I Kidnapped the Hero’s Women

Chapter 71 - No Room for Error

“Ugh… Ugh…”

“Shh. Your breathing is too loud. At this rate, we’ll get caught.”

“Keep up the pace… I’m just a regular modern human with standard fitness, you’re the weird one…”

“I… don’t quite understand what you’re talking about.”

Inside the ant colony.

Together with Sylvia, we were infiltrating this dark, damp place.

Sweat poured down my face as we continued what felt like a mix of guerrilla training and a forced march.

I couldn’t see a thing.

The ground was uneven.

We had to crawl whenever possible, or brace against the walls to descend nearly vertical passageways, or even climb up sheer rock faces.

It was hard enough to move forward even with good stamina, so with this cursed body of mine… you can imagine.

I was dying. And it wasn’t an exaggeration—death felt imminent.

Soon, I’d probably collapse from lack of oxygen.

“It’s only been ten minutes since we entered.”

“Don’t… lie to me.”

“Yes. Let’s say it’s a lie.”

“...”

In the flickering torchlight, Sylvia’s slightly exasperated expression came into view.

For a moment, I had the strong urge to dock her pay, but I managed to hold it back.

Insolent brat.

“Huff, huff. Sylvia. Carry me.”

“I suggested you get on my back from the beginning.”

“...”

In the end, I didn’t make it much farther before becoming a burden, carried on Sylvia’s back.

I hadn’t expected the labyrinth to be this vast.

It seemed that as the ants turned into monsters and grew in size, their colony had expanded accordingly.

For a moment, I felt sorry for Sylvia as she groaned under the strain, thinking I should have come alone.

But I was really glad I didn’t.

I would’ve gotten lost in the ant nest, becoming a snack for the monsters.

“Are we close to the queen ant’s chamber, Earthy?”

[We’re almost there. Turn right here. If you dig a straight line, you’d reach it quickly, but since you humans can’t do that, you have to move inefficiently like this… Tsk tsk.]

Earthy looked at us with a pitiful expression, as if he were gazing upon a primitive species.

It seemed like he held creatures with physical bodies in contempt.

‘When I gave him a spirit form for magic earlier, couldn’t he have just escaped then?’

It felt like Earthy was actually enjoying this inconvenient physical existence.

He’d had plenty of chances to escape.

But Earthy had chosen to stay.

Sure, the official reason was the sugar cream donuts, but no one really believed that was all there was to it.

[Your expression is annoying, human! You were looking down on me just now, weren’t you? Admit it!]

“We’re here, my lord. Beyond this point is the queen ant’s…”

Shiiik!

A chilling noise accompanied the flickering flame of the torch.

Suddenly, a black mandible shot toward us at lightning speed.

Sylvia reacted instantly, dodging swiftly as the ant monster’s body crashed into the wall with a loud thud.

“…It’s dead.”

Moments later, the ant monster guarding the queen collapsed, lifeless from the Touch of Death.

It had startled me.

The range of the Touch of Death wasn’t very wide, so if an enemy like this charged at full speed, it could be quite dangerous.

And more than anything, it was crucial that we didn’t accidentally kill the queen ant.

The queen was essential to lure the other monsters here.

If we killed her, the enraged monsters would massacre every single person in Arient.

“Proceed carefully.”

“…Please get off my back before you say that.”

“Wouldn’t it be better if you just kept carrying me? Every time we need to run, you’d have to grab or carry me again. Isn’t that more troublesome?”

“Your reasoning is so sound, I have nothing to argue against. I’ll continue carrying you…”

“Kraaaaah!!!”

“...!”

Just then, a terrifying scream echoed from beyond the chamber.

The sheer volume of the scream was enough to make Sylvia and I wince as it rang painfully in our ears.

Sylvia urgently drew her sword and charged further into the room.

“The queen…!”

What appeared before us was a massive ant.

At least ten times the size of a regular ant monster.

And that gigantic creature was wailing at the top of its lungs, making my ears feel like they were about to burst.

“….”

“….”

Sylvia and I exchanged tense glances, nodding at each other in unison.

Instinctively, we knew.

This was the queen ant’s distress call.

A scream signaling danger.

And then came the sound—the thundering vibrations that echoed throughout the entire ant nest.

The tremors were growing closer.

They were coming. The monsters were on their way.

Clinging tightly to Sylvia’s back, I gulped nervously.

“Kieeeek!!!”

“They’re here.”

One by one, the ant monsters poured through the tunnel.

But they fell just as quickly, crumpling lifelessly under my pesticide—no, the Touch of Death.

At first glance, it seemed similar to when I saved Sylvia earlier.

“The monsters aren’t stopping!”

But this time, the monsters kept coming, dying, and coming again in an endless wave.

Even as the passageway became blocked with corpses, the ant horde tore through their fallen comrades, relentlessly pushing forward.

This time, their queen’s life was on the line. There could be no compromise.

“They’re planning to crush us under the weight of their dead.”

“Th-that’s impossible…!”

If this keeps up, we’ll die.

We’ll be crushed under the unrelenting pile of ant corpses.

But all we could do was continue using the Touch of Death and anxiously hope that Charlotte and Julia followed through with the plan on time.

“I didn’t notice this during the briefing…”

“Kraaaaaaah!!!”

“I can’t hear you!”

“This is totally…”

“Kraaaaaaah!!!”

“I said I can’t hear you!”

“….”

