Chapter 72 – Vampire (8)
Roden and the Lizardman hat party went down without a hitch while cutting and burning the monsters and mosquitoes that came out of the cave.
Clumps full of mosquito eggs cling to the wall or ceiling they are currently passing through, like chewed gum.
Thanks to this, the surrounding landscape feels more similar to the intestines of a huge creature than inside a cave, so a visceral aversion creeps up.
“Ugh…”
The twin sisters and Loxia, who are moving together from the rear, grow chicken meat every time they see a mosquito egg sac that looks like a mass of tumor. Although all three women have good stomachs in their own way, this has crossed the human line.
If you stick a torch through the egg sac, the smell of burnt protein that inevitably comes out will wrinkle your face.
Unlike cocoons, the tiny egg sacs do not have a nucleus. In other words, they do not cost a penny.
Haa.
The twin sister couldn’t hide her regret and sighed at the same timing.
“It’s a pity that there’s nothing worth making money for, but seeing things like this pop up endlessly, I think I’ve come to the right place this time.”
“I see. I hope I can stop seeing mosquitoes after this exploration…Anyway, is Loxia okay?”
“It’s okay. Marill-nee. Now I’m pretty good at turning barriers, so I still have plenty of mana.”
“Ahaha… Rather than that, it must be the first time I’ve been in such a deep cave, so I asked because I thought it would be very difficult. Anyway, I’m glad it’s okay.”
Seeing that he has a bright complexion, I was worrying for nothing.
The party continued to advance while burning all the visible sacs, then entered a spacious cavity, and after fighting the monsters waiting there, they approached the cocoon in the corner of the common area.
“It’s the first cocoon I found in this cave.”
Whoo!
Sharnar swung the ax slung over his shoulder lightly and cut through the cocoons. The eggs of the giant mosquito and the bloody core hidden between them should have been revealed, but the contents of this cocoon were completely different.
“Shaaaaagh!!”
“?!”
From the inside, a monster that looked like a bug mimicking a human being clumsily attacked the chieftain with a sharp snout reminiscent of a mosquito’s snout!
Puff! Puck! Oops!
However, the chief, who reacted quickly to the surprise attack of the monster, violently grabbed the monster’s nose and knocked it out! He broke it, put a follow-up blow into his face, and subdued him in an instant.
“Mutually Profitable…”
The monster, who had been scattered helplessly on the floor, spurted blood from the wound on its chest that had been cut along with the cocoon, and stopped breathing while shaking its entire body.
“Are you okay?!”
“Ahhh, I’m surprised… It’s okay, it’s okay.”
Shaking off his bloody knuckles, Charnard said it was okay to Roden and his eldest son, then squatted down in front of the monster’s corpse and observed it closely.
The monster’s slender arms, four legs, and bulging eyes, like those of an insect, were quite repulsive.
If you look at the back, there are blood pockets hanging from the part corresponding to the buttocks.
“Until now, we’ve never seen a monster like this in the swamp we grew up in. Have you guys ever seen one that looks like this outside?”
“It’s the first monster we’ve ever seen.”
“That’s right…”
The party decided to name the mosquito man after the appearance of this monster. The chief who was investigating the mosquito man pulled out the nucleus connected to the belly of the guy.
“Accordingly, this nucleus seems to have been playing a role in supplying nutrients to the mosquito man in the cocoon. It’s like a yolk, if you compare it.”
“The fact that this thing is still there must mean that this guy was forcibly taken out in an immature and insecure state.”
“Well, that’s right. It doesn’t look like he’ll become such a big monster if he’s grown enough… But it’s fortunate in many ways to find it before it hatches. Anyway, this makes it clear. If we go further from here, we will face the culprit of this situation. I guess.”
Sharnar stood up and handed over the bloody core to Roden.
“Anyway, our tribe has nothing more to ask for as long as this issue is resolved safely. You can keep all the cores you get from this cave.”
Roden nodded quietly and decided to gratefully accept the favor of the other party.
Meanwhile, Merim, who was quietly listening to the story right next to her, caught her mouth very much.
