This was it. This was the last stand. Haru looked left and right to only see a handful of warriors of different countries by his side. There were his knights, bravely forming a wall around their lord. Haru only drew his sword as he saw the unholy man behind the Black Dogs emerge from the crowd of monsters.
He wielded a giant sword, too large for any normal man to wield. He had dark skin, his muscles were obvious, given his choice of clothing. His face bore no helmet, showcasing his evil smirk. He walked slowly towards Haru and his other knights. They froze as they heard him speak.
"So this is the legendary Duke I've been hearing about so much!"
Haru offered no reply, holding tightly onto his weapon. The large man then bellowed with laughter as he circled the defensive circle.
"What's wrong? Can't face me like a man, Haru?"
"I offer no fair fight to you, bastard."
"Careful with your words there." The large man grinned. "You will not take the name of Volt lightly, especially when I have someone precious to you in my possession."
Haru saw a few men drag out a woman tied up with a sack over her head. They talk off the bag, revealing his wife, Rias, beaten and abused by the Black Dogs, much to Haru's rage. He tries to rush to her, but his knights block him from getting out of his protective circle.
"So, do you have the incentive to face me now?"
Haru breathed heavily, still taking a breather from his escape attempt. His fists clenched so tight that he could feel them bleed.
"I'll take that as a no then." Volt added in before commanding. "Do what you wish with her!"
Something inside the Duke snapped, seeing his wife being prepared like a harlot. He broke free of the protective circle and ran for his wife's body. He sees the men begin to undress her, groping her inappropriately. Haru nearly reaches her, but a giant sword gets in his way.
"To get to her, you must get past me."
Haru snarled at Volt as he swung at the larger man. The man blocks and parries the blow, knocking Haru back and then kicking him back. With Haru on the floor, Volt then plants his foot on the man to subdue him. He crouches down and holds up the man's head, forcing him to watch the rape of his wife.
"No!" Haru screamed, his eyes watering up and reflecting the horror he was witnessing.
"See what happens when you choose to oppose me!"
"NOOOOOOO!" Haru screamed with all his anguish.
Haru woke up in cold sweat, breathing heavily and his body shivering. It was a cold night out, so a spare drift did chill the room a bit. Haru starts patting his body frantically, to see if this was real. He pats his body, then his shoulders and even gives himself a pinch. He breathes a huge sigh of relief, before sobbing uncontrollably. It was a mixture of anguish, fear and relief that caused him to weep so much.
" Thank the Lord! Thank the Lord! My wife and family are still alive and well!"
But his panicked state wakes up his love, who was sleeping calmly and serenely. She wakes up, rubbing her eye, wondering what was that racket. She looks at his face and sees the tears flowing down his cheeks. She realized the implication of it as she hugged him and asked.
"Did you have another one my love?" Rias asked. "Was it about her?"
"No, no. It was… different." Haru replied while scratching his head. "It was about you."
"Me?" Rias asked, genuinely surprised.
"You were in my dream, becoming raped and abused by those damned Black Dogs and I couldn't do anything." Haru replied with much anxiety. "I've never felt so helpless in my life, not since—"
"Yes dear, I get it. No need to bring up any more bad memories." Rias replied while embracing the Duke. "At least it was just a dream, right?"
"But I fear it may become a reality soon."
"But you know what else is a reality," Rias said while putting a hand on Haru's cheek. "We still need our heir."
"I thought we settled to have children after the war ends."
"But what should we do about the lineage should you and I unexpectedly perish? People aren't so ready to accept Millicas so we should start considering heirs."
"Okay, let's talk about this tomorrow—mmph!" Haru said before being interrupted by Rias grabbing his head and kissing him on the lips.
"How about now?" Rias asked, blushing while undressing her nightgown. "It's been awhile since we have done it."
"Okay…" Haru smiled before holding onto his wife. "I will indulge in your desires."
Little did the couple know that someone was watching them. A certain blonde knight happened to have seen it through the window. And boy, did she have so many questions running through her mind.
