As the suffocating tension slowly loosened its grip, the ant princess began to speak.
At first, her voice carried hesitation, each word carefully chosen as if stepping across a frozen lake that might crack beneath her at any moment. Trust did not come easily, not here, not now, and certainly not with someone as unpredictable as the man standing before her. Yet, despite that lingering doubt, she could not ignore the growing certainty in her mind.
Everything pointed to him.
The one she had been searching for.
The traces were too clear to dismiss. The blood-based ability he had displayed was already an anomaly, something far too specific to be coincidence. Then there was his question... asking whether she had come to avenge a fallen commander. That alone revealed knowledge he should not have had unless he had encountered one of them directly.
And there was only one.
The general sent to the Great Labyrinth. The same one who had triggered a distress signal before being forcibly extracted through the colony's emergency transfer circle.
No one else fit.
Not the timing. Not the location. Not the strength.
Not him.
There was no doubt left.
So, she told him everything.
She spoke of the Crimson Battalion, not as a proud force of conquest, but as something that had rotted from within. What was once a structured hierarchy had twisted into something far more primal, where power alone dictated worth and cruelty was no longer restrained, but encouraged.
She described how most of the Queen's high-ranking subordinates had abandoned any sense of order, driven instead by unchecked ambition and an insatiable hunger for dominance. Only a small fraction remained unchanged... a fragile minority consisting of lesser leaders and a scattered population of workers who had neither the strength nor the authority to oppose what the battalion had become.
Her voice grew heavier as she recalled confronting her mother.
The empress.
She had gone to her, not as a soldier, but as a daughter seeking reason, hoping—perhaps foolishly—that something could still be salvaged.
But the answer she received was absolute.
"There is no such thing as equality. It has always been this way. The strong crush the weak. If they cannot endure the structure of the Crimson Battalion, then they are simply unworthy."
No hesitation.
No remorse.
Only truth, stripped of all comfort.
After that... everything changed.
She watched as the battalion expanded its reach, claiming territory after territory, not through diplomacy, but through overwhelming force. Monsters were either enslaved or subjugated on the spot, their will crushed beneath the name of Charybdis.
The very name they once revered.
The irony was suffocating.
They had even taken control of the Great Chaos Maw—the sacred resting place created by that very being they claimed to honor. A place meant to preserve legacy had instead become a throne for those who were slowly eroding it from within.
And then came the part that made her voice falter.
Children.
Young ones, torn from their homes, forced into labor as their families were slaughtered before their eyes. Lives reduced to tools, stripped of dignity, reduced to nothing more than expendable resources.
She couldn't watch it anymore.
She wouldn't.
---
Haruto listened in silence.
Every word settled into him like weight.
Some of it he already knew, at least partially. The enslavement of monsters wasn't new to him. He learned about that from Haruna back then. And it was clear that they did indeed take out a lot of monsters from the labyrinth.
But this... this went further than that.
Much further.
His expression didn't change much, but something behind his eyes sharpened.
"Are there more kids being held like that?" he asked, his voice calm, but carrying an edge that hadn't been there before.
The princess lowered her head.
Shame.
Regret.
"...No."
The answer came quietly.
"They're all dead."
Her gaze shifted slightly toward the group behind her.
"These are the only ones I could save."
Haruto followed her line of sight.
The children stood close together, their bodies thin, their expressions hollow in a way that no child should ever have. Even without words, their condition spoke volumes.
Something twisted in his chest.
An instinct, perhaps.
Or something older.
Whatever it was, it didn't sit well with him.
He exhaled slowly, forcing the tension out before it could surface in the wrong way.
Then he turned.
"Let's go."
The sudden shift caught her off guard.
"Go? W-where?"
"To my camp," he replied, already beginning to walk. "You're in no condition to keep moving like this, and we have things to talk about. It's better to do that somewhere we're not standing in the open."
He didn't wait for agreement.
He simply moved.
The princess quickly stood, gathering herself as she followed after him.
"Y-yes... thank you, my lord—"
"Haruto."
His voice cut in, casual but firm.
"Call me Haruto."
She blinked, then nodded slightly.
"...Haruto."
Behind them, the children followed closely, with the lab-coated woman bringing up the rear. As they moved through the uneven terrain, her gaze lingered on his back, her thoughts quietly turning.
That name...
It wasn't just familiar.
It was specific.
"...That's definitely Japanese," she murmured under her breath, just quiet enough that only she could hear it.
And that realization carried weight.
Because if she was right—
Then he wasn't just another anomaly in this world.
He was something else entirely.
---
Haruto walked in silence, his pace steady as he navigated through the forest.
But his mind wasn't still.
Trust.
That was the problem.
The princess had spoken with sincerity, and her actions backed it up. He had seen how she fought, how she placed herself between danger and those kids without hesitation. That wasn't something easily faked.
And yet...
She was still part of the Crimson Battalion.
