Chapter 108 Chihiro Yuki ⑭
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
A full day and night had passed since the first wave of the Killer Army Ants.
The swarm had been a relentless tide, surging forward without a second’s respite. My physical fatigue wasn’t actually that bad. I had used [Gluttony]¹ to forcibly suppress the exhaustion, and I felt no hunger after gorging myself on ants via [The Dark Void]². Still, the mental strain was finally starting to take its toll.
But at last, the end was in sight.
A colossal ant loomed before me. It was easily ten meters long. Even compared to the countless ants I had slaughtered thus far, its size was staggering. Its abdomen was grotesquely bloated-a broodmother swollen with a thousand lives.
There was no mistake. This was the Queen.
”I’d originally intended to make you my Kin, but…” I muttered.
I knew that was a pipe dream now. The Queen was clearly out for blood after seeing its children slaughtered. We weren’t meant to be; I’d just have to accept that.
Then at least, let yourself become my nourishment.
I readjusted my stance, gripping my sword. I wondered how the Queen’s compound eyes perceived me. As a loathsome enemy who butchered its offspring?
If so, then we weren’t all that different. Two beings driven by Vengeance. I felt a strange flicker of kinship, but unfortunately, since I was the target of that Vengeance, there was only one way this could end.
The Queen Ant swung a foreleg at me. It was a blow capable of pulping a human and shattering solid rock. I braced myself, using my greatsword as a shield to catch the strike. If I botched the block, the impact alone would break me.
Thinking it had me pinned, the Queen Ant pressed its advantage, launching a flurry of attacks that didn’t let me draw a single breath. With every impact, a sound like clashing iron rang out. That thunderous roar had to be reaching Lil and the others behind me.
To a bystander, it probably looked like I was struggling, but the truth was I still had plenty of room to breathe. If anything, it was the Queen who was growing frantic as I refused to fall.
The Queen Ant raised its foreleg high, swinging it down with all its weight. I caught it with a counter-slash, shearing it clean away. The severed limb spun through the air before impaling itself in the dirt.
Whether from agony or the rage of losing a limb, the Queen went berserk, spraying formic acid in every direction. Normally, no one could get close to a thrashing beast like that, but I could “see” every movement. Once I compressed time, it was child’s play. It wasn’t even moving that fast-maybe ten times my speed at most.
I moved leisurely, sidestepping the acid spray as if it were a light drizzle, and finally slipped into the Queen’s guard. I drove my greatsword deep into the joint between the head and the thorax, severing them with a single, clean pull.
The Queen’s head hit the ground with a wet, heavy thud. Usually, that’s the end of it, but insects are resilient; they can keep going for a while even after losing their heads. This Queen was no exception. Even headless, it tried to lunge at me.
”[The Dark Void]”
The darkness that devours all things swelled out, swallowing everything but the head.
* * *
As the Queen fell, cheers erupted from the soldiers and Monster Hunters nearby.
When the dust settled, it was almost an anticlimactic ending. No-it was just that Sieben was too powerful. There were still survivors among the swarm, but they didn’t even glance at us as they retreated. They say that once the Queen’s control is lost, the ants clump together and spin in a mindless whirlpool until they die. Unless a new Queen is born, they likely won’t attack again.
”He was right… he really did manage it all on his own,” I whispered to myself.
”He’s incredible, isn’t he? I wish I could… no, there’s no way I could fight like that,” Nakim said with a wry smile.
”The guy is definitely a freak. Even a Demon couldn’t do what he did,” a soldier added.
”True. A Demon might hold them back for a while, but they’d run out of steam. Even I couldn’t manage that,” Nakim replied.
The truly terrifying thing about Sieben wasn’t his raw strength-the fact that he could swing a greatsword one-handed-nor was it that ant-devouring dark sorcery. It was his sheer endurance and willpower. He had fought through the entire night without a wink of sleep.
Sieben walked back toward us, carrying the Queen’s head. Unbelievably, he didn’t have a single scratch on him.
”The hero has returned!” one Hunter shouted.
