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A Munchkin Barbarian's Saga [Isekai Progression Fantasy]
Chapter 50: Rafa, Something Terrible Has Happened

Chapter 50: Rafa, Something Terrible Has Happened

Tatiana and I quickly moved away from the area.

I briefly considered smashing the ant eggs, but there weren't any ants around to guard them. Upon closer inspection, the surfaces of the eggs looked dry and brittle. For whatever reason, it seemed likely that these eggs had failed to hatch. Perhaps they were abandoned a long time ago.

If that weren't the case, the ground wouldn't have collapsed so easily. The nest would have been reinforced and cared for.

Considering all this, it was possible that this whole area had been abandoned by the ants long ago.

"It would be best if the ants had left this place for good," I thought.

Maybe this was an old nest dug centuries or even a thousand years ago. But then again, that seemed unlikely.

The corpses we found were dry, but the clothes showed no sign of decay. These weren't centuries-old remains.

Though the forest was visible from the city walls, it was quite far on foot. By the time we reached the city gate with a near-hysterical Tatiana, the guards stationed there widened their eyes, practically bugging out of their heads.

They were surprised by Tatiana's condition. These guards hadn't been on duty when we left earlier.

I gave a brief explanation to the gatekeeper about the ant nest and the corpses before we passed through the gate.

"What? What? Flesh-eating ants? What on earth are those?" the gatekeeper muttered to himself, still bewildered.

As we made our way to the guild, I kept pace with Tatiana, who was hurrying along in a fluster, and asked, "So, what exactly are flesh-eating ants?"

I hadn't had the chance to ask earlier, as we'd been rushing to get here. The gatekeeper had been just as confused as I was, and to be honest, I wanted to know more. From the name, I got the general idea—ants that consume humans. They lay their eggs inside humans, that much was clear. Given the size of the nest and the eggs, it seemed like these ants or their queen must be quite large. Judging by the structure of the tunnels, there were likely a significant number of them, either alive or dead.

But I wanted to know more details about this strange species I’d never seen or heard of before. It's only natural for someone to ask in this situation, right?

Tatiana nodded. "I don't know much myself. My teacher told me they're extremely rare. Even she had never seen them—she only knew of them from books."

"..."

"My teacher said that flesh-eating ants drag humans and animals into their nest to lay eggs inside them. Since ants lay so many eggs, they need a large number of animals as hosts. And yes, that includes humans too."

Tatiana shuddered slightly.

"My teacher also said that if you see one ant, there are a hundred more hiding somewhere you can't see."

Oh, I understood that comparison immediately. It sounded just like the warnings people gave about cockroaches. Tatiana's teacher was definitely someone from Earth.

Tatiana swallowed hard.

"For similar reasons, my teacher said that if you find a flesh-eating ant nest, you can assume that the entire surrounding area is already infested. The ground beneath would be teeming with them."

As she spoke, she seemed to become more and more aware of the gravity of the situation. Her face, which had shown signs of calming down, now turned pale.

"W-What are we going to do? The forest is so close to the city. If those ants come swarming out of there… oh no… oh no…"

Well, the most reasonable course of action would be to leave and head to another city. But from what I had heard, this country had magical beasts or strange creatures almost everywhere. The level of danger might differ, but the threat was always present. Even the capital, the largest city in the kingdom, was just a short walk away from untouched wilderness.

Humans had built their cities right in the middle of what used to be magical beast territory. It was only natural that there would be some risks. If people abandoned a place every time things got a bit dangerous, they'd never settle anywhere.

"What about the forest where you grew up?" I asked. "Was it not dangerous?"

Tatiana's expression softened a bit as she thought about her old home. "Oh, it was dangerous, of course. But my teacher was truly amazing. She used flowers, herbs, and scents that magical beasts hated to create a barrier around our house. It was the safest place imaginable."

"Then why not go back there?"

I said it lightly, thinking it would be a familiar option for her. A place she could feel comfortable and safe. After all, a witch's forest had to be better than some unknown city. But Tatiana's expression changed, and she went silent.

Did I say something wrong?

I thought back to how her teacher had recently passed away. Maybe bringing up the forest was insensitive.

Just as I opened my mouth to apologize, Tatiana spoke first.

"I can't go back. I don't know the way."

"…"

Oh… So she has a bad sense of direction, just like me?

I glanced at her, and she sighed, her face looking dejected.

"My teacher erased my memory of the way back to the forest. She believed that I needed to live among humans, even if it meant getting hurt. She said I shouldn’t live alone in the forest, at least not at this age."

I kept silent.

I had left the forest on my own, chasing after a dream. But Tatiana's situation was completely different. Seeing her dejected look made me feel a pang of sympathy, so I patted her shoulder lightly. She sighed and shrugged slightly.

