"Look officer, I swear, I'm not trying to make your job harder... I respect how important your time is, I just don't have any better place you can send your message to. Besides, I would think that the ruler of a nation should be a perfect guarantor, right?" I wryly spoke, trying to soothe the exasperated soldier trying to interrogate me.
"And you expect me to bother the King of Sabasa just for any random criminal!? Do you have any idea just how dire the consequences would be for me if you were lying!? There's no way I will risk my job like that with only your word for it!" the soldier shouted furiously.
"First, if you asked my friend, I'm sure he would agree with my story, second, even if we both were lying, you could just say I will take full responsibility and have someone else confirm it with me beforehand so that I can't weasel my way out of it later, third I would have no reason to lie about something that could so easily blow up in my face and make my situation even worse, fourth, you could always just let my friend vouch for me after HIS credentials come back, this conversation didn't need to happen in the first place, I am just trying to cooperate as best I can because I respect your authority, and wish to not cause any further misunderstandings." I enumerated.
"Daaaargh! Just stop talking already! I'm done! Just stay here, we will wait for your accomplice's credentials, and if it turns out he was lying you'll both be imprisoned for a very long time!" the soldier yelled out in frustration.
"Fine by me." I agreed, as the soldier left the front of my cell, leaving me alone in the dark dungeon.
He had spent quite some time trying to convince me to give him my home village's name, but of course, I didn't have one.
The King of Sabasa owed me, and I knew he was an honorable man, so even if they did listen to me (which I knew to be unlikely) and send him a message I wasn't worried about the outcome.
The best case scenario was that they would just let the matter drop when Luka's credentials came.
And if they tried to screw me over, I could just have Alice bail me out.
I didn't feel entirely comfortable about the idea of solving my problems with mind control, but I couldn't afford slowing us down.
The Succubus village debacle was getting closer, and if we were late by even one day, it could have been a disaster...
Plus, the population of this city was doing the same thing, so I was at least a little bit justified.
~– ~ – ~
Finally, after a time, the soldier came back, looking both relieved and annoyed.
"You're lucky you have such a good friend." he said, as he opened the cell door with his keys.
"That I am. But seriously, I wasn't lying. And I do respect the job you do. I'm sorry for all the trouble..." I sincerely apologised as I exited the cell.
The soldier just sighed in response, before leading me to my friends outside the dungeons.
~– ~ – ~
"Hey guys." I called out to my friends as soon as I saw them.
"Daniel! Are you ok?" Luka immediately asked in concern.
"Why wouldn't I be? I knew you'd get me out. Thanks man." I said gratefully.
"Still, you only tried to help me, I was the one that destroyed the Golem, you shouldn't have been arrested..." Luka trailed off uncomfortably.
"It's fine, I'm not bothered. Just let it drop." I waved him off.
"...Alright." he acquiesced.
"Now then, would you please have an audience with the King?" the captain that had escorted Luka requested.
"With the King...? Uh oh, is he angry that I destroyed the golem?" Luka said in a worried tone.
"Hahaha, not at all. He's always goofing off and ignoring his duties. Recently, he has taken a fancy to listening to stories of travelers. I'm sure two strong men like you would have quite the interesting tales to share with him." the captain laughed.
"But I didn't come here to play around..." Luka protested.
"Ah, no, no, it won't take long. Just talk to him for as long as the Golem is being repaired..." the Captain pleaded, dangling Luka's guilt in front of his face.
"O... Ok, I'll talk with him." Luka finally acquiesced.
"And yet another audience with the local ruler... Seriously, there can't be that many left at this point." I quipped in an impressed tone.
"Right then, follow me to the castle!" the captain declared, as we started walking through the town.
~– ~ – ~
As I expected, there were only a few types of monsters around, either artificial ones or Ant Girls.
"I SHALL CARRY LUGGAGE." one of the latter droned, as she offered to carry Luka' and my backpacks.
"Eh...? Who is she...?" Luka questioned, staring at theAnt Girl in surprise.
"She's an Ant Girl that lives with us in Grangold. They're controlled by magic, and are made useful for humans. Let her carry your luggage." the soldier provided.
"Ah, then here you go... hmm?" Luka started giving her his bag, before I stopped him.
"We're fine. Thank you." I told the Ant Girl.
"UNDERSTOOD." she droned, before walking away.
"I assure you, she was only trying to be helpful..." the soldier disclaimed, thinking I had misunderstood her intentions.
"I know." I simply stated, before walking forward, my expression unreadable.
Luka and the captain followed soon after.
~– ~ – ~
"Those Ant Girls are awfully hard workers, aren't they?" Luka commented, overlooking the various odd jobs the Ant Girls were doing in the city.
"Yes, that's right. In this town, humans leave almost all the work to the Ant Girls." the captain explained.
"Oh... Who's that...?" Luka asked, looking at an artificial monster seemingly made out of mud.
"A man made monster made with Magic Science, a Mud Golem Girl. Those mud golems and the Ant Girls are the labor force of this town." the captain answered.
"I see..." Luka trailed off, looking thoughtful.
Again, I was silent, keeping my expression carefully neutral.
~– ~ – ~
Finally, we entered the castle, the captain leading us directly to the audience room, where a young man with blue hair and green eyes, dressed in regal white clothes greeted us with a smile.
"I see, you were the travelers that defeated the Golem Girl! Able to defeat her... You're amazing. I want to hear stories of your adventures. Heart pounding, blood pumping stories of adventures and heroics!" the King of Grangold requested in an excited tone.
"Since I broke the gatekeeper, I must apologize..." Luka said, bowing respectfully, before starting to recount our adventures, neglecting to mention anything about Alice or my fictional background.
As Luka spoke, I silently stood beside him, my eyes closed.
"EXCUSE ME, KING." an Ant Girl said, entering the room.
"...Do you need something? I'm with a guest at the moment, so I'd prefer it if you left..." the King said in barely concealed annoyance.
"IT IS ABOUT THIS YEAR'S FLOOD CONTROL REPORT." the monster explained.
