Hey guys! Crescent Rider here and I'm back with another chapter. But before you all begin, there are a few things that I must tell you.
First off, the whole Poll System that I've made? Well, I've decided that after I've posted this chapter. I will be making two Prologues of the top two selections of the poll to show everyone what I have in store for those stories!
Second, for those who may assume how long it'll take for me to finish the first season of my story. I think I'll finish it with 20+ Chapters, but I won't reach or exceed 25 Chapters. However, I will occasionally do a double update whenever I feel like it.
And lastly, I recalled a review about when will there be a new Servant for this story. My answer is soon as I'm still thinking about who to summon next. But feel free to suggest a few names and the 'why' he/she will suit in the chapter.
That is all and as always. Enjoy the chapter!
Central Colony Capital
Minions of the Demon Lord's Subordinate had passed through, they were welcomed with an eerie atmosphere as the silence of the streets was unsettling.
Many of the Demon Lord's Minions and Subordinates have grown anxious due to several rumors circulating through the ants.
The Central Colony was once a powerful ant colony that ruled all the Ants. Everything they had was theirs and theirs alone. But due to the nature of the ants, all four regions banded together and destroyed the Central Colony.
The superstition of these rumors involved the supernatural. From whispers of the wind to the disappearances of individuals regardless of their race.
Many believed that the ones responsible were monsters, but no bodies nor their blood were ever found as their trail ends at where they once stood. Many assumed that the Capital was cursed by the deceased ants of the once-powerful colony. And many feared that setting foot into this land would never be seen again.
But beyond those lies the treasures located beneath the mines of this colony. They remained untouched for centuries, and many desires its wealth.
It explains how several daring individuals would go to such lengths for enormous wealth that would set people's lives for life.
As for these people, their mission is to find the Western Heiress and bring her back before they suffer the wraith of their lord.
They soon arrived at the steps of the main capital building, and they all go about their plan.
They will split into groups of two, and the first group will ascend to the top while the rest descend to the bottom.
After the groups were made, they begin the search.
Meanwhile...
Nadia notices their strategy and establishes a telepathic connection with her subordinates.
"They're splitting up, Commence the Operation," Nadia ordered.
[Understood!]
After the order was given, Nadia and the three occupants beside her watch the plan unfold...
Top Floors
Group One makes its way up the stairs and remained cautious as ever.
They would occasionally glance around from the sides and back to ensure no one was following them.
Once they reached the second floor, they were greeted with a long hallway with closed doors and at the very end of the hallway was a single window.
Group One then makes its way through the hallway and searched every room for the Western Heiress. Unknownst to them, they were being watched by a handful of Willow's underlings.
They would watch over them as they kept searching the 2nd floor until they reached the end of the hallway. That is when Group One notices two separate ways.
Rather than take one way, circle around the second floor. They've decided to split up with two taking the left and three taking the right.
As soon as they went their separate ways, Willow's underlings followed their example and observes both of them.
Left Hallway
The two underlings of Group One carefully walked their way through while opening certain doors that leads to other rooms. They also passed by a couple of warrior ant statues along the way.
But when the two passed the fifth statue, he catches one of the underlings off guard and gagged his mouth with a sticky rag before entering what appears to be a transparent wall.
The second underling took notice of his disappearance but was unable to address the problem when a larger minion of Willow's comes down the ceiling and snatches the second off the floor and onto the ceiling.
Before he could let out a scream, the spider had already covered his mouth with webbing and a magic circle appeared beneath it. Sending it and the underling to a location.
Right Hallway
The three underlings of Group One passed through certain doors as well, but one of them ends up opening a door and finds a pile of gold inside.
This intrigued him and glances at the other two underlings before entering the said room. Before he knew it, he had already been brought down to the ground by Reese and two of Willow's spiders came along.
The Two Underlings noticed his disappearance and were alarmed. The two of them attempted to run their way back but fails miserably as the floor suddenly collapsed and both fell through.
