Will I End Up As a Hero or a Demon King (WN)

Chapter 147

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Chapter 147 – Inside the King Ant

The next day.

I watch Ril, who never seems to stop eating, as she picks at her breakfast salad in the inn’s restaurant.

“You’re really eating a lot, even though you ate so much yesterday…”

“Mmm! It’s delicious! Especially this, this, this, and this…”

It seems like she’s pointing her finger at everything she can get her hands on, but when I see her stuffing her mouth like a squirrel, I can’t help but sigh, and the corners of my mouth lift up naturally.

Last night, as soon as I got back to my room, Ril rushed me to take a bath, and then we went to the restaurant in our fresh, barefoot state.

And as I had announced, I showed Ril the menu and told her she could order whatever she wanted, and she really didn’t hold back.

First, about half the table was filled with dishes I’d seen before and some I hadn’t, and as we cleared them away, more dishes were placed on the table.

Ril and I continued to eat these dishes in silence.

I’m sure it must have been a strange sight for the other customers at the table.

But I was so hungry that I didn’t care what other people thought.

Ril didn’t care, either.

We ate like we were challenging our own limits, and when we got back to our room, we were overcome by the feeling of fullness and fell asleep immediately.

To be honest, I don’t even know when Ril returned to the divine realm.

So, my breakfast consisted of a glass of fresh fruit juice, a salad, and a piece of toasted bread with jam.

Last night’s dinner is still in my stomach, and if possible, I’d rather have coffee and a digestive medicine than food.

“(Even if I can’t have a digestive, I really want some coffee…)”

While thinking about coffee, which could almost be called my partner on earth,

“Alright, I’ll let you off with that much for today!”

I hear words that make me want to ask, “What kind of fight is this?”

When I looked at the culprit, she was rubbing her stomach while looking at the ceiling as if she was satisfied, but her mouth area was still so sticky that I couldn’t help but think she looked like a kindergartener.

There were also a few stains on the white dress the goddess was wearing.

I couldn’t help but point at my own mouth and say, “You’ve got some on you,” and Ril made a funny face while desperately sticking out her tongue to lick it off.

You don’t see beauty like that anywhere else.

Still, the ease of not having to think of her as a woman is very pleasant.

“(If Feeril is a mother, then Ril is a sister, right?)”

Thinking about such things, we finished breakfast and returned to our room.

“Hey, by the way, is Ril staying here today or until tomorrow?”

“It should be until tomorrow. But since this is the first time I’m looking for a transmigrator, I feel like it’s already over.”

She spent a day hiding in the divine realm because she didn’t want to take off her armor. When I thought the problem was solved, she accidentally killed me and ended up having to deal with the aftermath. As punishment, she had to accompany me on a hunt. We ended up losing track of time, and it took more than a day. On top of that, there was a boss, and even more time was wasted.

I wonder what Ril is doing down there? I’m sure that’s what the other goddesses are thinking.

“You’ll have to work hard today and tomorrow to make up for the time you’ve wasted.”

“That’s right. If I don’t do what I’m supposed to do, Alicia will be really mad at me again. Will Loki be at the Hunters’ Guild?”

Caught by Ril’s gaze, we both looked at the golden ant in the cage.

“Yes, I don’t want to keep it in the room forever, so I’ll tidy up first and then check my skills and yesterday’s results. If there’s any additional information, I’ll tell you all about it tonight.”

“Hmm… then I’ll work hard today in anticipation.”

While I’m at it, I might as well give Ril a gold coin on my way out of the room.

“I think this should be enough, but it’s for when you get hungry at noon. Just don’t have any unnecessary conversations with the shop staff. Ril really seems to think you’ll get caught.”

“I’ve heard from Riste and Felin that the food at the stalls is delicious. Now I have something to look forward to again.”

She didn’t hear me.

I said goodbye to Ril, who was grinning to himself at the entrance of the inn, holding a gold coin in the air, and went to the shoe shop, carrying a basket of a golden ant on my back.

After buying a pair of safe-looking short boots, I went to the Hunters’ Guild.

“Good morning~!”

“Oh, it’s you, kid.”

The dismantling area of the guild.

If you enter from the back, it’s still early in the morning, so the place is very quiet.

However, if you look at the workbench in the back, you can see that the giant crabs and frogs are still piled up, so it’s obvious that last night’s work hasn’t been cleaned up at all.

Still, I think the old man who also works at the counter has become a little more friendly compared to the beginning.

“What do you want at this hour? If you keep asking stupid questions, we’ll make you help us with the work.”

“It’s not stupid! I want to sell this stuff I got yesterday.”

Saying this, I put the contents of the basket on the counter while trying to read the old man’s expression.

