How I Tame My Valkyrie Harem

Chapter 201: Die, Insects! Die! Part 1

We walked together until the giant tree was close enough for us to see clearly. A small mound rose from the earth, and right at its peak stood the massive trunk of that enormous plant. Its branches were long and rich with dark green leaves, making it difficult to see the threat hidden within that habitat. We stopped where the smaller trees ended, and only grass separated us from our battle.

"From here on, we’ll be entering enemy territory," I said to the girls accompanying me in a serious tone. "Are you ready?"

Sarah drew her sword and said fearlessly, "Born ready."

All of my Valkyries smiled at her reaction and looked ready for the battle ahead of them. All except one.

My Shadow Assassin seemed even more nervous than before. I needed to clearly explain what they would have to face, and after hearing everything, Diane’s legs were trembling.

"Hmm, Diane, it’s okay if you..."

"I-I can fight!" she told me in a fragile voice. She was visibly not her usual self.

There was a particular reason for her nervousness. Now that we were so close to the tree, it was possible to hear them.

"Bzzzzzzzzzzz!" The creatures’ buzzing was clear and irritating, but for her, it was probably terrifying, knowing what she would have to face before long.

Justine approached me, placed a hand over her mouth, and whispered in my ear, "Rick, wouldn’t it be a better idea to leave Diane out of this fight? I don’t think it would be a very wise decision to let her enter combat in this condition."

"Indeed," Erina whispered into my other ear. "Before, it was funny seeing her embarrassed, but now it’s just ridiculous! If you’re going to let her enter combat, then you need to get her to pull herself together!"

I felt as though an angel and a devil were whispering in my ears in that situation. I knew I shouldn’t listen to the devil that was Erina, but I didn’t want Diane to be left out. However, how to get Diane back on track was a question that puzzled me.

’This would be a good time for a mission to pop up in front of me, wouldn’t it? Freya, Brandish, either of you around?’ I asked through telepathy, but neither of them replied.

I wondered if Brandish was still asleep, and I wasn’t entirely sure whether Freya was watching or not, but regardless of the reason, I was on my own.

That was when I got an idea, one heavily inspired by the system that had helped me so much up until now. I cleared my throat, preparing to make an announcement and drawing the Valkyries’ attention.

"A reward should be given to the Valkyrie who kills the most monsters."

My words seemed to reach all of my wives, especially Diane, who until then had been paralyzed by fear. Her amethyst-colored eyes came out of their trance, and she looked at me attentively.

"What kind of reward?" Alicia asked with a fascinated smile.

"A sexual one."

"I don’t know why I’m not that surprised," Alicia said.

"Honestly," Sarah said grumpily, her cheeks flushed, "don’t think you’ll manipulate us using your member."

"Indeed, what a vulgar offer," Justine said, her cheeks equally red.

Despite their words, my offer had certainly shaken them. The other ladies were more honest, so they reacted differently.

"I’ll be the one to win the reward!" Alicia declared.

"No way," Erina shot back provocatively at the princess. "How is a healer supposed to kill monsters, Miss Saintess? This mission is perfect for my marksmanship skills."

"Ugh!" Alicia swallowed hard as she realized she was at a natural disadvantage.

I had planned it with Diane in mind and ended up forgetting that Alicia was the only one in the group without any offensive power. ’I’m sorry, my princess.’

Alicia stared at me with moist eyes and cheeks puffed full of air, as if she were begging me for support.

I patted her head and said hesitantly, "I-I’ll think of a way to make it up to you later, Alicia."

She didn’t seem very satisfied with my answer, as her expression looked annoyed. But even reluctantly, she nodded at me, accepting reality.

That was when I felt two soft objects press against my back and start rubbing against my skin. I recognized the pudding-like texture and the audacity of the person the very instant she did it.

"But Master, my abilities are more defensive than offensive too. I want to be compensated for that as well."

"Huh?" A surprised sound escaped me as I tried to avoid her at such an inappropriate moment for that sort of thing. "You have Poison Touch, so you’ll definitely be fine!"

"Master, you’re so mean!"

While Camula complained about me, Diane was approaching where I stood. Her gaze was still evasive, but there was no longer any fear in it, only embarrassment over what was going on inside her own mind.

"What exactly is this reward of yours... could you tell me what it is?" she asked me.

"That’s a secret," I told her. "But what I can say about the reward is that it’s really good."

"Ugh!" the ladies groaned in excitement.

"Then I recommend that you really give it your all and kill as many Insects as you can."

Diane placed a hand over her large breasts, as if trying to contain her own anxiety.

"So, what do you say, Diane?" I asked in a teasing tone.

I didn’t want her to falter, but rather to show that she was willing to face her fears. However, I could only motivate her. She was the one who had to choose to move forward.

The hand resting on her chest clenched into a fist, and she looked at me with her usual determination.

"Yes, let’s kill those monsters! Together!"

...

The mound beneath the tree wasn’t steep, so climbing it wasn’t challenging at all. The problem was something else. As soon as we started getting closer to our objective, the Insects’ buzzing grew louder and more intense.

"Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!!"

"What an annoying noise!" Erina complained.

It was their warning. If we went any farther, they would attack us without mercy.

I looked at Diane, who was by my side. I could see that she was nervous, breathing deeply to relieve the stress, but in my opinion, she was handling the situation well.

"I can hold your hand if you want," I offered to Diane.

"D-Don’t be preposterous!" she snapped, just as I had predicted, but soon afterward she softened her tone. "I’ll be fine from here on."

"If that’s what you say."

"Aren’t you going to be on the front line?" she asked curiously.

"Not this time. I’d like to see Sarah and Camula fight together as the physical force of our party. So I think it’s better if I stay back here until the Boss appears."

"You’re definitely not staying here because of me, are you?" Diane asked with an accusatory look.

"But of course not," I lied to her. "I’m not that soft-hearted."

It wasn’t as if I doubted Diane’s abilities. Quite the opposite. At this point, she was my highest-level Valkyrie and specialized in physical damage. But since she might still be shaken, I thought it would be best to stay close to her just to make sure nothing bad happened to her.

"I see. It’s good to hear that." When I glanced at Diane from the corner of my eye, the young woman had a cheerful smile on her face.

Sarah took a step forward towards the majestic tree that seemed to want to reach the heavens, and at that moment, the monsters hiding within its foliage buzzed even more furiously than before.

"BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!"

One more step and they would certainly attack. I had no doubt about that. Several meters ahead of me, she looked back at me, and with a single exchange of glances, she let me know the time had come.

I drew my black sword from the sheath where it rested. As it cut through the air beneath the daylight, it seemed as though a purple glow shimmered across its blade.

"BZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!" That irritating noise continued to echo in my ears.

"Shut up already! As if I’d back down," I shouted. "I’m going to crush you monsters and put you in your proper place!"

We didn’t even need to take another step before they came rushing towards us. It was as if my formal declaration of war had tossed a lit match into a barrel of gunpowder. Now the irritating buzzing was accompanied by the beating of wings.

A cloud seemed to emerge from within the tree, but that was just an illusion. Looking more closely, I could see that it wasn’t a cloud at all, but the shape formed by every member of the swarm as they flew together towards us.

Each of those creatures had to be about the size of a wild wolf, but instead of fur, they had a yellow-and-black pattern covering their exoskeletons. Antennae protruded from their heads, and their large black eyes sat on either side of them. The giant bees charged towards us with their venom-filled stingers ready to strike.