"...Ah, yeah. I'll leave that all up to you." the King delegated.
"ALSO THE PROBLEM ABOUT THE DELAY IN GOODS IN THE BUSINESS DISTRICT." the Ant Girl added.
"...Ah, yeah. I leave that up to you, too. Please do whatever you think is best." the King ordered.
"...CONFIRMED. EXCUSE ME." the monster dismissed herself, leaving the room soon after.
During the whole conversation, I had barely held myself back from punching something.
This was just WRONG!
"Ah, that was embarrassing. In truth, I leave all of the government affairs to the Ant Girls. Thanks to them, I have all the free time I want. Hahaha." the King chuckled wryly.
"I... I see..." Luka acknowledged.
"You saw it, didn't you? The way humans and monsters live together here?" the King asked.
"...Y...Yeah..." Luka confirmed.
"Thanks to the monsters, no humans have to do any manual labor anymore. That's why we're known all over as the place where humans and monsters live together in peace!" the King laughed happily.
I resisted knocking out all his teeth, held back only by my future knowledge.
He would get his comeuppance the following day, and learn from it.
I didn't need to dirty my hands...
~– ~ – ~
We left the castle soon after, and quickly managed to meet up with Alice.
"...So it's like that." Luka said, finishing his explanation of the city's circumstances.
"Hmph..." Alice scoffed, crossing her arms.
"...This isn't coexistence. The humans are just forcing all the work they don't want to do on the monsters." Luka declared.
I agreed wholeheartedly.
The only reason I didn't do or say anything was that I also knew it wouldn't last, unlike him.
"Ant Girls generally follow a leader and act as a group. But using them like this is abuse. In addition, man-made monsters... The Magic Science used here has advanced quite far... But I can't admire it." Alice added, looking at the monsters working in the city.
"They leave everything to the monsters, and live a life of comfort and ease... Daniel, what do you think? You've been silent for a while..." Luka suddenly questioned.
"...This is slavery. Nothing more, and nothing less. It's WRONG." I stated, the last word coming out in a low growl, my expression slipping for a moment into a mask of fury.
Both Luka and Alice looked at me silently, their eyes widening.
Then I closed my eyes and exhaled, some of the tension leaving my body.
"Let's just gather some more information and leave tomorrow. I don't know what I'll do if I stay here any longer than that." I proposed, my expression and tone slightly calmer now.
Luka and Alice both nodded wordlessly, before we moved on.
~– ~ – ~
"A little bit west of here is the Succubus village. I came from there." an old woman told Luka, as we had started a conversation in hopes of getting the local Inn's address.
"Ehh!? Then... You're a Succubus!?" Luka asked in disbelief.
"Fool! I'm a human!" the old woman roared indignantly.
"Can confirm that. You still need to work on your senses." I declared, looking at Luka.
"...Ah... Of course..." Luka said apologetically.
"It's often misunderstood, but the Succubus village doesn't have any Succubi living there. All of the residents are normal humans." the old woman explained.
Of course, I knew she was not entirely correct...
"Then why do they call it the Succubus village?" Luka questioned.
"That's because... Every 100 years, a group of Succubi attack the village. I don't know why, but they're pretty punctual with their attacks." the old woman elaborated.
"Every 100 years Succubi attack the village? Why do they do such a strange thing...?" Luka asked.
"...It's probably due to the influence of the purple moon. It's on a 100 year cycle. When it's a full moon, erotic type monsters have powerful magic and fertility. That night is called the Purple Sabbath... That is, it's the best breeding time for Succubi. They come together as a group and begin their... Activities." Alice elucidated.
"My word! Young lady, you are quite knowledgeable! Even someone who lived in the villege like me didn't know that!" the old woman praised.
"Don't tell me that Purple Sabbath is soon..." Luka said worriedly.
"That's correct. It's one week from now. That's why I've come here to seek shelter. I'm worried for those that are still in the village..." the old woman confirmed.
Good, I thought, inwardly sighing in relief.
We were still on schedule.
"Won't the remaining villagers all be attacked by the Succubi!? If that's the case, I should go...!" Luka said in a concerned tone.
"Hmph. Are you going there so you can be attacked by the Succubi?" Alice deadpanned.
"No! I'm going to defeat them!" Luka declared.
"Well, I guess we're gonna make a stop there then. Hopefully we can get there in time..." I commented.
"Are you not worried you'll get attacked?" Alice asked me.
"Well, I'm not exactly the most appetizing prey around. Plus, I'll have Luka to cover my back. And I'm not going to let him fight an army of hungry monsters alone." I stated.
"Thanks..." Luka said, as he moved to hug me.
Again, I turned him towards Alice instead.
"Stop doing that!" Alice yelled, but the few seconds of silence before it and her red face as she did so made her less than convincing.
I simply snickered and started walking away.
Luka looked at me strangely, after he overcame his own embarassment too.
~– ~ – ~
We learned from Amira about Salamander's location a bit later.
Alice asked her to look into the Orb treasures, and she happily agreed to help her Hero.
I stayed silent like usual.
~– ~ – ~
"Uwa, this place is huge..." Luka said, as we walked into a gigantic room near the castle, the door having been left open.
"Ara, here for an inspection? There are a lot of things I can't show you, so I can't particularly welcome you." a staff member wearing a robe said.
"Is this where the Golem Girl was made?" Luka asked, noting the woman's mage-like garbs, and some of the equipment in the room.
"Yes, this is where we refine our Magic Science. Grangold is the most advanced in all the world." the robed woman proudly declared.
"...I'd like to ask a question. How do you issue orders to the Ant Girls?" Alice inquired.
"That's classified, so I can't say too much... But they basically recognize human orders as coming from the Queen Ant." the woman explained.
"You can do that...? Anyway, where is their true leader, the Queen Ant, located at?" Alice questioned.
"Hehe, you want to know? The Queen Ant is in the basement of the castle." the woman revealed.
"Is she sealed...? Can humans do such a thing?" Alice inquired in a worried tone.
