Isekai Nonbiri Sozai Saishu Seikatsu - Chapter 198

“I’m okay now.”

“Understood. Let’s go.”

Once the short break was over, we immediately resumed climbing the vines.

As we ascended the vine of the giant tree, its width increased, and it branched out in countless directions.

With each step up, more leaves and footholds appeared, which was helpful.

“Ah! Franryule-san! There are a lot of ant-like creatures approaching from above!”

“It’s Soldier Ants! For now, evacuate to a place with a wide foothold and fight there―.”

“Wind!”

The moment I spotted the large gray ants, I conjured a gust of wind with wind magic.

As a result, the Soldier Ants crawling down the vine from above were blown away and fell to the ground.

“Oops, sorry! I preemptively attacked!”

“No, that was splendid!”

While I was slightly intimidated by the hundreds of Soldier Ants, both sides had the same disadvantage due to the precarious footholds.

We were a hundred meters above the ground.

Although they were formidable creatures with sturdy bodies, being slammed onto the ground from here wouldn’t end well for them.

The approaching Soldier Ants were blown away one by one by the wind magic cast by Franryule and I.

However, some individuals managed to withstand the wind magic.

Presumably, these individuals had spike-like structures on their legs that allowed them to walk securely even in unstable places.

For such individuals, it was necessary to hit them with a final blast of strong wind or shoot a suitable magic at them.

Staying still to withstand the gusts made them easy targets for magic.

As we continued to scatter the Soldier Ants, we noticed a long, slender figure with elongated antennae in the back.

【Queen Ant – Danger Level D】

The mother and ruler of the Soldier Ants.

Excellent in breeding and leadership, but not very strong in combat.

Stores honey in its tail, which is very concentrated.

Upon appraisal, it became clear that this individual, the Queen Ant, was leading the swarm.

If we could defeat her, there was a high possibility that the Soldier Ant swarm would disband.

“There’s a Queen Ant, the leader, deeper in, so I’ll take her down!”

“Understood!”

“Ice Pillar!”

I called out to Franryule, who then activated ice magic.

As I generated and shot out ice pillars, the Queen Ant seemed to sense that it was targeted and called the Soldier Ants to form a meat wall in an attempt to block them.

Would they be able to intercept at this speed?

“Wind!”

Just as I was thinking that, a gust of wind from Franryule.

The ice pillars, accelerated by the force of the wind magic, pierced through before the Soldier Ants could form a complete wall, penetrating the Queen Ant’s forehead in the back. Green bodily fluids sprayed out as it fell limp.

At that moment, the Soldier Ants began to panic.

As they had lost their mother and leader, they seemed uncertain about what to do next.

Taking advantage of this opening, Franryule and I launched our attacks without hesitation.

Pressured by our momentum, one Soldier Ants finally turned back.

As one started to retreat, others followed suit, and the entire swarm scattered and fled.

As the information from the appraisal suggested, it seemed that losing the Queen Ant caused the swarm to disband.

“Your wind magic was a lifesaver. Franryule-san, you’re like a professional magician, achieving the best results with minimal magic power. It’s really admirable.”

It’s impressive how she achieves results with minimal magic rather than relying on brute force like me.

Not only that, but she assesses the situation and provides support to make it easier for her allies to fight.

Being able to adjust to others’ magic like that and instantly activate the magic she can use is not something an ordinary person can do.

“W-Well, that’s probably too much praise. But thank you very much.”

As she blushed deeply and started to fidget with her hair, it seemed she was quite embarrassed.

Though her actions are mature, she also has this cute side to her.

With the Soldier Ants gone, there were remnants of Soldier Ants and the Queen Ant around us.

“Shall we collect the materials?”

“That’s right!”

Since Soldier Ants’ shells, tusks, and spikes can be processed into weapons, I’ll collect them all in the Magic Bag.

“Aren’t you going to collect them, Franryule-san?”

“My Magic Bag’s capacity is starting to run low, so I think I’ll give up on collecting Soldier Ant materials.”

