[footsteps approaching]
Ah!
Too tired to walk.
I can't believe you're gone.
They're sending us into dangerous territory tomorrow.
I get the feeling I might not make it out alive.
[Cecil sobs]
[ominous music]
You're here to drag me back home?
No, I'm here to wait on you as usual, milady.
Huh?
That is my job as your manservant after all.
Oh, Allen, go home!
[Cecil's stomach growling] Huh?
Here, Lady Cecil,
something to satisfy your appetite.
[Cecil gasps]
[Cecil sobs]
I'm not crying, you hear me?
Of course.
Say, Allen, my brother was strong, wasn't he?
He was, I was never able to beat him.
[Cecil sobs]
I'll be frank,
the thought of dying is frightening to me, terrifying!
I just want to go home to my family.
[Cecil sobs]
I'm gonna die, too, I just know it.
But I don't wanna!
[Cecil sobs]
Lady Cecil, how would you like to come with me
and leave the city behind?
Huh?
Just forget about your family.
We can be free to travel the world
and visit all sorts of places.
Have you gone crazy?
You know we can't do that!
We can wait till next year if you want.
We can register as adventurers when we're 12.
Yeah, right. I'll be enrolled in the Academy then.
Who says you have to go though?
It's just a school.
Huh?
It's your life, isn't it?
You should choose how you really wanna live it.
What do you wanna do, Lady Cecil?
What do I want?
I'm not sure yet.
At the end of the day,
I'm not doing this for the people or even my family.
I'm here because I chose to be here.
[emotional music]
Allen, we're going back home now.
As you wish.
- Hey. - Hmm?
My legs hurt, you'll need to carry me.
Sure.
[footsteps approaching]
Allen?
Yes, what is it?
Thank you.
Hmm, don't mention it.
[crickets chirping]
Oh, thank God!
Oh, father!
Cecil!
Oh, honey!
Sorry, I ran away.
Listen, Cecil, I don't want you to worry about anything.
Huh?
In a short while,
we will be able to mine mithril again.
We can get you an exemption from the Noble's Duty
by gifting the royal family mining rights.
I will handle the negotiations myself, so rest easy.
That's why he's been in a rush to get the mines running.
Father, Mother,
[bright music]
as a member of Granvelle household,
I shall meet my obligation to serve.
The whole reason I decided
to do this was to overcome my own weakness.
I am going to follow in Mihai's footsteps.
I will do my duty!
[gasping]
B-rank magic stone secured!
It's been half a year since Mihai's death.
Life for the Granvelles is finally getting back to normal.
And the Knighthood has wiped out all the orc boroughs.
Well, mostly because me and my team did all the dirty work.
We've started moving people
to resettle the mithril refineries near the mines.
Mining operations should be running
at full steam come summer.
This should put the baron's mind at ease.
The problem now is whether Carnel will lash out
after losing his mithril.
His silence thus far is concerning.
Stay vigilant.
Yes, sir.
Despite what she says,
there's no way Cecil could climb this.
Take me with you, I'm going hunting, too!
I sympathize with the fact she wants to toughen up,
but the baron will never allow it.
Having long-range support
from a wizardess would be nice though.
Huh?
Here we go.
These guys could cause problems for the mithril miners,
so, I'll have to wipe them out next.
From what I've heard about Armored Ant nests,
there should be over a thousand soldiers inside,
along with a B-rank queen monster,
who constantly lays eggs to make more.
That's not a lot of info to go on
and I can't get a look at the layout from the sky.
There's only one entrance just big enough
for a single ant to pass through.
I'd get swarmed if I tried to fight them inside the nest.
I should try to trim their numbers first.
Sounds like a challenge, let's just wing it.
I'll start with a team of six, Teddy, Spidey, Fillet!
[dramatic music]
God, they just keep coming!
Get on out here everybody!
[Armored Ants roaring]
All right, give them hell!
[Teddies roar]
It's been a whole month
and I still can't beat this ant colony.
So, what's up?
I've come twice a week and taken down over 200 ants per day.
I don't get it.
Not to mention all the corpses
of the defeated ants are cleared out
by the time I come back.
Is the queen eating them and laying new eggs?
[Allen whimpering]
I love all this delicious EXP,
but the endless stream of ants is blocking me
from entering the nest
and I can't even collect their magic stones.
I've gotta change my strategy.
[mechanical beeping]
[ants grunting]
Bruh, I've killed 5,000 of these damn things!
Am I just gonna have to camp out here every single day?
I really wish they'd let me be a Huntsman full time.
Huh, what?
What the-?
They stopped!
I think my persistence has paid off!
Time to sniff out the queen.
Come on out, Hollow!
[Hollow hooting]
Do your thing!
