Symphony for the Insect Princess

"... Damn it, I'm not in the mood to drink anymore, let's go!"

The sturdy man threw a few coins on the table, drank the rest of the fruit wine, stood up and left, and his companions followed him tactfully.

At this time-

"Wait, uncle, you want to leave after pretending to be so cool?"

Ding!!!!

A flash of silver light streaked through the air, deeply nailing the floor in front of the burly man's feet. It was clearly a very blunt bread knife, but it pierced the floor. The burly man was slightly startled, then looked in the direction of the knife with an extremely fierce look, while his hand gripped the spear on his back.

"Who the hell is looking for trouble!"

"Hey, hey, hey, wait a minute, Senior—"

The man who seemed to be the leader of the group at that table immediately stood up, looking like a peacemaker, but with no smile in his eyes.

"Our companion is in a bad mood today. Please forgive me if I'm offended, right?"

"Huh? Are you an idiot?" The woman, who was still in the posture of throwing the knife, frowned and cursed, then lowered her head and continued to stuff the bread into her mouth.

"Uh... you see? Everyone has bad days, but Senpai, I think you have some responsibility as well."

As he spoke, the man narrowed his eyes slightly, and the aura he exuded became more dangerous. Not only him, but the people at the other tables also had strange expressions on their faces, and some of them had already grasped weapons under their clothes.

"Keeping people on suspense is really bad, isn't it? You know everyone's looking for 'those' great treasures right now. If you have any clues, why don't you keep them secret?"

"Huh? Why should I tell you?" The burly man suddenly raised his spear, releasing pure magic from his body. "You look like mercenaries, right? What's wrong? Don't you think you've done enough dirty work? Why do you come here to die?"

"Hey... Hey! What are you doing?!"

The proprietress who came out upon hearing the noise frowned suddenly. She quickly took off her apron and rushed to them.

"Please don't fight in this store! If you want to fight, please leave--"

Of course, no one paid any attention to her.

"Judging from the way you speak, you must be an adventurer, right? Honestly, I've been annoyed with you bunch of self-righteous idiots for a long time..."

Unexpectedly, the person who stood up this time was the woman who had thrown the knife before. She flicked her white hair and her tone was full of provocation.

"Just be frank. Leave the information, or leave your two legs? It's your choice!"

"Heh, you damn bitch, if you wanted to cause trouble, you should have just said so earlier. Why are you taking so many detours?"

"Wait a minute, don't fight here—"

Once the spark of violence ignited, it quickly spread. In the tense atmosphere, under the helpless gaze of the proprietress, everyone at each table stood up, their eyes blazing. They were almost all mercenaries or adventurers, or simply thugs, all fired up by the atmosphere, ready to fight at the slightest disagreement.

at this time,

"Mom, what are you doing?"

A childish voice that was out of place in the scene suddenly interrupted, and everyone looked at the person who came in - the cute girl who came out from the backstage.

"Ah, Ariel! Don't come close!"

The proprietress immediately ran over and tried to pull her daughter away, but

"Hey, Mom! I found this when I was washing a customer's clothes. Isn't it beautiful?"

"Don't touch other people's things...eh?"

The girl, who was less than ten years old, took out something from her pocket with a bright smile on her face.

At this moment, everyone stood still.

They stared in amazement at the thing in the girl's hand.

It was a ball the size of an egg.

The shell is as transparent as crystal.

Under the shell are light particles that flow in an extremely complex pattern, switching back and forth between various patterns.

It continuously emits a rainbow-colored halo, which is different from any known magical fluctuations.

And the characteristics of the rumored undetermined great secret treasure——

It's exactly the same.

----------------

At the same moment——

““““““…………””””””

The Lord of Kasol, Saenris Curtis, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. His face was pale and his hands were shaking. He had lived on the edge of a knife for more than forty years, but he had never been so nervous.

The confidants standing beside him also looked breathless. Everyone's brain was slowed down countless times at this moment. Although everyone had thought of this possibility, when it really happened, no one knew what to do.

On the table right in front of them, a cloth bag was spread open, revealing its contents.

Beneath the crystal-clear shell are endlessly flowing light particles, which continuously emit a rainbow halo, which is very beautiful.

"Um...Boss, what should we do?"

The security captain swallowed to moisten his dry throat and asked cautiously.

"..."

Saenris closed his eyes and pondered. When he opened them again, the tension in his eyes had disappeared, replaced by a chilling coldness.

"Mobilize elite forces to search for the whereabouts of those guys. The Tower of Babel, the Pantheon, the Knights' Territory, any one will do. We must at least get a 'Magic Scar Sample'!"

“““““Yes sir!!!”””””

----------------

At the same moment——

“Uooa ...

Boom boom boom boom boom boom! ! ! ! !

The girl screamed and rushed out of the explosion, her whole body covered with dust. The boy and girl running beside her were also covered in dust.

"What should I do? What should I do? Ahhhhhhhhhh!"

"How should I know ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

"Where's Mr. Rodrigo!?"

"I-I'm here!"

Hearing the man's voice coming from behind - the other side of the explosion, the boys and girls immediately stopped, their faces filled with fear.

"Don't worry, I'm fine! I'll hold on here, you guys go first!" the man called teacher shouted.

"But what should I do with this thing!!!"

"It's a hot potato!"

"We simply don't dare—"

The boys and girls were about to burst into tears, but the teacher's roar interrupted them.

"Now that you've got it, don't let it go! Anyway, I'm counting on you! Shul, Clara, Erwin, Qiumilan—"

"I—ah no, I'm Qimila!"