"How it was done is classified. But since it was done, the Ant Girls have become quite useful." the woman concluded.
"Such absurdity... A Queen class monster was sealed by normal humans' power..." Alice muttered in concern.
"I'm awfully curious... Are you perhaps a spy from another country? If so, you can't duplicate it in other countries. Because it's only possible using the cutting edge in Magic Science." the woman grinned.
All of us were silent as we left the building.
However, I still had plans for later about this facility...
~– ~ – ~
Some time after, we spoke with a diplomat inside the castle.
"I leave most of the work to the work to the Ant Girls. But since using Ant Girls as diplomats won't work in a lot of places, I still have to work. I just got back from Lady's village on the tip of the continent the other day." he said conversationally.
"Lady's village...?" Luka asked.
"Just like the name implies, it's a village where a bunch of beautiful women live. But there's been a strange rumor.. So I went to see if it was true or not." the diplomat explained.
"A strange rumor...? What was it?" Luka questioned.
"The male adventurers that go to Lady's village never come back. Women don't have any issues, but men don't ever seem to leave. It's a strange rumor." the diplomat elaborated.
"That seems awfully suspicious..." Luka commented.
"I couldn't leave the issue alone, with people vanishing. So I went as a diplomat. It was quite a nice village, very lovely. And the female Lord, Cassandra, was quite lovely herself." the diplomat recounted.
"Cassandra... Was it?" Alice said, as her eyes snapped open all of a sudden.
Of course, I already knew why.
Cassandra Nereneid.
One of the most dangerous opponents we would face.
So much so, that the Monster Lord herself would have to intervene to stop her...
I only hoped my new technique would help me defend myself long enough to grab Luka and run, if Alice didn't help like in canon.
"What's wrong?" Luka asked her.
"Ah, nothing..." Alice disclaimed, as she returned her expression neutral.
I simply looked at her for a second, before moving my gaze away.
"In the end, it turned out to be just a rumor after all. There are a lot of powerful monsters around the village, it seems like they were just attacked by them." the diplomat concluded.
"Is that really it...? I want to go there and see if there's something else..." Luka started.
"...No. Don't go close to that village." Alice spoke.
"...Why not? You know something, don't you?" Luka guessed.
"It doesn't matter, it's just my advice. Don't go near that village." Alice insisted.
Luka, however, still didn't look convinced.
We left the castle soon after.
"Alright, time for the Inn." Luka said, as the sun started setting.
We then moved to a hotel nearby.
~– ~ – ~
"But still, I feel uneasy in this town..." Luka said uncomfortably, as we put down our stuff in the room.
"Preaching to the choir here..." I dryly quipped.
"It does bug me... But more importantly, how did Grangold seal her...? Even if every human soldier here attacked her at once, I doubt they could have sealed her..." Alice muttered, before a knock resounded through the door.
"...Yes?" Luka answered, as an artificial monster looking like a humanoid doll in skimpy clothes entered the room.
"Excuse me. I came to provide you some service." the Automata Girl said in a mechanical voice.
"Eh...? 'Service'?" Luka asked in confusion.
"I'm a monster created to satisfy the lusts of men. I've been programmed with the finest of sexual skills, and boast the highest quality sexual organs in order to service guests. Which kind of service do you desire?" the monster asked emotionlessly.
I barely held myself back again.
But it was a close thing.
"N...No thank you... I don't want that..." Luka denied.
"But the meaning of my existence... I must give guests service..." the Automata Girl insisted.
The arm of the chair I was sitting on creaked ominously.
"I... I don't want it!" Luka insisted, shutting the door in front of the artificial monster, who still spoke mechanically of 'service' on the other side.
I could feel my body becoming colder and colder.
"...Those damn humans made something like that..." Alice spat out.
"Sheesh. Ilias would be horrified at this..." Luka comented.
I breathed out, managing to calm myself down a little.
After a moment of silence, Alice spoke up.
"...Well, I admire you refusing that doll's service. As a reward... I'll pleasure you with my mouth." she declared, her tone growing hungrier.
"Eh...? Waah!" Luka yelped, as Alice coiled around him again.
"One minute. Go." Alice said, like usual.
I immediately left the room from the window.
I didn't just run away aimlessly, however.
I had a desination this time.
~– ~ – ~
First, I went to the local blacksmith.
I easily found what I needed there, and had more than enough money for it, as it was quite cheap.
Then, I went towards the same laboratory we had visited earlier.
The door was now closed, as expected, but no one was guarding it.
Passing in front of the building, my aura sense did not detect anyone inside.
After checking to make sure there were no surveillance systems I could detect with it either, (I had to concentrate pretty hard, but I was now pretty sure I knew the layout of the building as well) I took out the set of lockpicks I had purchased earlier, and got to work.
I had obviously never done anything like picking a lock before, but since I could feel the internal structure of the mechanism pretty precisely with only my touch and aura senses active, it only took me a few tries to get it open.
The inside was dark, as I had expected, but I could move as easily as in the day thanks to my senses.
I closed the door behind me without locking it, and started searching the place.
I quickly realized I wouldn't be able to understand the equipment itself, so I looked for documents instead.
In a nearby desk's hidden compartment, I managed to find some papers.
Most of it was property of the scientists working here, and contained their observations and theories on the equipment itself.
They didn't know how it worked themselves, as I had expected, but still managed to guess a few things.
I could somewhat understand their work, and it was interesting to see how magic factored in on this world's creatures' biology.
Unfortunately, this was not what I needed.
I had been looking for any information on the pseudo-Six Ancestors' Seal that I knew held Queen Ant, as I knew it was a spell that dealt with pocket dimensions, making it a possible road to follow in order to find a way to get myself home.
Unfortunately, it seemed that if there was any documentation on it, it was not there.
Maybe it was in the castle's basement, where the seal itself was, I thought.
Even if it wasn't, this was my only chance to find out without Ilias suspecting a thing.
I left the building, locking the door behind me.
Then I moved towards the castle.
