Her Majesty’s Swarm - Volume 1 - Chapter 1

Confirming the Situation 

I took a quick look around and found a small piece of paper. I scrawled upon it all I could remember just before the Swarm’s collective consciousness completely washed my memories away. 

I was an eighteen-year-old college student, born and raised in Japan. I didn’t have a lot of friends in real life, but I had plenty of them online. I knew most of them from gaming. When it came to video games, I was a chatterbox. 

I led quite the sad life, if I do say so myself. What I lacked in reality, I sought after on the internet. Still, I had no regrets, and I couldn’t claim zero attachments to the somewhat empty life I led in Japan. 

I will definitely make it out of this world. I promised the Swarm victory, but at the end of the day, I had my own selfish motives. Rather than focus on the goal of achieving some as yet unknown and unknowable victory, I chose to hone in on my desire to find my way back to Japan. 

I made no effort to hide it either. The Swarm likely knew this from the collective consciousness that connected us, but they remained silent on the matter. They seemed to tacitly approve of my wish to go back. Or maybe they intended to leave with me and sweep my world with the black currents of the Swarm. 

Whichever it was, the Swarm didn’t reject my intent to go back to my own world. I vowed to find a way to leave this world and return home... except I had no idea where to start. But someday, I will surely find it. 

Thus, my first order of business was to confirm the situation. Scouting was the first order of business in this kind of game, after all. I needed to get a grasp on the terrain, our enemies’ positions, and the resources I needed to produce more units—that is, more Swarms. I needed to confirm the logistic path to those resources as well as all other pertinent information about this region in order to emerge victorious. 

Those were the Four Xs: eXploration, eXpansion, eXploitation, and eXtermination. 

I needed resources. I needed a stronghold. And I needed an enemy. But truthfully, I was still hesitant to fight this so-called enemy. Where was I to begin with? The map was too large. I’d never seen these tunnels, and I didn’t recall ever playing a map with tunnels of this size. 

I could clearly remember all the maps I’d ever played. In fact, that was an island of perfect clarity in my otherwise hazy sea of memories. There wasn’t a single map I didn’t know, from the single-player maps, to online ones, to unique, user-made maps. On one hand, this could have been some really niche, unknown player-made map, but there was no chance a map this large wouldn’t be highly-rated by other players, so even that seemed unlikely. 

To that end, I divided my Ripper Swarms into pairs and sent them out to scout. Their information came directly to me via the hivemind, and I used it to draw a map of the area. If we’re going to win, we’ll have to secure this area, I thought. 

A gold mine. Hunting grounds. A densely packed military installation of unknown affiliation. I was fixated on gathering information in the name of the victory I had promised the Swarm and for the sake of going back to my own world. 

But honestly, as far as starting positions went, this one was golden. No matter how much you tweaked the difficulty settings, you’d only start with two to three Worker Swarms and a Ripper Swarm if you were lucky. The Arachnea was a faction that overwhelmed the enemy with sheer numbers, so having this many Swarm units so early in the game was usually forbidden to keep things balanced. It was no simple feat to get these numbers right away. 

The Marianne’s main resource was faith, which increased with the number of citizens it had and allowed the faction to increase the limit on their number of troops. The Gregoria mined gold, the favorite food of their dragons, to mobilize their forces. The Flame, a fellow evil faction, increased its number of units according to how many sacrifices it made. There was a loophole, though, where the Flame could sacrifice worker units—who didn’t subsist on meat—to increase the sum of its sacrifices. 

Usually it was hard to build up a number of units in the early game, but the Flame could do it relatively easily. Its worker units subsided on the most basic foods—fruits and agricultural crops—and could be sacrificed to unlock higher-level units, such as attacker units that were the Flame’s counterpart to the Ripper Swarms. That said, for how easy it was for this faction to produce units, the units themselves were unsurprisingly lacking in strength. 

The Arachnea, on the other end, lived on meat. It typically gathered meat from hunting grounds, which were generated as part of the map, in order to increase its unit production. Only Worker Swarms could be produced from gatherable plants, with all other units requiring meat to produce. 

The game’s map generation took that into account, of course, and distributed hunting grounds accordingly. There the Worker Swarms hunted deer and rabbits, carried their spoils back to base, and produced even more Swarms that way. But so long as you knew how to do it, it was perfectly possible to gather your initial army units—in this case, the Ripper Swarms—and rush your enemies’ positions before they could set up fortifications. 