Maia could feel her strength returning. She opens her eyes, to see all her fellow shield-princesses waiting by her bed patiently. She tries to see if this is a dream as she reaches out to them.
"She's waking up!"
All the women in the room wake up to tend to Maia, who had just regained consciousness. Maia could see the blonde knight, Alicia prepared a towel and put it on her forehead. Maia looked to her left to see Prim, Claudia and Celestine sitting by her bed.
"What… happened?"
"Shhhh… Save your strength, you've been through a lot."
"Where… am I?" Maia asked again.
"You're in the castle infirmary of Amelborough, formerly known as Thore."
"Haru!"
They saw the armored man enter the room, causing Maia to stir in distress, obviously traumatized by her experience with men.
"Be still, I mean no harm." Haru said soothingly. "I desperately need your cooperation so please listen to me."
Maia sat stiffly, eyeing the Duke warily, while the Duke sighed and said.
"Look madam, you were found in a recently liberated slave camp by the Hospitalier Knights. They had found your mind broken and your body badly exploited by the enemy. Though we couldn't undo the damage done to your body, we were able to partially restore your mind, thanks to the priests."
Maia's eyes widened as she then turned her head to her friends, silently asking if it was true. Her friends only responded with a nod.
"Why did you… help me?" Maia asked.
"Because we need all the help we can get against the Black Dogs, and with our recent luck so far, we'll need every capable fighter, regardless of sex."
Haru then walked out of the infirmary, to see Ruby shyly waiting for him.
"What do you require?" Haru asked.
"I-I just wanted to accompany you for the rest of the day since I am your apprentice."
"You don't really have to go to such lengths to be helpful."
"But I feel so useless just sitting and doing nothing!" Ruby complained.
Haru and sighed, remembering his feisty young sister who used to be just like that as well. Fortunately, he had a solution for that.
"Then come, I'll have you help me in overseeing constructions. We are starting multiple constructions so I could use the extra head."
"Y-Yes sir!" Ruby nodded while running after Haru.
The nuns of Fiore were gathered in the chapel built under short notice. They were shivering in fear as they wondered about their fate at the hands of this new religion. They waited quietly until a young man wearing a cloak. His hair was shaved into a tonsure, which looked odd to the nuns who were at him.
"Good morning sisters, I am glad that you have gathered here to join me in the orientation to the Catholic Church. As I can observe, you are very unfamiliar with our customs and acts as Christian. So any questions?"
One of the nuns raised her hand meekly.
"Anything you require, sister?"
"W-What will happen to us? What are you going to do with us?"
"Well, that's actually up to you." The priest smiled, while bringing out his Bible. "Your worship of the goddess has brought you nothing, no blessing or cure, but a horde of filthy monsters knocking on your gate."
"But worshipping the goddess has been the way for centuries!"
"Well it changes now. You will now taste the true power of the Lord." The priest said before reciting. "Fiat Lux."
The nuns looked in awe at the young priest, who was literally juggling a ball of light in his hands. They were amazed to see him work magic so easily.
"Antepope Gregory has required further research into this strange sorcery that the Lord has gifted us. We found that ordained priests and nuns can wield a plethora of abilities that are powered by piety."
"Your magic is powered by… piety?"
"Only true Christians can wield this power of God, and the strength of your faith will determine the strength of your magic. As I have only been a member for three years, the power of my incantations are meager."
"Plaga glaciei."
Small pieces of ice fell from the ceiling and impaled the ground, startling the nuns.
"Calm down, worst case scenario is that you get a bruise from these ice." The young priest said while catching the ice. "Nothing compared to what the senior priests are capable of."
"So you are magicians then?"
"Nonsense, I am still a man of science, but the Lord has control over all that exists. It is no surprise that he can manipulate the very fabric of reality."
"But how far does that magic go? You already are powerful as it is."
"We found that the magic does not harm the righteous. Like a flame of judgement, it will only harm the wicked and the sinful." The priest said before reciting. "Stagnum ignis."