”We’re saved! We’re actually saved!” another cried out.
”The town is saved! Thank you! Thank you so much!”
The Monster Hunters hailed him as a hero, embracing one another in tears. But Sieben didn’t smile.
”Forgive me. I’m a bit tired. I’ll leave the cleanup to you,” he said.
With that, Sieben and his Clan members turned and headed back toward the town.
”What’s his problem? He could at least act a little happy,” Kodama muttered.
”A bit of a poser, isn’t he? Wearing that mask and acting all cool,” her companion added.
”I mean, he’s got the skills. But that woman with him… is she even human? Who has dog ears? I bet she’s a Demon,” Kodama said.
I couldn’t help but sigh. “Knock it off. They’re the ones who did the heavy lifting. If it weren’t for them, we’d all be dead right now. I don’t like hearing you belittle them when we owe them our lives.”
”Wait, I-I didn’t mean it like that…” Kodama fumbled.
”I just thought it was weird how he didn’t even change his expression…” her friend whispered.
”I’ve just… never seen a human like that before…”
Once I rebuked them, they all started fumbling for excuses.
”Anyway, let’s start clearing out the carcasses. The shells are valuable materials, right? And we need to bury the dead,” I said.
We spent the rest of the day gathering ant shells and tossing them into the Item Box. By the time we were finished, the sun had long since dipped below the horizon.
* * *
That night, the town was practically in a festival mood.
Because of the gag order, the residents hadn’t known how bad things were. As soon as word got out, they spent their time dragging Nishiyama’s name through the mud. Meanwhile, Sieben, the Hunters, and the soldiers were showered with praise. They even talked about building a monument for those lost in the battle. Unsurprisingly, Nishiyama’s name was nowhere to be found on that list.
Every Monster Hunter, ourselves included, was paid a reward of two large Silver coins. The town came alive as Hunters flocked to high-end restaurants, bars, and the seedier parts of the red-light district.
I went looking for Sieben’s group, but it turned out they had already departed for their base in Foxia.
”Can’t be helped. He’s a busy man, despite his looks. He is the Guildmaster of the Casino Guild, after all. But a few of his members stayed behind; you can ask them if you’re curious. They’re right over there,” the branch manager told me.
I headed over to the two women-a warrior and a mage. They’d stayed behind to help with the cleanup and keep watch. There was apparently a third, a priestess, but she was busy with her “day job”-working as a prostitute to “heal” the weary Monster Hunters.
”Hmph, Sieben-han, huh…?”
The warrior-Mime-looked us over while aggressively draining her mug.
”Yeah. We wanted to know more about him. Is there anything you can tell us?” I asked.
”Even if ya ask, we don’t know much ourselves. We’re just folks Sieben saved, so we don’t give a damn about where he’s from or what his story is,” Mime said, her voice thick with a rough, rural lilt.
”Even if he might be a terrible villain?” I pushed.
”Listen here, sugar. If he were a villain, we’d have been raped into the dirt and sold into slavery by now. Or just ended up dead. He saved us from bandits when we had no hope left. He saved our hearts and our bodies. Got it?”
”I’m sorry. That was out of line,” I apologized.
The mage, Mercedes, gave me a sharp, cold glare.
I see. To them, Sieben was a savior. Seeing how much they trusted him, it was clear he wasn’t a bad person. Though, I still had my doubts about whether he needed to go quite so far with Nishiyama…
”Well, the guy tried to lay hands on his wife. What, are ya gonna take that scumbag’s side?” Mercedes snapped.
”Of course not. Nishiyama means nothing to me; he was just a fellow countryman,” I replied.
This mage was incredibly prickly. Still, a married man? He was wearing a mask, so I couldn’t be sure, but he seemed young-probably my age.
I eventually learned that the wolf-eared woman, Lil, was his wife, and the girl, Leki, was his daughter (though not by blood). He apparently even had a fiancée on top of that. Even in a world where polygamy is legal, having a relationship with two women…
Actually, I’d find out later that he was also sleeping with Narumi, Mime, Mercedes, and the priestess Alisha. I guess it’s true that a hero always has a massive appetite. Not that I’m jealous or anything.