I had done it several times myself, laying waste to several factions right away. For this method to succeed, you needed to swiftly seize every possible meat resource in the early game, devote them all to producing Ripper Swarms as fast as possible, then rush an enemy base. If the rush was successful, the Swarms obtained as much meat as the units they’d killed, enabling them to produce even more Swarms as a result. 

Massacre, devour, and propagate—once this loop begins, the game is all but won. 

While it wasn’t impossible, it was certainly a difficult strategy to pull off. Despite that, I already had hundreds of Worker and Ripper Swarms under my command and a number of assorted facilities established from the onset. Whatever difficulty setting had given me this starting setup was an unusual one. 

When I viewed the situation like it was the game, it felt as though I had picked up another player’s match after they left. Was there another player at the helm here before I came along? If so, what happened to them? Where are they now? And if the Arachnea existed before I came here, does that mean there are other factions too? While I couldn’t help but wonder, some of these questions weren’t anything for me to worry about. Whether there had been another player before or not, the Swarm had shown their loyalty to me. If any such player existed, they were surely gone from this world already. 

The Swarm only accepted one queen. In other words, there was no other player using the Arachnea but me right now—unless, of course, there was another player using the same faction. And if there was anyone like that, they may have had some kind of clue relating to how I could go back home. 

Additionally, I’d have to be cautious when it came to interacting with the other factions. I could talk to other humans, which meant there was a chance to broker peace with them, but they’d be wary of me because I used the Arachnea. The Arachnea fundamentally didn’t deal in diplomacy, favoring declarations of war, so they’d likely suspect me right out of the gate. I could see myself being quickly hated by others. 

If this had all been an elaborate setup, I would have started laughing out loud, but the Swarm’s collective consciousness in my mind was all too real. I could feel them, experience their senses, and understand their desires. 

In other words, victory. 

The Swarm didn’t know what that victory meant, and therefore I couldn’t understand it either. But they still yearned for it. Victory. A victory I would lead them to. A victory we could take pride in. Victory and nothing else. 

“Your Majesty, your clothes are ready.” 

Beyond the state of this world and the nearby terrain, I needed to figure out my own situation. Being eighteen, I was considered an adult by Japanese legal standards. At least, that’s how it should have been, but my body looked somewhat younger now, perhaps fourteen or so. The hooded jacket I wore in place of a housecoat was rather loose on me and tended to slip off my body. 

I had no idea why I had become younger or how I had gotten here to begin with, so I did my best to gather my thoughts. What was I doing before I found myself here? I don’t know. The last thing I remember is turning on my PC. My beloved PC is barely capable of running the minimum specs for the game, but there I was, hoping to play a round or two—and then this happened? 

I don’t understand. The discrepancies in my memory are concerning too. For some reason, I forgot all about the Swarms, what I was doing before I came here, and even the title of the game. Do I have some sort of sickness of the mind, or is it the influence of this new world I’m in? If it’s the former, everything I’ve been experiencing until now must’ve been a hallucination. But if that were true, wouldn’t I be given some kind of medical treatment? 

I may live alone, but I still go to college and I always call my parents on weekends to let them know I’m doing fine. I really don’t get any of this, but I have to keep looking into it. If I can find out how I got here, maybe that’ll be the key to getting back home. 

I have no intention of staying in this incomprehensible world forever. Once I’ve led the Arachnea as their queen, I will go back. I may have been a shut-in to some extent, but I still feel that’s where I belong. I have no place in this messed up realm where the Arachnea’s Swarms actually exist. 

“Your Majesty?” 

“Yes, sorry. I’ll put them on in a second, so just set them over there.” 

The Worker Swarm that had brought me some clothes per my request cocked its head as I pointed at my bed. I called it a bed, but it was more of a stone surface with some straw spread over it. You could say I was living quite modestly. I made a mental note to elevate the living standards here eventually. 

“Let’s see the clothes you made for me...” 

I spread out the clothes the Worker Swarms had made for me, making sure to keep my expectations appropriately low. 

“...I can’t wear this.” 

However, what I saw was an absolutely gorgeous dress. It was made from a material similar to silk and extravagant enough that it wouldn’t have looked out of place in the Victorian era. It had no visible seams, as if the silk was made in the shape of the dress to begin with. Putting aside a few questionable choices, like the exposed cleavage and open back, it was pretty much perfect. 

