Her Majesty’s Swarm - Volume 1 - Chapter 11

Alteration 

“The Kingdom of Maluk has been reduced to ruins,” I declared to the residents of Baumfetter. 

Scars from the knights’ attack on their village were still visible everywhere. I was standing in the village’s assembly area, which was near the newly erected graves of the fallen. To supplement my declaration, I presented the nobles I had taken captive. 

“Isn’t that Princess Elizabeta?” 

“Did you really destroy the Kingdom of Maluk?” 

The elves looked over the prisoners with disbelief. Their skepticism didn’t surprise me; from what I could tell, the Kingdom had been persecuting them for a long time. But with reality thrust before their eyes, the elves were bound to understand that the Kingdom of Maluk had met its doom, and that the Arachnea was terribly powerful. 

“I’ll say it again: all that remains of the Kingdom of Maluk is rubble; there’s no one left to threaten you now. Additionally, the Arachnea is in control of the Kingdom’s former land. But don’t worry, we intend to allow you to freely live in this forest. It will be your own autonomous territory, and you will be free to govern it as you wish. We will have to supervise your diplomacy, though.” 

“We’re quite grateful, but are you sure this is all right?” asked the village elder. 

“Sure, I don’t mind. We’ll have to keep an army stationed here, and we’ll hold absolute jurisdiction over your military. From what I’ve seen, the area around this forest is a crossroads, with the Schtraut Dukedom to the north, the Frantz Popedom to the east, and the Empire of Nyrnal to the south. If anyone tries to take military action against you or the Arachnea, this place will become a battlefield.” 

“A battlefield?!” 

Elves were such a complacent race. A good look at the map would have made it clear this area was in the middle of an intersection between the four greatest countries on the continent. 

True, there was no highway running through here, and there were no fields either. This world depended on feet and carriages to ferry goods, so maintaining an army’s line of supply would be difficult... but not impossible. Countless victories against the odds had taught me that any challenge could be overcome with enough motivation. 

“Don’t worry about it. You’re under the Arachnea’s protection. We’ll dispose of any country that tries to harm you. Or would you rather be under another country’s protection instead?” 

“No, not at all! It’s only thanks to you that we’re safe right now... and that the loved ones we lost have been avenged. We’re lucky to be in your care.” 

Naturally , I thought. As far as I had found, all the most powerful nations on this continent worshipped the God of Light. Uncouth monotheistic zealots, the lot of them. The elves wanted to practice their own religion in peace, but those countries had tried to force them into abandoning it to instead worship the God of Light. 

But now that they were under our protection, they didn’t need to worry about that. If nothing else, I had no intention of infringing on the elves’ beliefs. Gods didn’t exist either way, so they could believe whatever they wanted. 

If there were gods out there, they’d have heard Lysa’s prayers and saved Linnet, and they’d have punished me for slaying so many people; I knew this because I had experienced modern faiths back in my own world. But neither of those things had taken place. According to myth and legend, gods loved to force mortals to partake in all sorts of trials. They tested people to see if they could prove themselves to be pure and noble. 

In that regard, I was a complete and total failure. I had no way of knowing if there was a god out there, but if there was, I had no doubt he or she hated me. I would no doubt be cast down to hell for my actions, and I would have no choice but to obey. Yes, if God was real, I was destined for the netherworld. 

“I hope we continue to be on good terms going forward, then. In fact, I’ve got the contract right here.” I spread out a diplomatic paper detailing our relationship on the table. “This document states that so long as you stay under the Arachnea’s protection, you retain your autonomy in the forest. Could a representative of yours sign it?” 

If they signed, the elves would receive our protection, have a right to self-government in the forest, and retain diplomatic relations with us. I didn’t know how to write in this world’s language, so I had Elizabeta write it for me. 