As they fled from the floor, they stopped falling in mid-air and somehow find themselves immobilized as they couldn't move their bodies regardless of what they do. Upon close inspection, they spotted thin lines of webbing and a lot of them had wrapped around their limbs and waist.
Then, the spiders that weaved the webs appeared and crawled their way toward the two. Then, they weaved their webs all over the underlings before returning them to a certain location.
Underground Level
Group Two made their way to the underground level of the building. As expected, the tunnels were dark, and they resorted to using torches as their source of light.
But the moment they stepped into those dark tunnels; their fates were already sealed...
As they went deeper into the tunnels, the one underling falling behind the group had been snagged and silenced by one of Willow's large spiders.
Then another one, but from the side as a Western Ant snuck behind the next one and dragged him into a transparent wall before he could make a sound.
And the remaining three stopped and turned around as they noticed the disappearance of two of their group members. But when they shine their torches from behind, Several of Willow's subordinates appeared and all three were startled.
"What the hell!?" An underling exclaimed,
As the three backed away, the one in the middle felt a pair of hands being pressed onto his shoulders while the other two felt two pairs of legs pressed against their backs.
When the three shakingly turned their heads around, they were soon greeted by none other than Willow herself. But the three were petrified by the very gaze she had given to them.
"Hello there..." Willow greeted in a voice that sent chills down their spines, while dozens of her minions swarmed all on all sides,
The three underlings screamed in sheer terror and echoed within the tunnel walls of the capital.
A Few Minutes Later...
After every underling was gathered at a secluded area, tied with their hands behind their backs and their feet together with webbing instead of rope, and their mouths were tightly sealed.
Nadia, the two Ant Heiresses, and Her Servant approached said group and looked down on these people.
"Bell, please," Nadia requested while holding out her hand to Da Vinci,
"Here you go!" Da Vinci said as she placed a bell onto Nadia's hand,
"What's the bell for?" Zen questioned,
"Remember that time when I had everyone haul every treasure, they find in one room?" Nadia inquired,
"Yeah, and what about it?" The Western Heiress inquired,
"Well, this bell caught my interest, and I inscribed some runes just by the ring of the bell," Nadia explained, "Now, it's an enchanted item,"
Nadia firmly holds the bell's handle and brings it up to the underlings. As she lets it ring a few times, a melodic wave of magic rang to the underlings and every last one of them had been affected by the bell's tone.
Once she was done, she gives the bell to Da Vinci's hands and snaps her finger once. This sets the restrains of the underlings on fire, but the flames dissipate as soon as the webbing is gone.
The underlings steadily rise from the ground while Willow and Reese remained cautious of these people. But moments later, all ten underlings kneel with their heads down and displayed a sudden show of loyalty to her.
Much to the confusion of everyone in the room.
"What is thy bidding," All ten underlings said simultaneously,
"Go outside," Nadia ordered, "My subordinates and I wish to talk in private,"
The Ten Underlings nodded in response and left the room without objection.
'What did you do to them," The Western Heiress questioned,
"Oh, just cast a spell on them," Nadia said, "With their will being this weak. Controlling their minds wasn't too much of a problem,"
"And what do you plan on doing with them?" Western Heiress asked,
"Normally, I'd avoid all means of contact. But this subordinate you mentioned, I get the feeling he's going to be a bigger problem if I had left him alone," Nadia declared,
"Left him alone?" Zen gasps once and realizes her intentions, "You don't mean?!"
"That's right," Nadia said, then turns to them with a malicious look on her face, "We're taking the Western Regions from him..."
Everyone excluding Da Vinci gapes at this decision while the Caster herself expressed her reaction, "Ara, Ara,"
But a few moments later, the Western Heiress suddenly tears up and Nadia has yet to notice.
"It will take some planning considering we have yet to know about the number of his army, the tactics he uses, and the terrain of the Western Regions," Nadia pointed out, "But with this group, I think I can make some progress with-"
Before she could say another word, the Western Heiress lunges toward Nadia and hugged her. She has caught her off guard, but this moment reminded her of her life with a certain someone she once knew.