That alone was enough to turn every head at the camp.
Panic would be the best-case scenario.
Violence... was far more likely.
He stopped.
Abruptly.
The others nearly ran into each other as they came to a halt behind him.
"D-did something happen?" the princess asked, her voice tense again. "Haruto...?"
He didn't answer immediately.
Instead, his gaze moved to the side, settling on a thick vine coiled around a nearby tree. He reached out, grabbed it, and with a firm pull, tore it free.
Then he turned back toward her.
"Give me your hands."
She hesitated for only a fraction of a second.
Then she stepped forward and extended both hands without resistance.
Haruto took the vine and began wrapping it around her wrists, securing them firmly but not harshly.
The lab-coated woman frowned slightly. "What exactly are you doing?"
"We can't just walk in with someone from the Crimson Battalion like nothing's wrong," he replied calmly as he tightened the knot. "They'll panic. Or worse, they'll attack first and ask questions later."
The princess stiffened.
"...There are more people there?"
"Yes," he said simply. "My subordinates. They lost their homes because of your battalion. So we're not taking chances."
That was enough.
The weight of her situation pressed down fully now.
Not only was she walking beside someone far stronger than her, someone who could end her life without effort—but she was also heading straight into a group that had every reason to hate her kind.
It felt... wrong.
Dangerously wrong.
"Relax," Haruto added, finishing the binding before stepping back. "They won't do anything as long as I'm there. They follow my orders."
He reached out, taking her weapon from her without resistance.
"There."
Then he turned toward the other woman.
"You stay at the front with the kids. She follows behind us. We make it look like we captured her."
The woman raised a brow, a faint, crooked smile forming despite the situation.
"You sound like you've done this kind of thing before."
Haruto shrugged lightly as he turned away.
"What can I say... I'm a pretty talented guy."
The casual tone didn't quite match the situation, but somehow, it worked.
"Move out."
And just like that, they did.
The woman led the children forward, guiding them carefully through the uneven terrain. Haruto walked just behind them, his presence steady, watchful.
And at the back—
The princess followed.
Bound.
Silent.
Watching him.
There was something about him she couldn't quite place.
Something unusual.
Not just his strength.
Not just his calm.
But the way he chose.
The way he judged.
It didn't feel like cruelty.
It didn't feel like blind justice either.
It felt...
Different.
And strangely enough—
Not wrong.
...
Back at the camp, beneath the shade of a wide, old tree, Hana finally leaned back on her palms and let out a slow breath.
Her work was done.
Carefully, almost tenderly, she adjusted the doll's posture, resting it upright against the tree trunk. The newly formed body held its shape perfectly, elegant and refined, far beyond what bare bones should have ever been capable of becoming. It no longer resembled its origin. Not even slightly.
It looked... alive.
Hana tilted her head, studying it with a quiet, genuine smile that didn't carry her usual teasing edge.
"...You're gonna love this, Haruki."
Her gaze drifted down to the pen still resting in her fingers.
It felt... strange.
Not in a bad way.
Just... different.
Special.
There was weight to it now. Not physical weight, but something deeper, something that lingered beneath the surface like a quiet hum. A connection.
Without thinking too much, she pressed the nib gently against her palm and drew.
A small heart.
The ink settled neatly over her skin, refusing to sink into her slime body like anything else would have. It stayed there, crisp and clear, like it belonged.
Hana stared at it.
And then, her lips curved.
"...Idiot..."
It was soft. Almost fond.
The thought of him slipped in naturally, like it had been waiting for the smallest excuse.
That moment earlier.
The way he had taken her hand.
Guided her.
No hesitation. No awkwardness. Just... natural.
Her fingers tightened slightly around the pen as that memory sharpened.
She could still feel it.
The warmth.
His Astrons moving through her, blending seamlessly with her own. There had been no resistance, no clash, no pain. Just a smooth, steady flow, like two currents meeting and deciding to move as one.
She had expected discomfort.
That's what stories always said, right? Magic like that was supposed to hurt. Overlapping energies, foreign intrusion, instability.
But this?
This had felt...
Right.
Like it was always meant to work.
Her face flushed before she could stop it.
"...No way..."
She covered her mouth slightly, as if that would somehow contain the thought.
Compatible.
The word echoed once, and that alone was enough to send heat rushing to her cheeks.
Hana quickly shook her head, dragging in a breath to steady herself.
"Get a grip..."
But it didn't help.
Not when his voice followed right behind the memory.
That stupid, teasing tone.
That stupid, smug confidence.
"Ahhh! Get out of my head already, you dummy!"
She snapped, louder than she intended—
And immediately regretted it.
Because at that exact moment—
Hands grabbed her shoulders from behind.
"BOO."
"KYAA—?!"
Hana shot forward like a startled cat, nearly tripping over herself as she scrambled away, spinning around with wide eyes and a racing heart.
