Ant Nest (2)
“Hey! Little brother! You made it.”
“Good morning, Victor.”
Victor was the first to notice my arrival. Grinning slyly, he walked over to me.
“These are my party members! Everyone, say hello!”
Victor gestured toward his companions. One was a male mage who looked to be in his early thirties—the same man I’d seen at the Adventurers’ Guild yesterday. Next to him stood a female archer who appeared to be in her mid-twenties… and she certainly had a generous figure. Ahem. Lastly, there was a swordsman in his mid-twenties.
Everyone in the party was human. I greeted them as politely as I could, putting on my best social smile.
“My name is Cian. I’m a swordsman.”
The mage I’d seen at the guild responded first.
“Ah, yeah. Nice to meet you. I’m Andre.”
The female archer flashed a bright smile as she spoke.
“Oh~ So you’re the kid Victor was talking about. You’re quite handsome~ Take good care of us as our escort! I’m Monaka.”
The remaining swordsman, however, stayed silent.
“……”
His brows were furrowed, the corner of his mouth turned down. He stared at me with clear displeasure before finally opening his mouth, as if forced by the atmosphere.
“…Tch. Zick.”
He clicked his tongue as he spoke.
…I got the picture right away. He didn’t like me. I understood. Some unknown brat had just joined their C-rank party. The backline of any party needed to be people you could trust to watch your rear. Suddenly having an unproven kid who looked young and weak must have been irritating. The others who had welcomed me warmly were probably just being kind. I’d have to prove myself gradually.
I approached the man named Zick with a bright smile and extended my hand.
“That’s a fine name. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sir Zick. My skills may be lacking, but I look forward to working with you.”
“……”
Once again, he gave no reply. My hand hung awkwardly in the air.
‘…This is embarrassing.’
Then Zick sighed and spoke, still refusing to take my hand.
“Haa, just don’t get in the way.”
With that muttered complaint, he turned and walked back toward the carriage.
“Victor, where does he keep picking up these brats… Tch, I don’t like this.”
I scratched the back of my head. So Victor had brought in someone else before. I didn’t know how that person had acted, but I had no intention of being a burden. I certainly wasn’t planning to freeload, either.
“Don’t mind him. He’s another one Victor brought in not too long ago. His personality’s just a bit prickly.”
While I was thinking that, Monaka came up beside me and offered a few comforting words.
“It’s fine. I look young, and my skills haven’t been proven yet. It’s only natural he’d be wary of someone suddenly joining the party. If I show what I can do, he’ll change his mind.”
“Oh my~ What a wonderful attitude. Cian, you’ve got a good head on your shoulders! I like that!”
“Eek!”
I was startled. Monaka suddenly grabbed my face with one hand and pulled me straight into her chest. As a result, her ample bosom pressed lightly against my face.
“Let’s get along from now on, too! And keep an eye on Andre for me! By the way, what’s your level, Cian?”
“…Three-star.”
My reply came late because I was embarrassed. To be honest, I wasn’t sure if I was exactly three-star. I had used an Auror blade during the griffon fight a few weeks ago… so I was definitely above three-star. But I still couldn’t objectively gauge my own strength, so I had no idea how far above I actually was. For now, saying three-star should be enough for a C-rank party.
“Three-star?! You’re lying! You look so young… H-how old are you, anyway?”
“Fifteen.”
“Huuuh?!”
Monaka quickly stepped back, putting distance between us.
“I almost became a criminal! Fifteen years old…!”
“Do I really look that old?”
“Nooo~ You do look young, but you’re so mature and handsome. I just didn’t expect you to be this young.”
Did the people of this world come with automatic flattery installed? I was grateful she’d phrased it nicely so I wouldn’t feel hurt.
“Still, three-star is reassuring! Shall we head to the carriage? Andre and Victor already got on.”
“Yes.”
Monaka and I climbed aboard as well. Once everyone was gathered, Victor called out to the coachman from his seat beside him.
“Hey! We’re all here! Let’s move! Go, go!”
“Got it.”
The coachman tugged on the reins, and the carriage lurched forward. I kept my nerves taut as I watched the scenery outside rush past.
*
Escorting the carriage proved unnecessary. Whenever monsters appeared in the area, Monaka sniped them with her bow or Andre blasted them with magic. Any that didn’t flee were immediately cut down by Victor and Zick, who leapt from the carriage and returned just as quickly. I never once had a chance to step in.
My body was comfortable, but my mind was not. I couldn’t prove myself… and that was frustrating.
“Tch, stay in the carriage and don’t get in the way, brat.”
To make matters worse, Zick told me not to intervene either. At this rate, I was starting to worry whether the reward would even be split fairly.
That uncomfortable atmosphere continued for about three hours.
“Thanks for your hard work, coachman! Here’s a tip. See you this evening!”