Rather than question it, Nadia returns the hug and pats her on the back a couple of times.
A Few Moments Later...
Nadia and her loyal subordinates were undergoing a meeting regarding the Western Regions.
Thanks to the information that had been collected by every underling of the group. Nadia has a clearer number of the subordinate's army as well as their approximate locations and patrol routes. This makes it easier to conduct certain paths for her army to avoid detection.
Up next, The Subordinate's [Command Mantra] has a limited range but he extends it by using broadcasting magic. Thus, the entire region can be affected if nothing is done about it.
Then there's the location of every Queen and Heiress, though some are heavily guarded by the Subordinate's underlings.
Thus, groups must be organized, and leaders will be assigned.
The First Group will consist of Willow and a handful of her most powerful subordinates, they will handle the hostage situations and free the queens and their heiresses from the subordinate's clutches, and escape via Teleportation Crystals that were made by Nadia's experiments.
The Second Group will be five of Reese's most experienced scouts as they evolved certain skills that made them equivalent to assassins. Their job is to find and disrupt the subordinate's chain of command as well as cause mass confusion.
That's when the Third Group will come in, they consist of Western Heiress' guards and Nadia's people that originated in the Western Regions. They will sneak in as the First and Second Groups progress with their assigned tasks and rally the Western Ants into a rebellion.
Once the masses rebel and the royals are freed, Nadia would be able to deal with the subordinate and possibly the Demon Lord he serves.
As for Zen and the Western Heiress, they will remain in the Central Colony and guarded by a handful of elite guards.
"Alright, Any more questions?" Nadia questioned,
"I have one," Da Vinci said as she raised her hand,
"What is it, Da Vinci-chan?" Nadia questioned,
"I was wondering. What will be my role in this plan of yours?" Da Vinci inquired,
"You will be accompanying the Second Group and tamper with the broadcasting magic into our favor," Nadia revealed, "Keep your presence subtle, and make sure you don't attract too much attention to yourself,"
"Okay!" Da Vinci said while making an OK hand gesture,
"That will be all," Nadia said, "Deadline is in three days! Now make your preparations!"
"UNDERSTOOD!" Everyone said simultaneously,
As the meeting ends, the Western Heiress and her guards remained while the rest leaves. When Nadia was about to follow but stops when she hears a request.
"Lady Nadia, do you have a minute?" The Western Heiress requested,
Nadia stays behind and the Western Ants suddenly bowed their heads before her.
"We can't thank you enough for helping our cause," The Western Heiress thanked, "For that, we owe you so much,"
"Thank me after we've completed our objective," Nadia said, "It's too soon for you to show this kind of gratitude,"
"I know that much, but hearing this plan of yours has convinced us otherwise," The Western Heiress stated, "Thus, we will follow you to the ends of this world, Lady Nadia,"
"H-Hey! You don't have to go that far, you know," Nadia stated while seemingly averting her gaze from them, "It's a bit embarrassing,"
However, Nadia soon clears her throat once and comes to a decision, "How about this then, what if I give you and your men a name?"
This surprised them to the core, and they glanced at each other before facing Nadia with uncertainty in their eyes, "A-Are you certain about this? It's a little bit much..."
"Nonsense, since we're going to work together in this fight. This method will suffice as it makes things easier for me to identify you," Nadia stated,
With that, The Western Heiress and her guards kneeled before her, and Nadia provides appropriate names for all of them.
"Let's see..." Nadia muttered, then starts with the Western Heiress, "Since you're from the land of the desert, then your name will be... Alia,"
The Western Heiress' body glowed once while Nadia continues from the Royal Guard Leader down to the other three other guards, "As for the rest of you, Osman, Nassor, Shakir, and Adham,"
The Four Royal Guards' bodies glowed and all five of them smiled and kneeled before her. However, doing this whole thing again had Nadia recall a certain incident when she named her subordinates before.
