"My lord! W-we have a serious problem!!"
The baron had been enjoying the afternoon sun when he was rudely interrupted. A soldier burst into his office unannounced, bearing startling news. The baron dropped his teacup, which tumbled onto the floor.
Kee-rash! Clink, clink, clink.
"What…?" The baron's face turned pale as a sheet. "Tell me that again. Did you just say ants? Giant ants?"
"Yes, my lord. Giant beast ants appeared in Master Lloyd's mine."
"Where is Lloyd?"
"The workers said that he chose to stay behind and told everyone else to flee…"
"Is he alone?"
"No. Sir Asrahan is with him." The soldier's face became tearful after he gave his report. Everyone in the room had heard about the beast ants that lived beyond the eastern mountain range. Those creatures instilled fear in the land. Every single ant had the strength and savagery of a wolf. They came in great numbers, without fear, and moved in force. To confront the creatures was to guarantee your own death. The chances of surviving an encounter with them, where they burrow underground, were slim to none.
"Sir Bayern has mobilized the soldiers and assembled them at the mine entrance. He is ready to seal the mine."
That was the best they could do. If the ant colony left the mine, they would wipe out everything in their path. The villagers would be massacred. The people and livestock would be turned into meat dumplings stuffing. If you were lucky, you would be paralyzed and taken alive to be put away in storage. At least you'd have a chance. Otherwise, you would become a hearty meal for little ant babies. So, to prevent such a disaster from unfolding, the mine had to be shut down. The baron, however, remained silent after hearing this plan.
"My lord? Sir Bayern has told me to receive orders from you, my lord…"
Nervous and confused, the soldier glanced at his lord. The baron remained silent for some time. Seconds later, he sprang to his feet and opened the armoire in his office. He began to put on the armor that was kept inside.
"My lord?" The soldier called, but the baron did not respond. The only sound in the office came from the clanking metal armor.
Clack! Click!
He put a steel-studded brigandine on his chest and silvery poleyn knee guards. The baron strapped demi-greaves over his shins and placed a bascinet on his head. Next, he strapped an iron-framed shield onto his back and hung a well-worn longsword at his hip. He was clearly preparing for battle.
The soldier watched his lord suiting up while he wore a befuddled expression, as surely the baron had not carried a sword in at least the last decade.
"My lord? What…"
"Let us go."
"Excuse me?"
"I shall leave you behind if you do not follow me."
Slam! The baron rushed out of the office, almost kicking open the door. He ran down the stairs and headed to the stable, hopping onto a horse.
"Go!" He prodded the flanks of the horse.
At that moment, the baron was preoccupied with only one concern. Wait for me just a little longer, Lloyd. You must hang in there! He rushed to the mine at a gallop, with his heart growing more desperate each second.
****
Thwaaack! Slash!
Javier leaped up off the ground and swung his sword through the air. He aimed to drop right on top of an ant's head.
"Skreee!"
Another giant ant was dead, its head split in half. The scream was accompanied by a spray of translucent liquid that spattered out in all directions. Before the effluvium could splash on the ground, his sword was already aimed at his next target. The blade shone with a cool light.
Swoosh! Clatter! Stab!
Javier slashed an ant's side and twisted the blade in its thorax. He kicked the abdomen aside and deflected an incoming attack. He stabbed, slashed, and swung his sword. As soon as the sword slashed down on one, it was thrust forward towards another ant.
One slash on the left, another on the right. Slice the upper left and stab the side. And a blow to the head? Lloyd clucked his tongue as he ran through the narrow mine. He was impressed. He couldn't help it. Javier was charging forward two steps ahead, and he couldn't help but praise the swordsmanship on display in front of him.
"Dang. He's amazing. That's the skill of a true knight. Sir Neumann was nothing compared to Javier. His movements flowed like a river, each and every step unhindered and free. But at the same time, each strike was fatal. There were small movements that his eyes couldn't keep up with. His sword flashed for several seconds, masterfully attacking and deceiving his opponent in a series of impressive maneuvers. In short, Javier's swordsmanship bordered on art. The wild ant hordes were slashed away with his elegant, yet powerful sword strikes.
"Hey! Aren't you getting tired?" Lloyd yelled as he followed behind.
Javier glanced behind as he fought. "I am tired." He answered in a calm and monotonal voice.
No one would be able to tell he was tired from his voice alone. But Lloyd knew. We don't have much time. Sure, Javier was strong, but he was still just human. He had his limits. No one could fight forever. Had Javier reached the level of a sword master, the endless circulation of mana would have kept him strong and robust no matter what. But he wasn't there yet. Right now, the Asrahan Core Technique was only slowing down his fatigue. But that would eventually reach its limit too.
