The Sub-Protagonist Is Retiring

17 – 017. The ant wants freedom

After cleaning out the trash, I was looking at the loot hidden in the trash.

All the gold coins were taken, and all the equipment they carried was incinerated.

If you sell it again, it will be money, but it is annoying to carry around, and it smells like it was used by someone else.

I was not in need enough to force myself to do something I didn’t want to do, so I disposed of it neatly.

“Rene.”

“yes!”

“Did you find out where the queen ant is?”

“Ugh. that, that… .”

The tasks I instructed Renée were to steal ant eggs and reconnaissance.

The trash told me to look at the egg needed for true education and the dynamics of the queen ant nearby.

I was hesitant as if I didn’t know why. I had brought the ant eggs properly.

“Didn’t you know where it was?”

“I figured it out, but… … .”

Renee kept avoiding my eyes and stuttered, as if there was something she couldn’t say.

While he was wondering whether to interrogate her, the ground suddenly began to shake.

The moment I was about to pick up Prach with the feeling of the appearance of a formidable enemy.

Renee hugged my arm and shook her head violently from side to side.

“It’s okay if you don’t do anything! It’s no big deal!”

“what?”

His eyes wrinkled at the fact that he knew something but was hiding it. However, since there must be a reason why Renée reacted this way, I decided to believe it first.

Because she has the power to discern the good and evil of living things.

“There is no problem, right?”

“I will vouch for it!”

“Then what… … .”

Five minutes had already passed since the earthquake began to occur.

By the time I got used to the shaking, the shaking stopped suddenly.

At the same time, countless signs were felt from the back of the earthen wall on the other side.

It was possible to speculate that the large-scale movement of organisms was the cause of the earthquake.

There was only one individual in the mine that could perform such an event.

“I don’t remember ever asking for a queen ant.”

“lol… .”

Quaang!

As the thick earthen wall collapsed, Mineral Ents rushed from the other side in droves.

If I had to respond, now was the right time since I was far away, but considering the fact that Renee was still holding my arm, I stayed still.

The ants were also moving in perfect order, but they didn’t try to attack us. They lined up in order starting from the collapsed earthen wall and raised their chins like soldiers.

Finally, when the perfect ranks were formed, a completely different type of ant appeared from beyond the earthen wall.

An entity that walks on two legs, just like humans. Although it looked like an ant, it had a crown made of gold on its head.

As soon as I saw it, I knew at once that it was the queen ant.

“Rene-sama, did you finish talking to him?”

“Not yet… .”

“for a moment! Did the ant talk just now?”

“Yes that’s right. I am Marjan, Queen of Ants. I learned human language from a human named Favre.”

A trustworthy name was mentioned in the mouth of the queen ant.

Even knowing that they were the same person, it was difficult to have doubts.

“So you can understand what we are talking about?”

“of course.”

“It’s the first time I’ve lived and lived like this.”

In Adog Choi, monsters that can communicate with humans do not appear.

However, the queen ant in front of me was unmistakably a mineral ent and monster.

The sight of her fluent human speech made me doubt my ears.

Because of the contract with Prach, spirit-type magic is no longer effective, so this situation is undoubtedly a reality.

“Here was the reason René couldn’t explain properly.”

“I’m sorry! But I guarantee you! Unlike other monsters, this ant has a kind heart!”

“Cuckoo Cuckoo!”

It was bizarre that even the laughter was from a woman who could easily understand it, but I decided to accept it slowly.

Because if I become acquainted with a monster I can talk to, I don’t know what variables will arise in my future.

As the discovery of the century generally leads to a good influence, I tend to view the current situation as good.

“I think you wanted to have Renée intervene and talk to me, right?”

“yes. Since the story is going to be long before that, how about sitting comfortably in my room and having a conversation?”

“hmm… .”

I glanced at Renee.

She shook her head and said she was fine with her bright eyes.

It doesn’t seem like a trap.

“Okay, guide me.”

“All right. Could you please wait a moment before that?”

“What are you trying to do?”

“The egg that Renee-sama took has not long left until it hatches, so I’m going to check it out.”

“uh… ?”

Wasn’t it a freshly laid egg?

As I was perplexed by the unexpected situation, Renee cautiously approached me and whispered to me.

“sorry! In the case of eggs that have just been laid, they said that they are soft and easy to burst. So I had no choice but to bring the existing eggs!”

“oh… .”

mate!

As Marjan clapped his hands, the screams of the trash buried in the ground grew louder.

There is only one case where they react violently.

The eggs that were stored together hatched and the ant eating show began.

“Thank you for providing precious food to the newly hatched chicks.”

“If it’s that precious food, what are you talking about?”

“Of course I’m talking about mana stones, but what else is there?”

“Oh, no. Nothing.”

I felt remorse for using Marjan’s offspring as instruments of torture.

It was because he was making the cubs do bad things in front of her motherly love.

[But contractor, didn’t you say you would save the adventurers?]

‘Oh, are they? It’s none of my business whether I search or not.’

[It’s an unchangingly great mindset.]

A human who was recognized before being corrupted by the demonic sword.

I don’t know if I should be happy about this or feel bad about it.

I was just a bit uneasy about the runes flashing bright red whenever I talked to Prach.

***

After checking the condition of the baby ants, we were escorted to her room by Marjan.

Since the main role of the queen ant was to revive the colony through spawning, her room was very spacious and there were a large number of ants helping to spawn.

“Please wait a moment.”

For smooth conversation, Marjan immediately removed the ants, and a comfortable atmosphere was formed for the first time.