A great fire engulfed the group of nuns, causing them to panic and huddle together in fear from the flames. They were surrounded by a burning flame as the priest then approached.
"What are you doing!?" the nuns screamed.
"Prove your purity to me. Do you reject Satan and all his works and all his empty promises?"
"W-What?"
"Answer me, lest you wish to be burned!" The priest shouted, causing the fire to grow.
"I-I do." the nuns recited in unison.
"Do you believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth?"
"B-But the goddess—"
"RECITE!" The priest chastised harshly, causing the fire to flare up.
"I-I do!"
"Do you believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was born of the Virgin Mary. Was crucified, died and was buried, rose from the dead, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father?"
"H-He was born from a virgin?" one nun questioned.
"He rose from the dead? How is that possible?"
"With the Lord, anything is possible." The priest said firmly. "Do not question His power and His authority. Now respond!"
"I do!"
"Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting?"
"I do!"
The priest then closed his eyes and raised his arms. A great wind blew into the Church, causing the fire to flicker. The nuns struggled to stand still as so much was happening. It suddenly darkened, causing the nuns to quiver in fear, only seeing the young priest in view.
"God, the all-powerful Father of our Lord Jesus Christ has given us a new birth by fire and the Holy Spirit, and forgiven all our sins. May he also keep us faithful to our Lord Jesus Christ for ever and ever."
The nuns didn't know how to respond, "I do" didn't seem like an appropriate response. But the nuns could somehow have a gut feeling of what to say. They all opened their lips and recited.
"Amen."
The fire suddenly died, the wind subsided and the normal sunlight returned. The nuns collapsed, feeling exhausted from such a taxing experience. They all lied on the floor and panted, too tired to even move. The priest smiled as he walked up to the group of women and crouched down.
"It seems that the Flame of Judgement sees you worthy."
"What?" one of the nuns breathed out.
"Welcome sisters, to the Catholic Church."
Liam took a deep sigh as he sat by the fire, bandaged up and deep in thought, wrapped in his large cloak. Across him was Marin, who was deeply embarrassed as she failed to meet Liam's gaze. Liam makes the motion to speak but somehow fails to find the words to express his thoughts.
"So let me get this straight, you followed me, on my horse, because you thought that I was going to the same destination you were going?"
"I-I thought you were going to one of the liberated villages. So I decided to follow you to wherever you were going!"
"And now, we lost the gift horse because you fell in the raging river and I had to jump to your rescue."
"T-Thank you for saving me…" Marin said shyly
"Don't mention it." Liam said before groaning. "But it still frustrates me that we lost the gift horse."
"S-Sorry…" Marin replied meekly.
"Don't be. Come on, it's beginning to snow." Liam said as the cold draft got stronger.
Liam looked around, before seeing a small shelter made by a fallen tree. He then points to the shelter and tells Marin.
"Go sleep under that fallen tree branch." Liam said while handing her his cloak. "Use this for a makeshift bed."
"H-How about you?" Marin asked, hesitating to take the cloak. "You might freeze to death!"
"Don't fret, this armor has more layers than you probably have right now." Liam reassured while handing her the cloak once again. "It's for your sake."
"Well… If you say so…" Marin said while hesitantly taking the cloak and moving to the fallen tree to lie down.
Marin wrapped herself in the cloak and stayed snug, but she couldn't help but notice that Liam wasn't lying down. He simply had his back against a tree. Marin discerned that he was in a rather uncomfortable position. She asks,
"Why are you wearing your armor when you sleep? Isn't that uncomfortable?"
"It's the trade-off. I'm quite sure if I remove this armor, I'll freeze to death."
"Do you want your cloak back?" Marin asked.
"No, I don't want your discomfort on my conscience." Liam said while audibly yawning. "I'll be asleep if you need me."
Liam closed his eyes, but he still had his inner thoughts. While the gift horse was lost, he was actually a bit happy that the river dragged him further down, but according to the map he received, he was getting nearer to Gridastadur. That little ride in the river saved him a day's worth of traveling, but he and Marin had to go it alone with no supplies, so he would have to make the journey quick and use whatever they'll find.
