The village hall wasn't luxurious, but it was warm and alive.
Rows of tables stretched across the room, covered in clay platters, iron pots, and woven baskets. Roasted meats glistened, fish was salted and spiced, bread loaves were steaming, and there were bowls of berries, nuts, and roots stacked high.
Ken blinked. 'Smells good. There's so much food too…'
Aria sat beside him, smoothing her skirt. "I'm sorry… There would normally be more. But with the Ants attacking two days ago, a large portion of our food was ruined."
Ken shook his head. "This is more than enough." He said with a light nod. 'Who am I kidding? This is amazing. I'm impressed that even peasants get to eat like this.'
Ken noticed that Aria was staring at him. He simply smiled.
Her cheeks pinked, but before she could say anything further, the Chief cleared his throat.
"The Ants…" His voice carried down the table. "They are not normal Beasts. They are organized. Or rather, they were. When they had a Queen, their swarms were coordinated, efficient, purposeful. But the Queen was killed three winters ago. Since then, the Ants have kept their coordination skills, but lost their pupose. Their attacks are now… Random and senseless."
Ken frowned. "Who killed the Ant Queen?" he asked. It seemed to be a legitimate question. A rivaling village could have done so to create trouble. 'Might as well investigate.'
"No one knows," the Chief admitted, eyes heavy. "But without their Queen, the Ants are restless. Mindless. They raid at random, and attack without reason. Only anger fuels them. It's like they're angry at the world for taking their Queen away from them. Though I doubt Insect Monsters are capable of such emotions."
Ken leaned back, arms crossed. "So the colony must be destroyed."
The Chief nodded. "You understand, Mister Ken. It is the colony itself, which is the problem. It is often the case that Insect Monsters will die not long after losing their leader, but that doesn't seem to be the case here. An expedition to kill a Queen is much simpler than one to wipe out a whole colony. Adventurers have been dodging our requests like the plague. not that I don't understand them. Which is why…" He folded his hands. "We must speak of payment."
Ken opened his mouth, but the Angel, sitting smugly at his other side, beat him to it.
"Well," she said sweetly, flipping her golden hair, "Ken is a virgin."
The table went silent.
'You fucking what?' Ken's eyebrow twitched, his mind unable to accept that this had just happened.
Every village seated at their table froze.
The Angel's smile sharpened. "So payment should obviously be made… In flesh."
Ken's brain immediately shut down.
Thankfully, most of the villagers weren't at their table. They were at other tables, they were dancing, eating, celebrating… Ignoring the Angel completely.
Still, someone at the table broke the silence. "Mister Ken has shared his name with us… I don't believe you have?"
The Angel placed a hand on her chest and smiled smugly. "Esme."
'Why do you say it like that?' Ken thought, massaging his forehead. "We'll… circle back to the issue of payment." He coughed, redirecting the Chief before things got very awkward. "Where exactly is the colony? How many Ants are we talking about?"
The Chief quickly answered. "From what we've gathered, the colony is underground, deep inside the forest. South of the village. About fifteen miles south. Many tunnels can be found, all going back to the main…" The Chief's words trailed off as Gerard, the village's best singer, opened his mouth. "My favorite song." He chuckled. "Tonight, we celebrate our survival, my daughter's safe return, and the arrival of new friends!" The Chief shouted, raising his glass.
All the villagers did the same.
Music erupted. Drums and flutes. They rose, linking hands and spinning in circles. Laughter filled the air.
The Chief stood and reached for his daughter's hand. "Aria. Dance with me."
Aria blushed, tried to resist, but her father tugged gently until she rose.
Soon, they were laughing and twirling in the middle of the hall.
Soon, only two remained at the table.
"I'm not dancing with you." Ken muttered under his breath. "Even if it means awkwardly staying seated like this."
"That's fine," Esme said flatly. "I don't know how to dance anyway."
Ken blinked. "Really?"
"Yes. I only just learned how to breathe, you know? The next thing to learn is..." She grabbed a strip of roasted meat, turned it over like a puzzle piece. "Eating. How do I eat?"
"I don't have time for this."
"Don't you?"
"Just bite, chew, and swallow."
"Biting and chewing, I understand, but how does one swallow?" She frowned, then tore off a chunk and chewed clumsily. "Now, what? I bit and chewed. How do I-"
"Don't speak with your mouth full." Ken groaned. "Gross. Aren't you supposed to be angelic, since you're an Angel?"
"Well, yes but… Angels don't need to eat, breathe, or… Well, many things that mortals need to do."
Ken buried his face in his hands. "If you're going to eat like an uncivilized barbarian, go do it at another table."
"This isn't so bad." The Angel muttered, her fist hitting her chest a couple of times. "I almost choked but… I'm getting the hang of it."
"Good for you." Ken sighed.
Just when he thought about standing up and momentarily leaving the hall, a sweet voice purred, "Care for a dance, Mister Ken?"
Gulp-
A MILF set her sights on him.