re fine in darkness, but Ms. Nina is just a normal human. I illuminate the area with my magic light. Our “Eternal Candle” skill is available to Ms. Nina too, but I shouldn’t make her use precious mana for that.
The tunnel is only the same size as a Centaur until halfway, then at the end, there are small rooms built for Ms. Joa and Ms. Claire. The ceilings even have proper ventilation shafts──pretty detailed work.
Unfortunately, there’s no toilet, so we have to go outside every time. It’s especially inconvenient in winter. I wish we could set up proper water pipes and sewage down here.
We split from Ms. Claire and slide down a narrow hole just big enough for one person to fit through into the lower level. Glad I’m not claustrophobic. The corridor at the bottom is also low-ceilinged, so we have to crouch to pass. It’s inconvenient, but supposedly for defense. In a place like this, intruders couldn’t even swing their swords properly. Defense set-up probably includes sneaky hidden rooms with poison darts, and the small gaps in the walls seem meant for that. It’s like they’re rigged for one-sided attacks from a safe spot, picking off enemies from hiding. Looks like a nightmare for anyone unable to move.
Further inside, you reach a large dome-shaped room. I finally stand up and let out a relieved breath. Around the circular walls of the room, dozens of tunnels open out. It looks like this is a hub to access different parts of the maze.
There’s a well near the center of the large room. Did we dig this well before? It’s changed so much while I wasn’t looking.
In fairy tales for children in this world, there’s a story about ten Antfolk building a castle in just one night. The “One-Night Castle” seems popular──there are tales of dwarves and demon lords building castles too, but maybe the story about the Antfolk is actually true.
The room prepared for Ms. Nina is a cramped space of about 4 and a half tatami mats, but it seems quite comfortable for sleeping. Best of all, the underground isn’t cold, which is a relief since camping outside in winter is a bit of a challenge.
In the corner of the room, there’s a bed made from hardened packed earth. The surface has the texture of unglazed pottery. Spreading out the down comforter I brought for tent camping, it’s like a little hotel.
”I wish I’d brought a candle or a lamp.”
Hmm, leaving Ms. Nina alone in the dark is too cute. I could sleep with her, but I get the feeling that choice would lower her affection level.
Alright, let’s summon Pii-Pii. I appointed her as the candle holder, and she joyfully accepted. Like many of the fairy folk, Pii-Pii glows phosphorescently in the dark. With Pii-Pii around, the room is filled with a fantastical, soft light. It’s much brighter than fireflies, so you could even read.
Come to think of it, Pii-Pii took a liking to Ms. Nina right away. Meanwhile, Salamander won’t interact with anyone but Mr. Zenom. Fire is an important friend to a blacksmith, so maybe that has something to do with it.
* * *
By the way, my room was set up in the deepest part of the labyrinth. It’s more than twice the size of Ms. Nina’s room, complete with a small side room like a samurai’s hidden space or an antechamber. The ceiling is covered with cool geometric or honeycomb patterns, giving it a mystical yet slightly sci-fi vibe. There’s even a throne-like chair, making it feel like a boss room, but that must be my imagination.
Despite being deep underground, the air is fresh, and the air conditioning seems to work well. Surprisingly, no magic is used; it seems to be a system that naturally circulates air by taking advantage of the temperature difference from the outside.
Spreading my down comforter on the exquisite bed, I’ve got a comfortable bedroom all set up. It’s got a bit of a royal suite feel to it. Time to dive into bed.
Mm, it’s light and warm. This comforter is Mr. Simonov’s latest creation, stuffed with plenty of brown quail feathers. It may not match high-end down from waterfowl, but it’s still very comfortable. Orders have been pouring in from the whole village, and I was lucky to get priority.
Light and compact, if you stuff it tight into a bag, it crams down pretty well. Easy to carry, and I’ll have a sleeping bag type made next.
* * *
”Still, I’m shocked by you guys. When I looked away for a moment, you did something really outrageous.”
Standing in front of the 3 Antfolk girls, I try to lecture them a bit. Sure, I asked them to set up a temporary camp, but I never told them to build such an impressive secret base.
Looking closer, all 3 have worn-down spots on their shells. Ms. Ant’s hands are especially bad, with fingertips almost torn apart.
Ms. Hóa told me that Antfolk live way longer than humans. But if they work too hard and exhaust themselves, they can die in just a few years.
They like working, so it’s somewhat unavoidable, but I wish they’d take better care of themselves. Still, it’s strange to just scold them for trying to make me happy.
First, I need to treat their wounds. I’ll have Ms. Lime help clean the dirt off the Antfolk, then treat them with “Healing Touch”.
After learning some editing skills, I started studying healing magic in my own way and found there are different types. Broadly, it’s revival, healing, and transfer magic.
Revival magic is like a miracle from the gods. If they’ve been baptized, there’s a chance they can come back fully intact. This type of magic probably can’t be fixed just by editing the code; it’s like praying and hoping the gods handle it. The gods decide, and we can only act by being good. Also, if the luck stat is high, the chance of losing them is lower. This magic can’t cure rotten diseases or old age──probably because of some divine rule.
Healing magic activates the life force (strength) within living creatures, speeding up the healing of wounds. The original “Healing Touch” that I learned from Ms. Marsha is part of this category. I’ve mostly figured out the code, so I can use an enhanced version too. It’s useful for treating light injuries, but if used on critically injured patients near death, it can severely shorten their lifespan as a consequence. In fact, it’s not uncommon to hear stories of people recovering from wounds, only to end up as elderly with white hair.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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