Marin then decided to sleep as well; she curls up and gets in a comfortable position. She tosses and turns, but somehow, her body wouldn't let her rest. She sits up again as she decided to watch the snow fall beautifully. It was so graceful, so delicate. As a waitress, she rarely got to see what was beyond the walls of Thore. Ironically, this incident with Liam gave her the chance to do so.
Marin then scooched over to Liam, who was already deep asleep. Marin gave him a look of pity, as he had a long day. From jumping into the river, to setting up camp for both of them. She felt guilty for putting him through such an exhausting bout. She noticed that Liam was shivering a bit from the cold. Marin decides to take off the cloak and put it on Liam, who suddenly stopped shivering. Marin smiled at that and decided to put the cloak over her as she sat beside Liam. She becomes drowsy and she leaned her head on Liam, falling asleep despite the cold draft blowing against them.
Grandmaster Oswald rested in front of the fire, he and his men camped at the edge of the forest. Their bout with the Dark Elves and those… Men-Lizards, had left them exhausted. They were able to escape the attack of the saurians and the Dark Elves by retreating to the outside of the jungle, where no one even attempted to reach them. While it was a close call, it wasn't in vain. They had a prisoner whom they caught amidst the chaos. The aforementioned Dark Elves had been captured during all the fighting, at least, the ones who survived.
Oswald stood and commanded his men.
"Stay on guard, and get the horses ready should we need to leave camp quickly."
"Yes sire." The guards responded.
Oswald then called to two guards standing idly, commanding them to follow him. They then walk to a small tent, where a group of dark-skinned people were tied to their respective posts. Their pointy ears and dark skin pointed to the fact that they were Dark Elves. Oswald could count three of them, tired and injured from their bout, one male and two females.
"Wake up elves!"
The three elves were startled and open there eyes quickly, their eyes perking up. They immediately wore a scowl as they saw who was calling for them. One of the elves spat at his feet and uttered curses against him. The female elves looked down and saw that their clothing was different, being prisoner rags rather than elven clothing.
"You mortal apes, why am I in this distasteful clothing!?"
"You are a prisoner and you will be treated as such." Oswald said coldly. "And your elven battle gear is no different from that of a harlot. You should be thanking us."
"How dare you insult our superior clothing!"
"Irrelevant. The only reason my men and I kept you and your damned friends is because you have something we want."
"You will turn us into your objects of pleasure! Like what you did with Queen Olga and Chloe!"
"Ha! Don't think of us like those lowly, scummy Black Dogs. We are a more… practical type of people."
The Dark Elves were visibly intrigued by this as they did not expect these men to be so distasteful of the Black Dogs. They had assumed that all humans were the same, but what Oswald said was quite the surprise.
"Now, what we really want is what you know."
The three Dark Elves kept their mouth shut. They were sworn to never speak of what Olga had done. They averted their gaze from Oswald, who was already getting impatient. He then draws his sword and says.
"So be it then! Hyaagh!" Oswald screamed while swinging his sword.
The Dark Elves closed their eyes, but reopened them to see that none of them were injured. They saw that the male elf was released from his bonds as he fell face flat on the floor. Oswald then removes his gauntlets and hands them to his guards, leaving his bare fists. He puts a sword against the neck of the Dark Elf.
"Give us information about the Legion and your military and I will consider sparing you."
"I will not speak of such information to a lowly mortal like you!" The elf spat at Oswald.
"Tried to do it the easy way." Oswald sighed while sheathing his sword, before kneeing the elf in the face.
"No!"
"Alfalfa!" One of the she-elves screamed.
The elf spat blood as he felt that his face was cracked by the knee of Oswald he growled at Oswald.
"How dare you!" The elf snarled while trying to gather strength to stand up.
"There'll be a lot more if you don't cooperate." Oswald threatened while raising a fist.
"Never."