"It's okay. My teacher said that if I ever truly needed to return, the memories would come back. She made sure of that."

"To do something like that… witches really are extraordinary."

"Yes, my teacher was incredible."

Some of the pride returned to Tatiana's expression. The shock of discovering the flesh-eating ants seemed to have subsided a little.

"Chirp! Chirp!"

Rella, who had been perched on my head, had been letting out sharp cries, pecking me continuously. She seemed upset about me stopping her from approaching the corpses. Maybe she had wanted to eat the ant eggs. Perhaps the reason she’d been pecking at the ground earlier was that she had smelled the eggs.

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Well, birds do eat insects, so it made sense for Rella. I wouldn't even mind letting her eat the eggs—they were probably rich in nutrients.

But they were inside a human corpse.

Not an animal carcass, but a human body.

Sorry, Rella. I can’t allow that. You’ll have to give it up.

I reached up and grabbed Rella gently.

Chirp, chirp—she chirped even louder, her tiny, soft feathers fluttering in my palm.

“Stop pecking me, it hurts! At this rate, you'll make me bald," I muttered.

Rella responded with an indignant chirp, as if challenging me.

Tatiana looked up at Rella and murmured, "Phoenixes are notoriously difficult for humans to raise. Their beaks and claws are really strong, even if they’re small."

Exactly. For something so small, she really did pack a punch.

“You’re really strong, Rafa," Tatiana said, almost admiringly. But it didn’t feel much like a compliment.

When we finally reached the guild, we immediately reported our discovery of the flesh-eating ant nest to Jenny. I also relayed all the information Tatiana knew.

"Flesh-eating ants… Hmm, that’s the first I’ve heard of them," Jenny said, her face clouded in confusion.

It wasn’t surprising, considering even an old witch had never seen them. They were rare monsters.

"Thank you for bringing this to our attention, Rafa and Tatiana," Jenny said, bowing her head politely. "We'll put out a notice to see if anyone knows anything about these ants. We will also assemble a team to investigate."

Apparently, that was the standard protocol whenever there were signs of magical beasts near the city.

"We’ll also need to report this to the lord."

"I’ve already mentioned it to the gatekeeper."

“Oh, really? Thank you for doing that,” Jenny said with a smile.

“Most adventurers just give a basic report to the guild, but you’re different, Rafa.”

Jenny nodded at us, then continued. "We’ll send a report to the lord. As for the investigation team… I’ll need to gather a few more people, but would you two be willing to join the investigation?"

Of course, it came to this. I had expected it.

But this time, I had my doubts about whether I could participate.

"The cave isn’t very high. It’s about as tall as I am, but given my size, I’d take up most of the space inside. Moving around would be challenging, to say the least. And if there are any narrow passages, it would be impossible for me."

"You're right. I hadn’t thought of that," Jenny said, sighing softly. Tatiana, on the other hand, looked visibly relieved. The tension seemed to drain from her.

Was it the ants that bothered her? I didn't like the thought of massive ants or their eggs either. Especially not in a dark, cramped tunnel.

"All right. I’ll ask others to handle the investigation."

"But if ants are actually found, I’ll join in the extermination effort," I said.

“Thank you, that means a lot," Jenny said, looking reassured.

"And I'm sorry, but there won't be any specific rewards for this. The guild can only provide limited support."

Jenny looked apologetic, lowering her head slightly.

"It’s okay. I didn’t do this expecting a reward," I said.

"We'll make sure the investigation is thorough, so don’t worry," Jenny added, giving us a smile as we left.

As we stepped outside, I heard Jenny's voice, soft and uncertain, from behind me.

"I wonder if we'll be able to put together a team that can actually survive an encounter with giant ants… What do we do about this, really…"

I decided to pretend I hadn't heard that.

***

From that day onward, I practiced controlling the spirit armor in isolated places for a while.

But it was no use.

If I focused intensely, I could just about manage to touch things without breaking them, but the moment I relaxed, they would shatter. Snap. Crunch.

Maybe I should just keep the spirit armor sealed away forever. It's not as if I’m lacking in strength without it.

As I thought this over, it occurred to me: what if I enveloped the spirit armor in wind?

I’d often strengthened weapons by wrapping them in wind to enhance their power. So why not do the opposite? Instead of using wind to empower the armor, I could use it to cushion it—soften it.

Though I couldn't see the spirit armor’s form, I could feel it, and it took the exact shape of my arm, like a second skin floating slightly above my own. Directing wind over my skin was something I’d long been accustomed to, so why not just extend it a little further?

I imagined my skin being thicker, a cushion of wind between me and everything else.

After some trial and error, I managed to figure out the correct balance. The wind acted as a buffer, allowing me to pick things up without breaking them.