"Master Lloyd, when is your brilliant plan going to kick in?" Slash! Javier inquired as he sliced an ant blocking the way into three pieces.
Lloyd frowned. "Not yet!"
"When will it start?"
"I don't know. I'm trying my best to look for it!"
"Look for it…?"
"Hush! Keep clearing the way. The more we move, the greater our chance of survival!" Lloyd shouted with some irritation. It was true. Even now, Lloyd was pushing his surveying skill to its limit. He had been scanning the cave without stopping for a second. He was scanning frantically to find the methane gas layer that was hidden somewhere below the ant nest.
I'm sure it's here. This area is dotted with bituminous coal. Methane gas is bound to be here. Lloyd kept running. With Javier taking the lead, Lloyd sprinted around the ant cave.
He scanned everywhere, keeping the skill range to a minimum. After a while of frantic and desperate scanning, Lloyd finally caught sight of something.
"Found it!" He caught a slight amount of methane gas beneath the ground. It wasn't the main reserve of gas. Just a small stream of it. But I can't get full access from here. A sixteen-foot-wide layer of soil and rock sat between the cave and the gas. It would take more than a month to dig that deep with his shovel. Bangul was not an option since the cave was too small for her to grow large.
"Javier! Over there!" Lloyd pointed at a passageway that ran in the direction of the methane gas layer.
"From now on, run wherever I point. Okay?!"
"I understand. But…"
"But?"
"Will we make it out alive?" Javier glared at Lloyd as he calmly sliced open an ant. His look signaled he was ready to die here.
Lloyd found himself chuckling when he saw Javier's look of dire resolve. "What? You're scared?"
"I am not scared, but…"
"Then?"
"I think it is a bit unfair."
"That you might die here?"
"No."
"What, did you hide a stash of porn under your bed or something? Are you scared that people might find them after you're gone?"
"Of course not. To be fully honest…" Javier sighed at length. "I do not like how I am going to die with a man like you."
"Wow."
"It's my selfish desire as a knight. I personally believe that the most honorable death a knight can encounter is sacrificing his life for someone more respectable and worthy."
"Ha-ha… So, you think it sucks that you will perish side by side with a hooligan like me?"
"That is perfectly correct."
"Yeah? Look at you; speaking so shamelessly."
"Well, what is the good of hiding it when we are both bound to perish here?"
"So, you're showing your true colors, yeah?"
"I said it because I thought I should be honest about it at least once before I die."
Clatter! Thwack! Slash!
The colony of ants kept charging in their direction. The soldier ants stood guarding the nest, trying to stop Lloyd and Javier from moving forward. Each time they did so, Javier chopped them up. Lloyd was panting for air as he followed. With his torch and steel shovel, he kept back the colony that was chasing them. And so, they used their bodies to fight the ants. Just as they used their mouths to quarrel with each other.
"Hal! Fine! We might as well have a heart-to-heart talk since we're about to die anyway!"
"Heart-to-heart talk?"
"Yeah! Let's forget our rank and just talk honestly. Woah!"
"I like that. Hah!"
Clang! Slash!
Both ran into the left passageway. Javier swung his sword while Lloyd held up his torch and wielded his shovel. Their bickering continued. Naturally, Lloyd shouted first.
"I'll start then. You're so annoying!"
"How so?"
"You're too good-looking!"
"But I was born with this face."
"Yes, exactly!"
"Are you done?"
"What if I'm not?"
"I will simply get my turn. It would be unfair to only get insulted one-sidedly like this."
"Oh, yeah? Saving time?"
"Yes."
"That's good for you because time is gold, my friend. Although, of course, you don't have either of those things! You're crying? Huh? Why are you letting my words beat you up?"
"For a second, I pitied you."
"Wait, why?"
"Come to think of it, my nipples are more good-looking than you."
"What…?"
That blow was stronger than he expected. He clenched his teeth and struck back. "Ha! But how come you never had a girlfriend with that face of yours?"
"I devoted all of my time to swordsmanship training."
"A-ha, so that's why you've been single all this time?"
"The same goes for you, Master Lloyd."
"What?!"
"From what I know, you have always been single. As for me…"
"What?"
"I have received a fair amount of love letters from women."
"What? Love letters?"
"Yes."
Javier swung his sword. Lloyd witnessed Javier's eyes brimming with confidence.
Lloyd deflected an ant's strike and asked, "How many times?"
"Uhm, I have about two cartons of them."
"Liar!"
"I am telling the truth."
"No way! We're a small fiefdom. You would have to have received a letter from all the women in the land to collect that amount."
"Heh."
"Hey, don't look down on me for being single!"