[Hollow hooting]
Vision sharing activated.
Thank God for night vision.
This place is like a huge maze!
[Hollow hooting]
Crap, an ambush!
Let's try that again.
[Hollow hooting]
[Allen laughs] And there's the egg chamber!
Pull back!
Now, I'll send one the other way
and have another Hollow check out this passage.
Ugh, controlling eight at once is mentally exhausting.
Man, I could really use some chocolate.
[brooding music]
Feels like playing one of those long-ass mini-games
in an RPG.
The sun's going down,
so I should be heading home pretty soon,
but I just can't pass up this chance.
Huh?
[Hollow hooting]
Ha, thar she blows!
All right, let's end this!
Finally, after two months of grinding through this plan,
the Queen Armored Ant!
[Queen Armored Ant shrieking]
Wow, she's three times the size of the others!
Well, except for the head, I guess.
[Queen Armored Ant roars]
We all know how boss fights go.
Defeat the small fries first!
[Teddy squad roaring]
[upbeat music]
Sweet! Now, all that's left is the queen!
[Queen Armored Ant roars]
Damn it! But I can summon them faster than she can beat them.
Teddy, go for the abdomen!
[upbeat music]
Sink those teeth in!
Chomp like no tomorrow!
[Queen Armored Ant roars]
[mechanical beeping]
Huh! Only took 20 summons to win!
I needed more than a hundred to beat the Orc King.
Maybe, she was just super weak
from giving birth to all the extra soldiers.
Can't go back to town at this late hour.
Gonna have to camp overnight.
Bet I'll get a big earful for it.
Need to find something to prove I wiped this place clean.
Oh!
Wait, is that?
I brought this from a nest up in the White Dragon Mountains,
the exoskeleton of a Queen Armored Ant.
[ominous music]
Weird!
I thought this would be a big deal, but they seem unfazed.
You're saying you went up to the White Dragon Mountains?
At least, make your story somewhat believable.
It's plausible. Armored ants do come in different colors.
Tell me, what do you think of this, Zenof?
It's hard to say, I've never seen a queen myself.
What?
By the way, the Knighthood doesn't have enough resources
to defeat an entire colony.
What?
Did you slap on a coat of paint?
No way, I wouldn't do that!
Allen, my boy,
armored ant colonies have thousands of soldiers
and their nest's a complex maze.
They're near impossible to defeat.
True enough. I could only pull it off because of my summons.
Oh, well, I have one more thing I found to show you.
I saw these in the chamber where the queen ant was.
[gasps]
My God, that's mithril ore!
Not something one simply stumbles across.
Allen, give us all the details.
Right.
[dramatic music]
Ah?
He was telling the truth.
The nest was around here
and this is a map of the interior.
It seems there's no doubt about it now.
He's discovered a fifth vein of mithril for us.
I'll have my knights scope it out immediately.
Hmm.
Superb work!
You've truly outdone yourself this time, Allen.
I think I'll forgive your illicit excursion.
Thank you, milord.
Furthermore, you've become the first in a long, long time
to discover a brand new vein of mithril in the mountain.
That entitles you to a stake in the operation.
I grant you 30% of the mining rights.
What, the mining rights?
They're mine?
This is bound to go over your head.
But just give it a few years
and I'm sure you'll start to understand the benefits.
'Kay.
I get the feeling this is a huge deal.
It's October now and I finally turned 12.
After a century of lying dormant,
the mithril mines have restarted.
But work on the vein
that I discovered won't start until next year.
I have nothing to fear
from the monsters around here anymore.
And thanks to my stake in the mines,
I don't have to worry about money.
That said, something doesn't feel right.
This isn't the hardcore gaming I thrive on.
I wanna live on the edge, not in comfort!
It's time to expand my horizons.
I'll bring up the idea with the baron later.
Ah, geez, look who's paying us another visit.
It's the royal messenger again.
Ugh! What does he want this time?
Uh-oh, this looks like double trouble.
Viscount Carnel is here, too.
I can already tell they're here to rock the boat.
Greetings to you.
May I ask what brings you to see us today?
I have heard the good news
that the mithril mines are up and running again.
I've come to present a proposal for your consideration.
The Granvelle and Carnel fiefdoms have been trapped
in an endless cycle of prosperity and decline
at the whims of the White Dragon.
The royal family seeks to solve this problem once and for all.
Ridiculous!
You want us to co-manage the White Dragon Mountains now?
What? He can't be serious!
Indeed.
Both families shall manage the mining operations
and split all the profits equally,
putting an end to the turmoil of the past.
I went to the Vice Minister of Justice
and had him draft the contract himself.
Viscount Carnel has already signed it.
And all we're missing now is yours.
