An Ingenious Method
When all the truths behind this ingenious method came to light, even Adela finally gave up on her silence. Not that there was much point in staying quiet when she'd already volunteered the information herself. With nothing left to hide, her expression brightened a little.
"Why weren't you hiding in your cocoon earlier? I saw you wandering around the center of the chamber."
"It's boring just staying in the cocoon. So I went for a walk."
"And that's how you ended up running into me after I got transported here."
"Yeah."
I nodded, convinced by her words. It made sense. If it hadn't been for Phase Escape, I probably wouldn't have known either. When I scanned the area with my detection abilities, the cocoon seemed to be tucked away in a secret spot even within the nest. Finding it would have been a real pain. It was close to pure coincidence, but since it had already happened, there was no cleaning up the mess now.
Adela, sitting in the half-open cocoon, stared at me.
"So. Are you going to kill me now?"
Her obsidian eyes held not a flicker of emotion. The same dazed look as always. To a monster's question in a world of eat or be eaten, an adventurer who had likewise thrown himself into nature to hunt monsters gave his answer.
"Well. Personally, I'd rather you stayed alive."
"Why?"
"Just because."
A question mark floated across Adela's face at my reply. Not quite familiar with how humans thought, she pressed on.
"It's strange. Why aren't you killing me? I'm a monster. You're a human."
"Monsters aren't necessarily bad, are they?"
People have a common misconception. That monsters are unconditionally evil. That monsters must disappear from the North. Listening to them talk as if monsters are evil and humans are good... well. From the guild's perspective, I'd simply shrug. No need to overthink it—the fights in the North are just nature's providence. The history of the Northern struggles is, in essence, the history of survival of the fittest between humanity and monsters for the prosperity of both species. It's not about grand causes or noble missions. It's a competition to eat well and live well, and monsters compete with us for the exact same reason. For richer land. For more food. For superior resources. In the struggle to live better, there are no lofty causes or destinies.
Then why do adventurers and warriors in the North receive such respect?
'Thank you for your dedication. (Thanks to you, we stopped the monsters from advancing south from the front lines.)'
'Thank you for your hard work. (Thanks to you, we've become safe from the monsters targeting human domains.)'
Put another way, it's because their very livelihoods are on the line that they fight more fiercely than anyone. Adventurers battle for humanity. Monsters fight for their species. That's why the struggles in the North never end. Because it's a fight for survival, warriors are honored, and the monsters never give up.
But Adela?
"Are you an incredibly powerful monster?"
"No. I'm still young, so I'm weak."
"Then are you planning to seize and devour human territory?"
"No. For now, I plan to grow inside human territory."
"Finally, do you hold any hostility toward humans?"
"No. I don't really have any."
"Even though we wiped out your colony?"
At my question, Adela closed her eyes and thought hard. Then she slowly opened them again and gazed at me with those unchanging eyes.
"That was the choice Zeno and the colony made. I have no intention of denying the result they chose to preserve the colony."
I grinned at her words.
"Yeah. It's because you feel that way that I don't treat you as an enemy."
Not every monster hates humans the way some do. If their hearts align, cooperation is possible, and there are those who simply don't concern themselves with each other at all.
"You might not know this, but there are more monsters that coexist with us than you think."
"Really?"
"Take the Mountain Turtle, for example. They're enormous turtles with incredibly gentle, peaceful personalities. They wander around with trees heavy with high-quality fruit, so the day one appears, everyone celebrates."
People can walk right up and pick the fruit without resistance. In return, they clear away the parasitic monsters and pests that bother the turtles. From the Mountain Turtle's perspective, the fruit is an abundant resource they can spare, and getting rid of their tormentors is pure profit. Win-win symbiotic relationships like this are more common than you'd expect. Of course, they're still a tiny minority compared to all the monsters in the North.
"Above all, we don't have the luxury of worrying about monsters that coexist with humans."
The North is vast. Human territory is vast. There are so many lands to protect and not enough adventurers, so even when they sense the precursors of a monster wave or some disaster, they sometimes can't respond in time. In situations like that, adventurers don't bother provoking monsters that show no hostility toward humans.
"I bet the subjugation force feels the same way I do."
Who in their right mind enjoys a battle where their comrades might die? Compared to that, putting on a massive WWE match like this? Well, I can understand. The opponents are monsters, after all. And since not a single person died, the subjugation force will probably react rather mildly. Deciding how to handle Adela's treatment would still require some discussion, though.
"Mr. Argo is correct."
While I was lost in thought, a familiar voice spoke up beside me. I turned to see Owen emerging from the shadows with a gentle smile. The cocoon hanging in midair blocked the light, casting shadows across his face.
"Well. There will need to be a slight discussion to determine your treatment, of course."
"......!"
At Owen's sudden appearance, Adela's eyes widened. She quickly ducked behind me, then peeked out warily. I waved a hand at her.
"Mr. Owen is a good person."
"No. Zeno said to be absolutely wary of slit-eyed men."
"Maybe because of his work on the front lines?"
"No. He said slit-eyed men are like snakes—meticulous, cunning, and able to kill people in ways you can't even imagine."