I know.

No matter how you look at it, this is a big deal.

The possibility of things developing into a troublesome situation is very high.

Still, it would be a shame to throw away such boss-class material, and I can’t resist the desire to find out what this thing is.

“Hmm? What the heck is this?”

As I watched the old man’s reaction as he approached the counter with a suspicious look on his face, I knew the most troublesome pattern had come.

I thought.

He didn’t seem to be pretending anything, and I couldn’t think of any reason why he would have any advantage in pretending.

Then, even this old man, who seemed so used to it, saw this monster for the first time.

That’s how it turned out, and it was confirmed that it was a different species from the queen ant that was defeated three months ago.

Huh…

When I think about what will happen from now on, I can’t help but sigh, but if the old man doesn’t know, there’s nothing I can do, so I add a little explanation.

“The place where I found it was in the Great Hole of Deboa, in a room that I think is the innermost part with countless eggs. I thought it was a queen ant, but is it not?”

“What? Don’t be ridiculous. There’s no way a queen ant could be that small. But… I’ve never seen an ant this color before. Is this thing a monster to begin with?”

“Huh? It was so strong that it couldn’t be compared to normal ants, so I don’t think it could be anything other than a monster, don’t you think?”

“Even considering its size, you should be able to tell that it’s a monster… Right? Should we cut it open and check for a magic stone?”

“Uh, yeah…”

There are even ordinary ants in this world.

I’ve seen them many times when I’ve been wandering around the Great Forest of Palmera.

He probably thinks that it’s a big, rare species that isn’t a monster, but I already know that it’s a King Ant.

Well, it’s too much trouble to be asked how I know, so I’ll just have to see how things turn out.

“Damn, I can’t get through at all! Bring the mithril knife for the queen ant!”

“O-okay!”

This won’t work with a normal utility knife.

I think I’ll have to call Ril to help, but I keep quiet and watch what’s happening.

“…What the hell is this thing? Even with this… damn, I can’t get through!”

“Should we push in together?”

“I’ll help!”

“””On three!”””

“Hey, hey, hey… It can’t be harder than a queen ant!”

This is no good.

It looks like the blade of the mithril knife will not break, but it will not go in at all.

I look up at the ceiling and begin to think.

“(Should I take it to the capital, where there are more skilled people and equipment to dismantle it, instead of trying to exchange it for money here? No, no, I don’t want to be with this monster much longer, and if I take it to the king’s capital, the information will be transmitted faster, and the danger will increase. Then, since I’ve found out that queen ants and king ants are different species, should I give up trying to exchange it for money? Well, it seems like a waste, but… but it’s so big. I know that the bigger the magic stone, the more valuable it is, but if it’s only slightly smaller than the crab and frog next to it, then the value of the magic stone seems hopeless… but if that hard outer shell is useful as a material for armor or something…)”

“Hah… hah… hey, kid, you’re the one who defeated that thing, right?”

“…What? Well, I guess you could say that.”

It’s not true, but I can’t reveal Ril’s existence here.

Even though I think there’s no way I can defeat it on my own, I have to shake my head.

“Then come in. It’s not good, but this is not the time to say that. You can break through its shell, right?”

“No, no, there’s no need to go that far.”

“You idiot! It’s definitely not normal for something to be harder than a queen ant. Who knows, it might be possible!”

What do you mean, “might be possible”?

I couldn’t help but shake my head, but the muscular, hairy hands pulled me from the side counter and led me into the workshop.

And before I knew it, I was being handed a mithril knife.

“(Oh no… if I can’t stab it here, people will start asking who killed it!)”

The people around me were already giving me a look that said, “I’ll leave it to you.”

There was no way I could turn back now.

I lowered my head to avoid their gaze, and on the belly of the king ant that had been turned over, I could faintly see the mark left by the sword that Ril had stabbed yesterday.

“(If I put the blade along that crack, will it work?)”

If it doesn’t work, I’ll just make up an excuse that I can’t do it without my own weapon and run away from Malta.

While I’m making up my mind, I put the knife to the crack and take a look at the King Ant’s loot that I couldn’t resist on the way to the guild.

I use one of the skills.

“(Body Strengthening)”

“Fuuuaaaaa!!!”

――Crack!

“”””O-oh!!!””””

I couldn’t help but join the three people watching around me and let out a scream.

Everyone’s eyes were focused on the king ant that had split in two.

The old man was digging through the fragments as we all watched,

“…As I thought, this guy is incredible…”

“Could this be a magic gem…?”

“”?””

While the old men, who looked like they were used to it, muttered, the other dismantler and I looked at the magic stone, stunned, not understanding what it meant.

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