Volume 6 Chapter 9-2 I Have A Cute Daughter
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
By the way, the Ant Castle, which used to be like a mound, has become a gentle hill shape.
Having grown too large, the hill no longer looks artificial and has blended into the natural landscape. An ordinary person wouldn’t notice that the area beneath it has been fortified.
Cleverly disguised entrances are scattered throughout the grassland. They are sealed with lids made from hardened soil, and there’s nothing suspicious about their appearance. The place where Stealth-mode Ms. Aqua is on watch seems to be the usual entrance.
When I wave my hand, the lid opens wide. There’s a spacious storage area large enough for a carriage and a passage wide enough for the centaur race. It seems Ms. Claire and the others have been well considered.
Still, despite being told to hold back, they’ve expanded the facilities too much. Antfolk are said to work even at the cost of their own lives. Judging from Ms. Aqua’s condition, her health seems fine, but just in case, I’ll make sure to give everyone a thorough health checkup.
Even if I order them to stop, they won’t take a proper rest, which is troublesome. I knew they were a hardworking race, but since they started digging, it feels like there’s no stopping them. It would be a shame to stop them now when they’re so engrossed, so I’m not sure what to do.
Leaving Ms. Claire in the centaur-specific room, I crawl through the narrow passage to the human living quarters.
The living quarters, centered around a large dome, are divided into blocks, with intentionally narrow paths connecting them.
This way, even if enemies invade, it won’t be easy for them to wipe everyone out. If the intruder is human, they’ll have trouble moving through the low-ceilinged connecting passages.
And if the tunnels are narrow, they can be easily sealed in an emergency. Apart from the passages, there are numerous clever defenses in place for efficient protection.
How much more secure do they need to make this place? It feels like they’re enjoying creating a tower defense-style dungeon. Well, as long as they’re not overworking themselves, I don’t mind.
As an invisible feature, ventilation ducts are embedded within the earthen walls. Thanks to this, fresh air circulates naturally, even though it’s underground.
Speaking of ventilation ducts, one might imagine a huge blower, but of course, there is no such thing. No use of strength or power at all; the air flows due to a slight temperature difference. The fact that such an eco-friendly system operates without any magic is like magic itself.
In the underground farm, mushroom cultivation has already begun. Maybe that’s why a faint mushroom aroma is mixed with the air. I remember when I kept beetles long ago. The smell of compost── I don’t dislike it.
Fermented seedbeds are generating heat. The warmed air here is led to the waste air duct and pushes the air upward.
On a scale where even all the residents of Toyata Village could move in, an underground city capable of accommodating them is nearing completion.
The Antfolk are probably overdoing it. Even though they made it, we’re not going to use this place.
It’s a waste, but ordinary humans probably wouldn’t want to live in the darkness of the underground, so this is probably just a paradise for the Antfolk.
Using fire for cooking or boiling would cause the delicate air conditioning system to malfunction.
* * *
When a small presence like mine and a large group approached, surprisingly, the number of Antfolk larvae had increased.
They range from toddler size to children about elementary school age. They look like children, but their physical ability seems to surpass mine, and their actions feel more mature.
Antfolk larvae are like clones or duplicates of their mother and inherit some memories to an extent. It’s amazing that they start working as soon as they are born. And it’s not just helping out as children── they seem to use their small bodies to take on construction work in narrow spaces all by themselves.
Is it possible that Antfolk are bio-robots created by an ancient civilization?
The body structure of Antfolk larvae is almost the same as adults, just different in size, but there is clearly one girl who is different from the other two. She has black eyes instead of compound eyes and long black hair that flows smoothly. If you just look at her face, she looks like a Japanese elementary school student.
Surely, these three are probably the daughters of me and Ms. Ant. I only loved her once, but even so, it feels like they’re growing up too fast. Well, even Kaguya-hime supposedly grew up quickly.
Horses grow quickly, and perhaps human growth is extremely slow.
Antfolk do not inherit traits even when they mate with elves and humans; it might be that they are mimicking based on their genes. It is mimicry, but they can coexist with them, and there is no problem.
Well, anyway, the cute one is Seigi.
Just thinking she’s my daughter makes me love her without any reason. For these daughters, I feel like I could turn the world against me and still fight.
The other daughters, it seems Ms. Aqua and Ms. Ann were born from virginal pregnancies. While imagining their acts with me to comfort themselves, they apparently received stimulation and got pregnant.
Ms. Hóa said that as the sensitivity of Antfolk increases, such things can happen.
I tried to be considerate so they wouldn’t hate me, but I didn’t expect them to regard me so fondly.
I often work together with Ms. Aqua during quail hunting, but I just push a lot of chores onto Ms. Ann.
I feel sorry for using her so conveniently. I have no idea about events or flags for increasing sensitivity or anything.