Just look at that smug bastard's face.
He's obviously behind all this.
My deepest apologies, but I'm afraid this is too abrupt.
I must play it safe and visit the royal capital.
What? How dare you suggest that I am untrustworthy?
This is a critical decision
that I cannot in good conscience rush to make.
The mithril profits,
have clearly already poisoned your mind!
Mark my words, your greed shall be your undoing!
We suffered for a century!
And just when fortune finally swings our way,
they have the gall to demand half of it?
This contract is beyond outrageous!
So, I understand, Zenof's still up in the mountains?
Yes, he's scheduled to return in two days time.
When he returns, we head for the royal capital.
Dang! Now, it's awkward to talk to the baron
about moving on from manservant.
Okay, so, let me get this straight.
A co-managed economy won't go downhill
after the White Dragon migrates?
That's right.
We can never be sure when it might come back to this side.
Sure, it sounds good,
but we can't trust anything involving Viscount Carnel.
He'll stab us in the back for sure!
The problem is we can't refuse without coming off as greedy.
They're obviously trying to back him into a corner.
[Cecil screams]
- What's going on? - What?
[suspenseful music]
Hmm?
Cecil?
You little shit, come on!
What's the problem? Kill him already!
This guy's tough. I'll have to change up my stock of cards.
Bring it on, kid! Don't quit on me.
Challenge accepted.
He's hitting a lot harder all of a sudden.
Lord and Lady Granvelle, we're under attack.
Intruders have taken Lady Cecil.
They what?
Screw it, let's get out of here!
[Allen coughs]
Cecil.
Cecil!
Thank God, she's alive!
Oh, they tied me up extra tight.
But they don't know summoners can still fight
as long as they can see.
Chappy, get out here!
Vision share!
It's the kidnappers from earlier.
Looks like we're inside a warehouse or something.
Wake up!
Dagrah, you need something?
What's going on, why are there two?
Well, the little guy knows how to wield a sword.
Figured we'd make some cash selling him as a slave.
[Thug groans]
Not your call.
I'll gut you next time.
Got it, sorry.
If the boy causes any problems, kill him and throw him off.
That guy is way more of a threat than these clowns.
Yeah, damn!
Why would the boss put that hot-head asshole in charge?
It's such bullshit!
'Cause he's a combat pro, who fought in the war.
Huh, more like a wussy who ditched his post.
Okay dude, it's your funeral.
Anyway, he is the only one of us who can fight Zenof.
Zenof? They're talking about the captain!
But Zenof held the line at the fort for well over a decade.
Would Dagrah even stand a chance against him?
Don't know.
I mean, Zenof did still lose his entire squadron
by the time he came back, didn't he?
Might as well just go down with them at that point.
Whatever, war is the job for lunatics with a death wish.
- Interesting. - You said it, man.
So, there really is some kind of war going on.
There's no sense waiting for a rescue.
I can take these jerks.
Oh crap, I screwed up!
I dropped my mithril sword!
All I've left are a few iron balls and my dagger.
I'm not confident I can fight and protect Cecil
with just these.
Lemme go take a whizz.
Now's my chance. I'll start by scoping out an escape route.
Whoa! How the hell the bird get onto the ship?
Huh, ship? Are we on a boat?
Nobody told me you could reach the sea
from the Granvelle fiefdom.
Whoa, this thing is huge!
Huh? It's already nighttime.
How long have we been in here?
Wait a sec, are we flying?
This isn't a boat, it's a magic flying ship!
Oh, crap! How am I supposed to escape in mid-air?
Okay, keep going.
There'll still be a chance when it goes back down.
[indistinct chatter]
Wow, there's even a restaurant?
This ship is bigger than I thought!
[Viscount Carnel laughs]
Oh, I recognize that stupid laugh.
Figures, he was behind all this!
You know what I expect, yes?
I pulled a lot of strings to set this up for you.
I presume you mean the mining rights.
They will be yours, good sir.
Hmm, of course, it will be problematic
if Granvelle raises a fuss at the capital.
You have nothing to worry about.
I made sure that he got a persuasive letter,
warning against any funny business.
And if he is still unwilling to sign that contract,
I am certain that receiving his precious daughter's hand
in the mail will convince him!
Ugh, that's dirty.
They took Cecil hostage to steal the mining rights!
Total dick move!
Hmm?
And she's awake now.
We're almost to Carnel's territory, stop struggling.
Might have to kick her around before she gets it.
I have to do something fast.
I specced out my stats for PVP.
They're going down this time!
Papillon, I choose you!
[Papillon sings]
Put them to sleep!
[Papillon sings]
Nice, that's one down, we're off to a great start.
Where did it go?
Huh?
[ominous music]
Now, for some payback!