“Ohhh, Chief. The best! I love you.”
“Hmm? Even if a female like me loves me, it would be difficult if I couldn’t see the child… But I’ll just be grateful.”
The Lizardman chief, whose race and culture are very different from humans, understood Merim’s words in a completely different direction, but she accepted them with goodwill.
Anyway, Roden’s party and the Lizardman’s hat decided to start again after taking a long break in the open space common.
* * *
A considerable amount of time was wasted dealing with the swarms of mosquitoes that doubled as we went deeper into the cave. The cave is deeper than you can imagine.
“Whoa… Marill sister. Thank you… I’m sorry.”
“What’s with this much? It’s so light that I don’t even know if he’s carrying Loxia on his back.”
Roxia, who consumed most of her mana as well as her stamina due to the long battle in the cave, was carried on Maril’s back.
“There’s no need to be sorry. We were able to enter easily thanks to Roxia’s work so far. Leave the rest to us.”
“…Yes. Uncle.”
Due to the discharge of the girl, the formation of the party was transformed into a Lizardman hat in the front, and Roden in the direction of protecting the three women in the rear. Since then, the progress has slowed somewhat, but it was good to finally reach the destination.
At the present time, the place where the party is located is supported by flat stone floors and bricks, unlike the hollow spaces that have been overlooked so far.
Wriggling wriggling.
Here, as many as three human mosquito cocoons wriggling like a human heart are erected. Of course, they should be destroyed right away, but the party’s eyes are focused on the creature beyond the cocoon.
“Ohh, ohhh! The heinous enemies dared to set their filthy feet in front of the queen’s palace.”
The creature that calls itself a queen is much more human-like compared to the mosquito humans we’ve seen so far.
Except for its unusually large size and elongated lower body with several legs attached to it, reminiscent of centipede legs.
“I’m not fully grown yet… But I can’t help it. Come out! My loyal knights.”
When the queen shouted, the cocoons that were wriggling madly split open all at once. Mosquito people came out from within. Strangely, they were wearing armor and swords as soon as they were born.
“Speaking like a king on the subject of mutant worms… Hey Titus. I’ve accumulated so much on the self-proclaimed queen, I’ll deal with it myself. You and the others, including my son, will take care of things.”
“…”
Roden looked back and forth between the chieftain and the mosquito queen, thought for a moment, then nodded to her.
“…Let’s do that. Good luck, Chief.”
Since the one who suffered the most damage from the mosquitoes so far was the member of the Blackscale tribe, it would be the duty to put an end to it with the chieftain’s hand. If necessary, you can help.
“Jahaha! Thank you for conceding the biggest game. We’ll have a grand festival when we return to the village.”
Charnard, who got into a pose with a big smile, opened her eyes and jumped at the Mosquito Queen.
“How dare you!”
When the angry queen beckoned, the three mosquito people who were born a little while ago tried to stop the chief.
Pew-wook! Whoop!
Paperweight!
Chew!
Guerub’s arrows, Merim’s electric shock, and Roden’s sword strike attacked the mosquito people.
As a result, the Chief swung his ax at the Mosquito Queen unhindered!
The target part is her neck, where the queen connects her head and body.
Rotten!
Charnard’s attack landed brilliantly, and as proof, the Mosquito Queen’s head was separated from her body and floated in the air.
But the chieftain did not let out his usual boisterous laugh, for her queen’s neck, floating in the air, was not even looking straight into his eyes, showing off her laid-back expression.
“As a savage lizard caveman, his thoughts are so simple. Did you think that cutting off only her head would reap her noble life?”
Woo woo! Whoa!
The head and body of the Mosquito Queen, which fluttered in the air, split into small swarms of mosquitoes that scattered in all directions around her and clung to the whole body of her chieftain.
The Mosquito Queen screamed loudly with her only mouth left.
“I will suck out every drop of the blood of the enemy who brutally killed and burned my lovely children!”
With the queen’s command, the blood sacs of the mosquitoes clinging to the chieftain’s body began to swell with her blood.