"—It doesn't matter! Anyway, you take it and go ahead! Meet up at the old place!"

"Can--"

boom! ! ! ! !

A new round of explosions almost affected them again. They finally stopped hesitating and used various means to escape from the scene as quickly as possible!

(Really…really, really, what the hell is going on! As the princess of the endless chaos and darkness, I, your concubine, actually…)

Qimila held the hot potato in her arms - the great secret treasure, and couldn't help but let out a cry of grief.

“Why on earth is this happening?!!!!”

Why is this happening?

Time goes back to three days ago——

Chapter 28 Cute Maid Nelle ~ Kira☆

Three days ago, outside the City Lord's Mansion in Kasolu City—

Soldiers in black uniforms—not guards, but soldiers—formed a line outside the gate, shifting formations from time to time, their every move imposing. Although they were called "guards," they were in reality a formal military, a thoroughly violent group trained by the city lord.

Guard Captain Flynn Speer, dressed in a crisp uniform and cigar dangling from his lips, appeared casual, but in reality, his gaze was constantly scanning the soldiers, checking for any slacking off. Everyone was on edge today. The recent incident with the Great Secret Treasure had already been causing unrest, and just this morning, the simultaneous arrival of the investigation teams from the Tower of Babel, the Pantheon, and the Knights' Lordship, who were meeting with the city lord, had further heightened the tension.

(Ahh… this damn secret treasure has caused so much trouble…)

If it weren't for this series of events, he should be enjoying his vacation these days, surrounded by beauties in the top box of the brothel he often visits, being served by all the top girls at the same time, instead of being here with his sweaty and smelly subordinates.

at this time--

The soldiers walking back and forth were obviously not paying attention; their steps became disorderly and their eyes kept wandering.

Regular soldiers who have undergone rigorous training actually deserted on a day like this?

Flynn, who was already in a bad mood, suddenly became furious. He threw the cigar he was holding to the ground and roared, "You damn bastards! It's not time for a break yet! If you keep slacking off, I'll stuff a cactus up your asshole—"

"Ah, good morning, Captain Speer."

"Good morning—I always keep my word, don't doubt me—eh eh eh?"

Only then did Flynn realize who the person was that the soldier had secretly looked at and greeted him.

Even a soldier with a heart as hard as stone would be drawn to the girl approaching gracefully. She was so beautiful. Her face, with its dreamy, translucent beauty, was even more charming in the morning light. Her shoulder-length silver-gray hair reflected the sunlight, and a long lock of hair drooping at the back of her head swayed gently with her steps.

This girl, who would look perfectly at home in a princess dress, was now wearing a maid outfit.

A black dress, a pristine white apron, and a lace headband—a true maid outfit. However, due to the previous lord's personal taste, the maid outfits in the lord's mansion had undergone a slight modification: the skirt and apron were very short, only covering half the thighs, the bow tie and cuffs were decorated with lovely lace patterns, and the skirt also had a cleverly designed simple corset that both cinched the waist and lifted the chest.

While being able to arouse the desire of the viewer, it also retains a certain elegance. It can be seen how much effort the former city lord, who was obviously very lustful but insisted on calling himself a gentleman, put into the maid outfit.

If an ordinary young girl looks pleasing to the eye in a maid outfit, then this girl looks...super foul in it.

Her limbs were a work of art created by the gods. Her figure was perfectly curvaceous, her breasts and hips just round enough to be considered plump, while the rest of her body exuded a feminine, delicate beauty without appearing frail. Her legs, clad in white stockings, jutting from beneath her short skirt were a true masterpiece of nature. Perhaps it was precisely because of her exceptional beauty and grace that she had become a full-fledged maid, barely two months after entering the City Lord's Mansion, and was quite well-known among the servants.

"Uh, ah, good morning, Nyris..."

Fulin, having come to his senses, said good morning again, to which the girl called Nairis gave a gentle smile. As she passed by, Fulin caught a whiff of a faint fragrance, a pleasant blend of gardenia and mint.

"Out so early in the morning?"

"Just some errands, thank you for your concern, Captain."

Her speech, manners, appearance, and etiquette were all flawless, like the template of a perfect maid.

"Oh, yes, Captain."

The girl rummaged through the pocket of her apron and pulled out a fingertip-sized candy wrapped in candy paper. Fulin took it and unfolded the candy paper, revealing a bright green candy.

“…mint candy?”

"I bought it at the grocery store in town. It's delicious. Captain, would you like to try it?"

"Although I can't during work hours...never mind, I'll just accept it reluctantly."

"As long as you like it, I'll take my leave."

The girl walked away gracefully, greeting the magic warriors guarding the gate before entering the City Lord's Mansion through a side door. The soldiers who had been watching her finally reluctantly turned their gazes away. For these soldiers, whose lives were monotonous, this girl who often passed by the edge of the mansion was an oasis in their tedious lives. Even if they didn't have the chance to talk, a few glances at her would be a welcome relief.

"Everyone's gone, what are you still standing there in a daze? Hurry up and continue! I really want to be stabbed in the ass by a cactus!?"

““““““I’m so sorry!!!!!!!!!””””””

Frightened by Flynn's loud voice, the soldiers hurriedly reorganized their formation and continued patrolling.

--------------

Nelise César left her errands in the storage room and walked out. Although she had been out running errands so early in the morning, she didn't look tired at all. After greeting her colleagues, she picked up the toilet supplies and began her daily routine.

"Hey, good morning, Nairis."

"You're so beautiful today too."

"Thank you for your hard work, newbie~"

"Thank you for your concern, seniors."