I’d have to learn how to read and write at some point, but thankfully the Swarm’s collective consciousness made studying much easier. If one of them learned a bit of grammar, it would transmit to the rest, enabling them to learn it too. When it came to vocabulary, if one individual learned to separate terms into categories like military, cooking, weather, and so on, the others would learn it in no time. I could use Elizabeta and the other captives to learn how to write. 

“I will handle it.” As could be expected, the elder nominated himself. 

“Then just write your name here, as the representative of Baumfetter.” 

“Here, yes?” The elder delicately wrote down his name, though I couldn’t read the elven language, either. 

Honestly, he could have written “nincompoop” instead, and I wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference. Despite that, I chose to trust him. The elves had witnessed the overwhelming power of the Arachnea, and they knew they’d gain little by opposing us. Well, if they didn’t realize it now, we’d just have to drive the point home later on. 

“Then I’ll put my name right here...” 

But just as the words left my lips, a cold shock came over me. 

What was my name? 

I definitely had a name back when I lived in Japan, but right now, I couldn’t recall it. I was drawing a blank about this key part of my identity. My name was completely gone from my memory, as though it had never existed. 

“Is something the matter?” 

I, on the other hand, was on the verge of throwing up. Had my consciousness been completely consumed by the Swarm’s, leading me to forget myself? It was certainly possible. 

“Your Majesty...?” Sérignan asked worriedly. 

Right, Sérignan has a name, and she’s connected to the collective consciousness just like I am... so that’s out. 

“Sérignan,” I whispered. 

“What is it, Your Majesty?” 

“Sérignan... give me a name.” I was clinging to her for support. “Anything will do. I need a name.” 

“A name?” Sérignan knitted her brow. “How about Grevillea?” 

“Grevillea? What does it mean?” 

“It is the name of a plant, also known as the spider flower.” 

It was the name of a fair flower... and one fitting for the leader of the Swarm. 

“All right. Thank you, Sérignan. From today on, my name is Grevillea. Grevillea, Queen of the Arachnea.” 

Having gained a name, I felt like I had grown a bit more distant from the collective consciousness. I didn’t know if that was for better or worse, but I was relieved to be able to affirm my individuality. It meant I was still distinct from the nameless Swarms. 

“I’ll sign, then.” I wrote my name and title on the document. “With this, we’ve sealed our agreement. I hope our good relationship extends far into the future.” 

And so the forest elves officially entered the Arachnea’s protection. Some among them were opposed to the decision, but upon learning that we had defeated the Kingdom of Maluk, and that they were now being threatened by the strongest nations on the continent, they quickly changed their minds. 

“Now the elves should have some peace. Even if we’re faced with the largest, strongest army on this continent, we still have a fair chance,” I said. 

I was back at the original Arachnea base. It hadn’t been used in some time, but it was a functional base all the same. It still had a working power plant, a Fertilization Furnace, and a flesh depository. I had even built some of our newly unlocked structures and facilities here, but I didn’t plan to use them until later down the line. At the moment, we didn’t have enough resources for them to start producing units. 

“I had lunch at Baumfetter today, so I’ll skip my next meal. Thank goodness I can kiss that hard bread and jerky from our long marches goodbye. Time to have a nice, warm bath and sleep in my soft bed.” 

The new facilities hadn’t come with a bath, by the way. I’d had the Worker Swarms build it a while ago, when I complained that I wanted a proper place to wash off. 

“Care to join me, Sérignan?” I asked her on my way there. 

“May I?” She blinked in surprise. “But I can’t remove my armor, so I’ll surely get in the way...” 

“Oh, right, you can’t take that off. Couldn’t you use your Mimesis, though?” 

Sérignan’s armor wasn’t a piece of equipment, but part of her body, so she couldn’t take it on and off... in her present form, anyway. 

“I could try, I suppose.” 

“Mmm. We’ll have to get ourselves a large hot spring or something.” 

Taking a bath with Sérignan was turning out to be a bit more problematic than I thought. As I was trying to come up with more ways to do so, a voice called out behind me. 