'Wait a minute... I just named them, that means...' As the realization surges through her mind, Nadia hastily turns away from the five, "I just recall something important! I'll be right back!"
Nadia soon rushes out of the room while the Western Heiress, now named as Alia, and her guards glanced at each other in utter confusion.
But regardless of her behavior, they would wholeheartedly trust her with this plan.
Meanwhile...
Kayden and his party had reached the kingdom walls and the wagon soon reaches its stop.
Kayden and his party disembark from the wagon and the leader showed his generosity to the coach, "Thank you for bringing us back safe and sound,"
"Don't mention it," The Coach said,
Kayden and his party then made their way back to the Guild to report their findings to the Guild Master.
Upon arrival, they requested a meeting, and the Receptionist handles it as fast as she could.
Once the Guild Master arrives, Kayden provides full details of their findings in the Ant Regions.
"I see... So, your investigation has been successful compared to the other adventurers," The Guild Master stated,
"Yes, what's more. We recently found out that the only region that remains neutral to our presence was a Capital in the Central Regions," Kayden summarized, "Unlike the other regions, The ones residing there showed no hostility. They seemed rather friendly if you ask me,"
"I see," The Guild Master concluded, "As for your reward, it's fortunate to say that your team alone will take the majority of the reward,"
"As much as we like that, I'm afraid we can't accept such a reward," Kayden said, "Especially when such an amount is way above our average payment"
"I knew you'd say that, but rest assured that some of the reward money will be given to the families of the deceased," The Guild Master stated,
"Come on, man. Just take it, we've worked hard too you know," Arnold insisted,
"I agree," Fernand followed, "And before you ask, we aren't acting selfishly on this one,"
Kayden turns to Carona and Eva but notices the look on their faces and he knew that they agreed with Arnold's words as well.
With a heavy sigh, Kayden agrees to the reward, "We'll take the money,"
Arnold's fist pumped to himself before fisting bumping Fernand while Carona and Eva let the boys be themselves.
Before the Guild Master could settle the amount, The receptionist knocks on the door, and everyone turns towards it.
"Come in," The Guild Master insisted, and the Receptionist lets herself in, "What is it,"
"Sir, A Noble wishes to see these adventurers," The Receptionist stated,
"A Noble? Who is it?" The Guild Master inquired,
"Marquis Isaac," The Receptionist revealed,
With that, The Guild Master tends to this matter while ordering Kayden's group to stay where they are. Moments later, Isaac enters the room with the Guild Master escorting him from behind.
As soon as the two sat down, Isaac exchanged his greetings with them and proceeds to a lengthy discussion.
Demon Lord's Stronghold...
After the Demon Lord's conversation with Isaac and one of his subordinates. He had gained an uncertain feeling in mind.
Since his subordinate is still focused on finding the Western Heiress, then he wouldn't be able to handle the situation even with [Command Mantra] at his arsenal.
Thus, he decided to go with a certain countermeasure.
He brings up his crystal ball and contacted a certain subordinate of his.
Moments later, a connection was established, and a seemingly arrogant voice rung from the ball, "Ugh, what is it now?"
"I want you to look into something," The Demon Lord requested, "And since you've been doing nothing but challenge these insects, then it wouldn't bother you to check up on the Western Regions for me? Will, you not?"
"Such a bothersome task, don't you have other people to bother with such hubris?" The Voice questioned,
"The others have their tasks, you have none. Now get to it before I come there personally," The Demon Lord demanded,
The voice grunts in irritation and disconnected as if he wasn't one with idle chatter.
The Demon Lord then rested his head against his knuckles. Despite his subordinate's compliance with his order, he is still filled with uncertainty as if a hunch was trying to reach his mind.
'What is going to happen there...' The Demon Lord muttered,
That is it for this chapter people! As for the next one, it'll be in August, and I may attempt on making two chapters to try and pick up the pace of this story.
As for the top two stories that I mentioned, I'll surprise you all!
That is all, stay safe from the virus, and I will see you all in the next chapter and the Prologues of the Two Top Stories!