Oswald then punches Alfalfa to the floor, before he kicked him. He then stomped his foot as hard as he could, causing Alfalfa to scream in excruciating pain. Oswald then left his foot planted on the young elf's fallen body.
"Feel like talking now?"
"N-No!" Alfalfa said shakily, his injuries already catching up to him.
Oswald kicks his body again.
"How about now?" Oswald asked.
"No." Alfalfa replied while coughing out blood.
"Now?" Oswald asked, while holding the elf by his neck.
"No…" The elf said before passing out.
Oswald drops the unconscious body of the elf to the floor as he then walks towards the exit. But the female elves notice Alfalfa's body moving. Alfalfa suddenly stood up from his feet and lunged at Grandmaster Oswald, only to be held back by the guards. He was unable to get to him, as the guards held on tightly to him. Oswald turns back with a face of impassiveness.
"So, you still have some fight left in you."
Oswald then bore his gauntlets and commanded his officers to hold down the young elf while he began his second phase punishment. Oswald then begins with a punch to the gut, causing the elf to suddenly feel nauseous.
"I'll just get straight to the point. Since you won't answer the more complicated questions, I'll give you a simpler one. Why did you attack us?"
"I'll never tell you…" The elf said before closing his eyes to pass out again, before opening them and screaming in pain. "AHHH!"
"I'm not letting you off that easy elf." Oswald said while tightening his grip on the elf's throat. "The pain won't stop until either you're dead or you give us what we want."
Oswald then gives the elf a good hard punch to the neck, causing him to suddenly gasp for air, as if he were being choked. Alfalfa was already in tears from the excruciating pain being dealt onto him.
"You damned apes… You'll get nothing from me…"
"Stubborn! I didn't think you would make it this far! Because it only goes further from here!"
Oswald then draws his sword and walks up to the she-elves, who were also crying and traumatized from what they had witnessed.
"Let's see if there's anyone here you hold so dear."
Alfalfa's eyes widened as he realized what Oswald was about to do.
"Don't you dare touch—"
"Oh?" Oswald expressed while pointing his sword to the youngest elf. "This is the one you hold dearest?"
Oswald then put the sword to her neck, causing Alfalfa to flare up.
"DON'T TOUCH HER!"
"Then do as I say. Just a mere utterance of the answer will do." Oswald said.
The youngest elf was a young girl, barely into her adolescence. She had the naturally tanned skin of Dark Elves, with flowing, red hair. Her face looked terrified, with tears streaming down her face. Oswald could tell that this was the girl's first time seeing all this, as she was so traumatized by their brutality.
"My arm is getting tired, better to end it quickly."
"WAIT!" the other she-elf screamed.
Oswald turned to the older she-elf, her body, more developed, likely in her late young adult years. She was also in tears, but her face was that of tiredness rather than fear. Grandmaster Oswald could see that she was growing exhausted from this traumatizing experience.
"Oh, so we have a willing prisoner? What is your name?"
"I go by the name of Freudia, that is what you may call me."
"Okay Freudia." Oswald said while crouching down in front of her. "Why did you attack my men and I? You're lucky that none of my men were gravely injured, otherwise this would have gone in a much worse direction."
The two she-elves cringed at the thought of an even crueler Oswald.
"W-We were given orders to prevent the awakening of the Anthrosaurs at any cost."
"Anthrosaurs? You mean those Men-Lizards we escaped?"
"Yes, we were told to prevent you from breaking the barrier that was keeping them imprisoned."
"Wait, that does beg the question, who are your commanders? I thought the Dark Elves fell against the Black Dog advance."
"We are members of the splinter factions formed after the fall of the Dark Elves."
"How well-trained are you?"
"We are trained since birth to serve Queen Olga, as her assassins, we are trained since birth about our culture and pride as elves. Even a child will know the most important parts about the Dark Elves."
"Is that so?" Oswald questioned while looking at the youngest girl. "What's your name?"
"Lilim…"
"So Lilim, is Freudia correct?"
"Yes, I-I'm very familiar with the culture…"
"Then we don't need these two after all." Oswald said while gesturing to the guards. "Put a bag over their heads and send them somewhere."