“Your Majesty, may I have a moment?” 

The Arachnea base was protected by Ripper Swarms, so it wouldn’t be easily infiltrated. The only people the Swarms would let through were the elves who came to offer us food, the elder, or the few elves I had a personal connection to. When I turned around, I came face to face with someone awfully familiar. 

“Lysa? What are you doing here?” I asked. “Do you need something from us?” 

“Yes. Umm...” Lysa fidgeted in place. “I want you to let me join the Arachnea’s army.” 

“You want to join my army? Why?” 

“I’ve been thinking that I’m not good enough as I am now. If only I were stronger back then, I could have saved Linnet.” 

Lysa had had to watch her childhood friend, whom she loved, die right in front of her eyes. Naturally, it was still on her mind even now. It would have been strange if she hadn’t been hung up over the death of the person she had grown up with and promised to marry. 

“I’m sorry, but I don’t need elves in my army. I understand your reasons, but I can’t allow you to join us.” 

“Please! I want to be as strong as Sérignan!” 

I held the elves’ skill with a bow in high regard, but it didn’t suit my fighting style. The Arachnea was a threat bound together by the collective consciousness, capable of attacking the enemy with overwhelming numbers and unparalleled solidarity. A single elf in my army wouldn’t really contribute anything. If she were a unit capable of evolving like Sérignan, it would be a different story, but even then, only Sérignan was connected to the collective consciousness. 

“Hmm... In that case, would you be willing to give up on being an elf?” I asked quietly. 

“What do you mean?” 

“If you’re truly willing to shed your race and become part of our ranks, there’s a very simple way of doing so.” 

Yes, it was almost too easy. 

“This is a Converter Furnace,” I said, walking over to a nearby structure. “It turns other living beings into Swarms. I built it thinking we could capture wild animals like bears or wolves, or even monsters, and forcibly turn them into Swarms. But it should work on elves, too.” 

This was one of the new structures I’d asked the Worker Swarms to build. Its primary function was transforming non-Arachnea units into Swarms. If I were to use it on bears, for instance, they would become Swarms that had bear-like traits; if I used it on wolves, I would end up with Swarms that had an especially keen sense of smell. The transformed units would also be loyal to me, since becoming a Swarm linked them to the collective consciousness. 

I didn’t know what would happen if I were to put an elf inside it... but when I had captured human units in the game and used the Conversion Cauldron on them, it resulted in human-like Swarms. In fact, in Sérignan’s own backstory, she swore fealty to the Arachnea’s queen and stepped into a Conversion Cauldron of her own will. I figured it would probably work the same way for an elf, but I had my doubts. 

“I’ll warn you ahead of time, though: the Swarm has a collective consciousness. If you become a Swarm, you’ll be swallowed up by it. At worst, you might end up losing your individual will.” 

Lysa wasn’t a Swarm. She had her own personality and free will. I couldn’t imagine what would become of her if she was integrated into the collective consciousness. She might end up forgetting her beloved Linnet, or she could retain her individuality even within the collective, like I had. 

“Please, let me do it. I want to be stronger so I can protect the people I love. I’ve already lost Linnet... I won’t lose anyone else.” 

Lysa was determined to do this, and she didn’t really seem to mind my warning. She would not allow herself to forget Linnet; that much was clear. The memory of his death was still deeply ingrained in the Arachnea’s collective consciousness as well. After all, that was the moment we had decided to declare war on the Kingdom of Maluk. 

“All right. I can see you’ve made your decision. Go ahead inside the Conversion Cauldron, then. It’ll all be over before you know it.” 

I opened the doors to the Conversion Cauldron, which was eerily similar to an iron maiden, and gestured for Lysa to enter. 

“Here I go...” Lysa took a deep breath and walked inside. 

I closed the doors on her, and then... 

“Aaah, aaahhh, aaAaAHhh!” 