“In that case, shall I store them in my Magic Bag? I’ll give them to you when we return to the mansion.”

“That would be helpful! I’ll pay you for the storage fee later!”

It wouldn’t matter if it were free, but Franryule doesn’t overlook these kinds of details.

So, I nodded and decided to store Franryule’s share of the Soldier Ant materials as well.

After collecting the Soldier Ants, only the Queen Ant remained.

While the Soldier Ants’ shells were gray, the Queen Ant’s shell had a purplish hue.

It emitted a different shine from ores and gemstones, making it very beautiful.

【Queen Ant Shell】

The shell covering the Queen Ant’s body. Thinner and much softer compared to the Soldier Ant’s shell.

Not suitable for crafting weapons, but has value as decorative items.

Appraisal indicates it’s not suitable for weapon crafting and has a low grade as a material.

However, there was a unique beauty to this shell that seemed different from its market value.

“The Queen Ant’s shell has low value as a material, but you’re going to collect it as a gatherer, right?”

“Yeah, I don’t have one, and I just thought it was pretty.”

Besides, beautiful materials like this make great souvenirs for Rosca.

I also want to try making accessories or maybe even run a stall together.

After collecting the Queen Ant’s shell, the last thing left was the yellow honey found at the tip of its swollen tail.

【Queen Ant’s Honey Bag】

A bag filled with honey collected by the Queen Ant from the flowers and plants growing on the giant tree.

Combined with the abundant nutrients stored by the Queen Ant, it becomes a concentrated, rich honey.

Just a spoonful aids in fatigue recovery.

When mixed with shampoo, it moisturizes the hair.

Applied topically, it immediately improves skin issues like acne and blemishes.

“…It seems this has effects beyond just its taste.”

“Yes! Besides that, it’s incredibly effective for hair and skin care!”

Naturally, Franryule seems to be aware of the honey’s beauty benefits.

Her eyes glistened with a strong passion as she looked at the honey.

This is also a material that Rabis and Sarasa would surely be delighted to have.

“Shall we start collecting it for now?”

“Yes!”

Franryule and I took out sterilized collection bottles and lined them up.

As we detached the swollen honey bags, honey overflowed from the torn parts.

Seeing that, Franryule promptly held up the bottle, so I stood there, holding the honey bag.

When the bottle was full, we moved on to the next one, repeating the process tirelessly.

After about fifty bottles were filled to the brim, the honey bag was empty.

There were rows of beautiful yellow honey-filled bottles around us.

Just looking at them was beautiful.

“With this, honey collection is complete!”

“Since we’re at it, shall we have a little taste?”

“I agree!”

Since it also has fatigue recovery effects, it’s better to eat some here to replenish our energy.

Leaving just one bottle behind, the rest were stored in the magic bag.

To taste the honey’s flavor as it is, without combining it with other ingredients, we decided to eat it directly with a spoon.

The viscous yellow liquid filled the spoon.

It sparkled as if it had been processed directly from topaz into liquid form.

And it smelled heavenly.

After enjoying it with my eyes and nose, I slowly brought the spoon to my mouth.

“Delicious!”

It had an elegant and mild flavor, with a very refreshing aftertaste.

There was no overwhelming, cloying sweetness; it flowed smoothly into the stomach.

“This melting sweetness! It feels like all my tiredness is just melting away~”

Franryule is also smiling.

As she says, I felt like my body was rejoicing because it had been nourished by the honey.

It’s said to be honey collected from various flowers, but there’s no hint of any off-flavors.

“…Hmm, I want to eat more, but eating more would be excessive sugar intake.”

“It seems like about three tablespoons in the morning, afternoon, and evening are just right.”

When I tried to appraise it again to extract more information, it turned out that this was the recommended daily intake.

Consuming more than that would result in excessive sugar intake.

“In that case, I can have one more mouthful!”

Having already eaten two servings, Franryule savored the remaining one.

Influenced by her blissful expression, I also savored the remaining two servings as if chewing on them happily.