~– ~ – ~
Obviously, security was tighter there, but thankfully my skillset was perfect for infiltration.
I easily bypassed every Ant Girl standing guard on the way, and entered the secret passage that led downwards, after quickly finding it thanks to my aura sense again.
On the way down, I noted a powerful spell active inside the basement.
Finally I entered the lab itself, after confirming there was no one inside.
I avoided the security systems within easily enough, as they were fairly mundane and familiar to me, only a couple of cameras and sensors.
I managed to find a stack of documents hidden in a safe that was thankfully left open.
I guessed no one really bothered much with security since the place was a secret, and Ant Girls basically had the run of the place upstairs...
The documents themselves were extremely complicated compared to the other ones I had read earlier.
They didn't contain observations, but rather instructions on how to use the machines and equipment.
I instantly realized this was Promestein's work.
I immediately started scanning the pages, looking for anything useful.
Unfortunately, the mechanics behind the seal itself were not explained.
I could feel in the same room a similar seal to that I had detected on Tamamo applied to an obscured tube.
Unluckily, while I could feel some things about it, like the fact it wasn't perfect and would soon break, I didn't understand the mechanics behind it, nor did I have any idea if it could even be used to do what I wanted.
I left the lab soon after, leaving everything as it was.
My heart, however, had only grown heavier.
~– ~ – ~
I walked the streets slowly, taking my time to get back.
As I moved, I thought back on my disappointing findings.
Honestly, I should have expected it.
I mean, Promestein was smart enough not to leave around such important information, even if she had good reason to think nobody would understand it.
And besides, I was no scientist.
I had no idea where to even start on understanding the universe to the level I needed to find my way back home.
I just had hoped that with all that my mind had changed, and all the things I learned about magic through my new sense, I could have gotten a small clue...
But no, I still had nothing.
I didn't allow myself to question if that was ever going to change.
I got back to the Inn soon after, and finally went to bed.
~– ~ – ~
The next morning me Luka and Alice all left the Inn, reentering the busy streets.
"Hey, Daniel, are you ok? You look a bit..." Luka trailed off, unsure on how to end his sentence.
"I'm fine, I just didn't sleep much last night..." I assured in a tired tone.
"Really? Why is that?" Alice asked.
"No reason. It happens sometimes." I shrugged.
I wasn't entirely lying.
I did have trouble sleeping occasionally.
Though last night it had been for a different reason.
"If you say so... You do remember my offer right?" Alice said, referencing her words from back in San Ilia.
Luka looked uncomfortable at the reminder, though he tried to hide it.
"My answer's the same as last time. Thank you, but no thank you." I replied.
"You're going to fall sick if you keep neglecting yourself like this. I won't say anything else, but do take more care. It would be bothersome if you collapsed again." Alice requested, hinting at my lapse of sickness back in Sabasa.
"Don't worry. I'll be fine." I assured her.
Luka just looked with a torn expression at the two of us for a few seconds, before shaking his head and changing the argument.
"Those Ant girls are hard workers..." he commented, looking at the monsters busying themselves around the streets.
"Normally they only obey the Queen Ant's orders. But for the humans to replace her orders with their own, forcing them to work..." Alice started, before a huge explosion interrupted her.
"Wh... What was that!? H... Hey! The Ant Girls...!" Luka exclaimed, as the Ant Girls stopped working and started carrying people away.
They weren't the only ones either, as the Golems started capturing people too.
The screams of the citizens quickly grew louder and louder, as the city descended into chaos.
"It can't be... A rebellion? The Ant Girls and artificial monsters are fighting back?" Luka said in disbelief.
"Sheesh, that's a bad choice of words. It's just the inevitable result that comes about from treating them like slaves." Alice scoffed, as more and more people were attacked around us.
"This isn't good, if I don't do something...!" Luka said in a worried tone.
"...Hmph. They're just reaping what they sowed. This is their reward for treating monsters like slaves. You shouldn't dawdle around here, either. Don't stick out your neck for them, and just leave the town." Alice proposed.
"L...Leave...?" Luka stammered.
"Did you forget that the people of this town have been abusing these monsters until now?" Alice deadpanned.
"I... I didn't forget... It's true this is only happening because of their actions... But I still can't just abandon them!" Luka said, his voice growing resolute.
"...Well, that's what I thought you would say. But what are you going to do against these numbers? The Ant Girls are running wild all over the town, you know?" Alice sighed.
"I know, I can't just fight them at random. You said that the Ant Girls obey the Queen Ant's orders, right? And they thought the human's orders were the Queen's orders?" Luka questioned.
"Yes. But not anymore, it seems." Alice confirmed.
"If they're rebelling like this, then they must be ignoring the humans' orders. That must mean that the Queen Ant is the one controlling them now, right? So if I can stop the Queen Ant, it should stop everything, right?" Luka deduced.
"Sounds like a plan to me. See? I told you you were smart." I smirked.
"...Hmph, you're right. It's undoubtedly the Queen Ant leading this. Even if you can't sense it, the Queen Ant's orders are being sent out via sound waves all over the town. Those waves are not only controlling the Ant Girls, but they're disturbing the thought circuits of the man-made monsters." Alice explained.
"I did wonder what that weird buzzing was this whole time... Damn thing kept me up for hours." I spoke in sudden realization.
"...I'm not even going to bother asking how you could hear that." Alice deadpanned.
"I see... So that's why the Mud Golem Girls are going on a rampage too. Alright, I'm heading to Grangold castle!" Luka declared.
"Sheesh, predictable 'I-help-everyone' Luka. I know I've said it before, but I'm not helping." Alice scoffed, before vanishing.
"Guess it's time for some practice. I still need to get a hang of my new technique, those Mud Golems look perfect for that." I said, cracking my knuckles.
"Alright, here I go!" Luka said, as we both rushed down the street, easily dodging every Ant Girl.
~– ~ – ~
Turning a corner, we suddenly came face to face with a Mud Golem Girl.
