Chapter 9

The parasitic creature that had been living inside the Iron Ant King was crushed by sand. This should allow him to regain his sanity.

Now, the King was being treated by Isis's magic. Although I was careful, he must have expended a lot of energy while being parasitized, and he wasn't completely unscathed from fighting my sand iron golem.

The Iron Ants were quite strong, leaving no room for holding back. I'm glad Isis was there to help.

"U, uh? Where am I?"

"I'm glad you're awake."

"Y, you're human!"

"Kyaa!"

The Iron Ant King jumped up, putting some distance between us and getting into a defensive stance. I had taken his spear just in case, but he was still quite wary.

"Stop, Iron Ant King!"

"Y, you're the Honey Ant Queen? Why are you here?"

"Well, that's—"

We couldn't let this misunderstanding continue, so I and the Queen explained everything that had happened.

"Is that so... I never imagined my mind was controlled by a monster."

After hearing our explanation, the Iron Ant King lowered his head. It seemed he believed us. He had no recent memories, which is why he accepted it.

"Unforgivable! To be outdone by such a monster!"

He slammed his fist into a nearby wall, clearly frustrated. He might be feeling inadequate as a king.

"It couldn't be helped. The parasitic creature was very good at hiding its presence. I wouldn't have noticed it if I hadn't checked with my sand perception."

"---I see. But I'm grateful for the help. I never thought I'd be saved by a human."

The Iron Ant King bowed deeply. As the Queen had said, he wasn't a mindless ant.

"Thank you for treating me with magic as well."

The Iron Ant King also thanked Isis.

"Ng, ng."

For some reason, Rak seemed to be giving off a vibe like "don't worry about it," but he was quite endearing.

"Still, after all this, I must apologize to the Queen and thank you for saving me."

"No, you don't need to worry about it."

"That won't do! As the Iron Ant King, I must repay my debt!"

"I feel the same. Please let me show my gratitude."

It seems that whether they are Iron Ants or Honey Ants, they are quite principled.

"In that case, ah, right! Would you be willing to share some sand iron? The Queen mentioned that she would be happy to share some honey."

"What? Sand iron? Is that all you want?"

The King seemed to think it was a small thing, but it was important to me. Having iron makes a big difference.

"Horus has a castle, and I need sand iron to reinforce it."

Isis answered for me. Yes, exactly. Besides, iron has many other potential uses.

"A castle! Are you a king of humans?"

"No, not really a king..."

"I heard from the ants that take care of me that you have a magnificent castle and even an oasis."

"An oasis! Is that true!"

The Iron Ant King seemed very interested.

"Y, yes, I do have one. Is there a problem with that?"

"Then, would you be willing to share some water? I'm very sorry to ask this after you've already helped us..."

"Water?"

It seems they are in a dire situation.

"By the way, Iron Ants value water even more than we do. However, there is a small river nearby, isn't there?"

"Wow, there's a river in the desert?"

"Under certain conditions... but the water isn't abundant."

That's true. However, the Iron Ant King seemed troubled.

"The river has dried up recently, and we have been searching for water. My memory gaps started when I began searching for water."

I see. That's when the parasitic creature took control.

"Still, the King himself goes out to search for water?"

"Of course. Without water, the soldiers will die. It's such an important matter that I must search myself to set an example."

I see. He's a caring king.

"So, what do you think? If you share the water, I can give you all the sand iron here!"

"Really! No, no, that's not necessary. You can take the water freely."

"Wh, what! Really!?"

"Of course."

We have plenty of water in the oasis. I can't just leave them in trouble.

"I'm grateful! Thank you so much!"

"Ah, then, would you like to come to the castle? You can see the oasis and decide for yourself."

"Really! Yes, of course, if you're feeling well enough."

"No, let's go now! Let's go immediately!"

The Iron Ant King wanted to go, and the Honey Ant Queen agreed to come along. So, we all rode the sand waves to move.

"Wow! This is amazing!"

"It's comfortable once you get used to it."

The Iron Ant King was surprised, but moving by sand waves is indeed fast.

We finally arrived at the castle.

"Is this a castle made of sand? And so many strong-looking soldiers!"

"Well, the soldiers are sand golems I created, and the castle is made with magic."

"No, creating so many soldiers and a castle with magic is impressive..."

What? Is it? I've always been belittled for sand magic in my country, so I never really felt it.

Then, I took the ant king to the oasis.

"Water! And so much of it! Is it really okay?"

"Yes, please take as much as you like."

"What a wonderful thing—"

The Iron Ant King turned to me and bowed deeply again. It felt a bit awkward to be bowed to so many times.

"You don't need to bow so much for just water..."

"Unforgivable. I thought humans were more greedy and arrogant. I must change my opinion."

The Iron Ant King said this while gazing at the oasis with a deep sense of gratitude.

"Well, it's nice to see you so happy."

"Yes, and I think Horus is admirable. Even in dire need, it's not easy to give away such precious water."

Isis smiled. Is that true? But I feel this way because I have plenty.

"Hey! Horus-sama! Is that a date palm!"

"Are you fond of dates?"

"Yes! We love fruits. Eating different fruits can change the taste of our honey."

I see. Apparently, eating things like dates can make the honey taste better.

"Then, you can take those too."

"Really!?"

"Yes. In return, I'll get honey, and it will be delicious."

"Thank you!"

The Honey Ant Queen was very grateful.

"---I've decided!"

"Huh? Decided?"

"King Horus. Please allow me to join your ranks."

"Wh, what!?"

"Then, I also, please allow me to join!"

"Even the Queen!"

Oh, this is unexpected. I don't know how to respond to such a sudden request...

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