Her reaction was far more sensitive than I'd expected. I quietly turned to look at Owen. He kept smiling, but the corners of his mouth were trembling. It looked like he'd taken a hit. His shoulders had slumped a little too. Realizing how terrifying preconceptions based on appearance could be, I asked carefully.
"Have you fought War Ants on the front lines, by any chance?"
"...A few times. One of them appears to have been the colony Adela belonged to."
"Could Zeno have mistaken you for another slit-eyed adventurer?"
"...Sadly, among adventurers of Silver rank or higher, I am the only slit-eyed man."
Hmm. Looks like I delivered the finishing blow. As the thoroughly sunk Owen sat down weakly on a flat rock, Adela flinched and stayed on guard.
"Grrrr...."
"Mr. Owen isn't a bad person. I'm certain of that much."
"Mom said never to trust slit-eyes."
"Really?"
If it was Adela's mom, that would mean the Queen. Maybe the colony had a bad history with a slit-eyed man in the past? Since the dead Queen couldn't speak, I simply comforted Adela while glancing at the depressed Owen.
His gray light armor and short cloak engraved with complex magic circles didn't look pristine. Cuts on his skin still showed traces of blood, and his armor bore marks of countless slashes. The high-ranking Zeno really had been strong. Owen seemed composed, but he wasn't unscathed. Concerned, I asked.
"Are your wounds all right?"
"They are injuries that will heal with time, so there's no need to worry. The armor is the same."
When Owen showed me the damaged section of his armor, I watched the broken area actually repairing itself. The wounds had already closed, leaving only faint traces of blood. He had recovered in that short span of time. I let out a small sound of admiration at the otherworldly regeneration. Owen chuckled.
"It's a natural trick you'll pick up once you reach my level, Mr. Argo."
"I'll be able to reach where you are someday, then?"
"By then, I'll be even further ahead."
"Who knows. My talent might be better than you think."
I smiled faintly at his witty reply. It seemed he'd recovered from the emotional wound. Having pulled himself together in such a short time, Owen glanced at Adela behind me and continued.
"What Zeno and the colony wanted was likely for Adela to grow up safely."
"That does seem to be the case."
"For that purpose, this colony deliberately sacrificed itself. Without producing a single casualty on our side."
Owen pointed out exactly what I'd been thinking, then lightly flicked his finger. The cocoon split open, revealing the person inside. The girl, completely unaware of what was happening outside, slept peacefully. She must have been put to sleep by the ants; she looked utterly comfortable. Owen showed her to us, then closed the cocoon again.
"War Ants do not prefer live prey. It's because cleaning up afterward is bothersome."
I nodded at the rather grim explanation. Having this many people captured did look suspicious to anyone. Since this was my first time experiencing such a large-scale staged battle, I asked something I'd been curious about.
"Still, for a scripted play, it felt pretty brutal."
The high-ranking monster I'd taken down right before using Phase Escape had radiated killing intent like it genuinely wanted to kill me. Remembering that bloodlust, I couldn't believe it had all been an act. But Owen simply shrugged as if it were nothing.
"That's because Zeno was controlling the entire situation."
"Controlling it?"
"Ants move according to pheromones. And War Ants obey the pheromones of higher-ranking individuals without question."
It was a short explanation, but easy enough to understand. Owen was saying Zeno had manipulated the whole event and even prepared a dummy queen. I shook my head, stunned by how meticulous the plan had been.
"That's an impossibly thorough scheme."
"A worthy opponent, even if he is an enemy. One must show respect."
He nodded, apparently impressed with Zeno's plan as well.
"Though I must admit it's a little vexing that he made us organize a subjugation force and waste supplies while planning to secretly entrust his offspring to us."
"......?!"
The atmosphere froze instantly. Adela, who had been extremely wary of Owen, bristled, her hairs standing on end. She trembled and clung tightly to my back. Realizing his mistake, Owen smiled awkwardly and changed the subject.
"It's fine! Thanks to that, we obtained quite a lot of valuable materials."
"The loser offers everything to the winner. I understand. You're planning to make use of my kin's corpses."
"Mr. Owen...?"
This time even I couldn't cover for him. I shot him a look that said he'd gone too far.
"Cough!"
Pierced by both our gazes, Owen coughed and hurriedly explained.
"That's not what I meant! The resources stored in the nest's warehouse! I was talking about the resources!"
"Ah, I see."
"You meant the resources."
"Exactly!"
What had I been thinking? We both nodded in understanding. Owen wiped away the cold sweat that had broken out on his forehead.
"That was more nerve-wracking than facing Zeno."
There had been far too much room for misunderstanding just now, so it couldn't be helped. Looking more exhausted than when he'd first arrived, Owen stood up.
"Let's head up to the surface. The subjugation force should have finished cleaning up and begun their internal search by now."
"And we'll decide on Adela's treatment as well."
"Ah, about that—I have a good idea."
Owen snapped his fingers lightly and looked at me.
"This might sound rude, but... can I trust you?"
"It's a truly ingenious method, so you needn't worry at all."
I couldn't see his expression because of those narrowed eyes, but somehow I could tell he was enjoying this.