Haruto stood there, already laughing.
Not even trying to hide it.
"Pfft—seriously? You jumped that high?"
"You—YOU IDIOT!" she snapped, pointing at him accusingly. "What the hell was that?! Are you trying to kill me?!"
He shrugged, still grinning. "Relax, it's just me."
"That's exactly the problem!" she shot back instantly. "You snuck up on me when I was distracted! That doesn't count!"
"Oh? So if you weren't distracted, you wouldn't scream like that?" he teased, folding his arms.
"Obviously!"
"Right... because the mighty Hana would totally keep her cool."
"I WOULD!"
"Sure, sure."
She stomped closer, jabbing a finger at his chest. "You caught me off guard! That's cheating!"
"And what were you so busy thinking about, huh?" he leaned in slightly, eyes narrowing with playful suspicion. "You were literally yelling at yourself."
Hana froze.
Just for a second.
"...Nothing."
"That sounded like 'something'."
"It wasn't!"
"Hmm..." he tilted his head, clearly enjoying this. "You weren't, I don't know... thinking about me or something, right?"
Her face went red instantly.
"SHUT UP!"
"Wow. That was fast."
"I SAID SHUT UP!"
She swung at him, and he stepped back with a laugh, barely avoiding the hit.
"Hey, hey, violence already? I just got here."
"You deserve it!"
"For what?"
"For existing like that!"
"That's not even a crime."
"It should be!"
Their little back-and-forth continued for a few more seconds, neither of them willing to give the other the last word, until—
Hana suddenly stopped.
Her eyes shifted.
Past him.
And then she froze completely.
"...Wait."
Haruto blinked. "What?"
"...AH—"
He turned slightly.
The group behind him.
The moment it clicked, Hana's entire demeanor flipped. The fiery attitude vanished, replaced with pure, unfiltered embarrassment as she quickly stepped behind him, grabbing onto the back of his shirt like a shield.
"I—uh—I'm so sorry..." she muttered awkwardly, peeking out just a little. "That was... just..."
The children, however, didn't share her concern.
They were already giggling.
Some even laughed outright.
The lab-coated girl let out a small, awkward chuckle, clearly trying to be polite about it.
Only the princess remained quiet at the back, her gaze fixed on the two of them with a subtle, thoughtful curiosity.
Hana groaned softly, hiding her face further.
"...Just kill me..."
"Too late," Haruto whispered back, amused.
"Shut up."
After a moment, she finally gathered herself enough to peek out again, her eyes moving between the unfamiliar faces.
"...So. W-who are they?"
Haruto shrugged casually. "Ran into them in the forest. Giant bug tried to turn them into lunch, so I stepped in."
He said it like it was nothing.
"Brought them here because they're in pretty bad shape."
Hana nodded slowly... until her gaze shifted further back.
And landed on the princess.
Her expression sharpened instantly.
Tension.
Recognition.
Even without words, it was obvious.
Crimson Battalion.
Before anything could escalate, Haruto reached back and gently took her hand, giving it a small squeeze along with a calm, knowing smile.
It was enough.
Hana exhaled quietly, the tension melting away just as quickly as it had appeared.
"...Got it."
Trust.
She stepped back into place without another word.
Haruto then looked around the camp.
"Luna."
Not far away, Luna immediately perked up at the sound of his voice. She turned, spotted him, and hurried over without hesitation.
"My lord—"
Her words slowed as she noticed the group behind him.
Her eyes lingered briefly on the princess.
She didn't say anything.
Didn't react.
Just... observed.
Then looked back at Haruto.
Waiting.
Trusting.
He pointed toward the children. "Get them some food and clothes. Let them stay with the others in the cave."
A brief pause.
"And call everyone. We're having a meeting."
Luna nodded immediately. "Understood."
She turned to the children, her expression softening into a warm smile.
"Come on, let's get you something to eat. We have plenty."
That was all it took.
The younger goblins lit up instantly, stepping forward with excitement, and soon enough, the rest followed along, disappearing into the cave with a growing buzz of chatter.
Once they were gone, Haruto turned back.
"To you," he said, pointing toward a large tree nearby as he addressed the princess. "Sit there for now."
She nodded quietly and moved as instructed.
Then he looked at the lab-coated girl.
"...You're not going with them?"
She blinked, then crossed her arms. "You said to give the food to the kids."
"...Yeah?"
"Not us."
He frowned slightly. "But aren't you a kid?"
Silence.
Then—
"...What?"
The words hit her like a brick.
"I'm just still growing, okay?!" she snapped, lunging at him.
"Ah—okay! Sorry, sorry—I didn't know—!"
"You literally just called me a kid!"
"You're just really short—ow!"
"Learn to respect your elders!"
She smacked his arm again, fuming, while he awkwardly tried to dodge without escalating it further.
And just like that—
The tension in the camp shifted.
Not gone.
But... lighter.
For now.
...