“I suppose that in terms of life’s necessities, we’ve got the need for clothing covered,” I whispered to myself as I put on the dress. “And I have accommodations, even if they call for some renovation. Now I’ll have to figure out food.” 

Food was crucial. Being human, I needed to eat in order to survive, and the Swarms needed food as a resource to produce more units. According to the game’s setting, food was a necessary resource to produce all types of units, unless they were inorganic or draconic units, and as I had already mentioned, the Swarms required meat. Animal meat would do just fine, so long as there was a steady supply. I could do with the leftovers. 

“Your Majesty.” 

A voice suddenly echoed in my ears. 

“Yes?” 

“A village has been detected. It is populated. What shall we do?” 

The report came from one of the Swarms I had sent out to scout; it was transmitted to me via the collective consciousness. I concentrated on that Swarm’s individual consciousness, which was simple enough. There was a map in mind, the same as the one in the game. I zeroed in on that particular Swarm and projected my energy onto it, which came with the same sensation as clicking on a unit in the game. 

Then, a scene surfaced in my mind. I could see a village, and within it about thirty people running around as though in a panic. But something else about them drew my attention. 

“Are they... elves?” 

The villagers’ ears were pointed and long, making them look strikingly like elves. 

Elves were a good alignment race, and their faction was named “Fly Greene.” They were masters of surprise attacks who loved nature and therefore used units that came from the forest, like dryads, for their tactics. There was also a dark elf faction, which was evil-aligned, but these elves had unique blue skin. The elves in this village, however, were just pure, normal elves. 

The Fly Greene would appear and disappear in forested terrain, launching surprise attacks that were maddening to handle, but with these numbers, it was perfectly possible to stomp them out. Would I be able to do that now? 

I would... and without much difficulty. I had sworn to lead the Swarm to victory, after all. I could use the flesh of any elves that strayed too far from the village to bolster my forces and trample the enemy with overwhelming numbers. 

That was assuming such force was necessary, of course. The situation right now was a bit different than what I had imagined. In other words, there were contradictions with what I knew from the game. 

“ Your Majesty, give us the order to attack. With our numbers, we can easily slay and devour them.” 

“Wait. There’s something I want to try.” 

There were a couple of things I needed to figure out. First of all, was this really the same world as the game? After all, if I had the major premise wrong, I would likely make major errors in judgment. 

Secondly, one wouldn’t usually build a village without making sure to put up defenses; if other players were to notice it, they would attack right away, putting a swift end to it. Yet despite being fairly large, this village had no fortifications whatsoever. There were no soldiers, no defensive structures, no walls. It was completely vulnerable, as if the location had remained in its initial generation state from the start of the game without making any developments at all. 

It was like they were begging for us to come and bite their little heads off. 

Oh, yikes. Really starting to sound like the Swarm here. 

Anyway, no normal players, not even the AI, would build a village without any defenses. Taking that and the unfamiliar map into account, it was quite possible that maybe, as hard as it was to believe, this truly wasn’t part of the cutthroat video game world. It seemed that this really was some other world, and the Arachnea was a foreign presence that had found its way here. 

Yes, just like me. 

Therefore, I had to confirm whether that was true before planning my next moves. Picking up the skirt of my long dress, I called a single Ripper Swarm over and hopped onto its back. I then summoned a few other Ripper Swarms and hastened toward the elven village. 

If this wasn’t the game world, my future plans would be in jeopardy. 

“Haa... Haa...” 

Labored breaths echoed throughout the forest. They were followed by savage shouts—the voices of male outlaws. Two sets of light, almost inaudible footsteps were being pursued by the heavy stomps of five or six men. 

“Lysa, hurry! Hurry! They’re coming!” an elf boy shouted. He was maybe sixteen years old and had a short bow in hand, which he had aimed behind him as he cried out. 

“Just leave me behind, Linnet...” said the elven girl, who appeared to be fourteen or so. 

“You know I can’t do that! We’re going back together!” 

Linnet rushed back to Lysa, who was lagging behind, and pulled her by the hand as he took off again. But one arm simply wasn’t enough. 

“There they are! I’ve found the elves!” boomed a hoarse voice from behind them. 

A group of human men clad in cheap chain mail pointed in the elves’ direction. With heavy footsteps, the men closed in, some with arrows nocked in their bows and others clutching daggers or axes. One could tell at a glance that they were a band of outlaws. These men were poachers, but not the kind that went after four-footed game—they were slavers. 