"ERROR CODE 412. ENERGY LOW. MALE CONFIRMED. BEGIN SEMEN COLLECTION." the monster droned.
"She's gone berserk..." Luka commented, as he drew his sword, summoning his spirits.
I rushed forward, avoiding the Golem's arm, and unleashing my new technique on its center mass.
The mud twisted in a spiral pattern at my quick movement, some of it splattering around me, becoming inert as soon as it left her mass.
"FOCUS ON GENITALS." the monster spoke mechanically, as some of her mud shot towards Luka's groin, but he dodged, and started wailing on the monster as well.
"BIND THE MAN." the Golem droned. I pulled back to avoid the monster's falling body, as she leaned on top of Luka, covering him with mud.
"WHILE BOUND, STIMULATE." she continued, as her mud started vibrating.
Thankfully Luka almost instantly broke free with Gnome's power.
"MALE ESCAPE CONFIRMED. ATTEMPT AGAIN." the monster droned, as Luka wailed on her again, me joining to his side with a double-handed Twisting Shadow, carving a hole in her body with pure centrifugal force.
Finally, my friend finished the fight with a Lightning Sword Flash, empowered by Sylph's wind.
"OPERATIONS HALTED." the Golem concluded, collapsing into a pile of mud.
"Whew... I have to hurry..." Luka said, as we started running again.
~– ~ – ~
On the way, we passed the same Inn we had stayed in last night.
Suddenly, a familiar monster rushed out of the entrance.
"Welcome, honored guest. Are you here for my services?" the Automata Girl from last night asked mechanically.
""Welcome"...?" Luka asked in confusion.
"Understood. Please enjoy the highest possible pleasure. Ejaculation counter set to 300,000 times. I shall begin my service." the monster declared in the same voice, as Luka noticed the half-naked, collapsed men inside the Inn.
"I shall begin my service. Service begins. Begin service. My service..." the monster repeated, like a stuck record.
"...She's broken too!" Luka exclaimed, as the monster rushed us.
I closed my eyes, unwilling to see such a sad spectacle.
I knew that she wasn't fully sentient.
But seeing something this human-like in such a state...
It was heartbreaking, even for someone like me.
Nevertheless, I took a stance, and intercepted the crazed automaton, pushing her backwards.
She tried to retaliate, her hands shooting towards my waist, but I easily deflected her arms, pinning her to the ground from behind a moment later.
"Master... Would you like me to use my ass to service you?" the Automata said, attempting to rub her rump on my crotch.
Unfortunately for her, I was too far for that, and she just looked pityful wiggling her ass in the air, desperately trying to reach me.
"Luka... Just finish this." I requested in a sad tone.
"...Alright." he agreed, as he stabbed the man-made monster in the head.
"Master... Why...?" the Automata Girl asked in a mechanical tone, as she stopped moving.
I got up from her limp form. Then, after a moment of silence, I spoke up.
"Let's go. We need to end this quickly." I declared.
"Yeah. We have to hurry." Luka agreed, as we ran towards the castle.
"...Are the Ant Girls going to the castle too? Are they gathering all the citizens in the castle?" Luka guessed, noticing the direction the monsters were carrying all the people.
"I think so as well. I can feel them converging towards it." I confirmed.
"Alright, almost there...!" Luka said, as we moved the last stretch to our objective, dashing through the gates.
~– ~ – ~
As we entered the lobby, we could see a lot of men crouching and shaking in fear, the King among them.
Around them, a few Ant Girls were keeping them down.
"MANY PRISONERS COLLECTED. ONE WITH HIGH QUALITY GENES WILL BE THE QUEEN'S REPRODUCTIVE PARTNER. OTHERS WILL BE SLAVES." the monsters droned.
"So that's what they're doing... Leave this to us! Everyone else, escape!" Luka yelled, as we interposed ourslves between the monsters and the hostages.
"Eh...? E... Escape? B... But I'm too scared..." some of them protested.
I looked the King right in the eye, my expression perfectly neutral.
I could see the moment his resolve ignited.
Good.
"...Everybody, leave this to the Heroes! Now, follow me!" he decared, flashing his mantle to attract the crowd's attention.
"Not a Hero, but still get the fuck out!" I yelled at them.
Soon, the prisoners started escaping.
"WAIT! STOP THEM!" One of the monsters droned, as she tried to recapture the escapees.
Luka cut off her path with his blade, drawing the group's attention.
"I'll be your opponent!" he declared, as I used the monsters' momentary distraction to hide myself with a Broken Shadow.
"FIRST DEFEAT HIM. THEN HIS COMPANION. THEN GET THE FLEEING MEN." the first of three Ant girls said.
"THEN WE'LL PRESENT EVERYONE TO THE QUEEN." the second added.
"WAIT... WHERE DID THE OTHER ONE GO?" the last one asked, looking around in confusion.
"I won't let that happen! Prepare yourself!" Luka said, summoning his spirits, and rushing forward.
As the Ant girls tried to defend themselves from his assault, I appeared behind them, lightly pushing them off balance, making Luka's job easier without personally harming any of them.
"EVERYONE, WE HAVE TO CATCH THE OTHER ONE, HE'S WEAKER!" one of them yelled, as they all turned around and tried to jump me.
Even having anticipated it, I barely managed to get out of range in time.
The monsters were starting to get harder to deal with lately, my training and body enhancement barely keeping up with the faster and stronger opponents.
Luka used his chance to wail on them with his most powerful technique, despite their quick retaliation, consisting in a multi-handed caress of his groin from all of them.
Finally, he used his new technique to end the fight.
"AHH..." the Ant girls staggered, nearly completely sealed.
Suddenly, a voice rang out through the air, coming from the same basement I had visited last night.
"...That's enough, my cute little children. Ignore those humans and go after the escaping men." it said.
"BUT THESE HUMANS WILL ATTACK YOU..." the Ant Girls protested.
"I won't allow him to hurt my cute little children any further. I shall personally play with these humans." the voice declared.