Of course, I love Ms. Ann, who is serious and hardworking.
She’s also very charismatic as a woman… I’m captivated by the mysterious sexy charm unique to Antfolk.
But, conversely, I have no element that makes me attractive to her, right?
My charisma is 8. The ability value is at most 20, so it’s a bit below average. I’m just an ordinary person.
Well, being popular with girls is incredibly nice, but I don’t understand the reason, so I become anxious instead.
Damn, if I were a truly handsome man, I could relax and be on top of the world.
* * *
While thinking about such things, one larva walked over hurriedly. It stared at me with its large, round, black eyes. So adorable that I instinctively stroked its head.
Damn. Touching an Antfolk’s head is taboo. When interacting with other races, we must not forget that their culture and customs are different. I usually tried to be careful, but I got carried away and made a big mistake.
Ms. Ant and the others wouldn’t suddenly attack me just because I broke a taboo. After all, we’ve built up a relationship of trust by now. But if this was our first meeting, I bet my favorability rating with this kid would’ve plummeted.
The larva watched me with a puzzled expression as I shyly pulled my hand back. This kid isn’t wearing any clothes, you know. Her vital parts are covered by a carapace, but it feels like I’m making a small child cosplay, and it gives me a sense of immorality.
I gently averted my gaze and looked at Ms. Ant. She didn’t seem particularly angry. I wonder if it’s okay to touch her head since we’re family.
Family… It seems the Antfolk consider me family. Wait a minute, if this child is Ms. Ant’s avatar, then she shares Ms. Ant’s memories, which means this child is also Ms. Ant, right?
No, even if that’s the case, she’s still my precious daughter. If I had a daughter, would the person inside be my wife? Since she’s a different species, something that crazy could happen.
I don’t want to leave my precious family, my cute daughters, as a subjugated race. It’s outrageous to make them serve the elves for generations to come.
Fortunately, this location near the Wolf Forest is a blank spot on the map, unclaimed by any country. I’ll establish an independent nation for the Antfolk, by the Antfolk, and for the Antfolk in this land. Come to think of it, building a village or a country is pretty similar. Whether it’s one or two, it doesn’t make much difference.
There’s said to be a nation of wild Antfolk in the south, so it’s not that unusual.
Ms. Ant and the others aren’t dissatisfied with their symbiotic relationship with the elves, but not all elves are like Ms. Hóa. Some elves treat Antfolk like livestock. They silently obey such people and resist silently by not bearing offspring.
I don’t like that. So, the idea of Antfolk independence is just my selfishness. Still, I want to change the future for Ms. Ant, her offspring, and their descendants.
To become independent, there’s no need to declare the establishment of a nation to human countries. As long as you have strength, you’re free to carve out a blank area.
But I should properly greet the wolves of the forest.
* * *
The problem is that flying whale-like thing over there.
That is probably Magatsukami──the calamity god. It seems to be a near-divine being that comes to thin out overly proliferating creatures. Saying the word “Magatsukami” is considered taboo. However, there are quite a few records, and it was sold openly at old bookstores. It seems writing it in characters is not forbidden.
There are various types of recorded Magatsukami, including small groups of creatures or two-headed giant serpents. It seems no one has returned alive after seeing them, but since records remain, could it be a form of death reset?
What all Magatsukami have in common is their unreasonable strength and the fact that they return after gorging themselves.
Effective response to an invincible Magatsukami is to offer a sacrifice and ask it to withdraw. Looking at the layout of the slums in the capital city, it can be seen that they are used as shields for noble towns and the royal castle.
How many to thin out seems to be case-by-case, and the sacrificial strategy is not always effective. There are even instances where large cities have become depopulated.
If Antfolk increase, that thing might come again. Last time, they only thinned out quail, but next time it might not be the same.
If Magatsukami truly are the world’s regulators, are their appearance conditions related to the world’s distortions?
Or is it simply that too many creatures being alive is bad, or maybe environmental overload becomes too much? With regard to harmony with nature, elves and the like are considered exemplary. In the books I’ve read, there were no records of elves being targeted.
In other words, we should aim from the start to create a country where Magatsukami do not appear.
But what if that flying whale appears again? Resistance is pointless, and the only option is to run away.
Is it safe if we stay deep underground? That thing manipulates prey with a mysterious strength. Once targeted, it’s over for us──quail flew straight into its mouth on their own.
We could prepare a warp gate like Schulz’s hideout and evacuate to another dimension. Its strength probably can’t reach into another world, after all.
No, according to that logic, summoning the Hero would also become impossible. Basically, opening a warp gate means successfully interfering with another world in the first place.
This is really serious. Does that mean there’s no way to escape from Magatsukami either?
It’s still a relief that it doesn’t seem to be an evil existence. It’s in the position of an ally to the cruel Seigi. It’s probably like the white blood cells of the world.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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