“Oh, thank you. Take care of yourselves!”
We had arrived. After sending off the smiling coachman, we stepped out of the carriage and looked up at the entrance to the Ant Nest Labyrinth.
It was shaped like a cave. The surrounding environment was a barren desert. I hadn’t known such a region existed a short distance from the Lianna Empire. Or rather, I simply hadn’t been interested. In the game, I had only hunted high-level monsters, so I’d never needed to visit mid-to-low-level leveling zones like this.
“I’ll take the lead like always! Andre, keep your spell chants halfway prepared so you can support at any time! Zick, stand beside me and assist! Monaka and Cian, guard Andre from the rear and take care of the small fry!”
Victor issued his orders with clear leadership. As a veteran who had eaten plenty of sword rice, his tactics were seasoned.
We entered the cave. The moment we stepped inside, small bat-like monsters greeted us. Victor carved through them with his greatsword as we advanced.
“Kiiik!”
“Out of the way if you’re not worth money!”
—Crack!
Victor’s words and strikes were both refreshingly straightforward. He swung his massive greatsword in wide arcs, crushing the monsters beneath it. Zick finished off any that were left barely alive. Monaka, Andre, and I advanced while keeping watch on the rear.
“Haha! Easy, way too easy! If we keep pushing forward like this, we’ll reach the Giant Ant Queen’s hiding place!”
Even though his words sounded careless, his swordsmanship was anything but. He precisely targeted the bats’ vital points and immediately beheaded any that were left on the brink of death. His coordination with Zick was excellent. Whenever Victor was occupied, Zick covered his blind spots. It was a remarkably stable party.
After about thirty minutes of watching Victor’s monster-slaying performance, something happened.
“Hm?!”
A small pebble fell from the cave ceiling—shaken loose by the vibrations of the many bats—and struck Victor in the eye. He instinctively closed one eye, and his greatsword swing went slightly off course. One bat slipped through the gap.
“Kiiik! Kiik!”
“You little—!”
Zick swung his longsword in a hurry, but the bat twisted its body and narrowly dodged. It then flew straight toward our rear line.
“Kiiik! Kiik!”
The situation had unfolded in an instant.
“Cian!”
Victor called my name. I already knew. I would protect the rear properly.
I drew mana from my danjeon.
“Huuup…”
I took a short, sharp breath. The blood in my body began to boil.
“Kiiiiik!”
“…Haaah!”
—Slash.
A diagonal cut. I had aimed for speed and precision rather than power. The strike cleanly bisected the bat’s body. Its two halves flew past our rear line before falling to the ground with soft thuds.
“Oh…”
For some reason, Andre, who had been watching from the side, let out a sound of admiration.
…Had he really thought I was that weak? I had only killed a single bat.
The others reacted with surprise as well.
“Cian…! How did you do that just now? You sliced that tough thing clean in half with one strike?!”
Monaka rushed over, eyes wide with amazement.
“So three-star wasn’t a lie?! I couldn’t even see your sword just now!”
They were overpraising me. Not being able to see the sword—that was the kind of thing you said after seeing Iris’s blade. I still had a long way to go before reaching that level.
“Thank you for the compliment. It was nothing special.”
“You’re not hurt, are you, Cian?”
Victor approached as well, scanning me for injuries.
“No. I’m fine.”
“That’s a relief. …Was your swordsmanship always that refined? You don’t even have much muscle… How strange!”
What did muscle have to do with refinement? Either way, the atmosphere was starting to feel a bit burdensome. I thought I had swung my sword much like Victor had earlier. Maybe because I had only ever played in high-level zones before possessing this body, everything at this level looked roughly the same to me.
“Honestly, I thought you needed money but couldn’t join a party because you lacked skill, so you were planning to hunt a Great Tortoise alone! But now that I’ve seen your swordsmanship, it’s pretty decent? As expected of my little brother, khahaha!”
“Ha, haha. It’s nothing special.”
Victor laughed heartily and pounded my back. It hurt. Seriously, this muscle-bound guy…
Monaka was also bouncing around in front of me, looking amazed.
Then I felt a gaze from somewhere. I turned my head toward it.
“……”
“……”
Zick was staring at me. Was it just my imagination? His expression was deeply furrowed, as if he found me unpleasant.
“Tch…”
Soon after, he clicked his tongue and looked away. I was left with questions. Why was he acting like that? I had already shown that I wouldn’t be a burden. And yet he still reacted this way? Honestly, it left a bad taste in my mouth.
“Alright! Let’s ride this momentum and keep going!”
“Yeees~”
Before I could finish my thoughts, the party began advancing deeper into the Ant Nest Labyrinth once more. Even as we moved forward, I couldn’t shake off the unpleasant feeling he had left behind.