Her piercing scream rang out from inside the device. 

“Lysa?! Lysa, are you all right?!” I felt panic rising up inside me. 

But soon the screaming died down, and the Conversion Cauldron opened back up again. 

“So this is what being a Swarm is like...” 

Lysa’s appearance had changed drastically. Like Sérignan, she had insectile legs sprouting from her new body—eight legs, to be precise—and a scorpion-like tail. She seemed quite baffled by her new form, inspecting her arms and tail curiously. 

“Well, are you still... you ?” 

“Yes, I’m fine.” 

Her consciousness hadn’t been consumed by the collective. When I considered her, Sérignan, and myself, maybe it wasn’t actually all that easy to lose oneself to the Swarm. 

“Can you use Mimesis, Lysa?” I asked enthusiastically, 

“Mimesis?” 

“Try imagining your old body. Concentrate on it, hard.” 

“My old body...” 

Lysa hummed as she imagined her elven form, and after a moment, her chestnut hair twirled into a pair of twintails, and her body was once again lithe and small, clad in pants and a tunic. 

“I’m back to the way I was?” 

“Not exactly. Mimesis is kind of like a disguise. If you lose focus, you’ll go back to your Swarm form.” 

Upon seeing Lysa’s eyes dart around in surprise, I had to suppress a giggle. 

“Anyway, I hope to see you do good work, Lysa. Welcome to the Arachnea. We’re glad to have you.” 

Thus, I turned Lysa the elf into one of us. 

What a pleasant surprise this was , I thought. Having two units capable of using Mimesis should increase my range of strategies. 

War had begun. This terrible conflict would surely consume everything. Yes, the hounds of war had been let slip, their howls as sharp and shrill as the screams that would ring out during the inevitable massacre. 

It was the Arachnea that had started this war. This fearsome nation had appeared out of nowhere, baring its fangs against the world. Its grotesque insects had crawled out from a pitch-black womb and consumed the Kingdom of Maluk. Now they stood primed for their next assault, with their queen there to guide them. 

This conflict would soon be called the Arachnea Campaign. Cries of war echoed through cities, villages, fortresses, affluent neighborhoods, guild streets, and slums. Soldiers and generals alike called out, with voices crying out for blood around them. 

The emperor, the king, and the duke all convened, gathering mercenary groups and ordering their combat engineers to fortify the walls. Walls that had not seen a single scratch for many peaceful years were soon guarded by soldiers wearing brand-new uniforms, vigilantly keeping their gazes fixed westward. 

They believed that the enemy—the insects—would surge in from the west. Keep your eyes on the west, their superiors said. Be wary of the west. Should the enemy come, raise your voice. Blow the horn of war, and cry out, even if you are driven mad. Such was the soldiers’ duty, even if it meant wearing out their throats in the process. As servicemen, they were willing to sacrifice themselves even if they were up against nightmarish, many-legged horrors. 

Were they ready for the insects’ arrival? If they were not, then it was far too late for them. Their land would be devoured by an army of bugs, and their citizens would be made into meatballs. If they did not take every measure possible to stop the wicked tidal wave, they would never survive. 

It was as if the gates of hell were on the verge of swinging open into this world. Yes... The tyranny of the Arachnea was upon them. Even the haughty Emperor of Nyrnal held his breath as he awaited the creatures’ impending march. The Arachnea cast a shadow over the Popedom of Frantz, one their faith in God could not illuminate. All the other countries could only quiver in terror. 

Where would this flood of insects reach next? Everyone waited with bated breath, doing their best to prepare for the worst—the Schtraut Dukedom, the Frantz Popedom, the Empire of Nyrnal, and all the other small countries in between. They dreaded the coming of that flood, and so they prepared. 

“We go northeast,” the Queen of the Arachnea declared. 

Her order coursed through the collective consciousness, and every single Swarm under her command turned its compound eyes to the northeast... to the next country that would taste devastation.