"Cough... cough..." "Shh. Your breathing is too loud. At this rate, we’ll be discovered." "Try to match the tempo... I'm a standard modern human with utterly ordinary stamina, and you're the weird one..." "I don't quite understand what you're saying."

Inside the ant colony. With Sylvia, I had infiltrated that dark, damp place. I was sweating profusely, continuing to maneuver and march.

A view where I couldn't see even a step ahead. The uneven ground. Every chance I got, I had to crawl, or cling to walls to descend nearly vertical passages, or repeatedly climb rock faces.

Even with good stamina, it was tough to progress, and how much worse must it be for this cursed body? I feel like I'm dying. I'm not exaggerating; I really feel like I'm dying. It wouldn't be surprising if I collapsed from lack of oxygen soon.

"We've only been in here for 10 minutes." "Don't lie." "Okay, let's say it’s a lie." "…"

Under the torchlight, Sylvia’s slightly exasperated expression came to light. I felt a strong impulse to slap her, but I barely managed to suppress it. What an annoying person.

"Hah, hah... Sylvia, carry me." "I told you to get on earlier." "…"

Eventually, I couldn’t go on much longer and ended up being carried by Sylvia. I never expected the maze to be this vast. As the monsters became larger, it seemed the colony grew to match their size.

For a brief moment, I thought about going in alone, feeling pity for Sylvia, who was panting from exhaustion, but I’m glad I didn’t. I could have easily gotten lost in the ant nest and become a nice meal for the monsters.

"Is the queen ant’s chamber still far off, Dirt Dirt?" [It’s not much further now. Turn right here. If you dig and go straight, you’ll get there soon, but with your inefficient human bodies, you can only move this way... Tsk tsk.]

Dirt Dirt looked down on us like we were an inferior species. It seemed to be looking down on corporeal beings, not just spirits.

'When I used magic earlier to make it intangible, couldn’t it have just run away?'

It seems Dirt Dirt also enjoys living in such an uncomfortable body. There had been numerous chances to flee. But Dirt Dirt chose to stay. The reason was merely a donut coated in sugar cream, but nobody would take that at face value.

[Your expression is unpleasant, human! Were you just looking down on me in your mind? Right? Speak as you mean it!!!] "I’ve arrived, Lord Aslan. Up ahead is the queen ant's... "

Swoosh! With a chilling sound, the torch's flame flickered. From the darkness, a black mandible came flying at us like an arrow. Reacting immediately, Sylvia dodged quickly, and the monster crashed into the wall.

"…It’s dead."

A moment later, the ant monster hung limply from the touch of death. It seemed to be a guard for the queen ant. That was terrifying. The range of the touch of death wasn't that wide, so if it came charging at us like that again, it would be quite dangerous.

And more importantly, it was crucial not to inadvertently kill the queen ant. We needed the queen ant to lure the monsters here. If we killed her, all the residents of the Arient territory would be slaughtered by the enraged monsters.

"I’ll enter cautiously." "…Could you please tell me after I get off your back?" "Wouldn’t it be better to keep carrying me? If you get down, you’ll have to carry me again every time we have to jump, which would be more troublesome, wouldn’t it?" "That’s a surprisingly reasonable point, so I have no rebuttal. I will continue carrying you..."

"Whaaaaaaaaat!!!" "…!"

At that moment, a monstrous scream echoed from beyond the room. Sylvia and I grimaced as if our eardrums would burst. Sylvia drew her sword in haste and entered deeper into the room.

"Queen...!"

What appeared inside was none other than a massive ant. It was at least ten times the size of other ant monsters. With such a huge voice bellowing, it was impossible not to feel deafened.

"…" "…"

Sylvia and I exchanged glances, our faces tense as we nodded simultaneously.

Instinctively, we understood. That sound was the queen ant’s distress signal. A scream alerting us to danger.

And then came the sound of the entire ant nest shaking loudly. The vibrations grew closer. They are coming. They are coming.

I clung tightly to Sylvia’s back and swallowed hard.

"Kieeeeeek!!!" "They’ve arrived."

One by one, ant monsters began to charge through the passage. But all fell victim to my insecticide, or rather, the touch of death, collapsing helplessly. At first glance, it seemed similar to when I saved Sylvia earlier, but...

"They won’t stop!" This time, they continuously charged in, dying and dying again without end. Even if the passage became blocked with corpses, they didn't care, pushing through, tearing apart their fallen comrades. This was a matter concerning the life and death of the queen ant, so they wouldn’t compromise.

"It seems they plan to crush us with their own bodies." "That, that can't be...!"

If it continues like this, we will eventually die. We would be crushed by the continuously piling corpses of ants. But all we could do here was trigger the touch of death and anxiously wait. We could only hope that Yulia and Charlotte would time their moves correctly according to our plan.

"I didn’t notice anything when you were explaining the plan..." "Whaaaaaat!!!" "I can’t hear you!" "This is completely..." "Whaaaaaaaat!!!" "I can’t hear you!"

Sylvia swung her sword without saying a word. Swoosh. Finally, the blaring siren sound stopped, and the queen ant collapsed, dripping goo.