"Wait! What are you—"
The two older Dark Elves couldn't react as they were knocked out. Alfalfa and Freudia wake up in the middle of the forest. Alfalfa rubs his forehead in frustration. Freudia also wakes up and tries to look around. They both realize in horror that the youngest was not with them.
"Where is she!?"
"You don't think—"
Meanwhile, Oswald was already on the move with his men, marching on their horses back to the city.
"Sire, may I ask why you decided to bring the elf girl?"
"Because we still need as much information about the enemy as possible, and younger ones are easier to get answers from."
Behind Grandmaster Oswald, was Lilim, who was peacefully unconscious, leaning on his body as she slept.
The Teutonic commander sighed as he saw the village in flames, this was the third village they blazed to the ground after discovering their allegiance with the Black Dogs. He turns to his second-in-command.
"So, how many have we gathered from the splinter factions?"
"About five hundred sire, the other ones we were forced to mass execute after their discovered support for the Black Dogs."
The commander grimaced, that was only half of the estimated number of men being recruited. His thoughts are interrupted as a random man approaches him, saying,
"I have come here to inform you that my men have sworn loyalty to your kingdom. We will join your cause and fight, but in exchange, we want protection and safe homes for our families."
"Consider it done. Word's gotten out that the Hospitaliers have taken a few more villages outside the city, so you will have your safe haven."
"Thank you, sire."
The commander then goes back to the lists of villages executed or destroyed. There were many other reasons why they were forced to destroy the villages. These villages had disturbing methods of entertainment, even worse than those barbaric tribes of Africa. There was a village full of young male children having sex with all the women. There was another where multiple women grew their own penises and had sex with other women. The last one was the worst, as they saw different nether beasts and animals raping the village populace.
The Teutonic Order wouldn't let that stand and they hated whatever immoral acts occurred. First time with these people and the Order wasn't even taken seriously. So the Order could only gather infamy and fear the only way, and that was burning all who opposed them. Now the next village will know what happens when they cross the Teutonic Order.
"So where to next?"
"Wait, sire! I may have some information that could be useful."
"Well?"
"There is a village not too far from here, keeping halflings prisoner for those with… strange attraction towards children."
"Halflings?"
"A female only race that's exclusively female. They're one of the best smiths in the land and any prestigious army should have them working their armaments."
"Well, it could not hurt to try and improve our resources." The commander commented before shouting. "Get ready men, we march to the next village in an hour!"
Weiss and an Oriental woman sat on a boat, the looming silence making the situation awkward. The boat moved through the slow river serenely. Weiss had his helmet taken off, while the woman had her mask off. Weiss stared at his reflection on the water, contemplating his present situation as is. Weiss then tries to strike up a conversation.
"So where are we going madam?"
"To the local goddess." the woman replied without looking at him. "We need her clearance before we allow you to pass to the Shenkitaiyo lands."
"But you said—"
"I know what I said!" the woman retorted angrily. "I just did not expect to lose so easily!"
"Okay… So what is this goddess like?"
"Why would you care? I'm quite sure you and your people are monotheists!"
"Yes er, well… The thing is, madam." Weiss stuttered while struggling to find the words.
"Stop calling me madam!" The woman chided.
"What should I call you then? Miss Wild Warrior?"
"Sheesh, I have a name! Just call me Satsuki!" The woman huffed.
"So Miss Satsuki, what were you doing in those fields anyway?"
"I am the Guardian of the Wild, I was appointed by the Emperor to watch over the lands, so that the unworthy will not enter. But if a worthy opponent arrives and defeats me, I am entitled to assist the winner in all his endeavors."
"So I take it that I'm the first winner?" Weiss asked.
"Yeah! You should be proud to have defeated all this," Satsuki huffed proudly, before noticing the apathetic face of Weiss. "Are you even listening!?"
"I was, I just didn't really pay attention to whatever you just said."
"Geez, you're no fun!"