”Well, if I had to guess,” Mime added, “he’s probably a descendant of a Hero, just like Mercedes here. Probably been livin’ off the grid until just now.”
They’d never seen him in Greedia-or at least Foxia-until recently. Black hair stands out in this world, yet no one in Foxia had ever seen a black-haired man before him.
”If ya’re that curious, why don’t ya just ask ‘im? ‘Course, it seems Sieben hates yer guts,” Mime laughed.
She wasn’t wrong. He had been anything but friendly. Lil had practically been vibrating with hostility toward us, even if the others were more relaxed.
I realized I wasn’t going to get any more useful info. We were set to leave Varity in the morning. I headed back to the inn, prepped my gear, and hit the sack.
That night, I had a dream for the first time in ages. It was that moment… when I abandoned Natsumi and ran for my life.
Even after I woke up, the image of Natsumi’s face, twisted with pure, unadulterated resentment, refused to leave my mind.
—
Summary:
Sieben (Chihiro) finishes a day-long battle against a swarm of Killer Army Ants by soloing their Queen. While the town celebrates him as a hero, he remains cold and departs quickly for Foxia. The narrator attempts to gather info on Sieben from his teammates, discovering his heroic past but also his complicated, multi-woman personal life.
—
Trivia:
- Sieben used time compression (10x) to dodge the Queen’s acid.
- Mercedes is a descendant of a Hero, just like the legendary Carmilla.
- The priestess Alisha works as a prostitute as her ‘main job’.
- The ants spin in a death-vortex once the Queen dies.
- The narrator is haunted by the memory of abandoning Natsumi
—
Character Insight:
Chihiro shows zero joy in his victory, reflecting his total focus on vengeance. His teammates’ loyalty stems from him saving them from trauma, highlighting his role as a ‘Dark Hero’ who provides salvation through power rather than kindness.
—
Behind the Scenes:
The author notes that Mercedes is a distant descendant of Carmilla, though she lacks the ‘broken’ unique skills of her ancestor and is unaware of her lineage.
—
TL Notes:
Notes:
• Lil – One of the heroines. Height 166 cm, B-W-H: 90-56-90. She is a top-tier beauty with long indigo hair down to her waist, a large scar on her abdomen and sharp golden eyes. She has wolf ears and a tail.
• Sieben – Young man with black hair and a mask covering his eyes. He purchased Honoka and Ria.
• Nakim – A thirteen-year-old boy with soft, androgynous features; the creator of the Dispel spell.
• 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.
• Mime – Former mercenary with short red hair, cat-eyed warrior, wheat-colored skin, and a toned, athletic build with visible abdominal muscles.
• Mei – One of the Kijima twin sisters. She uses a longbow that creates arrows of light. She is part of Chihiro’s party in the Envyos Labyrinth.
• Ria – A beautiful woman with blonde hair and blue eyes. Has a beauty mark (mole) under her right eye. Well-balanced proportions.
• Mercedes – A girl with black hair, rare in the world. Small chest, thin pubic hair trimmed in an inverted triangle. Large, upturned eyes that lost their light due to trauma.
• Leki – Lil’s daughter. Height: 140 cm, B-W-H: 70, 54, 69. She looks more like a Siberian Husky puppy than a wolf. Honestly, she just looks like a stuffed toy, recently transformed into a human form. Now use great axe as weapon.
• Alisha – A Miko with fluffy pink hair and a prodigious, triple-digit bust measurement.
• 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.
• 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.
• Chihiro – Height 178 cm, weight 70 kg (Male). Natsumi’s childhood friend. A handsome, athletic top student in the soccer club.
• Carmilla – Also known as Oribe Mira. The five-hundred-year-old founder and Chairwoman of the academy with silver hair and green eyes. Former Queen of Envyos. Originally a Japanese high school student and legendary voice actress. Has black hair and black eyes in her true form. Wears a luxurious black robe with gold embroidery.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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