"UNDERSTOOD, QUEEN." the monsters droned, before quickly retreating, only Luka and I left in the room.
"I heard she was under the castle... But how do I get there?" Luka pondered aloud, unsure where to go.
"...This way, Luka. The Queen's magical power is leaking out from here." Alice said, as she appeared beside us.
"...A...Alice?" Luka stammered.
"She's right. There must be a hidden passage. Here it is." I said, as I 'found' the secret door leading to the basement.
"But Alice, why are you doing this...? I thought you werent going to help us?" Luka asked in confusion, as we descended the stairs.
"That's true... But I'm involved in it this time too. How did the humans manage to seal the Queen Ant...? I need to find out. In addition, how did they create that Golem Girl..? How did humans create something of that power? As the Monster Lord, I must look into this." Alice declared, as the Spirits inside Luka started speaking to him.
"What's wrong, Sylph...? Why are you acting all funny?" Luka asked.
"Really? I thought she was always a bit strange in the head." Alice commented.
"...Is there really that strong of a barrier here? Oi, oi..." Luka stopped, as Gnome slapped Sylph multiple times in a perfect combo while they were both inside Luka.
Yep.
Still weird.
"I can feel something like that. No idea what it does tho." I confirmed, as we reached the lab itself.
~– ~ – ~
"Wh... What is this!?" Luka exclaimed, overlooking the advanced technology around us.
"Human technology has advanced this far!?" Alice questioned in surprise.
I stayed silent, just looking around with a confused expression.
"W... What's going on!? Why isn't the control working!?" a woman in wizard robes yelled, as she desperately fiddled with the control panel on one of the devices.
"What are these machines? No... What's happening!?" Luka asked, loudly, as he rushed to her.
"I... I don't know! The seal method was broken, and we can't control it any longer! Her thoughts and magic power have already leaked out of this facility... At this rate the Queen herself will be freed...!" the woman said fearfully, as Alice drew closer.
"Hey, you. I want to hear more about that. Did you all really develop this equipment here?" Alice inquired.
"What? That doesn't matter now!" the woman startled, trying to avoid the question.
I looked away from Alice's eyes, as I felt the magic concentrating in them.
"Answer! Where did these machines come from!?" Alice demanded, as her pupils flashed with power.
The woman immediately went rigid, her energy thrown in disarray.
"...We did not develop the technology here. We were given this technology for free..." the woman spoke in a lifeless voice.
"Given it for free? From who...?" Alice questioned.
"That... I don't know." the woman replied.
"Dont' lie! Some stranger gave you all this for free!? No... She can't lie as she is now... Explain it. Now." Alice ordered.
"It was five years ago..." the woman started, before recounting her first meeting with a woman with red hair wearing a white labcoat.
"Who? Some woman called Promestein?" Alice asked.
Luka and I were silent.
"At first I thought she was just some strange peddling witch... But I finally tried the device to concentrate energy... And it was incredible. It seemed to contradict everything we knew about the way the world works. I kept using it... Even though I didn't know how it worked. After that, Promestein kept coming in with more devices... A special magnetic field system, a space altering energy transference device... Because of that, Grangold leaped hundreds of years ahead of everyone else in Magic Science in a short while. We brought the magnificent results to the King... But in fact, there's nothing here that is the result of our own research. All of the technology here was given to us, and we use it without understanding how it works..." the woman explained.
"Holy shit... You couldn't even reverse-engineer it with the equipment itself? That's some crazy technology leap right there..." I whistled in an impressed tone.
"What does it mean...? Who is this Promestein person?" Alice demanded.
"All we know is that she just freely gives us technology. So we decided not to inquire about anything..." the woman responded.
"But why was she giving it to you all for free? Didn't you wonder what her purpose was?" Alice inquired.
"She claimed to just want to test it. We were told to seal the Queen Ant and deliver data on it. She wanted to test sealing powerful monsters... So that she could eventually seal the Monster Lord." the woman concluded.
"What!?" Alice said, her eyes widening.
"...Eh? Why am I telling a story while everything is going crazy!? Ahh! the main system is uncontrollable! The seal is broken... There's nothing that can be done now!" the woman said, before running away in a panic, her energy having returned to normal as Alice's concentration was broken.
As she ran, I felt the seal completely starting to disappear, the Queen Ant's aura entering the room.
"This presence... Is the Queen Ant, isn't it? It seems like the seal really was released..." Luka commented.
"What, you're just realizing that now? Anyway, that woman's story..." Alice started.
"There's a lot that bothered me about that too, but right now the crisis at hand is more important!" Luka interrupted her, unsheathing his sword, as he turned towards the Queen's aura.
"...That's right. I can't leave this insurrection alone as the Monster Lord... You'll need to excuse me. I'll let you deal with this location." Alice said, as she started to leave.
"Wait! I'm coming with you. Luka, be careful down here. I'll try to keep the people of the town safe while you finish this." I declared, aware that a monster Queen was way too much for the current me.
"...Alright. Stay safe." Luka requested, before Alice and I left the basement.
~– ~ – ~
"Are you sure you want to leave him alone down there?" Alice asked me as we ascended the stairs.
"I would just be a burden in such a fight... I know my limits." I drily stated, feeling frustrated at my own weakness.
"I see..." Alice acknowledged, as we exited the hidden passage.
"What are you actually planning? Are we going after the King?" I asked.
"...! You already noticed, huh... As expected of you." she said in a slightly impressed tone.
"It's a good move. Let's go." I shrugged, as we both blurred towards the King's aura.
~– ~ – ~
Soon after, we were in front of him, Alice not bothering with a human disguise.
"Wawawa... M... Monster?" the King stammered as he looked at her, a group of citizens hiding behind him.
"Don't worry, I don't mean you any harm. I'm worried about this insurrection." Alice reassured.
"Wh... Why is this happening...? We didn't do anything wrong...!" the King stammered in confusion.
"...Really? Is that what you truly think? So, slavery is perfectly acceptable to you?" I dryly remarked.