Without a word, Sylvia swung her sword.

Sssshhhk.

The loud siren-like wail finally stopped, and the queen ant, oozing thick liquid, collapsed with a heavy thud.

…Somehow, the ants’ frenzy seemed to intensify.

“This plan is completely suicidal, isn’t it?”

“The fact that you’re only realizing that now is impressive.”

“Do you really trust them? Enough to entrust your life to them?”

Tilting her head, Sylvia wiped her sword and looked at me curiously.

I chuckled.

“Of course, I trust them. They’re so pure, almost foolishly so, and far too kind. Do you think they could just leave me to die and go free?”

“…No.”

“Of course not. Even if they thought of it, they could never go through with it. That’s just who they are. I trust in their innocence. That’s all there is to it.”

Over the past few months, maybe Charlotte and Julia had grown fond of me…

If that were the case, it would be ideal, but the chances were slim.

For now, I was still just the wicked master holding their freedom and rights hostage.

I didn’t expect them to realize everything I’d done was for their sake.

That kind of understanding would only come with time and maturity.

It was too soon for that.

For now, it was fine if I remained the wicked master.

As long as they didn’t stray from their path.

As long as they could hold on to that purity and innate goodness.

If I could help them avoid the painful scars they’d received in the original story, then that was enough.

“You trust in their purity… Is that really true?”

Sylvia asked, looking slightly doubtful.

“Of course.”

“So, what if they ask to get engaged right away? Would you…”

“We’re in a critical situation, and you’re talking about nonsense! Get a grip, Sylvia!”

“I-I didn’t mean to…”

Do you really want to make a joke in the middle of a life-or-death situation?

I scolded her sharply, and Sylvia stammered in embarrassment.

At that moment, Earthy’s body in her arms began to glow brightly.

“This is…?”

[Looks like that quiet little girl used a command spell outside.]

The moment Julia was instructed to use the spell was when the entire ant army had been lured inside the colony.

After drawing all the monsters into the nest, Earthy, now restored to his full power in spirit form, would trigger an earthquake and collapse the entire structure.

That was the core of the plan.

So, how were Sylvia and I supposed to survive?

There was a way.

“Sylvia! Put up a barrier!”

“Understood. But you’ll have to get even closer.”

“I’m already as close as I can get.”

“No, it’s still not enough… Just being close behind won’t do. The barrier I can create is too small… You’ll probably have to hug me from the front… tightly, to make enough space…”

“….”

Blushing, Sylvia hesitated as she explained.

What the…? Who are you?

This didn’t seem like Sylvia at all but some kind of shy maiden.

And now I had to hug her directly from the front?

I hope she doesn’t smell.

Frustrated by Sylvia’s hesitation, I took the initiative and wrapped my arms tightly around her waist.

“Eek!?”

“Surprisingly, you don’t smell.”

“What a rude thing to say to a lady…!”

“Enough. Just put up the barrier. Earthy’s going to bring this place down any second.”

“Y-yes!”

Rumble!

The ant nest shook violently as cracks spread across the walls.

A golden barrier unfolded around us, enveloping Sylvia and me.

“Huff!”

The barrier was smaller than I’d expected, forcing me to pull Sylvia even closer.

The soft pressure against my chest was highly uncomfortable.

.

.

.

“Mister! Mister, mister…!”

Charlotte came running up the collapsed mountainside, breathless.

The corpses of monsters, swept away by landslides, lay scattered everywhere, but Charlotte didn’t care.

She began digging frantically with her hands.

It’s here! I can feel it!

I can sense that mister and the knight sister are alive down there!

Charlotte had no room for any other thoughts as she focused solely on digging.

“Haa, haaa…”

Julia arrived shortly after, gasping for breath.

Charlotte’s hands, already bloody and torn from the rocks and dirt, didn’t stop.

But Julia couldn’t bring herself to tell her to stop.

If she had Charlotte’s strength, she’d be doing the exact same thing…

“Earthy! Where are you!”

“….”

“Please help us, Earthy! We need you to dig them out!”

“….”

Julia called out as loud as she could, pleading for Earthy.

But no response came.

Ah… did I mess up by turning Earthy into a spirit too soon?

Had he escaped beyond my command range the moment he regained his full powers?

Flooded with negative thoughts, Julia’s mind went blank.

At this rate, Sylvia and Aslan would die…

I don’t want that.

There’s still so much left to do.

There are so many lessons still to be learned.

I still have to get neomium and continue researching dark magic…!

Tears welled up in Julia’s eyes.

“Earthy, please!!!”

[Kyaaah! You don’t have to screech like that, brat! I can hear you just fine!]

“Earthy…!”

[This is the last time I help you. I’ve just transcended to another level, so your command spell won’t be able to control me anymore.]

“Thank you! Thank you so much!”

Rumble.

The Great Earth Spirit, now in spirit form, began manipulating the earth.

Massive amounts of dirt lifted up, with Charlotte still on top, and were moved aside.

A huge pit opened up.

And at the bottom, two familiar figures appeared.

Charlotte and Julia, eyes brimming with tears and joy, gazed down into the pit.

“Looks like you made it just in time. Now, move aside, Sylvia.”

“…What are you two doing?”

“Ah, u-uh. Well, you see… This isn’t… what it looks like…”

“….”

“….”

There, tightly embracing each other without any space between them, were Aslan and Sylvia.

Charlotte and Julia’s expressions instantly turned cold.