“Just go! Run, Linnet! You shouldn’t have to be a slave, too!” Lysa pleaded. 

“As if! I’m not letting you make slaves out of us!” Linnet fired an arrow toward the men. 

“Whoa, there.” A man who looked to be the slavers’ leader hopped back. “This one’s got claws. All right, boys. Kill the elf with the bow, and capture the woman.” 

“Roger that, Boss.” 

The slave dealers approached with wooden shields, coming for Linnet with smirks on their faces as he desperately shot arrows at them. His arrows merely struck the shields, sticking fast or bouncing off hopelessly. 

“Linnet, please, just go!” 

“Dammit! If only I were stronger... even just a little bit!” Despair was creeping fast into Linnet’s frustrated shouts. 

Lysa began to cry. The slavers were almost within arm’s reach of Linnet, ready to grab him and bash his head in with an ax. Linnet’s fate was all but decided. 

But at that moment... 

“Aaaarghhh!” 

Suddenly, the upper half of the slaver who was about to pounce on Linnet disappeared. Or rather, it was torn off... by the jaws of a giant insect. The creature’s fangs and scythe-like hands dripped with fresh blood, and its hollow compound eyes looked around at the other slavers. It was larger in size than the slavers themselves, and it was chomping down on the severed upper half of the one it had killed. 

“What the... What the hell is that ?!” The insect’s sudden appearance drove the slavers into a panic. 

But the chaos was just beginning. 

Six other bugs sprang out of the thicket and began tearing the slavers to pieces. The men didn’t even have the chance to scream. Their throats were slashed open within seconds, and as a froth of saliva and blood bubbled up from their mouths, the insects continued to ravage their bodies. In the chaos, a few drops of blood splattered onto Linnet’s face. 

“Help...” One of them barely managed to raise his voice before his head was cleaved in two by an insectile scythe, leaving him only capable of convulsions. 

“This can’t be real! I’ve never heard of monsters like this!” the slavers’ leader screamed. “It’s impossible! What are these things?!” 

He turned to run, but another insect stood in his way. The monster rhythmically clicked its fangs, as though contemplating whether to rip the man to shreds or eat him alive. There was no trace of emotion in its multitude of hollow eyes. 

“Eek! God, help me!” the man screamed, falling to his knees. 

In response, the insect before him slowly raised a bloodstained scythe. The moment it swung down, the leader of the slavers would be met with death. He cowered on the ground like a death row inmate awaiting execution, and in this moment, the insect before him gave the striking impression of the grim reaper. 

Then, in one swift stroke, he was knocked unconscious. 

“Enough.” A girl’s sonorous voice filled the air. 

“Are you sure, Your Majesty?” 

“Yes. I’ll be needing him later for a little experiment.” 

With that, the girl stepped out of the thicket and revealed herself. 

“She’s so pretty...” 

The girl was beautiful and clad in a dress worthy of royalty. She stood dignified despite the gore-spattered spectacle before her, soiled as it was with the blood and viscera of the slavers. Enchanted, Lysa forgot all about her terror and stared at the newcomer with awe. 

“I have something to ask you,” the girl said. “Are you from the nearby village?” 

“You know about the... Who are you?!” 

Linnet hastily nocked an arrow, and the insects promptly poised themselves to attack. Their scythes at the ready, they gnashed their fangs as their stingers, dripping with lethal venom, vibrated expectantly. If Linnet were to make one wrong move, he would join the corpses of the slavers. 

“You don’t need to be so cautious. I just saved your lives.” 

“Are they...?” 

“Yes, they’re my servants.” 

Linnet looked up at the girl with unbelieving eyes. “Are you a witch?” 

“No. I am...” The girl tossed her black hair before continuing, flanked by her army of blood-soaked insects. 

“The Queen of the Arachnea.” She smiled as though she had told some joke only she understood. “Now then, it’s the first time in hours I’ve spoken to other people... Well, erm, someone who’s like another human being. I’ll ask again: are you from the nearby village? Or do you have nothing to do with it?” 

“That’s right. We’re from Baumfetter,” Lysa said. 

“Lysa!” 

“Linnet, she just saved us. We should invite her to the village to thank her.” Ignoring Linnet’s shocked expression, Lysa continued, “We’ll show you the way to the village. Do your... bug friends have to come too?” 

“The poor things get worried if I’m too far away, so I’ll have to take at least one of them along,” the queen replied. 

“Then come with me, Your Majesty. It’s over that way.” 

“Thank you.” 