"...Sheesh, that lack of awareness is your biggest crime. The future of your country is bleak. You will become simple slaves of the Ant Girls at this rate. All that awaits you are endless days of backbreaking labor... Haha." Alice chuckled.
"N...No way... This is horrible..." the King said in terror.
"You don't have the right to denounce their actions after what you did." I declared in a harsh tone.
"Wh... What do you mean?" the King asked in befuddlement.
"...That 'horrible' thing is what you've inflicted on the Ant Girls until now." Alice concluded.
"...Eh?" the King exclaimed in confusion.
"Think of what you've been doing to the Ant Girls until now. And what that means for you as the King." Alice ordered.
"And as a person too, if it pleases you 'your majesty'." I added in an unimpressed tone.
"What it means... As the King... And as a person..." the King trailed off, his expression growing thoughtful for a while.
He opened his eyes again, now filled with resolve.
"Take me to the Queen Ant, please. I must end this." he requested with a clear voice.
I sighed wordlessly, as Alice grabbed him and we both blurred towards the castle again.
~– ~ – ~
We entered the room just as Luka was about to seal the defeated Queen.
"Please, stop this already. If you don't, I'll have to seal you again..." Luka pleaded.
"...I don't intend to beg for my life, nor do I intend to stop my revenge. I will not stop until I rule over this town and enslave all the humans." the Ant Queen declared, even on her knees.
"Wait!" Alice and I yelled, entering the room with the King in tow.
"...Who are you? What business does a powerful monster like you have here? It can't be... Are you...!?" the Queen Ant stammered, as she studied Alice, before her eyes widened in surprise.
"It's just as you think. However right now, my identity doesn't matter. This man wants to say something. You should listen too, Queen Ant." Alice declared, dropping the King of Grangold in front of the Queen Ant.
"Very well... Since it's an order from you." the monster nodded respectfully at Alice, before turning in anger towards the King of Grangold.
"...What do you want to say!? What does the one in charge of oppressing me and my children wish to say!?" she demanded.
"...That's right, I was the one in charge. I'll become your slave." the King acknowledged in a resolute voice.
"...Is this a jest? You are a leader like me, are you not!? Do you have no pride at all!?" the Queen Ant shouted.
"I'm not making a joke, I mean it. In trade... Will you please forgive the rest of the citizens?" the King humbly pleaded.
"...I see, so you are trying to bargain. Did you think I would simply nod my head and agree? Do you understand how much suffering you humans caused my children and I!?" she furiously accused.
"I know... I know now, but didn't before... To ask for forgiveness now is selfish, I know..." the King acknowledged.
"Then why!?" the Queen demanded.
"...We didn't notice. We thought the Ant Girls were like unfeeling machines... We never considered them actual beings... Just dolls with hands and feet to work. As for the Queen... We thought you were an evil existence outside human understanding." the King explained.
" No! We're..." the Queen started.
"...That's what we all thought until this happened. You have feelings just like us... The days they went through until now were full of pain and suffering. And for you to be kept imprisoned and sealed as your children suffered... We... We didn't realize that monsters had the exact same thoughts and feelings as humans..." the King concluded, as his gaze affixed itself to the ground in shame and guilt.
"Queen Ant, don't you think the same way? These tiny, weak humans are undeserving of any notice, are they not? Their lives are meaningless when compared to your powerful existence, right? But the feelings these humans hold are the same as us monsters. They feel sadness, pain and happines, just as we do. Just because they are weaker than you does not mean that they cannot feel the same things you do." Alice spoke to the Queen, as she looked thoughtful.
"And just because someone is powerful beyond understanding, it doesn't mean they are any different either. Power and emotion are not tied together. No matter how strong or weak one is physically or magically, their hearts can still be fragile as glass." I added, looking towards the King.
He just bowed his head even lower.
"..If you do the same thing as the humans did, then this entire situation will repeat. Only this time you will be the one treating the enslaved humans as unfeeling dolls. You will be the same as the oppressor you feel so much hatred towards right now... Now then, I'm tired. You take over talking, Luka. This is where your little dream world building comes into play, right?" Alice requested, turning to Luka, as he startled at suddenly being put on the spot.
"...Eh? M...Me? Shouldn't Daniel do it?" Luka timidly questioned.
"Nope. This is your job, Hero." I denied.
"I really hate when you use that word against me..." Luka said in annoyance.
I agreed completely...
"Humans and monsters don't really understand each other at the moment... I think... But deep down we're all the same... If we, uh, try to talk to each other and understand our differences we'll be able to get along... As we grow to know each other more... We'll, err, solve our issues." Luka stammered, desperately trying to sound certain, and failing miserably.
"...Yeah, we're gonna have to work on your speeches." I quipped, earning myself a glare from him.
"...It's just as the idiot said. You don't understand humans either, Queen Ant. This retaliation won't solve anything... Won't you stop this now? For your own sake, this should end now." Alice proposed.
"If it's an order from you, I have no choice but to reconcile with them..." the monster Queen said in a resigned tone.
"I'm not giving you any stupid orders like that. If you can't bring yourself to reconcile with them, then this evil will continue." Alice declared neutrally.
The Queen Ant was silent at that, before turning back to the King.
"...Do you regret from the bottom of your heart the labor forced on my children?" she finally asked, looking at the King.
"...Yes, I apologize from the bottom of my heart. If you desire, I shall have all of the citizens apologize too. Surely they all realize the grievous error we have made until now." the King said in a sure tone.
"Frome here on and forever after, do you vow never to do anything similar?" the queen questioned.
"...Of course. We now know that you have the same heart as us humans. It wouldn't be possible to force labor on anyone like that." the King declared.
"Very well... Then let's assume it has ended. Perhaps our rebellion has crossed a line, too." the Queen conceded.
"Eh, I wouldn't say the rebellion was the issue, more like what you planned to do afterwards..." I shrugged wryly.
The Queen nodded wordlessly.
"Then...?" Luka drowled hopefully.
"I shall release all of the captured humans. King, I believe in your words..." the Queen Ant declared, ending the conflict once and for all.
