Ch.85Smoke (2)

I grabbed the Valkyrie’s wrist. A dazed sound came from her mouth as she stared blankly into space.

“Huh?”

“What are you doing? We need to get going.”

“Get going…?”

“We agreed to explore today. Are you feeling sick?”

Looking at her closely, her face did seem slightly flushed. Could she have a fever? That would interfere with our exploration.

I placed my hand on the Valkyrie’s forehead and checked her shoulders.

There was nothing unusual. Her face was flushed, but she didn’t have a fever. The wound from the poisonous sting had healed completely thanks to the Holy Maiden’s treatment.

The Valkyrie pulled her outer garment up to her shoulders and shook her head.

“…Sorry, let’s go.”

A shallow sigh escaped from her lips.

***

A soldier must know how to strictly separate public and private matters.

Though something intimate had happened between the Valkyrie and me, we were both serious during exploration. As always, we set aside personal feelings and maintained a vigilant watch in all directions, covering each other’s blind spots.

We had one goal.

To find an escape route.

I checked the mana needle. The Origin Stone was still spinning roughly, having lost its direction. It was spinning faster than when we were on the beach. The faster rotation speed meant we were getting closer to the barrier entrance.

“Mage.”

“Over there.”

The Holy Maiden called out and Riyo gestured. The Valkyrie and I prepared our weapons.

Buzzzz.

Dark-colored hornets were flying around.

“Looks like they’re scouts.”

These were about twice the size of the yellow honeybees that usually ambushed us. The stingers attached to their tails also looked longer and sharper. Just by appearance alone, they were clearly formidable.

Should we ignore them and move on?

Or should we deal with them decisively before proceeding?

We chose the latter.

Riyo fired the net gun she had just completed this morning.

The expanded net trapped the hornet. The insect struggled to escape, but the engineered net structure was very sturdy. It wouldn’t tear or unravel that easily.

Thunk!

The Valkyrie finished off the hornet that had been pulled to the ground with her spear. She struck precisely at its vital point. The insect monster made a gurgling sound before going limp. It died with a single blow. I didn’t even need to step in.

“Won’t this attract their companions?”

“If they come, we’ll just catch them too.”

We continued moving while gradually dealing with the scattered monsters.

It was laborious work, but necessary. The insect monsters had wings. If we encountered their leader, the patrolling ones would quickly fly in to protect their commander. We needed to prevent our retreat path from being blocked.

We continued our adventure, following the direction where the mana needle swung more strongly.

Finally, we discovered a significant structure.

“…That’s an enormous tree.”

“There are so many beehives attached to it.”

“I can see strangely shaped flowers too.”

While other trees were around 10 meters tall, this one stretched over 30 meters high.

Not only was it tall, but its thickness and number of branches were also overwhelming.

This was definitely not a tree that was merely decades old. At least hundreds of years.

The beehives attached to each branch were also concerning. Somehow, it made me uneasy. Could this be the leader’s lair?

[“You lot.”]

My ominous premonition was right as always.

Whoooosh.

A large beetle with long horns appeared with powerful wing beats.

[“You’ve come this far, even though preparations aren’t complete yet.”]

There was a smell like leaf mold. Perhaps because of that smell, dozens of black hornets quickly gathered around.

Buzz-buzz-buzz-buzz-buzz.

The fierce buzzing sound was almost mind-numbing.

“Ugh, so disgusting.”

The Holy Maiden groaned, clutching my collar. But that didn’t mean she was helpless.

[“Children, attack!”]

“——.”

As the hornets rushed in, the Holy Maiden uttered a Divine Word.

Divine Authority, Weight of Light.

The Holy Maiden’s declaration interfered with the hornets’ souls. The fiercely approaching insects hesitated. Some even fell to the ground, crushed by an invisible weight.

Riyo also fired her net and took up her crossbow. Her loading speed was slow, but there were so many targets that she could hit something with every shot.

While Riyo and the Holy Maiden kept the airborne enemies at bay, the Valkyrie intercepted the insects that were crawling or flying low. Her spear skills were still impressive. When she was an enemy, I couldn’t sleep at night out of fear, but now that we were cooperating, nothing could be more reassuring.

[“This can’t be!”]

The beetle shouted.

[“Target the magician first! He’s the most dangerous one!”]

These bugs really seem to like me. No, why do they always try to attack me first?

Of course, strategically speaking, targeting me first makes sense. The Holy Maiden’s sacred magic only affects souls, and Riyo and the Valkyrie can only kill one at a time, but I…

[“River, scatter your scales.”]

I can attack multiple targets at once.

This was the Red-flow Stone I had just synthesized yesterday. Though not as powerful as the White Phosphorus Stone, it’s famous for spreading fire across the front lines using flammable mana. Due to this characteristic, it’s used as the main ingredient for flamethrowers in the Magic Kingdom.