In the meantime, she had been recommending a simple table and chair made of iron, so I felt more like a person than an ant.

The conversation with Marjan afterwards was also a calculating subject.

“In other words, you Mineral Ents want to settle down and live in this mine, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Do you know what you are doing here?”

“I am well aware of this because it is a place where humans dig for resources necessary for life.”

“But if you occupy it like this, it will be difficult for them. Doesn’t that mean an illegal resident has entered the place where the original owner was?”

“That’s why I’m asking you to be the moderator.”

“… … .”

It meant to build a bridge between the residents of Lookbranton and the Mineral Ents.

He seemed to think that then everything would be settled, but Marjan was not very thoughtful.

It seems that it is necessary to speak rather strongly to inform her of the problems of the present situation.

“I killed twenty ants on the way here.”

“… … Ugh!”

They were adult ants, but to Marjan, they must have been children too.

The man who killed his son was in front of him, and there was no one who would not be shaken.

Marjan also trembled. Even so, it was impressive to see them put their legs together and endure it.

“I think it’s a mistake coming in now. But at that time, I didn’t think I would be able to communicate with you.”

“… … it’s okay. It hurts, but I think they will understand.”

“I hope it ends like this, but it might happen again.”

“May I ask why?”

“If people all over the world would understand you, there would be no problem. But not all humans will try to understand your situation. Because humans have been fighting monsters for over hundreds of years.”

They will try to incite people by assuming that the ants have plans.

In that case, the ants will have no choice but to fight against humans in order to survive.

In the end, the Mineral Ents will face destruction.

“And minerals are, after all, limited in quantity. Coincidentally, your staple food is minerals, and the villagers are in need of minerals. The mine won’t be long before it will be gone?”

“… … .”

Marjan said nothing. Hearing my words, he seemed to understand the seriousness at once.

A bitter taste was felt in the gloomy, sunken atmosphere.

I also want to tell only hopeful stories, but I had to remind them when I thought of a harmonious future.

“Abandon this mine.”

“… … So how are we good? If we are kicked out like this, are we going to have to go around looking for another mine, get attacked by humans, lose countless children, and just get hurt and die aimlessly?”

“… … .”

“Meeting good people like Fabre made me realize that not all humans are hostile. So I tried to understand humans even when I saw my children being killed by humans. If you approach with sincerity, the day will come when they will understand! I believed and believed again and approached… !”

“Miss Marjan… … .”

ever-increasing voice. It seems that Marjan has already suffered several times by humans.

Still, I endured the dream of reconciliation, but my heart was breaking down as I was rejected until the last moment.

If this continues, she will turn into a hostile relationship with humans.

It was an unexpected development.

“I know of a good place for you to live.”

“… … Is it a good base?”

“okay. Unlike this place, it is a place where no human has ever found it.”

It was a secret space that was finally revealed to the world through the luck of the main character in the second half of Adok Choi.

Originally, I planned to keep it hidden, but after hearing Marjan’s circumstances, I changed my mind.

“What kind of place is that?”

“… … Before I tell you, this is a secret that only you and I should know. Don’t tell me where to go.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

“If you go up to the top of the mine, there is a long mountain range. If you follow it all the way to the northwest, you’ll find an old stone statue. If you dig under the stone statue, a secret cave will appear. If it was there, might I be able to live safely without being noticed by anyone?”

“Are there any minerals in the cave for us to live on?”

“If it wasn’t there, I wouldn’t have recommended it in the first place.”

You can live safely, but isn’t it telling you to starve?

It is said that what I did to the adventurers was rather cruel, but my nature was not vicious.

[Contractor, that’s a bit… … .]

‘shut up.’

[Heeing.]

Anyway, I am a person who knows how to take care of others.

“Do you know which mineral comes out?”

“… … Orichalcum.”

“yes?”

“Orichalcum is buried in large quantities.”

It was a GOAT mineral that comes to mind as a legendary mineral in fantasy.

An immutable metal that cannot be cut unless it is made of the same Orichalcum, cannot be melted with fire, and does not change over time.

It is precious enough to be called a price.

On the other hand, Marjan stiffened with his eyes wide open, as if he knew the value of it.

The dragon Renee looked at Marjan and me alternately with a very curious expression.

“Oh, Orichalcum reserves are small… … .”

“You guys have enough to eat for three years, so don’t worry and go quickly.”

“3… 3 years?!”

“okay.”

“… … May I propose to you?”

“Leave?”

From nob le mt l. co m

No matter how wide the defense range is, I have no intention of marrying an ant.

When he put his hand on Prach, Marjan hurriedly waved his arm.

“No, I’m kidding! I am not interested in crossbreeding.”

“Because that’s a bad joke. Please think carefully in the future.”

If you don’t want to be an old man, that is.

“Anyway, I understand. Honestly, I can’t believe it, but it’s a fate that we became close like this, so I’ll trust you and go.”

“OK.”

“And I will definitely repay this favor someday. thank you… !!”

“Because I said goodbye. Hurry up and get ready to move.”

“yes!”

After politely bowing down to her waist and saying hello, Marjan left the room brightly.

This seems to have solved the ant’s job well. At the same time, the request for brand inspiration is also a success.

“Bern! Mr. Bern!”

“why?”

“What will happen to the ants if they eat that mineral called orichalicon?”

“well? maybe… … .”

Wouldn’t it be reborn as a super ant that can easily conquer Holden’s kingdom?

It’s a little scary to imagine how the ants will change afterward, but since you said you’d repay the favor, I’ll spare you.