Another step done.
But our journey was still long...
~– ~ – ~
We left the castle soon after, the Ant Girls releasing the captured humans as promised, and the rulers both explained the situation to the crowd together with a pretty impressive speech, especially compared to Luka's.
I guess he wasn't King for nothing huh?
Still, he should have known better...
Eh, whatever.
It was over now.
~– ~ – ~
Some time later, we met the two rulers in a warehouse that had become a temporary audience hall because of the damages in the castle.
"Really, thank you for everything you've done. Words alone are unable to describe how indebted to you we are." the King said gratefully.
"I too was about to commit a grave error. The humans I was going to oppress all have fathers and mothers who would have grieved for them as I grieved for my children. Just as I have a bond with my children, so do the humans have bonds with theirs. I did not realize it... I viewed humans as evil and unable to feel emotions as I did." the Queen Ant admitted with a regretful tone.
Mothers and fathers, huh?
I couldn't help but wonder how mine were doing...
Probably better without me to be honest.
"This town that we destroyed, we shall help rebuild. After that... Well, that will be saved for later. My children do not seem to dislike living in this town. If the humans permit it, we may stay in this town." she continued.
"The belief through the world is that humans and monsters live here in perfect coexistence... But that wasn't true. I intend to make that falsehood a reality, and let human and monster live here in harmony." the King declared.
From falsehood to truth, huh?
I sorta wished I could do the same...
But my lies were not so easy to make real.
"I wish for the same. Searching for a solution together with the humans may not be a bad idea." the Queen agreed.
"Luka, you set out to make a world where humans and monsters can coexist, right? Those thoughts of yours are what has saved this town." the King said gratefully.
"Ah, no, I think what you did was more important. Acknowledging your mistakes, apologizing and setting things right..." Luka disclaimed.
"Speaking of that, it was your friends that brought me to my senses..." the King said, before recounting our meeting during the fight Luka had with the Queen Ant.
"Your words were straight to the point, and sharp enough to cut through my illusions. I must thank you both for that." he concluded, looking at me and Alice.
"Eh, I was honestly just pissed off, no need to thank me for venting." I shrugged.
Alice was silent.
"To think we were so foolish as to not even realize what we were doing..." the King trailed off.
"So that's what happened..." Luka said, proudly smiling at me.
God, he was going to be so annoying later, I just knew it...
"That's why I cannot show you my thanks enough. I wish to give you some sort of gift, but everything is tied up in the repairs..." the King mournfully said.
"Don't worry about a gift... Right, Alice." Luka turned to her.
"Ah... What? N...No gift..." Alice stammered with a sad look.
"A... Anyway, we have to be going soon. There's a lot more we have left to do." Luka concluded.
"I see, that's too bad... I wish you safety on your travels!" the King said.
"I thank you too, human Hero. And your friend too. And..." Queen Ant trailed off.
"...I'm a travelling gourmet." Alice declared.
"...Thank you, Miss Gourmet. I will never forget this favor." she finished.
"Then, we're off!" Luka said, as we waved back to the two rulers, leaving the warehouse.
~– ~ – ~
"...This time, I'm sure everything will turn out well." Luka said in a serene tone, looking at the town being repaired by both humans and monsters in collaboration.
"Hm... I wonder... There may be many humans who will be afraid of the Ant Girls after what happened." Alice pondered.
"D... Don't say that..." Luka pleaded dejectedly.
"But there will be many who will repent as the King has. Which path will most of the citizens take, I wonder?" Alice thought aloud.
"After what happened here... I realize that understanding each other is important. If everyone is able to understand the feelings of those of other races, then I'm sure we'll all be able to live in peace..." Luka said hopefully.
"So... You don't believe anyone understands each other right now? Humans don't understand monsters, and monsters don't understand humans?" Alice inquired.
"Humans and monsters are different, that's a fact... But just because they have differences, it doesn't mean it's not possible for them to understand each other's feelings." Luka declared.
"So we have to understand our differences as we struggle for coexistence?" Alice deduced.
"Yes, that's it! So you do get it, Alice!" Luka said happily.
"I'm just teasing you, you idiot. But I do see where you're coming from. Even I thought humans were barbaric savages that attacked indiscriminately before I set out on this journey." Alice reminisced.
"Me too... Honestly, I still had some prejudice against monsters before I started traveling with you." Luka confessed.
"Hmph... It's true spending time together has knocked down those walls. But until it happens everywhere, it won't end." Alice acknowledged.
"I know it's important for everyone to be able to think like that... But there are still a lot of obstacles in the way stopping that understanding from taking place... Daniel, what do you think about this?" Luka asked turning to me.
I was silent for a moment, before I scratched my head wryly and spoke up.
"Well... My thoughts are kind of different from you two. I mean, I obviously agree that peace is possible, if not outright inevitable, as I already mentioned... But there's also the fact that true, complete understanding is a bit of a pipe dream in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, I believe in empathy, and I agree that people can get along and comprehend and appreciate parts of each other. But fully knowing who another individual is, every part of their experiences and personality is just not possible without becoming the other person yourself. As for differences, stuff like race only matters to those who care about it. There is really no reason monsters and humans can't be friends regardless of differences, like humans can hate or love other humans and monsters like or dislike other monsters. What matters is the individual, not the group they belong to. Of course, this is just my opinion, I don't expect many other people to share it..." I shrugged.
They both looked at me, blinking for a moment, before nodding thoughtfully.
After a minute of silence, Luka raised his head and spoke.
"Besides... Just who was that Promestein person?" he asked thoughtfully.
"I didn't think such technology existed in human society..." Alice pondered.
"...Is she not a human? Then is she a monster?" Luka guessed.
"...I don't know." Alice admitted.
I could only stay silent, looking curious as well, as Ilias' gaze was always upon us...
~– ~ – ~
We left the town soon after, headed to our next destination.
Hopefully, we would make it in time...
I had done my best to keep us on schedule so far.
I could only pray it would be enough.