It’s less efficient than shooting through a flamethrower, but right now, even a small spark is deadly to these monsters.

After all, they’re insects.

No matter how tough their exoskeletons might be, as insects, they’re vulnerable to heat. It’s more effective to burn them than to deal with them one by one.

The flames released by the Red-flow Stone swept through the hornets and extended to the tree behind them. The insects directly exposed to the fire died on the spot, and those nearby had their outer shells and wings melted, causing them to fall to the ground one by one.

And the tree, presumed to be their headquarters, began to burn from the roots.

[“No!”]

The beetle screamed.

[“You! What have you done!”]

After shouting, the beetle abandoned the fight and flew upward. The beehives attached throughout the tree were melting. It tried to extinguish the fire with its wing beats, but it was futile. Fire emitted from a magic stone containing phosphorus doesn’t go out easily.

“Ah.”

Damn mana depletion.

I felt dizzy for a moment, but soon recovered. The two golems on my shoulders replenished my mana. With this, I could cast one or two more powerful spells.

“Ugh!”

The Valkyrie, who had been advancing forward, quickly stepped back. It was due to trauma. Before I could reach out to grab her hand, she ran to me first and embraced me.

“……”

“……”

Honestly, I was a bit taken aback.

By now, the beetle had given up on extinguishing the fire and climbed higher. We finished off the remaining hornets and moved a bit away from the tree. After each of us properly restored our magical and divine powers, we decided to observe a little longer before moving on.

That’s when a large bee descended from the sky.

[“You lot, you’ve really done it now. How dare you set fire to my nest.”]

Yellow and black stripes. It had antennae, two legs like a human, but four arms. Its face was like that of a beautiful woman, but its eyes were compound like an insect’s.

Is this what you’d get if you mixed a person and a bee half and half?

Mixing the creepiness of an insect with the appearance of a beauty was neither here nor there. I wondered if this was what they called the uncanny valley.

[“Human, male magician.”]

Ah, why is it me again?

[“I am the queen who rules this island, Birzoneh. What is your name?”]

[“Erich Lohnstein.”]

[“…Lohnstein?”]

The bee monster, who introduced herself as the queen, let out a hollow laugh.

[“You, you’re that man’s descendant.”]

[“That man?”]

[“The way you use magic stones, you’re exactly like him.”]

Whoever “that man” is, it’s not my immediate concern.

The monster before me said she was the queen and ruled this island. That meant she was the leader of this place. If we defeat her, we might obtain the magic stone needed for our escape.

“Look, David. The leader is female. You haven’t forgotten our bet from a few days ago, have you?”

“Ah, damn. I guess I have no choice now.”

David started twerking on my shoulder.

“Why are you dancing now of all times!”

“Because, this monster, looks, strong. Just in case, it’s not, bad to, dance in advance. Ooooh.”

The queen bee pulled out a tentacle-like ovipositor from her tail area. It was long like an earthworm, and the end part was spread open like a flower. The tip had a stinger embedded in it, just like any other bee.

[“I’ve always liked handsome and strong males. You meet those criteria. Setting fire to the nest was unforgivable, but if you promise to provide sperm for me for the rest of your life, I’ll kill only the women there and spare you.”]

[“I refuse.”]

[“I thought it was an attractive offer.”]

[“I’m not the kind of man who would mix with creatures like you so easily.”]

[“I like that. I like it even more!”]

The queen bee, with a grotesque smile, waved her hand.

Plop!

Red flowers fell through the burning tree. There’s a sweet honey scent. At the same time, yellow pollen scattered like sleet. My head started to ache rapidly.

[“I may not be very strong and my poison might be weak, but I possess the power to enchant everyone within range, regardless of gender. With this power, I’ve been able to raise my subordinate soldiers into a loyal legion that would even face death for me.”]

That statement doesn’t seem to be mere bluster.

“Haaah.”

My breathing becomes rough.

It wasn’t just me. The Holy Maiden, the fox sisters, and even the Valkyrie beside me. Everyone’s eyes were glazed over from the strange, sensual scent.

[“It’s the perfume of enchantment. Your bodies are already starting to heat up, aren’t they? You can’t purify it with ordinary methods. I wonder how long you can maintain your reason.”]

At this rate, we’ll be defeated without even putting up a proper fight.

We need to end this quickly.

But there were too many variables to approach and deliver a fatal blow to a queen with flight capabilities.

Above all, if we fail in one attack, it could lead to a fatal outcome. Perhaps a future awaiting us that’s even more terrible than death.

[“Come, take off your clothes and come to me.”]

Just then, a good idea came to mind.

Pretending to be nauseated, I collapsed forward while holding two magic stones under my tongue.