Scela's caution was justified.
At dawn the next day, as the team moved slowly through the morning mist, they were suddenly ambushed.
However, their group was simply too powerful…
Germain, Ging, Bisky, Shizuku, Scela, Menchi, Buhara, Sanbica, and a squad of moose-centaur warriors were all present.
At first, the enemy had the upper hand due to their surprise attack.
But as soon as the team reacted, the attackers suffered a brutal and bloody counterstrike.
Germain raised his "Sacred Moonlight Sword" high in the misty air.
The sight not only inspired the moose-centaur warriors but also struck fear into the confused enemies.
The enemy panicked and fled.
Their mangled bodies littered the muddy ground, while the team only suffered minor casualties—just a few wounded moose-centaur warriors.
Sanbica, carrying a medical bag across her shoulder, silently moved between the injured, tending to them.
Her small but dedicated figure won the respect of the moose-centaur warriors.
They started following the orders of this seemingly frail woman.
After sheathing his "Sacred Moonlight Sword," Germain slightly lifted the brim of his tricorn hat.
He looked down at a fallen enemy corpse before him.
With the tip of his boot, he flipped the body over to get a clear look at its face.
The enemy had the face of a cold-blooded reptile.
Gray, tiny scales covered its skin, with thorn-like protrusions along its head.
A long, curled tongue hung limply from its half-open mouth.
Webbing stretched between its thick neck, fingers, toes, and waist—these membranes must have allowed them to descend from the sky for their ambush.
"They are Lizardmen."
Scela's hoofbeats stopped beside Germain.
His bloodstained "Gale Spiral Lance" rested diagonally toward the ground.
Germain turned to Scela.
"Do you know them? Why did they attack us?"
"I do."
A look of disgust crossed Scela's long face.
He snorted through his large nose.
"They are... greedy traitors."
Scela still spoke in his awkward, broken human tongue.
After all, this language was only ever useful for communicating with the elusive Don before this.
He hadn't spoken it much, so naturally, he wasn't very fluent.
Even so, Scela managed to explain the situation to Germain in human language. Though his words were clumsy, they were enough.
Germain raised a hand to stop him, then gestured for the others to gather around. This way, Scela wouldn't have to repeat himself.
Seeing Ging, Bisky, Shizuku, and the others approaching, Scela immediately understood Germain's intention and waited a little longer.
Once everyone had gathered, some with puzzled expressions, Scela finally continued.
"In the Dark Continent… among the 'Subhuman Species'… the 'Small-sized Races'… have always been threatened by the 'Large-sized' and 'Medium-sized' ones…"
"So… a hundred years ago… the 'Small-sized Subhuman Races'… formed the 'Subhuman Alliance Pact'… The Moose Centaurs also joined…"
"The 'Pact' states… attacking one member… is considered an attack on all allied races… and all must retaliate…"
"At first… it was good… it connected the 'Subhuman Races'… reduced casualties… and stabilized trade…"
"But… over time, it rotted… like a decayed fruit… maggots started appearing… The greedy 'Lizardmen' were one of them…"
"They were insatiable… always wanting more… so they ignored the Pact… attacked us… betrayed us…"
"The old chief… me… Kioris… we were furious… and we fought back… then we appealed to the 'Subhuman Alliance Pact'…"
"But… the 'Subhuman Alliance Pact' did nothing… They acted as if nothing happened… It was despicable… They betrayed us too…"
At last, Germain, Ging, Bisky, Shizuku, and the others finally understood.
Why was Scela's younger brother, Kioris, so wary of them? It turned out he had learned from past mistakes.
Kioris was simply considering things from the tribe's perspective—he didn't want their people to suffer the same fate twice.
Suddenly, Germain had a realization.
Since the "Subspecies Alliance Pact" was exclusive to "small species", could it also include…
He asked, "Scela, among the tribes you've allied with, are there any 'Chimera Ants'?"
"Or perhaps you know them by another name—'Embedded Ants'?"
Chimera Ants' size would definitely fall under the category of "small subspecies".
At first, Scela didn't understand what Germain meant by "Chimera Ants" or "Embedded Ants" in human language.
But as Germain patiently described the "Ant King," "Ant Queen," "Royal Guards," "Squadron Leaders and Captains," and their horrifying "consumption-based reproduction", Scela quickly connected them to a species he knew from memory.
Immediately, his expression shifted—animosity deeper than what he had shown for the Lizardfolk.
His face now resembled the "Subway Grandpa Staring at Phone" meme—pure disgust.
In fact, it wasn't just Scela.
The fourteen other Moose Centaur warriors present also displayed expressions of nausea, as if they were on the verge of vomiting.
"I know them… They're not part of the 'Subspecies Alliance Pact'… Because we all reject them completely…"
"Consumption-based reproduction… It's absolutely repulsive… They use the flesh of our own people… to create new members… and then they attack us again…"
"We will never accept them… Unless they stop… their 'consumption-based reproduction' of subspecies… Otherwise… there is no room for compromise…"
Scela's voice grew increasingly agitated.
He even slipped into his native Moose Centaur tongue, spitting as he spoke.
If he had a human face, he would probably be red with rage by now.
Germain took a moment to think.
Then, he understood why subspecies, including the Moose Centaurs, despised the Chimera Ants so much.
The key issue was their "consumption-based reproduction."
First, the "consumption" aspect.
When Germain, Bisky, Menchi, and Buhara first arrived in the Dark Continent, they had made a strict vow—never to eat subspecies or any creatures capable of speech and communication.
This was because subspecies were simply too similar to humans in every way.
But the Chimera Ants could devour similar-looking humans and demi-humans without hesitation. If humans were in their place, they would surely hate such a species too.
Second, "breeding."
The Chimera Ant Queen's method of "feeding-based reproduction" reminded Germain of those "goblins" often depicted in Japanese fantasy manga and novels, where they were twisted into something even more monstrous.
These "goblins" would capture human women, force themselves upon them, and, without any reproductive barriers, make them bear their offspring.
No matter how much human blood was mixed in, the children born would always look like goblins.
The Chimera Ants, especially the Queen, were just as despicable and shameless as those goblins—hated and feared by demi-humans alike.
After clarifying the situation, Germain's team pressed onward.
The towering cube-shaped stone pillars of the ancient labyrinth had already appeared in their field of vision, and an enticing fragrance drifted into their noses.
This meant they were just a short distance away from reaching the labyrinth.
The group chatted and laughed, having completely put aside the earlier attack by the lizardmen and the disturbing nature of the Chimera Ants' reproduction.
Ging's talent for languages was exceptional. In just half a month, he had already learned most of the words used in casual conversation among the Moose Centaurs.
Now, he could speak fluently with Scela and the other Moose Centaur warriors in their own tongue, impressing them greatly.
Just as Ging was enjoying his conversation with the centaurs, Germain suddenly walked over.
"What's wrong?" Ging noticed the unusual expression on Germain's face.
Germain replied calmly, "I was just thinking… what would happen if we joined the 'Subhuman Alliance Pact' in the future?"
"Oh?" Ging rubbed his stubbled chin. "Now that's an interesting thought… Demi-humans, huh… If necessary, we could be demi-humans too, couldn't we?"
********
Support me on my patreon and read upto 30 early chapters.
https://www.patreon.com/Unique_Writer