Novel: Sword, Bow, and Book 021 'Ants and Axes'

[Lai]

"Oh, Nene-chan has gone too, hasn't she?" Nasuno-san says flatly. "In terms of simple movement speed, she probably isn't inferior to Sed-san, and besides..."
"Besides?"
"Oh, no, well... it's nothing."
I didn't mention the fact that "Nene-san doesn't get along with Nasuno-san, so she's best off staying with Sed-san." If I said something like that, the nervous Nasuno-san would become even more troublesome, and that would be a disaster.

"Now, Lai, I trust you precisely because it is your idea. I trust you, but I still don't know anything about the details. Won't you let me hear them?" Nasuno-san has regained her usual calmness.

"Of course. The first thing we must verify is the possibility that the 'Tower of Sleep' itself is moving."
"Hmm? The tower is moving? Is there any such whimsical story?"
"That's what you'd think, right? But there is a possibility. - 1: The work of the Great Armored Termite-mimic. - 2: The work of the Jaw-spined Thornless Castle-termite. - 3: Other."
"Well, could you explain them one by one?"

"First, the Great Armored Termite-mimic. They have the habit of gnawing away the foundations of houses and buildings, and even moving the buildings themselves. They are designated as Class 1 dangerous pests, and not only are they very aggressive, but they also have high reproductive power. The 'Tower of Sleep' might, just might, be being moved."
"Next is the Jaw-spined Thornless Castle-termite. The 'castle' here refers to a fortress. These castle-termite species are known for building what are called termite mounds."
"Oh! Termite mounds. I've seen them while traveling, too. I've even encountered ones that easily exceeded two meters. It made me feel as if ants had intelligence, no, even a creativity colored by aesthetic sense!" Nasuno-san says excitedly.

"These Jaw-spined Thornless Castle-termites are phototropic insects. In other words, they have a habit of aiming for the sun, for the heavens. So, they build a termite mound on top of a termite mound, and then another one on top of that. Because it looks like a castle, they are called castle-termites, ants that build castles."

"Could it be that the 'Tower of Sleep' is a termite mound? Isn't that a bit too strange? Besides, it doesn't seem to be a question of whether it moves or not."

"Nasuno-san, the story continues. These Jaw-spined Thornless Castle-termites also have high reproductive power and are gregarious. That, too, far exceeds that of ordinary ants. Their termite mounds are also mobile. A large number of ants carry the mound to move it."
"Hmm. It's cloudy now, so it's faint, but to think that tower is a termite mound and ants are carrying it... it's hard to believe."

"Sed-san will surely find out. Besides, he's an expert on insects, isn't he..." Just as I started to say that, Nasuno-san suddenly,

"Get down!"

she shouts, so I crouch down. Something grazes my hair, and there is a sound like something stabbing into the ground with a "thud."

When I look, I realize it is a hatchet. A surprise attack while we are missing Sed-san and Nene-san! Now, how shall we overcome this?

(To be continued)