Rene looked around in awe, these tunnels were so large, rivaling the size of castle halls, and the network was well-built, leading to many crucial areas. He wasn't expecting it to be built by… giant ants. He looked around as giant orange ants passed him by. Some were large and were carrying large rocks, others were smaller and brought food instead. Some seemed busy and paid him no heed, others tried to feel him with their antennae, since he was a newcomer to their nest.
"He's good, don't worry!" the girl reassured.
The ant gives a nod to the girl, who smiles in return.
"Er thank you madam…" Rene trailed off before asking. "What is your name?"
"Antonolla, but just call me Nola." the girl replied with a smile.
"Rather beautiful name." Rene complimented.
"As is yours Rene Antoinette!" The girl returned.
"How do you know my name?" Rene questioned, as he did not recall telling her his name.
"It's engraved on your armor! I was excited to find another fellow ant person!"
"Ant person?"
"That's what the name means!" The girl said while grabbing his arm. "We are meant live among the ants and lead them!"
"Er yes!" Rene replied while thinking. "Might as well learn more about them before I leave. This nest could pose a threat sooner or later to our city."
"Good! So do you want a quick briefing of our nest?"
"Actually, I have quite a few questions. Will it be rude of me to ask all of them?"
"Not at all! We need you at full potential so you really do need to know everything!"
"So let's start with the nest size, how large is this network?"
"Oh, very large! The mine entrance leads up to the mountain to the east! We keep the tunnels maintained, so there is little danger of collapsing!"
"My god, these ants have expanded much further than I thought. This tunnel network could qualify as a city!"
"Though we do have small tunnels leading to the coastlines to collect coconuts and the like!"
"If the tunnel network is so large, then you must have a large work force!"
"Of course!" Nola said while crouching down to a pet wolf-sized ant. "We have about three thousand of these little guys working to maintain the tunnels!"
"That's not so bad."
"And the rest of the worker population, all five thousand of them, are working to gather food and raise the queen's young. Winter is coming and casualties are usually high."
Rene paled at that, eight thousand wolf-sized ants, it only took a whim from this girl and these ants could devastate the land.
"We also have a three thousand strong army of soldier ants!" Nola said while gesturing to the ants the size of bears, who also had bigger jaws and were a darker color. "They're the ones who protect the workers, but don't let that name fool you, all of the ants are capable of fighting."
That did NOT make Rene feel better. These ants looked like they could snap him in half with their jaws.
"And we also have a population of five hundred super majors."
"What is a super major?" Rene asked, before feeling the earth shake, seeing a giant ant, about the size of an elephant, pass by through another tunnel.
"That's a super major."
"How are there so many?"
"The queens are the mothers of all these ants. They lay a few hundred eggs each day!"
Rene's jaw dropped. A population was being maintained by a mere handful of queens!? Not even Europe could boast of such numbers. The prospect of becoming enemies with this nest was becoming even more frightening."
"But if there are queens, why are you leading the ants?"
"Silly! Queens don't ACTUALLY lead the ants! That's why these ants need us! They need human intellect to lead them in battle! A tactical mind is highly valued among these ants to the point of kidnapping humans to raise them as generals."
"So that means…"
"Yup! General Antonolla at your service!"
"I think I'll go rest for a bit." Rene hurriedly excused while leaving the tunnels.
Rene went back into his private room, and dropped onto his silk bed. He had to get out, fast. He couldn't stand idly while his comrades were fighting to save the kingdom. He was going to make his escape tonight. He looks at his armor on the side and moves to get it, but he sees the door opening, seeing Nola in her silk undergarments.
"M-Madam Nola, what are you—"
"To tell the truth… It's been rather lonely without any human contact and you couldn't imagine how happy I was when I found you…"
Rene could see where this was going as he backed up in fear.
"You see, there is another thing about generals that you must know…" Nola said while stripping her undergarments. "Is that we must ensure the passage of our genes."
Rene was cornered as Nola crawled closer to him, too terrified to even act.
"And together, we will raise the next generation of generals…"
"NOOOOO!"