Lysa then set off to escort the queen to their village, with Linnet hurrying after them. But neither of the elves noticed the other insects dragging the body of the unconscious slaver into the trees... or the mysterious smile on the Arachnea queen’s lips. 

“Linnet! Lysa!” 

“Where were you? We were worried about you two!” 

I looked on as Linnet and Lysa entered the village the Ripper Swarm had found—Baumfetter Village—and were quickly surrounded by villagers. 

“We went to the mountain to pick herbs. Oksana’s cold has been getting worse, right?” 

“Children shouldn’t worry about things like that! Though I do appreciate the gesture.” 

Linnet and Lysa had gone out to pick medicinal herbs that would help a sick villager. They were found by the slavers, who had been lying in wait for prey, and were chased all the way back to the forest. The villagers had noticed they were late coming home and panicked upon discovering that they were missing. It seemed they had just been discussing whether they should organize a search party to find them. 

“Did anything happen to you two out there?” 

“Well, we kind of ran into slave traders...” 

“Slave traders?!” The villagers’ eyes widened. “And what happened?! You got away?!” 

“Yeah, someone saved us. So, erm, we’d like to introduce her.” Linnet and Lysa exchanged glances. 

“Yeah. She saved us. She says she’s the Queen of the Arachnea.” 

On cue, I stepped out of the shadows. 

“What... What is that monster?!” 

“A monster?!” 

The villagers’ gazes were not fixed on me, but rather on the Ripper Swarm behind me. It stood silently, but its grotesque appearance was likely a bit too... stimulating to those who weren’t used to it. 

“Don’t worry, it won’t attack,” I said, trying to soothe the villagers. “He’s my faithful servant.” 

“You can control this... this monster?” An old elf stepped forward from the crowd of the villagers. “Are you some manner of witch?” 

“I’m not a witch, but the Arachnea’s queen. Have you ever heard of the Arachnea?” 

“Arachnea? Is that the name of a kingdom? Where is it? I’ve lived a long time, but I’m afraid I’ve never heard of such a place.” 

Just as I thought. The villagers don’t know about the Arachnea. If this was the game world, there’d be no way they hadn’t heard of the infamous, dreadful Arachnea. No matter how remotely you lived, or what faction you belonged to, or whether you were human or not. Everyone would know the name of the insect-like tidal wave that washed over nations and cities alike. 

Not knowing of the Arachnea spelled death in the game world. That meant this world wasn’t the same as the game. 

I’m sure of it now. 

“Well then, Arachnea queen, we thank you for saving our children.” 

“Don’t mention it. I just did what I wanted.” 

The old elf lowered his head in gratitude, and the other villagers followed his example, but I waved it away. I saved those elves intentionally to curry favor with the villagers, after all, so their deep appreciation made me feel a bit guilty. I stepped into their fight for entirely selfish purposes; I hadn’t saved those kids out of the kindness of my heart. 

I knew full well just how vile I really was. 

“Actually, I wanted to strike a deal with your village,” I said, switching to the main topic. “Could you hear me out?” 

“Don’t tell me you’re another slaver?” 

“No, I’m not. I don’t need slaves. But what I do need is food.” 

And just as I said it, my stomach raised its voice in grumpy complaint. 

“Erm, I’d appreciate if you could spare me something to eat for now,” I told them, a blush creeping onto my cheeks. 

“Thank you, that was delicious.” 

I placed my spoon on the table, concluding my meal. Baumfetter’s cuisine consisted mostly of mushrooms, vegetables, and beans. The flavor of the vegetables had soaked well into the soup, resulting in a very tasty dish. My being hungry may have added to it, though. 

However, this presented a real problem. 

“Don’t you eat meat?” 

None of the dishes they’d served me had any meat in them. They were all vegetarian dishes, with soybeans as the source of protein. I don’t know anything about elven nutrition, but can soybeans really stand in for meat as a protein source? No, elven nutrition isn’t important right now. The problem runs a bit deeper than that. 

“We can’t hunt during this season,” the elderly elf said apologetically. “We do have some dried meat, but...” 

No meat, then. 

I could produce Worker Swarms using mushrooms and greens, but I needed meat to generate any other kind of Swarm. I’d have to obtain meat if I wanted to increase my forces. No matter who I was going to war against, I would have to build up our numbers in order to grant the Swarm what they desired. 

The collective consciousness informed me that the Swarm sought victory, even if the conditions I had to meet for that victory were completely and utterly unknown to me. 