…But somehow, the ants seemed even more ferocious.

"This is completely a life-or-death mission." "You only just realized that now? You really are something." "Do you trust those kids? Do you trust them enough to put your life in their hands?"

Tilting her head as she wiped her sword, Sylvia looked puzzled. I couldn’t help but chuckle.

"Of course, I do. They can sometimes seem foolishly naive and incredibly kind. Do you think those kids would even entertain the idea of letting me die and then enjoying their freedom?" "…No." "Of course not. Even if they came up with such a thought, they would never act on it. That’s just how they are. I believe in their innocence. That’s all."

After living together for a few months, I had hoped Charlotte and Yulia would develop a fondness for me... If that were the case, it would be the best and truly wonderful. But the likelihood of that is really low.

To this point, I am still a cruel slave master in their eyes, holding their freedom and rights hostage. I don't expect them to realize that everything I’ve done has been for their sake. For them to understand that, they would need to grow more and mature a bit. It's still too early.

So for now, I don’t mind being the cruel slave master. As long as the kids don’t go astray. As long as they can maintain that innocence and inherent nature. If they can avoid the painful scars I received from the original work, it would be a blessing.

"I believe in their innocence... Really?" Sylvia asked with a slightly doubtful expression.

"Of course." "So what if the kids suddenly wanted to get engaged...?"

"What nonsensical talk are you bringing up at a time like this! Get a grip, Sylvia!" "Ah, no..."

Do you want to joke about something life-threatening? As I scolded her harshly, Sylvia flustered and stammered. At that moment, the body of Dirt Dirt in Sylvia’s hand began to shine brilliantly.

"What is this...?" [That calm little one outside has cast a spell.]

The timing when Yulia ordered the spell to be cast was right when all the ant hordes entered the ant nest. After luring all the monsters into the nest. Dirt Dirt, having returned to corporeal form and regained all abilities, would trigger an earthquake and completely collapse the nest. That was the basic outline of the plan.

So how would Sylvia and I survive being inside the ant nest? There are always ways.

"Sylvia! Set up the barrier!" "Understood. But you need to get closer." "I'm as close as I can get." "No, closer... You’ll need to hug me from the front for the barrier to work properly; my barrier is quite small..."

"…"

Sylvia spoke bashfully, her face flushed. What? Who are you? This isn’t Sylvia; a heavenly maiden seems to be standing here instead.

But to hug Sylvia from the front is...

Will she smell? I grew impatient as Sylvia hesitated, and ultimately, I took the initiative to wrap my arms around her waist and pull her closer.

"Kyah!?" "Surprisingly, you don’t smell." "What kind of rudeness is this to a lady!?" "Enough, just set up the barrier. Dirt Dirt will completely collapse this place soon." "Y-Yes!"

Rumble! The ant nest shook violently, cracks beginning to form on the walls. Around Sylvia and me, a golden light shield enveloped us.

"Huh!?"

The size was tighter than I expected, forcing me to hug Sylvia even more tightly. The soft pressure against my chest felt quite uncomfortable.

... ... ...

"Uncle! Uncle, uncle...!"

Charlotte dashed onto the hillside that had collapsed. There were monster corpses scattered everywhere, washed out by the landslide. But Charlotte didn’t care at all, diving in and starting to dig with her hands.

It must be around here! I can feel it! I can sense that uncle and the knight sister are alive down there! Charlotte had no room for any thoughts other than digging up the ground.

"Hah, hah...!" Yulia, who arrived next, was panting. Charlotte’s hands were bleeding from digging with her bare hands, tossing rocks aside, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell her to stop. If I had the same strength as Charlotte, I’d be doing the same...

"Dirt Dirt! Where are you!?" "…" "Help us, Dirt Dirt! We need your help to dig!" "…"

Yulia shouted with all her might, calling for Dirt Dirt, but no response came back. Ah, did I hastily make Dirt Dirt corporeal? Did it run away to a place where my spell couldn't reach as soon as it regained its powers?

Negative thoughts surged. In an instant, Yulia's mind went completely blank. If things continued like this, both Lady Sylvia and Aslan would die...

I don’t want that. There’s still so much to do. There are still many teaching rights left. I need to gather neodymium and continue researching dark magic...!

Tears brimmed in Yulia's eyes.

"Dirt Dirt, please!!!" [Shut up! I can hear you just fine, you damn brat!] "Dirt Dirt...!" [I'm helping you one last time. I've just transcended my limits, so I can no longer be controlled by your spell.] "Thank you! I’m really grateful!"

Rumble. The spirit of the earth elemental began to interfere with the physical world. A tremendous amount of dirt was lifted, along with Charlotte.

Then, a massive pit appeared. Down below, familiar figures emerged. With tears in their eyes and joy on their faces, Charlotte and Yulia witnessed the scene.

"You came just in time. Now step aside, Sylvia." "…What are you two doing?" "Ah, um. Kids, this is not what you think it is..." "…" "…"

It was Aslan and Sylvia, embracing each other without a gap.

Charlotte and Yulia’s expressions turned cold in an instant.