The first time I successfully held something without destroying it, I was elated. Having something beyond my control attached to my body had been a deeply unpleasant feeling.

But now that I could control it, it wasn’t as great as I thought. It seemed like a lot of effort for little reward.

The only real advantage that came from all this was that I figured out how to create a transparent shield by saying, "Unfold." It could potentially serve as a makeshift umbrella on a rainy day.

To be honest, it didn’t seem all that useful.

I’m already strong. I doubt there’ll ever be a day when I need a shield.

----------------------------------------

It was a little over ten days since we discovered the ant nest. One morning, Tatiana and I headed to the weapon smithy near the central market. I was there to collect my axe, which I'd left for repairs.

The blacksmith had told me that my axe was made from an incredibly high-quality metal. It was far better to use the existing axe head rather than purchase a new one. Apparently, it was made from a type of iron that was no longer available—much stronger and harder than anything on the market.

We’d decided to replace only the handle, and today was the day to pick it up. The blacksmith had also wanted the rare wood I had used for the original handle, so he agreed to work quickly and for a lower price.

When we arrived, the blacksmith greeted us with a bright smile.

"Ah, welcome! I’ve been waiting for you."

"So, is it ready?"

The blacksmith smirked. "Of course it is."

He called for his apprentice to bring out the largest piece from the back. The apprentice quickly rushed inside and returned, struggling to carry the axe.

His face was flushed red with the effort.

Most blacksmiths and their apprentices are quite strong, given their work involves handling heavy items. It seemed my axe was heavy enough to even test someone like him.

Well, that was to be expected.

The axe handle was entirely made of metal, with no decorations, only grooves to prevent slippage when gripped.

The overall shape of the handle was almost identical to the original wooden one, except it was slightly longer and thicker.

I took the axe and lifted it in one hand, testing it with a slight swing. The apprentice let out a weird noise.

“He’s lifting that heavy thing with one hand…” the apprentice muttered, eyes wide.

What was he talking about? It wasn't enough to just lift it—you had to swing it.

I laughed, and the blacksmith asked, “How is it?”

I swung the axe again, the weight of the metal making it arc through the air in a heavy sweep.

“It’s great. The weight, the balance—everything’s perfect.”

“Hahaha, I’ve never made an axe this heavy before. The amount of iron I had to pour into it… It was tough work, but it was worth it. A great experience for me,” the blacksmith said with pride.

I still hadn’t received the full payment for the dragon I had defeated. Because of the bandit attacks, the transaction had been postponed, and there were also a lot of paperwork and procedures involved. It was taking some time.

I handed over nearly all the money I had left to the blacksmith.

“Can I try holding it?” Tatiana asked.

The apprentice, who had struggled to carry it, was clearly curious after seeing me handle it so easily.

"Pff!"

“Haha!”

The apprentice and the blacksmith laughed.

I handed the axe to Tatiana, who hesitated for a moment, glancing at the two men. She grabbed the handle, and as soon as I let go, the axe dropped straight down.

“Wah!”

Tatiana’s eyes went wide.

“What is this? It’s ridiculously heavy. I doubt I could even lift it, let alone swing it.”

“Well, it’s not meant for ordinary people,” I said.

Even my mother might struggle to wield this as easily as I did.

Tatiana looked at the axe as if it were a monster, then back at me, then at the axe again. The way she stared at it, rather than at me, seemed a bit odd.

“Alright, let’s head to the guild,” I said, and Tatiana hurried along beside me.

The money from the sale of the dragon wasn’t ready yet, but we were supposed to receive part of the bounty on the bandits today. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to hand over so much for the axe repair.

Bounties from other cities came through the guild, which meant a wait. But for bounties issued by this city, the payment was delivered directly to the guild by the lord's office.

In this world, the guild also acted as a kind of bank.

“Well, the ant situation seems to have settled down, so shall we start taking on some jobs as a party?” I suggested.

“Yes, let’s! Hehe, I’ve never worked as an adventurer before, so I’m really excited,” Tatiana said, her shoulders drawing up in a small, delighted shrug.

A few days earlier, we had heard an update on the ant nest. There were no signs of ants. The tunnels beneath the ground extended quite far, but they were empty.

There had been one more place where we found corpses, but that was all. It seemed that environmental factors, perhaps the temperature, had prompted the ants to migrate.

“It’s such a relief. I was so worried…” Tatiana let out a small sigh of relief.

Just then, I saw a familiar guild employee running toward us.

“Rafa! Rafa! Something terrible has happened! Those things… they’ve tunneled underneath this area!”

He shouted, his face pale with panic.

Then, without warning, there was a loud noise.

With a cloud of dust rising around us, the ground suddenly gave way, and the employee disappeared right before our eyes.