"Master Lloyd, your girlfriend lives in a nation called the imagination."
Lloyd attempted to hide a grimace.
"You are single by choice, right? Someone else's choice, that is."
Lloyd glared at Javier.
"Are you going to meet your imaginary girlfriend in your dreams tonight?"
"You son of a… Stop there!" Lloyd shouted.
But it wasn't because he was out of comebacks. No. They had finally arrived at their destination. Javier must have noticed it too, as his look changed.
"Are we here?"
"Yes."
Lloyd looked around them. He could see into the ground below them, and there was an empty space as wide as five feet. But it was not empty. That's the methane gas layer. It's so huge. The area he saw with his skill was only the tip of the iceberg. There surely was more down there. Lloyd spat out his plan.
"I'm going to burrow into the ground here. While I do that, you protect me."
"Understood."
They shared the same miserable fate, and they only had each other right now. They didn't have a reason or need to doubt the other person. Lloyd began frantically shoveling the ground. Javier protected him from the incoming ants. Just then…
"Skreee!"
Something terrifying screeched at the other end of the passageway. The entire cave rumbled as it approached. It finally revealed itself. The head was twice as big as the giant soldier ants', and its body almost filled the passageway. Its mandibles were as long and sharp as a longsword.
The queen ant? It appeared so. However, Lloyd didn't care much about her appearance. I'm not going after the queen ant!
This wasn't one of the battle arena video games where you have to behead the boss to win. Even if he were to capture the queen, the rest of the ants would barely budge. Worst case, it would just fire them up more. So, the best course of action was to focus on his original plan.
"You need to properly block her! Until I'm done digging!"
"Understood."
Javier raised his longsword. He guarded Lloyd from the ant queen. This must have angered her because she charged straight toward Javier.
"Skreeel!!"
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The queen ant's body was larger than the narrow passageway, but she pushed herself to widen the tunnel and attack Javier. But he stood his ground, not taking one step back.
"Ohm…" He steadied his breathing.
Each time he breathed in, the mana around him fluttered. It rumbled and focused on him. It came together to form a triple circle. The mana increased and flowed out.
Slash! Clang!
The triple circle longsword. The mandibles of the ginormous insect. The two weapons clashed forcibly. The first encounter ended in a draw.
Clang! Clang!
"Skreee?"
Javier's longsword and the ant queen possessed the same amount of strength. Javier's eyes squinted in a penetrating glare. The ant queen twitched its antennae. The two manifested equal amounts of devastating power. Both were taken aback by the strength of their enemy.
But the ant struck first.
"Skreee!"
Whoosh!
Its huge antennae were thicker and longer than softball bats.
Javier ducked to avoid the blow. Using the momentum, he lifted his sword. The ant deflected the blow with her head. And so began the battle between Javier and the ant queen. The two went all out in their attacks, using every skill and offensive technique they could employ. They blocked and swung forward. They kicked and punched. They hacked and shoved. They got shoved and struck back. They dodged and attacked. They rolled and dashed. Victory, however, was leaning in favor of the ant as the fight carried on.
He's getting tired! Lloyd's shoveling sped up. He was tired as well, but he considered his burden nothing compared to Javier, who was fighting for his life.
Just some more! A little more! If Javier fainted, it was over for him. With him gone, the plan would fail. The beast ants would reach the surface.
Crap! I shouldn't have constructed the mine to be so solid!
It was too late to demolish the mine. Even if he tried, it would barely be effective. The mine would collapse only in parts, and that wasn't enough to stop the ants.
Thus, I must succeed. Lloyd became more earnest in his shoveling. Dirt was scattered in all directions every time he moved his shovel. Streams of sweat flowed down his neck and back. At last, he succeeded in digging out the desired spot. Yes!
Pshhh! A plume of methane gas spurted out of the hole he'd just dug. Lloyd hurriedly grabbed his shovel and shouted to Javier, "Hey! Come over here!"
Javier responded right away. With one powerful slash, he protected himself against the queen and rushed to Lloyd's side.
Lloyd waited until Javier started to run to him. And they began to run toward the opposite passageway together. The ant queen chased fiercely after them.
Lloyd turned around and made eye contact with the ant. At that moment, he laughed and hurled the torch toward the ant. It hit her smack in the head. With a thud, the torch bounced off, flying over the back of the ant, and met the invisible methane gas spreading throughout the passageway. Flame and gas danced together, igniting a violent chemical reaction.
Burning methane produces 891 kilojoules of energy per mole of methane molecules, thought Lloyd… Boom…
Ka-boom!
The massive explosion engulfed everything around it.
Translator: https://bettertranslation9.wordpress.com