“I see. Plan B it is.” 

I figured this might be the case once I’d discovered this was an elven village, so I had a backup plan in mind. 

“Do those slavers always hang out around these parts?” 

“Yes, they’re a serious problem for us,” answered the old elf. “They also work as poachers and constantly disturb the land around here.” 

“Right. So it’s all right if I kill them, then?” 

My question was a casual one, so as to not startle the village elder. 

“Kill them?” His eyes widened. 

“Yes. They’re causing trouble for your village, aren’t they?” I said. “I’d be more than happy to clear them out for you.” 

“I see... So that’s the bargain you wish to strike with us.” 

“That’s right. I’m glad you catch on quick.” 

Essentially, I wanted to strike a deal with them where they would pay us for securing the area. If the area wasn’t safe, that would be convenient for us. I had made them an offer they couldn’t refuse. It was better for them to place themselves under our protection than to live in fear of their children being snatched away by slavers... that is, so long as they could accept the Swarms’ grotesque appearances. 

“And what would you ask in return?” 

“As many fresh ingredients as you can spare. Of course, to the extent that it doesn’t put a strain on the village.” 

I would use those ingredients to feed myself and produce Worker Swarms. Having to obtain food for myself as though I were one of the game’s units was one troublesome aspect the game itself never had. 

“Well, we don’t mind, but is that really all you need?” the elder asked. 

“I suppose if there’s one more condition, it’s that you don’t look into what we do with the poachers’ and slavers’ corpses,” I answered with a thin smile. 

“Their... corpses?” 

“Right. Their corpses.” 

And that right there was plan B: using the outlaws’ corpses as a food source. I could kill these people without anyone complaining and use them as my ingredients. 

Therein lay the Arachnea’s strength, after all: it trampled other factions, consumed them, and multiplied, only to repeat the same cycle with the next faction. There were other factions capable of devouring the competition, but the Arachnea was the strongest among them. 

The more enemies the Swarm killed, the larger their numbers grew, enabling massacre on an even larger scale. Forging that kind of diabolical empire was the very essence of the Arachnea playstyle. 

“So, never ask what we do with their bodies,” I demanded. “It has nothing to do with you.” 

“Understood. I suppose that’s all right,” replied the elf, nodding cautiously. 

This was one act of diplomacy that wouldn’t have flown if this were a human settlement. Their being elves enabled me to strike this bargain. 

“We’ll come regularly to collect our resources. Oh, and I have a question: can you tell me where I can find the closest city? Preferably one that has trade and a meat market.” 

“The town of Leen to the west sounds like what you’re looking for. There’s a large bazaar there, though we don’t make much use of it.” 

Naturally, my plan didn’t stop at just the poachers and slavers. 

“Thank you. Well, I’ll have these little ones patrol the area, so if you detect any intruders, just sound some kind of alarm and they’ll dispose of them in a flash.” 

This concluded my work here for the time being. All that remained was to see if my upcoming experiment would bear fruit. 

I had the slavers’ leader dragged back to the Arachnea’s base. He was bound and gagged with the Swarms’ spun threads, unable to even scream as he was surrounded by dozens of Swarms. I almost felt bad for him, but knowing that he had tried to abduct those elven children and make them into slaves kept my sympathy at bay. 

Did a person who orchestrated such a cruel deed deserve mercy? I didn’t think so. I coldly stared down into the man’s eyes, which begged me for mercy. 

“Remove the threads from his mouth.” 

“As you wish, Your Majesty.” 

At my command, a Ripper Swarm used its scythes to nimbly remove the threads keeping his mouth shut. The blades lightly cut into his lips, but considering what this man had tried to do to those children, he had it coming and then some. 

“Wh-What...?! What the hell are these things?!” the man screamed. “What are you going to do with me?!” 

“Shut up.” I stepped on his head, pressing my heel into his temple. “I don’t want to hear a word.” 

I could feel something of a sadistic streak spring up inside me. 

No. Bad girl. Bad. No getting carried away by the Swarm’s thoughts. 

“Tell me. Have you heard of the Arachnea?” 

“Erm, no. First time I’ve heard of it. That some kind of organization? Are these... things... part of it?” 

“Be. Quiet.” I lightly kicked his head to put an end to his babbling. “ I’m the one asking questions here.” 

He didn’t know about the Arachnea either, which would have been impossible in the game world. Just as I suspected. This really isn’t the game world at all. 

“Well, if you don’t have any information, I guess I have no need of you.” 

“Hold up! Don’t kill me! I’ll do anything! I’ll give you slaves for free! I’ve got plenty of pretty little boys! They’ll definitely satisfy you! So please...!” 

Hearing him beg for his life made me want to plug my ears. The very fact that he was trying to bribe me made me sick to my stomach. 

“Oh, I won’t kill you. I’ll be putting you to good use.” I approached a certain object standing beside me. 

It was a Fertilization Furnace. 

I’d had the Worker Swarms produce it ahead of time. If I had to describe what it looked like, it was like a multitude of human wombs that had been extracted and hastily sewn together. Certainly not a shape anyone would be too keen on imagining. 

I loaded all the dried deer and rabbit meat I had gotten from the elf village into the Fertilization Furnace, and then spoke to the construct, ordering it clearly: 

“Parasite Swarm.” 

The Fertilization Furnace began to writhe and pulsate, making repulsive, viscous noises as the uteri swelled up. A small claw poked through the manufacturing flesh, and the creature it belonged to pushed out into the open air. 

It looked like a small scorpion, or perhaps something closer to the famously grotesque camel spider. This newborn horror was a Parasite Swarm, and it would soon play a critical role in plan B’s success. It had no fighting capabilities, but it did have a special skill. 

“You’re a slaver, right?” I asked, letting the Parasite Swarm creep onto my hand. 

“R-Right. But I won’t attack the elves anymore. You have my word.” The leader’s desperate voice began to crack. 

It was an obvious lie, of course. If I let him get away, he’d attack the elves again. But if I used him to my advantage instead, that would be one problem nipped in the bud. 

“I think it’s time you find out what slavery tastes like.” With that, I forcibly stuffed the Parasite Swarm into the man’s mouth. 

He struggled to spit out the nasty monster that had crept onto his tongue, but the Parasite Swarm vigorously burrowed deeper inside. And once it had fixed itself inside his throat, it spread tiny tentacles throughout the man’s body, which eventually reached his brain. 

“Ah, aah, aahhh, aaahhhh...” 

The man spasmed a few times, and after vomiting once, became completely still. 

“Undo his threads,” I ordered. 

The Ripper Swarms tore the threads that bound him. 

“Stand.” 

The slaver got to his feet, just as I ordered him. 

“Say, ‘All hail the queen,’” I said. 

“All hail the... queen...” The slaver obeyed me with hollow eyes. 

Yes, as its name implied, the Parasite Swarm latched onto its victims, turning them into puppets that obeyed any orders its master—or mistress, in my case—gave. If I were to order him to commit suicide, this man would take any measures possible to kill himself. 

There were many uses for this unit. It allowed you to take over powerful enemy troops or masquerade as an enemy faction’s unit, which you could then use to scout or even attack the enemy’s workers. 

On top of the simple tactic of Ripper Swarm rushes, the Arachnea was also capable of more intricate strategies that assaulted the enemy when they were least prepared for it. That’s what made it such a fun faction to play, and why I was so attached to its units, starting with the Ripper Swarms. Other factions had their good sides, to be sure, but I couldn’t help but love the Arachnea the most. 

“There you are. Now you know what being a slave feels like.” 

The most awful part was that the slaver’s consciousness was still there. The Parasite Swarm in his body bound his freedom, but his senses and awareness remained as they were. He could feel the Parasite Swarm clinging to the inside of his throat and the tentacles extending to his brain. 

It made for a veritable living hell. 

His senses were entirely intact, but his every action was dictated by someone else. It was a nightmare. I couldn’t begin to imagine what it felt like to have a creature grip your throat and brain. 

But this man was a slaver, so becoming a slave was his just desserts. I could say it with perfect honesty and not an ounce of hesitation. Serves you right, scum. 

“You have a very important job ahead of you. A crucial job, even, so you better follow through. Not that you have much of a choice in the matter.” 

And with those words, my plan B was set into motion in earnest. 

Plan B was to obtain meat through non-aggressive means. Right now, we couldn’t fight a war, but we needed to prepare for it all the same. For that reason, I came up with this compromise. 

I won’t know if it’ll work out unless I give it a shot. This is, after all, entirely unfamiliar territory for me, so there’s no telling what problems might pop up. Unpredictable obstacles or society itself might stand in my way and try to prevent me from achieving my goals. 

But it’s true what they say: you never know until you try.